The slime moved slowly, much slower than the rats. It didn't charge or leap. It just slid forward across the stone floor with a wet sound that made Hiroshi's skin crawl.
The bestiary he'd read during recovery had covered slimes. They were simple creatures, mostly just animated masses of fluid held together by magic. The core was the weak point–destroy that and the slime dissolved. But getting to the core meant getting past the acidic outer membrane that could burn through leather and cloth.
Hiroshi circled to the left, keeping his distance. The slime tracked his movement, turning to follow him. It was slow but persistent.
He tested it with a quick thrust, letting the sword tip barely touch the slime's surface.
The blade sank in about an inch and stopped, held by the thick gel. When he pulled it back, the steel smoked slightly and the edge showed signs of corrosion where it had made contact.
Great. His borrowed sword was already taking damage and he wasn't even halfway through the dungeon yet.
The slime kept advancing. Hiroshi backed away, mind working through options. He couldn't just stab it repeatedly, the acid would eat through his blade before he reached the core. He needed a clean strike. One hit to destroy the core completely.
He waited until the slime was fully out of the water, away from the pool. Then he moved.
His Fighter Instinct calculated distance and angle. His Sword Mastery guided the strike. Hiroshi stepped forward and brought the sword down in a powerful overhead cut, aiming for the dark core visible inside the translucent mass.
The blade plunged through the outer membrane, through the gel, and connected with the core. The sphere shattered with a wet cracking sound.
The slime collapsed instantly, dissolving into a puddle of liquid that spread across the floor. Hiroshi pulled his sword free quickly and stepped back, shaking the remaining gel off the blade.
The steel was pitted now, showing damage from the acid. But it was still functional and sharp enough to cut.
He looked at the pool of stagnant water. More movement rippled beneath the surface.
At least two more slimes, maybe three, lurking in the shallow water.
Hiroshi circled around the pool carefully, keeping his distance from the edge. The slimes didn't emerge. They seemed content to wait in the water, defending their territory rather than actively hunting.
He could leave them alone. Focus on finding the dungeon core and getting out.
But something made him hesitate.
The slimes were weak individually. Easy to kill if you knew what you were doing. And fighting them might trigger his system, might grant him something useful.
More importantly, leaving enemies alive behind him meant they could attack from behind if he had to retreat. Better to clear the room completely.
Hiroshi picked up a piece of broken stone from the floor and threw it into the pool.
The water erupted as three slimes surged to the surface, all moving toward the disturbance. They were slightly larger than the first one, maybe four feet across each.
He waited until they were clear of the water, then engaged the nearest one.
This time he was more confident. Step forward, overhead strike, aim for the core. The sword punched through and the slime dissolved. He pulled back immediately, letting the other two slide toward him.
The second slime died the same way.
The third was faster somehow, or maybe he was getting tired. When he struck, the slime shifted slightly and the blade missed the core by inches. The sword stuck in the gel, held fast.
Hiroshi tried to pull it free but the slime's membrane clung to the steel. The creature moved forward, sliding up the blade toward his hands.
His Dodge skill screamed at him. He let go of the sword and jumped back.
The slime engulfed the weapon completely, the acidic gel working to dissolve it. Hiroshi could see his borrowed sword slowly corroding inside the translucent mass, the metal smoking and pitting.
He needed that sword. Without it, he was defenseless.
Hiroshi grabbed the rusted knife he'd taken from the corpse and moved in fast. The slime was focused on dissolving the sword, moving slowly, distracted. He got close, very close, and drove the knife straight down through the top of the slime toward where the core floated.
The blade was short, barely six inches. It wasn't enough to reach the core from above.
The slime turned its attention to him. Started sliding toward his legs where he crouched beside it.
Hiroshi's Fighter Instinct calculated the angle. The core was off-center now, closer to the side facing him. He adjusted his grip on the knife and stabbed again, this time from the side, pushing his arm into the gel up to his elbow.
The acid burned immediately. He could feel his skin blistering, his sleeve dissolving. But he pushed deeper, gritting his teeth against the pain, until the knife tip connected with something hard.
He twisted the blade and felt the core crack.
The slime collapsed, dissolving into liquid that poured across the floor. Hiroshi yanked his arm free and stumbled back, gasping.
His forearm was red and blistered, the skin already starting to peel. The sleeve of his shirt had dissolved completely up to the elbow. It hurt worse than the rat scratches, a burning pain that made his vision swim.
But he'd done it. Killed all the slimes.
And there, lying in the puddle of dissolved gel, was his sword. The blade was heavily pitted now, the edge rough and uneven, but still intact and usable.
Hiroshi picked it up with his good hand and shook off the remaining gel.
He sat down heavily against the wall and pulled out his bandages. His arm needed treatment immediately. The acid burns were worse than he'd thought, second degree at least, possibly third in some spots.
He poured water over the burns first, trying to wash away any remaining acid. The pain intensified and he had to bite down hard to keep from crying out. Then he wrapped the arm in bandages, using his teeth and good hand to tie them off.
It wasn't proper medical treatment. But it would have to do.
Hiroshi checked his supplies.
He should turn back. He knew that. This was already worse than a G-rank dungeon should be. The injuries were piling up, and he still hadn't found the core.
But he'd come this far. Killed six rats and four slimes. Pushed through pain and exhaustion.
Turning back now meant all of that was for nothing.
Hiroshi forced himself to stand. His legs shook with fatigue and his arm throbbed with every heartbeat. But he was still alive.
There was one more doorway leading out of the room, opposite from where he'd entered. Beyond it he could see more of that blue fungal light, and he could hear something else now. A scraping sound, rhythmic and constant.
Something was moving in there. Something bigger than rats or slimes.
Hiroshi tightened his grip on the damaged sword and moved toward the doorway.
Whatever was in the next room, he'd face it. Kill it or die trying.
Because going back now wasn't an option anymore.
He'd committed to this path. And he was going to see it through to the end.
The doorway opened into the largest chamber yet. The ceiling stretched up into darkness beyond the range of the fungal light. The floor was covered in bones, animal and human both, scattered in piles. And in the center of the room, half-buried in the debris, was a pulsing crystal about the size of his fist.
The dungeon core.
But between him and the core was the source of the scraping sound.
A rat. But not like the others. This one was massive, easily the size of a full-grown man, with matted fur and scars covering its body. Its teeth were yellow and broken, and its eyes were milky white with cataracts.
The dungeon's boss monster.
It turned its blind head toward him, sniffing the air. Then it opened its mouth and screamed, a high-pitched shriek that echoed off the walls and made Hiroshi's ears ring.
The creature charged.
And Hiroshi raised his damaged sword to meet it.