Subdungeon #3

 

“You know, we didn’t come here to play. You all know that, right?”

A sharp mental education that stabs the lungs.

“Mitchell, if you rush off alone and get stranded, we won’t be able to help you. Are you planning to fight alone, without any party members?”

Sober feedback given to each individual.

“⋯Okay, I’ll stop here. Let’s do better next time. Don’t forget what I said and remember it well.”

A clean finish with no aftertaste.

Wow-

This is a true leader.

I clearly showed everyone what a proper party leader is.

Indeed, everyone looked impressed, as if my efforts had not been in vain.

this.

Did I show a little too much charisma?

I don’t mean to say I respect it too much. It’s just a bit burdensome.

“Estelle, I understand. From now on, I’ll do better, just like you said!”

But, as soon as I finished speaking, Flora immediately hugged me in her arms.

⋯Huh?

It’s soft and warm, so I don’t feel too bad…

‘Charisma… did you show it?’

Even if you are a stern leader, you shouldn’t keep too much distance from your party members.

I wonder if this can be considered a natural expression of respect.

No, but aren’t you hugging me too much like a doll?

“It was both helpful and cute, Estelle. You’re like a teddy bear who speaks the truth.”

“The kid may be a little cheeky, but what he says makes sense. Yeah, I’ll take note.”

Mitchell also came over and stroked my head.

The ball was also pulled out.

⋯Charisma?

⋯Is there one?

This is not the atmosphere I was hoping for.

But I can’t get angry here.

In the meantime, my eyes met with Wagner’s.

“Ahem.”

At least Wagner seemed to have a rough idea of what I wanted to show.

He slowly avoids eye contact with a look that says, “There’s nothing I can do about it.”

Hey guys.

Can you stop petting me?

I’m not a toy, am I?

Especially Flora, you. Where do you keep touching?

You’re secretly touching me in weird places?

“Ms. Estelle, please tell me one more thing. We’re not here to play! Okay?”

“⋯.”

“Oh, please—that part was the cutest.”

I quickly buried myself in Flora’s arms and quietly closed my eyes, feeling empty.

To become a dignified party leader⋯

It still seems like a long way to go.

***

The attack on the polluted sediment site continued.

Following the translucent eyeballs, various eyeball series variants began to appear.

The mud monster also grew bigger and faster.

“Senior, there’s an eyeball behind you!”

“yes!”

At my shout, Flora quickly turned around and used her magic shield.

Kwakwang—

‘Ahing Eyeball’ self-destructs with a loud noise just in the nick of time.

Pieces of debris flew in all directions like bullets, but were all blocked by the magic shield.

“Phew—that was a close call. Thank you, Estelle!”

“I understand, so stay focused, senior!”

“Okay-”

There is no time to leisurely exchange thanks with one another.

I kept my body moving without rest, keeping the monsters in check with magic arrows.

The ‘bloodshot eyes’ that float in the air dripping polluted blood are the most efficient for me to deal with.

The ‘rotten mud monster’ that carries a swarm of flies is subdued through the joint efforts of Wagner and Mitchell.

A fierce battle continues without a moment to breathe.

After a while, the surrounding area was filled with monster corpses.

“Phew- I’m a little tired now.”

Mitchell sat down with a thud, rubbing his shoulder.

It must be hard.

As the main dealer of the party, he worked really hard.

If there was a deal meter, Mitchell’s deal would definitely be the highest among party members.

Wagner was a tank, so his role was mainly to block monster attacks, and Flora and I had to rest and do nothing when our magic power was depleted.

We decided to take a short break.

Wagner also put down his heavy shield for the first time in a while, and Flora dozed off in the meantime.

It looks like everyone is tired…

Even at this time, I was wandering around alone, picking through the corpses of monsters.

‘I have to trim it as much as possible before it rots.’

I absolutely cannot stand to see the spoils of a hard-fought hunt thrown away.

In particular, the biological tissues of the eye series are sold at a high price, and if not collected quickly, they will quickly rot.

Chubby, chubby.

The dagger danced happily, tearing through my flesh with my nimble hand movements.

At first it was disgusting, but now I know it’s all about money, and it’s just rewarding.

“Hey kid, what are you doing? Can you help me?”

“Okay. I’ll do it, so just rest.”

I didn’t bother asking for help.

In terms of maintaining the party’s power, Mitchell will have to keep acting like a dog, so it’s better to let him rest for now and recover his stamina.

And if you ruin the loot by helping me with your poor skills, I think you’ll be really upset.

Because no one in our party can match my skill at sleight of hand.

A tough hunt, then some loot.

Even though it was a game, it was a routine that was so familiar that I had repeated it countless times.

I found myself humming a tune because my mind was at peace.

After finishing the gathering, I called the party members back together.

“Okay, rest is over. Let’s get moving.”

Everyone still looked tired, but they stood up from their seats without complaint.

The pollutant sediment map has already passed the middle section.

As time went by, the level of monsters that appeared became significantly more threatening.

Moreover, the problem is not only with monsters.

“Huh, what?”

Wagner’s foot slipped and he stumbled wildly in place.

Wagner’s body’s balance was lost, and his legs were about to fall into the polluted waterway.

“Whoa, be careful-”

At the last moment, a magic shield appeared and provided a foothold.

Wagner sighed in relief and wiped away the cold sweat.

“Phew, thanks.”

“Hey, what-”

In the latter half of the area, polluted waterways gradually erode the roads, reducing the area where you can move properly.

So I assigned Flora to the role of a rescue agent, and gave her the task of immediately super-saving her companions with a magic shield whenever necessary.

Slippery floors aren’t the only thing you need to be careful of.

Toxic mucus seeping from the walls and ceiling is also a concern.

Chul-chul.

Mitchell, who had unknowingly placed his shoulder against the wall, let out a sharp scream.

“Oh, shit!”

It was only a brief moment of contact, but Mitchell’s shoulder quickly turned red and smoke rose in puffs.

“Ah …

“⋯Don’t apply the ointment, Mitchell. It’ll irritate you. I’ll treat it properly with herbs later.”

The fear of poison, magical contamination, and corrosive acid.

Adventurers who fail to learn how to navigate and navigate a hostile environment will quickly become prey to the polluted sediments and melt away.

But, the most fearful enemy is different…

“Ms. Estelle, by the way, your clothes have changed?”

“huh.”

“Is this an image change? Your new clothes are cute too.”

I still don’t know whether to thank you for saying I’m cute or what to do.

Anyway, I changed into clothes of a different style from the sporty girl fashion I usually wear during my break.

Plain cloth clothes and skirts.

It’s a junk item that can be considered to have no special options, defense, or anything else.

If you go later, it’s equipment you won’t even pick up because it will take up space in your backpack.

There is no particular reason to change to worse equipment.

“Hey, what’s that?”

Mitchell frowned.

An amorphous monster that approaches from the darkness.

“Is it a mud monster?”

“It’s different from the ones I’ve seen before. It’s green.”

“Wow, it looks like melon jelly – so pretty.”

It finally appeared.

Slime, a scourge of polluted sediments.

Unlike the large mud monsters, they have shrunk to less than half their size, and their appearance has changed to something more attractive, as Flora said, but these guys are truly dangerous.

Why, it’s like that in comics too.

It’s like the cliché that the little guy standing next to him with his arms linked is stronger than the big guy.

I immediately used the Frost Sword.

A long, cold blue blade stretched out above the ceremonial dagger, illuminating the darkness of the waterway.

‘There are two slimes. It would be nice to catch them quickly, but…’

There is no easy strategy.

Just like I’ve been fighting other monsters up until now, I’m just going to do my best to catch them.

Just hoping that fatal damage doesn’t accumulate.

“Ugh!”

The battle began with Wagner raising his shield and swinging his mace powerfully down in his other hand.

Crunch.

The slime that was hit directly by the mace was crushed in the shape of the weapon, but soon shook elastically and recovered its original shape.

High health and regeneration ability that prevents you from falling after one or two attacks.

And then, the counterattack follows.

“Ugh⋯!”

Push—

Small droplets of slime spewed from the slime’s body and began to corrode Wagner’s armor.

Wagner groaned.

Wagner’s hands and neck, exposed and unprotected by his armor, instantly burst into smoke and flames.

The extremely tricky “corrosive fluid” properties.

Every time you attack, fragments of your body fly out, dealing acid damage to the surrounding area.

For a party of our level that has not yet secured a countermeasure, it is a disaster in itself.

“Ah …

Even Wagner, who had been silently supporting the party until now, was groaning in pain.

“Mitchell! Get behind me!”

“Oh, wait. Then, Gomtang-”

“I don’t think I can hit you with my bare fists!”

Wagner raised his voice in a rare gesture.

Mitchell, sensing the urgency of the situation, followed Wagner’s words without a word.

‘Accurate judgment.’

Wagner’s snap judgment was correct.

Wagner, armed with iron armor, can withstand it, but the rest of the party members have a hard time withstanding the slime’s acid attacks.

Not only Flora and I, who were wearing nothing more than everyday clothes, but Mitchell was wearing a completely bare body like an athlete.

However, this was also a harsh judgment for Wagner himself.

As Mitchell retreated, more slimes, still searching for a target, latched onto him, and two of them rushed at Wagner at once.

“Ugh!”

Wagner gritted his teeth as if they would break.

The sight of smoke rising from all over the body was so unbearable that even those watching from behind could hardly bear it.

“Eww- Joe, please hold on a little longer!”

Flora, half-panicked, fired a flurry of magic arrows.

Even though I’ve completely lost my composure, long-range attacks from a distance are still an effective attack method.

Meanwhile, I aimed my frost sword and approached the slime.

“Estelle, back⋯!”

“A party leader never abandons his colleagues.”

I dodged the acid droplets that were flying everywhere and had the slime in my sights.

It is not enough to just cut off a part of the body.

If you fight like that, the damage will just accumulate without limit.

Just one room.

You just have to hit one room accurately.

In the middle of a melon-colored liquid that sways and wiggles.

Towards the dimly visible core.

“Go.”

Push.

The frost sword pierced the slime’s torso.

I immediately turned around and stabbed the next slime’s core.

“It’s stopped! Is it dead?”

Mitchell, who was behind me, said something he shouldn’t have said.

Mitchell, don’t you know that line is taboo?

Rather, if you hear those words, even the dead will come back to life.

It’s like an emergency defibrillator.

Well anyway, the slime originally had 2 phases left.

The slime, which had hardened in the shape of a pierced core, soon began to boil and bubble.

This is a sign that the following characteristics are changing from “corrosive fluid”.

Two slimes slowly transforming their bodies into green heart shapes.

It has begun.

Phase 2, erotic slime mode.