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Rating:
Teen And Up Audiences
Archive Warning:
Major Character Death
Category:
F/M
Fandoms:
転生したらスライムだった件 - 伏瀬 | Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken | That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime - Fuse無職転生 異世界行ったら本気だす - 理不尽な孫の手 | Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu - Rifujin na Magonote (Novels)無職転生 ～異世界行ったら本気だす～ | Mushoku Tensei: Isekai Ittara Honki Dasu | Jobless Reincarnation (Anime)Tensei shitara Slime Datta Ken - Fandom
Characters:
Rimuru Tempest | Mikami SatoruRimuru TempestRudeus GreyratFuture Rudeus GreyratRoxy MigurdiaSylphiette (Mushoku Tensei)Eris GreyratOrsted (Mushoku Tensei)Nanahoshi ShizukaPaul GreyratZenith GreyratPerugius Dola
Additional Tags:
Inspired by Mushoku TenseiInspired by Tensei Shitara Slime Datta Ken | That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime
Language:
English
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Published:2026-05-20Updated:2026-07-24Words:112,051Chapters:25/?Comments:43Kudos:124Bookmarks:19Hits:5,214
That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime in Mushoku Tensei
Mao00
Chapter 6: Chapter 5: Manatite Hydra
Chapter Text
"Hmm... Ludy..."
"Y-Yes, sensei?! What's wrong?"
"You're distracting me, walking past my door so much."
Roxy said that with a slightly forced smile while holding the book in both hands as she sat on the bed. I, trapped between her arms like a decorative emotional-support slime, watched as Rudeus froze in the middle of the hallway.
"…Sorry, I'll leave you alone."
He lowered his head immediately, without arguing or trying to defend himself, and the sheer dejection in his posture made him look less like a dangerous mage and more like a giant golden retriever that had just been told it wasn't allowed on the couch.
The poor guy slowly turned around, ready to dramatically retreat toward probably the darkest bar in town.
"Ludy."
He stopped instantly. No exaggeration. Instantly. I swear dust even kicked up behind his boots.
"If you've got nothing to do besides wandering around…" Roxy murmured, avoiding looking at him directly, "…there are a few points in the book I don't understand. So… could you explain them to me?"
"Of course!"
She hadn't even finished the sentence before he was already sitting beside her. It was impressive. I think he broke some law of physics.
And just like that, the two of them were sitting together on the bed reading while I stayed comfortably resting in Roxy's arms.
And honestly, this position was still excellent. Roxy's hands were soft, very soft, and warm too. She also smelled good now that she'd finally been able to bathe, which only made the whole arrangement even more pleasant.
"…What part don't you understand?" Rudeus asked, trying to sound calm and failing miserably.
Roxy flipped a few pages. "The author mentions that the Teleportation Labyrinth partially changes its structure every few years, but that the main circles remain in similar patterns…"
"Oh, that." Rudeus immediately started explaining, and it was weird seeing him talk normally like this. No monsters. No sudden ice-based catastrophes. Just a smart guy enthusiastically explaining labyrinth nerd stuff.
"According to the book," Rudy continued, pointing at a hand-drawn map, "the first three floors work almost like filters. The teleportation circles aren't just trying to lose adventurers; they're separating groups."
Roxy lowered her gaze to the text again. "The author mentions that monsters get more aggressive when they detect isolated people…"
"Yeah," Rudy replied. "And apparently some creatures evolved specifically to take advantage of the labyrinth's structure."
"…That explains the Deathlord Tarantulas."
"Exactly."
Roxy furrowed her brow slightly. "…I hate those things."
"Every rational living being hates those things."
I nodded solemnly from her arms, fully agreeing with that assessment.
Rudeus let out a small laugh, and the atmosphere immediately felt a little lighter. Social progress achieved.
"…It also says here," Roxy continued, flipping through a few more pages, "that the lower floors look like ancient ruins."
"Yeah," Rudeus replied, leaning a bit closer to the book. "The author theorized that the labyrinth fused with the remains of some old civilization."
"Can that happen?" I asked.
"In ancient labyrinths, yes," he explained. "Talhand thinks this place was originally a normal labyrinth, but ended up connecting with other underground structures."
Roxy observed one of the drawings in the book. Broken columns, giant stone doors, and strange symbols carved around magic circles filled the page, making the whole thing look like the ruins of some forgotten empire.
"…It's a little scary," she murmured.
"A lot," I corrected immediately. "I was on those floors for a while and it's full of Mad Skulls and Armored Warriors."
"Correct," Rudeus nodded.
I didn't say anything else, but I did give a solemn little nod from Roxy's arms, which seemed like enough to make the point.
Rudeus let out another small laugh, and the mood between them kept easing into something more natural. Roxy no longer looked like she was talking to some unreachable figure, and Rudeus, while still obviously nervous around her, had stopped acting like every sentence might explode in his face. Now she sounded more like a teacher talking to her student again, which was probably the healthiest version of this entire situation.
"…Ludy."
"Yeah?"
"…Thanks for saving me."
Rudeus froze. Roxy also lowered her gaze a little after saying it, as if the words had slipped out before she could stop them.
"…It was nothing," Rudy replied, softer this time. "It's normal."
"No," Roxy murmured. "It wasn't."
So awkward. They needed to kiss or argue or do literally anything else, because this level of tension was becoming unbearable.
"…Well," I intervened desperately, "if you keep surviving long enough you'll probably solve all this weird tension."
"WHAT?!" both said at the same time.
Perfect. Synchronization achieved.
Roxy turned completely red. Rudeus looked like he was about to magically self-destruct.
"…Rimuru," Roxy said slowly.
"Yes?"
"…I'm going to throw you."
Uh!?
—--------------
The day to return to the Labyrinth finally arrived, and this time the whole group was prepared.
The difference was ridiculous. The monsters on the third floor were still just as annoying as ever: Iron Crawlers forming the front line, Deathlord Tarantulas shooting webs from behind, and Mad Skulls leading the whole mess. Those huge mud golems with a skull buried in their chest were slow, resistant, and somehow intelligent enough to organize combat formations, which made them even more irritating than they had any right to be.
"…I hate this place," I muttered from Elinalise's arms as we advanced.
"Hm? Why?" she asked, amused.
"Too many spiders…"
Paul let out a laugh from up front. "HA! The slime's right!"
And getting along with Paul was turning out to be weirdly easy. The guy was an emotional human disaster, but as an adventurer he was genuinely incredible. He moved at the front of the group like he had been born inside a labyrinth, with no wasted movements and no hesitation, cutting monsters apart while still managing to shout orders to everyone else.
And besides, he was absurdly easy to joke with.
"Rimuru!" Paul shouted, cutting an Iron Crawler in half. "Freeze those spiders!"
"Gladly!"
(Nova of Frost)
CRAAACK.
The entire corridor was covered in ice.
"…Okay… that's terrifying," Talhand muttered behind us before clearing his throat. "That… Good job, Rimuru."
Meanwhile, I kept resting in Elinalise's arms, which was very comfortable. A lot. Too much, honestly.
"Ahhh… Thank you, miss elf…" I commented casually.
"Ara~ you're welcome."
"Roxy's hands are softer, but this has better cushioning."
"RIMURU," Roxy said, completely red.
Paul almost choked laughing while Rudeus looked ready to erase me with some kind of magic.
The combat dynamic ended up becoming absurdly efficient. Paul and Elinalise destroyed the front line, Talhand protected the center, Roxy and Rudeus froze entire groups, and I dedicated myself to eliminating Mad Skulls from the back using magic while absorbing any monster that seemed useful.
Eventually we found something new: two Armored Warriors, giant skeletons with four arms and black armor.
Roxy stopped me right before I shot at them. "Careful. They can deflect magic."
Okay, that was scary.
So instead of shooting, I waited. Paul and Elinalise held them back while I discreetly expanded my body under the floor using Predator, and as soon as one of them fell I absorbed it whole.
(Confirmed: individual "Armored Warrior" analyzed. Skill acquired: Water God Sword Style (Advanced).)
…Oh.
OH.
I don't even have arms. What good is mastering a sword style…?
"…That was… Incredible!" Geese commented.
"Thanks, mister monkey."
After several hours we finally reached the fourth floor, and the atmosphere changed completely. The natural walls disappeared, replaced by stone ruins, broken columns, artificial hallways, and ancient symbols carved into black rock. Even the air felt different down there, heavier somehow, as if the place itself had been waiting for us to notice it.
"…So the book was right," Roxy murmured.
Paul observed the surroundings seriously. "We'll explore a bit and go back to Rapan. I don't want to push too hard."
Nobody argued with that. It was the right decision. Even I was starting to feel the mental fatigue of that place.
A few minutes later, Paul ended up leaning an arm on Elinalise while we walked back.
"Good work today, slime."
"…Thanks."
"But stop trying to feel up Elinalise's breasts."
"Never."
"HAHAHA!"
Roxy sighed in defeat, while Elinalise kept carrying me with an amused expression as we advanced toward the labyrinth's exit.
"…Ara~ I think you're used to this already."
"…Obviously! I can't just crawl or hop around the labyrinth. This is much better."
And more comfortable.
That night I ended up drinking with Talhand, Roxy, and Rudeus at the inn.
Well.
"Drinking."
I was actually just pretending to drink alcohol while Talhand emptied bottle after bottle like he wanted to declare war on his liver.
"Listen up, brats!" he declared, slamming the table. "A real man needs muscles!"
"Again with that…?" Roxy murmured tiredly.
"MUSCLES ARE THE SOUL!"
"…I don't think that's anatomically correct," I commented.
Talhand pointed at me dramatically. "You get it!"
"No, I literally said the opposite."
Rudeus sighed while drinking silently next to Roxy, and watching him try to act normal in front of her was still hilarious. Every time Roxy looked at him, he stiffened. Every time Rudy called her "sensei," Roxy looked like she had taken critical emotional damage.
It was incredible.
"…Ludy," Roxy murmured half-asleep, "stop sitting up so straight… it makes me nervous…"
"H-Huh?! S-sorry!"
"…HAHAHAHA!" Talhand almost spat out his alcohol laughing.
I ended up laughing too, and while Roxy slowly started to fall asleep on the table…
—----------------------
We went back into the Labyrinth a few days later. Lilia had sent us off with a complicated expression.
"Go carefully."
And I think we all understood that wasn't just a simple phrase.
Luckily, this time the advance was absurdly efficient. Between the new gear, the accumulated experience, and Gisu looking like he was possessed by some god of labyrinth navigation, we reached the fourth floor in just a few hours. Even the teleportation circles cooperated, which was scary by itself.
We explored the fourth-floor ruins a bit more, completed parts of the map, and found the path to the fifth. Still no Zenith. Still nothing.
The fifth floor was where things started getting uncomfortable.
Little Devils. Small black creatures with long arms, sharp claws, and mouths too big to peacefully exist in divine creation. They moved along the ceiling, the walls, and sometimes directly over us, which made every step feel like walking through a nightmare that had learned how to cling to architecture.
The first time one dropped toward Roxy from above, I almost pierced its skull on reflex with a water projectile. And yeah, that probably would have been worse.
We quickly discovered they were fragile enemies. Dangerous by surprise, but not by resistance. The problem was that they completely destroyed our formation, because Paul and Elinalise could hold monsters at the front, but those things simply ignored the concept of a front line.
Then Gisu pulled out the miracle solution from the book: Tarafro berries, crushed and burned. The smoke made the Little Devils come down from the ceiling like cockroaches fleeing insecticide.
I'd never seen A-rank monsters turn into "administrative problem" rank so fast.
I even absorbed one of the bigger ones using Predator when it tried to lunge at me from above, and the result was a skill called "Sticky Step," which let me stick to walls.
Thanks to the incense, we advanced ridiculously fast. We found the entrance to the sixth floor and kept descending without returning to Rapan.
The group's atmosphere was good. Too good, even. Paul was motivated, Gisu was relaxed, Talhand was serious, Roxy seemed calmer since returning to the Labyrinth even though she still acted weird with Rudeus, and Rudeus himself kept acting normal and respectful, which somehow made him even more suspicious in a completely different way.
The sixth floor was worse. Much worse.
Little Devils everywhere. Entire nests. Rooms full of black eggs covered in mucus. It looked like a low-budget sci-fi movie that had somehow been cursed by a demon.
Roxy explained that the monsters probably survived by feeding on ambient mana while stabbing eggs with her staff without changing expression.
"Ludy, stop staring and help."
"Ah, right."
So I ended up destroying eggs alongside her while trying not to think too much about how those things were born.
—-----------------
The fifth floor ended up feeling different in a way that had nothing to do with the scenery. The stone was still damp, the tunnels still seemed to stretch on forever, and every now and then we could hear the unpleasant skittering of monsters moving somewhere beyond the cracks in the walls. What changed was the atmosphere. The farther we advanced, the more obvious it became that the Labyrinth was no longer just a maze of random dangers, but something that was actively trying to guide us toward a specific place. That realization was unsettling enough on its own.
We eventually reached a massive square chamber that looked almost unnaturally empty. There were no monsters waiting for us, no eggs scattered across the floor, and not even any corpses left behind as evidence that something had passed through recently. The only things carved into the stone were three enormous magic circles, each one etched with careful precision into the floor.
"…This definitely seems suspicious," I muttered from Roxy's shoulder.
Paul frowned as he looked around the room. "Too clean."
"And too quiet," Elinalise added, tightening her grip on her sword.
Even Geese looked uneasy, and that alone was enough to make the situation feel worse.
Up until now, every important area of the Labyrinth had been packed with monsters. In fact, just before reaching this chamber, we had fought through an absolute nightmare of Little Devils, hundreds of them swarming us as if they were trying desperately to keep anyone from getting this far. And yet, after all that resistance, this room was completely empty.
"…Boss room vibes," I muttered under my breath.
"Hm?" Roxy glanced at me.
"Nothing."
Geese approached the magic circles with the book still open in his hands, studying the engravings carefully. "…Yeah. They match the description."
Talhand let out a low grunt. "Two should be random traps."
"And one the correct path," Paul finished.
Ah. So it was another teleportation puzzle. That brought back some very unpleasant memories.
Rudeus slowly stepped closer to one of the circles, his eyes moving over the engraved patterns with surprising focus. Watching him work was almost absurd. His gaze ran across the complex magical formulas as if he were reading a menu instead of deciphering ancient labyrinthine magic.
Roxy also moved closer to inspect the circles. "…Do you notice anything?" she asked him.
Rudeus shook his head slowly. "Not enough…"
I stared at the circles in silence. Three of them. All different. And yet something about them felt wrong in a way I couldn't immediately explain. "…Great Sage."
(Response. Analyzing magical structures.)
While the others continued discussing theories, I waited. A few seconds later, the answer came back.
(Result obtained.)
That was fast.
(Conclusion: none of the three circles correspond to an advancement portal.)
I blinked. "What?"
Several pairs of eyes turned toward me at once.
Oops.
"…What do you mean?" Roxy asked.
I looked back at the circles. "That none of them look correct."
Geese immediately frowned. "Based on what?"
"Magical instinct."
Technically, that wasn't a lie.
Rudeus watched me closely, and from the expression on his face, he seemed to be feeling the same strange discomfort I was.
"…It's true," he murmured after a moment. "The structure is strange…"
Paul sighed, sounding tired already. "Great. So now we have three traps instead of two."
"No," I said.
Everyone looked at me again.
"I think we're looking at this wrong."
I slipped from Roxy's arms and landed on the floor before moving slowly through the chamber. Stone. Mana. Silence. The whole room felt unnaturally still, as if it were holding its breath.
"…Great Sage."
(Response. Detecting hollow space under central surface.)
Bingo.
I stopped right between the three circles. "…There's something down here."
Geese's expression changed instantly. The man practically threw himself onto the floor, pressing his ear against the stone before knocking on it several times with the hilt of his dagger.
TOK.
TOK.
TOK.
…
TONK.
His eyes widened. "…Hollow."
That was all it took for everyone else to react.
"Seriously?" Paul said.
"No fucking way…!" Talhand blurted out.
Rudeus came closer and studied the floor with renewed intensity. "…Makes sense," he murmured. "The Orsted teleportation ruins had a similar structure…"
Roxy looked at me with clear surprise. "…How did you figure that out?"
"…I'm a very wise slime."
"You didn't answer anything."
"Exactly."
Geese was already feeling along the stones, searching for some hidden mechanism. "Hmm… I can't find an opening."
"Break it?" Paul asked.
"Probably."
Everyone turned to Rudeus at the same time.
"…Why are you all looking at me like that?" he asked.
"Because you're the group's magic cannon," Elinalise replied.
Fair enough.
Rudeus sighed and raised a hand. A small Rock Bullet struck the floor with a dull impact.
KAN.
Nothing happened.
"Harder," Geese said.
"Yeah, yeah…"
The second Rock Bullet hit with far more force, exploding against the stone.
KRAAAK.
The floor shattered, and beneath it there was only emptiness.
"Ohhhh…"
Geese immediately jumped into the opening and began tearing away the broken stones with his bare hands. A few minutes later, hidden stairs were revealed beneath the chamber.
"GYAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
Paul burst out laughing and slapped Rudeus hard on the back.
"Good job!"
"AUH—!"
Talhand did the same, and Elinalise followed right after. At that point it was starting to look less like encouragement and more like a coordinated assault.
Roxy slowly raised her hand and gently touched my gelatinous body. "…Good job," she murmured.
Cute.
Rudeus was still staring at the newly revealed stairs with a thoughtful expression. "…So the circles were decoys…"
"Seems like it," Geese replied with a wide grin. "And we were all overthinking it like idiots."
"…Speak for yourself," I muttered.
"Says the cheating slime."
Correct. I couldn't really argue with that.
We finally began descending the stairs, moving slowly and carefully until we reached the bottom. There, waiting for us, was a single magic circle. It glowed a deep red in the darkness, and the pressure radiating from it sent a chill through the air.
"…That one's real," I muttered.
Rudeus nodded. "…Yeah."
Paul drew his sword. "Then get ready."
Elinalise smiled. Talhand tightened his grip on his axe. Geese took a deep breath. Roxy adjusted her hat and lifted me back into her arms.
Up until now, every teleporter in the Labyrinth had given off that faint, almost artificial blue light. This one was different. Its surface seemed to pulse beneath our feet, as if the stone itself were breathing. The glow was a dark red, the color of fresh blood, and even someone with no experience in adventuring would have understood that this was not a place to let down their guard.
"It's clear what's waiting for us past this circle…" Paul murmured.
Nobody answered, but we all understood exactly what he meant.
The air felt heavier here, as though the entire Labyrinth was watching us.
"What do we do?" Geese asked while checking his daggers. "We're still fresh. We could go back to the surface and enter tomorrow."
He wasn't wrong. Thanks to the Tarufro berries, the sixth floor had been surprisingly manageable. The Little Devils had barely been a real threat, and because of that none of us had spent too much energy or mana. We were practically at full strength.
Paul stared at the red circle for a few seconds before answering. "…We move forward."
Nobody argued.
Everyone began checking their equipment in front of the magic circle. Weapons. Scrolls. Potions. Magic crystals. The usual preparations, but with the kind of silence that only comes right before stepping into something dangerous.
I sat beside Roxy while she organized her supplies. She carried an absurd number of emergency scrolls, including healing spells, detoxification magic, and even advanced water and earth spells. It made sense. For someone who couldn't cast without chanting, there were situations where using a scroll was far faster than constructing the spell manually.
"Rimuru," she said, extending several scrolls toward me, "keep some healing ones."
I took one and studied it for a few seconds. "…Hm."
The structure seemed strangely simple to me. Not the spell itself, of course; the magical ink was complex enough. But the catalyst was surprisingly straightforward.
(Analysis completed.)
Great Sage's voice echoed in my mind.
(The scroll's composition uses crystallized mana particles as a stabilizing core. Replacement possible through the individual's pure mana.)
…Ah.
So that was it. Scrolls basically worked by using small fragments of solidified mana to keep the formula stable. But I didn't need that. I was, quite literally, a mass of mana.
"…I can replicate them," I muttered.
"Huh?" Roxy blinked.
"The scrolls."
(Activate Predator.)
The structure was instantly absorbed into my consciousness. Formula. Compression. Release. Everything was recorded in perfect detail.
(Healing spell successfully registered.)
"…Done."
"…Done?" Rudeus asked.
"Yeah."
"What does done mean?"
"I made a copy."
"…How?"
"…Magic."
"No, that doesn't explain anything."
Fair enough. But I didn't exactly know how to explain Predator without sounding completely insane either.
Roxy stared at me with her eyes slightly widened. "…That shouldn't be possible…"
"My ability to analyze mana is a bit strange."
"That's not a bit strange…"
Even Talhand stopped drinking long enough to look at me, which was probably the equivalent of witnessing an eclipse.
Then Elinalise tossed something toward us. I automatically caught the small transparent sphere before it could fall. A magic crystal. Rudeus received another one.
"In case you run out of mana," she explained. "Use them only if necessary."
…Ah. Crystallized mana.
My expression changed slightly.
"…What's wrong?" Roxy asked.
"This excites me a little."
"Huh?"
Without saying anything else, I dropped one of my own crystals onto the floor. Or rather, something a little bigger.
The crystal was nearly the size of a human head, translucent blue, and shining intensely from within.
"…Ah."
"…Huh?"
"…WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" Geese shouted.
Paul literally stopped breathing for a few seconds, and even Elinalise opened her eyes in surprise.
"…It's a magic crystal," I replied as calmly as I could.
"WE CAN SEE THAT!"
"I absorbed a lot of them for a while, heh heh."
Normally I would have consumed them immediately after absorbing them, but I had saved a few as a reserve. By "a lot," I meant hundreds of thousands. The crystal contained so much magical energy that the air around it seemed to vibrate faintly, as if the room itself were reacting to the pressure it gave off.
Roxy stared at it in complete horror.
"…That has more mana than me…"
"Yeah, probably."
"PROBABLY!?"
I pulled out another one, and then another after that. They were all gigantic, all absurd, and all packed with enough mana to make the situation feel even more ridiculous than it already was.
"You can use these if you run out of mana."
"…Rimuru," Roxy murmured slowly, "I think those crystals could buy a small city."
"…Ah."
Right. That might have been a little excessive.
Talhand burst out laughing.
"Gyahahahaha! What kind of monster did we bring into the group?!"
"A pretty incredible one…" Gisu immediately replied, grabbing one of the crystals with tears in his eyes. "YOU'RE MY BOSS FROM NOW ON!"
Paul let out a tired laugh and ran a hand through his hair.
"With this, I'll buy a house as soon as I get Zenith back."
"It's about time. Are you all ready?"
Paul's voice echoed in front of the red circle, and the mood in the room shifted so abruptly that it felt like someone had slammed a door shut.
One by one, we stood up. A few minutes earlier there had still been jokes, the lingering warmth of alcohol, and the kind of light conversation people use to pretend they aren't afraid. That was gone now. Nobody was smiling anymore, not even Gisu. Everyone stared at the red magic circle as if it were the mouth of some beast waiting to swallow us whole, and in a way, that was exactly what it felt like.
"Ludy."
"Hm?"
Paul looked at Rudeus for several seconds, as if he were trying to force out words that had been sitting in his chest for too long.
"Even though maybe this isn't the best time… I want you to know that I…"
No. Absolutely not. That was exactly the kind of sentence that always came right before disaster in stories like this.
"If it's something important, say it after we get out alive."
Paul blinked.
"…You're right."
Good. Cut off in time.
Death flags were real. I knew it. I felt it in my bones.
Paul gave a small, tired laugh before looking over the rest of us one by one, checking our expressions, our weapons, and the determination we were all trying to hide behind our faces. Then he stepped toward the circle.
"Let's go."
The red light swallowed us.
—
The air on the other side was heavy with age, ancient and oppressive, as if the room itself had been sealed away for centuries. The first thing I felt when we appeared was a strange pressure pressing through my slime body, the sort of presence that made it seem as though something enormous was breathing right in front of us.
The room was gigantic. No, gigantic was an understatement. It looked like the interior of a temple built for gods. Cyclopean columns stretched down both sides of the chamber, and the ceiling disappeared into absolute darkness. The floor was covered in enormous geometric tiles, each one fitted together with impossible precision.
And then we saw it.
"…Oh."
Gisu's voice came out broken and hollow.
At the far end of the temple stood a single monster, and that was enough to make every muscle in my body tense at once.
It was a colossal Hydra. Nine reptilian heads emerged from a grotesquely wide torso, each one moving slowly in a different direction like snakes waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Emerald-green scales covered its entire body, though "scales" almost felt like the wrong word; they looked more like sharp sheets of metal, each plate edged so cleanly that the temple's light reflected off them like wet blades. Even standing perfectly still, the pressure it emitted was monstrous.
"…It's a Hydra…" Gisu murmured, his voice dry with disbelief. "Tell me I'm seeing things…"
Nobody answered, because we were all still staring at it. Even Talhand had stopped breathing.
"…First time I've seen one for real…" he muttered at last.
Rudeus stood frozen, staring at the monster. Roxy gripped her staff so tightly her knuckles went white. Paul, however, wasn't even looking at the Hydra.
Because behind it, at the back of the temple, there was a gigantic crystal. It was green, brilliant, and at least two meters tall, a hexagonal prism embedded into the wall like some sacred relic. Inside it floated a woman with blonde hair and a peaceful sleeping face, suspended motionless in the crystal's glow.
Zenith Greyrat.
"…Zenith…"
Paul's voice came out broken and small, as if he could barely believe what he was seeing.
Then all nine heads moved at once, and the entire temple trembled. One of the massive necks lowered itself slowly in front of the crystal, guarding it as though Zenith were some priceless treasure.
And something inside Paul shattered.
"ZENITH!"
He vanished from my side in a blur, sword and dagger already in hand.
"IDIOT!!!" Gisu shouted. "DON'T CHARGE IN ALONE!"
Too late.
The Hydra reacted instantly. All nine heads rose at once, and for the first time since coming to this world I felt genuine danger clawing at the back of my mind. It wasn't just big. It wasn't just strong. It was the kind of monster that made every instinct in your body scream at you to run.
"We'll cover him!" Elinalise shouted, rushing after Paul. Talhand moved with her, and Roxy immediately raised her staff.
"Rimuru!"
"Yeah!"
I instinctively gathered mana, and Rudeus did the same beside me.
Several of the Hydra's mouths opened at once, and an absurd amount of heat began gathering inside them.
"Shoot before it attacks!"
Roxy was the first to finish her spell.
"(GLACIES)!"
Frozen rain crashed down on one of the heads, striking it directly, and then—
TJIINNN.
An unbearable screech tore through the room, like metal scraping against glass. The spell vanished as if it had never existed.
"What?!" Roxy shouted.
My Rock Bullet hit an instant later.
TJIINNN.
The same sound. The same result. Nothing. Not even a scratch.
"…Magic doesn't work?" Talhand murmured.
Paul didn't hear any of it, because by then he had already reached the Hydra. One of the heads lunged at him, and Paul cut it off in a single strike. The severed head flew through the air as blood exploded outward, and another head fell immediately after.
I couldn't even fully follow his movements. He was ridiculously fast.
But then the blood began to move. The wound started closing. Flesh grew. Bone regenerated.
"It's healing!" Roxy shouted.
The head regrew before our eyes, and the brief shock that froze everyone nearly cost Elinalise her life.
One of the Hydra's heads struck sideways. She raised her shield, but the impact made the entire temple tremble.
"GH—!"
Her arm bent backward violently, and she was thrown several meters away while blood sprayed from her shoulder.
The scales alone were enough to cut through flesh and armor at the same time.
"Elinalise!" Rudeus shouted.
Paul roared like a wounded beast and kept attacking without a shred of caution, as if thought itself had been burned out of him.
"He's going to get himself killed!" Gisu shouted.
The nine heads began to close in around him, and my stomach dropped.
We needed information. Anything. Something that could tell us how to survive this.
A suggestion from Predator surfaced in my mind: direct analysis of the target was recommended.
"…Got it."
"Rimuru?" Roxy said.
I looked at her.
"…I need to absorb it."
"WHAT?"
"I can't understand what's happening without analyzing it."
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!"
"…Probably."
Another head descended toward Paul, too fast for comfort. Elinalise was injured. Talhand was still holding the line. There was no time left to hesitate.
"Roxy!" I shouted. "Throw me!"
"…Huh?"
"THROW ME!"
Roxy looked at me for two seconds, then at Paul, then at the Hydra, and made her decision instantly.
"DON'T DIE!"
She grabbed me and hurled me through the air as if I were some kind of thrown weapon.
The world spun violently as I flew straight toward one of the severed heads, and Predator activated the moment I made contact.
"DEVOUR!"
My slime body slammed into the cut head, and for the first time the analysis began to give me something useful. A series of alerts flashed through my mind, identifying the creature as a Manatite Hydra, confirming that its scales were made of manatite, warning that they could break down offensive spells on contact, and explaining that its regeneration was abnormal. The analysis also revealed that each head possessed independent offensive capability, that the wounds could be stopped only through immediate cauterization, and that the risk of total party extermination was extremely high.
…Ah.
Well. That explained a lot.
"RIMURU!" I heard Rudeus shout.
The Hydra shook violently, trying to bite me apart, but I expanded my body and forced Predator to keep devouring the head that had latched onto me. Flesh tore. Blood was absorbed. Mana was swallowed. Even the scales began to break down under the pressure.
At last, the head partially collapsed into my slime body.
Predator reported partial success and confirmed that a biological sample had been acquired.
Unfortunately, that wouldn't be enough unless I managed to absorb it completely.
I tumbled to the floor, covered in green blood, and looked up just in time to see Paul.
He was breathing like a beast, his gaze fixed only on the crystal and on Zenith beyond it.
The Hydra roared again, but Paul took another step forward.
"I'll kill you."
His voice came out low, broken, and full of rage.
"Even if I have to cut you a thousand times…"
The nine heads roared at the same time.
"GET AWAY FROM MY FAMILY!!!!"
"Retreat!"
Roxy shouted for us to pull back, but Paul was beyond hearing. He kept screaming and throwing himself at the monster, even forcing Elinalise to keep up with his reckless assault just to minimize the damage. Then Gisu signaled to Talhand and sprinted to the front line with surprising speed. He reached Paul in seconds and threw something to the ground.
Pa-Pa-PAN.
The object exploded on impact, and a thick cloud of smoke began to rise between the Hydra and the front line. A smoke bomb.
Gisu shouted something at Paul that I couldn't understand and grabbed his arm, but Paul still tried to lunge forward until Elinalise slammed her shield into his face with a tremendous bash.
That finally made him stop long enough for Gisu to say something else before running back toward us.
"Ludeus!"
Elinalise shouted his name, and he quickly raised a dense mist between us and the Hydra to hide our retreat. I didn't have to do much after that, because Gisu quickly picked me up in his arms and carried me away at full speed.
TON—TON—TON.
Even through the smoke, I could hear the Hydra's footsteps pounding after us, though thankfully it didn't seem especially fast.
—
We regrouped about twenty meters away from the monster, using the mist and smoke to buy ourselves a little breathing room. Paul was breathing heavily, blood trickling down his temple. Elinalise clutched her broken arm, pale but still standing. Talhand panted while leaning on his axe, and even Gisu looked shaken despite his usual composure.
"Magic doesn't work!" I blurted out as soon as I could speak. "The scales are made of manatite. They break down any spell on contact!"
Roxy clenched her teeth.
"I figured… That's why Glacies did nothing."
"There's more," I continued quickly. "It regenerates like a damn troll. If you cut a head off, it grows back in seconds. The only way to stop it is to cauterize the wound immediately. Fire, or something just as hot."
Rudeus rubbed his chin as he processed the information.
"So… swords and fire. That narrows our options to…" He looked at Paul and Talhand.
"Tch!" Paul spat blood. "I don't care. I'm going to tear it apart until it stops moving."
"Don't be an idiot!" Roxy snapped. "If you keep this up, it's going to kill you before you even reach the crystal! Zenith is still alive in there! Do you want her to watch you die?"
Paul stopped.
For a single heartbeat, the madness in his eyes cracked under the weight of her words. He gripped his sword so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Elinalise dropped to her knees and pressed a healing scroll against her arm. The bone cracked as it reset, and she hissed through her teeth.
"I can't stay on the front line," she said, her voice tense. "Not without this arm at a hundred percent."
Gisu swallowed and glanced toward the mist. The footsteps were getting closer.
"We need to decide now. That thing's going to break through the mist any second."
Talhand stepped forward.
"I have fire. My earth magic can generate enough heat to seal wounds. But I need someone to keep the heads still."
"I'll handle it," Paul said immediately.
"No," Rudeus cut him off. "You'll die if you go alone. We need coordination."
Paul glared at him furiously, but Rudeus didn't look away.
"Trust me. Just this once."
For a moment I honestly thought Paul was going to punch him in the face. But then he let out a breath through his teeth and gave one sharp nod.
"Alright," I said. "New plan. Paul and Elinalise distract and cut. Talhand, you cauterize every wound as soon as a head falls. They can't regenerate if the stump is burned."
"What about magic?" Roxy asked.
"Useless for attacking," I answered. "But I can use Predator to weaken them if I manage to swallow one whole. And Rudeus…"
"I can use earth magic to change the terrain," he finished. "Slow them down, create walls, make them misstep. I won't hurt them, but I can take away their mobility."
Gisu raised a dagger.
"I'll get underneath and go for the legs. If that thing falls, it'll be easier to aim for the neck."
Roxy took a deep breath and adjusted her hat.
"I'll cover Talhand. If a head gets close to him, I'll push it back with wind or water. I won't hurt it, but I'll buy time."
Everyone nodded.
It was a suicidal plan, but it was the only one we had.
The mist began to thin, and a colossal shadow formed within the smoke. Nine serpentine silhouettes rose, hissing.
Paul smiled, though there was nothing pleasant about it.
"We're going to save her."
And we charged.
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