Is it wrong to try to meet someone in a dungeon?

Page 990

Upon hearing this term, I, who was feeling thirsty, could only fall silent.

Even highly skilled adventurers who have undergone multiple rank-ups and possess extraordinary abilities still experience hunger and thirst. Miss Eina also taught me that, from a human perspective, water is more important than food.

In this extreme struggle for survival, dehydration can be fatal.

In addition, after battling the monster multiple times, the unpleasant feeling of a dry throat was indeed tormenting us.

"If we don't drink water soon, we'll collapse before we even fight the monsters."

"Is there a spring-like area on the 37th floor...?"

"No. Just like the 'Cave Labyrinth,' this floor area doesn't have a water source. Even if it did, it would just be a pantry at most."

Miss Liu shook her head, cruelly denying the last glimmer of hope I held onto.

Incidentally, the liquid seeping from the massive quartz crystal in the food depot—which provides nutrients to the monsters—is harmful to humans, causing symptoms such as skin blisters or violent vomiting. Moreover, going to the food depot in the deeper areas where monsters congregate is clearly a guaranteed death sentence for both of us; in short, it's a gateway to annihilation.

The "water city" that was once so rich in water before I plunged into the "deep layers" is now something I miss so much. Driven by anxiety, I couldn't help but swallow, but my thirsty throat was not satisfied at all.

“…………”

Miss Liu pursed her lips, as if she had something on her mind.

Finally, it was as if a noble resolve had been made...

She looked up and began to look around, searching for something.

"Miss Ryu...?"

Sharp, sky-blue eyes were trying to find something in the dark, densely packed dungeon.

After wandering around for a while, we arrived at a room with a rough and conspicuous white rock surface. Miss Ryu immediately pulled me into the shadows.

"...Found it."

Miss Liu said in a low voice. I followed her gaze and saw a monster stuck to the huge rock wall.

Without prior knowledge, it would be difficult to recognize that shapeless, fluid body as a monster.

"That's... the 'Slime Monster'?"

It is a liquid monster that emerges from the "deep layers".

Adventurers also call them "slimes." Besides their slimy, gooey appearance, another characteristic is that within the same species, there are various colors such as red, white, and green, making them a peculiar type of monster.

"The yellow ooze won't work; it's covered in strong acid. We need to target the blue ones."

This cave seems to be inhabited by hordes of "slime monsters," which stick to the walls like a maze of light, emitting a variety of colorful glows.

While body color also matters, the main attack methods of "slime monsters" are mostly toxins or strong acids contained in their slime.

The worst way is for them to enter the body through the mouth or ears. If it's just suffocation, that's one thing, but if they ravage the body, it's said to be one of the top five most terrifying ways to die in this underground city.

They move very slowly, and as long as you are wary of surprise attacks, you will generally not be driven into a corner.

I heard that the most troublesome thing is actually how to defeat them.

Being a liquid, the "Slime Monster" is different from other monsters.

There aren't many ways to defeat them, such as burning or freezing them with "magic" or a "magic sword".

Next is—

“—Huh!”

With a sharp strike, it pierced through the "magic stone" that existed inside the liquid.

Miss Ryu seized her opportunity, leaping forward on one leg and plunging her katana into a moving "slime monster" on the ground. The blade pierced precisely through the blue-purple crystal within the enemy's flowing flesh.

It first shuddered violently, then spread out in a sticky consistency.

The monster thus became a large puddle.

In other words, the slime monster's flesh becomes "dropped items," referred to as "the slime monster's bodily fluids." Straight to the point.

"--Huh?"

The chaos in my mind began at that moment.

Miss Ryu quickly crouched down, took one of the personal items she had collected from the adventurer's remains—a blackened water bottle—and began to put the "dropped items" into it.

--No way.

I began to have a strong sense of foreboding.

Miss Ryu remained silent... no, as if suppressing her emotions, and filled the entire water jug with her bodily fluids. She spoke to me, who was frozen in place, "We can retreat now." She left the cave before the monsters noticed.

then……

"Please start a fire."

The ominous premonition came true.

We arrived at a "cave," and after breaking down the wall to ensure safety for the time being, Ms. Ryu looked at me with a serious expression.

He was still holding the water jug filled with the "slime monster" in one hand.

Beside the curved foot, there is a makeshift fire platform made of rocks and "dropped items".

A bead of sweat slid down my cheek.

"...What are you...doing?"

"Boiling the slime monster."

"...It's boiled, what are we going to do with it?"

"Of course we'll drink it."

I almost fainted.

Consuming any part of a monster's flesh evokes a strong sense of aversion in us humans.

It is conceptually different from cannibalism, but it evokes the same sense of disgust.

"The potions and items we consume are all made from 'dropped items.' What's there to worry about now?"

Uh no, that's true, but...!

Just like the "Blue Demon Butterfly Scale Powder" can be used as a raw material for elixirs, it will eventually be absorbed by the human body, so perhaps it's just a matter of mindset... But eating it while the monster's (monster's) body is still in its original form still gives me an extremely strong sense of resistance.

And you want me to start a fire... does that mean I have to use my magic (fire and lightning)?

(No, please, wait a minute...!)

I understand that we don't have anything like a flint and steel on hand, and I also understand that my "magic" is perfect for this task.

But my "magic" is definitely not, definitely not meant to boil monsters...!

"Please hurry."

"Miss Ryu, please wait—"

"hurry up."

...His eyes were wide open.

...She was serious.

Seeing Ms. Ryu's wary gaze, as if she were on guard against a monster's attack and insisted that not a single second should be wasted, I gave in.

If we fired with normal force, not only would the ground be blasted open, but we would also be injured by the residual force.

Not maximum firepower, use minimum firepower.

Everything is a first-time challenge. Ugh!

"Fire, [Flame and Lightning]~"

After a deafening, exhausting sound like a failed ignition attempt, flames emerged.

The flames produced allowed the makeshift fire pit to burn just right.

Miss Liu silently hung up the kettle and began to boil the bodily fluids as instructed.

This is what we call "deep".

No, this is also "deep".

...Is that really the case? Is this kind of strangely directional and harsh situation considered "deep"? Damn it, it's all so inexplicable.

Being in a state of extreme tension and having my mind in a state of extreme confusion made my language very rude, but I no longer had the energy to change it.

Soon after, probably judging that it had boiled, Miss Liu brought the steaming hot kettle to me.

"Drink it."

Strange, why do I have such a strong sense of déjà vu...

There seems to have been a similar conversation when I drank the "rotten elixir"...

(...She probably didn't ask me to test the poison for her...)

She was taking into account that I was bearing the heaviest burden and earnestly wanted to prioritize my hydration. Her honest, elven nature really makes me want to cry.

I made up my mind, picked up the kettle, tilted my head back, and poured the water down my throat.

"Ugh...!?"

The viscous liquid was difficult to swallow, with an extremely poor taste, comparable to "rotten elixirs"...! The idea that having "abnormal resistance" means taking a little poison won't cause any harm is utterly meaningless!

My eyes were filled with tears as I coughed, finally managing to get the water I'd been longing for. Then, Miss Liu picked up the water bottle too. After hesitating for a moment, she tilted her head back and drank it all in one gulp, then started coughing just like me.

"...Did the Astrea Familia do something like this when they explored this place...?"

"How could that be? I just remembered that in the guild documents my colleague gave me, it mentioned that adventurers had tried this method and survived a crisis in the past. ... And then there was that little human colleague who seemed to have tried it too... She rushed over and grabbed people with tears in her eyes, shouting, 'You're going to experience this hell too!'"

"...And then what?"

"I repelled them."

I think so too~

It was probably because she was having trouble breathing that Miss Ryu was acting a little strange; it was rare to see her mimicking other people's speech.

Soon, she seemed to be lost in her memories, and she squinted her eyes.

"Thanks to her 'wisdom,' we were able to escape with our lives..."

Miss Liu gave a gentle look and prepared to take another sip of the liquid in the kettle.

But then she suddenly stopped.

She stared at the mouth of the kettle and stopped moving.

"what……"

I noticed it too.

Isn't this what's called indirect...?

"...Elves...don't they care about this kind of thing...?"

"...Mr. Crannie, this is the 'Deep Layer.' Please find out the situation."

“S-Sorry!”

She was absolutely right, and I immediately apologized repeatedly.