NOVEL NEXT Ch. 3
Russell was numb.
Not just mentally—literally numb.
He had been electrocuted.
Both he and Rozelite had been struck by the labyrinth’s rule-manifested lightning, roasted “crispy outside, tender inside.” If Russell hadn’t seized control of Rozelite’s body at the last second and turned to run, the situation could have been even worse.
At this moment, Rozelite lay sprawled on the ground in an utterly ungraceful posture, unable to lift even a single finger.
Russell pulled open Rozelite’s status panel.
【Name: Rozelite Othinus】
【Race: Human】
【Level: 11】
【HP: 98/850】
【Status: Starving, Severely Injured】
【Skills: Court Etiquette Lv. 6, One-Handed Sword Mastery Lv. 4, Ballroom Dance Lv. 6, Poetry Recital Lv. 4, Instrument Proficiency (Zither) Lv. 5, Death Mark Lv. 7】
“What kind of random mishmash of skills are these?”
Still, for someone only level 11, wasn’t an HP cap of 850 pretty high?
Humans really were a race favored by heaven.
Russell was already level 53, and even then his HP had only just passed the 1000 mark.
Or maybe it wasn’t that humans were strong—maybe slimes were just too weak. After all, slimes were bottom-tier monsters that couldn’t even beat a stray dog of the same level…
This was his first time meeting a human in this world, so he had little to compare against.
But the bigger problem right now was how to get out of the labyrinth.
The girl’s HP—or rather, her health bar—was already nearly empty.
The damn labyrinth’s rules were absurd. No matter the race or skills, each attempt at the exit cut a flat 100 HP. If it happened again, Rozelite’s health bar would hit zero.
Sure, Russell could still control her corpse—but that would defeat the purpose entirely.
“M-Mister Slime…”
Rozelite’s frail voice whispered.
“What is it?”
“If… if I die… could you please not eat my body? Father might be sending people to find me, and I don’t want… sob… I don’t want to be eaten into something so ugly…”
She suddenly began to choke up.
“Idiot. Even if I don’t eat it, a corpse will rot anyway,” Russell said helplessly.
“Compared to being found riddled with holes, crawling with maggots, reeking of putrid protein, isn’t it better if I eat you clean down to the bones?”
“Uuuhhh… uuuuhhhh…”
Rozelite only cried harder.
“Kids really can’t handle a little teasing.”
Russell didn’t have the mood to console her, so he opened his own status panel instead.
【Name: Russell】
【Race: Slime】
【Level: 53】
【HP: 1150/1500】
【MP: 968,485/968,500】
【Skills: Bottomless Appetite Lv. ∞, Mana Absorption Lv. 8, Shapeshift Lv. 7, Cold Resistance Lv. 6, Heat Resistance Lv. 7, Corrosion Resistance Lv. 5, Fire Magic Lv. 6, Earth Magic Lv. 7, Water Magic Lv. 7, Wind Magic Lv. 1, Mana Cannon Lv. 8, Parasitism Lv. 5, Mimicry Lv. 5, Regeneration Lv. 7, Mental Integration Lv. 3, Symbiosis Lv. 3】
Hmm?
Russell’s gaze landed on [Symbiosis].
Only Lv. 3.
He recalled picking it up back when he conquered the third floor, from some amphibian-type monsters. Since there hadn’t been many of them and they were weak, after wiping them all out he’d only managed to raise it to Lv. 3.
“Come to think of it, [Parasitism] carries the implication of seizing the host. Maybe that’s why parasitized humans get classified as monsters? If that’s the case, then [Symbiosis] might bypass that problem. Hard to say, though…”
Russell sank into thought.
Rozelite’s health bar couldn’t take more trial and error. Next attempt would likely be the last.
If it failed, he’d have no choice but to wait for the next “lucky encounter.”
“Do I gamble? On Rozelite’s life?”
Then gamble it was.
Russell wasn’t the indecisive type.
Besides, there was no other way. Even the faintest chance was worth taking—if it meant escaping this cursed place, if it meant gaining freedom, if it meant one step closer to becoming human again—he’d do anything.
“Rozelite, we’re going to try again,” Russell said.
“Eh? A-again?”
Rozelite hesitated.
Not because she didn’t trust Russell. Simply because… it hurt.
Too much.
After a pause, Russell suddenly asked, “Earlier, you said your father might send people to find you. In your estimation, how long would that take?”
“Mm… a day, maybe two?”
“…Not sure how you came to that number, but I’ll be honest with you—it’s already been three days since you fell into this labyrinth. As for how long before that, I don’t know.”
Rozelite’s small face went blank.
Russell continued.
“I understand the desire to wait for rescue. But if it were me, I’d put more trust in myself.”
The moment he finished, Rozelite’s stomach lurched.
She gagged instinctively, and then saw a pale-blue tentacle tipped with an eyeball crawl out of her throat, turning to fix its gaze on her.
“So? Will you do it?”
“…Yes.”
Rozelite nodded.
She wiped her tears, placed a hand on her belly.
“Um… Mister Slime, could you pull the tentacle back in? Having it stuck in my throat… gag… it really feels… awful…”
“I need to observe the outside world… But fine, let’s deal with this first.”
Russell withdrew the tentacle.
Rozelite’s throat convulsed as the foreign obstruction finally vanished.
Now a little calmer, she thought it through. Mister Slime inside her belly was frightening, yes—but in her condition, she couldn’t do without him. More importantly, he didn’t seem to mean her any harm.
Sitting here waiting to die wasn’t a solution. She couldn’t rely only on Father…
“Mister Slime, let’s go!”
Rozelite declared firmly.
“Alright.”
[Symbiosis Lv. 3]
As the skill activated, Russell’s body underwent another transformation.
Unlike Parasitism, which forced its way into a host, Symbiosis was a state of mutual benefit. He had no idea what possible “mutual benefit” could exist between a human and a slime—but under this state, Russell could clearly feel a deeper connection to Rozelite’s body.
If he had to describe the difference, it was like “teaching someone to play a game” versus “playing it yourself.”
Rozelite lifted her arm and gave it a shake.
She felt her body lighter, better—as if she weren’t injured at all. Was it an illusion?
“How do you feel?”
Russell asked.
“Mm! My body feels so light—I don’t think I have anything left to be afraid of!”
“….”
“Child, that’s the kind of thing you should never say out loud.”