The woman screamed in panic, her voice tinged with genuine terror. "It's a Viscous Fiend! It's going to melt my face! Help me!"

The party members rushed to her aid, but chaos erupted as they hesitated, not wanting to harm her in their efforts to remove the slime.

"Hold still, dammit!" Dylan snapped, frustration evident in his voice. "Stop moving so I can help you!"

"Don't just stand there!" the woman shrieked, her panic making her harsh and demanding. "Do something!"

"Would you all just calm down for a second?" the leader barked, trying to assert control over the situation. "We can't risk harming her by using our weapons!"

But the woman's panic only grew as she imagined her face being eaten away. "Get it off! I don't care how, just get it off now!"

The chaotic scene unfolded, their disarray preventing any coordinated effort. In their frenzy, they seemed like a circus of incompetence, their unity shattered by their conflicting impulses and the woman's shrill demands.

A situation i had exactly anticipated. With Viscous Fiends inhabiting this level, any slime-like creature encountered would naturally be assumed to be one of them.

The darkness of the grotto, even with their torchlight, made it hard to distinguish between my summoned and viscous fiend slimes.

Coupled with the unexpectedness of the situation, it led to the chaotic scene unfolding before me.

'Slime 2, it's time to move. Crawl toward her right arm and get her to drop the vial!' i thought, silently commanding my summon.

Watching as it slid toward her right arm. The woman continued to flail, screaming in sheer disgust and fear as the slime slithered from her head down toward her arm.

"I can't take it anymore! What are you idiots doing!" she shrieked, her voice bordering on hysteria.

Dylan tried to help, but he hesitated, unwilling to risk cutting her arm along with the slime. "Hold still! I can't swing at it if you're flailing like this!" he barked, clearly frustrated.

But her panic only increased. She flailed her arm uncontrollably, trying to dislodge the slime.

Clank... clank... clank— 'YES!'

In her frantic movements, she hurled the vial out of her hand, sending it tumbling across the ground, unnoticed by her or any of the other party members in the chaos.

However, I saw it.

A wry smile crept across my face as things fell into place.

'Slime 1! While they're distracted by Slime 2, grab the potion and hide somewhere dark!'

With the chaos of the situation and their attention wholly on their panicking member, the path was clear for Slime 1 to stealthily retrieve the fallen vial.

The leader of the party turned towards Esthes, his face red with frustration. "You idiot, stop flailing around! Use your tome!" he barked, pointing at the book she clutched in her left hand. "Push the slime away!"

Dylan moved closer, his sword poised but hesitating as he aimed toward Esthes. "Esthes, for crying out loud, you're leaving me no choice. Don't hate me if you end up losing a limb!"

"Dylan, don't—!" yelled the leader, reaching out to stop him. But it was too late. Frustrated by Esthes' agitated behavior, Dylan swung his sword.

Two possible outcomes loomed—either the slime would be cut in half, or both the slime and Esthes' arm would meet the same fate.

'Thank you for sacrificing yourself for me... Slime 2!'

Feeling a pang of sadness as Dylan's sword sliced through the air. In a flash, the deed was done.

Your [Summoned Slime] has perished.

As soon as my slime was defeated, it's body liquefied, dribbling down Esthes' arm.

"Ugh, disgusting!" she shrieked, her face contorted in horror. "What were you thinking, you muscle head! My beautiful face could've been disfigured because of you! Don't you know about the slime's ability to dissolve anything it touches?!"

"What? You ungrateful bitch!" Dylan shot back, his face flushing with anger. "If you hadn't been flailing around like an idiot, i could've dealt with that monster in seconds!"

"Both of you, calm down!" said their leader, trying to restore order. "We can't afford this kind of infighting. Remember, we're still in the dungeon."

Following the leader's attempt at restoring order, a tense silence settled over the group. Each of them seemed lost in their thoughts, trying to regain their composure.

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It was Dylan who finally broke the silence, a frown etched on his face. "Something's off." he said, his voice cautious. "After killing the slime, I was supposed to earn experience, but I didn’t get anything."

The mage, chimed in with a puzzled expression. "Now that you mention it, that slime... it looked different from the Viscous Fiends we've seen before. Its size and color were off."

The leader's eyes narrowed, his gaze shifting to the dissolved remains of the slime. He knelt down, examining the residue left behind. "You're right," he murmured, his tone thoughtful. "This isn't a typical Viscous Fiend."

The mage, stepped forward. "This slime's composition is unusual." he said, pointing to the remnants. "Its behavior and characteristics don't match what we know about the Viscous Fiends."

Esthes, visibly agitated, stomped her foot in frustration. "Who cares? Let's just move on to the next floor! I can't stay here any longer!" Her anger resonated in her voice, and she marched forward without waiting for a response.

The rest of the party exchanged exasperated glances, realizing that arguing with the self-proclaimed "princess" of their group would be futile. With a collective sigh of resignation, they followed her lead.

"Let's just move on," the leader said, his voice resigned. "We need to meet up with the rest of the guild on the third floor. We've already wasted enough time here with this rat. We'll be late if we linger."

'You reveal your true nature now, you bastard!' I thought as I watched them leave, certain that they believed I was already dead.

As the group moved further away, they seemed oblivious to their oversight—losing something quite important. In the fading light of the grotto, a small shadow emerged, wobbling toward me.

"Good job, Slime 1!" I murmured, a faint smile of relief crossing my face.

The last remaining slime stood before me, wobbling excitedly, as if seeking praise for completing its mission.

However, my attention was fixed on the object within its gelatinous body: the red vial the woman had accidentally discarded. It was the health potion!

WARNING: Your health is critically low! Immediate medical attention is required!

I didn't have much time left, but I mustered all my remaining strength and positioned myself near a wall, hoping it would help me apply the potion effectively.

I reached into the slime's body and extracted the vial. There were two options: drink the potion or apply it directly to the wound.

Drinking the potion would heal my entire body, including any internal injuries, but the effect would be less potent as it would be spread over a larger area.

Directly applying the potion would concentrate its healing effect on the targeted area, making it more effective for specific wounds.

Given my situation, the choice was clear.

I pried open the lid of the potion with trembling fingers and poured the red liquid directly onto my open wound.

The effect was immediate and brutal. The pain was searing, as if my leg had been plunged into scorching water.

The liquid burned intensely, drawing a harsh gasp from my lips.

“Ahhh!” I groaned through clenched teeth, my voice barely above a whisper.

I bit down hard, trying to suppress the scream that threatened to tear from my throat.

The last thing I wanted was for the party to hear me and come back, their presence more dangerous than the healing pain I was enduring.

The sight of the healing process was as disturbing as it was miraculous.

The torn muscles and tendons twitched and pulsed as they slowly knitted back together.

The sight of my flesh twisting and mending itself was nearly unbearable to watch, and the pain only grew worse.

“Gah!” I grunted, squeezing my eyes shut against the torment.

The sensation was so intense that I could barely see straight.

I fell forward, my hands scraping against the rocky ground as I gasped for air.

The agony was overwhelming, an unforgiving wave that crushed me with its force.

As I stared down at the ground, I could see nothing but darkness at the edges of my vision.

The pain proved too much, and I could feel myself slipping into unconsciousness.

Thud!

Finally, I succumbed to the darkness, collapsing to the ground with a heavy thud.

[Achievement Reached!]

[Condition: Survived From The Clutches Of Death!]

[Reward: Mental +1, Physical +1]