Back at the exit portal, the child's body still lay untouched, an indication that no one else had come this way.

I felt completely drained, both physically and emotionally.

Guilt gnawed at me for failing to save the child and leaving the adventurers behind.

I was exhausted from the constant stress and the fight to stay alive.

I found a small, hidden spot near the portal, offering a bit of privacy and security.

I told my slimes to keep watch and alert me if anything came close.

With that small bit of reassurance, I let myself give in to the exhaustion.

I didn't know how long I slept, but it felt like a few hours.

The brief rest recharged me a bit, and my mana was back enough to summon three more slimes.

Now, with a total of seven slimes, I felt a little more secure—like I had a small, jelly-like army to help me survive.

Curiosity pulled me back to the scene of the earlier fight.

Scavenging was still a smart move to gather easy credits, and I wasn't going to let guilt cloud my judgment.

With a heavy heart, I headed back to where I had last seen the group fighting the boss.

As I got closer, the scene was just as grim as I expected.

It was eerily quiet.

The adventurers' bodies lay where they had fallen, gruesomely melted by the acidic slimes.

The bodies of the adventurers were grotesquely distorted, their equipment and clothing partially dissolved, giving off a pungent, acrid smell.

The remains were barely recognizable as human. Where once there had been faces and limbs, there now lay a ghastly mix of bone and melted tissue.

"..."

Amid the devastation, my eyes caught a glimpse of something out of place—a small bag tucked away behind a large rock, likely thrown aside in the heat of battle for greater mobility.

Fortunately, it appeared intact, untouched by the aftermath of the battle.

As I moved closer to inspect the small bag, I had to navigate carefully to avoid slipping into their remains.

Reaching the bag, I knelt down and inspected it. The fabric was surprisingly sturdy.

Opening the pack, I found several small items: twenty crystallized hearts, three vials that looked like healing potions, some dried meat, stale loaf of bread, and a dagger. Quite a big haul.

https://i.imgur.com/SxLLAiY.png [https://i.imgur.com/SxLLAiY.png]

I couldn't help but whisper to myself, "Those people were definitely veteran's. They were well-prepared. They probably decided to farm the first floor for the crystallized hearts and managed to gather twenty in just a day or two. At least their efforts won't go to waste."

Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

I looked at the healing potions in the bag, one for each member of their party.

While I was glad to have a way to heal my wounds, I couldn't shake the sadness that I hadn't found these items before the child's death.

And then, there it was—my first weapon. Finally, I had a way to fight the slimes with something other than my bare hands protected by the slimes' bodies.

Holding the dagger, I marveled at its balance and ease of handling.

For someone who had never wielded a weapon before, its lightness was reassuring.

In contrast to the heavier weapon that would've been cumbersome given my physical strength stat.

Swinging it a few times, I appreciated its responsiveness. It was an extension of my own intentions rather than a burden to my movements.

Choosing a dagger as my first weapon made sense.

In this treacherous environment, where quick decisions and faster reflexes could mean the difference between life and death, the agility it offered was most welcoming.

Plus, its simplicity suited my inexperience. Unlike ranged weapons that demanded precision and practice, the dagger required only basic movement, something I could manage even with minimal training.

It felt right, almost comforting in its fit. If I was to have any chance at defending myself effectively in this dungeon, then this dagger would be my first real step.

Wobble!

"Huh?"

Suddenly, my slimes started wobbling frantically.

I spun around, heart pounding with fear that the boss had returned.

But thankfully, it was just a single Viscous Slime inching its way toward us.

"Perfect timing!"

I wanted to test my newly acquired dagger, to feel its sharp edge cut through the gelatinous mass.

"Wait!"

As I marched towards it, another thought crossed my mind—I now had seven slimes and had never tried to see how many of them it would take to handle an enemy by themselves.

My first summon had failed miserably against one of these creatures, so I was curious to see if more slimes could make a difference.

“Slime 1, Slime 2, take care of it.” I ordered, stepping back to watch.

The two slimes oozed forward, their gelatinous bodies confronting the Viscous Slime.

At first, it seemed like they might manage. They wrapped around the Viscous Slime, attempting to smother it with their combined mass.

But the Viscous Slime's acidic properties were stronger and more resilient than expected.

The Viscous Slime began to overpower my slimes, and they started wobbling in distress. I needed to act.

“Slime 3, get in there and help!” I shouted.

With three slimes working together, the tide began to turn.

The Viscous Slime struggled as it was enveloped on all sides, its movements becoming sluggish as my slimes continued to smother and constrict it.

“Good, that’s it. Keep going!” I encouraged them.

The fight was a bizarre, gelatinous struggle, with the slimes digging themselves inside the Viscous Slime's body, enveloping each other in a strange dance of gooey combat.

The Viscous Slime’s resistance started to weaken, its body losing shape as it was overpowered by the combined efforts of my slimes.

Finally, the Viscous Slime collapsed, its core exposed. One of the slimes quickly snatched the core, finishing the fight.

You've Defeated A Viscous Fiend. Exp +1

“You did it!” I exclaimed, stepping forward and patting each of my slimes.

Their wobbles of victory made me smile.

Though they managed to win against one Viscous Slime, it still took three of them. I couldn't even imagine how many it would take to go toe-to-toe against an overlord, let alone winning against it.

If three slimes could barely handle a single Viscous Slime, the thought of facing something as powerful as a boss was overwhelming. I shook my head, trying to clear the negative thoughts.

"Alright, good job, team." I said, trying to stay positive. "Let's keep moving."

I bent down and picked up the crystallized heart, adding it to the collection I had looted from the dead group.

With the recent additions, I now had 53 crystallized hearts in total.

The thought of needing only two more experience points to level up was a small goal i needed to achieve today.

"Just two more slimes." I muttered to myself, gripping the dagger tightly. "Let's see what this baby can do."

It was time to get a feel for it and level up in the process.

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https://i.imgur.com/wU4QrQZ.png [https://i.imgur.com/wU4QrQZ.png]