The dungeon's vegetation was even more luscious inside than outside. Which while very pretty, made both spotting monsters and advancing more difficult.
Gabriel slashed his knife over and over again at the slime. His knife was short, as most knives were, so he always needed to be close to it. Even if it was just a slime, the acid it spit out still burned like hell.
He had to admit he had underestimated this place. He side stepped another bout of acid, before throwing his knife, landing it exactly at its core, killing it.
Sariel whistled appreciatively.
" Nice aim " he complimented, his voice curling around the words like it was an insult
Gabriel didn't know if he was trying to sound so angry or if it was natural.
He was faring much better than Gabriel, shooting the slimes with an enchanted rifle with accurate precision. He might be a sniper or something similar.
Gabriel smiled at him, catching his breath. That throw relied on pure luck, and that's exactly why Gabriel tried it.
He took out his knife and stored the core. His core lazily absorbed what little amount of energy the slime had released upon its death.
[ Exp gained ]
Kafka, even if she wasn't a level 34, was still at a higher level than both of them, and let them fight it out for exp, only intervening when the situation called for it. Gabriel wondered why she even bothered coming to a such a low-level dungeon. He glanced at Sariel, to protect him maybe ?
His back was enveloped by a now familiar burning sensation. Gabriel cursed under his breath.
He turned around, casting Misfortune and Nightmare on it. The slime immediately curled in on itself, shaking. He stabbed it until it died, all the while it stayed still.
[ Exp gained ]
Damn, he should have done this sooner. He didn't think it would be that effective on slimes and hadn't wanted to waste his arcane. Arcane was a finite source of power, its amount was determined by the arcane stat obviously.
Eh, Gabriel could probably afford to use more arcane. He was a magic career after all. A complicated expression washed over Kafka's face when he saw him using the Nightmare curse
Six slimes killed and still no level gained. Or any other monsters spotted.
He killed another slime, his arcane slowly dwindling.
[ Curse level up ]
Oh ? His face broke out in a smile.
" Guys " Sariel pointed at something
There was a trail of some viscous liquid, all that it touched was charred. It was a trail often lead by acide slimes, something this part of the dungeon clearly had in spades.
But, this trail in particular was wider than him if he laid down on the ground horizontally. How big was it to leave a trail like this ?
He grimaced as he touched the trail, a slight burn mark appearing on his fingertips, a fate much of his body already shared. They shared a commiserating look.
Kafka however, was smiling, and it even looked natural. Gabriel's guard was already starting to raise.
" Let's follow the trail " she proposed, although it was more of an order
They agreed of course, no matter how bad the fight was going to be, they were still here to fight.
" Hey, you can just not answer if you want, but what class are you ? " asked Gabriel
He already saw Sariel's fighting style, so no need to ask him that question, but he was curious about her.
" I am a support. A priest to be exact " she said
How surprising. It didn't fit with what he knew about her, but then again he didn't know much. Priests didn't have to be support, as far as he was aware, so it was she clarified that.
Priests were, by definition, a class whose power relied entirely on the god, and sometimes gods that backed them. Being a priests was the easiest way to communicate with the gods, but still a class not many had access to.
Huh.
He just nodded. They kept on advancing, the trail was more viscous as they went, a good sign. Yet, Gabriel could tell something was off.
This was a low-level dungeon, but weren't the slime's mental fortitude still too weak ? They were shaking and stayed immobile after a level 1 curse, yet a goblin cat, who didn't even grew up in a dungeon, just froze and hissed little ? The only reason he knew for slimes to have no mental fortitudes were if they were newborns, but these slime were as large as any other he had seen.
Whatever. They had a high level with them, she would tell them if something was amiss, he thought, yet the doubt persisted.
They soon came across a cave, its wall covered in the same acidic liquid.
" I'm not sure this is a great idea " said Sariel
" Are we here to fight or are we here to stare at the sky ? " she snapped
They both hurried over, Sariel doing an unflattering imitation of her behind her back. Gabriel snorted.
As soon as they went in, the liquid started recovering the exit. All of the acid swirled to life in a makeshift storm, burning parts of their clothes and skin, and even more worryingly, part of their weapons.
In the center of it all, stood not a slime, but an acid elemental, its body easily bigger than a bus.
" Oh " Gabriel said softly, eyes open wide
There was a brief moment where they all just stared at each other, acid lazily twirling in the air, the calm before the storm. All hell broke loose, the liquid surging toward them.
Gabriel could only shriek. Dodging all of it was impossible.
Kafka pulled out a staff and a dark light enveloped all of them. Sariel pulled out his rifle and started shooting. Gabriel broke out of his stupor and started moving. He casted Misfortune before coming at it with his measly knife. It was useless.
The knife just went through it like water, doing no damage.
" Find its core ! " yelled Kafka
" You go, I'll cover you " yelled Sariel in his direction
Gabriel wanted to say no badly, but Kafka was busy protecting them from the acid, and Sariel was much more useful in long range.
He bit his tongue. He ran towards the acid. He heard Sariel shoot. The balls exploded as they touched the monster, keeping its slimy body away from Gabriel.
He continued running, dodging particules of acid coming toward him. The air was heavier as he advanced. He followed traces of arcane, knowing it would lead to the core. It was there, in the center of it all. He could barely see it, with a tornado of acid around it.
The dark light that enveloped him had gotten weaker with the distance he's put between him and Kafka.
" Fuck " he hissed in pain, new, more profound burns taking over his skin.
A core was fragile. Just one stab. One hit. One punch. His knife wouldn't survive through the acide if threw it.
There was only one solution really. This or death. Please let his damn trait do its job. He took a few steps back, and ran through the acid.
He screamed. Everything burned. He could feel it sticking to his skin. It felt like being burned alive. Stab the core. Stab the core. Stab the core.
The acid clung to him to stop him. He could barely feel it through the rest of the pain.
He swung his knife in a wide arc, movements erratic. The liquid stilled staying in the air for a second. It all came crashing down, returning to the ground in an inoffensive blob of yellow.
Gabriel just sat there, kneeling. He heaved, mechanically forcing the air in and out. His body felt… strange. He could feel a distant pain and nothing else. He was shaking. Something wet was dripping from his face. Fuck, he was crying. He tried to stand up to no avail.
He opened his eyes, unaware he had ever closed them. His hands, no his whole body, had red, swollen area, with blisters on them. He sat there, trying to breathe through the pain.
" Hey, Gabriel ! " Sariel ran over to him
Sariel paused. He grimaced slightly, before trying to hide it. He took out a few potions that Gabriel recognized as healing potions. Gods bless this man honestly.
Kafka arrived just a tad after, and understandably froze for a second. Yet Gabriel saw her face, and for a moment, it wasn't sympathy, but guilt on her face.
Gabriel had the horrible sensation that this didn't happen just because they were unprepared.