Steel Slime's Debut

Drip... drip...

In the dim passageway, the many adventurers cautiously pressed onward. Dripping echoed continuously from the depths of the cave. When they followed the sound to its end, a cavern hundreds of meters wide came into view.

Mushrooms of all sizes filled the enormous cavern. Several round figures bustled about along the edge of the central pool, while mycelium hanging from the ceiling emitted a faint glow like strings of lights.

"Careful, there's movement over there!"

Suddenly, the archer in the party called out a warning, staring intently at several dark figures moving by the pool. They had red mushroom caps and round bodies, making puchi-puchi noises as they walked.

"Those are Ground Mushrooms, commonly called Puchi. They're a common type of monster in southern Dungeons."

The party's mage leaned out for a look, curiosity in his eyes. As he explained to the others, he secretly planned to catch a few Ground Mushrooms for research when they left. Some alchemical potions required materials harvested from them.

"So they're low-level monsters?" The warrior in the group stepped forward to the pool's edge and looked at the Puchi before him. Less than a meter separated them, yet the monster did not attack him and continued planting mushrooms.

"Interesting."

It was the young warrior's first time seeing a monster that would not actively attack humans. He drew the longsword at his waist and poked the Puchi's round head twice with the scabbard.

Puchi.

"Cough, cough!"

A dense cloud of spores sprayed across the warrior's face. His irritated nose made him cough violently several times. Embarrassed and angered, he swiftly drew his sword, ready to kill the Puchi in front of him.

"Hake, what the hell are you doing?"

Not far away, the adventurers searching the area for cover noticed the frozen figure by the pool. Their expressions instantly tensed as they shouted in his direction.

"Save... save me..."

The warrior named Hake slowly turned around and begged his companions for help, his eyes filled with terror. Veins bulged beneath his exposed skin, as though countless insects were crawling beneath it.

Pfft!

The next second, dense mycelium sprouted from Hake's eyes. Bright red mushrooms also grew from the mouth he had opened to call for help. Then, before the terrified eyes of the adventurers, all the skin on Hake's body burst apart, mushrooms growing underneath.

The newborn mushrooms looked tender and adorable, growing at a visible rate as they fed on blood and flesh.

"Everyone, prepare for battle!"

"Don't get close to those Ground Mushrooms."

Almost the instant Hake died, the adventurers in the cavern entered combat formation. At the same time, rustling sounds arose throughout the dim cave.

"Sola!"

"Got it."

After a brief reply, the mage Sola raised his staff. A ball of light immediately soared into the air, thoroughly illuminating the once-dark cavern. Only then did everyone realize that they had somehow been surrounded by monsters.

"Gugu gaga!"

An Orc Goblin, carrying a wooden club and far larger than its kin, let out a roar. Dozens of Goblins charged forward with shrill cries, pitch-black Wolf Beasts darted out from the corners, and ugly Gnomes dropped from above with crude stone daggers clenched in their mouths.

"Argh!"

Caught off guard, the archer in the middle of the group had his throat pierced by a Gnome dropping from above. Disbelief still lingered in his eyes. He had actually died at the hands of a low-level monster he had always looked down on.

"Damn monsters, look at me!"

John, standing at the front of the party with a massive shield in hand, noticed the commotion behind him. Powerful battle aura erupted from his body as he took a deep breath and roared.

The instant his roar rang out, all the monsters attacking from every direction turned toward him. Bloodlust-filled eyes burned with anger and hatred. This was the skill of John's Iron Guard class: Forced Taunt.

Every monster instantly abandoned the adventurers within reach and rushed toward John.

"Nice one, John."

"Get them! Kill these monsters!"

With the monsters' attention fully drawn to John, the other adventurers unleashed their strength. Having lost the advantage of surprise, these low-level monsters were practically powerless against Margery Town's strongest adventurers.

The only thing that could cause them trouble was the monsters' sheer number.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

While the adventurers slaughtered monsters left and right, no one noticed the many basketball-sized, iron-black Slimes appearing among the horde.

Whoosh!

The next second, the warrior who had just beheaded the Orc Goblin suddenly felt a piercing pain in his chest. He was sent flying like a cannonball, coughing up a mouthful of blood.

"What are those, Slimes?"

The archer at the rear noticed the newly appeared monsters. Their round bodies and adorably vacant eyes looked harmless, but the power they displayed was completely unlike that of ordinary Slimes.

"Careful! They're probably monsters unique to this Dungeon!"

From the center of the group, Sola looked at the jet-black Slimes that seemed forged from steel and hurriedly warned everyone.

But it was already too late. The instant the first warrior was sent flying, dozens of Steel Slimes launched themselves at the adventurers like cannonballs. Several adventurers who failed to react in time were struck heavily.

The unluckiest one was hit in the head by two Steel Slimes. Caught between them, his head burst like a watermelon.

"Damn it."

Sean, another classed adventurer in the party, cursed under his breath. If not for the powerful agility and reflexes granted by his assassin class, he too would nearly have been ambushed by several Steel Slimes.

Instant Kill!

Sean lowered his body and shot forward in an instant. The matte dagger in his hand danced through the air, spraying blood from the throats of Goblins and Gnomes wherever he passed.

Clang!

But when his dagger struck a Steel Slime, sparks burst forth. The attacked Steel Slime was blasted away by the tremendous impact, yet a few seconds later, it bounced back. Only a nonfatal wound had appeared on its body.

"Careful! These Slimes are practically made of steel!"

Sean retreated to the others' side and looked down at his still-trembling hand as he hurriedly warned them. For an instant, he had thought he had stabbed a solid steel plate. More absurdly, that steel plate had been fluid, dispersing most of the attack's force.

"Sola, try magic!"

Without looking back, John shouted. Both hands gripped his shield tightly as his body was forced steadily backward by relentless impacts. Nearly ten Steel Slimes were currently smashing into the shield like cannonballs.

Dents had already appeared across its surface.

"Move!"

At almost the same moment, Sola's voice rang out from the center of the party. The muscles in John's arms bulged as he swept his man-sized shield forward, knocking the monsters away before darting aside.

Boom!

The next second, a fireball flew into the monster horde ahead and exploded, blasting away Goblins and Steel Slimes that failed to evade it.