Events After the Disease Carrier Slime Devoured Everyone in the Basement
It sensed another morsel of food inside a box.
But the closer it got, the hotter the box became, making it impossible to approach.
Any part of its body that touched it was incinerated instantly.
When it tried to forcefully engulf the box, thinking it would soon overpower it, the result was severe damage, forcing it to retreat and observe from a distance.
It switched to waiting, periodically shooting parts of its body at the box to test if it could be consumed yet.
But the scalding water eventually became unbearable, and it abandoned this prey.
*****
Zora, Dog-Human Race, Slave???
Events during the Disease Carrier Slime' s struggle against the fire magic of a mage.
I hadn' t slept so deeply or for so long in my life, but it wasn' t exactly comfortable since I had to stay curled up the whole time.
When I opened my eyes, the light inside the dimensional box slowly brightened.
I still didn' t dare step out and kept my ears perked, listening intently.
After steeling myself for a while, I cracked the box open to peek outside.
The room was flooded almost up to the lip of my box.
I fully opened the lid and quickly scanned my surroundings.
The slime was truly gone, but the room was now filled with water.
Once I was sure it was safe, I stepped out of the box.
The water' s warmth felt soothing against my feet, tempting me to soak in it.
But no matter how much I wanted to bathe, I had to hurry to save Elda.
I headed toward the exit, only to realize the disease carrier slime hadn' t left—it was blocking the staircase.
As I got closer, it shot a piece of its body at me.
But when that piece touched me, it screamed and dissolved instantly.
The necklace worked.
I cautiously ascended the stairs, step by step.
The slime recoiled, retreating further as I approached.
Confident now, I hurried out of the basement.
Once on the surface, it didn' t take long for my eyes to adjust to the light—winter' s dim glow wasn' t too harsh.
I scanned the area.
Where there were black particles, there was no water, as the slime kept spewing them out.
Those particles evaporated into smoke when they neared me.
The slums had turned into a battlefield.
Soldiers and adventurers were fighting a relentless onslaught of terrifying monsters.
Fire magic rained down around me.
At first, I was terrified and nearly ran back to the basement, but when a fireball exploded on me, I felt no heat, no impact—nothing.
So I casually dashed through the fire magic, away from the slime.
That' s when I saw Elda about to be devoured by a monster.
No—Pivoda once said monsters don' t exist outside dungeons and don' t eat people.
This must be a beast.
I sprinted at full speed, tapping into my power.
It might not injure it, but I could at least startle it.
"Don' t touch my friend!"
I slammed into its back, unleashing a burst of static electricity.
Crackle!
"Arghhh!"
It worked.
The beast roared, spasmed, and immediately flung Elda aside.
I leaped to catch her and bolted away.
While carrying her, Elda didn' t respond.
I looked down.
"Elda?!"
The pain I felt was indescribable.
Her mouth was mangled, her arm was gone, and though the wound on her abdomen was closed, it was still gruesome.
How much pain must she be in? I might' ve endured it, but Elda' s just a normal human.
No matter how much I called out, her eyes remained dull and lifeless, with only her faint breathing proving she was still alive.
Thankfully, the fire gem necklace protected her from the fire magic too.
But the black particles were too late to stop—her body was drenched in sweat, her face growing pale, her lips white, her breathing erratic.
I needed a healer fast.
No—they wouldn' t heal people like us.
Medicine would have to do.
I didn' t know if they' d give it to me, but I had to try.
She was the best friend I' d ever had.
"Hold on, Elda! I' ll get medicine for you!"
"Lowly beast food."
A chilling voice came from behind, not far away.
My beastly instincts, faster than a human' s, saved me as I turned just in time.
I threw myself to the side, dodging the gaping maw snapping at me.
"Argh!"
No matter how much it hurt, I scrambled up and kept running.
"Ptooey! Disgusting, full of fur, and burning hot!" it spat.
It had torn off my right ear and some hair, blood pouring down the right side of my face.
I had to close that eye to keep blood from getting in.
I couldn' t wipe it with my arm since I was carrying Elda.
The mages started firing spells at both me and the beast.
They shouted at me to go back, asking why I brought it here, hurling insults at "people like us."
I ignored them—my friend was dying.
When they saw fire didn' t work, they switched to stone magic.
I shielded Elda with my body, taking the hits.
My head bled, my body bruised all over.
But seeing I wouldn' t fall or retreat, one of them sneakily shot an arrow into my right leg.
"Ow!"
The pain nearly brought me down, but I couldn' t stop.
As I pushed forward, they fired a massive fireball.
I turned and leaped through it, but they' d hidden an arrow behind the flames.
It pierced my left side.
The beast behind me was also bombarded, slowing it down.
"Please, stop shooting at us! I' m just trying to save my friend!"
"Go die, both of you, you trash!"
Then the cruel mages were brutally killed by the fish-like beast, which had lost interest in us.
Its eyes burned with rage, its body battered from prolonged burning, its scales likely melted enough for arrows to pierce its flesh.
It smashed their bodies repeatedly with its powerful arms until they were pulp.
Some were torn in half, their severed bodies used to bludgeon others.
Some were bitten in two with a single chomp.
Some were eaten alive.
When other classes joined the fight, the beast leaped back into the black mist, hiding near the slime.
Then it collapsed, its body pulsating unnaturally.
"It' s evolving! Kill it now!"
"Who' s going in there?!"
"Shoot it!"
"Can' t reach it!"
"Idiots!"
"Who' re you calling an idiot? You' re the coward!"
Taking advantage of their bickering, I crawled away using my hands, unable to stand.
I dragged Elda by biting her clothes with my mouth.
"We' re screwed!"
"Because you were too busy arguing!"
"You' re one to talk, too scared to go in!"
"Get a [Rank B] to deal with it!"
"I' m out of here!"
I mustered all my strength to crawl as fast as I could, desperate to escape the black mist.
Crunch! "Aaaaaah!" Pain shot through my left leg.
I turned to see the beast crushing it, arrows and all, into a mangled mess.
It was unrecognizable now.
Once massive, it was now as tall as a warrior, its scales thinner but gleaming like mirrors, with a reptilian tail replacing its fish-like one.
Black mist spewed from its nose with every breath, and its fanged mouth dripped viscous black liquid with a nauseating stench.
It grinned wickedly and stepped on my right arm, crushing it.
"AHHHHHH!"