NOVEL NEXT Ch. 9
“There really is someone, Mister Slime!”
Rozelite’s heart raced with excitement.
Seeing a person meant they were close to civilization. It also meant she hadn’t been walking in the wrong direction.
Russell, however, stayed calm.
“Open your mouth a little. I’ll take a look.”
“Not too wide, just leave a gap.”
“Oh.”
Rozelite obeyed obediently.
Russell, hiding inside her mouth, peered through the gap at the small figure in the distance.
【Name: Chris】
【Race: Human】
【Level: 38】
【HP: 620/620】
【MP: 600/600】
【Status: None】
【Skills: Housekeeping Lv. 6, Lockpicking Lv. 5, Stealth Lv. 6, Trap Disarmament Lv. 5, Weak Point Targeting Lv. 4, Tracking Lv. 4, Dagger Mastery Lv. 4, Mana Reinforcement Lv. 4, Shortsword Mastery Lv. 4】
Whoa… Level 38. Not bad.
And the skills fit together decently. If this were a Japanese RPG, she’d be classified as a thief-type character.
But then again… those HP and MP values seemed a bit low.
His own MP cap was 969,900… well, okay, not a fair comparison. He had eaten an entire labyrinth.
Still… only 620 HP?
Rozelite, at Level 11, already had 850 max HP. And she barely knew how to fight, with only One-Handed Sword Mastery to her name.
Tsk.
Completely useless as a reference.
Anyway, that wasn’t the point. The real question—was this girl friend or foe?
“Rozelite, do you remember how you ended up in the labyrinth?”
Russell asked.
“Not very clearly. But I think… I was kidnapped?”
Rozelite said uncertainly.
She recalled walking in the garden, then suddenly being struck from behind. After a long, bumpy trip, she woke up inside the labyrinth.
“So… we can’t rule out the possibility that this one’s here to ‘finish the job,’ right?”
Russell murmured darkly.
“…”
Rozelite bit her lip.
What neither slime nor girl realized was that Chris was equally stunned.
This godforsaken place was dozens of miles from the nearest town. No way there’d be humans here.
Which meant—either it was a monster with shapeshifting abilities…
Or… a demon from beyond the Muscovy Mountains?!
“Everyone, on guard!”
Chris hissed.
At her signal, three more figures stepped from the brush behind her.
A sharp-eyed archer with long ears, bow in hand and one arm resting on his quiver.
A swordswoman gripping her hilt in a iaido stance.
A warrior hefting a greatsword as wide as a door.
“What is this, a cosplay of Berserk? At least commit to the black armor!”
“Wh-what do we do, Mister Slime?!”
Rozelite clenched her fists nervously. She had learned swordplay from her tutor, but these opponents looked strong.
Russell didn’t dare move rashly.
He skimmed their panels—turns out Chris was the lowest level. The other three were all above 40.
If they’d been monsters, he’d clear them like trash mobs.
But humans?
This was exactly the sort of setup where some “chosen prodigy” busts out an overpowered formation or combo skill like Four Souls Fusion Strike and wipes you like a stray dog.
“In any case, first step—lower their guard. Avoid combat if possible.”
“L-lower their guard? What should I say?”
“Calm down. Relax your body. Leave the rest to me.”
“O-okay.”
Rozelite relaxed.
Russell nodded with satisfaction—then wrapped a tentacle around her carotid artery.
“Mm!”
Rozelite’s eyes widened, breath quickening.
“M-Mister Slime?”
“Wait—I… I feel…”
“Dizzy…”
Her vision blurred, then went black.
On the other side—
Thomas frowned at the lone girl in the snow.
“Chris, she looks like just an ordinary little girl to me.”
“You’re the one who told us to be cautious. And this place is nowhere near any village. There’s no way she’s just an ‘ordinary little girl.’”
Kate sighed.
“I lean toward her being a monster with mimicry.”
“So?”
Thomas tilted his head.
“Test her.”
Kate already had an arrow nocked, bowstring drawn, aimed at Rozelite. His motion was fluid, precise.
Arm or leg? …No, too much. Just graze her hair.
At that speed, no ordinary girl could react. If she did dodge, she was no human.
But before he loosed the arrow, Rozelite moved.
Her slender body swayed, then suddenly buckled—like her strength had drained away.
She collapsed into the snow.
Thump—!
No attempt to break her fall.
“What the hell?”
Kate froze.
“Looks like… she fainted?”
Thomas muttered uncertainly.
“Could be faking.”
“No. That collapse—unless she’d trained specifically for it, no way to fall with zero cushioning.”
“…Could she really be just a normal girl? In this godforsaken place?”
The party exchanged glances.
Kate reluctantly lowered his bow.
For adventurers, caution was rule number one. But no one wanted to point weapons at an unarmed child unless necessary.
“Then Plan B,” Winnie said.
“We had a Plan B?” Chris blinked.
“No, we don’t.” Thomas turned to her.
“What are you planning?”
Winnie shrugged.
“You three stay here. I’ll go alone. If she’s a monster, at that range I can cut her throat before she reacts.”
The others exchanged looks.
If anyone else said it, it’d sound insane. But this was Winnie…
It was plausible.
“Fine. Do it,” Thomas decided.
Winnie pressed a hand to her hilt and strode toward Rozelite.
Nothing interrupted her approach.
When she reached the girl, still motionless in the snow, Winnie kept one hand on her sword, the other gripping the girl’s shoulder. She rolled her over—
And found a delicate, youthful face, eyes shut tight.
Winnie’s brow furrowed.
“This kid… Why is she here?!”