Chapter 37

Lava Cave Strategy, Final Chapter

After defeating the first one, we didn't make any major mistakes and smoothly hunted the slimes.

As we grew, the biggest concern was that our MP recovery wouldn't keep up, but that turned out to be unfounded. The more we fought, the more we grew, and the easier it became to defeat the next one. We never ran out of MP and were able to keep fighting.

(I can clearly tell. The growth from each battle is different from the first time!)

With each "growth" experience, I could clearly feel myself getting stronger. Probably, I am now on a different level of strength compared to before entering this cave.

(Still, it's frustrating that I don't feel like I've surpassed the power of this enchanted ring.)

Before entering the dungeon, each of us wore two rings that increased our stats. Their effect was so powerful that it made our previous training seem trivial.

However, the stat boosts from the enchantments don't meet the requirements for class changes. In the case of the Brave Sword, the ring can meet the equipment requirements, but we can't become a Brave Leo until we meet the requirements on our own. So, my training wasn't in vain.

(Anyway, we've become stronger. But...)

However, that doesn't mean we can be complacent. No, even if we wanted to, we couldn't.

The pain when the barrier was broken by acid is still fresh in my chest. The more we fought, the more I realized that without this barrier, we wouldn't have the strength to fight here.

(...What a nasty dungeon.)

It's clear that this place isn't suitable for beginner adventurers. Imagine a typical beginner adventurer, or even ourselves after conquering a beginner dungeon and getting cocky.

Entering the cave without any preparation, feeling relieved by the sluggish movements of the slimes, and thinking, "What, this guy isn't much." We would approach the slimes carelessly.

At that moment, the slimes would release their poisonous mist. Exposed to a parade of status ailments like poison, paralysis, and silence, even if we desperately attacked the slimes, our non-elemental weapons wouldn't do much damage, and it would be difficult to figure out the slimes' attributes.

Naturally, we would rely on magic. But the frontliners would need to draw the enemies' attacks to protect the backliners.

The status ailments would gnaw at our minds, and the terrain damage would slowly chip away at our health. By the time we decided to retreat due to dwindling MP, the slimes' reinforcements would block our escape, and the sluggish slimes would cut off our escape routes, and then...

"...Rade!"

"Huh?"

Nuke's voice brought me back to reality.

"You look terrible. Are you okay? If you're tired..."

"No. I was just thinking that if we hadn't met our master, we wouldn't have been able to get through here."

When I said that, Nuke chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"Well, you call him 'old man' in front of him, but you call him 'master' when he's not around."

"...Shut up."

He's a good guy, but I hate how he can sometimes see right through people.

"But, I really do think so. We were fortunate to have a master like him. So..."

"I know."

What we can do for Lex, who has given us so much... That is...

"...Rade"

At that moment, Plana, who had been on scout duty, returned.

"The annoying sound isn't heard anywhere. It seems there are no more enemies here."

"Got it. So, the rest is..."

Plana nodded.

"The final passage... and the dungeon boss behind it."

***

"Attribute change, red! It's fire!"

At Mana's voice, I stopped my frantic attacks.

(Damn! I can't keep up!)

Regretting the interrupted skill, I glared at the giant slime in front of me.

--- <Huge Rainbow Slime>.

This is the boss of the <Seven-Colored Lava Cave> dungeon, and the one we are desperately fighting.

Actually, Lex told us, "You don't have to defeat this guy if it's too difficult."

"Even if you've leveled up by defeating all the monsters in the lava cave, depending on the pattern, it might still be difficult for the four of you to defeat this guy," was Lex's judgment.

After actually fighting, I had to admit, regretfully, that Lex was right.

This super-giant slime is a monster that combines all the features of the big slimes we've fought before. Its characteristic is that it changes its seven attributes, as its name "Rainbow" suggests.

Its color changes after a certain amount of time or damage, and its weakness changes accordingly. After changing attributes, it stops moving for a while, so if we can keep hitting its weakness, we should be able to defeat it... or so we thought.

"It's no good! I've already used <Ice Advance Sword>!"

"I can't use water magic either!"

At our voices,

"Ice arrows, three left!"

Plana's water arrows flew from behind, barely holding the slime back. But probably, this was the last of Plana's ice arrows.

(Damn, our base power just isn't enough!)

The more we fought, the more our weaknesses were exposed.

First, in my case, I don't have many skills, and I can't recover from the cooldown. In the past, I managed to compensate by using different attributes, but this slime's weakness rotates. So, if I use a different attribute, I won't be able to use the next one.

(Even if the MP efficiency is a bit worse, I should have learned other attribute skills... Damn! The list of things to do just keeps growing!)

Cursing, I slashed at the slime, knowing it was futile.

"K, <Ice Arrow>!"

Nuke's magic arrow pierced the slime's body, but the giant slime showed no sign of being affected.

Of course, there's no shortcut for magic like there is for skills.

Nuke is a magically cultivated mage with high stats but a limited range of spells, which he compensated for with equipment. If that doesn't work, Nuke's combat effectiveness drops significantly.

"I've used up ice and wind. I can't attack anymore."

Plana reported this matter-of-factly but with a hint of regret. She had shown excellent stability at the beginning but used too many attribute arrows to cover for us. As a pure archer, Plana has no way to perform attribute attacks on her own.

"Holy...! Acid is coming!"

Reacting to the cry, I moved my body to the side. Mana's light magic deals stable damage in any form, but her role is more important as an observer. Besides, without her main attribute, her firepower is lacking.

And the common problem for all of us...

"Damn! My MP is..."

--- MP depletion.

Until now, battles were relatively short, and we could recover MP through level-ups, allowing us to keep fighting. But in this boss battle, there are no breaks or level-ups.

Naturally, our MP was starting to run out. And finally...

"Rade! We don't have much time left..."

Hearing that, I gritted my teeth.

--- Five minutes.

That's what Lex said at the time.

"You can fight the boss, but you can only fight at full strength for five minutes. That's the time limit."

I understand the meaning of those words all too well. Our MP isn't abundant enough for a long battle, and we aren't experienced enough to maintain focus for that long.

(I know! I know that!)

But, I, we, really wanted to defeat this boss.

Of course, defeating this guy will make us grow and we'll get the reward for the quest. But that's not the main point. We will become stronger in the future, and when we do, the reward for this quest won't matter much.

So, if we run away now, we won't really lose anything. Defeating the boss isn't necessary to complete the quest, and it's already impressive that we've fought in the <Seven-Colored Lava Cave> and completed several quests. People who mocked us will probably stop.

(But, that's not enough!)

During this month of training, we've been the subject of many rumors. People said we were wasting our time, or that we were pitiful, and some even said it to our faces.

But the worst part was when people mocked Lex.

We're fine. We know we're getting stronger, and we can endure any criticism.

But with Lex, it's different. After receiving so much from him, after learning so much, it's frustrating to hear people call him "incompetent" or a "fraud."

So...

(We will change that!)

Surviving a difficult dungeon or completing a minor quest is impressive. But to completely reverse the bad reputation, it probably isn't enough!

(I will defeat the boss, and I will repay him!)

But...

My heart screamed, but my body felt heavy, and the enemy was too powerful. Just as I was about to give up, I glanced to the side.

"...Ah."

At that moment, our eyes met. In that instant, our hearts were completely one.

Without words, everyone was shouting the same thing.

(I don't want to give up!)

My lips curled up.

"...Green."

"Huh?"

Surprised, my companions looked at me.

"Stop attacking and wait for it to turn green, its fire weakness."

"Wait! It regenerates, and if we wait, its HP will..."

I raised a hand to stop Nuke's cry.

"I know. But our MP is running low. It's better than wasting it on blind attacks."

"That's..."

"When it turns to fire weakness, we'll attack together with fire attributes and finish it before it changes."

Of course, if the timing is off and it changes attributes, our attacks will be wasted.

"Is there a guarantee it will turn green next?"

"Let's pray."

Saying this casually, Nuke let out a tired smile.

While avoiding the smoke and acid, we waited for "that moment." Finally, its color changed.

The color was...

"--- Green!!"

Our cries overlapped.

"Rade, you have a knack for this sometimes."

Nuke's exasperated voice made me smile, but I couldn't just be happy. This was our last chance.

"Attack on the count of five! Mana!"

"...Five!"

Mana, who instantly understood my intention, started the countdown.

"...Four!"

I met Plana's eyes and saw her take a bundle of fire arrows.

"...Three!"

Nuke, despite his grimace, aimed his red rod at the enemy.

"...Two!"

And I, not to be outdone, sprinted towards the boss—

"--- Five minutes are up, so I'll finish it."

The voice and the wind passing by me were almost simultaneous.

"Huh..."

By the time I realized the wind was from the "fifth member" who had been watching us from behind, she was already at the boss.

In Recilia's right hand, a sword with a regal metallic sheen. The sword Lex used against the veterans, now gripped by her hand with two red rings.

"--- <Crimson Lotus Strike>!"

With a red afterimage, a fairy danced. The scorching blow scattered the slime's body, and it changed its color to brown.

"--- <Heavenly Thunder Strike>!"

With a lightning afterimage, a fairy danced. The slime's body shook and turned red.

"--- <Ice Over Slash>!"

With an ice afterimage, a fairy danced. The slime's body shook and turned blue.

"--- <Earth Shattering Formation>"

A fairy danced, and the ground split. The slime, which we had struggled against so much, stood like a scarecrow in a training field, evoking sympathy.

Naturally, the slime's color changed again...

"...Ah."

At that moment, I couldn't help but let out a sound. The slime's color changed from blue to colorless, its physical weakness.

And that was the signal for the end.

"--- <Single-Hearted Thrust>!!"

With a proud resonance, the one-hit kill skill, one of Lex's specialties, exploded into the colorless slime's body. The sound of something bursting, and the slime's splashes scattered into the depths of the dungeon, and then...

...That was the end of the battle.

The light that burst from the motionless boss was absorbed into our left hands, healing our wounded bodies and giving us a sense of growth. The battle was over.

But...

"...Eh, um..."

The abrupt ending left us speechless.

I, well, this time Recilia was part of the <Brave Blade> party, and her level was even lower than ours, so there was no problem procedurally. This would certainly clear Lex's bad reputation and earn us experience points.

So, there's nothing wrong with it.

But, well, it's just, um...

"...Well"

Recilia quietly sheathed her sword and turned around. As we instinctively straightened our backs, she looked at us with more intensity than when she killed the monster and said firmly,

"We've kept Lex waiting for two hours and forty minutes. Let's return as soon as possible!"

At that moment, our eyes met. In that instant, our hearts were completely one.

Without words, everyone was shouting the same thing.

(--- This girl is still a big sister complex!)

And the final blow was bittersweet.