Chapter 22

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After finishing the exposure of my secret, I felt a bit of the weight lift from my chest as I drank tea and waited for the two of them to calm down. They were leaning on the table, seemingly trying to sort out their thoughts.

I know I did something I shouldn't have, but there's nothing I can do but try to make them understand.

"Well, I'm sure you have a lot to say, but if we're going to the dungeon, there's something I want you two to do beforehand..."

I waited for them to come to terms with it, then made the proposal I had been thinking about since the day of the qualification exam.

"Before we go to the dungeon, why don't we level up here first?"

"\"Huh?\""

Exploring the dungeon is a matter of life and death, so it's best to level up to ensure a safety margin. Using this dungeon, we can level up safely.

"Fortunately or unfortunately, the only monsters that appear in this dungeon are slimes. As you saw earlier, slimes can be defeated with salt, so if you do enough of them, you can definitely level up. In fact, I've leveled up quite a bit by defeating slimes."

The two of them looked at me with suspicious eyes. No, you don't have to be so suspicious...

"Daiki, is that really true? It's hard to believe..."

"Me too."

"Didn't the lecture say that dungeons are inhabited by a variety of monsters?"

"A dungeon with only one type of monster..."

"I know, I know, but it's really true. The only monsters that have ever appeared in this dungeon are slimes. In addition to normal slimes, there are also variants of different sizes and attributes, but no other types of monsters have ever appeared."

"I've been observing this dungeon every day for half a year, and I can confirm that only slimes appear."

I looked them in the eye and spoke without lying.

"..."

"..."

"..."

The silence was painful. I know it's hard to believe, but I'm telling the truth. However, we can't move forward unless they believe me.

"...It seems to be true."

"...Yes."

Phew. It looks like they believe me. I let out a sigh of relief and patted my chest.

"I'm glad you believe me. Let's get started then."

We stood up from the table, took a few small bags of salt and a measuring cup and spoons from the cardboard box, and moved to the table.

"This time, I want you two to do it. The EXP system only gives points to the person who defeats the monster, so you two need to defeat the monsters directly. Don't worry, it's just sprinkling salt, so it's easy..."

I feel a bit depressed. I've been doing this every day for half a year, but when I think about it again...

I thought the title "Slime Slayer" was a convenient effect, but now it feels like a sin of mass slaughter.

The two of them had an indescribable look on their faces as I suddenly became dejected in the middle of my explanation.

"...Well, let's just try it. Daiki, give me the salt."

"Ah, yeah."

I opened the drawer and confirmed the slime sitting in the dungeon. It seems to be a normal type of slime.

"That type should be fine with a spoonful. Here."

I filled the measuring spoon with salt and handed it to Yuzi. Yuzi, who received the measuring spoon, looked uneasy at the amount of salt I gave him.

"...Hey, is this really enough?"

"It's fine, it's fine. Based on the statistics I've collected over the past half year, this amount is sufficient for that type of slime. This is the appropriate amount, including a safety margin."

"...Okay."

"Hurry up."

I gently pushed Yuzi, who still seemed unsure, towards the drawer. Yuzi, having made up his mind, moved the measuring spoon over the drawer where the slime was sitting and quickly tipped it over. As soon as the salt touched the slime, the effect was immediate. The slime began to stretch and contract in agony, gradually reducing in size. When its volume was reduced to less than half its original size, the black sphere in the center shattered and the slime disappeared in a burst of light.

"See? It was easy, right?"

"Ah, yeah, it was. But, this is..."

"...Too easy, right?"

"..."

Yuzi nodded silently, swallowing hard in response to my question. I pushed aside Yuzi, who was still staring at the dungeon in the drawer, closed the drawer, and opened it again. Yuzi, noticing that the slime that had disappeared had reappeared, opened his eyes wide and was speechless. I ignored this and checked the slime in the drawer.

"Ugh... a higher type."

The new slime that appeared in the dungeon was about five times the size of a normal slime, about the size of a beanbag. It was stretching and contracting, changing shape freely, with a blue body.

I beckoned to Shizuka, who was standing a step back, and showed her the greater slime in the drawer.

"...What is that? It's much bigger than the one we just saw, right?"

"A greater slime. It's the higher type of the normal slime you just defeated. It doesn't have any attributes, but it has more physical resistance than a normal slime. It's a rare higher type."

"Greater slime..."

Shizuka repeated the words as if to confirm them, continuing to look at the greater slime. In the meantime, I measured the amount of salt needed to defeat the greater slime and transferred it to the measuring cup.

"Here, Shizuka."

"...This much? It's a lot more than when you did it, isn't it?"

Shizuka, who received the measuring cup full of salt, asked me if the amount was correct, looking confused. Well, if you want to be sure, you need this much.

"Salt is a fatal substance for slimes, but the lethal dose varies by type. For a greater slime, you need at least this much."

"Okay."

Shizuka, having heard my explanation, tipped the measuring cup at the greater slime without hesitation. The greater slime, hit by the block of salt, shuddered for a moment, then began to stretch and contract in agony, gradually reducing in size. When its volume was reduced to about half its original size, the greater slime shattered and disappeared.

And on the floor of the dungeon where the slime had disappeared, a fist-sized core crystal was lying.

"...This is bad."

"...Too easy?"

"Yes. I think Kusanagi-kun must have thought he could handle this dungeon on his own."

Shizuka looked at me with a serious expression.

"Kusanagi-kun, I agree to using this dungeon to level up to ensure your safety margin. But, let's stop using it after the minimum level up."

"...Shizuka?"

"This dungeon is like a tutorial dungeon. I don't know why this dungeon appeared in your room, but it's better not to use it too much."

"...I agree, Daiki."

"Shizuka, Yuzi."

I was confused by their suggestion. If we level up as much as we can here, we can ensure a safety margin, so why not?

"Using this dungeon to level up might ensure safety, but it will also skew our perception. How long do you think it would take a new explorer to be able to defeat monsters at this level? It would definitely take more than two or three months."

"...Daiki, was it because of this dungeon that you were able to avoid all the traps during the practical exam?"

"Ah, yeah."

When I answered Yuzi's question hesitantly, Yuzi let out a sigh.

"...You're already skewed. That trap practice was not something a regular person could clear within the time limit. Even if you had high physical abilities, it would be impossible without knowledge of traps and specialized training. How could an untrained civilian break through a nest of complex traps!?"

Judging from Yuzi's reaction, it seems Shizuka's point is correct.

Thinking back on it, my actions at the time were indeed skewed. I was able to clear the traps within the time limit thanks to the improved physical abilities from leveling up and the ability to see through all the traps with the analysis and appraisal skill.

Yeah, this is bad. I thought I was just standing out, but it's more than that. There's a possibility that the association has noticed me.

Seeing my expression, Shizuka continued.

"...Don't you think it's a bad idea to keep using it?"

"...Yeah, you're right."

I had to agree.

If I continue with this sense, I might stand out even more in the dungeon than during the practical exam. One of the reasons I didn't actively oppose when Yuzi and Shizuka invited me to take the qualification exam was that I didn't see the monsters as a threat.

Not being able to recognize danger as danger is nothing but complacency.

"Let's go to a normal dungeon after the minimum level up, okay?"

"Ah, yes."

Shizuka's intimidating smile left me no choice but to agree.

No, it's really scary, isn't it? Shizuka right now. Even Yuzi, who was standing behind her, was backing away from the atmosphere.

"Is that okay with you, Hirose-kun?"

"Ah, yeah, no problem. I was planning to go to the dungeon anyway."

"That's good."

Yuzi, intimidated by Shizuka's sharp gaze, agreed hesitantly.

Then, with Yuzi's agreement, Shizuka turned to me, put her hands on my shoulders...

"Kusanagi-kun... if you have any other secrets about the dungeon, spill them now."

"...Okay."

After that, I was forced by Shizuka to spill all the information about the dungeon. Hey, Yuzi, help me out here. What, you can't? Yeah, I guess so.

...Girls are scary.

After that, the two of them started coming to my house every day after school and joined in the slime-slaying that had become my daily routine. For a few hours every day, we continued the task of opening and closing the drawer and sprinkling salt on the slimes. Since I had already gathered data, the power-leveling of the two of them progressed extremely efficiently.

On the day I exposed my secret, we used the additional salt I had ordered online to defeat the slimes that appeared, using the appropriate amount. Since we didn't need to experiment to find the lethal dose of the slimes as I had done, the slime-slaying progressed quickly. The drop items from the slimes were collected using the telekinesis and spatial storage skills that Shizuka had forced me to reveal, but the amount was so large that it approached the capacity limit of the spatial storage. What should I do with all this? Sigh...

When our levels were reasonably high, I took out the skill scrolls I had stored in the spatial storage and let the two of them choose.

Name: Hirose Yuzi

Age: 16

Gender: Male

Occupation: Student

Level: 25

Skills: Physical Enhancement [P] 7/10, Enhanced Perception [P] 4/10, Rapid Thinking [P] 3/10, Repulsion Armor [A] 1/10

HP: 255/255

EP: 10/130

Name: Shizuka Hinoe

Age: 16

Gender: Female

Occupation: Student

Level: 27

Skills: Physical Enhancement [P] 4/10, Aura Perception [A] 2/10, Aura Concealment [A] 2/10, Wind Magic [A] 1/10

HP: 255/275

EP: 100/140

Yuzi naturally took the front line, Shizuka the mid-line, and I the back line.

The fact that I could see the details of the skill scrolls with my analysis and appraisal skill helped in deciding the skills, and we were able to avoid building a skewed skill set that would waste EP resources. Even though the rules are starting to be understood, in this world without a guidebook, deciding skills is a big gamble that can greatly affect your future as an explorer.

So, after a hectic and busy period, we finally finished all the preparations to enter the dungeon.

Our destination is a dungeon that has appeared at the foot of a mountain near the city, a hot spot where explorers from the surrounding urban areas gather.

I know you might have expected a dramatic level-up, but I think moderation is good...