“We were moving in the same direction as Lena and her team, but since they were ahead of us, we couldn’t hunt any monsters in their wake.
So, we decided to explore a different area.
‘Take that!’
Yukiya was enthusiastically taking down monsters. Even to an amateur like me, it was clear his movements had improved compared to before. But…
Shiba-san elegantly defeated another monster. Power, speed, technique, experience—Shiba-san excelled over Yukiya in every one of those areas.
While Yukiya managed to take down two monsters, Shiba-san defeated five. Even though they spent the same amount of time, the gap in their performance was more than double.
‘Nice work, Yukiya -kun. You’re moving well,’ Shiba-san praised, but Yukiya didn’t look satisfied.
‘Yukiya -kun, what’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell? If so, tell us. There’s no need to force yourself to enter the dungeon.’
Going into a dungeon while in poor condition could be fatal. With Shiba-san’s extensive experience, he surely understood that all too well.
‘No, I’m fine.’
‘If you’re sure. But you seem to be moving smoothly, so why the gloomy face?’
‘I really am fine.’
Yukiya was adamant, and though Shiba-san looked a bit concerned, he didn’t press further.
‘I understand. It wasn’t something to ask during a live stream. My apologies.’
I wonder what’s bothering Yukiya .
Did something bad happen to him?
Maybe he got rejected by a girl?
I’d like Shiba-san to worry about me too.
After they’d finished taking down the monsters, we were about to decide on our next destination when we heard a shout from afar.
‘A r-rare monster!’
It was one of the members from earlier.
What should we do? Perhaps we should head over there. Even if we don’t take it down, showing a rare monster on stream would definitely make for good content.
‘Shiba-san, head towards the source of that shout. If you’re okay with that, raise your left hand.’
Shiba-san raised his left hand and glanced in the opposite direction.
‘Everyone, let’s go. Let’s take a look at this rare monster.’
Following Shiba-san’s instructions, the four of us retraced our steps and headed toward the sound of the shout.
A rare monster!?
We’ll finally get to see it on the stream!
I wonder if they’ll be able to defeat it.
Sure enough, when Shiba-san and his team arrived, Lena and her team were already facing the rare monster.
A golden, shimmering slime sprang at one of the members.
‘Ugh, ahh!’
The slime detached a part of itself and stuck it onto the member’s right arm with a squelch.
‘Argh… It’s hot! My arm is burning!’
The member screamed, frantically waving his arm to shake off the golden slime, but it clung tightly.
‘H-help me!’
One of his companions tried to assist, but the sight of the golden slime made them hesitate.
‘Damn it, what the hell is this…’
‘It’s way too fast for a slime!’
The golden slime split into multiple smaller ones and attacked the team in unison.
‘Ugh, ahh! H-help me!’
The slimes clung to each of their bodies, and they all began screaming in pain.
‘Aah, it’s so hot! It feels like my body is melting… ugh!’
‘Hey, come on, everyone! Are you okay? What are you doing? Just take it down already! We have more people here!’ Lena complained, despite not joining the fight herself.
‘Shiba-san, isn’t this one pretty strong?!’ Yukiya was astonished at the slime’s strength.
‘Yes, it’s a Gold Gel. They say it contains a fluid that can even dissolve gold. The exact composition is still unknown, but it’s definitely dangerous.’
‘A substance that can dissolve gold… is it like aqua regia?’
‘That’s still unclear. Rare monsters are hard to study because collecting their fluid is difficult, and they’re valuable and formidable opponents.’
As Shiba-san and Yukiya conversed, the skin of the team members began to blister.
‘Gah! H-help…!’
‘Damn it… It won’t let go!'”
“The team members used their weapons and magic to attack the Gold Gel, but it seemed to have no effect on it.
One of them—the one who had harshly criticized Yukiya —crawled over to him.
‘P-please help me…’
‘D-damn it…! Shiba-san, how do we defeat this thing?!’
‘There’s no data on how to defeat it. It is, after all, a rare monster.’
‘You’re kidding…’
The Gold Gel began slithering towards Yukiya ’s feet. Its speed was alarming, and Yukiya quickly scrambled to escape.
‘Uwaah!’
He barely managed to dodge its attack. But… Lena, who was closer, wasn’t as lucky.
‘Kyaa!’
The Gold Gel latched onto her right shoulder.
‘N-nooo! It’s hot! Help me! Please! I’ll do anything!’
Lena reached out towards Shiba-san and the others, but her legs gave out, and she collapsed on the spot.
The Gold Gel kept growing, as if it was feeding on her body’s nutrients to get larger.
‘Well then, Yukiya -kun, Daigo-kun, Kaito-kun. We have two choices: either we fight this Gold Gel or we use the opportunity to escape while it’s preoccupied with them.’
There’s no choice but to run.
Take care of your life!
I feel sorry for Lena’s team, but weak players dying in dungeon streams is just how it goes.
‘I vote for escape. Honestly, these people aren’t the type I’d risk my life to save, and I’d rather not see my teammates get hurt,’ Daigo said calmly, though his words sounded cold. He was analyzing the situation with a level-headed perspective, likely from encountering similar situations many times before.
While it may sound harsh, dying in a dungeon is a matter of personal responsibility. Relying on help from passersby is naive in a dungeon.
‘I-if possible, I’d like to help them… but not if it means endangering myself and everyone else,’ Ikezawa added. Honestly, it was the smart choice.
‘D-damn it… I…!’ Yukiya reached for his sword, but his hand trembled. No one wanted to touch that Gold Gel, especially after witnessing what it did to Lena and her team.
‘I’m not running away here! I’m going to defeat this thing and become a star!’
Yukiya drew his sword and charged toward the Gold Gel.
‘Y-you idiot! What are you doing, Yukiya -kun?!’ Daigo tried to stop him, but Yukiya moved quickly.
‘Toryaa!’
Yukiya swung his sword at the Gold Gel, but the creature simply bounced his slash back, taking no damage.
‘Wha-…?!’
The Gold Gel then lunged at Yukiya as if to retaliate. Yukiya fell backward in panic, which fortunately caused him to avoid its attack.
‘Th-that was close…!’
Panting heavily, Yukiya clutched his chest, quickly distancing himself from the Gold Gel and returning to where Shiba-san and the others stood.
‘I thought I was dead…’
‘Yukiya -kun, are you an idiot? Going in like that was practically suicidal. Don’t confuse bravery with recklessness,’ Daigo reprimanded him harshly, and Yukiya drooped in response.
‘I’m sorry.’
‘Now, everyone, get ready to escape…’
Just as Daigo said that, Shiba-san raised his spear.
‘W-what are you doing, Shiba-kun?!’
‘Fighting it within limits isn’t the worst option. I think I’ll try engaging it a bit.'”
