Free Web NovelWhen it came to the weaknesses of slimes, Vieya claimed she was the second most knowledgeable in the world—no one dared claim first.
Especially with one like this violet slime before them, a slime that had clearly mutated due to the dungeon’s influence.
“Big sister, you said that after we kill this slime, you will help us take revenge and finish off those three human-faced, beast-hearted mages who died and came back! They must already be dead! What is walking around now is definitely just evil spirits wearing their skins!”
Maixi declared righteously,
“Eliminating them is removing calamity for the world!”
This brat... her desire for vengeance might be stronger than mine.
But after hearing from Jasmine what they had gone through, Vieya also did not plan to let anyone who dared to harm her daughter go unpunished.
However... resurrection?
She could not help recalling what Anna had told her earlier— that this dungeon contained a special field capable of restoring the dead to life. Because of that, many people who died and resurrected had returned to human cities and attempted to resume their original lives.
But where there were those who wished to return, there were naturally those who refused to accept it. Thus the people of Talin split into two factions:
The Republican faction and the Dominion faction.
The Republican faction insisted that the resurrected were normal people and deserved the same rights they had in life.
The Dominion faction opposed it, saying: even if the Church could not detect abnormalities, the danger they carried could not be ignored—they must be isolated and purged.
But Vieya had spent a whole day wandering Talin and had not encountered a single living dead or a clash between factions, so she eventually stopped thinking about it.
But now...
Vieya decided to watch Jasmine’s group finish off the slime first, then head alone into the deeper layers of the dungeon to regroup with Anna and the others.
...
Outside Talin City—
In a vast field of blue jacaranda flowers, a worn church stood beneath ancient, shady trees.
A low-key carriage traveled along the winding path. Black woven cloth hung over its windows, embroidered with a red sword and balance scale.
The passenger was a priest sitting with ramrod-straight posture. He wore a white linen priest’s robe, tall and lean, his beard neatly trimmed, his skin a healthy wheat-brown.
The carriage stopped before the old church. The priest lifted the curtain and stepped down, a maid stepping forward to support him. fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
If Vieya were here, she would instantly recognize him as the priest she had seen earlier in the Tribunal.
He declined the maid’s assist, straightened his robe, and approached the pitch-black iron door of the church.
He did not knock. The door opened automatically before him. No one stood in the courtyard—only the gurgle of fountain water filled the air.
He stepped across the threshold.
The maid checked the time and saw that one more guest had not yet arrived, but per orders, she closed and locked the iron door. Once the designated time had passed, no more visitors would be allowed. Those were the church master’s rules.
As the door shut, she felt a sudden chill. The church, despite its intended elegance, radiated a deep, oppressive eeriness.
Inside the sunlit hall, eleven elders dressed in white robes sat quietly in eleven chairs. The jade-white stone floor gleamed like a mirror, reflecting their silhouettes. They sat like sages of an ancient era, poised atop a still lake.
The priest pushed open the inner door, nodded to the elders, and took his seat.
“Oh, just like before, always arriving at the exact moment. But still better than the one who never shows up.”
“I am not ‘barely on time’; I am punctual.”
The priest corrected him. “And my stance is unchanged. Whoever brings lasting peace to this land— I will stand with them.”
“We are not gathered to argue that today. Put aside past disagreements. Did you meet the new Holy Sword’s Swordmaster?”
“I did. She does not seem interested in hiding her identity. Upon arriving in Talin, she immediately went to the Tribunal to speak with the Sacred Artifact’s spirit. Unfortunately, I do not know what they discussed.”
The priest shrugged.
“I know. That Swordmaster is Her Holiness the Saint’s friend. We cannot afford to offend Her Holiness. However, we are... very interested in the secrets on that girl.”
“You want me to investigate her?”
The priest’s tone grew mocking.
“Sorry— I will not lay hands on a minor, even if she is a monster girl. And do you not think it is laughable to pin your ambitions on a little child? Even if she was chosen by the Holy Sword, we should at least give her time to grow.”
The elders’ expressions hovered between embarrassment and rage, but they restrained themselves.
“Do not use such foolish logic! This concerns the survival of the human race! The Holy Sword falling into non-human hands was already humiliating! Now that it has resurfaced, it must fulfill its proper duty— not become some flashy banner used by a child to attract opportunists!”
“The Swordmaster must be like the Holy Sword— unpolluted, fresh, pure, loyal!”
“Sigh... Why did none of you dare say these words to the previous Swordmaster?”
The priest sneered.
“You did not dare then. You do not dare now. The only difference is that back then you could not even imagine thinking such thoughts. If he had known what you think now, even the Empress could not have stopped him from killing you one by one.”
Silence sank over the hall.
They had to admit it— the former Chief Hero alone suppressed an entire era. Whether demon, human, or other races, everyone kept their claws retracted to avoid provoking the deadly force that was the Chief Hero.
But that age had passed.
The deadly game of old had ended.
Now belonged to those who survived.
“I will not follow your commands, even if you created me.”
The priest stood.
“A bunch of adults scheming against a minor girl chosen by the Holy Sword— what an absurd drama. It does not fit a follower of the God of Light.”
“We do not need you to act. This is only a notification— to prevent you from getting in the way.”
“Heh. Then I suggest you do not cause trouble in my jurisdiction. If this matter becomes known to the world, you will not enjoy the consequences.”
The priest swept his robes and left with a cold smile.
“Heh. Now I understand why that person never attends these meetings. You are always the same. You only ever love yourselves.”
“We love all beings in this world—provided they can benefit the human race. We live for its hope, and die for its hope. This is the resolve the Thirteen Guardians must have.”
...
Dungeon.
Jasmine’s team once again stood before the violet slime, even though it was now pinned helplessly to the ground.
But they could not help recalling the terror it had put into them.
“Mom... is it really okay? Letting us fight this thing?”
Jasmine asked nervously.
“Fight, fight.” freewёbn૦νeɭ.com
Vieya sat cross-legged on a stone, rummaging through her daughter’s backpack for food. Unfortunately, she found not even a biscuit crumb.
...How exactly did this child prepare for a dungeon run? She did not even bring food?
Under her mother’s resentful stare, Jasmine quickly raised her staff, suddenly filled with confidence.
“With Mom supporting me, I have nothing to fear!”
“Yes yes, Captain Jasmine is absolutely right.”
Maixi smiled sweetly. “A mage must have the courage to charge forward without fear of death.”
“Ugh... you people are making decisions without me again!”
Rorina stomped her foot, then sneaked a glance at Vieya, instantly retracting her gaze and changing expression at lightning speed as her tone shrank to a whisper.
“By the way, who is that white-haired big-bust lady? She looks pretty amazing...”
“Be polite! That is my mom!”
Jasmine glared at her. “If my mom did not save you, you would have already been slime paste!”
“Your mom... that old trash—”
Rorina slapped her hands over her mouth, because Jasmine had already raised her staff— Remove You Speed!
Boom rumble rumble!
The violet slime reactivated— battle erupted instantly.
Right as the fight began, Jasmine cast an orange Slow spell on her teammate.
Immediately, Rorina’s movements became snail-like.
The dim-witted slime grew furious, deciding the pink one was mocking its authority, and fixated all its aggro on her!
“You are trying to get me killed!!”
Rorina snapped. She hated her own big mouth, and she hated Jasmine for being petty.
But no matter how strong this slime was, it was still only a monster below second tier. Under Vieya’s suppression, its attack power was not even as good as some first-tier monsters.
Boom rumble rumble!
Rorina was blown back again by a shockwave, but this time she anticipated it. She rolled like a donkey, stabilized herself, and fired a clustered explosion spell straight at the slime’s eye.
Earlier, Vieya had explained the slime’s weaknesses to the three of them, especially for a mutated giant slime like this.
Its characteristics:
A massive body, usually eight to sixteen meters tall; covered in extremely thick mucus functioning like protective fat, allowing it to ignore most attacks.
But like most monsters, striking its eyes would temporarily blind it. The blindness would not last long—its regenerative power was strong enough to regrow eyes quickly.
Though its health and regeneration were high, its attack patterns were extremely simple—jump-smash, death roll, and liquid spray.
Different colors had different liquids.
Red ones from volcanic craters sprayed lava.
Blue ones from lakes and seas sprayed water.
This purple one sprayed corrosive liquid. Slightly scarier than the blue type, but only barely.
This was the perfect punching bag—excellent for letting Jasmine’s group practice.
The stronger her teammates, the safer her daughter.
And killing this giant slime would raise their party ranking significantly... On top of that, those mages she personally kicked out of the dungeon probably would not be able to stand for three to five days. They were guaranteed to be eliminated.
Fewer competitors meant Jasmine had a stable shot at top ten.
“Sigh...”
Most novice mages were around thirteen or fourteen. Some were, like Jasmine, younger. Some were older beginners who had repeated levels many times.
Vieya suddenly covered her face and sighed.
She never imagined she would one day be bullying children.
Meanwhile—
The battlefield had reached a fever pitch. With her mother backing her, Jasmine fought without restraint. She no longer feared running out of mana ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) or accidentally hitting allies.
Her offensive spells opened wide, Light Arrows raining from the sky like holy downpour—divine and merciless!
However!
Those Light Arrows brushed past Maixi and Rorina several times, scaring the life out of them.
“Are you trying to kill me?! How can you not aim properly! You stupid bottom-feeder!!”
Rorina yelled.
Dodging the slime’s liquid spray while also guarding against friendly fire, Maixi was on the verge of snapping too.
“That was way too close!!”
“Sorry... the mana flow is too strong. I cannot control it well right now.”
Jasmine apologized calmly.
