"......Ha. Mr. Yi, please hide in a safe place for a moment. It'll be over soon."
Ki Yuhyun let out a light sigh and pointed behind the tree.
"Will you be okay alone? The C-rank Hunter's attack didn't even work just now."
"I'll be fine."
"Alright, then."
Without asking again, I ran quickly to where Ki Yuhyun pointed. Even if I were there, my spade with an attack power of 2 wouldn't be much help.
Non-combatants should hide properly.
Ki Yuhyun seemed to be making some gestures towards the giant slime.
Then, a net of light fell from the sky, covering the giant slime. The net began to constrict, preventing the slime from bouncing.
Even while using such a skill, Ki Yuhyun didn't look the least bit strained.
Indeed, this guy seems quite strong......
"......Huh?"
While watching the scene in front of me and touching the ground with my hand, my body suddenly sank down.
The problem was that it was too dark to see the ground clearly. Behind the tree was a steep slope.
"......Mr. Yi!"
I rolled down the slope.
"Ah, ouch......"
I don't know how far I rolled, but when I came to my senses, there was no part of my body that didn't hurt. The area was covered in bushes, and I couldn't see where I originally was.
"Mr. Yuhyun!"
I called out, but there was no response.
[Party: Lee Yi, Ki Yuhyun]
I could only tell that Ki Yuhyun was still inside the dungeon through the party window. It seems there's no communication or GPS function, so I couldn't find his location.
Should I tear this bracelet?
I looked at the paper bracelet I received upon entry. They said it would summon help if I tore it in an emergency.
I haven't obtained the Eter Water yet......
"Kyuuuu......"
At that moment, a red slime appeared in front of me as I was about to tear the bracelet.
"Aaaah!"
I was startled and wildly swung my spade (Attack Power: 2).
However, the slime neither attacked nor ran away; it just circled around me. Moreover, it kept bouncing in one direction.
This strange movement seemed to be trying to tell me something.
"Huh...... Are you telling me to follow?"
"Kyu."
The slime responded.
The slime continued to bounce in front of me.
Should I follow it?
What if I follow and it turns out to be a trap, and slimes come out?
Ugh, I'd probably lose in a fight.
After hesitating for a moment, I finally decided to follow the slime.
After all, I was separated from Ki Yuhyun and didn't know the way. Staying here wouldn't help me find another solution. The slime in front of me didn't show any signs of aggression.
Hmm, hesitating in such a situation doesn't suit me. If it gets dangerous, I'll quickly tear the bracelet, right?
It was dark, but the slime was glowing, making it easy to follow.
It suddenly got dark, even though it was just sunset a moment ago. This place really felt like a different dimension. Moreover, a red moon in the sky emitted a sinister light.
That blood-red moon seems to be staring at me.
Ah, it's probably just my imagination.
How could the moon look at me? It doesn't have eyes.
Ha, ha, ha......
It's just my imagination...... right?
"Kyu."
After following the slime for a while, I heard a trickling sound from somewhere. After walking for about 5 minutes in the direction of the sound, a small stream appeared between the bushes.
Thank goodness. I was worried I might have to return without getting the water.
I took out a PET bottle from my inventory and filled it with stream water. The water inside the bottle shimmered faintly.
Ding.
[Item: Eter Water (β β βββ)
Water rich in Eter. Helps plant growth.]
The name on the system window was clearly Eter Water.
I filled another bottle as a backup and stored it in my inventory. It's reassuring to have an inventory, even with the heavy PET bottles.
It would have been quite heavy to carry these PET bottles in my hand. Being awakened has its advantages.
Good. I've achieved my goal, so now I'll tear the bracelet and call for help.
There's no way to find Ki Yuhyun in this vast dungeon, and my legs were starting to hurt.
"Kyu, nyuuu."
But the slime kept circling around me and making crying sounds.
"......Huh? What is it?"
"Kyuuuu!"
It would be nice if there were a translation artifact to understand the slime's language. All I hear is "kyuuu," which is frustrating.
However, the slime's appearance seemed desperate, so I couldn't ignore it.
There's a saying, isn't there?
A dog you've raised suddenly starts digging the ground with its front paws, and when you dig with a shovel, you find a lost item. Or a dog barks loudly at night, and when you go out, you find your house is on fire.
I believe in such stories. When an animal is trying to tell you something, you should never ignore it.
I'm not sure if it's appropriate to consider this slime as an animal......
The slime seemed frustrated by the lack of communication and started circling a certain spot in the bushes. There was a long, slender plant growing there.
"Are you talking about this plant?"
"Kyu."
The slime bounced and nodded its head, indicating I understood correctly.
It looked like a regular plant, somewhat resembling rice......
The moment I touched the leaf with my hand, a familiar notification sound rang.
[Condition met.]
[Skill: Barista's Eye (D) acquired.]
[Barista's Eye (D)
Details: (Lv.1) Can discover materials.]
Suddenly, I gained a new skill.
Wow, from the description, it seems like a pretty good skill. Indeed, it was a good decision to listen to the animal (?).
Since there's a plant the slime pointed out right in front of me, I might as well test the skill.
'Barista's Eye.'
The item information immediately appeared in front of me.
[Item: Dungeon Sugarcane (β ββββ)
Type: Plant
A common plant in the dungeon. The sap from the stem is sweet.
Note: Ingredient for magic sugar.]
[A new entry for 'Dungeon Sugarcane' has been added to the Eter-Wiki.]
The word 'sugar' caught my eye in the notification window. With 'magic' in front of it, it's probably not ordinary sugar. Maybe, like with the mix coffee, it could have some effect......
'Can I take it?'
It would be useful if I could make sugar. I can figure out the method later, so I might as well take it.
I gently dug up the dungeon sugarcane with my spade and stored it in my inventory.
This weak weapon with an attack power of 2 turned out to be useful in such a situation. After all, a spade is meant for digging soil.
While crouching in the darkness and digging up the dungeon sugarcane, I didn't notice the presence approaching until it was right next to me.
Thud.
"Aaaah!"
"Mr. Yi, are you okay?"
"Huh, ah, yes!"
I turned my head to see Ki Yuhyun with a worried expression.
Ah, I was startled. I thought something else had appeared.
Feeling embarrassed for making such a loud noise, I brushed off my knees and stood up.
"I couldn't see you at the landing point, so I looked for you. Are you hurt anywhere?"
"No, I'm fine. I rolled down, but I'm okay."
Even though I said I was fine, Ki Yuhyun examined me with deer-like eyes.
Ugh, receiving such a concerned look from a handsome man made me feel quite guilty. I felt a bit sorry for making him worry by following the slime.
"Let's go, then."
"Yes, wait a moment...... Huh."
Where did that red slime go that was here just now?
I wanted to thank it for helping me gain a skill. Maybe it ran away when it saw Ki Yuhyun. No matter how I searched the bushes, I couldn't see its glowing, round body.
'I hope I can meet it again.'
With a slight sense of regret, I left the bushes behind.
After that, we could explore the dungeon without any major incidents.
A few slimes appeared, but Ki Yuhyun melted them all, and I just gained experience points. It felt like playing a game with auto-battle turned on, as the slimes were melted before they even came into view.
After walking for a while, we saw the exit.
The exit was a circular plate emitting a blue light, similar to the entrance. Stepping on that plate would allow us to leave the dungeon.
Since we had achieved our goal, I hurried towards the exit, eager to get home.
[Boss Monster: Rainbow Giant Slime (???) has appeared.]
The system notification shattered my hopes.
Almost simultaneously with the notification, a slime appeared from the bushes.
Was it because it was a boss monster? This slime was not only iridescent but also incredibly large. Its translucent, jelly-like body shimmered in various colors, exuding a formidable presence. It looked incredibly powerful at first glance.
Ki Yuhyun seems strong, but...... Is it possible to defeat this slime? I think it's too much to face a boss alone.
Moreover, it's not just hard, but special. Special. I may not be good at English, but I know what 'special' means.
Fortunately, we were still far from the giant slime, and the exit was close.
I looked up at Ki Yuhyun standing next to me. He seemed to have the same thought and smiled brightly.
We said almost simultaneously,
"Shall we run?"
"Let's run."
Without waiting for who would go first, we started running towards the exit. I was out of breath from not exercising regularly.
"Huff, huff......"
We would arrive soon......
No, how can a slime be so fast? Is it a bouncy ball?
The rainbow slime was bouncing towards us quickly. I never imagined it could bounce like a bouncy ball with such a large body.
The slime was getting closer, and there was no time to marvel. I ran with all my might, focusing only on the path ahead.
I haven't run like this since my high school physical education test. And back then......
'I was so exhausted that I threw up after drinking milk......'
Huff, I almost saw my life flash before my eyes. No, this isn't the time to think about that.
Just as my foot touched the plate, the slime caught up to us.
Bracing for the impending attack, I crouched down, but then a net of light spread out and covered the slime.