47 From the inside

Moving inside the slime while keeping the parasitize skill going was tough. I was not able to use two spells at the same time. Luckily, parasitize was a skill, not magic. Still, it was not easy to use both things at the same time.

—A little ahead from where you are.

I shot myself forward.

—Too far ahead.

I shot myself back.

—More.

I shot myself forward again.

—The core moved a little to the right.

I shot myself one more time...

Status:

Name: Peter Gravel

Kind: Magic stone | Race: Dungeon core

Level: 4 | Experience: 195/1012 | Grade: 1

HP: 48/115 | MP: 18/258 | Mana well: 200/400

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If using a skill unstopped at the same time as magic was complicated in itself, adding the mental pressure of being slowly dying didn't help.

[Special ability “Parasitize” is now at level 4.]

'Great! Some help always comes in handy!'

But it was not enough. My HP kept going down anyway.

—Just ahead of you!

I reacted instantly. I put my full attention on all around me. After a couple of glances, I finally noticed the almost impossible to see transparent ball. A small sphere a little bigger than a thumb.

‘Now die!’

I charged up mana and fired… to do absolutely nothing to it.

'Hey, don't joke around!"

I shot and shot, but the damn sphere didn't suffer a single scratch. I didn't seem to be able to do any damage to the core itself… Dejected and completely out of hope, I prepared to jump out of the slime before dying.

'No… there is nothing else we can do... unless…'

"Limyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy! Listen to my voice! No, feel my voice! Where are you!!!"

—Just behind!

I turned. I'd bet it on an all or nothing. If this failed, it was the end. I charged all the mana I had into the strongest mana cannon I had ever prepared and fired forward. The shot made its way through the slimy body, leaving behind a huge hole. At the bottom of it was I and, behind me, the core.

"Limy, it's all up to you! Take me out at the same time as the core!"

“Understood.”

Limy's tentacles shot towards me. They lengthened at full speed, entering the hole I had just made. They went a little deeper into the mucus mass until they surrounded the core as well as me. They quickly began to dissolve, but not fast enough to stop Limy from pulling with all her might. Both, the core and I, shot out of the slime. There was only one problem, the core was still connected to the slime body by a long threat.

"Don't let go no matter what! It's still stuck to the slime!"

But the core and I stopped halfway. Such an action had taken the black slime by surprise, but it did not seem willing to allow its core to be ripped out so easily. Quickly, the situation was reversed, it was Limy who began to be dragged to the black slime, which was pulling its core back in. Limy's strength couldn't be compared to that of a grade 5 monster and I was completely drained of mana. There was nothing I could do... Except for...

"You damn erofu, do something!!" I yelled, using my last mana points to sound as loud as I could.

"There is no need to tell me... And what the hell does that mean?!"

An ice arrow struck the thin tentacle that was pulling us. It froze instantly and then broke with the black slime's own strength. Because of the stopping of the pulling force, Limy fell backwards and I flew over her, finally falling onto the ground after bouncing a few meters. I immediately fixed my visión onto the black mucus mass. The black slime, that had just lost its core, began to convulse violently until it began to melt into a pool of black water-like liquid.

“Is it dead?” Asked Aeldrya.

'No, but I think it could be considered as if it was.'

Limy retracted her tentacles and the core was left in her hand. I was lying on the ground, completely unable to do anything at all. Seeing that I did not respond, Aeldrya approached me and grabbed me.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, stone. Are you listening? Do not ignore me! Say something right now or...! Aaaaaaa!"

After suffering something like a cramp, she threw me back to the ground as hard as she could.

"What was that?!”

"Didn't you want me to talk? I've just borrowed some of your mana, otherwise, I can't. Anyway... it's not dead, but it has lost its core. Right now it's a kind of zombie without a conscience. Is not dangerous... I think..."

"So, what could we do with it?"

"Let's burn it. Better not leave a trace of it."

"Yes, I also think it is the best," Aeldrya nodded.

And we did so. We burned any remaining trace of the slime we could find in the area and the three of us got together again.

"I never imagined facing a black slime and leaving in one piece… It was horrible," Aeldrya said as she dropped to the ground.

"We ended up like this because of your idea of coming here looking for high-grade slimes. There is no doubt that we found just what you wanted..."

"We came looking for a grade 3 slime, not a grade 5. Although a grade 5 should be quite better. Limy, do you have the core?"

"Yes," Limy replied, showing the core in her hand.

"Give it to me, I'll keep it."

Limy became quiet for a moment, staring at the core in her hand.

“... No.”

Limy clenched her hand around the core before taking it away from Aeldya.

"Why not?" Aeldrya asked while frowning.

"In the end, I didn't fight… I'm still useless…"

Aeldrya and I looked at each other… Although she probably didn't notice that. I sighed in my mind. This girl did not learn.

"If it weren't for you, we wouldn't have won. You ripped out the core... Even though it was this erofu who ended up stealing the kill."

Aeldrya lifted an eyebrow after hearing what I said.

"I didn't take the death ... Wasn't it you?"

"No, I don't… Limy neither..."

Aeldrya and I looked at each other again in silence. Then we focus our gaze on Limy's hand. Our faces paled at the same time… Aeldrya's at least… I have no face...

"Throw away that core right now!"

Aeldrya immediately leaped at Limy to remove the core from her hand, but before she got it, Limy lifted her hand and shoved it into her mouth. With the characteristic swallowing sound, the core ended up inside her.

"What have you done?!" Aeldrya and I shouted at the same time.

"Master... I'm sorry."

Time to say that, she began to shake as if she was in pain and it didn't take her two seconds to collapse to the ground. The little blue-haired girl began to melt in the same way that the black slime had done… All her clothes melted at the same time as her, leaving back only a puddle of blue water-like liquid...