“What’s that? A Metal Slime?”
Aisha asked, looking puzzled. Yuma explained in detail about the Metal Slime, the Demon Ore it dropped, and how the Dungeon disappeared after a while.
“…I see. A Metal Slime, huh? I’d heard rumors, but they really exist. I see, I see.”
Aisha nodded repeatedly, looking delighted.
“So, can you use that ‘Metallization’ ability of the Demon Ore now?”
“Yes, I can.”
“Could you show me?”
“Understood.”
Yuma stood up and, with a grunt, activated his ‘Metallization’ ability. His entire body was dyed black, turning into steel down to the last strand of hair.
“Aaaaaah! Amazing, so this is the ‘Metallization’ ability!!”
Aisha was overjoyed, touching Yuma’s body all over. Behind her, the president was dumbfounded.
“I see, it’s certainly hard, but also resilient. I’ve been researching the ‘Black Dungeon’ for years, but this is the first time I’ve seen a Demon Ore cause such a dramatic change.”
Five minutes passed, and even after his body returned to normal, Aisha continued to touch Yuma’s body with great interest.
“I see, I see… So, did any Monsters other than Metal Slimes appear in that Dungeon?”
“They were all Metal Slimes, but there were different colors.”
“Different colors? What’s that?”
“After defeating Metal Slimes for a while, they started appearing in the order of ‘Gold,’ ‘Red,’ ‘Blue,’ ‘Yellow,’ and ‘Green.'”
“Hoh, different colors, huh?”
Aisha scribbled notes on her memo pad.
“Besides the color, were there any other differences?”
“Well, they were stronger, and the abilities of the Demon Ores were different.”
“The abilities of the Demon Ores? That different!”
Aisha’s eyes sparkled as she approached, but Yuma held up a hand to stop her and continued.
“The Red one gave me ‘Fire Resistance.’ The Blue, Yellow, and Green ones seemed to give me Water, Lightning, and Wind Resistance, respectively.”
“Resistance…”
Aisha muttered, then crossed her arms, stood up, and began pacing around. She seemed to be thinking about something.
“I see… Monsters in the Black Dungeon are resistant to magic, but I see… they had resistance. If that’s the case—mutter, mutter.”
“Um, excuse me!”
Aisha snapped out of it when Yuma called out to her, and she apologized, saying, “Ah, sorry.”
“Monsters in the Black Dungeon are vulnerable to Fire and Lightning magic, just like in the White Dungeon, but sometimes there are Monsters that aren’t affected by Fire or Lightning. Well, that’s one of the reasons people avoid it… If what you’re saying is true, then there are Monsters that are immune to magic. Fascinating indeed.”
“Y-yes…”
“So, what kind of Demon Ore did the ‘Gold’ Slime produce?”
“Ah, yes. The ability of the golden Demon Ore seems to make the drop rate in the ‘Black Dungeon’ 100%.”
“Hmm?”
“So, Demon Ores drop almost certainly…”
“Hmm? Hmm? Hmm? What are you saying? Demon Ores…”
“Yes.”
“Drop 100%?”
“Yes.”
“Is that what you’re saying?”
“Yes.”
Aisha looked up at the ceiling and began to slowly spin in place. Yuma and the president exchanged puzzled glances, unsure of what she was doing.
When her spinning stopped, Aisha strode up to Yuma and grabbed both of his shoulders.
She brought her face close, looking at Yuma with a serious gaze.
“Are you really, really, really, reeeeally sure the drop rate became 100%!?”
“Y-y-y-yes, I’m sure.”
Overwhelmed by her intensity, Yuma nearly wet himself in fear.
“Kukuku… If that’s true, then research on the Black Dungeon will advance dramatically. It’s truly the best ability in the world. The drop rate of Demon Ores is only slightly lower than Magic Gems. It’s impossible for them to drop 100%. Well, let’s verify it later. Is that alright, Yuma-kun?”
“Y-yes.”
Aisha called it the best ability, but Yuma thought it wouldn’t matter how many Demon Ores he got if they couldn’t be turned into money.
“Was that all the types of Metal Slimes that appeared?”
“Ah—there was a really big Metal Slime that appeared last. It was incredibly strong and difficult to defeat.”
“A big Metal Slime? Was it just big?”
“No, it was changing its body shape. The ability of the Demon Ore was similar.”
“A Demon Ore that changes body shape? Could you show me that?”
“Understood.”
Yuma used ‘Metallization,’ then used the ‘Liquid Metallization’ ability to turn his body into a gel-like state and become a round Metal Slime.
He grew several tentacles and hopped around.
“Like this,” Yuma said, turning around to see the president and Aisha staring with wide eyes and gaping mouths, speechless.