The weapons I forge are absolutely flawless.

“The nearest escape point should be in the direction you came from,” Viner suggested.

Someone who can gather so much material in half a day shouldn't make such a basic mistake.

“I know, that’s why I changed course in advance,” Barr explained.

"There is a large mine on the only way to escape from the No. 5 teleportation array. Most of my gains on this trip came from there."

When a dungeon refreshes, there is a certain probability that some special terrain will be generated.

Examples include mines, dilapidated castles, and ruined camps.

Exploring these locations offers a chance to obtain rarer items and materials, provided you can defeat the special monsters that spawn alongside them.

"But the magical beasts deep in the mine were not compatible with me, and my abilities were insufficient to break through them, so I retreated."

"Oh? Could you tell me what kind of magical beast it is?" Vina inquired.

A third-tier emblem user can practically roam freely on the first level of the dungeon, with only particularly troublesome traps or enemies with extremely poor compatibility posing a problem.

For example, with the previous Snake-Chicken Beast, as long as you're careful not to get petrified, even someone like Risti who isn't good at melee combat can kill it solo.

If a monster can trouble Baal, then it must be a formidable opponent for Felix as well.

Now that there's a chance to gather intelligence in advance, Viner won't miss it.

“There’s nothing wrong with saying it. They’re a bunch of slimes,” Baal replied.

"They're much more troublesome than regular slimes because they evolved by consuming large amounts of minerals. I've encountered quite a few that have evolved slash resistance."

"Showing you my weapon should make it clear."

Baal drew his battle axe from his waist and showed the axe to Venus.

Generally speaking, axe-type weapons are much more durable than swords and spears of the same quality.

But Baal's battle axe is now unrecognizable, riddled with wounds, and the phrase "full of holes" is the most fitting description.

It's a blessing that it's still usable, thanks to the solid materials used.

Slimes can even digest ores, so it's no surprise that they can create weapons from corroded ores.

Slash resistance can greatly reduce the damage that sharp weapons cause to slimes. Not just Baal, any academy student would probably have a headache seeing this.

Unfortunately, the vast majority of students in the city nowadays come from the Fighting Academy.

No wonder Baal made the decision to take a detour.

“I understand,” Wiener nodded.

“If it were you, perhaps there would still be a chance,” Baal said, looking at Lisette.

Not only are they among the few students in the Magic Academy on the first floor, but they are also among the best.

“However, I couldn’t go into the last part either. I don’t know if there are any other magical beasts later on,” Baal added.

“Knowing this much is enough,” Viner said, then extended an invitation. “Would you like to come with us? Having another person will increase our chances of success. It will also save you from taking a long detour.”

“...Let’s forget it.” Although Baal was somewhat tempted, he ultimately declined Viner’s suggestion. “If you’re sure you’re going down this path, I won’t come along.”

"I've already told you all the information I know. There's nothing more I can do to help. The best I can do by following them is to use the exit teleportation array. It's better to part ways here."

Wiener treated him to a meal of snake, chicken, and beast meat, and in return, he provided the information he knew; it was a fair exchange.

If you shamelessly keep trying to get closer to them, you'll be being rude.

"But after we get out, could you please forge a weapon for me?"

“I put up a commission in my shop on College Market Street.”

Wiener didn't comment, but just mentioned it casually.

Maintaining the relationship at a purely transactional level, neither too close nor too distant, could be a viable way to get along.

"I understand, I'll go check it out later."

Baal understood immediately, repacked his backpack, and waved goodbye to everyone.

......

The remaining clean snake, chicken and animal meat was wrapped in oil paper and put into the backpack. Then the campfire was extinguished and all personal belongings were packed away.

"So, are you going?" Listy looked at Vena. "If it's just slimes, I can handle it."

"But what lies deeper inside, no one knows for sure. Should we continue forward or call it quits while we're ahead?"

“Go, why wouldn’t I go?” Viner said without the slightest hesitation.

Mines that produce ore and slimes with slash resistance are both rare finds.

Even if you weren't after the teleportation array at the exit behind you, knowing this news would make it worth making a special detour.

"Besides, didn't you come to the dungeon to study the phenomenon of monster enrichment?"

"Huh?" Lisette was caught off guard by the question and was momentarily stunned.

To be honest, she had almost forgotten that she had this kind of character setting.

"Uh, is there any necessary connection between these two?"

"Of course. When it comes to magic accumulation and attribute mutation, what's a better subject of observation than slimes?"

Vina looked at Lisette with a puzzled expression.

He shouldn't need to remind me of this.

Chapter 68 You spoil him too much

Slimes are creatures without a fixed form; they simply follow their instincts to devour whatever they touch and assimilate it into themselves.

The way to become stronger is by eating, the way to identify its strength is by its size, and the attribute bias is immediately apparent from its color.

Although it is a very weak monster, it has an undeniable potential for growth.

That being said, when handled properly, they are also the easiest monsters to deal with.

Following the coordinates of portal number five, the three passed through the dense forest and were suddenly confronted by a majestic mountain.

At the bottom of the mountain, there was a pit three meters high and seven or eight meters wide, like a giant open mouth facing the three people who had just left the dense forest.

This kind of terrain change that occurs without warning can only be seen in dungeons.

This time, Venus didn't ask Lisette for a light. Instead, she took a torch from her backpack, lit it, and stood at the entrance of the cave.

He tilted the torch slightly, probing the flame into the dark cave entrance.

The torch moved slowly with Venere's movements, and the flame suddenly flickered, indicating that the pits were indeed connected.

Having confirmed this, Viner gestured for the two to follow.

A faint smell of sulfur filled the air, interspersed with the occasional sound of dripping water.

Some footprints can be faintly discerned on the damp soil. Judging from what we can see at the moment, there are slightly more footprints going inward than going away, indicating that rational people are still in the majority.

If all you can see is one footprint leaving, then Viner will not hesitate to turn back.

The flickering firelight cast mottled shadows onto the uneven stone walls, and as they went deeper, the mine tunnel became much narrower.

"Goojigji"

After the three left, the soil they had stepped on was slightly disturbed, and light blue slimes emerged from it, changing shape as they moved.

......

In such narrow terrain, continuing to use long weapons would only make things difficult for oneself.

As the main combatant of the three, Felix was naturally assigned the Absolute Blade, which also freed up one hand to hold a torch.

“Vina, look.” Felix pointed his torch at the wall.

A jelly-like, silver-gray slime was curled up on a piece of exposed ore, silently munching away.

The outermost impurities were immediately expelled from the body by the silver slime, just like excrement.

The remaining dark red part was not so easy to digest. The silver slime stretched out its entire body and wrapped it up.

As the flames drew closer, the slime seemed to notice the rising temperature around it, and the part closest to the outer flame curled up slightly.

Felix deliberately moved the torch a little closer.

The slime, which had just seemed to be afraid of fire, suddenly lunged forward and enveloped the torch as if it had been provoked.

The flames went out instantly.

Having learned his lesson, Felix was determined not to let himself get covered in the sticky stuff again. As he retreated, he raised his sword and chopped off the part of the torch that was covered, then slashed at the silver slime.

The slime, which looked soft and smooth, produced a clanging sound when touched by a sword.

Judging from its appearance, it has swallowed too much ore, causing its own properties to change towards those of a metal.

Even so, it couldn't withstand Felix's slash. After the impact force exceeded its capacity, the silver slime exploded with a "pop".

A fist-sized, dark red ore fell to the ground.

Viner held the torch close to the blade, and the sticky residue on the blade evaporated immediately after emitting a little white smoke, leaving the blade intact.

A slime capable of corroding metal and destroying weapons collides with a blade that cannot be damaged and can repair itself, making them evenly matched and like two equally matched generals.

Using the same trick again, he heated the dark red ore from top to bottom with a torch, and then Viner picked it up from the ground to examine it.

The impurities are digested and removed by the slime, and the remaining part is equivalent to a natural purification process. The final product is this piece of excellent quality swallow stone.

He probably knew where Baal got the jade steel he casually pulled out.

“It’s simply… a place of perfect feng shui!” Vena’s eyes lit up, as if she had seen a natural treasure trove.

"Are you running a fever?" Lisette asked helplessly.

"This slime has only absorbed some minerals and gained some metallic properties. The special slime that Baal encountered should still be deep inside."

Pretending not to hear, Viña rekindled Felix's extinguished torch, "Let's move on."

No one raised any objections.

As the three of them slowly advanced, the originally spacious passageway became winding and tortuous.

Felix led the way, while Venus followed behind, happily scavenging for scraps, watching as the alchemical backpack on his back bulged out.

Lisette, who was walking at the back, could no longer stand seeing Venus exploiting Felix like this. A flame shot out from her hand, ready to lend him a hand.

"Wait," Viner's voice interrupted her.

"What is it now?" Lisette frowned, wanting a reasonable explanation.

“Spell slots are limited and should be saved for more critical moments. There’s no need to waste them here.”

"The slimes we've encountered so far don't pose much of a threat to us," Viner cautioned.

Lisette really wanted to ask, "Why didn't you say this when you used the Cleansing Technique to remove hair, peel skin, and borrow fire?"

“To prevent unforeseen circumstances, shouldn’t we be conserving Felix’s energy?” Lisette rephrased.

“...You’re right.” Venere surprisingly admitted it readily.

It wasn't that he wasn't aware of the problem; he simply became too addicted to picking up trash and inadvertently became obsessed with it.

Reminded by Lisette, Vina immediately came to her senses.

"Felix, it's time to change shifts!"

Vina gave a greeting, and the two used the "sharp knife" as a baton to exchange positions as midfielder and center-back.

Although the pace of progress is not as fast as Felix's, it is still making steady progress.

On one hand, they have to be wary of enemies lurking in the shadows, and on the other hand, they have to be constantly mindful of weapon wear and tear. It's difficult for a lone wolf to find breathing room in such a dark environment.

However, Wiener's three-person team did not have this concern.

The midfielders are responsible for clearing the way, the center-backs are responsible for guarding, and a fully fit defender is reserved in case of unforeseen circumstances.

There's even less to worry about in terms of equipment wear and tear.

As long as the user doesn't get too tired, the Absolute Blade can solo the entire mine using only its self-repairing ability.

Felix, who had been pushed to the back, was still completely confused.