Episode 3: Hammer VS Metal Slime
Originally, Yuma had no interest in Dungeons.
He knew that some civilians became Dungeon Seekers (commonly known as Seekers) and earned a lot of money, but there was no doubt that the inside of a Dungeon was dangerous, and only eccentric people would deliberately enter such a place.
It was still a profession with many prejudices. Yuma thought so too, and that hasn’t changed.
But before his eyes was a small Dungeon, and inside it was a rare monster. If he defeated it, a Magic Gem might drop.
If it’s a rare monster, a rare Magic Gem might appear.
Some Magic Gems are traded for hundreds of millions of yen. Isn’t this a chance that has come to him?
He wasn’t particularly smart, nor did he have any special talents. Even if he went to a third-rate university and got a job, his life would be limited.
If he could earn a lot of money here, he might be able to live a life of leisure…
Such worldly thoughts crossed his mind.
Yuma hurried back home, rummaging through his drawers to find something he could use as a weapon. According to the internet, Slimes were weak, and there seemed to be no need to worry about getting injured.
If there was no danger, there was no reason to hesitate.
From the back of the drawer, he found a hammer he had bought at a home center. He remembered buying it for 1280 yen, put on his Sandals on the porch, and returned to the Hole in the garden for the third time.
Shining a Flashlight inside, he carefully entered the Hole.
The small Mamezou watched the scene with a curious look.
“Wow, it’s really narrow.”
The inside of the Hole was only wide enough for one adult to barely fit. There was no space to swing a Hammer, and it was difficult to move.
But the same was true for the opponent. The Slime shouldn’t have anywhere to escape either.
As an intruder entered the Hole, the Slime moved to the edge of the Hole and became wary. Yuma curled up, facing the Slime in a turtle-like position.
He raised the Hammer in his right hand slightly and dropped it on the Slime’s head.
Clang! The Hammer bounced off.
“H-Hard!”
The sensation was more than he expected. It looked metallic, but he was half-doubtful whether it was really metal.
However, this sensation was definitely metal. Moreover, it was steel with considerable strength.
Could he defeat this? As he was thinking, the Slime in front of him began to move around at a tremendous speed. There was no escape in the narrow space, and even if he swung the Hammer, it wouldn’t hit.
“Damn it! Darting around!”
Yuma was also too cramped to move well. As he struggled, the Slime jumped at Yuma. Surprised, Yuma shouted “Whoa!” as the Slime slammed into his knee.
“Ouch!!”
A sharp pain ran through him. It felt like he had been hit by an iron ball.
“Y-You…!”
He swung the Hammer again, but the Slime nimbly dodged and jumped at Yuma’s arm. When it hit his right arm, the pain was so great that he dropped the Hammer.
Slimes were safe!? There was no chance of getting injured? You’ve got to be kidding me!
Yuma desperately crawled out of the Hole, clutching his right arm and lying on the ground. Panting, he looked up at the sky, and his dog, Mamezou, approached him with a worried look.
Mamezou licked Yuma’s cheek and whined.
“Haa, haa… It’s no good, Mamezou… There’s a vicious monster here… It’s dangerous, so don’t come near.”
Yuma stood up unsteadily and returned to the house. He took out an ice pack from the freezer and applied it to his bruised arm and knee.
“Ouch… Man, I really got messed up.”
He sat on the sofa, exhaled, and placed the ice pack on his knee while holding his smartphone.
He searched again for information about Dungeon Monsters. The information about Slimes was all similar.
Slimes were very weak Monsters that even children could defeat. They moved slowly and couldn’t move faster than humans, and all the information denied their danger.
“That’s all lies! It’s completely different from a Metal Slime.”
If they were weak Monsters in the shallow layers of the Dungeon, it seemed that they could be defeated with physical attacks. However, the online article stated that physical attacks were ineffective against powerful Monsters in the deeper layers, making them difficult to defeat.
It didn’t seem like he could defeat the Metal Slime with strikes either.
“Is that also a powerful Monster? Even though it was in a very shallow layer.”
According to the article, even powerful Monsters could be affected by indirect attacks like magic.
Magic was a special power that could only be used inside Dungeons, and fire, water, and lightning magic were commonly used.
“Indirect attack… Metal… If that’s the case…”
Yuma looked at the shrubs in the garden.
“Maybe I can defeat it if I burn it…”