Volume 4 Chapter 16 The Birth Cry Of The Hero
"What is this?"
"It's slimy and disgusting."
Rose and Cosmos cringed at the sight of the sludge blocking the passageway.
Mr. Sage, who also witnessed it, sighed in exasperation.
"So this one has revived again."
"?"
"The poison pools sometimes create these 'poison walls' in various parts of the passageways, and they've blocked my way numerous times."
A poison wall, huh.
It certainly looks like something you shouldn't touch.
But not only does it produce poison, it also has such a troublesome power.
"These walls are quite bothersome. They're one of the reasons why the subjugation is delayed. They have considerable strength, and it's difficult to break through with ordinary weapons and strength. Furthermore, they don't budge even when exposed to fire or water. I have to resort to using a pickaxe and chipping away at it bit by bit."
Mr. Sage, who said this, went to pick up a pickaxe placed in the corner of the square.
He lifted it with a 'heave-ho' and was about to return to us.
"It would take me half a day to do it alone, but if we divide the work, we can break through in about 3 hours. I'll start first, and you all can watch from behind..."
BOOM!!!
As if interrupting Mr. Sage's words, a sudden explosion-like sound echoed within the mine.
Rose swung her sword and slashed through the poison wall a short distance away, cutting it 'cleanly'.
"Ah, it's cut."
"Eeeeh!?"
Mr. Sage's eyes nearly popped out of his head in shock.
"H-How did you cut through the wall just now!?"
"Eh? Well, I didn't want to dirty my sword, so I just used the 'wind pressure' from my practice swings..."
"Wind pressure!?"
Mr. Sage's voice cracked in surprise.
But even I was surprised by this.
I thought Rose's power would be enough to destroy it, but I never imagined she could cut through the wall with just wind pressure.
Every time, she surpasses my imagination.
"Now we can move forward. Let's hurry."
"..."
Leaving the stunned old man behind, the women marched deeper into the mine.
There were several more poison walls blocking the passage, but Rose could easily wipe them away with a single swing of her sword.
"W-What was the point of all my efforts until now..."
Mr. Sage couldn't help but mutter in disbelief at this outrageous display.
This is just because Rose's strength is abnormal, so there's no need to feel so down.
After a while, a staircase leading slightly downward appeared.
At the bottom of the stairs, another long passageway came into view, and it was flooded with poison liquid.
In one word, it was a river of dark, murky sludge.
"This is..."
"This is the poison liquid from the poison reservoir. It has turned the entire passage ahead into a river of poison. Because of this, the mine has become an abandoned one as proper mining is impossible."
Mr. Sage clenched his teeth in frustration.
The poisonous river seems to be quite deep; if I were to step in as is, I'd probably be submerged in toxic liquid up to my knees.
There's no doubt it would have a significant negative impact on the human body.
"If you touch it with bare skin, you'll feel excruciating pain and numbness spreading all over your body; it's a deadly poison. It has a slight solubility, so it also gradually dissolves clothing."
"How did you manage to cross this place, Mr. Sage?"
"I stocked up on a lot of rain boots and overalls, and made a few modifications so I could enter the poison river. I end up ruining 2 or 3 outfits before reaching the poison pool, but I don't think there's any other way."
As he said that, he took out the rain boots and overalls from the bag that was sitting in the great hall earlier.
"Even if the red-haired girl's power is immense, this is not a situation that can be overcome by sheer force. I have enough rain boots and overalls for all of you, so let's put these on and go ahead..."
"[Barrier: Protection]"
Once again, Mr. Sage's voice was interrupted by someone else.
Looking over, Ms. Nemophila had her right hand open, holding it up to my chest.
In that instant, something like a "translucent membrane" unfolded around her.
It transformed into a spherical shape, completely surrounding Ms. Nemophila.
Immediately afterwards, Ms. Nemophila was... just like a child playing in the river...
"Hoo!"
She jumped into the poisonous river.
"W-What are you doing!?"
Splash!
Ms. Nemophila's feet sank into the river of poison, while Mr. Sage was panicking, drenched in cold sweat.
"We've got to pull her up quickly! The poison will spread through her body and she'll die! Anyone, help that girl!"
He raised his voice like that, but Mr. Sage soon lost his words.
The river of poison was spreading as if it were avoiding Ms. Nemophila.
To be more precise, it was being pushed away by a spherical Barrier, leaving only poison around Ms. Nemophila.
"W-What is this...?"
"Barrier magic. A barrier of magic that protects against various dangers."
"..."
Mr. Sage continued to look at Ms. Nemophila, who was answering while standing in the middle of the river of poison, in astonishment.
It was no wonder, given that Ms. Nemophila wasn't wearing any armor that looked suitable.
"I-Is that really safe? What if it suddenly breaks and the poison seeps in...?"
"It's fine. It's a wall as sturdy as me, so it won't dissolve or let the poison through. I'll put it on everyone too."
Ms. Nemophila said that and cast [Barrier: Protection] on everyone.
Thanks to this, we were also protected and could step into the river of poison.
When I actually stepped in, the liquid was pushed away by the Barrier, and poison did not encroach upon us at all.
It's a complete protective suit that only wards off harm.
With this, we can definitely move forward without any problems.
"W-What about my boots and overalls...?"
"We don't need them."
Ms. Nemophila brushed Mr. Sage aside, and he became terribly dejected.
Well, it's no wonder, considering all his efforts have been completely crushed by talent.
After that, we splashed through the river of poison and quickly reached the poison pool.
"D-Did we really get here so easily...?"
Mr. Sage looked dazed, as if he couldn't keep up with the situation.
Leaving him be, we reconfirmed the situation just before the plaza where the poison pool was located.
As expected in the center of the mining tunnel, this place was quite spacious.
There were wooden scaffolds built up to 3 levels for mining, and the width was about as wide as a town's fountain plaza.
Next, I quietly gazed at the giant monster wandering around the plaza.
It was a mass of poison liquid solidified into a mountain-like shape.
Straining my eyes to focus on it, I narrowed my gaze.
[Race] Venom Slime
[Rank] S
[Divine Growth Point Acquisition] 250,000
"......So strong."
My 'Divine Eye' skill can read all sorts of information from what I can see.
Human Divine Revelation, information about herbs and minerals, and details about monsters.
So, the poison buildup I confirmed... the details of the venom slime were truly astonishing, even for someone like me who has seen various monsters for a long time.
"Did you see something?"
"Yeah, well. The name venom slime and the fact that it's super strong, you know?"
The rank indicating its danger level is "S".
The amount of divine growth points obtained when defeated is "250,000".
To be honest, that's incredible.
I can't believe there was such a monster lurking in this country.
It's no surprise that Rank 1 adventurers had to give up considering the strength of this monster.
Even the Emperor Ant, which I chose as a battle opponent to help Rose grow, was only rank "B", 2 levels lower.
The amount of divine growth points earned is also "250,000", so if we do the simple math, it means the venom slime is ten times stronger than the Emperor Ant.
On top of that, according to the information I saw, its outer shell seems to be quite hard.
If we use the poison wall that Rose broke as a standard, it has about 3 times more hardness.
It looks like it has a core that acts as its heart inside, which is why it has such a sturdy outer shell to protect it.
"It seems the outer shell is really hard, and the poison wrapped around it has some solubility, so it's probably best not to attack it carelessly with weapons. I think it would be wise to first chip away the outer shell with Cosmos' magic and then destroy the exposed core... Please, just don't shoot too hard. If we accidentally hit the mine walls, we could all get buried alive."
"Don't worry, it's going to be fine. It's such a big target, I couldn't miss even if I closed my eyes."
When Cosmos proudly posed with her staff, Mr. Sage stepped back in fear.
"Y-you too, don't tell me you have some insane talent like these two...!"
"That's right. Soon, I'll make my name known to the world with the great magic of the Stardust Magician Lady Cosmos. You should be grateful for this rare opportunity to see it right in front of you!"
With a proud expression, she began to chant a spell, pointing the tip of her staff toward the venom slime.
"[Sparkling smile──this thrilling feeling──shine, my brightest star]"
It was an easily recognizable spell chant of Cosmos.
The three of us had already grown accustomed to it, so we accepted it without any sense of discomfort...
However, Mr. Sage, hearing it for the first time, looked at her and complained about the overly childish chant.
"Is it really okay to leave it to this child...?"
"Don't treat me like a child!"
As if channeling her anger into a magical strike, Cosmos's voice echoed with rage.
"[Meteor]!"
In an instant, a dazzling magic circle unfolds at the tip of the staff.
As intense light bursts forth from the magic circle, a gigantic boulder is released from the center.
"Wha──!?"
It is a perfectly sized boulder, large enough to completely block the wider passage.
It flies straight towards the venom slime wandering in the square, and only then does it notice the boulder with a delay.
But by that time, it is too late; the massive boulder pierces the center of the venom slime at high speed.
"SPLORSCH!!!"
That one strike not only chips away at the outer shell of the venom slime...
but it magnificently pierces through to the core, creating a gaping hole in the venom slime's body.
"Oh, it was softer than I expected."
"..."
While watching the venom slime sink into the ground and melt away, Cosmos shrugs her shoulders.
Meanwhile, Mr. Sage stands frozen with a look of astonishment, mouth agape, as if he has seen this countless times before.
Well, it is only natural to be dumbfounded when a threat that many Rank 1 adventurers have thrown in the towel against is easily dispatched by young women in just a few hours.
Gradually, the venomous liquid produced by the venom slime also disappears, and the pit returns to its original state.
"...W-What have I been doing all this time? The toxic pool that has tormented the village was taken care of so easily..."
Overwhelmed by joy and a sense of emptiness at the same time, Mr. Sage knelt down with a distant look in his eyes.
Anyway, with that, the poison has finally been dealt with... We've completed the subjugation of the venomous slime, so we can move on now.
Since we have no business left in this place, we turn our backs on Mr. Sage and proceed further in.
"Well then, we'll take our leave now"
"Huh...? W-wait a moment!"
Called out abruptly, I turned back to see what was the matter.
Mr. Sage was on the ground behind us, kneeling with his forehead resting on the ground, shaking with tears in his voice.
"You are the heroes of Rohm Village...! With this, the village can regain its prosperity. I can even send a ring to the late Salvia. Please allow me to hold a banquet in your honor in the village...!"
"W-well, I appreciate the sentiment, but..."
I looked at my 3 companions, and they silently shook their heads.
We are in a hurry despite everything.
It's a generous invitation, but we don't have time to accept such gratitude.
Besides, I haven't done anything myself, and the 3 who should be receiving thanks are being modest, so I decide to decline.
When I conveyed that, Mr. Sage raised his voice as if it were his last wish.
"Then, at least let your names be engraved in the village with your 'sign'...!"
"..."
Surprised by this unexpected plea, I couldn't help but glance towards Cosmos.
She then put on a smug expression, sniffling while giving me a grin.
"See? I told you so."
In the square, it was decided to carve a signature into a rock that had fallen, and only Cosmos was able to leave a beautifully neat signature.
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