Hey there~ I’m Pupil. Looks like someone’s locked us in this crummy room. They call it a Lord Chamber—the mandatory stop every ten floors in the labyrinth.

[Sorry~~ Farewell~~]

As the stone door slammed shut, I caught a glimpse of Luna’s heartbroken, guilt-ridden face through the crack. She must’ve had her reasons.

[Seems like she deliberately tricked us three into coming here.]

Tia glanced at me, dazed.

[Tricked?? I feel like a dumbass who strutted in here full of confidence.]

[But it’s a Lord battle~~~ Isn’t that thrilling~~~]

Just thinking about those epic boss fights from games finally becoming real—I mean, who wouldn’t get pumped?

Right then, countless slimes oozed out from cracks along the chamber walls.

[What the hell is this???]

Aerin watched them converge at the room’s center, panic flickering in her eyes.

[The Lord’s about to appear.]

Tia instantly raised her Magic Staff, battle-ready.

All the slimes merged into one giant blue blob, slowly taking shape.

**Lord: Slime King Puyo Puyo****Level 40**

Holy crap! What kind of idiot names a boss "Puyo Puyo"?!

[Pupil! Snap out of it and get ready!]

Aerin leveled her spear, stance firm.

[No way!! I’ve got zero motivation looking at this thing!! Weren’t labyrinth monsters supposed to be vicious? This blob’s harmless! It’s clearly a mascot monster. Fighting it? Impossible.]

I pointed at the jiggling, puyo-puyo-ing Slime King. Seriously, this thing survived on cuteness alone.

[You’re wrong. According to the *Beginner’s Guide to Labyrinth Exploration*, this Lord has slaughtered countless adventurers. Looks cute, but it sprays corrosive liquid that melts skin off bodies.]

Aerin flipped open her guidebook to the slime entry.

[Whatever. I’m out. You two get some XP. Go kill it.]

My dream Lord should’ve been like that giant goblin king from *that anime*. This "Puyo Puyo" crap? Whatever. Let Aerin and Tia level up. I’m checked out.

[We can’t do this alone! We stand no chance!]

Aerin’s face twisted in distress.

She’s right. Level 39 and 28 against a Level 40 Lord? No contest. And this isn’t a game—my stash of revival coins might not work here. Better play it safe.

I pulled a massive cross from my inventory. A holy weapon from the game. The moment I gripped it, priestly skills flooded my mind:

**[Divine Grace] [Courage’s Blessing] [Guardian Sigil] [Honor’s Boon]**

Buff skills boosting strength, agility, defense. I cast them all on Tia and Aerin.

[Huh?? You know the Church’s sacred arts too?? Unbelievable! I feel power surging through me!]

Aerin twirled her spear, exhilarated.

[.........................]

Tia stared at me, silent.

[What’s wrong, Tia??]

Did I mess up somehow?

[Unbelievable.]

Awe filled her eyes.

[Just to be safe, I’ll mark you both. If things get deadly, I can swap positions with whoever’s in trouble.]

A modified version of the mage skill **[Scarecrow]**. Better have a backup plan. I tapped my Magic Staff against their shoulders, leaving glowing runes.

**[Kid, where’d you learn all this??]**

Aerin’s armor suddenly spoke.

[Don’t scare me like that! I learned it in the Dungeon.]

No lies this time—I’d run out of fake stories.

**[The Dungeon?? What’s that? Is there a place even I don’t know about?]**

[Focus! That Slime King’s bouncing straight at us!]

I dodged the question. Explaining would take forever, and he’d never believe me anyway.

The Slime King jiggled closer, puyo-puyo-ing loudly.

[We’ve got this! I’ll distract it up close while Tia blasts it from range!]

Aerin charged, spear raised. Tia quickly found her spot and began chanting.

Time to spectate. I slipped behind the stone door—a safe spot for position swaps.

[Take this!!!]

Aerin leaped, driving her spear into the slime.

[Puyo~~ Puyo~~~]

The Slime King didn’t flinch.

**[Girl, do you even have Battle Aura?! Without it, you’re wasting time! Slime Kings are immune to physical attacks!]**

The armor’s voice cut through the chaos. So this world had Battle Aura? That explained the sword energy from my earlier skills.

[What do I do now?!]

Aerin yanked her spear back, frantic.

**[The buffs that kid gave you are still active. Just stall the slime until the mage finishes her spell!]**

[Got it!!!]

Aerin dodged back as the Slime King launched itself at her. It bounced off the floor, rebounding toward her new position.

**[Don’t let it swallow you! That’s instant death!]**

[Like I’d ever let it!!]

Aerin sidestepped another slam.

[Flame God, lend me your fire! Scorching flames of the sun~~ incinerate my foe!]

Fire swirled around Tia’s Magic Staff tip.

A massive fireball shot forth, slamming into the Slime King.

**[Thud!]**

It swallowed the fireball whole. Steam hissed off its surface for a second—then it bounced back, unharmed.

[Huh?? Now what?]

Aerin froze.

**[This mage’s skills need work.]**

As Aerin panicked, a bulge formed on the Slime King’s body—aimed straight at her.

**[RUN! Or you’re dead!]**

The armor yelled too late. Corrosive liquid sprayed out, just like the guidebook warned.

[Switch!]

I swapped places with Aerin in a heartbeat.

**[Splort!]**

I got drenched head to toe in slimy goo.

[PUPIL!!!!!!!!]

[HUSBAND!!!!!!!!]

Tia and Aerin’s screams tore through the chamber.

[.........................]

Silence fell.

I stood untouched. Well, untouched by damage—just coated in foul-smelling slime.

[Corrosive my ass!!! Not a scratch!]

Beyond the stench, zero effect. I wiped the gross white gunk off my face.

[Impossible! The book says blue-form slime melts human skin!]

Aerin frantically flipped through her guide.

[Melt skin?? Look at this! It’s just like silver tendon mushroom discharge!! Disgusting!]

Corrosive liquid? What a joke. I shook my arms, flinging off the sticky mess.

[Puyo??? Puyo??]

The Slime King stared, utterly confused. Probably its first miss ever.

[Keep puyo-ing, you overused slime sac! No wonder your shots are weak.]

Scared me for nothing. Almost thought I’d respawn.

[Puyo! Puyo! Puyo!]

The Slime King shook violently, offended.

**[Kid! Don’t provoke it! Next time, you might not survive!]**

[Whatever. You two handle it.]

I turned back toward my safe spot. Zero motivation for this boss.

[PUPIL!! BEHIND YOU!! THE SLIME KING TURNED YELLOW!]

Aerin waved her guidebook wildly.

[The book says yellow-form slime evaporates people on contact!!!]

Before I could react, a wave of foul liquid drenched me again. Same color, same stench, same sticky texture as before.

[PUPIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

[HUSBAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

Their screams echoed again.

[Puyo puyo!!!]

The Slime King cackled triumphantly.

[.........................]

[Shut your puyo-ing mouth!! Is face-shooting men really that fun for you?!]

I flung off the goo, grabbed the Slime King’s jiggly body, and yanked it close.

[Huh????]

Every living thing in the room froze.

[What’s the point of changing colors?! All you do is shoot goo! No other moves?!]

I’d tolerate real attacks—but this? Just spamming shots at me?

[Puyo… puyo…]

The Slime King shrank back, wounded pride dripping from its wobble.

[No!! It’s entering final form!! Pupil, stop provoking it!]

Aerin’s warning came too late.

**[Too late.]**

The armor’s voice dropped grim.

The Slime King swelled violently, morphing into a towering red demon.

[Slimes can shapeshift?? Now I’m interested!]

Anything but that harmless blob face. This demon form? Perfect opponent.

[In this state, its speed triples. It can move in an instant—]

Aerin’s warning cut off as the demon appeared before Tia. Its claws snapped shut around her.

[Shit!!]

It targeted Tia now. No idea what horrors this form unleashed. Gotta swap her out.

[Switch!]

I traded places with Tia just as the demon’s mouth opened. Another wave of goo—identical to before—splattered across my face.

[PUPIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

[HUSBAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!]

Tia and Aerin’s wails filled the chamber.

[Puyo!! Puyo!! Puyo!]

The demon roared with victory.

[Heh……………]

A cold laugh seeped through the dripping white slime.

Today’s been the worst day since I came here. Why? The boss fight I’d been hyped for got wrecked by this slime. And he gave me facials three times for no reason. No— it’s not just a facial anymore. It’s basically a bukkake bath.

[Eh???]

Everything that could think— including the Slime King and the suits of armor— made that sound.

[Transforming back and forth— besides shooting your goo, what else can you do?! I’m making sure you’ll never shoot again today!]

Fury surged. I gathered every element around me into my hands.

[Sixth Element]

Gather all elements. Forge a brand-new one. That’s the skill’s description.

The newborn element trembled in my palm, unstable. Energy ripples collided, whipping up crosswinds. The pressure looked ready to suck the Slime King in.

[Puyo!! Puyo!! Puyo!!]

The Slime King, scared so pale he turned white, kept dropping to his knees and begging.

Beg all you want. The dignity I lost as a man— you’re paying it back in one blow.

[Go die!]

I hurled the Sixth Element straight at him. The instant it touched the Slime King, it detonated violently. The blast’s force shook the entire labyrinth until it quaked.