Volume 4 Chapter 13 Eye For An Eye
"A monster...?"
Hearing such a sinister word made me tense up.
As if to provoke my confusion even further, Mr. Sage continued.
"It was a sudden event one day. On that seemingly ordinary day, without any warning, a gigantic monster appeared in the mine. It was a creature from a race I had never seen or heard of, and it looked like a giant blob of mud that resembled a slime monster."
Slime.
Widely known as a low-ranking monster, it has no specific habitat and is often seen in various dangerous areas.
The description of it being like a blob of mud does seem to match its physical characteristics.
However, slimes are all small creatures that don't even reach knee height, so they certainly can't be called a gigantic monster.
If that's the case, perhaps it's an advanced type of slime.
Honestly, the way he spoke about it as if he had seen it was unsettling to me.
"You seem to know quite a bit about it. Perhaps you've actually encountered that monster, Mr. Sage?"
"Believe it or not, I was a 'miner' swinging a pickaxe in the mines back in the day. In fact, I was one of the few witnesses who saw the moment that gigantic monster appeared right in front of me."
So that's how it is.
Since he spoke of it so vividly, I thought Mr. Sage might have seen it firsthand.
Even so, having a giant slime suddenly appear right in front of me seems pretty bad for the heart.
In addition to the ones that breed normally, there are species of monsters that suddenly appear from underground or in the air.
It seems that there are still no detailed research results on where they come from, and they will likely remain a mystery of the world forever.
Thinking about it this way, monsters are truly remarkable beings, and it wouldn't be surprising if a giant slime suddenly appeared in a tunnel.
"That giant monster appeared in the middle of the tunnel and completely blocked the large passage. From its special body, it was releasing a tremendous amount of poison, and the tunnel was quickly covered about halfway with a 'poison swamp.' That's why we call that creature 'the Poison Pool'."
Just hearing about it made me think it sounded like a pretty troublesome monster.
It's probably highly toxic to humans, so the tunnel, covered halfway with the poison swamp, should be nearly impossible to enter.
"I also sent a subjugation request to the Rank 1 adventurers in the town. I had heard they were quite skilled and well-known in the area, but everyone who saw the tunnel gave up completely, saying, 'The place where it was born is just too bad.'"
I'm sure I would have said the same thing.
If that poison pool had formed in the woods or on the grasslands, it would have been much easier to deal with without the poison accumulating.
However, it unfortunately appeared in a closed-off tunnel, which seems to have increased its troublesome nature as a monster.
"So, you sealed the mine so nobody could get close, is that it?"
"If we had left that place as it was, someone would have tried to recklessly continue mining. In that case, we decided it would be better to completely abandon the mine and seal off the tunnel along with the toxic waste."
I see.
So, there was such a reason for sealing off the mine.
It does seem like a reasonable decision since leaving it as it is would be far too dangerous.
It's a shame they can't continue mining, but if they can't defeat it anyway, it's safer to seal it along with the monster.
"That thing can't even be classified as a monster anymore. It's just one of those 'disasters' like a storm or an earthquake. I won't say anything bad, but it's wise to stop going near the mine and patiently wait for the mountain weather to clear."
Mr. Sage said that as if to emphasize his point.
Indeed, it seems like a creature that is difficult to handle, almost akin to a disaster.
It makes sense to call it a monster.
Waiting quietly until the mountain weather improves seems like the smart choice.
...so, I thought as an average person.
"Well then, shall we go to the mine?"
"Huh?"
It was Valkyrie Rose who suddenly said that.
At the same time, Mr. Sage's bewildered voice echoed in the dining area.
Despite the heavy atmosphere created by the awful facts that were just revealed, my companions looked completely unfazed.
"So, we just need to defeat that monster, right?"
"Then, we can just go through the tunnel normally, right?"
"...Did you even listen to what I said?"
Mr. Sage was staring at the 3 of them in bewilderment.
He was astonished that he hadn't grasped the meaning of why he had just talked at length about that.
"You young ones can absolutely not defeat it! You'll just die in vain!"
"You won't know until you try, right? We're still adventurers, after all. Well, we're Rank 3 or lower, though."
"Didn't I just say that even skilled Rank 1 adventurers have given up!? Were you really not listening!?"
For them, who had absolute confidence in their abilities, the adventurer rank was no measure at all.
That's why even facing a monster that Rank 1 adventurers had given up on, they showed a proactive attitude.
Each of them began to stand up, and I followed suit.
If it were just me, I would definitely have waited until the weather in the mountains cleared up, but now I have reliable companions, so it's okay.
"For now, can we take a quick look at the tunnel? If I think it's impossible after just a glance, we'll turn back right away. Oh, and of course, I'll make sure to seal the entrance properly."
"N-no! That's not what I meant! I mean, isn't that just a 'normal' way to give up!?"
...Well, these kids aren't exactly normal.
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