The firelight flickered, illuminating the scene barely two meters away.
There it was: a fleshy, crimson tentacle. The severed end had been charred to a crisp, emitting a foul, nauseating stench.
The veins across the tentacle were still pulsing, maintaining the same aggressive posture it had held during the strike on Ariana. There was something undeniably uncanny about it.
"..."
That was it—it showed no sign of pain. It looked like a living thing, yet it reacted like an object. That was the source of the unease.
The tentacle seemed to freeze for a split second before whistling back into the depths of the forest at extreme speed.
[Sword Hero: Everyone up. The enemy is here.]
Layton, who had been dead to the world, bolted upright. The sudden mental notification acted like a bucket of ice water to his soul.
As he scrambled to his feet and raised his shield, he realized Miruku was gone.
"Where's Lady Miruku?!" Layton barked, scanning the perimeter in a panic.
"She's fine. Just focus on covering yourself," Anyi's voice drifted from the side.
Miruku was the fastest member of the squad and had undergone professional assassin training. If she had vanished, it meant she'd already gone into hiding. Besides, the System would notify them if she actually died.
BOOM!
A fleshy tentacle whipped out with blinding speed, thrusting toward the newly awakened Layton.
CLANG!
The sound of wood meeting flesh rang out as Layton blocked the strike head-on. He was forced back several steps, his arm vibrating from the impact.
"Its Strength is higher than mine!" Layton realized instantly.
"Behind you."
Anyi's voice suddenly hissed in Layton's ear.
As Layton spun around, he saw Anyi gripping his longsword, severing an ambushing tentacle with a single clean stroke. At the same time, Anyi had his other arm hooked around Ariana, pulling her clear.
"Thanks!" Layton shouted.
"You watch the front, I'll take the back. Saintess, use your skills to target the direction the tentacles are coming from," Anyi commanded immediately.
"On it!"
The two replied in unison.
Anyi let go of Ariana, positioning her safely between himself and Layton.
SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!
Tentacle after tentacle lunged from the forest shadows, lashing out at the three standing in the center of the clearing.
Anyi swung his blade with practiced ease, severing every limb that entered his reach. Layton, however, was struggling to keep up with the speed; his movements were frantic and clumsy, and he had already been clipped several times.
Ariana didn't have the breathing room to target the source; she was forced to constantly blast the tentacles near Layton. If she didn't help him, she'd be hit herself, as Layton couldn't possibly intercept every incoming strike.
This was exactly what Anyi had expected.
In fact, this development was precisely as he had envisioned. It would have been truly unbelievable if Layton had handled the tentacles with ease or if Ariana had perfectly targeted the root while under such pressure.
[F-Rank Dungeon: Slime Forest
Objective: Slay the Royal Slime
Recommended Party: 4+
Recommended Level: Lv5]
"Level 5" in this context meant a Level 5 where all attributes were balanced.
With their current specialized builds, they would need at least 7 points in both Agility and Endurance just to handle this dungeon.
Slimes themselves were pathetic, of course—next to a Goblin of the same level, they weren't worth a damn.
But what the Slimes lacked in individual strength, they made up for in the Royal Slime, a boss with an incredibly high difficulty curve for the early game.
[Dungeon Phase 1: Survive the Royal Slime's tentacle assault and locate its main body.]
The real kicker of this dungeon's difficulty was that the System wouldn't even display the dungeon information until the Royal Slime was first discovered.
As a Boss designed with the sadistic rest-trigger mechanic, its initial assault was a total ambush with absolutely zero warning.
If this were in a game, players would likely endure the tentacle assault for a long time, dying without ever realizing they needed to track the main body down within the forest.
In this world, such a mechanic is enough to wipe out a massive wave of Heroes.
There is no god's-eye view here, and certainly no respawning in the capital to look up a guide online.
Only those Heroes who can fend off the attacks while simultaneously tracking the source of the tentacles will eventually find the Royal Slime's main body.
However, in Anyi's view, this team shouldn't have any problem dealing with the Royal Slime.
Because...
...
「Where is it... the source of the attacks...」
Miruku blurred through the forest, effortlessly dodging tentacle strikes one after another.
These tentacles were fast, sure, but in her eyes, they were no different from slow motion.
She definitely couldn't go head-to-head with them, but if she couldn't outfight them, couldn't she at least outrun them?
While the other three were busy fending off the assault, she had already circled the clearing once, completing a basic reconnaissance.
Every tentacle originated from the ground, as if sprouting out of nowhere, bursting through the soil before launching an attack.
The source was underground.
On the surface, that sounded like a pointless observation, but...
Was the entire patch of earth their enemy, or was each tentacle an independent creature? Or perhaps they all shared a single, independent main body?
If the entire forest itself was their enemy, they'd better flee through the night or burn the whole place to the ground.
If every tentacle was an independent creature, then with Miruku's speed and Ariana's Holy Judge, they could break through them one by one.
If they all shared a single main body, it would be even easier to handle—they just had to find where that main body was.
However, Miruku leaned toward the latter conclusion.
Through observation, she noticed these tentacles actually moved with a certain rhythm.
If the very earth was attacking or if the tentacles were individual creatures, the attack patterns should be chaotic.
A forest has no brain; it would only attack by mindless instinct.
Individual creatures would show a free-for-all style of combat; even if there was a rhythm, it wouldn't be overly coordinated.
But looking at the current attack style, it essentially involved a specific dozen or so tentacles striking at set intervals.
Perhaps the three under assault couldn't see it clearly, but from Miruku's perspective, it was plain as day.
If she wasn't mistaken, the entity controlling these tentacles from behind had to be a creature that wasn't very bright, because the attack methods were far too rigid.
Right then, a tentacle flashed in her vision.
A severed tentacle.
Suddenly, the stump of the severed tentacle secreted a gelatinous substance, rapidly restoring its previous shape before turning back into the color of flesh and blood.
「Wait a second!」
Ah, those fleshy tentacles were just a disguise?!
The opponent was a Slime!
It was camouflaging its true Slime nature!
Since the opponent was a Slime...
Then it definitely had a core!
So as long as she found the main body, they could kill it!
「No one else has noticed this yet, right?」
Miruku gloated inwardly.
If the other three were still stuck on the defensive while she took out the core of these tentacles all by herself, they would absolutely worship her!
「Alright! It's my time to shine!」
Suddenly, a notification popped up in the Chat Group.
[Sword Hero: Lady Miruku, have you found the main body yet?]
Miruku: "..."
[Thorn Hero has joined the Chat Group!]
[Thorn Hero: Uh, not yet.]
How did he notice it too?!!
...
"Miruku is looking for a main body? What main body?" Ariana asked, confused.
"These tentacle attacks follow a specific rhythm, and a simple one at that.
Clearly, these tentacles could be attacking while simultaneously entangling and harassing us from our blind spots, but instead, they only perform basic whipping and thrusting motions.
It's highly likely that under such a high-frequency assault, the opponent can't precisely control every movement.
If each tentacle was an independent life form, their attack patterns would have erratic timing and varied techniques.
Whippings that don't land turn into thrusts; thrusts that fail turn into entanglements. If aerial attacks don't work, switch to the ground; if the ground fails, hit from the front.
It's like a group of people playing rock-paper-scissors. Even though there are only three gestures, everyone's thought process is unique. Even the timing after a countdown, one, two, three, varies from person to person.
Only when a single enemy is in control do you get the current simplistic attack patterns and fixed-rhythm assaults.
When you have some free time later, you can try drawing a square with one hand and a circle with the other. You'll find it's incredibly difficult to get the shapes you want; often, both hands will end up drawing circles or squares together.
The enemy's current situation is the same.
With one 'hand' controlling whippings and the other controlling thrusts, it's very hard to perform more complex and refined movements.
At the same time, this also indicates that the opponent probably isn't a high-intelligence creature."
Anyi explained to Ariana as he sliced through tentacles coming from all directions.
By now, both Ariana and Layton were thoroughly shocked.
Could he really derive such detailed information just from fighting tentacles for a few minutes?!
And he was clearing them out with absolutely zero sign of fatigue!
Layton and Ariana, tasked with clearing the frontal tentacles, were struggling just to keep up, let alone grasp the opponent's rhythm.
Anyi, under no pressure at all, could actually remain so calm and analyze the situation.
Terrifying!
Was this man born to be a Hero?!
"Wait... so, Miruku noticed this early on and left to find the main body?" Ariana suddenly realized something.
"She's a professional assassin from an assassin family. Slipping away and observing the situation is her survival instinct. She's young, but don't just treat her like an ordinary kid," Anyi said.
If Miruku had heard these words, she'd probably be secretly gloating for a long time.
Layton and Ariana: "!!!"
So basically, they were the only two who noticed absolutely nothing?!
To be fair, both Ariana and Layton had almost zero combat experience. Before being chosen as Heroes, they had virtually nothing to do with the word combat.
[Thorn Hero: Found it!]
Suddenly, a notification appeared in the eyes of the three.
[Sword Hero: Location?]
[Thorn Hero: Southeast of your current position, 2,000 meters away. It's too risky for me to face it alone.]
[Sword Hero: Then stand by. Wait for us to arrive.]
"That's so far!!" Layton cried out in surprise.
Not twenty meters, not two hundred, but two thousand meters!
To control such a vast number of tentacles from two thousand meters away, the scale of this creature was unimaginable!
"The problem is, which way is southeast?!" Ariana blasted a tentacle and looked around frantically.
She knew one could determine direction by the moon, but she had absolutely no idea how to actually translate that into navigation.
And right now, forget the moon, in this forest, if you looked up, you couldn't even see the stars, only a canopy of leaves.
In short, there was no way to determine their current heading!
"That way," Anyi said as he severed a tentacle, pointing in one direction.
Before Ariana could even react, she was tucked under Anyi's arm.
BOOM!!!
A fierce sword-wind erupted, cleaving a dozen swarming tentacles and carving out a pocket of space in the clearing.
Anyi sprinted out, rushing in the direction he had just indicated.
"Layton, stay close! I'll clear the path ahead, Saintess, cover Layton's advance!"
Anyi held Ariana with her legs pointing forward, so she could face backward and cover Layton.
"Got it!" Ariana didn't have time to worry about how awkward the position was.
If she were looking forward, he could have carried her on his back, but to look back, he had to tuck her under his arm.
All she could do was trust that Anyi would hold her tight and not let her fall.
Layton's movement speed was far below Anyi's; without cover, he'd just be a moving sandbag.
"YEAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
Layton charged forward, shield raised, shouting with excitement. The sound of light bolts colliding with tentacles echoed in his ears, making his blood boil!
"Be a man! Charge forward with courage! No matter the hardship, press on!! Let these monsters come even harder!! I, Layton, will smash every single one of them for you to see!! Hahahaha!!!"
Anyi didn't quite understand why Layton was psyching himself up like that, but, well, a high fighting spirit was a good thing.
For a Hero at full tilt, two thousand meters was only a matter of two or three minutes.
But with a swarm of tentacles in the way and more constantly bursting from the ground to obstruct their path, those two thousand meters felt miles away.
"Anyi! My Mana is almost out!"
When her Mana value dropped to nearly 10%, Ariana shouted to Anyi.
[Sword Hero: Defend in place! Lady Miruku, circle back and assist, allow the Saintess to replenish her Mana.]
Anyi reacted instantly, his footsteps halting as he severed the tentacles lunging from the front with a single strike.
Layton also came to a sudden halt beside them, smashing several tentacles to bits with his shield, and flung his ration-filled pack onto the ground.
Anyi quickly lowered Ariana.
Ariana immediately scrambled toward her pack and, with no concern for etiquette, grabbed her rations and started shoving them into her mouth.
While their stats might have been lacking, Anyi was genuinely impressed by their efficiency.
SWOOSH!!!
A dark figure blurred out from the woods, sliding into a kneel between Anyi and Layton, right in front of Ariana.
"I, I'm... so sorry!!"
Ariana paused with a handful of rations, her cheeks puffed out like a squirrel. "?"
"I can't cut through these tentacles!!" Miruku wailed with sincere apology.
She really wanted to hack these tentacles into bits, but she simply couldn't!!
A single downward slash wouldn't even break the skin!
I'm so useless, I might as well just die!
"It doesn't matter. Those tentacles can't catch you anyway. You just need to distract them for us, take some of the heat off," Anyi barked.
"Me...?!"
Miruku's shoulders trembled, tears welling up in her eyes.
Even someone as useless as me can actually be helpful?!
"I can never repay your kindness! I will complete the mission with everything I have! Even if it costs me my life!!" Miruku bowed deeply to Anyi before charging headlong back into the forest.
Anyi: "...?"
No need to make it so dramatic, really!
With Miruku drawing the heat, the defensive pressure on Anyi and Layton lightened considerably.
Anyi severing every incoming tentacle with masterful swordsmanship, keeping them at bay!
Layton, though struggling and often leaving his back exposed while blocking the front, was doing his level best to hold the line!
And Ariana—
Ariana was still eating! She was still eating! She was still stuffing rations into her mouth!
Good god! She was shoving dry food in without even a sip of water! Wasn't she afraid of choking to death?!
Actually, she wasn't. The [Gluttony] skill ensures no morsel is wasted; as long as it can be swallowed, it won't choke you.
So the tears welling in Ariana's eyes right now weren't because she was choking.
「Why is my Mana regenerating so slowly?!」
Ariana was frantic enough to cry.
Her massive Mana bar was barely budging, despite the heaps of dry rations she'd managed to swallow.
She figured she'd probably only regained about 300 Mana points; filling the whole bar was going to take an eternity.
This was normal, of course. Back in the village, she'd spent three full hours eating a feast prepared by the locals just to reach a full charge. If she abandoned all dignity and shoved plates of food down her throat, she could speed up the process, but even then, it would still take over an hour.
The rations in her pack were meant to be temporary fuel, and their quality was only mediocre. She couldn't expect much from them.
During their trek, she'd been snacking constantly, and since her Mana was naturally high while her consumption was low, she'd been able to stay topped up. But in this emergency situation, she simply couldn't recover enough Mana in such a short window!
[Holy Hero: My Mana is recovering way too slowly! What should I do?!]
She kept her jaw moving while messaging, not wasting a single second between gulps.
"It's fine! I can hold out for a lot longer!!" Layton bellowed, before taking a sharp crack from a tentacle right on the back.
[HP -2]
Layton had previously mentioned his two skills: one was a Taunt, and the other was a temporary defense boost. He'd actually used his skill once, and now he felt like diving into a bag of rations himself, but he chose to put on a brave face for Ariana!
[Sword Hero: Dragging this out is only going to work against us.
We have two options: Break through or Stand our ground.
Breaking through means reaching the main body and killing it now. For this, the Saintess will have to use her remaining Mana to cover Layton's advance. You'll also need to save enough Mana to deal with the main body itself.
Standing our ground means waiting for the Saintess to recover a decent chunk of Mana before we move. This will drain the three of us significantly. Even if we reach the main body, we'll be entirely dependent on the Saintess to kill it.]
[Holy Hero: Break through!]
Ariana chose immediately.
Her reasoning was simple: at her current Mana recovery rate, she didn't believe she could regain enough to make a difference. She certainly didn't think she could recover enough to deal a fatal blow to the Boss's main body if they waited.
[Thorn Hero: I want to break through too.
I happened to notice something—these tentacles grow back after being severed.
Their wounds leak a slime-like gelatin, and once the missing part is replaced, it turns back into skin color.
The color of these tentacles is just a Slime's camouflage.
If the enemy is a Slime, it'll have a core. We just have to destroy the core to kill it.]
「Sli... me?」
Ariana's hand froze mid-snack, her mind going blank.
A Slime?
Another Slime?!
No wonder the tentacle didn't show any pain after being scorched earlier!
And there were so many of them, constantly spawning—you could never cut them all!
The main body was actually a Slime?!
[Sword Hero: Good work. This is vital intel.]
[Thorn Hero: I'm sorry!]
Anyi: "?"
What now?
Miruku had actually considered keeping this info to herself. She'd wanted to pull off some grand, heroic move—taking down the Boss's core before anyone else even realized it was a Slime. Then she'd have had the other three staring at her in awe!
But now wasn't the time to be military! If she didn't come clean and help them make a decision, they'd all be in serious trouble!
「I'm so sorry, so sorry, so sorry... I'm truly sorry for trying to withhold information just to look good!! You don't have to forgive me! I'll find a way to make it up to you later!! Kowtow, do whatever you ask, I'll take it all! I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!!」
Miruku was tearing herself apart with guilt; she felt absolutely terrible.
"Whether we break through or hold our ground! I'm with you all the way!! A man should be able to advance or retreat! Whichever path you choose, I'll be out front protecting you!! Because! I am the Shield Hero!!!" Layton bellowed with a surge of energy.
"Alright then. Get ready to break through!"
Anyi suddenly slammed his sword into the ground, twisting his body and gathering strength. With a final, explosive heave, he yanked the blade upward—
"Shockwave."
BOOM––!!!
In that split second, the air itself seemed to tear, letting out a thunderous sonic boom. A massive shockwave tore through the earth, pulverizing the trees and obliterating every tentacle in its path with sheer power!
The shockwave's aftermath even snapped countless tentacles behind it, creating a brief vacuum in the opponent's assault.
"Run!"
Anyi's roar snapped the other three out of their daze.
Layton immediately grabbed the pack off the ground and slung it onto his back, while Anyi scooped up Ariana, tucking her under his arm.
Run! Now!
Just as a cluster of tentacles lunged toward Layton from behind, a dark shadow blurred past them, drawing a portion of the attack away.
Miruku glanced back at the pursuing tentacles and stuffed a handful of rations into her mouth. She had to draw as much fire as possible along the way, to ensure Ariana's Mana was preserved for when it was needed most!
Miruku knew that the Boss's assault was already this fierce, and they hadn't even reached its main body yet. Once they did, the attacks would be even harder to resist!
She couldn't cut through the tentacles, and Layton couldn't keep up with their speed. Anyi, meanwhile, was the team's core strength, protecting Ariana while covering Layton. But how much longer could he keep this up? Miruku didn't know.
If Anyi collapsed from exhaustion before they reached the core, Ariana would be their only hope!
To kill the main body, they needed [Skyfall]! The more Mana Ariana had, the more damage she could do!
[Sword Hero: How much further?]
[Thorn Hero: Seven hundred meters!]
So close!
...However.
In her lack of experience, Miruku had overlooked one thing.
The Encyclopedia Entry for the Royal Slime had not yet unlocked.