The aftermath (P.1) – Chapter 10

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As I was observing Aoi fight the strongest slime in this dungeon, I couldn't help but keep my hand near my sword each time she would get close calls against the slime boss.

She managed to get the first round and cut the core of the slime in half, which allowed the slime to divide into two completely different slimes. These slimes are able to use a fragment of their core in order to multiply. While their mass would gradually get smaller due to a lack of material, their speed would get faster.

Looking at Aoi, who was trying to control her breath, she remained in one position until she ran to the side in order to avoid the upcoming slimes that jumped one by one in order.

The slimes that held the same destroyed core with the same origin are still connected to one another, allowing them to attack their target very efficiently without getting in each other's way.

Aoi right now had to dodge not only one big slime, but now two, which were much faster than the first one.

I really wanted to help Aoi out in this one, but from what I could see in her eyes, it left me no choice but to trust her until the very end…

The second round against these slimes was going to be tricky, and from what I could see, Aoi was using the wide space all around this room in order to gain time and distance.

After getting used to the pattern of the slimes, Aoi finally came to a stop, and right as the slime was about to crush her with its weight, she dodged it, then went near the same slime to wait for the other one.

However, the other slime didn't move from its position, as Aoi was already very close to the first slime. That's where I assumed that Aoi had figured out another interesting fact.

If she is incredibly close to one slime, the other slime will stop moving due to the fact that it doesn't want to accidentally attack its own body.

This way, if Aoi manages to use this information wisely, she might be able to take the slime on one-on-one.

As the first slime seemed to have frozen for a bit, it jumped in the air once again to crush its weight on Aoi. However, due to its incredible mass and pattern, Aoi managed to easily dodge it while also remaining really close so the other slime wouldn't attack.

To conserve her dwindling stamina, Aoi deftly coiled her whip around the slime and destroyed the core once again after managing to expose it.

The moment that the other slime understood that its other half had been divided in two once again, it tried using its weight in order to crush Aoi, only to fail at getting its target because Aoi was already several steps away from the previous position.

Aoi was using the whole area to the fullest….

As Aoi clashed with the swarm of slimes, their cores shattered one by one, causing them to revert into smaller forms. The slimes relentlessly decreased in size, eventually reaching a point where the shattered remains, mixed with their gelatinous substance, were incapable of forming another slime. 

After seeing how the slime was properly defeated, she was panting to catch her breath.

"....Haaa….haa….I….haa….did it…"

"Congratulations, you've successfully defeated the strongest slime."

Claiming her victory after a long battle with the slimes, Aoi looked at me with a proud smile on her face. I also returned a smile as I congratulated her for her efforts, which made this whole thing possible.

After a minute of rest, a glowing door appeared in the center of the room, catching Aoi by surprise.

"...W-what?!"

"No need to have your guard up," I tried reassuring the girl. "That's the door that will send us back to our mansion."

"...ah.."

Having confirmed the similarities and design of the door that appeared after the slime boss was defeated, Aoi let out a small sigh of relief.

Then, before the door would disappear, both me and Aoi went back to the mansion through the magical door. And just as I explained, the moment we stepped inside the door, we found ourselves back home.

And with that, this concludes a successful day of Aoi conquering her first dungeon.

Honestly, I felt happy knowing that she never gave up until the end, and she seemed to be adjusting to her sword rather quickly than I expected. It was terrifying to see how fast she adapted to that sword, because I, on the other hand, took almost several years just to get used to a single sword.

'She must have talent with that sword.'

Since this was an exciting day, I suggested Aoi take a shower and take a nice long rest because of her efforts. 

Then, once I confirmed that she was sleeping soundly in her own room, I decided to head back to the special door in order to confirm where the next place was going to appear.

'This might be risky…. But I need to make sure…'

Since slimes managed to enter through the door without us knowing, it's only smart that I confirm what sort of monsters lurk behind it now that we have completely finished the slime dungeon.

What if some dangerous monsters manage to get through while we are asleep?

No, I won't allow such a thing!