"—Let's go, everyone! Show them what we're made of!!"
"—Yeah!!"
The members of the Animal Gorenger roared their assent to Cheetah Mask, and the battle began.
"Take this, Metasla! Ostrich Strike! Ora-ora-ora-ora-ora-ora! Oraaa!"
Ostrich Mask took the lead. He closed the distance with explosive speed, his legs—equipped with metal greaves and sabatons—unleashing a flurry of kicks too fast for the naked eye to track.
Heavy thuds and the screech of metal-on-metal echoed through the chamber as his kicks battered the Metasla’s body, sending sparks flying in every direction. Gakin! Gakin! Gakin!
Naturally, these were no ordinary kicks. His entire body was surged with Fighting Spirit, and his legs were enveloped in the pale blue light of Fist Aura. Despite the name, Fist Aura was a skill that enhanced the feet just as effectively as the hands.
But that wasn't all. The techniques powering his Ostrich Strike—which was a personal move name rather than a formal skill—went beyond just Fighting Spirit and Fist Aura. He also utilized Combo Boost, a skill obtained from the Combo Master title. It increased his damage multiplier based on his skill level and the number of consecutive hits landed.
At maximum level, a fifty-hit combo yielded a staggering six-fold damage multiplier. At skill level one, it reached double damage at ten hits; at level two, it was triple damage at twenty hits, and so on. Best of all, this power could be unleashed without consuming a single point of HP or MP.
This is strong...! (Confirmed)
『There it is! Ostrich Mask's Ostrich Strike!』
『The combo count is through the roof!』
『Is Ostrich Mask going to solo this thing?!』
『No, wait!』
『It’s not doing anything!』
『Is that thing made of diamonds?!』
『What?! The Metasla!』
『It jumped!』
『Oh crap!』
It happened in an instant.
Ostrich Mask’s onslaught seemed to be racking up a massive combo, but the Metasla wasn't taking any damage. In fact, it barely seemed to feel the impact.
Even as it weathered the storm of kicks, the Metasla undulated its liquid-metal form and compressed itself downward.
A split second later, a heavy, cannon-like boom—Don!—shook the air as the slime leaped straight up.
"Uwooo?!"
The force of the movement deflected Ostrich Mask’s leg mid-kick, sending him stumbling.
Meanwhile, the Metasla shot upward like a literal cannonball, slamming into the high ceiling—Zudon!—and embedding itself deep into the rock.
And from there—
"This is bad!"
"Here it comes!"
Using the ceiling as a springboard, the Metasla launched itself again.
The downward leap, accelerated by gravity, was even more violent than its ascent. The Metasla plummeted toward Ostrich Mask, who had only just regained his footing. Even though he could see the slime coming, there was no time to dodge.
The Metasla’s catastrophic body slam was a hair's breadth from impact when—
"Not on my watch!"
Someone dove in front of him, bracing a large shield overhead.
It was the Animal Gorenger’s tank, dressed in a full-body koala suit—Ai-am-Koala.
"Guuuuuuuuuu!"
"Koala!"
Ai-am-Koala angled his shield at the last second, parrying the Metasla’s momentum.
The slime shot past him, its cannonball-like force driving it deep into the cave floor.
"Are you okay, Koala?!"
"Hmph, a foolish question! An attack of this level is nothing to me after a hit of Eucalyptus drink!"
Cheetah Mask shouted in concern, but Ai-am-Koala gave a confident reply, acting as if the impact against his shield had been negligible.
He had acquired the Poison Eater skill through the Poison Eater title. This unique skill granted various buffs based on the strength and type of poison when the user was afflicted by a status ailment or ingested toxic substances.
By drinking his homemade Eucalyptus juice—brewed from raw eucalyptus leaves—Ai-am-Koala could drastically boost his various stats.
However, Poison Eater didn't negate the damage from the poison itself. To master the style, one had to acquire the Poison Resistance skill separately. Even then, you had to stop at level three or four; if you maxed the resistance, your body would stop reacting to the toxins entirely, and you'd lose the buffs.
In other words, Ai-am-Koala was fighting while his own body was being ravaged by poison.
『The mobile Koala is here!』
『Ai-am-Koala is a beast!』
『Parrying an attack that blew away Arnold Oishi... his technical skill is actually insane.』
『Go, Koala! Chug that poison!』
"Hmph! Don't forget about us!"
"No matter how hard your body is, you'll break eventually if we keep hitting you! I'm going to stick to you until you drop!"
With that, Patas Monkey Mask and Pelican Man joined the fray in an all-out assault.
Utilizing the Quadrupedalism skill from his Pride of the Wild title, Patas Monkey Mask moved with a speed and agility that bewildered the Metasla. He utilized hit-and-run tactics to steadily stack damage.
The effect of Quadrupedalism was exceptional: when moving on all fours, a portion of the user's Strength was added to their Agility. At maximum skill level, simply running on all fours added fifty percent of one's Strength stat to their Agility.
Furthermore, it didn't decrease Strength to compensate. There were no downsides—unless you counted the dignity lost by being forced to run like an animal. But in the hands of Patas Monkey Mask—
"Ukiki! Try and run! No one escapes me!"
Patas Monkey Mask’s quadrupedal movement was already in the realm of the inhuman. His movements were so natural it was as if he had forgotten how to walk on two legs entirely.
The sheer agility and reaction speed granted by the skill allowed him to intercept the Metasla every time it tried to bolt. He used the knife in his hand to strike at its core, frustrating its every move. Watching him fight a monster on equal footing with nothing but a short blade... he was truly the pride of us primates.
『As expected of Patas Monkey Mask!』
『The pride of the primates!』
『So cool!』
『You’re not human anymore! You're a true Patas Monkey!』
『Wait, look!』
『It’s Pelican Man’s turn!』
"—I shall swallow you whole."
Among the eccentric members of the Animal Gorenger, Pelican Man was the most bizarre.
Opening the beak of the large pelican mask on his head, he charged at the Metasla with insane momentum, intending to swallow the slime in a single gulp—
"Gobu?!"
He failed. Miserably.
Naturally. It didn't take a genius to see that coming. It was a mask, not a real mouth. And even if he had managed to get the Metasla inside the mask, what was the plan then? Was he insane?
Pelican Man was swatted away by a casual counterattack, slamming into the cave wall before sliding down to the ground in a twitching heap.
『Pelican Maaaaaaan!』
『What are you even doing?!』
『Kick him out of the party!』
『No, wait! This is where Pelican Man shines!』
They were right.
Pelican Man hadn't been defeated for nothing. He had taken the hit on purpose.
As he lay convulsing on the ground, a sickly black mist rose from his body and surged toward the Metasla, sinking into its metallic form.
"————!!?"
The Metasla shuddered as if in shock.
This was the effect of the Blood Vengeance skill, obtained from the Obsessive title.
At maximum level, its effect was terrifying: for one minute, it reduced every stat of the opponent who dealt the damage (excluding HP and MP) by fifty percent of the damage taken in that single hit.
If he took 100 damage, every single one of the enemy's stats dropped by 50. Since this acted on base stats before they were enhanced by buffs like Hinata-san’s Bless, it was practically equivalent to a 100-point reduction against enemies using max-level Fighting Spirit.
This is strong...! (Confirmed)
However, to maximize this skill, one had to endure a massive hit without falling into an incapacitated state. It required the advanced technique of gauging the enemy's attack power and adjusting how the hit was taken, not to mention the raw courage to endure the agony of the strike. Even if you had the skill, mastering it like Pelican Man was nearly impossible.
『The debuff landed!』
『The Metasla is visibly slower!』
『I bet it’s taking more damage now too!』
『Holy crap! They might actually do this!』
『We were supposed to be cheering for Hinata-chan and Junkie-niki, but whatever! Go, Animal Gorenger! You guys are the strongest!』
With its stats crippled and its movements sluggish, the Animal Gorenger (minus one) unleashed a relentless storm of attacks.
But the most intense assault came from one man.
"Let's see if you can keep up with me!"
Cheetah Mask was a blur.
He was fast—so fast he left even the pride of the primates, Patas Monkey Mask, in the dust. It made sense; no primate could hope to outrun a cheetah.
Cheetah Mask circled the Metasla with such velocity that he produced afterimages, his rapier flashing as he darted in and out. His hit-and-run cycles were so rapid they merged into a single, continuous, blinding assault.
Gigigigigigigigigigigigiginnnnnn!
The screech of metal and a shower of sparks filled the air.
Why was he so fast? Was it just because he was a "cheetah"? No. The answer lay in his skill.
—The Idaten skill.
It was the evolution of the Fleet-footed skill Hinata possessed. To obtain it, one had to max out both Fleet-footed and Fighting Spirit. Its effect: "Increase Agility by (30 x Skill Level). Consume (Skill Level) HP every 10 seconds."
Unlike Fleet-footed, which was a constant passive, this was an active boost. At maximum level, it increased Agility by 150. When combined with Fighting Spirit and the base bonus from Fleet-footed, his Agility reached at least 400.
In reality, Cheetah Mask’s base stats were likely much higher than the minimum requirements, making his actual speed even more terrifying.
However, mastering Idaten was incredibly difficult. Very few explorers bothered with it because it only enhanced Agility. To move at such speeds without tripping or dying if you hit a wall, you needed high Dexterity and Constitution to compensate. Usually, this meant dumping Status Points into those stats or acquiring Mind Concentration to boost the Dexterity stat.
But doing that devoured resources. A speedster who spent all their points on balance ended up being fast but powerless.
An explorer chosen for the Special Crisis Case wouldn't settle for being a mere distraction. Cheetah Mask had indeed invested in Constitution and Dexterity, and he had maxed out Life Magic just to get Mind Concentration, which he had also maxed.
The trade-off was that his only offensive skill was Sword Aura, and his Strength stat was famously underdeveloped.
And yet—he was anything but weak.
"Hah-ha! Let me teach you, Metasla-kun! Speed is power! Speed itself is destruction!"
Gyariiiinnnnnn!
The sound of Cheetah Mask’s next strike was different from all the others.
The damage had spiked. The secret was the Fastest and Strongest skill, obtained from his Top Runner title.
Its effect was simple: "Can be activated when Agility is the highest stat. During activation, the Strength stat becomes equal to the Agility stat." It was the ultimate expression of his philosophy. Cheetah Mask didn't need to train his Strength; he just needed to be faster.
However, the skill had a strict limit. At level one, it lasted ten seconds. At level ten, it lasted fifty. Once that time was up, it had a one-hour cooldown. It was a one-shot trump card.
This was his finishing move.
Enveloped in the red and blue auras of Fighting Spirit and Mind Concentration, and with Sword Aura active, Cheetah Mask became a whirlwind. He bounced off the floor, the walls, and the ceiling like a high-velocity projectile.
『H-He’s too faaaaaaaaaaaaaast!』
『I can't even see him anymore!』
『Just afterimages and sparks!』
『The Metasla can't even fight back! It's just getting bounced around!』
『This is a total slaughter!』
『Are the Animal Gorenger really this strong?!』
『Who knew a gimmick sentai team could be so legit?』
『Don't you know? Gimmick builds in modern dungeons are often the strongest. Standing out like that makes it way easier to earn unique titles.』
『That... actually makes a lot of sense.』
The battle reached its fever pitch. This was high-level combat worthy of Special Crisis Case Explorers—title skills, seamless coordination, and perfectly defined roles. The victory was flawless.
The Metasla could do nothing but endure the one-sided beating.
"N-No way..."
Even Hinata-san stood there with her mouth hanging open.
『It's over.』
『Yeah. Sorry for Hinata-chan and Junkie-niki, but the Gorengers have this in the bag.』
Everyone watching was certain of the outcome.
But they had underestimated the Metasla.
The fifty-second mark passed since Cheetah Mask had activated Fastest and Strongest.
"Gasp... wheeze... sorry, guys... I'm... spent...!"
Cheetah Mask was the first to falter.
It wasn't just that Fastest and Strongest had worn off, rendering his attacks useless. To maintain Idaten, he had specialized his stats into Agility and Dexterity while keeping his Constitution at the bare minimum.
Which meant his HP and MP pools were tiny.
Between the search for the Metasla and the intense mana drain from maintaining Fighting Spirit, Mind Concentration, and Sword Aura simultaneously, he was running on fumes.
And it wasn't just his stats that were exhausted.
"Wheeze... can't... breathe...!"
His mask covered his entire face down to his mouth. Trying to perform superhuman maneuvers for fifty seconds straight in that thing was a recipe for suffocation. Even a high-level explorer had limits to their stamina, and he had been pushing his to the absolute brink.
『Take off the mask then!』
『You're passing out because you're wearing that stupid thing!』
『What are you doing?!』
With the primary attacker out of commission, the tide turned instantly. One minute had passed since the start of the battle. Which meant—
『Oh crap! Pelican Man’s debuff wore off!』
The Blood Vengeance effect expired, and the Metasla’s stats returned to their terrifying baseline.
With Cheetah Mask down and the debuff gone, the Metasla—which had been a punching bag until now—finally had the opening it needed to strike back.
The slime slammed the ground with incredible force and leaped like a cannonball. Its target: the man in the koala suit, Ai-am-Koala.
Koala braced himself, raising his shield. With his technical skill, a frontal attack like this should have been manageable, even from a Metasla—
"Gwaaaaaaah!"
『K-Koalaaa!』
『What happened?!』
『He missed the parry!』
『Why?!』
He hadn't missed. He had simply been overwhelmed. The Metasla was pure metal. Even if it was only the size of a dog, it weighed over a hundred kilograms. A mass like that, moving at the speed of a projectile, possessed unbelievable kinetic energy.
Ai-am-Koala was sent tumbling across the floor, shield and all. When he finally came to a stop, he didn't get back up.
He wasn't dead, or even necessarily hit for full HP. The problem was different.
"So... hot... reached my... limit..."
He had overheated.
Between the poison ravaging his body—which his immune system was fighting by spiking his internal temperature—and the exertion of the battle, his body heat had climbed to dangerous levels inside that thick costume. He had collapsed from sheer heatstroke.
『IT’S BECAUSE OF THE COSTUME!』
『TAKE IT OFF!』
『At least use a mask instead of a full suit!』
『Has the eucalyptus juice rotted your brain?!』
The main attacker and the tank were both down. Only Patas Monkey Mask and Ostrich Mask remained.
"Ora-ora-ora-ora-ora-ora-ora-ora-ora-ora-ora-ora! Oraaa!"
Even with half the party gone, Ostrich Mask didn't flinch. He continued his desperate attempt to stack his combo.
But against a Metasla that could actually fight back, the result was inevitable.
"—Hidebu?!"
『Ostrich Mask!』
『Why didn't you dodge?!』
『Are you a bird-brain?! DODGE!』
A heavy counter-blow from the Metasla caught Ostrich Mask square in the gut. He was sent flying into the wall, sliding down into a heap. His hand reached out as if to say he could still fight, but it fell limp before it could grasp anything.
"Ukii?! O-Ostrich Mask?! C-Cheetah Mask?! Everyone?!"
Patas Monkey Mask was left standing alone.
He looked around frantically for help, but there was no one left. In front of him, the Metasla undulated, extending a part of its body into a long, whip-like tentacle.
It gave the tentacle a casual flick.
Zudon!
The floor shattered under the weight of the strike—an impact far heavier than such a thin appendage suggested. The strike was so fast it was a blur.
Patas Monkey Mask knew he couldn't dodge the next one. His spirit broke.
He shook his head frantically, backing away.
"S-Stop! Please... don't hurt me...!"
The Metasla’s response was swift.
Byun! Bejin!
"Hagyoo!"
A single flash of the tentacle.
Patas Monkey Mask was sent skipping across the floor like a stone over water. By the time he stopped rolling, he was motionless. His monkey mask stared blankly at the ceiling with a sorrowful expression of total defeat.
『No way...』
『The Animal Gorenger got wiped...』
『The Metasla took all that and it's still fine?!』
The battle was over. The Gorengers had lost; the Metasla had won.
If this had been a video game, the slime would have died ten times over. In games, metal slimes always have low HP.
But this wasn't a game. In the reality of modern dungeons, high Constitution didn't just mean high defense—it meant a massive pool of HP.
The Metasla didn't just have high armor; it had a staggering amount of health. The Animal Gorenger simply hadn't possessed the raw damage output to finish the job.
"—Cheetah Mask."
A second after the fight ended, I stepped forward and addressed the man gasping on the floor.
"J-Junkie-niki-kun...?"
"We'll take it from here."
"M-Mm... fine... but be careful... it's going to run—"
"I know."
The Metasla, having finished off its challengers, began to spin like a wheel and bolted with incredible speed. Naturally, it headed in the opposite direction of Hinata and me.
However—
"Didn't you know?"
I wasn't about to let it go.
The Metasla, mid-sprint, suddenly screeched to a halt—Zuzaaaa!—kicking up a massive cloud of dust as if it had hit an invisible wall.
"W-What happened?!"
"It stopped?!"
"Why?!"
Cheetah Mask, Pelican Man, and Ai-am-Koala spoke in unison.
Before their stunned eyes, the Metasla trembled, vibrating as if it were struggling against some unseen force. Then, it gave a frustrated hop—Poyon—and turned back to face us.
The reason it had stopped running was simple.
"There is no escape from a leveling fanatic."
The Maximum Aggro generated by my Asceticism and Mark of Death skills was enough to override even the Metasla’s instinct to flee.