Banished from the herd, I was actually a member of a very rare species. ~With the unique skills that only I can use, I can grow and evolve quickly. I will become an unrivaled monster~ - Episode 112: The Underground City

Episode 112: The Underground City

“Are we being attacked…?”

“Seems like it.”

The dozens of beams of |Mana| fired into the sky bent sharply near the ceiling and came hurtling towards us.

“Just stay behind me for now.”

“Got it.”

I replied casually to Fisu, who stood behind me when the beams were fired. There wasn’t a shred of tension, but that was how relaxed the situation was.

The beams from the city were similar to those used by the “Colossus”, but their speed was vastly slower. Judging by the |Mana|’s strength, their power was probably also significantly lower.

We were quite far from the city, so it would take a while for them to reach us.

“Hmm, their aim is scattered. So they’re accounting for evasive maneuvers too, huh?”

I muttered internally while observing the beams. Only some of them seemed to be aimed directly at me, while the majority were set to encircle me.

“Could be they’re trying to lure us into a false sense of security.”

They might make it look like only five or six shots would hit, only for all of them to change direction toward me at the last moment. I had no idea how many times they could bend the beams, so I couldn’t afford to let my guard down.

“I guess I’ll go with an umbrella shape…”

I shifted the front half of my body into a shield-like shape. 

Finally, impact. Over twenty beams caused the grassland to ripple.

“No changes in trajectory, and the power is on par with a regular attack from a Grand Beast. Guess I was overthinking it.”

The beams exploded and vanished without any of the complications I had feared. The sensation upon impact was also similar to the beams used by the “Colossus”.

“Still, that’s some incredible precision.”

I looked around, impressed. The beams hit the ground evenly around me, creating a perfectly circular crater. 

Despite being a long-range attack and bending mid-flight, they were remarkably accurate. Maybe whoever—or whatever—fired those beams had a skill like [Trajectory Prediction].

“Well, I could handle a million shots like this… What do you want to do, Fisu?”

I asked Fisu, who was curiously inspecting the craters made by the beams. My question was whether to approach the city or turn back. She tilted her head as she answered.

“For now, why don’t you undo your transformation magic?”

“Ah…..”

Right, I was pretending to transform into a solid cube by using magic.

Fisu probably thought we were being attacked because we were mistaken for a monster. Though in reality, I *am* a slime, so it wasn’t exactly a misunderstanding.

“Oops…”

I pushed my mind into overdrive with my speed over a thousand. I thought up several excuses, compared how each would affect the future, checked for inconsistencies, and chose the one I felt was best.

“Actually, that’s probably not a good idea.”

“Huh? Why not?”

Fisu looked at me with a puzzled expression. Fair enough. I’d have the same look if I were in her shoes. But I couldn’t agree with her, so I used the excuse I had prepared.

“Undoing the transformation consumes a lot of |Mana|. I won’t be able to fight for a while. There’s no guarantee the residents are friendly, so I’d rather avoid that… And besides, there’s no guarantee that the city is a human city.”

The beams extended again from the city as if to back up my claim. There seemed to be a few more this time, but since the speed and |Mana| amount were about the same as the first wave, I paid them no mind and continued talking.

“There are all kinds of monsters in this world. Among the ones I’ve fought, there were goblins that made weapons out of iron. It wouldn’t be strange if there were those who built cities. And…”

“And?”

“The city itself could be a giant monster.”

Fisu’s eyes widened at that.

“A monster like that… Does it exist?”

“I can’t say it doesn’t. It’s rare, but monsters sometimes {Evolve} into forms that defy biology. When the Demon Cult attacked, I fought a monster that looked like an amorphous shadow.”

Incidentally, the most biologically defiant monster I know is a Slime that can turn its body into weapons.

(Note: Hmm, I wonder which magical beast he’s talking about.)

Then the second wave of beams landed. There were more of them this time, but they were just as easy to block.

Fisu watched them and nodded.

“Yeah, you have a point. No matter how strong a magician is, they shouldn’t be able to fire this many spells at once.”

She seemed to have rethought the beams as being the [Skill] of a monster. Indeed, if there were multiple {Evolved} individuals of the same species, they could use the same [Skill] simultaneously.

But judging from the analysis of the “Colossus”, those firing these beams were… Well, I can think about that later.

“So, what do we do now? Move forward or go back?”

“I’d like to get closer… but is it dangerous?”

“Nope, not at all. Like I said before, I could handle this kind of attack without breaking a sweat.”

“Then I want to find out what it really is.”

Fisu clearly stated her intention, which was rare. To be honest, I’m also interested in that city… and by extension, |Mana| crystal weapon of the “Colossus” .

Besides, a city underground like this shouldn’t have any communication with the outside world. If there aren’t any Slimes around here, there’s a chance we could infiltrate it as humans with Fisu’s help. 

Even if we fail, the risk of information leaking outside is low, so there’s no reason to miss this opportunity.

After discussing several plans for what to do once inside the city, we were ready.

“Alright, let’s go. Hold on tight.”

“Okay, but… should we not try calling out or anything?”

“Yeah, there’s no point. At this distance, it won’t be heard anyway, and I’d just be thought of as some monster taking hostages.”

Fisu seemed convinced and changed her shape into a handle for easier gripping.

As soon as I grabbed it, the beams were fired again for the third time.

“Hold on tight.”

With that, I started running.

Even though we were targeted by the beams, I deliberately avoided using [Instant Shift]. To avoid jostling Fisu, I started at a moderate speed and gradually increased it.

In no time, we had escaped the bombing range, and the distance to the city was cut in half.

The city was covered by a dome-like |Mana| barrier. But judging by the |Mana| strength, it seemed to be on the weaker side.

The city’s gates opened. And from within, golem-like creatures appeared, resembling a smaller version of the “Colossus”. Before they could do anything, I crashed through the |Mana| barrier with my body.