"Why," I panted, "why is there a second wave?!"
"Because you triggered a nest alarm, genius!" Lina shouted, twirling her flaming chakram like a gymnast with anger issues.
We had just finished patting ourselves on the back for a job well done when a deafening squelch echoed from the hilltop.
Then… she came.
Mama Slime.
Six feet tall. Gelatinous. Glowing. Radiating the kind of raw maternal rage only a goo creature can express. Her eyes—if you could call those swirling bubbles eyes—were locked on me.
"Is that thing… steaming?" I gulped.
"She's boiling with grief," Iris said softly. "And lava."
[System Alert: Elite Monster Detected – "Matriarch Slime Lupus" (Rank C)]
A C-Rank?! But this was an E-Rank quest! What the hell, guild board!?
"Lina, plan?" I asked, shaking.
"Yeah. Run."
"Run?! That's the plan?!"
But she was already hurling fire like an anime protagonist, leaping into action with a battle cry and zero hesitation.
Lina's movements were poetry. Fiery, violent poetry.
Every step she took ignited the grass. Her chakrams arced through the air like comets, slicing through slime minions with perfect precision.
"🔥 Spiral Blaze Waltz! 🔥" she yelled, leaping into the air and raining down fire like a hellish ballerina.
I, meanwhile, was contributing by…
…running in a wide circle.
"Hey! Big goo lady! Over here!" I yelled, waving my arms.
She lunged.
I dodged.
She lunged again.
I tripped.
Iris saved me with a time-slow bubble for the fifth time in two days.
"Your survival instincts are... inspiring," she deadpanned as she pulled me upright.
"I provide moral support!"
"You screamed a lot."
"LOUD moral support!"
Lina eventually charged the beast head-on, her chakrams glowing white-hot.
"🔥Flame Limit: Inferno Edge!"🔥
She sliced clean through the Matriarch. The goo exploded into sizzling blue sparks. The field fell silent—aside from the squishy noise of dissolving puddles and my wheezing.
[System Alert: Quest Complete. Bonus XP Awarded for Elite Elimination.][Affection Update – Lina: 19% ❤️]Mood: "Slightly impressed... still annoyed."
I was breathing like I'd just run three marathons.
I looked down.
"…Why is there a breeze on my thighs?"
The girls turned.
My pants—once valiant leather—had been entirely dissolved by stray acid goo.
I was now standing in charred boxers, holding a broken branch for modesty.
"…D-don't look," I whispered.
Iris covered her mouth. Lina burst out laughing.
"Looks like the slime melted more than your dignity!" she cackled.
End of Chapter 5