VS The Orichalcum-Clad Gentle Monster... Gentle!?

Standing before Arthur was a massive slime, its body surface encrusted with minerals. With wriggling tentacle-like limbs, it snatched up ore and devoured it hungrily.

“This thing’s a lot more active than the rumors said…”

“Could this monster be…?”

Arthur had heard it had high defense but no offensive power—yet the way it ravenously consumed the mine stunned him. Behind him, Gawain stood wide-eyed in disbelief.

It definitely didn’t match the monster described in the stories… Or so Arthur thought—until something about the slime caught his attention.

“Hm? What’s that…?”

Perhaps due to its varied diet, the creature’s body was covered in many different ores, but among them was one that glimmered in a rainbow hue.

That must be Orichalcum—no doubt about it.

“Arthur-sama, look out!! Behind you—Uwooooooh!!”

Dozens of tentacles lunged toward Arthur, but Gawain leapt forward, cutting them away with his sword. The sheer force and swordsmanship behind the strikes were beyond human—truly the work of a prodigy. His “threefold power” was no joke, as he managed to withstand the slime’s ferocious assault. But his expression was grim.

“This thing… it’s strong…!”

Though it only took a moment, Gawain was clearly winded, panting heavily. Its attacks were powerful—but that wasn’t the worst part.

“My sword… it’s melting…”

“Yes. This is the power of one of the Five Great Beasts, the ‘Mine-Eating Acid Metal Slime.’ An insatiable glutton, it devours everything. It boasts a fortified outer shell and tentacles… and the acid that makes up most of its body is derived from the toxins within the minerals it consumes.”

Sweating profusely, Gawain tossed his now-dissolving sword aside and drew a spare one, glaring at the Acid Metal Slime with unwavering resolve, determined not to let it lay a single tentacle on Arthur.

Despite his gallant words, Gawain was clearly struggling. But it wasn’t because he was weak—this enemy was simply too powerful, and the match-up was poor.

The Five Great Beast, Acid Metal Slime—melee weapons were useless against its hard exterior, and worse, they would dissolve on contact. Meanwhile, its own tentacles could pierce even metal armor with ease.

As for magic, using large-scale spells within the mine risked a cave-in.

That’s why the former lord Flugel and the Dwarves had no choice but to subdue it with trickery—feeding it a magically enchanted ore to lull it to sleep. No sane person would ever willingly face one of the Five Great Beasts. Most would flee on sight.

The only ones who stood their ground were those desperately protecting someone, like a saintess who loved and protected her people… or someone who wasn’t thinking at all.

“Well, in any case, if we beat it, we’ll get Orichalcum, right?”

Arthur, of course, fell into the “not thinking at all” category!!

Hearing Gawain’s explanation, Arthur stepped forward. Not because of bravery.

Another one of these so-called Five Great Beasts, huh… Well, the Cockatrice turned out to be a pushover, so this one can’t be that bad either. Gawain seemed to struggle with it, but that must’ve been a bad match-up. I mean, the guy’s sword did melt, after all.

These were Arthur’s thoughts.

“Arthur-sama, do you understand what this monster is…?”

“It’s the one with Orichalcum, right? I heard the Dwarves talking about it.”

Yes, with Kei absent, Arthur had tried his best to remember what the Dwarves told him.

A monster bearing Orichalcum would have a hard body and a rainbow shine. Sure, it was more aggressive than described, but rumors always differed from reality. Two out of three traits matched—good enough for Arthur to conclude it was the same monster.

He also remembered how people said the Forest Lord’s meat was delicious… but it turned out to taste like total garbage.

So now, thanks to some ill-informed experiences, Arthur had developed dangerously skewed knowledge.

“It’s fine!! You and I can take down this guy, no proble—GYAAAAHHH!!”

“Arthur-samaa!!”

And just as he stepped forward, a tentacle ensnared him.