Chapter 21

"Is the Huge Slime the boss of the seventh floor? Can we defeat it?"

The Huge Slime is the boss of the seventh floor, possessing a massive body with a diameter of three meters.

Its characteristics are almost the same as a regular slime, but the offensive and defensive capabilities derived from its massive size are far beyond any monsters we've fought before.

I don't think Eito and Gazer are that strong.

Both Eito and Gazer have the skill to wield long swords, but from their movements, it doesn't seem like they are exceptionally skilled or have any special techniques like Yuel.

They are just good at handling weapons.

That's about it.

"Didn't we defeat it once before? You know, when we sent Shiki? Weren't you part of the party then?"

Eito says.

"Oh, that time."

I remember that Eito's party had a mage back then.

When I met Eito and the others in front of the boss room while searching for Yuel in the dungeon, it wasn't just a coincidence.

They might have been resting after defeating the boss.

"But if we can defeat it without me, there's no need for me to go, right?"

"No, I do plan to go with the same members... but even so, the boss is still a boss. Last time, we managed to defeat it, but we were injured and had to use expensive potions, ending up in the red. So, I want to ask Shiki to be the healer this time."

"Ah, I see."

It seems he wants to save on potion costs.

Potions are a type of magic potion.

Depending on their healing effect, they can be quite expensive.

...Still, a Huge Slime.

The rare drop from a Huge Slime is a Slime Droplet, a valuable ingredient for high-priced magic potions, worth 200,000 zenni each.

Depending on the time spent in battle and the drop rate, we might be able to earn a substantial amount of money.

However, if we're going to the boss room tomorrow, the problem is Yuel.

To be honest, Yuel won't be of much help in a boss battle.

With her small build and only able to wield daggers, dealing with a massive Huge Slime would be difficult.

It would be best for her to stay behind and work at the tavern.

"Yuel, tomorrow..."

I was about to ask Yuel to stay behind when I looked to the side—

Yuel was looking at me with sparkling eyes, as if to say, "I'm looking forward to it, Master!"

Yuel seems really excited.

It seems she was listening carefully to the conversation with Eito and the others.

No good.

She's already looking forward to it.

Her smile is so bright, it doesn't seem like she's even considering the possibility that I might leave her behind.

But this time, Yuel has to stay behind.

But...

...Can I really tell her to stay behind with this dazzling smile?

"I'm looking forward to it, Master!"

I can't.

How can I tell such a pure smile, "You're useless this time, so stay here"?

...But, I should be firm.

If Yuel goes, it will probably just be dangerous for her.

"Yuel, I'm sorry, but..."

Just as I was about to speak with firm resolve—

"Ah, not just Shiki. I think it would be better if Yuel comes too."

Gazer interrupted.

What does he mean?

"...Isn't she unnecessary?"

"No, the Huge Slime's core is hard to hit, so we have to whittle it down from the outside. Once it gets smaller, it becomes quite agile, even more so than a regular slime. At first, she doesn't have to fight, but we need her to finish it off. Yuel is quick and quite dexterous, so she's perfect for the job. Don't worry, she won't be in danger from behind."

It seems there's a reason.

If she doesn't have to fight at first, it should be safe.

The danger for Yuel comes from the Huge Slime's massive size.

Dealing with a smaller Huge Slime shouldn't be a problem.

Also, if Yuel comes, the profit share will increase.

Considering the goal of earning money, it might be better for her to come.

The next day,

The members Eito brought were the same as the ones I met in the dungeon before.

One man with a staff and four men who seem to be front-line fighters.

I didn't pay much attention last time, but they all have a bit of a thug-like vibe.

Birds of a feather, I guess.

Yuel is the only healer.

With these five added to our party, we progressed smoothly through the dungeon and were now in the sixth floor.

Then—

"Ah!..."

Eito and I screamed as we encountered five Giant Ants around a corner in the middle of the sixth floor.

The Giant Ants, having spotted their prey, were happily clacking their mandibles.

I remembered the time one bit my leg.

I've been in the dungeon many times since then, but my heart still races when I encounter them unexpectedly.

It seems Eito feels the same way.

He must have some trauma too.

"Yeah, Shiki, you got bitten by one of these too, right? If you get seriously injured around here, it's usually from a Giant Ant bite."

Gazer said reflectively.

Just defeat them quickly.

"By the way, a friend of mine got bitten by one of these recently. He doesn't have enough money for treatment. Hey, can you heal limb injuries? Could you fix him up? I don't have any money, but..."

One of the thugs said.

Stop laughing and defeat them already.

"Well, if you can pay later, that's fine."

Treating adventurers' injuries.

I have connections.

I can introduce Eito or Gazer's friend to a healer, or get an adventurer patient to introduce their friend.

However, adventurers who get seriously injured in the lower floors, like being bitten by a Giant Ant, usually don't have much money.

It's easy to overlook because of Yuel's high combat skills, but novice adventurers damage their weapons and get injured when they fight.

The cost of weapon maintenance, potions, and healing magic is a significant burden for such adventurers.

There aren't many healers who can treat limb injuries, so the cost is high.

But you can't get money from nothing.

And with the risky nature of the adventurer profession, it's hard to lend money.

I need the money to buy Elise's clinic, but if they can't pay immediately, it might be better to collect it gradually.

"Okay, go ahead and ask."

"Ah, can I ask my friend too? Of course, on credit."

Another thug chimed in.

"...I'll collect the full payment later."

A healer can't perform many limb treatments in a day due to the high mana cost.

It's a significant source of income for healers.

In a dungeon city, injured people keep coming.

Most healers don't accept credit, but in my case, it won't be a problem.

I'm not worried about mana depletion.

I'm a bit concerned if these thug-like men's friends will actually pay later.

Finally, we reached the boss room on the seventh floor.

"Alright, get ready."

At Gazer's command, the thugs took out large shields from their item boxes.

They were tall, rectangular metal shields, similar to tower shields.

Eito and Gazer also put away their weapons and took out tower shields.

"The plan is the same as before, simple. First, we'll take the full brunt of the Huge Slime's attack. Then, we'll hit it with magic to whittle it down. We'll repeat this."

It seems Gazer is in charge of the boss battle... but it's a rather rough plan.

"Are you sure this will work?"

Honestly, it sounds like a brute-force approach.

"It'll work. If we can withstand the first hit and hit it with magic, the Huge Slime will just keep getting smaller. We just need to repeat the same thing. The only thing to watch out for is the first hit. If we can't take it, the plan fails, and we might get seriously injured. If that happens, heal us immediately."

The success or failure depends on whether we can withstand the first hit.

The tower shields are probably to ensure we can take the initial powerful attack.

As long as we can win safely, it's fine.

"Got it."

"I think we'll be fine with this many people."

"Ready?"

Eito asked, putting his hand on the boss room door.

Everyone nodded.

"Let's go!"

With Gazer's rough voice, the door opened.

Inside was a large space, about thirty meters square.

In the center was a slime, a slime the size of a wagon, quivering.

"Line up! It's coming!"

The six front-line fighters lined up and raised their shields.

The slime's quivering stopped, and it rolled over with a rumbling sound.

It's a slime characteristic to harden only during attacks.

It can't jump or fly like a regular slime due to its weight, but it still seems to have considerable power.

It's like a car crashing into us.

Then, the impact.

A dull, loud sound echoed as the hard object hit the metal.

The front-line fighters were pushed back, and the line was distorted.

It seems they took a significant hit.

But even so, the front-line fighters with tower shields managed to stop the Huge Slime's charge.

Some of them were holding their arms, looking injured.

Considering the impact, they might have broken bones.

It's a real human wall.

"Area Heal!"

I cast a healing spell to treat the front-line fighters.

It's a low-difficulty spell but consumes a lot of mana to heal multiple people at once.

It's not as effective as a regular Heal, but it's enough for simple fractures.

However, this plan, though simple, might be quite good.

If one person fails to take the Huge Slime's charge, it could be fatal, but with this formation, the damage is evenly distributed.

We'll definitely take damage, but the risk is lower than everyone trying to dodge and fight the Huge Slime.

And with minor injuries, I can heal them with my endless mana.

It seems Gazer thought this through despite his rough approach.

"Fireball!"

As I cast the healing spell, the mage finished his incantation.

A soccer-ball-sized ball of fire was launched at the Huge Slime.

Part of the Huge Slime exploded and splattered.

The slime quickly reformed its body, but it seemed to have shrunk by about ten percent.

While the slime was stunned by the magic, the front-line fighters reformed their line and raised their shields.

The rest was a repetitive process.

The smaller and lighter the Huge Slime became, the easier it was for the front-line fighters to take the hits, and the mages would cast spells.

In the end, Yuel finished off the now much smaller Huge Slime with a thrown dagger.

She was incredibly quick and delivered the final blow in one hit.

It seems bringing her was a good decision.

The drop was just slime jelly.

After repeating the boss hunt five times, we finally got a Slime Droplet, but it was already past noon.

We settled up at the tavern.

The profit per person was about 20,000 zenni.

Considering the high risk and the necessity of healing magic and potions, it was quite profitable.

...But it's not enough.

While it was a high income for a regular adventurer, it's far from my goal.

A rare drop worth 200,000 zenni, but divided among nine people, it's only about 20,000 zenni per person.

Even if we repeat the boss hunt many times, it might take a while to reach a million zenni, but I don't have time.

I need to save at least a million zenni, or more, in the next five days, excluding today.

Sitting in the clinic area of the tavern, I thought.

Usually, I would just stare at the mini-skirted waitresses and imagine the color of their underwear, but I can't afford to do that now.

I need to think of a way to earn money in the next five days, excluding today.

"Excuse me, I heard you can treat injuries on credit. Is that true?"

While I was deep in thought, a woman spoke to me.

She had a wooden prosthetic leg.

She's probably the injured adventurer the thug mentioned earlier.

He must have told her about me.

I need the money now, but there's no point in worrying about what I can't get.

"Yeah, is that the only injury?"

"Yes, I was bitten by a Giant Ant. I can manage with magic, but I don't have any savings for treatment."

"Another Giant Ant. 'High Heel' should do."

High Heel is a spell between Heal and Ex Heal.

For Eito, who was losing blood, I used Ex Heal, but for a simple limb injury, High Heel is enough.

Elise can't use High Heel.

Average healers can't treat limb injuries, and only the best can.

Even the best can't perform many limb treatments in a day due to mana depletion.

"Thank you! But, is it really okay to pay later? I thought you might ask for... something else."

Well, being introduced by a thug-like adventurer would make anyone nervous.

This female adventurer, upon closer inspection, has large breasts and a pretty face.

The idea of paying with her body is tempting.

I wonder what I could get for a High Heel...

But Yuel is right here.

"It's fine, it's just doing my job."

Yuel looks at me with pure admiration.

I can't ruin this image.

I can't accept payment in that way.

"Thank you! I'm so glad to have met such a good healer! I don't have money now, but I'll definitely pay you back!"

The female adventurer smiled happily.

Looking down, I could see her curvaceous, feminine figure.

No, I can't accept payment in that way...

"Thank you!" she said, bowing.

Her large breasts jiggled.

If Yuel didn't find out, it wouldn't be a problem, right?

No, no.

It's too soon.

We just met.

Even if she pays with her body, how can I do it without Yuel finding out...

—A lightbulb went off in my head.

"Right, that's it! I take it back! I want you to pay with your body!"

"Eh, what!?"