Gark Werther.

A former hunter, he was recruited by the Explorers Association after his retirement, and is currently the head of the Imperial City branch of the Explorers Association.
There is no one who doesn't know him among the hunters in the Imperial City.

He has been retired for a long time now, but his brave name is still widely known among active hunters.
He freely manipulated the Halberd, a difficult-to-maneuver weapon, and annihilated the obstacles, demons, and illusions that stood in his way, earning him the nickname "The Demon of War.

His outstanding fighting skills are among the highest of all Level 7 certified hunters.
After retiring from the front lines, his mana material has been drained and his strength has diminished, but his power still rivals that of active hunters. It's a tradition in the Imperial City branch that hunters who get carried away and get involved with the staff of the Explorers' Association are given a painful punishment by Gark.

But Gark is one of the most important people in the Imperial City. In addition to his position, he is busy negotiating with the Empire.
No matter how much power he has left, he's not the kind of person who should be out there on a dangerous battlefield like this.

Sven pointed out to Gark, who was deeply moved by the atmosphere of the Treasure Hall after a long time, as if he was disgusted.

'Branch Chief, you're not a hunter anymore, do you understand that?

'Yeah, of course I do. Well, I'm still as good as any active Hunter.

Gark frowned and hit his chest with his fist.

His figure. Heavy red armor covering a body heaped with lean muscle, and a weapon of treasure in his hand. He was totally ready to go.

Oh, this is a guy who doesn't understand. How dare the Assistant Chief allow this?

Sven sighs deeply.

It's true, Gark's strength has been maintained to the point where it's hard to believe he's been out of commission for over ten years.
He must have a very high retention of mana and materials. He still seems to be training his body. From Sven's point of view, he could still be a good hunter.

However, that didn't mean that he would come out to the front like this.

The two men who seemed to be investigators from the Relic Research Institute who had accompanied him were looking around, frowning at the occasional roar of the Phantom coming from nowhere.

The Relic Research Institute is a department of the Empire that investigates treasure halls and treasure equipment.
It is also in charge of investigating anomalies in the treasure house, such as this one. Due to its nature, it has close ties with the Explorers Society.

However, most of its members are researchers and non-combatants.
The two people Gark brought with him this time were probably not much different from ordinary people in terms of combat power.

As I watch them crouching on the ground, scooping up dirt and talking, I ask Gark.

'Who are those guys?

'We've applied for a large budget increase this time. If they insist, we can't refuse. We won't interfere.'

With these words, Sven decided to accept it for now.

Now was not the time to argue, and he would not leave even if he complained.
There are many members of the Relic Research Institute who look up to the hunters, but with Gark there, it won't be a problem.
It's better to have him keep quiet and stay within his sight.

Branch Chief Gark is a former high-level hunter.
Even if he has a blank, it won't be a hindrance. Above all, the participation of former hunters who once created various legends will boost morale.

Above all, we have no right of refusal.

I will bring him to the center of the camp and report the current situation.
Gark sniffed and snorted as Sven unfolded the map and explained.

The look on his face showed both relief that he had arrived in time and a strong sense of caution.

One of the investigators shouted at Sven's report.

'Slime ......? It's a wolf that appears in this treasure house. There have been no reports of any other phantoms appearing, and there is no suitable terrain for slime in this area.

I know that.
When Sven and the Black Gold Cross arrived at the Treasure House, they didn't know about the information from Kry. But the reinforcements that came with them had checked every possibility before they came.

Just as he was about to say this, the other investigator, who had been thinking with his arms crossed, opened his mouth.
He is a sharp-eyed man of advanced age. The tone of his voice exuded a bitter emotion.

'But it's a word of 'change'. He's a strange man, but he doesn't miss anything strange in the treasure house. ...... We've had a rough time of it.

'A lot of trouble ......?

'We're incompetent because of people who guess accidents without warning. Even this time, if we don't increase our staff and something happens, we'll be blamed by others. We're screwed on all fronts. d*mn it. ......'

The man stomped on the ground in annoyance, and for some reason Sven felt a sense of kinship with him.

'I'd rather have you miss me for once. Don't you think it's ridiculous to be influenced by the words and actions of a man who only says it was bad luck?'

'...... Hey, let's leave it at that.'

'Yeah, I misspoke.'

The other investigator patted him on the shoulder and apologized.

But hearing the man's words, the hunters who had been suspicious of Sven and the others now looked at him differently.
Although their suspicions had not completely disappeared, they no longer looked at them as if they were mocking their prudence.

'But the fact is, the probability of a powerful slime appearing around here is next to zero. No, there are no treasure halls inside the empire where you can find slimes that can harm you. That is, of course, for the time being. Unfortunately, we can predict, but not foresee. You can't deny the possibility of this treasure house becoming a treasure house dedicated to slime right now, but as a common sense expert, I can tell you that it's unlikely.

'Yeah, I guess so.

Sven nodded in a roundabout, ironic way. Gark next to him frowned and said nothing.

It's not that there aren't cases where the properties of a treasure house change drastically. But there have only been a few cases confirmed so far.
Above all, if such a thing occurs, no matter how 'Black Gold Cross' it is, it's out of control.

'Is there any other possibility?

'I don't know. I have no idea what they'll come up with. If it wasn't for the order from the top, I never would have come here.

The man shrugged his shoulders and sighed loudly.
Perhaps the older man was in a higher position than the younger one, but the other looked at him reproachfully, but said nothing.

It seems that the members here are unified in their will. They wanted to return safely.
Another party returns, and a portion of the map is filled in.

'If it's unlikely that wild slimes will appear, what if they're not wild?

Gark looks up and says to Sven.

'Making slime is one of the alchemist's specialties. It's true that it's unlikely that such a slime would appear in the wild, but if it's created by an alchemist, it should still be possible.

At Gark's suggestion, Sven thought for a moment and shook his head.

'...... No, that's unlikely. A good alchemist would be able to create powerful slime, but even that has its limits. If you want to spend that much money and time researching powerful slime, I would research 'golems' and 'automata'.



'Su, the slime has ...... good points of the slime,' Citri said. ......'

Talia, the only alchemist, interjected, but she didn't deny Sven's words.
The Alchemist's magic, unlike the Mage's, is costly and time-consuming. It is better to spend time on other fields than on slime. That is the common understanding.

Sven looks at the glass bottle of dark liquid that hangs from his waistband.

'...... Either way, worst case scenario, we have an anti-slime potion. Best not to have a chance to use it, though.'

'We only have one bottle, so we have to be careful.'

Talia nodded, clenching her fists nervously.

The only source of information is the word of a single hunter. He didn't explain the reasoning behind it.
However, all of the people in this place were wary of that word, to whatever degree.

Not only inside the treasure house, but also in the forest where the darkness is gradually descending.

'...... Speaking of which, that guy who went into the forest a while ago--'

Did he come back?
Just as he was about to check, Sven suddenly heard a small sound.
It was so small that it was almost drowned out by the sound of the wind. It was gone in an instant, but he hadn't misheard it.

'Single shot. All hands on deck!

Sven shouts.
The sound of a single whistle signals the discovery of a demon. Was it small because they didn't have time to blow for long?

The remaining hunters in the camp formed up and quickly took up their weapons.

The investigation was already almost over.
There were three parties still inside the treasure house. Most of the hunters who had been mobilized this time were gathered in front of the Treasure Hall.

Gark grabbed his treasure, the Ice Storm Fang, and asked Sven with a grim expression.

'Hey, Sven. Where did that whistle come from?

Sven is an archer. He has good eyes and good ears.
It would have been difficult to detect the source of the sound indoors, where the sound reverberated, but there was no way he could have misheard it in this situation.

I calmed my breathing and stared at him.
The destination of his gaze was not the treasure house, but deep in the bushes where the brown-haired hunter had just headed.

'It's in the forest ......, not the treasure house. d*mn it!

The trees rustled and the earth trembled.
From the depths of the forest, I felt a shock and a sound that seemed to resonate deep in my stomach.

The sound of the whistle is no longer audible.
The sun is already setting, and even in the dimly lit, dense forest, my vision is getting worse.

The mages among the hunters each cast a light spell. A soft ball of light floats in the air, shaking off the darkness.
Two of the non-combatants from the Reliquary fall back. Sven raises his bow and points it in the direction where the sound came from.

Then, a limping figure jumps out from behind the darkness.

'It's ...... coming.

It's a brown-haired hunter. However, his face is distorted, his arms are half severed, and half gouged bones are visible. Blood is dripping down. The armor that should have covered his body was gouged out, and the sword he should have been holding was nowhere to be found.

The man rolls into the camp, and his fellow party members rush to him and pull him in, holding his body.

He's out of combat. It's not like his fingers are broken. It is impossible for him to hold a sword with his fingerless arms.

'Henrik, heal him!

'......! Yes!

At Sven's words, the Healer (Writer) Henrik rushed over.
He looked at the scar with a serious expression and was stunned.

Both arms looked as if they had been gouged and torn, wounds that could not have been caused by a normal attack.
The cross-section was distorted as if it had been twisted, and even if the arms were still there, it was doubtful that they could be stitched.

Sven didn't know either.
He had fought many demons in his life, but what kind of attack could cause such a wound?

Gradually, the sound of collapse approached. It was as if a large demonic beast was approaching, forcibly snapping the trees.

A faint white light spreads from the palm of Henrik's hand.
His arm, which had been popping bones and dripping blood, quickly heaved, and the scar closed up as if it were wrapped in flesh.
The blood stops. But the lost hand does not return.

The brown-haired hunter cries out in a hoarse voice as he is healed by magic.

It's not a ...... thing! What the hell is that--we're caught in it. Get away from it! Run!

In the event that you've got a lot of time, you'll be able to take a look at the best way to make sure you're getting the most out of your time.


Then, as the hunters waited in readiness, a monster emerged from the depths of the forest.

Sven's eyes widen in shock as he sees the figure illuminated under the magical light.

'Sla............ im?



It looked far different from any creature Sven and the others had ever fought.

It made few footsteps, but if you listened carefully, you could hear strange footsteps, like wet heavy things crawling across the earth.
His body was large. In terms of height, he was probably bigger than Sven.

A humanoid with a crimson body. His body is larger than Sven's, but his form is more like a mass than a mighty figure.

'Are you ...... melting ......?

Thalia gasped at the strange sight and stepped back.

With those words, Sven realized that the creature in front of him resembled the apparition that appeared in this treasure house.

The original form was already almost gone.
But if he had to describe it, he would say it was a "Melted Wolf Knight".

More than half of its arms, legs, fur, and armor were melted, and it was almost collapsed, as if it could not maintain its posture.
However, the only thing that remained clearly visible were its glowing golden eyes, which reflected the hunters waiting for it.

A creature with a liquid body.
To be sure, it could be called a slime.

But its appearance was too violent to be called that.
Slime is such a creature, but this thing in front of me is a life form that has failed to build a body.

There was nothing left in the monster's path.

A part of its almost liquefied shoulder touches a tree. Just like that, the tree it touches snaps and falls to pieces.
It's not magic. You didn't attack it. It was just a touch.



The surface of the body, unsure whether it was blood or flesh, bubbled up. One of the investigators widens his eyes to the limit and presses his mouth shut at the sheer ugliness of it.

Its legs are not fast. They are fast enough for a wounded hunter to escape.
One of the hunters mutters as he slowly retreats.

'Are you dying?

'No, no! Ever since I encountered it, it's been--'

It's the enemy that has been trying to dispatch the clan's strongest hero.

Suddenly, such words passed through my mind. Sven drew his bow wide and shouted.


'All of you, begin the attack! Let's get some distance and kill it from a distance! Cry, what kind of slime is this? You've got to be kidding me!