Chapter 57

Han Sang-ah looked as if she might collapse flat on her back at any moment.

“Are you planning to spread out a blanket and sleep here or something?”

― There’s no blanket.

Hearing her answer, I pulled her up to her feet. How could she be ready to drop over something like this?

What, did she think once we entered the Erosion Core a group of handsome men and beautiful women would pop champagne to welcome us?

One way or another we had managed to adapt to this wretched gimmick. Now we had the confidence that even if the roles switched again, we could overcome it.

“0135. I see a button. It’s not a trap.”

At my words, Han Sang-ah made a doubtful expression.

― Not a trap, not spawning a monster, and suddenly a button. That’s way too suspicious.

“Agreed.”

Whatever that button was for, it was hard to believe it would benefit us. Yet this vast space had no more changes, as if it had nothing else prepared for us.

In the end, we had to press it.

The moment Han Sang-ah pressed the button, we were pulled somewhere again and I found myself in another place.

“…What’s this now?”

I quickly scanned around. There were five stone slabs, each a different color.

― Hey, can you hear me?

It was Han Sang-ah’s voice. I noticed on the table, a small device like a walkie-talkie. I picked it up and spoke.

“Do you hear me?”

― I hear you. I’m facing off against slimes right now.

As soon as she spoke, a large hole opened in the ceiling with a rattling sound. Slimes dropped to the floor one after another. There were more than ten, each of one of five colors.

I gripped my spear and raised the Paradoxical Flame.

“Tell me what your situation looks like.”

― There are five slabs. Each has a symbol inscribed on it. And… I see some strange device. Looks like thick pipes connected to a machine. What’s that supposed to be?

Dodging slime attacks, I looked around and saw a pipe as well. Was she seeing the same kind perhaps?

“I think the pipe here is connected to yours.”

Beneath the pipe was a device that something could be slotted into.

And a bit further away, I saw empty tanks and faucets. There were five faucets, each with a symbol carved above it.

My head was starting to hurt. Just what was this supposed to be?

“There’s a tank and faucets here. Something is filling up in the tank now.”

― My attacks aren’t working on the slimes. I can block, but everything I throw at them has no effect.

I had a feeling that would happen. It felt similar to the gimmick I’d experienced on Tsushima Island. But this was no simple dice puzzle.

I thought quickly. The slimes’ colors, the colors of the slabs in my room, and the symbols Han Sang-ah had on hers.

“God damn it.”

How could I not curse in this situation? The slimes were already giving me more than enough trouble.

“You said there are five slabs with symbols. Tell me the leftmost one.”

After a moment of looking, Han Sang-ah answered.

― A heart.

After her words, I checked the leftmost slab here. It was blue.

Looking around my slabs, I found one with a heart engraved.

Grabbing a tank, I set it under the pipe marked with a heart, then turned the valve. Sticky liquid filled the tank.

― Can you tell me what you’re doing right now?

“Handling business. Just wait a bit!”

Once the tank was full, I connected it to the pipe. With a gurgle the liquid was sucked up.

― Oh, the machine on my side lit up. There’s a button. Should I press it?

“Yeah. Hurry.”

She quickly added more information.

― The machine is running. I see a gauge with five colors. When the machine runs, the needle moves.

So that’s what this is huh. I shouted at once.

“When the needle points to blue, stop the machine!”

― Got it.

Now I completely understood what was happening. I had to supply the correct fuel according to the symbols in her room.

Then Han Sang-ah would run the machine, watch the gauge, and stop it on the color of my slab.

Only if we succeeded at all of that…

“Die, you damned blobs.”

The attack would actually work on the slimes of that color.

― Hey, when I stop the machine the needle drops down.

“Oh great.”

To keep the needle on a color she would have to constantly stop and restart the machine.

― We’re almost out of fuel!

And I would have to keep resupplying it. This was madness.

“So this is how different a class one really is.”

I never imagined a gimmick could be this miserable.

And I considered the worst-case scenario and spoke to Han Sang-ah.  

“This might change symbols and colors periodically.”

If they didn’t match exactly with the slimes, we couldn’t deal damage to them. Which meant if they kept shifting… we’d have to keep coordinating nonstop.

And soon the slabs began to glow faintly, then their symbols swapped.

“Why do my worst thoughts always become true, ugh.”

Could it not be wrong for once? This was truly the worst.

“Tell me what changed.”

― Okay, let me check.

We began exchanging rapid reports over the comm. Without that, we could do nothing.

― Fuel’s under twenty percent.

“Damn it, hold on. I’ll refill it soon.”

A massive tentacle swiped over my head. Checking the changing colors, I kept calling them out to Han Sang-ah.

“What the, did the color change?”

― Sorry, I was a bit late. You’ll be able to attack again soon.

How many times did we repeat the process of supplying the right fuel, Han Sang-ah watching the gauge, then striking the slimes? Slimes kept dropping from above, and their numbers showed no sign of dwindling.

“How long is this going to go on for?”

― Fuel, clover….

I shoved in the fuel she named, dodged a tentacle, and thrust my spear. The Paradoxical Flame burned through the slime’s body.

“You okay? You sound tired.”

― I’m fine for now.

For now huh. That phrase bothered me a bit. Obviously if either of us died here it was over. This damned gimmick was perfectly designed for exactly two people.

“Ugh, finally…”

After hours of battle, we finished off the last slime. Its body collapsed like water, and the fight ended.

“What’s next?”

With a creak, a door formed in the wall.

― Before we go, can we rest a little?

“Yeah, that’s wise. That place reeks of trouble.”

From beyond the door, white frost spilled out. The mana radiating from it was immense.

“I thought a class one Erosion Core would be bigger.”

Hunters had said the scale inside a class one was nothing like a class two.

― But Bratsk’s Refrigerator only lets two in. Maybe it doesn’t need to be huge?  

True. No need for size when the last room was already enough misery. I’d bet that if two strong Hunters had charged in laughing, they’d have been crushed instantly.

“It feels like that’s the final room.”

The mana seeping from beyond the door was of another dimension compared to the slimes.

‘At the lowest it’s wyvern-level. At the highest, on par with a titled-class demon.’

Whatever was behind that door deserved such names.

At my current level, it would be brutal. After resting and talking with Han Sang-ah, I headed through the door.

“…Still no sign they intend to let us reunite huh.”

Han Sang-ah was absent. Instead there was a woman.

On a delicate icy throne atop a staircase sat a woman with skin white as snow. A crystal crown rested on her silver hair, and she wore a blue dress with eyes closed.

A doll seated on a throne, hands folded, eyes shut.

― Not sure what it’s like on your side, but I see a massive slime over thirty meters. It boils and bubbles. A human’s face forms in its ooze and vanishes repeatedly, and all of them are screaming.

Lucky me, at least I wasn’t getting the visual horror.

“Not even going to greet someone that just entered your room?”

The doll-like woman opened her eyes as soon as I spoke. Blue light shone from them, frost stormed around me, and my body heat was stolen away.

“What the,”

Above my head, a small thermometer appeared.

The red liquid inside it began sinking. What did that mean?

― The big slime is… excreting smaller slimes like droppings.

“What a charming way to put it.”

Anyway, the important part wasn’t that… but the thermometer that was floating above my head.

“Feels like it’s measuring temperature from what I can tell.”

Do I have to kill that thing before it completely drops to zero? Judging by its pace, in under three minutes it would hit zero.

“Shit.”

As the numbers on the thermometer slowly began to drop, I immediately understood what it meant.

“It’s my temperature.”

If it emptied I’d die. As I realized it, the woman on the throne stretched out her hand.

Countless ice shards bloomed like flowers in the air, forming into spears.

“Han Sang-ah, looks like it’s on you to do something.”

I spoke through the comm while raising the Paradoxical Flame.

― Again?

“My body heat is dropping by the second. When it hits zero, I’ll be dead.”

There seemed no way for me to raise it myself. Which meant Han Sang-ah had to have the means.

“For fucks sake, I’m going to go insane!”

My spear left trails as it moved, intercepting and dodging the rain of ice spears. But no sweat broke on my skin.

Instead, I was gradually growing colder.

It was proof my temperature was tied entirely to the gauge. Then, the thermometer above my head rose slightly.

“How did you do that?”

― I killed one of the little slimes the big one pooped out.

It seemed a bit too simple this time. She just had to fight slimes, while I faced this monster?

But it probably wasn’t that easy.

“Control how many you kill.”

― What do you mean?

When the thermometer first appeared, it wasn’t at the top. It was at mid-level. A human’s body becomes weak if its temperature rises or falls even a single degree.

― So I have to adjust the rate of killing slimes to keep your body temperature stable?

“Exactly.”

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