Sticky Sewer (5)

Rumble!

I looked at the door, which opened with a bizarre noise.
I turned my head to the side.

“Moon Bora!”
“Yes!”

We nodded to each other, lifting our weapons.

Finally, the time had come to bid farewell to this wretched sewer.

Dust spread thickly.
Following that, a wide stone chamber appeared.

At the center of it was a human-like figure about three meters tall.

Clatter.

The sound of metal echoed as armor clashed.
A knight clad in tin armor turned its gaze toward us.
Sticky green liquid churned between the seams.

Surely, this was the ‘Leader’ guiding and leading the slimes breeding here.

“…<Slime Knight>? I’ve never heard of this one. Mr. Yu Seha, do you know how to tackle it?”

“Basically, it’s a knight-type monster that focuses on close combat. However… maybe because it’s a slime, it seems to have special abilities as well.”

I spoke with a slightly uncertain attitude.
Well, it wasn’t a big deal…
It was just a bit different from what I knew…

‘…Strange?’

While it was the same ‘knight type’ monster, what I saw in the community used a two-handed sword.

But the one in front of us now had a thick kite shield.
In its other hand was a double-edged axe that gleamed.

You might think, ‘Isn’t it just a weapon difference?’
But even a different weapon in GAL could often mean different skills and traits.

At that moment, I thought it would be best to handle it cautiously.

“Clang!”

The <Slime Knight> watching us raised its axe high.

With a bubbling sound, the axe blade was covered in mucus.

As it swung, the liquid ‘Slash’ spun like a boomerang towards me.

“Seha!”
“Scatter. Moon Bora!”

Right after speaking, we split apart, maintaining a distance suitable for collaboration.

Bang!
Sizzle…

The slash reached the wall.
A fierce sound echoed as it melted with acidity, leaving a deep indentation.

Wow, what a terrifying skill…

Moon Bora, glancing back, asked with a surprised expression.

“…Sword energy? Really?”
“No. Look closely. It’s a pseudo-slash using the body composition of the <Blue Slime>.”

If that had really been a sword energy based on [Sword Aura], I wouldn’t have been able to avoid it.

Anyway, thanks to that recent strike, I gained some confidence.

‘It’s manageable.’

It was neither slow nor weak.
But it wasn’t fast or overwhelming, either.

Perhaps it was thanks to the improved proficiency of the magnifying glass.
Even though it was a boss, I could see a bit of its abilities.

‘As expected…’

It’s just as I thought.
It’s manageable.
The Slime Knight was a boss that ranked between C and B grade.

In terms of pure stats, it was a boss monster focused on strength.

It wasn’t particularly difficult since it didn’t have tricky terrain or powerful abilities.

‘Its specialty is probably close and mid-range combat.’

Given that it possessed the ‘axe’ skill called [Flowing Axe], it wasn’t easy to engage in close combat recklessly.

However, charging in thoughtlessly was tricky because of the ‘Slash’ it had just unleashed.

In that case…

‘What we need is a distraction!’

“Moon Bora! Barrier!”
“[Ice Wall]!”

Moon Bora immediately responded to the shout.
An ice barrier surrounded the Slime Knight’s body like a circle.

“Clang!”

Faced with the suddenly appearing barrier, the Slime Knight wildly swung the one-handed axe it was holding.

Between the cracks in the shattered ice, the axe moved as if dancing strangely.

After several swings, the wall that couldn’t withstand it was shattered.

Thinking that its power was higher than expected, I quickly seized the side of the creature using [Rush].

I place my hand on the sword hilt.
With that, I thrust the lightning-like [Flowing Slash] into the <Slime Knight>.

Shuck!

“Clang!”

The arm holding the axe flew off entirely.

‘Great!’

Not just any part, but the arm holding the weapon was severed.

The buff that followed also provided a bonus to attack power and speed.

At that moment…

An alarm of danger rang in my mind.
I was slightly flustered.
Because there was nothing that seemed to justify the sense of danger.

‘Where is it?!’

I quickly looked around.
I realized a beat later that it was above.

A ‘severed arm’ spinning in the air was emitting a strong red signal.

Then the arm turned crimson and swelled as if it were about to explode.

No way, this is…

‘A [Red Slime] skill?!’

Boom!

The explosion covered quite a wide range.
Smoke spread thickly in all directions.

“…! Seha, are you okay?!”
“Ah, I’m safe!”

I reassured Moon Bora and took a deep breath, ‘Phew…’

Originally, the damage would have been significant.
But the skill I activated just in time saved my life.

Currently, my arms and legs were completely covered in what seemed like rocky soil.

A derivative skill of [Crack of the Rough Stone].
A defensive technique using [Stone Hardening].
Thanks to it, I reduced a lot of damage, but I couldn’t help but click my tongue in regret.

’…Tsk.’

The cooldown for [Stone Hardening] was ten minutes.
Since it was a high-performance defense, I wanted to save it for close combat, but it was already used up.

Bubbling!

In the meantime, the arm of the <Slime Knight> was steadily regenerating.

I was a bit taken aback here…
What grew from the severed arm wasn’t a hand or anything, but a long axe blade.

‘…Could that axe…?’

It wasn’t an ordinary weapon.
Does it mean it’s a part of the body, solidified from the fluid in its body?

‘This is absurd…’

If that were the case, then not only the armor covering its body.
The Kite Shield, in its other hand, was probably part of the slime’s body.

Anyway, those slime bastards…
There wasn’t a single thing I liked about them.

In any case, there’s regeneration. Right?

“Moon Bora!”
“Yes!”
“I’ll tell you the timing! Until then, prepare [Icicle] and [Ice Hand]!”
“…Are you telling me to use [Double Casting]? Ah, that’s impossible for me at my current level!”

That’s not necessary.
Just prepare to use it with minimal delay.

“That’s all you need to do!”
“…You act like magic is some kind of cure-all! Fine, I got it!”

I used Moon Bora’s grumbling as ASMR and dashed forward.

Powered by [Dash] and [Agility], my movement was fast enough to surpass the speed of the <Slime Knight>.

“Ugh!”

As I closed the distance faster than expected, the <Knight> was flustered.

Until its arm regenerated, it seemed to be focused on defense, pushing the Kite Shield forward.

“Where do you think you’re going?!”

The gentle radiance of the [Saint’s Sword] grew stronger.

The blue magical energy transformed into a red light, like a raging storm.

The power increased in proportion to the divinity inherent in the [Saint’s Sword].

Adding the most powerful sword technique I knew, it surged toward the <Slime Knight>.

I wanted to use [Blazing Flames] as well, but the opponent possessed the [Combustible Explosion] of the <Red Slime>.

I refrained from recklessly igniting it.

“Boom!”

The Kite Shield, which had withstood three strikes of overwhelming power, shattered in an instant.
Even its arm, which had aged, was slashed.

‘Ah, this is it…’

As expected of the [Overlord Sword Technique].
What an amazing skill!

Considering that this was a technique wielded without proper training, its power was truly absurd.

As soon as the information window indicating strain appeared, the skill was immediately deactivated.

After the battle with the ‘Twin Head Troll’, the restrictions on the [Overlord Sword Technique] were somewhat lifted.

Although it couldn’t be sustained for long, it could be used in a similar manner to a toggle switch.

“Clatter!”

Sensing danger, the <Slime Knight> quickly retreated.

But it was in vain.

“Bora Bora!”
“Really… I told you not to call me that!!”

Right after Moon Bora’s shout.
The [Slime Knight] faced the wrath of [Icicle].

Crack!

A massive ice hand followed.
[Ice Hand] grabbed it, immobilizing it on the spot.

The creeping cold gradually froze its body.

’…Phew!’

I gripped the [Saint’s Sword] tightly.
The vast mana was quickly drained, but I didn’t mind.

I raised the sword high with both hands.

The blue mana gathered in the sword transformed into the distinct white of ‘Holy Power.’

A subtle, crescent moon-like slash began to swirl at the sword’s tip.

It was the first demonstration of my innate skill [Holy Slash].

Bang!

The [Holy Slash] spread instantly, striking the [Slime Knight].

Good.
With this, our victory was firmly secured.

But for any creature, the ‘struggle’ was always the scariest.

I recognized the red signal that [Eyes of Reversed Heaven] alerted me to.
I stepped back without further greed.

“Clatter!”

The <Slime Knight>, which had been beaten unilaterally, trembled as if in rage.

At the same time, it seemed like it was drawing out almost all of its remaining mana.

The creature raised its arm, which had stopped regenerating.

A fairly strong mana gathered at the severed part.

I was startled by that sight.

‘Crazy, it’s using a skill even though its arm is severed?’

Ah, come to think of it, this thing was a ‘slime’ no matter what, right?

The concept of limbs was just my standard.
For such an amorphous monster, it probably didn’t hold much significance.

Sure enough.
Whether it had arms or not, the creature gathered mana and swung the axe horizontally, concentrating energy on the blade.

A sticky ‘Slash’ extended along its trajectory and flew at a terrifying speed.

‘It’s fast, but not so much that I can’t dodge it.’

With the speed increased by [Sprint] and [Agility], it was possible to dodge.

Just as I was about to leap.

[Unprecedented Sense] sounded a stronger warning.

‘…Is there something more?!’

The straight slash began to bubble.
It split into three and started to curve.

This was not the end.

The slash, which had been glowing green, turned red.
At the same time, it took on a dangerous hue with a crimson tint inside it.

The moment I saw it, I realized.

’The [Red Slime]‘s skill!’

It was a slash imbued with [Combustible Explosion].
Judging by its size and range, it was practically a final desperate attack.

“Seha!”

Moon Bora, sensing the danger, shouted loudly.

I bit my lip hard as I watched the three ‘Slashes’ chasing me.