I know it's been a while since the last update. I have a lot of distractions that take priority and I had a hard time with the starting parts of this chapter (as most of you will no doubt notice).
This chapter includes the single most disgusting character I have ever come up with. The pure perverted horniness of this things is so much that I want to blame it on the combination of inhaling too much artificial fog and ODing on candy corn. But the idea came to me before that so I can't. I did what I could to keep the actual details out but it doesn't take much for the imagination to fill in the rest.
Chapter 9: That Time I Killed a Reincarnated Slime
It was almost time for Momonga's party to meet with their client for their first mission. The wait felt a bit like when he was about to meet a client for the first time, which was why he'd been running through what he should say in what situation for most of the night after returning from his discussion with Erhard. In stark contrast, Eira seemed like she didn't have a care in the world. When asked, she said it didn't really matter how they act as long as they don't make the client mad enough to complain to the guild. Fraser on the other hand said they should make a good impression because it would reflect on Momonga's, or rather the Spear Hero's, reputation. After thinking about it for a bit, Momonga realized that this was likely to be the only job they ever did for this client and since they were taking requests through the adventurers' guild their first impression wouldn't have much meaning. All the same, his experience working as a salaryman told him to try his best.
I hope we aren't late. We weren't given any time more specific than morning, but if the client's been waiting for us then they might think we're slacking and start scrutinizing us about anything they see as a mistake.
Luckily, Momonga's fears didn't come to pass and their first meeting with the client went without a hitch. That client happened to be a merchant that seemed to see hiring protection as a necessary precaution and didn't speak to them outside of telling them when they'd be leaving and that he was leaving decisions about how to defend his carriages to them.
Just how long will it take for something to attack us?
It had been six hours since they left the capital and since then all they'd done is walk. YGGDRASIL didn't have a particularly large number of escort quests. But based on his experience with them Momonga expected they should've run into a pack of monsters or a gang of thieves or assassins hours ago. Instead they encountered a balloon, not a swarm, not a group, just a single balloon that Momonga was certain even one of the birds pulling the carriages could have killed instantly.
Thinking about it logically, Momonga realized that there would naturally be less monster encounters when traveling along well used roads, so he couldn't expect anywhere near as much experience as when looking for fights in the forest. And the primary goal for him taking this quest was to reach the dungeon. But if the experience he lost out on during the travel time was higher than what they gained from the dungeon then what was the point?
Exploring new dungeons is still fun. And more unique monsters means more spears to add to my strength. Not that I'm likely to run out of those anytime soon.
Momonga considered his massive number of spears and the surprise he got when he found that attack skills came as equip bonuses. There was even one that let him throw the spear, after which it would return to his hand. While it had initially seemed a bit silly that he needed a skill to be able to throw the spear, the fact was that it couldn't otherwise leave contact with his body. Furthermore, throwing your main weapon without a way to retrieve it would be the height of foolishness. That was one of the reasons that players who specialized in throwing weapons often used skills or special effects that created weapons to throw rather than their actual equipment. Alternatively there were some weapons that were made in such a way that they were effectively consumables. In any case, Momonga was sure that the ability to properly utilize skills in combat would be as necessary for him in this world as it was in YGGDRASIL. Which only added to his disappointment over there not being any monsters to practice against.
They did come across a few more monsters before the day's end, including some that Momonga had yet to encounter. And that did help his mood a bit. But then he realized that they wouldn't be done with their job until about noon the next day and then they'd still have to reach the dungeon they came for.
Since they were camping out for the night it was common sense that they needed to set a watch and sleep in shifts. But since Momonga was undead and didn't require sleep, he was able to stand watch the entire night without needing to worry about being tired the next day. And as an added precaution, he equipped a spear that had an effect which helped him to sense if enemies were nearby. At least that's what he assumed it did from the name. Perhaps the biggest surprise of the day was that Fraser didn't make any attempt to argue against him doing it all himself. Momonga had prepared himself to make a logical argument about why they should do it that way, but it seemed Fraser already understood. Or perhaps he didn't want to speak against him in front of a client.
While Momonga's ability to stand watch all night was impressive, he wasn't able to help when the others started preparing their meal. After all, his primary experience with food was cheap nutrient paste and he certainly never cooked over a fire. He might have been able to make something edible if he were to use the spear with the cooking bonus, but he didn't see how that would change that he didn't have any idea how to do what they were doing or how to help. So he left the food preparation to those who would be eating it.
That night Momonga learned how boring standing watch could be. Hours of looking around to see if any monsters appeared. And when one finally did it turned out to be something he could oneshot.
Once dawn broke and everyone had eaten, they once again set out. Their journey was as uneventful as the previous day and they successfully escorted the merchant to the town. They checked in at the local adventurers' guild to confirm their success and receive payment (part of a system to ensure adventurers don't betray their client), then looked into exactly how to reach the dungeon as well as what they should expect. Or at least Momonga and Fraser did. Eira split off because she needed to use the bathroom.
"Slimes?" Images of pink and black blobs passed through Momonga's mind as he heard they were going to be fighting the same race favored by two of his friends.
"That's right." The guild receptionist answered. "We don't know why but that cave is always filling up with slimes. Most experienced adventurers ignore it since the remains are worthless and fighting slimes tends to require more maintenance for their equipment than normal. But it's a good place for young adventurers to level up and learn to fight against multiple opponents without much risk of serious injuries."
Even the description of the dungeon makes it sound like a training dungeon.
"You two look more experienced than most people who go there, if I'm being honest."
"Maybe…" Momonga thought about it. "Do you know how this cave would compare to the spider cave near Lafan?"
"You've been to that spider's nest? Then I don't think you'll get much out of fighting these slimes."
"We attempted it, but found the guardian's strength to be formidable and ended the attempt."
"What'd I miss?" Eira asked from between Momonga and Fraser.
"Huh?" Fraser failed to contain his surprise. "When did you…?"
"Just now."
"It seems the dungeon we came here for is a cave full of slimes." Momonga explained.
"Wait!" The receptionist yelled in her panic, confusing the trio and several other people in the building. After lowering her voice back to a normal level she continued, but there remained a fair amount of worry in her voice. "You aren't seriously planning on taking a girl to that cave, are you."
"We are a party aiming to level up. Is there some reason Eira specifically shouldn't participate?"
"Yes!" The receptionist barely kept quieter than her previous outburst. "Young girls are at particular risk when entering that cave. The slimes there are… unnatural. Normally they are just a bunch of unusually meek monsters, but if a girl or attractive woman enters then the true horror will come for them."
"True horror?"
It sounds like a secret boss with a special spawn condition.
Momonga was familiar with numerous enemies and even entire dungeons that had special conditions that needed to be fulfilled before they would appear, not the least of which was Nazarick itself back before it had been conquered and made into the guild hall for Ainz Ooal Gown. While they were often difficult, the rewards were worth it.
"There's a larger, more intelligent slime. It doesn't show itself if there isn't anyone it's interested in. But if there is then it will go for them without exception and do unspeakable things to them. The number of girls that have lost their maidenhood to that monster is in the dozens. They say even a cute boy once fell victim to it."
"I'm surprised such a foul beast has yet to be subjugated." Fraser commented.
"There have been several attempts, even confirmation that it was killed. But then after a month or so with no sign of it a new one would appear. Teams have searched the cave trying to find the answer and even exterminated every slime within, but to no avail." The receptionist shook her head.
It won't spawn too soon after its last defeat. I guess we won't be able to farm it then. But the way it behaves…
"You said this creature stole the girls' maidenhoods, did it not kill or injure them?"
"No. It's very strange. It will devour any clothes or armor right off their bodies but leaves them unscathed physically. Even any men who are with them are said to be ignored until they attempt to stop it from ravaging the victims. And the girls it takes are eventually released days later. But by then it is far too late." The receptionist slowly shook her head, trying not to think about it.
"That is strange."
"And I'm going to tell you this now. In the event that someone is captured by that slime, intentionally waiting and watching what it does to them will be severely punished." The receptionist narrowed her eyes at Momonga and Fraser.
I suppose there are people like that.
Momonga recalled a time when Peroronchino actually asked them to hold off on killing a succubus raid boss so he could get more screenshots of it.
Momonga cleared his throat. "I assure you, I have no intention of allowing any of my companions to be subjected to the actions you have described."
The receptionist nodded, somewhat relieved.
"But we're still gonna fight it, aren't we?"
"Of course. Assuming it isn't too much stronger than the guarding spider, I don't doubt we can take it. And if worse comes to worse, you should still be fast enough to escape."
The receptionist moaned hearing that they were still planning on going. She looked at Eira. "If the big slime shows itself, run and get out of the cave as fast as you can. From past reports, it doesn't seem to follow once you're outside."
"Gotcha." Eira smiled and gave a thumbs up, which did nothing to assuage the worried look on the receptionist's face as the trio left.
"Well then, I suppose the only thing left to decide is whether to wait for tomorrow morning or set out immediately."
"The cave should only be about an hour away on foot," Fraser replied. "And since it doesn't run as deep as the one in Lafan we should be able to return before sunset. But that unusual slime she mentioned is troubling."
"I feel sorry for that boy she mentioned."
""Huh?"" Momonga and Fraser were both confused.
"Well, how does a boy lose their maidenhood?"
"Oh" Fraser unconsciously moved a hand to cover his butt.
Momonga cleared his throat. "That aside, I believe we should be able to defeat the creature before it can do any harm. And I will be taking some additional precautions."
"Your additional precaution is taking off your armor?"
Momonga waited until they were just outside the cave to begin removing his armor. Beyond that, he had also strengthened several of his spears. One for general DPS and several specialized for different elements in hopes that the slimes might have a weakness to one of them.
"My precaution is ensuring I can access the spells I'm used to at a moment's notice. Even if I only have enough MP for some of the lower tier spells, it is still possible for them to turn the tide or allow a quick escape if need be."
"So we can see some other world spells in action?" Eira started to get excited.
"Yes, but hopefully we can win before that."
"But then I won't get to see them."
*sigh* "I'll use my remaining MP to demonstrate as many as I can once we win and are sure nothing else is going to attack us. I'd hate to run out only for a new threat to appear."
"A sound plan, Sir Spear Hero."
"Also, in order to avoid being mobbed while fighting the boss, I believe it would be best for the two of us to clear out the weaker slimes before Eira cones in to lure it out."
"So I have to wait here?" Eira looked disappointed.
"Only while we deal with the weaklings. Doing this will give us the greatest chance of victory and without you we wouldn't be able to face the boss at all."
Eira was silent as she thought about what Momonga had said. "I guess that makes sense."
"If I may ask, why is it that you find it so important to fight this perverse slime? According to what we were told, even if we defeat it, another will simply take its place."
"For the rewards."
"Rewards?"
"I don't believe there was a bounty on it."
"Not from the guild, but from my spear," Momonga explained. "As we saw with that guardian spider, stronger variants of monsters give more powerful spears when they are absorbed. And, in my experience, stronger monsters tend to give better drops."
"I see. Thank you for explaining, Sir Spear Hero."
"It's not a problem. No, I should say that it's a good thing for you to verify my reasons when you find my actions strange as it allows us to better understand each other."
"I suppose so."
Once their preparations were complete, the cleric and overlord approached the entrance to the cave. Just peeking his head in, Momonga could already see a slime. He was slightly relieved to see it looked more like the comical smooshed semitransparent sphere they were in several anime, rather than the dripping blobs they were in YGGDRASIL. However it also brought some uneasiness over how a slime like this, even if much larger, were capable of doing what the guild receptionist described. That was why he stopped Fraser from proceeding and hid while observing it.
"Hold on." Momonga whispered.
The slime moved around while staying in sight of the entrance. Given that it hadn't stopped, approached, or run from them, they could infer that it hadn't noticed them. After a minute, Momonga noticed something odd. Not odd for what he was used to, but odd for a wild creature. It was moving in a repetitive pattern, quite similar to a programmed NPC.
Seeing this, Momonga chose to strike as it was moving away. It was possible that they saw via a 360 degree proximity sense similar to those of YGGDRASIL, but given the slime's lack of reaction to him, either the range was quite short, it saw through other means, or it was incapable of reacting. Whatever the case may be, it died in a single strike and just sort of melted into a puddle of… well, slime. Unfortunately not enough slime to unlock a spear.
The fact that it was one-shot was also an important detail to Momonga. He'd been using the weakest of the element based spears he'd prepared, meaning either slimes had a weakness to earth attacks, or the mobs were so weak that he could one-shot them regardless of which spear he used.
Just around the corner they found two more slimes. These ones also seemed to be moving based on a pattern. To test his theory, Momonga stepped forwards. The slimes froze. They remained still up until Momonga plunged his spear (now in a fire attribute form) into one of them, at which point the other twitched and turned. Momonga killed it as well.
With these slimes having also died in a single strike each, Momonga determined that they were simply too weak to survive his attacks. That in itself could be seen as both good and bad. Good because weaker mobs generally means a weaker boss, but bad because he isn't able to learn what works best for when he fights against the boss.
"I know she said the slimes were meek, but that seemed odd." Fraser joined Momonga as he fed the remains to his spear.
"I don't have any experience with this world's slimes to compare it to, but I have to agree."
The way that last one acted almost seemed like some sort of programming error.
It wasn't much further until they reached a large cavern filled with slimes. But unlike the previous ones, these slimes were all sitting still. It was almost like they were staring at Momonga.
Perhaps some sort of alert function triggered when they saw me before. Could killing the first one before it noticed us have caused this odd behavior?
Momonga walked up to one of them and stabbed it. As it died, all the other slimes started to move to attack Momonga.
Momonga desperately started swinging his spear to eliminate the approaching slimes, but there seemed to be no end to them. Meanwhile, Fraser rushed forward to fight off the ones aiming for Momonga's blindspot.
"This is NOT what that woman described." Momonga yelled in annoyance as he killed five slimes with a single swing.
"It seems closer to how she said they act if you try to keep a girl from them." Fraser replied while killing several slimes himself.
Then the two realized the full implications of what he had said.
"[Message]. Eira, are you alright?"
"Woah. Momonga? I can hear you in my head."
"It's the effect of one of my spells. Has anything happened out there?"
"No, I've just been waiting by your armor. Is it time to come in yet?"
"Not yet." Momonga turned to Fraser while continuing to fight the attacking slimes and trying to maintain the spell. "Nothing happened to Eira, so it's just that these slimes are acting strange."
"Well, that's good to hear at least. But it doesn't help our current situation."
"Move back to the entrance. That way we can narrow their avenue of attack and keep from being surrounded."
"Right."
Seeming to have understood their intent, the slimes started moving to block their escape.
"Slimes aren't supposed to be this intelligent."
"These aren't normal slimes. First Fire!" Momonga launched his spell and eliminated the slimes blocking their path. "Now!"
Momonga and Fraser ran through the opening in the slimes' ranks and reached the tunnel before turning and fighting them off once more.
"Just how many slimes can one cave have?" Momonga wondered aloud.
"There were several other paths leading from that room. It looks like they are coming in through those."
"Wow, that's a lot of slimes."
Momonga, Fraser, and all the slimes stopped what they were doing to look at Eira. None of them aware of when she arrived.
"Eira?! The plan was for you to wait at the entrance until we reduced their numbers."
"I did. And then you yelled 'Now!' So I came."
I tried to keep the spell active to avoid recasting it, but I didn't think things would turn out like this.
"Well, there's no helping it now. There are more slimes left than I would've liked but they can only come at us from the front and our escape route is clear. The only question is when the boss will appear."
Almost as if on cue, a large gelatinous creature emerged from one of the passages they could see from their position and moved to the center of the chamber. The general shape of this slime was far closer to the ones of YGGDRASIL than the weaklings they had been fighting up to now. And the long tendrils made it far more capable of what the guild receptionist had described. Then the unexpected happened. The boss slime used one of its tendrils to beckon them over.
I thought it going after good looking women was just a spawn condition and targeting priority. But could it be that it's an intelligent being with those preferences?
"It doesn't really expect us to walk into its grasp, does it?" Fraser questioned.
Momonga whispered in response.
"Eira, start casting buffs. Priority is speed and attack. Fraser, protect Eira from any slimes should they start attacking."
"Got it, " Eira began chanting.
"Understood."
Momonga walked forward and the slimes parted for him. And they stayed parted, as if they were waiting for the others. Even as Momonga stood before the boss slime.
"It seems you're intelligent enough to communicate."
The slime moved the upper half of its body in what might be a nod.
"You wouldn't be from YGGDRASIL by any chance, are you?"
It didn't seem to understand what Momonga was asking.
"Nevermind then. Is there a reason you called me over?"
It pointed at Eira then moved two tendrils in an obscene gesture.
"I've heard about your… proclivities. I will recognize that everyone has a right to fantasize about what they wish, but even an attempt to enact such a thing is unforgivable. I won't allow you to violate my companion."
The surface of the slime distorted. Almost resembling a scowl. Momonga, having no intention of letting it make the first move, struck with his spear. As expected, the boss slime withstood the attack. What wasn't expected was that it hesitated as Momonga jumped back, pulling his spear free from the slime's body, and readied himself for a counter attack that didn't come.
Is it acting like it was caught off guard to feint inexperience? If that's the case then I won't take the bait.
Momonga began chanting as soon as he had enough distance to keep an eye on the tendrils. Halfway through, the slimes finally started to fight back. The smaller slimes around the room all started moving towards Momonga at once and the boss moved one of its tendrils in what was obviously preparation to whip it at him.
Momonga swung his spear around himself to kill the slimes charging him. They were quickly replaced by those behind them and there was no safe place he could move to to dodge the boss's attack.
"First Fire!" Momonga finished his chant and launched a fireball at the base of the tendril being used for attack. As he'd hoped, the spell was enough to sever the connection and the severed limb collided with several other slimes as its momentum carried it.
"Zweite Gale!"
A powerful wind blew past Momonga and sent all the slimes on his left side flying.
Nice timing, Eira!
With the number of enemies attacking him greatly reduced, far more room to maneuver, and the boss still reeling from losing a limb, Momonga had an opportunity to strike. He charged and once more plunged his spear into the gelatinous body.
From close up, Momonga was able to see that the wounds from his previous attacks had leaked something. It seemed that the slime had an outer membrane which keeps the rest inside, but now that it had holes, it was losing mass. It stood to reason that it would be weaker as more leaked out, so the faster he could make it lose slime the better.
Momonga pulled his spear and swung to make as large an exit wound as possible. Then repeatedly slashed with the tip so it just broke the outer layer. His hope was that connecting them would let the membrane peel off to create a large hole for the inner slime to pour out. But it didn't seem to work that way. While some did leak out of each wound, it was only enough to cover said wound like a scab.
In the time Momonga spent attacking, the boss slime stopped panicking and extended a tendril behind it before whipping it around.
Momonga had tried to keep an eye on any way the slime might attack. Unfortunately while it was somewhat transparent, he wasn't able to distinguish the tendril behind it being prepared to strike. While he was unable to avoid the attack, he did manage to block with the spear and reduce the impact. Of course this didn't keep him from being launched halfway across the cave and landing on top of several smaller slimes that died on impact. But even though they cushioned his fall, there was still the sound of a bone cracking.
Momonga quickly got to his feet despite the pain as the remaining slimes moved towards his new position. But he wasn't going to just wait for them.
"Erst Spear!" Momonga threw the spear at the slime. His previous test had told him it was by no means weak, but even he hadn't expected it to blow right through the boss slime, leaving a hole he could see through and a splatter trail as it went out the other side before returning to his hand in time for him to fend off the mobs.
The hole in the slime slowly closed and it started using a new tactic, throwing the smaller slimes at Momonga.
So I've reduced its HP enough for a phase change.
As Momonga cut down the slimes soaring towards him, a beam of light penetrated the boss slime from the side.
"Eh?"
Momonga turned to find the source and saw Fraser. While the cleric had said he knew holy magic, Momonga had only seen him imbue it into his mace, making this appearance of ranged attack something of a surprise. But at that moment, he just appreciated the added damage.
The slimes stopped their attacks when Frazer's spell hit. Perhaps the sudden range attack from someone who'd been melee up to that point surprised them as well. But the other slimes all stopping when the boss was hit felt off to Momonga. Regardless, it provided him the opportunity to get back in striking range of the boss without having to wait for his skill's recharge. And while he made his approach…
"[Magic Arrow]!"
Ten glowing arrows appeared next to Momonga and flew into the slime. Unlike Erst Spear, the arrows didn't go all the way through and just disappeared after penetrating. Even still, it was Momonga's most MP efficient YGGDRASIL spell and while the slime being momentarily distracted by his companions was good for providing him openings, he didn't want to risk it shifting its attacks to them.
The boss desperately attempted another whipping swing at Momonga before he could reach it. Momonga planted his feet and stabbed the tendril head on. The momentum of the slime's attack ensured that it couldn't avoid the spearhead, and with his weapon plunged into the very thin attacking him, Momonga couldn't be knocked away. He was pushed back several feet, with skid marks being left on the ground as evidence, but he was still standing.
"Did you think I would let you knock me back a second time?"
With his spear still in the slime's tendril, a simple flick was all it took to sever it. Looking at it, the boss slime seemed to be on its last legs, metaphorically speaking. Momonga walked up to the pathetic creature. What had once been taller than him was now half his size and didn't seem to even have the energy to raise its limbs.
"This is the end."
Momonga plunged his spear into the slime for a final time and the exp notification appeared. Instead of the moment of silence he expected he heard, "First Holy Healing."
Momonga was sent into a panic which was instantly repressed when a light washed over him. "No-! What?" Momonga looked down at himself as his cracked rib was mended. "I… was actually healed from a holy based healing spell?"
"I hope I wasn't overstepping, Sir Spear Hero, but given your cautious nature about the potential of new threats appearing it seemed prudent to ensure your good health."
"Ah, em, no, you were correct. I simply wasn't expecting it." Damn it, Fraser, you nearly gave me a heart attack! If things had worked like in YGGDRASIL I would have taken major damage from that! It's good that I can be healed like everyone else, but I almost thought Fraser was taking the chance to kill me after a fight.
"Is it over?" Eira asked, almost as if she were trying to trigger a flag.
"The boss is dead." Momonga responded while feeding its remains to his spear. "And it seems that all of the smaller slimes have lost their aggression. That should make clearing out the rest of them easier."
"Is there really a need for that, Sir Spear Hero?"
"Perhaps not, the experience from these lesser slimes is rather small. But add enough pebbles and you will eventually have a mountain. And there is no telling what treasures might be hidden away in the back of those tunnels." Momonga pointed to the two paths connected to the chamber they were in. "From what we were told, the boss shouldn't respawn anytime soon. Meaning it should be relatively safe for us to search."
"And we can see more of your world's magic?"
"Of course. A promise is a promise after all. Observe. [Fireball]"
Momonga burned one of the few groups of slimes that remained in the chamber to a crisp.
"Wow. That explosion was even bigger than when you cast erst fire before, and you didn't even have to chant."
"Yes, while it's true it doesn't require a chant, the MP used is far greater. With my current mana pool I believe it best to use this world's spells when possible and only rely on my own when necessary."
"So if you had a lot of magic water you could cast them all you want?"
"A lot of what?"
"Magic water," Fraser explained, "it's a medicine that quickly restores MP. It is relatively expensive, but still well under what you have left."
"Interesting, if it's a type of medicine then it's possible that I, as an undead, would be unable to make use of it. But if I can then I would like to have some on hand in case of an emergency."
There wasn't any way to restore MP like that in YGGDRASIL. I wonder if it's possible for it to exceed the normal max MP for my level so I can cast higher tier spells.
"I'll have to look into it when we return to the capital. But for now we should clear out the rest of these slimes and finish checking the cave."
After finishing off the slimes left in the room they were in, Momonga chose a path at random and led the way until reaching a dead end with a few slimes embedded in the wall. Instead of instantly killing them, Momonga tried to figure out why they were there.
"What do you two make of this?"
"I'm not sure what you mean, Sir Spear Hero. Slimes stuck in the wall of a cave isn't normal, but nothing in this cave has been."
"Maybe they're digging."
"Slimes digging?" Fraser shook his head. "How ridiculous."
"Hmmm… maybe not." Momonga quickly stabbed each of the slimes before testing the wall with his spear and finally feeling it with his hand. "I suppose it really is just a wall."
"Were you expecting something else?"
"False walls and hidden rooms aren't an uncommon feature of dungeons. I thought the slimes' being here might have been an indicator, but it seems I was wrong."
After that they returned to the main chamber and tried the other route. This time there weren't any slimes in the wall at the end.
"Another dead end. Not to doubt you, Sir Spear Hero, but I don't think slimes would have much treasure."
"Maybe, but given the intelligence it showed, there is always a chance." Momonga poked the wall with his spear and found that it went in a bit. "And it looks like we may have just found something." After removing his spear he could see that the wall only had a thin layer of dirt before turning into slime, then the hole closed up. Momonga mentally smiled as he thrusted his spear into the slime, followed by the entire wall in front of him melting into a muddy slime mess.
"Well, that's disturbing."
"It was simply a slime with a coating of earth to look like a natural wall. Rather clever I must admit. But if they really wanted to keep this way hidden they would have made the secret path fork off from a dummy tunnel so intruders would have to have skills capable of detecting it or test the walls of the entire tunnel in order to find it."
Once Momonga absorbed the dead slime, leaving only some damp dirt, they were able to pass and found themselves in a sizable room. While nowhere near the size of the chamber they fought in, it was still a bit larger than the broken-down apartment that the human Suzuki Satoru had lived in. The reason this comparison entered his mind was because of what he saw within.
The chamber contained several pieces of furniture, all primarily carved from stone. These consisted of a table, some chairs, a large cabinet, some sort of waterbed, a bathtub filled with an unknown substance, and several large items with leather straps that wouldn't look out of place in a BDSM catalog.
"Be careful, you never know what might be a mimic."
"A mimic, Sir Spear Hero?" Momonga couldn't help but notice that, now that things had calmed down, Fraser was back to using his overly formal means of address.
"A monster that disguises itself as a mundane object, similar to that slime disguised as a wall, but a species specialized in such disguises. Do they not exist in this world?"
"I've never heard of such a thing."
"What is the place?" Eira asked in a far too innocent voice.
Momonga took a breath (or imitated the action) before responding. "If what we were told about that slime is true, I believe this would be where it keeps its victims while tormenting them."
"Really? Then why would it give them such a nice bed?" Eira jumped and landed on the waterbed.
"Eira, I really don't think that's such a good idea." Fraser tried to warn her.
"It's fine." She flipped onto her back and lay spread out. "This bed is so nice and jiggly."
Fraser pinched his nose and turned away after once again being provided a look under Eira's skirt.
Momonga chuckled to himself at seeing how the two of them acted, then decided to check what was in the cabinet while Eira was distracted. If what was inside held to the theme of some of the other things in the room then she probably shouldn't be exposed to them.
"Jiggle jiggle jiggle." Eira continued to play on the bed. "Huh? Help! It's gahmmhhh!"
Momonga turned around as soon as he heard Eira's cry. The thing they thought was a waterbed was actually an oversized slime and it had already managed to wrap up her limbs and mouth.
It took Momonga and Fraser less than a minute to kill the creature that Momonga chose to refer to as a mimicking slime, but in the end all three of them were coated in it and Eira was desperately trying to get it out of her mouth.
"This was why I said to be careful about mimics."
"Pehtuee. How was I supposed to know the bed was one?"
"Shouldn't finding a bed in the back of a slime infested dungeon be strange in and of itself?" Fraser pointed out.
"While most famous for imitating treasure chests and eating whoever opens them, mimics can theoretically appear as anything. If memory serves, one of my friends even installed an undead variant in a pit trap that looked like a way out."
"As concerning as that is, I think we should finish here and find somewhere to wash off."
"Is the bath a mimic too?"
"Possibly." Momonga remembered one of the spears he'd copied had a skill for tracking monsters and changed to it but didn't notice anything different. "It doesn't seem to be a monster. But given what else is in this chamber, it is almost certainly something we wouldn't want to use." Momonga walked over to the tub and poked it a few times with his spear. No reaction. Next he lowered the tip into the surface of the clear liquid within and moved it around a bit. "I'm not sure what this is, but it seems just a bit too thick to be water. Best to avoid it" Momonga took a step back and looked around the room. For some reason he could clearly see the exact paths he and his companions had taken through the room and the fight with the mimicking slime.
Is this what it means by tracking? But we just got here, what about the monsters from before.
Momonga tried to focus on the trails of slimes. They were much fainter, if he followed in one direction they eventually reached the point he couldn't see them while the other direction led out the way they came. All but one that is. Momonga followed this other trail until it stopped dead and stabbed that point with his spear.
EXP 10
"How did you find that one, Sir Spear Hero?"
"I remembered that one of my spears had a tracking skill. And before you say anything, I can't see any trail from the bed other than our own. I'll have to do some tests later, but as a preliminary guess I'd say it's due to how long it was sitting there."
"Hmmm… Limited as it may be, Sir Spear Hero, such a skill could come in quite handy."
"Can we go now?"
"I suppose we should. It doesn't seem like we'll be finding anything of value here. But before we do, Fraser, would you mind helping me destroy the abominable tools?"
"I'd be happy to, Sir Spear Hero."
Over the next several minutes, through the use of magic, skill, and mace, all of the objects Momonga felt to be objectionable were left broken.
"Now we can go."
Yeah, so... that slime is seriously messed up but there is a reason for it which is explained in the story to follow. Also, since Raphtalia's world works on a different magic system it's healing magic affects Momonga normally instead of being inverted to damage.
The story of Vanguard Slime Part 1
My name is… well it doesn't matter what my name was. What's important is that I've been reincarnated into a fantasy world. I used to be a regular guy living in Japan. I had some good ideas, but things always seemed to come up that ruined things for me. Then to top it all off I died. I'm not sure how I died. The last thing I remember was goin drinking and the goddess didn't tell me.
That's right, I was chosen by a goddess. She recognized my potential and allowed me to keep my memory and even gave me other bonuses for my new life. Of course the first thing I did was ask to be a slime. That Rimiru guy seriously wasted his potential. The dude had a bunch of naked girls bathing with him and didn't even try anything. What an idiot. I also got the power to control all the slimes I make by dividing my body (cause that's how slimes reproduce or whatever) and I'll never die as long as I keep one safe. But the really epic part is that it means once I start playing with a girl I can both watch and participate at the same time.
The goddess also said some stuff about being worthy to claim special weapons, but who cares about that when I'm going to make my perfect harem. So I sort of tuned that part out while deciding if I should try to make the goddess my first wife once I become the ultimate slime. But then she just dropped me into my new body in the new world without any chance to do anything.
As my first act in my new body, I made a backup body and buried it. Of course no one else would have thought to do something like that, and they'd be dead since the adventures that walked by didn't even give me a chance before shooting.
A few dead bodies later and I decided to hide out while getting stronger. Being a fantasy world it was possible to get exp from killing other monsters and leveling up, but it turned out monsters also gained levels naturally over time. Since it would be a waste to do nothing, I started carving out a cave. It's a lot harder than it sounds. I needed to experiment with my body to figure out how to make that oh so loved armor melting acid that slimes always use when playing with the female knights. Then I needed to keep making it to eat through the stone and I do mean eat. I couldn't really taste anything, but it felt funny. Since it took so long, I had my other bodies help.
I was able to put most of my bodies on autopilot tunneling while I put my focus on learning to manipulate one better. It took a while, but it was worth it. I finally achieved tentacles. Once I was able to make them I had to master controlling them. For that I went out and fought some weaker monsters. Those weird balloons were no match for me, but I kept their bodies for when I get a girl that knows how to sew clothes.
I decided that once I was strong enough I would turn the cave I was digging into a dungeon. If people know that there's a dungeon full of weak monsters then adventurers would come to level up. And some of them would be girls. So all I needed to do was take the girls and give them a good time so they'd want to stay with me and I could play with them all I want.
It wasn't hard to lure a few young adventurers into my cave where they killed a bunch of weakling slimes I made while keeping my stronger body hidden. After a bit other groups started coming on their own.
I had to wait a while for the right girl since I wanted my first time to be special. There weren't many options at first and more than half the adventurers were guys. Then I saw her, a nice young but busty witch. I'll never forget the fun I had with her. The rest of her party were guys, so I'd ignored them, but when they started attacking me I got annoyed and killed them. After a few days of giving her mind-blowing levels of pleasure, I left her alone long enough so she could recover. I figured that it should have been enough to show her that I was capable of making her happier than anything else and she would choose to stay. Cause let's face it, keeping someone prisoner for their entire life would get old real fast and it's better to have some willing participants. Anyways, she left. And a few days later a bunch of overpowered knights raided my cave, killed all the bodies I left out to bait adventurers, and even collapsed the entrance. WTF man! I never did anything to them! It took a few days to get the entrance carved back out and over a week before anyone started showing up again.
Things continued like that for a while. I'd keep the cave populated, adventurers would come to grind and I'd play with any girls that caught my eye. For some reason there weren't many people that appreciated what I was doing and watched the fun. Most were dumb and attacked, while some just ran. Early on there were a few more times where OP soldiers came and trashed the place, sometimes even playing dirty and luring me out with some lady knights first or interrupting play time. It always took me a while to get a new body strong enough to play after that.
I don't get why all of the girls left and never came back. I should have already done more than enough to convince them to stay, at least from what I've seen in hentai. The one that gave the best response was a kid wearing a maid outfit that I was being careful not to ruin, but then they turned out to be a boy. A legit trap maid in a fantasy world. It was early on so I just dropped him by the entrance and tried to ignore him until he left. No matter how good the reaction was, I didn't want my first harem member to be a guy. It doesn't matter how much he pleaded. At least I think it was pleading. I never managed to learn whatever language they speak in this world, but that doesn't matter when moaning has no language barrier.
At some point some obviously well cultured men actually started bringing me some girls and stayed to watch. They didn't come around often and stopped staying to watch after the first couple times but always came to help the girl home after. Maybe they thought I was a god of hentai and they were making offerings.
One thing I didn't get was the lack of elves. I'd seen a lot of humans and even some nice animal girls that squealed when I messed with their tails, but still no elves.
The whole time I continued to expand my cave. I had my big battle room and an underground farm where I grew some edibles that I mushed up to keep my girls fed. Then I worked on a bedroom. After all, I didn't want to keep letting people interrupt play time, and the farm doesn't have enough room for people. Plus I was able to make some furniture by eating away at the stone. The toy cabinet was hard, but I was able to make some hinges from the remains of some metal armor. Then I recently made a bedframe and an extra large body to act as the bed. Who wouldn't want a bed capable of keeping them happy all night?
My current project is a tunnel that I'll fill with traps to get the girls stuck in fun predicaments. And separate them from any guys in the party so they wouldn't even see me as I take the girls away to play. But I wasn't even done digging the tunnel when that thing showed up.
At this point even Anime-onlys should know that reincarnators (like Kyo and Trash II aka the guy that wanted the katana) are all horrible people while LN readers know why. Technically Vanguard Slime should've been able to take the spear as part of the abilities given to him, but since he wasn't listening at the time, he didn't know.