Volume 4 Chapter 5 Slime Sword And Slime Shield
"――Wh, who's there!?"
I jumped in surprise at the sudden voice.
I turned to see a middle-aged man lurking in the darkness. He seemed to be rich, as his luxurious clothes were stretched tightly over his bulging fat.
He was holding a box under his arm and trying to pry up the floorboards. Is there a secret passage there?
"I asked who you are! Answer me!"
'I'm Juju! Nice to meet you!'
"Whatever. He doesn't need your introduction, Juju."
"Damn it, don't mess with me...! Are you guys from the Knights' Guild!?"
The man shouted alone. He's a very loud person. Is he trying to intimidate us?
Or rather... I think this guy is the boss of the Underground Equipment Guild.
I could guess from his words and actions. He doesn't have any guards, so he must have panicked and rushed to the secret passage alone to try to escape. He's so petty.
"How did you know I was here!?"
"Well, I didn't come here to chase you."
"If you didn't follow me, how did you get here so fast! Damn it, where did the information leak from..."
It seems that there's a lot of misunderstanding. He might also be a bit paranoid.
Well, the bigger problem is what's inside the box the man is carrying.
Based on the movement of the Compass Eye (Ra Shingan) needle, it seems that the cursed equipment I'm looking for is in that box.
Oh no... I didn't think it would be in a box. I can't say I've "found" it unless I open the box. And it's also a pain that the box is in the man's hands.
"But... it was a mistake for you to come here alone. You underestimated me, and that's your downfall."
The man raised the box he was holding under his arm with a smug look.
"Kukuku... Now, here's a question for you."
The man bared his gums and smiled savagely.
"What do you think is in this box?"
"Cursed equipment."
"...C, correct..."
'Alright! Let's keep this streak of correct answers going!'
"No, it's not a quiz, you doll... or rather, how did you know that so easily? It's creepy, are you a psychic or something...?"
The man backs away slightly. His previous bravado seems to have been considerably diminished.
"W-well, never mind. Then, here's the next question. I have a cursed equipment in my possession... do you understand what that means?"
"...!"
The moment he said that, chills ran down my spine.
Could it be, this man's goal is...!
"To use cursed equipment as a hostage!? How cowardly!? Do you have no blood or tears!?"
"Eh, no, I... don't mean that"
'Don't worry, don't worry! You only missed one question, Noroa! Let's move on!'
"Hey, you bastard, it's not a quiz..."
The man clears his throat to change the atmosphere.
"Ahem, let's repeat. Here's the last question. If I were to equip this cursed equipment... what would happen?"
"I would go mad with jealousy"
"...That's right, the cursed equipment would go berserk"
I was ignored. A little sad.
"I've heard that cursed equipment was used as a kind of bomb for sl*ves back in the day. Even if you're a high-ranking adventurer, do you think you could survive the rampage of a cursed equipment?"
"...!"
Whether I could survive...?
What to do... I can't really say that I would be fine.
I could just snatch it away with Juju if it's equipped, and if it comes down to it, I could blow it away with the Bloodsucker Blade. In fact, it would be better if he equipped it, because I'd know the Cost of the cursed equipment beforehand.
"Heh, you look like you understand."
The man's mouth curls into a sneer, but I think he's misunderstanding.
"Listen, if you understand, don't get any closer. If I'm caught, I'll be executed for sure. I have nothing left to lose, so if you make any suspicious moves... I'll take you down with me"
A voice echoed in the air, carrying the urgency of a cornered animal. Like an unpredictable bomb ready to explode at any moment. I froze in my tracks.
"Kukuku... good. If you don't want to die, just stand there and watch me escape without interfering."
The man cautiously placed the box on the floor and began to pry up the floorboards. A dark hole slowly emerged, likely leading to the outside of the fort.
"Kukuku... cursed equipment sells for a high price to nobles... with this, I can gather more funds. I can even revive the Underground Equipment Guild. I'm immortal..."
The man chuckled smugly.
This is bad, I need to stop him from stealing the cursed equipment. If this continues, I might end up dying from the Compass Eye's cost.
I can't afford to hold back anymore.
"Juju"
I whispered without moving my lips, trying to establish eye contact. Since we're connected through the equipment, this should be enough to convey my intentions.
'Huh? What? Are you hungry again? You're always hungry... are you going to become a glutton character?'
Ugh... no, she doesn't understand at all.
Come to think of it, we've never been able to communicate with each other before.
"Juju, needle"
'Needle? Oh, okay. Got it.'
Only then did she seem to understand my intention.
A needle appeared in my hand, glowing like a spark.
It was a strange needle, embodying a mix of conflicting elements ―― pure yet rough, divine yet ominous.
By piercing Juju's chest with this needle, I could steal the cursed equipment from the man.
With this, I had nothing to fear.
I took a step towards the man.
"Hey, hey... why are you approaching? I told you to stay away..."
The man hesitated, his face contorting in fear as he reached for the box's lid. But he didn't touch the cursed equipment. Maybe he couldn't muster the courage at the last minute.
"Don't come any closer! Don't even think about it! Don't move!"
"Okay, okay."
"Hey, I'm going to touch it, okay? I'm reallllly going to touch it, okay?"
"Go ahead, go ahead."
"Damn it, you're making fun of me!"
The man gritted his teeth and flung open the box with force.
Inside were a small, light blue sword and shield. Both were made of a transparent light blue material, resembling blue sapphires.
They were 2 attractive pieces of equipment, even without the curse. My heart felt like it was being squeezed twice, but I managed to hold on to my sanity.
"Juju"
'Yes!'
I grabbed Juju's body and pulled her close to my chest.
This way, I could quickly snatch the cursed equipment if the man went berserk. First, I'll use him to test the cursed equipment's cost...
As I was thinking that,
"Hah! I tricked you! You idiot, die!"
The box containing the cursed equipment was thrown at me. This was unexpected. I was focused on Juju, so my reaction was a beat too slow.
The cursed equipment spilled out of the box.
And it touched my body――
"Ugh!"
I fell to my knees.
Sparks raced through my body, my blood boiled, my muscles writhed uncontrollably, and my body and soul were reconstructed to fit the equipment...
This is... the feeling of the equipment.
"Hahaha! There's no way I'd put on cursed equipment myself, you fool!"
The man's triumphant laughter echoed overhead.
"Kukuku... even a high-ranking adventurer won't get off scot-free with the cursed equipment! How do you feel with the cursed equipment on?"
"This is a reward. Thank you very much."
"Eh?"
'Eh?'
.......
"Well, whatever! You can only pretend to be strong for now! Looks like the equipment is done merging with you."
The moment the man said that, I just felt the sensation of my equipment being fully activated. It felt like a part of my body was being perfectly fitted in place.
And then, as usual, information about the equipment flowed into my brain――
"Hahaha! Behold! The true horror of cursed equipment will kill you now――"
"Ta!" "...da!"
A sudden childish voice echoed through the air, causing everything to come to a halt.
When I looked up, I saw twin girls standing in front of me. They were young girls around ten years old, still retaining their childlike innocence. Their hair, eyes, and dresses were all a translucent light blue, reminiscent of the sword and shield I had just equipped.
""......""
The sudden appearance of the girls plunged the surroundings into silence.
Even the man who was about to say something was frozen in astonishment.
"Um, um... who are you?"
I couldn't stand the silence any longer and asked them.
"I'm Ram!" "...Sui"
""Together we're――!""
"...Eh?"
""Slime!""
"It's decided!" "...What an embarrassment"
They were twins with contrasting personalities.
Ram was full of energy, while Sui was shy.
According to them, they were called 'Slime' when they were together...
"Oh, oh, did I slip?" "...~~~. I wish I could melt if there was water."
Um... what do I do with this atmosphere?
It was supposed to be getting serious.
"W-w-what..."
The man was still frozen, his lips trembling. It seemed like this was an unexpected development for him too. Well, summoning a little girl while trying to act cool is nothing but a black mark on his history.
"Um, is this the true horror of cursed equipment like you said earlier...?"
'Are you scared of little girls...?'
"N-N-NO! THAT'S NOT IT! I-I-IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO BE LIKE THIIIIIIIS!"
The man panicked and tried to pry open a floorboard to escape into a hidden passage.
'Oh, he's running away'
"Not on my watch!"
I quickly grabbed the hand of one of the girls who had just appeared.
I already knew how to use her.
"Ram, right? I need your help!"
"Okay! This is Ram's debut!"
Ram smiled brightly and her body melted into a goo. Her entire body and clothes melted away, turning into a large light blue slime. The slime squirmed and transformed into the exact shape I had imagined.
Her equipment name is the Slime Sword.
It's a weapon that can freely change its shape and properties.
Ram's transformation ended in an instant, and before I knew it, I was holding a jagged, light blue object in my hand. In terms of shape, it might look like a bellows found in a blacksmith's shop, but this weapon has a proper name.
Its name is... Harisen.
It's a type of weapon used for training, dealing no damage but only shock.
"E-eek! Don't come near me!"
The man tried to squeeze into the hole in a panic, but his ample fat got stuck.
He struggled to get into the secret passage, but it was too late.
I swung the Harisen at the man with full force.
A light "slap" sound echoed.
And then—.
"—gghhh!?"
The man popped out of the hole and rolled across the floor with great force. His momentum couldn't be stopped by the crumbling wall, and he broke through the wall and flew outside. The knights outside were in an uproar as the man rolled by, kicking up dust.
"Hey, hey! It looks like an old man just flew out here!"
"Wait, isn't that the boss of the Underground Equipment Guild? That face looks familiar..."
"Let's just capture him for now..."
It seems like everything is settled.
This should be the end of the Underground Equipment Guild. There might still be some stragglers left, but the knights should be able to handle them from here.
'Everything turned out okay.'
"Yeah, it did."
I got the cursed equipment and helped Miss Sera.
I think I did a good job for once.
"Phew..."
Just as I was about to let out a sigh of relief.
"...Ugh!?"
I felt excruciating pain all over my body. It was a slow, burning pain like my skin was slowly melting. Maybe I was too excited before and didn't feel the pain, but now that I'm aware of it, the pain is so intense that I'm about to lose consciousness.
Before I knew it, blood was oozing from all over my body.
'N-Noroa, what's wrong...?'
"It's the cost of the cursed equipment...!"
I reviewed the information that had flowed into my mind earlier.
- Slime Sword [Curse]
...Weapon that changes its shape and properties according to the wearer's will. While equipped, the body slowly melts away.
Rank: SSS
Type: Weapon (Special)
Effect: Attack +2000
Slime Power (Can freely change shape and properties)
Cost: Every second, 0.5% damage to maximum HP (including when the sword is not drawn)
- Slime Shield [Curse]*
...Armor that changes its shape and properties according to the wearer's will. While equipped, the body slowly melts away.
Rank: SSS
Type: Armor (Special)
Effect: Defense +2000
Slime Power (Can freely change shape and properties)
Cost: Every second, 0.5% damage to maximum HP
As usual, let's ignore the outrageous stat increase.
Combined, the cost of these 2 pieces of equipment is '1% damage to maximum HP every second'.
This means that even with full HP, I will die in a hundred seconds just by wearing them...
Checking my HP, it was already below 20%. I need to heal quickly, but my fingers are melting, and I can't hold the healing potion bottle properly. The slippery bottle slips out of my fingers and falls to the floor...
'...Noroa!?'
"Master!?""...My lord?"
Just when I thought I was out of danger, another one comes along.
Oh, what can I say... lately, it's been nothing but this.
As I listen to Juju and the others' screams, my consciousness slowly sinks into the darkness.
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