Under Rache-san’s guidance, we returned to the fields outside the city. The area seemed unchanged, with no apparent damage caused by the Shiny Gold Slime that had escaped us earlier. I wondered for a moment if it might be harmless as long as we didn't provoke it, but that was probably wishful thinking. By their very nature, dungeon monsters were aggressive.
"So, how exactly are we going to find this slime?" I asked.
"I’ll leave that to Tort, nya! We’re going to try the same method you used to call it out last time, nya!"
"Wait, but the Attraction Slip is an item that draws in monsters at random, you know?"
"Hmm, let's just give it a shot anyway, nya. I have a feeling it’ll work out somehow, nya."
I was tempted to point out how ridiculous that sounded, but strangely enough, I also felt like we could manage it. Halfa was nodding in agreement, and the rest of the party seemed to think we had a decent chance of success as well. So much for the concept of "random"...
And so, we decided to start using Attraction Slips. Predictably, we didn't lure it out on the first try, but we didn't let that discourage us. We simply changed locations and tried again. If the Golden Slime wasn't within the item's range, there was nothing we could do.
Finally, on our fourth attempt...
"It's here!"
"Nyaa! This is definitely a Golden Slime, nya! I wonder what it’ll drop, nya!"
Just like before, the creature appeared in a brilliant flash of light.
Rache-san grinned and settled into a combat stance. She was a martial artist, wielding claws on both hands—a style quite rare among adventurers.
If her assessment was correct, this thing was definitely a Golden Slime. It was a monster bestowed with troublesome special abilities. Normally, the appearance of such a creature on the First Floor would be an alarming development, but Rache-san’s interest seemed focused entirely on its drop items. I suppose she figured the threat would vanish once we killed it anyway.
Before we had activated the slips, we’d asked the people working the nearby fields to move away temporarily. Even if she was only acting in the role, they seemed to recognize Rache-san as the Guild Master; they had readily agreed to cooperate.
"Waf!"
As before, Shiroru launched the first attack. However, her strike failed to connect with the slime's body. Halfa’s follow-up attack met the same fate.
"Mnyaa... It certainly has some strange abilities, doesn't it, nya?"
"Please be careful! It has an attack that fires black arrows!"
"That's right, nya. Oh, is it starting already, nya?"
Just as I urged Rache-san to be cautious, the Shiny Gold Slime’s body swelled. It was the omen of its shadow arrow attack. Without a moment's delay, the generated projectile flew straight toward us. Or rather, it was coming straight for me!
"It's not that fast if you know it's coming, nya."
I was desperately scrambling to dodge, but that was Rache-san’s take on the situation. That aside, why was I being targeted again? I suppose it was better than Halfa or Spira being the mark; there was a chance they wouldn't be able to evade it in time.
Fortunately, we had already established a countermeasure for the shadow arrow. I just had to use an Attraction Slip to draw in a Normal Slime and use it as a shield.
However, just as I pulled one in, Rache-san called for me to wait.
"I have something I want to try, nya! Hold off on that slime for a second, nya!"
Saying so, Rache-san crouched low and thrust her claws into the earth. She kicked up a spray of dirt toward the returning shadow arrow. The clods of earth formed a makeshift wall to block its path—but the shadow arrow passed through the dirt as if it weren't even there.
"Whoa!"
Caught off guard, I threw myself into a roll, slime in hand, to evade the arrow. It seemed Rache-san wanted to test if physical obstacles could stop the projectile, but even solid earth couldn't slow its momentum. In fact, it seemed to simply permeate through physical matter.
"Nya? It phases through walls, nya? That’s more troublesome than I thought, nya! Tort, that’s enough, nya!"
"Understood!"
This time, I threw the Normal Slime directly at the shadow arrow. The projectile and the slime collided and vanished simultaneously. I finally breathed a sigh of relief.
"That arrow is a pain, nya... We’d better finish this slime off quickly, nya."
An arrow that could track its target while phasing through non-living objects was difficult even for someone of Rache-san's caliber to handle. Depending on its power, one could consider simply tanking the hit, but seeing how the slime I used as a decoy had crumbled into a mess, the risk was far too great. Ultimately, calling out a stream of decoys with the slips was the easiest solution.
Reflecting on our previous encounter, the party members who weren't being targeted didn't stop their assault even after the shadow arrow was fired. Thanks to that pressure, the Shiny Gold Slime was unable to escape. However, it continued to hold its ground with its barrier and swift evasive maneuvers.
That said, the momentum shifted once an A-Rank adventurer joined the fray. Apparently, Rache-san’s attacks were not hindered by the barrier. The Shiny Gold Slime dodged her initial claw strike, but Rache-san’s assault didn't end there. As if she had predicted its movement, a follow-up strike from her left hand closed in on the exact spot the creature had retreated to.
"Nyaa!"
With a loud metallic clank, her claws sliced into the golden body. Deep scars were carved into its surface, but the area around the wounds writhed like liquid and sealed up instantly.
"Its durability is the same as a normal Golden Slime, nya! If we keep the pressure on, it’ll eventually shrivel up and vanish, nya!"
I had initially suspected it had regenerative abilities, but that didn't seem to be the case. Now that she mentioned it, the Shiny Gold Slime did look a bit smaller than it had been a moment ago.
After that, our victory was all but guaranteed as long as we steadily accumulated damage. Lowell, Spira, and Rache-san focused on the offense, while Halfa provided support with her Singing Magic. My job was to prepare decoy slimes and intercept the shadow arrows. Shiroru helped out by finding nearby slimes and bringing them to my feet in her mouth.
For some reason, the slime targeted me persistently. Aside from me, it only went after Halfa and Shiroru—the three of us whose attacks were blocked by the barrier. I wondered what the connection was. It did make it easier to intercept the arrows with decoys since I was the target, though.
The Shiny Gold Slime continued to resist stubbornly, but it couldn't withstand the fierce onslaught of the three attackers forever. Its body was gradually shaved away. The finishing blow came, as expected, from Rache-san. When the claws of her right hand sank deep into the golden body, the slime dissolved into a black mist and vanished.
Was the situation resolved for now?
We still didn't know why a special individual was appearing on the First Floor, so this wasn't a fundamental solution. But there was nothing we could do about that without a long-term investigation.
"Let's head back to the guild for now... Rache-san?"
I turned to call out to her, but Rache-san was acting strange. Her gaze was unfocused, staring into the empty air.
"Who do you think you are, nya?! You’re annoying, nya!"
Suddenly, she began shouting at a patch of empty space where no one was standing.
Just what on earth had happened to Rache-san?