Chapter 26

～In the Crystal Room of Avalon～

A teardrop-shaped slime stares at the crystal.

“Puhuhuhu, the enemy army is like trash. Are they really that simple-minded to charge straight in? ... Sigh, it’s so lonely. If Lord Demon King were here, he would have pointed out that you’re simple-minded too.”

The crystal projects the scene inside the dungeon. It has already been thirty minutes since the [War began].

However, the army of [The Tree] has yet to clear even the first floor of the [Creation] dungeon.

Procell prepared a straight tunnel for the first floor of the first level.

It is just wide enough for two Mithril Golems to stand side by side, with a height of three meters, and a depth of two kilometers.

There are no obstacles, just a straight line.

A careful observer might notice a slight incline.

All of this is by design.

“Let’s go! Mithril Golems!”

The golems, which give an impression of massiveness, illuminate their mithril bodies with muzzle flashes as they brandish their ultimate weapons.

It was a gun.

However, it was not something that infantry could use, but a monster mounted on combat vehicles or helicopters. Its category is a heavy machine gun.

The base model was the American Browning M2 heavy machine gun.

It fires 12.7mm caliber bullets at a speed nearly three times the speed of sound, firing 1,200 rounds per minute, a monster in a different league.

Rorono, the world's greatest alchemist, improved it and further evolved it by incorporating magic.

It was enlarged, capable of using 20mm caliber ammunition, and the firing mechanism and materials were reviewed. As a result, despite the increased power, the rate of fire and accuracy have also improved.

Additionally, a cable extends from the heavy machine gun, directly connected to the Mithril Golem’s core.

The magic power generated by the Mithril Golem’s core is directly drawn in and used to accelerate the bullets.

Unlike Avalon Litter, the Mithril Golems have a power equivalent to a B-rank monster.

However, this means that their overall power is B-rank, but in terms of pure power and output, they can match A-rank monsters.

The power and output of the golems, combined with the monstrous machine gun, result in...

“It’s effective! Even A-rank enemies can be crushed!”

Each shot is equivalent to the full power attack of an A-rank monster. Such attacks come at a rate of 1,200 rounds per minute.

High-level monsters might be able to defend against one or two shots. ... But what does that matter?

A storm of twenty shots per second, and any defense is meaningless.

An A-rank monster created a shield of wind using magic.

However, it held up against the first shot, cracked on the second, shattered on the third, and the fourth was fatal, and the fifth turned it into mincemeat.

All of this happened in less than a second.

The latest and most advanced machine gun designed for use by Mithril Golems is called the EDJ-04 Aimul.

It is named after the club used by the god of storms, which means "repel."

And it is indeed repelling Procell’s enemies.

“Puhuhuhu, simplicity is the best!”

There is a reason why the enemies are being shot down helplessly.

There is no place to run on this first floor.

With a width that barely allows two Mithril Golems to stand side by side, there is no way to escape horizontally.

If they try to jump up, the ceiling is set to the lowest possible height.

Moreover, this slight incline is troublesome. Although the initial velocity of the EDJ-04 Aimul exceeds 1,500 meters per second, with a distance of two kilometers from the back to the entrance, it takes more than a second for the bullets to reach their target.

In one second, gravity pulls the bullets down. However, the incline of the dungeon is designed to match the trajectory of the bullets falling due to gravity.

Therefore, the bullets always hit at a height that is difficult to dodge, and at five times the speed of sound, the aftereffects alone can tear the surroundings apart, making it impossible to avoid.

Conversely, when attacking from the entrance, the incline obstructs the line of sight, making it very difficult to attack the golems.

There are no obstacles, and the two-kilometer length is within the effective range of the Aimul.

In other words, this dungeon is a kill zone from the moment you step in.

This is the basic defense mechanism of Avalon.

It is a method that Procell has used for a long time.

If you challenge Procell, you must have a strategy for this floor, or it won’t even be a fight.

The Demon King of Procell’s world, of course, knows about this floor and has a strategy.

However, the Demon King of [The Tree] is a newcomer and has not prepared adequately.

Therefore, he made the overly optimistic prediction that such overwhelming firepower would run out quickly and is sending monsters in one after another to die in vain.

He doesn’t know that, indeed, when the Aimul is used at full power, the Mithril Golems must remove their limiters, and the maximum duration is twenty-two minutes.

However, twenty reserve Mithril Golems are prepared at the entrance to the next floor, and they can be swapped out in a matter of seconds.

The number of bullets stored by Shier, an Evolved Slime, is 1,280,000.

The Aimul will eventually break due to the strain on the barrel, but there are dozens of spare guns.

In short, running out of ammunition is impossible in just one [War].

Shier watches the [The Tree] monsters waste their lives.

“Puhu. How long do you plan to let them die in vain? It’s foolish. Ah, it seems they’ve finally started to think.”

The army of [The Tree]’s Demon King retreated once and, about ten minutes later, a few elite monsters began to enter one after another.

Shier watches them.

Not through the crystal, but directly on the first floor.

No, to be precise, she is not just watching. She is using various appraisal and analysis skills to see through their abilities.

Shier was given command for the S-rank reason alone, but also because she possesses all the knowledge and experience of Avalon’s monsters.

The biggest factor is that she is the only one among Procell’s monsters that can communicate across floors.

Shier’s special ability, [Splitting].

A skill that allows her to separate slime cells and act as a group.

It is not particularly effective in combat. Shier’s and the split bodies’ strength is determined by the amount of slime cells.

The more slime cells used for the split bodies, the weaker Shier becomes, and if she is stingy with the slime cells, they won’t be much of a fighting force.

The strength of [Splitting] lies outside of combat.

It is that all split bodies are the same monster as Shier.

In principle, each floor of the dungeon is an isolated world, and communication across floors is impossible.

There are exceptions, such as telepathy, which the Demon King can use with up to ten pre-bonded monsters in their own dungeon, or monsters that can send thoughts across dimensions.

However, in Shier’s case, resonance with split bodies allows for communication across floors.

Resonance means that the same reaction that occurs in the split body occurs in the main body. Using this characteristic, it is possible to achieve a link with no time difference, which can even cross the boundaries of the world.

... Although she couldn’t resonate with the split bodies placed in Avalon, crossing floors within the dungeon is easy.

This ability allows her to give orders to the monsters within the dungeon.

Invisible, ultra-small split bodies are placed at key points within the dungeon, forming an information network.

This is Shier’s true value, the [Slime Network].

And the [Slime Network] is not just about this.

All split bodies can use the skills that Shier has copied and collected.

Of course, with too few slime cells, they have no combat power.

However, for analysis and appraisal, combat power is not necessary.

Using numerous analysis and appraisal skills, the ultra-small split bodies expose the skills and abilities of the invading monsters, and this information is transmitted in real-time to the main body, which then prepares the next strategy and uses the [Slime Network] to communicate it.

A world-crossing ultra-high-speed communication network with ultra-precise information gathering, that is the [Slime Network].

“The attack was physical, not magical, so they formed a small elite group of monsters with physical immunity to destroy the golems. Well, it’s not a bad strategy.”

This is the strategy of [The Tree]’s Demon King.

However, the moment they entered the floor, the strategy was seen through by the [Slime Network].

Shier’s split bodies give instructions to the Mithril Golems.

The Mithril Golems switch the magazine of the EDJ-04 Aimul and transform the gun by pulling a lever.

“It’s better than no strategy. But, do you really think we, who specialize in this tactic, wouldn’t have anticipated this? It’s too naive.”

The Mithril Golems start shooting again.

Until now, they had used all their magic power to accelerate the bullets, achieving a hybrid of high power and magic.

However, by switching the magazine and mechanism, they show a different face.

The bullets in the new magazine are designed for magic attacks.

When fired, the outer shell of the bullet breaks apart, and the magic metal powder inside turns into plasma, leaving a trail of light as it pierces the enemy.

It is a single strike of light powered by magic.

The monsters with physical immunity were pierced by the magic attacks and fell without being able to do anything.

... Of course, it was expected that monsters with physical immunity would come.

This tactic has been honed in actual combat. The shortcomings are understood and addressed by the members of Avalon.

The Mithril Golems are equipped with a variety of ammunition to handle different situations, and Shier’s split bodies constantly monitor and analyze, giving instructions to switch magazines as needed. There are also multiple [countermeasures to countermeasures].

This level of preparation is not even a strategy.

“Surely, you must have a second or third plan, right? You don’t? That’s so boring. If it ends here on the first floor, it’s too easy. This is one of the gentler floors in Lord Demon King’s dungeon. There are much more dangerous ones. ... I’m disappointed. Did you really think you could win with this? Are you underestimating Lord Demon King? Or are you underestimating him a lot?”

Shier shakes her slime body in anger, remembering the scene at the [Night Meeting] where [The Tree]’s Demon King confidently declared that he would fight Procell.

It is frustrating that he thought these low-level monsters could defeat the revered Procell.

The surface of the herbal tea on the table ripples.

“Hey, Shier. It’s not good to get too cocky. It leads to complacency. And, you should consider my side a bit. The golems can do their job, but my side is quite challenging too.”

“Lord Lue, thank you for your hard work!”

Using water as a gate, Lue, the interdimensional songstress Lulie Diva, speaks from an interdimensional space.

The image from the interdimensional space is transferred to Shier by Lue’s water magic.

“Indeed, Lord Lue.”

The bodies of [The Tree]’s Demon King’s interdimensional interference monsters lie on the ground.

Using interdimensional monsters against golems is a standard strategy.

In interdimensional space, they can bypass the storm of bullets and move forward.

Or they can appear behind the Mithril Gole