Magic, If He Remembered Right…

He thought.

Even as he ran, Kikori thought.

Their opponent was a slime—like it had been born to kill living things, a true professional of slaughter.

Its body was semi-liquid… and from what he could see, it looked like unset jelly.

Physical attacks barely worked. Cutting it with a sword or smashing it with a hammer meant nothing.

It didn’t have any obvious weak point like a core, either.

Charging in with his life on the line wouldn’t do a thing.

Even if he climbed a tree, he could practically see the future where the tree itself got melted.

“Damn it! This really is impossible!”

“I told you so, didn’t I?!”

They had to run.

If none of the cards they held worked, then running was the only option.

If they made it back to the Hero Gate, maybe someone could do something for them.

After all, Kikori and the others had no options left.

…Did they, really?

That question surfaced in his mind and lingered.

Did they truly have no options?

A monster that shrugged off physical attacks, and that you could only beat by blowing it away in one shot with magic—

Would something like that… really come all the way to a place like this?

Because if it was that strong—

If it was truly that strong, then depending on the situation, couldn’t it even beat a dragon?

No.

That wasn’t it.

It wasn’t, which meant it had a reason to be here.

‘Right. Don’t stop thinking. Remember—magic, if I remembered right…!’

“Kuon!”

“What?!”

“Magic works on that thing, right?!”

“It works, but… huh?! Do you have a plan?!”

“Maybe! And if I don’t… well, we die!”

That was it—Kikori still had one last option.

Break.

The only spell Kikori had learned. It had barely worked on the hobgoblin, but—

“I’ll do it… because if we keep running like this, it’ll catch us and we’ll die!”

He shouted, and erased the “will to run” from inside himself.

In a rush… the slime spread its body like a tidal wave, expanding to swallow Kikori whole.

Kikori deliberately stepped in even farther.

He didn’t use his axe. He reached out his hand.

The instant he touched the slime’s body, he heard the sickening sizzle of flesh melting.

Pain so intense it could drive him mad. He suppressed the urge to scream, and spun up the “necessary words” and image.

Don’t let your mind go blank.

Picture it clearly.

Don’t let go of this thing.

What came out of his mouth wasn’t a scream.

“Break!”

The slime’s semi-liquid body, stretched to its limit, shuddered.

A sharp pop—like something bursting—rang out.

And then the slime dispersed, spreading into a fine mist, thinning out until it vanished.

Behind Kikori, certain of his victory… Kuon let out a cheer.