Episode 23: Red Magic Ore
“Whew, that was a tough one.”
Yuma illuminated the hole with his flashlight, revealing a red, glowing stone lying inside.
“As expected, the drop rate in the ‘Black Dungeon’ seems to be 100%.”
He picked up the Red Magic Ore and stared at it intently. Its shape and weight were the same as the usual black Demon Ore, but its color was a vibrant Metal Red.
It wasn’t a jewel, but he couldn’t help but think it was quite beautiful.
After tidying up the pile of spray cans, Yuma returned to his room.
“Now, what to do with this…”
Yuma stared at the “Red Magic Ore” placed on his desk, arms crossed.
He knew it wouldn’t sell anyway, so he was thinking of using it himself, but he didn’t know what kind of ability the Demon Ore would grant.
He shifted his gaze to the outside of the window, where the sun was setting, casting long shadows in the slanting light.
He sighed, realizing he had spent the entire day dealing with the Red Slime.
“The problem is what kind of ability it is, huh?”
Just like the Gold Magic Ore, it would probably grant him a special ability. He didn’t think it would be harmful to his body, though…
The Gold Magic Ore made the drop rate in the “Black Dungeon” 100%.
If it were the Red Magic Ore, it wouldn’t be strange if it could make the drop rate in the “Red Dungeon” 100%.
Red Magic Gems fetched a high price, so that would be great.
But Yuma thought it was probably different. It was said that items dropped by Monsters strongly reflected the Monster’s characteristics.
If that were the case…
Yuma wiped the “Red Demon Ore” thoroughly with a wet wipe, put it in his mouth, and washed it down with tap water.
He felt a sensation like heat coursing through his entire body. It seemed he had absorbed it without any problems.
He looked over his body, but there were no changes.
“I guess it’s that then.”
Yuma took out a gas burner. He rolled up the sleeve of his left arm, then lit the burner in his right hand.
He slowly brought the flame closer to his left arm.
“Hot!!”
He was surprised by his own reaction. It was just normally hot.
“Huh? Was I wrong?”
Since the Red Slime was strong against fire, Yuma thought he might have gained some Fire Resistance…
“Could it be…”
Yuma put strength into his body and activated his “Metallization” ability. He lit the gas burner again and brought it close to his blackened arm.
“Ah! It’s not hot at all!!”
No matter how much he heated his arm with the spraying flame, it wasn’t hot at all. As expected, it was the ability of a Metal Slime with “Fire Resistance.”
“Fire is a weakness of metal, after all. It’s good to eliminate that weakness.”
The effect only appeared when he was Metallized, and he didn’t know where it would be useful in the first place, but Yuma was in a good mood.
However, there was something he didn’t understand.
Was this “Resistance” to fire, or was it “Immunity”?
“There’s no way to find out, is there?”
Well, either way is fine, Yuma thought, and decided to take a bath.
For him, who wasn’t fighting or entering Dungeons, it wasn’t a particularly important issue.
The day passed without incident, and the night deepened quietly.
◇◇◇
The next day, in stark contrast to the previous day, under a clear blue sky, Yuma headed to the Hole in the garden.
He stroked Mamezou’s head as it chirped, lined up the spray cans on the ground, and then illuminated the Hole with his flashlight.
As usual, a Metal Slime was there, but Yuma frowned.
“This one is…”
It was a Blue Slime. Its surface was a vibrant color of “Metal Blue,” sparkling and reflecting light. It wriggled its body and entered a battle-ready stance.
“Oh come on, not again. Two days in a row!”
‘I wonder what kind of ability this time?’ he thought, and for the time being, he kept his distance and sprayed it with Cooling Spray.
But no matter how much cold air he blew on it, the “Blue Slime” showed no signs of stopping.
“Could it be that this guy… has ‘Cold Resistance’!?”