Chapter 19: Forced to Cooperate?

-----

"Guuboo!"

The Blood Slime released a bloodthirsty aura as it extended its body as much as it could. Slimes would often use this strategy to look bigger than they really are, intimidating its prey or those that tried to prey upon them.

However, for Veronica, it was revealing its weak spot to her, the ruby-like Slime Core.

"You can't intimidate me with that, you're wide open!"

Bracing her fist with her mana, Veronica swiftly released a series of Unarmed Fighting Techniques, receiving the powerful blows from the Slime's tentacles with the help of her Shield. Her arms and shield were being constantly dissolved and healed back by using 'Armory', but through the ocean of red and slimy liquid, she saw the Slime Core.

"Spear Attack!"

Shaping her hands as if they were a sharp lance with the claws in her fingers, Veronica used her powerful strength to pierce the Slime's Core in half!

Clack!

"Bugyaa…!"

The Blood Slime shrieked in pain as it suddenly fell over the ground, motionless.

[Experience Points have reached the required level!]

[Individual 'Rank' has increased from level 22 to level 25!]

[Furthermore, the Individual's 'Job' has increased from level 22 to level 25!]

"Haah… I did it…"

Veronica stopped wasting Mana into healing herself with 'Armory' and decided to quickly gather the Slimes Cores to use 'Absorption Healing' and get some free Health Points back.

She could not get any material through 'Armory' from the already assimilated ones, but from the Dark Slime Core, she planned on using it in her armor again.

[Dark Slime Core], [Blood Slime Core], and [Toxic Green Slime Core] Materials Successfully Absorbed; Health Points Restored]

[Please choose equipment to discard or synthesize into]

[The material [Dark Slime Core] and the [Toxic Cursed Crimson Living Armor] equipment have been synthesized into the [Venomous Crimson Dusk Living Armor] equipment!]

Her armor changed very slightly, with some small sturdiness being acquired, alongside a small purple jewel in the area of her belly armor.

But before Veronica could even take a break, she heard the roars and shrieks of creatures spawning from within the nearby corridors, attracted by the noises. She had to quickly leave. The only route that appeared before her was the stairs going above.

"I need to run, I cannot fight that many monsters… and those roars, they weren't just Slimes or Crabs…" thought Veronica, quickly going upstairs while using 'Charge' to enhance her speed momentarily. Her mana had been depleted heavily through this fight, so she wanted a moment to recover it.

Due to having a large pool of Mana, it also recovered faster. The more mana one has, the larger the amount recovered per minute.

Mana recovery increases by raising one's Magic and Mana stat, there are no other options. The only skill capable of increasing the efficiency of mana recovery is the 'Augmented Mana Regeneration' Skill, which Veronica had in her previous life, the only skill that she inherited from her father.

Inheritance of skills in Kritias was a common thing. Usually strong pairs would create strong children, and through this, higher castes of Demons, Humans, Elves, Dwarves, and Beastmen were created. The stronger had children with the stronger, and their families were filled with talents.

However, unlike her deceased siblings that she never met, she only inherited one skill from both her father and mother in her second life.

And she was not able to bring it with her… the only way to learn such a skill was naturally, and there was not any clear condition to obtain it other than 'constantly regenerate mana'.

Veronica thought that she will have to constantly spend her mana so it's always regenerating, hoping for the skill to one day pop up.

Reaching the next two floors, Veronica came across the Blue Slime on two occasions, in each one, it ran away from her. It was seemingly trying to evade her by using 'Stealth' and pretending to be water in the ground, but Veronica detected it and tried to kill it the two times it encountered it.

"This damned Blue Slime is actively trying to provoke me! And perhaps it is plotting to call upon strong monsters to get rid of me… as it did before with the Slimes. It is awfully intelligent for being a Rank 1 monster, and it has a strange skill such as 'Stealth', that shouldn't even be possessed by a weak monster like it"

Veronica expressed her thoughts to Shade, who grimaced.

"Sometimes, strange monsters with skills never seen before are born, that Blue Slime must be one of them… You are also an exception over exceptions… but your soul is strange…" muttered Shade, having become slightly more talkative.

"Hm, you're already suspecting it? Don't you?" asked Veronica.

"Indeed, you are a reincarnated soul, aren't you? Were you an elf before? How did your soul come to this gloomy and damp dungeon…?" asked Shade, his interest in Veronica was growing.

"I used to be a Demon, but my mother was an Elf. And about the rest, I do not know how I came here" said Veronica through her thoughts, using the 'spirit language' that could be transmitted to a befriended spirit.

Veronica had omitted a lot of important information such as this being her third reincarnation and coming from Earth. However, her words were the truth nonetheless, and Shade did not detect any malicious intentions in her.

"I see…"

"Is this world named Kritias?" asked Veronica.

"Hm? Don't you tell me that you do not know the name of the world we live in? Well, I didn't know either a few years ago, other spirits told me…" muttered Shade.

"So it's really… Kritias…"

Veronica had finally confirmed her theory, she had already thought that she was in a world similar to Kritias due to dungeons and spirits existing, but this was further confirmed with Shade.

She had either reincarnated in Kritias' future or was sent to another parallel world in Kritias.

Veronica assumed that she was in Kritias's future because she hasn't seen the greenery and lively environment of the outside world, unlike the Kritias she came from in her second life, which ecosystem was destroyed due to the war of the gods.

"Will you accompany me to the outside world, Shade? I want to meet with someone special" said Veronica.

"Someone special… who could it be? Another reincarnated elf?" asked Shade.

"Yes, something like that"

"Hmm… As long as you feed me your delicious dark mana, I am fine with anything" muttered Shade.

"I'm glad to know that I will still have you as my companion when we leave this place. And what do you mean by Dark Mana?" asked Veronica.

"Your soul… it has turned completely dark. I have never seen such a dark soul before in this dungeon. You are a strange monster, and the mana created from that dark soul has a special taste for me, that's all" said Shade.

"I see… my soul used to be yellow, but it turned dark when I evolved into a Cursed Living Armor. Perhaps it was tainted by the 'Curse' from the race title name?" asked Veronica.

"It could be…" answered Shade, with a fading voice, as it shrouded itself in Veronica's shadows within her hollow body.

"Hey! Talk more with me…"

"I am going to rest for a bit… For now, you are by yourself. You can still cast spells if necessary, but don't bother me" muttered Shade, even Spirits, who were made entirely out of Mana needed to rest sometimes.

"Alright, good night. Strangely, I do not need to sleep either eat now… It feels quite dull, sleeping and eating were always some nice things to look up for in life" thought Veronica, in her first life, she always enjoyed a slow life, even though she had no friends. She liked to take long naps and eat delicious junk food to pass the time while reading the newest Light Novels.

More than seventeen years had passed since then, she missed her years on Earth, and always recalled those good times that she did not appreciate that much back then.

For a moment Veronica was clouded with memories, but she quickly moved them away. She did not need to recall such things inside a dungeon, where any distraction could be fatal. She kept walking while being highly alert of her surroundings, reaching the stairs to the next floor.

As she moved while being shrouded in shadows, she saw the Blue Slime once again! It was… being almost killed by three other monsters. They resembled giant centipedes covered entirely in iron, copper, or silver carapace, their jaws clashing with strength and drooling corrosive saliva.

"Bloob…!" the Blue Slime saw Veronica and rushed towards her, hiding inside of her Armor!

"Hey! You rascal! Get out so I can kill you!"

"Gishaaaa!"

However, the three centipedes took notice of her and her delicious armor, their eyes gleaming in a voracious light.

"Veronica, ignore it! For now, it seems to be frightened…! Fight…!" shouted Shade.

Veronica did not have much time to think things out, as the three giant centipedes were faster than her. However, through this course of events, she seems to have met a new and unexpected ally.

She could not run either; the giant insects were closing in and would most likely munch her torso into pieces if she were to give them her back!

"You rascal, you better help me out if you want to survive this…!" muttered Veronica.

The Blue Slime which was quivering inside of her hollow and metallic body waved its liquid body, its small, blue-colored core shined in a determined light.

"Bloob!"

-----