Kays Translations

Chapter 43: Tomb of Death ② – Curse Slime

Early morning.
We left the abandoned village and wandered through the withered grasslands.

The sky remained in a constant state of twilight—without a Day-Night Stone, anyone would go insane.

The plain of dead grass stretched on endlessly, dull and uninteresting.
We kicked aside Bone Wolves, Bone Boars, and Bone Rabbits as we went.

Juicy-san did most of the work, actively chasing down and defeating them.
It made me a little nervous, wondering when she’d come back carrying one in her mouth.

“They’re all inedible, huh.”
“Well, we’ve got plenty of food in our pouches anyway.”

Agaro-san’s pouch holds enough to fill a warehouse.
Though more than half of it is alcohol.

“Yeah, I get it. I really do,”

Even the witch’s pouch—its capacity unknown—contains food, six comfy sofas for red and black tails, medicinal herbs, and more.

She probably has a ton of unnecessary junk in there too. Who knows what for.
She’s got a collector’s habit. She even picked up undead bones to keep.

Eventually, we saw a broken tower.
It was once part of some facility—snapped in half, debris scattered everywhere.
Something massive was moving near it. What is that… a slime?

A gigantic, semi-transparent black slime slithered around, absorbing skulls and zombies.
Inside its body, faint red letters were engraved, and various objects floated around.
Does this slime have a collecting habit too? Or is it just an indiscriminate eater—or a cursed one?

“A slime?”
“Na?”
“Uh-uh, i-it’s eating the undead!”
“Hmm, oh my, oh dear. That’s a Curse Slime.”
“One of those cursed things, huh.”
“Exactly. It’s a slime created by the followers of Yomido who feed on the undead.”
“A man-made monster, then.”
“Look closely at the writing inside it. Those are curse runes. Making one is easy—you just feed a regular slime a relic plate with a cursed relic on it. That turns it into a Curse Slime.”

“They use relic plates for that?”

That’s a bit extravagant.
But I guess slimes are uniquely suited for it.

“Whoa, I’ve never seen one before. A Curse Slime.”
“Even you, Agaro-san?”

Surprising. Agaro-san scratched at his eyepatch.

“Of course. This is my first time in the Tomb of Death. Who the hell would willingly enter a dungeon this horrible?”

He gave the witch a sarcastic look. True enough. She gave a wry smile.

“Uh-uh, I can’t see any weaknesses at all.”
“So, it’s stronger than Juicy-san?”

Juicy-san’s relic, [Weakness Revealer], only works on enemies weaker than herself.

“Even so, that thing’s way too big. Curse Slimes are normally the same size as regular slimes. That one’s probably a subspecies.”
“A subspecies? I thought that was the normal size. No way I’m fighting that thing. That’s insane.”
“Uh… Agaro-san. Look inside the tower.”

We saw it. The ruined tower had no door.
So we could clearly see the stairs going down inside.

“…You’re kidding me.”
“Oh my, oh my. There are stairs in there.”

There might be other stairs elsewhere, but this dried grassland is way bigger than it looks.
We don’t have time to waste searching—especially since we’re still in the upper levels.

“Uh-uh! There’s a treasure chest inside the Curse Slime!”
“Huh? Oh, you’re right.”
“Na!”

There was a box inside the Curse Slime.
A metal chest decorated ornately—clearly a treasure chest.

“Oh my, in a place like that.”
“There’s a staircase and a treasure chest… hmm.”

Just to be safe, I used [Wheel of Fortune] to check the chest.
Whoa, it’s yellow.
That troublesome super rare tier that’s been causing issues for me lately.
My excitement dropped. Ugh, a bothersome yellow.

The witch winked at me like a courtesan. What’s your deal?
Ah, right—she wants to know the rarity.

“That’s a pretty good chest.”
“Woof. You know what’s inside?”
“Yes, it’s something good. Glowing yellow.”
“Hmm, I see.”
“Hey, isn’t that gold? Or is it just the decoration?”
“Uh-uh, woof! I’m excited to see what’s inside!”
“Na!”

Juicy-san was assuming we’d get it.
Sure, I’m curious too.

Agaro-san asked the witch:

“Do you know the Curse Slime’s weakness?”
“Of course, of course. Holy water and healing-based items. But be careful—if it’s too strong, it’ll burst. So moderate holy water or potions are best. Oh, and no fire—it’ll explode.”
“Agaro-san, are we seriously fighting it?”
“Yeah. Ignoring a treasure chest isn’t something an explorer does.”
“Also, normal blades melt in contact with it.”

That’s dangerous.
I figured my Elixir Knife might work—though using an Elixir might make it explode.

“So, how are we supposed to fight it?”
“Oh my, oh my. Agaro the ‘Annihilation blade’—have you forgotten how to fight slimes?”
“Huh? Slimes—you break the core and… ah. So it has a core too.”
“Uh-uh, woof! I found the core. But… it’s tricky.”
“Tricky? That’s the core?”
“Hmm-hmm. I see now.”
“…Why?”
“Na?”

The core Juicy-san found was easy to identify once pointed out.
Above the treasure chest, where the skulls clustered, it floated.

But it was surrounded by thick iron plating in a very calculated arrangement.
Did the Curse Slime guard it on purpose? Could it really be that smart?
Or was it just coincidence?

“Hey, witch. How big is the explosion if it bursts?”
“Hmm, hmm. Given that size, it’d definitely engulf this whole area. And since it’s cursed, the explosion would also scatter a curse. The entire grassland would be cursed. Of course, all of you would be too. Even if it doesn’t burst, touching it will curse you.”
“So it’s game over.”
“Uh-uh, woof! So just touching the Curse Slime curses you?”
“Yep, unless you’ve got a relic or legendary item that can resist curses. And Kon doesn’t have one. Holy water won’t lift curses either.”
“Neither do I.”
“Uh-uh, me neither.”
“Same here.”

Agaro-san muttered in disappointment:

“…So how the hell are we supposed to beat it?”

How indeed.
Blades melt. Fire’s off-limits. Too strong a potion or Elixir could trigger an explosion.
And touching it causes a curse—probably adds another debuff relic.

Its weakness is holy water, potions, and the core.
But the core is protected by iron plating.

The slime’s body is also thick and tough.
How to beat it… hmm.

We’d have to shave away its thick body until the plating is exposed,
Then slice the plating and pierce the core. That’s the only way.

To wear it down, I’ll have to rely on [Vanish], the good old fallback.
As for cutting the plating and hitting the core—someone else will have to do that.

“Oh ho. Wof-boy. Did you think of something?”

“Huh? Um, well, sort of…”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Go ahead and say it.”

“But we’re missing some elements…”

“Even so, even so, saying it might lead to something, you know?”

“Right now, we’re totally stuck. If you’ve got anything, let’s hear it.”

“Um, um, please lend us your wisdom, Wof-sama!”

If they’re going to go that far, I have no choice but to speak.

“Uhh, I can handle the thick body of the Cursed Slime. After that, we need someone who can cut through the metal plate, and someone who can shoot the core from a distance.”

“You can handle that cursed body? Ah, with the Relic?”

“Yes, with the Relic.”

Straight to the point, Agaro said:

“Alright then, I’ll cut the metal plate.”

“Then we just need someone who can shoot the core.”

“But still…”

“Um, um, I, I can use a bow.”

“Eh?”

“Hmm, yes yes. I’ve heard about that. The Tasan marquis family is famous for hunting.”

“Come to think of it, Rell-san also used a bow, didn’t he?”

“You can use one too, missy?”

“Um, um, woof. Yes. Not as well as Brother Rell, but I can manage. I just don’t have my own bow or arrows.”

“I’ve got arrows.”

“Hmm. And Kon has a bow, yes.”

The witch said as she pulled out a pure white bow from her pouch.

Agaro also produced a few arrows.

“These should be enough.”

“Um, thank you very much.”

“No problem.”

“Why did you even have arrows?”

“I dunno. Somehow, they just end up in my stuff. I feel like they multiply every time I get drunk.”

That reminds me of something. From my past life.

Back when I worked for a black company, we had drinking parties about once a week.

Of course, attendance was mandatory. The section chief would always get wasted. Yes, the section chief.

He often tried to take home the mascot statue from a burger chain restaurant.

Of course, we stopped him. Still, I heard he had three pharmacy mascot statues at his house.

And other stuff like signs, cones, poles… I always thought, “Just return them already.”

But seriously, how does getting drunk result in more arrows?

Even in this world, arrows aren’t just lying around on the roadside.

“Ho ho. Hmm. Uh-huh. Hmm hmm.”

“Um, um, woof woof. Um…?”

“Na?”

What the— The witch was intensely staring at Juicy-san, like she was licking her with her eyes.

What is she doing? I kept an eye out in case things got dangerous.

After a while, the witch looked away from Juicy-san and unstrung the bow she had taken out.

“Hey, hey, Wof-boy. Could you cut the middle of this?”

“Huh? The bow?”

“Yes, yes. It’s wooden, so slice right through. I’ll adjust it later.”

“Alright, here I go.”

“Na!”

I cut the center of the bow with my knife. The one with the twin blades. As expected, it sliced cleanly.

The witch thanked me and took out various things from her pouch.

Materials. She placed them on a nearby rock. Then more items. A toolbox.

With practiced hands, she began combining materials and tools with the split bow.

Somehow, it felt like she was making a composite bow.

Click clack, click clack — and finally, she strung it, and it was done.

“Well well, something like this should do, right?”

The witch handed the bow to Juicy-san.

It was slightly shorter now, with a black line running through it. The center was wrapped with red cloth.

That’s all? Well, there’s probably not much else that can be done.

Juicy-san accepted it with thanks and slowly pulled the string.

On closer inspection, the bow was now asymmetrical — the upper limb was shorter than the lower one.

Did she completely change the bow’s structure in that short time? How?

“Um, um, it’s easy to draw.”

“Hmm. Let me know if anything feels off when you’re aiming.”

“Um, okay. I understand. Um, the upper part wobbles a little.”

“Oh dear, already?”

The witch chuckled and made adjustments. She repeated this process about three times.

Then came a test shot. Juicy-san’s archery was impressive.

She shot four arrows.

All of them hit dead center on the makeshift bone target the witch had made.

Maybe it’s because they’re both from the Tasan family, but her stance and vibe reminded me of Rell-san.

But one thing set her apart — her beautiful form, so striking it made you stare.

“This should work.”

“Yes. I agree.”

“Then we just need to apply holy water to the arrowheads.”

Hearing that, the witch grinned.

That grin always means she’s about to pull a prank.

“Wof-boy. Could you lend me that, please?”

“That?”

“That, that. The egg container, of course.”

“Eh? Ah, but if we use that, it’ll explode, won’t it?”

“No no. I plan to coat the whole bow with it, you see.”

“Coat the bow…? Well, okay then.”

The witch nodded and pulled out an old work desk from her pouch.

Her favorite desk — or maybe a backup like her sofa.

“Whoa!?”

“Ohh, what’s this?”

“Yes yes, puppy girl. I’ll borrow the bow for a moment, okay?”

“Um, um, understood.”

She borrowed the bow from Juicy-san, set it on the desk, and secured it with built-in tools.

Then she brought out a thin case filled with brushes of various sizes.

“Alright, Wof-boy. Hand over the egg.”

Prompted, I pulled out the egg from the very back of my pouch.

An egg-shaped container, exquisitely crafted to look real.

The sacred egg of the Legendary Elixir. I handed it over carefully.

The witch opened the lid and dipped a small brush into the elixir, then began coating the bow.

The glittering, viscous liquid gleamed as it coated the surface.

“What’s she putting on it?”

“Uhh, the witch’s secret… stuff. I was holding on to it.”

“Ooh, the secret stuff, huh.”

“Um, it’s beautiful. It’s all sparkly.”

Juicy-san’s eyes sparkled just as brightly.

“Alright. I’ll explain now. The battle will be over in a flash. Wof opens a hole, I cut the metal plate, and missy shoots the core. It’s simple, but we have to get it in one shot. There won’t be a second chance. Got it?”

“Yes!”

“Um, understood!”

“Na!”

The witch finished coating the bow. This was the second elixir-coated weapon.

Unlike my hastily-drenched knife, this one had been carefully and meticulously treated.

Also, since a bow is a medium for launching arrows, it might be different from a knife in function.

The witch handed the bow to Juicy-san, who received it gratefully.

“Um, um, it’s sparkling. I’ll definitely shoot through the Cursed Slime’s core!”

Juicy-san was firmly resolved. Her eyes burned with fierce determination.

Alright. Let’s go, Cursed Slime.

“Now then, let’s see what happens.”

“Na?”

The witch stayed behind.

Just in case, we left Dagga with her for safekeeping.

“Let’s move! Wof, we’re counting on you!”

“Yes!”

“Um, Wof-sama, please do your best!”

“Yes!”

Fired up. First, I charged up my fist with maximum Vanish and struck with all my strength!

“VANISH KNUCKLE!!!”

A hole opened up in the Cursed Slime.

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