Ilga had been gazing for a while in the direction of the dark passage where the Fourth and Fifth Teams were, but eventually, he straightened his expression and raised his voice.

“Alright, we will proceed ahead of the Fourth and Fifth Teams and descend to the fifth floor, where goblins have been running rampant! Everyone, prepare for battle and do not be negligent!”

Voices overlapped in unison as we all responded.

With Ilga leading the way, we descended the stairs to the fifth floor.

The fifth floor—

The deep darkness was cut into squares by the white light of the magic lamps. We stopped there for a moment, remaining alert to our surroundings. An ominous air hung in the space.

Ilga returned from the front.

“Neu, Oujin.”

“Huh?”

Called by Ilga, I gave a somewhat absentminded response.

“Haha. What kind of response is that? Stay sharp.”

“Yeah… sorry.”

Without the need to stand on the front lines, it was easy to let my guard down. Moreover, this was a passage we had already traveled once. There was nothing to be tense about. For someone like me, who carried Blythe’s experience, this was no different from a grassy plain where monsters occasionally appeared.

Ilga gave a wry smile.

“During the last curriculum, your Third Team should have explored the fifth floor. Did you find the stairs leading to the sixth floor at that time?”

I exchanged glances with Oujin and nodded.

“Yeah. If you walk while keeping your right hand on the wall from the first base point, you’ll find the stairs to the sixth floor.”

...Or so Void had said.

I didn’t add that part since it would probably earn me a disapproving look.

By the way, Oujin had already explored the left side and found it was a dead end.

Oujin supplemented my explanation.

“From this staircase, it’s to the left. At the very least, this floor doesn’t have particularly complex passageways.”

Ilga then asked Oujin,

“Ryoka, do you remember the exact path?”

Being addressed by his first name, Oujin hesitated for a moment. But he quickly returned to his usual expression and tapped his temple with his fingertip.

“I have the map of the fifth floor in my head.”

“As expected. Impressive. In that case, I hate to assign you a slightly risky role, but can you walk up front with me?”

“Understood.”

Oujin moved to the front of the group—before doing so, he turned back to me.

“Eremia, watch our rear.”

“Got it.”

The words we exchanged weren’t particularly important.

We exchanged glances and nodded. If combat broke out, we were meant to act in a supporting role—unless it became a dire crisis. This was simply confirming that.

The joint party of the Fourth and Fifth Teams began moving forward. Even after such intense battles, there wasn’t a single goblin corpse left. If that slime had devoured them all, just how much had it grown?

Hopefully, we wouldn’t encounter it. Just as I thought that—

Before we had gone far, the group suddenly halted.

The reason became clear right away.

Bernard looked ahead and asked Letis, who was walking in front.

“What’s wrong?”

“It looks like something is there. I’ll go ask Ilga.”

She started to run, but I grabbed her arm with both hands, stopping her.

“Wait. There’s no need to go. The front lines will fall back soon.”

“Huh?”

“I can sense it. And smell it too.”

I sighed deeply.

Bernard crouched slightly and asked in a slow, low voice,

“Is it goblins?”

Since he was more than twice my height, he had to bend down every time we talked. I couldn’t help but envy that.

“No, it’s a large slime. The one our Third Team knocked down from the fourth to the fifth floor.”

The stench of sludge was thickening. If it were goblins, the air would carry the scent of beasts—like stray dogs soaked in rain.

Apparently, that slime hadn’t returned to the fourth floor but had instead wandered aimlessly on the fifth. Perhaps it was such a simple creature that it didn’t even have the concept of a nest. Maybe it was closer to a moving plant than an animal.

Despite the number of researchers studying its regeneration, much about this monster remained unknown.

I continued,

“Swords won’t do anything. I figured we’d be safe since Fix, a mage, is with us, but it seems we’re the ones who encountered it. I do have a countermeasure prepared just in case, but I don’t know if it will work.”

“What’s the countermeasure?”

“A bag. We can seal it inside a waterproof bag and leave it in a dungeon corner. But if it has grown too large to fit, we’ll be out of options. We should be ready to flee. It’s slow, but persistent.”

As I spoke, the group was already retreating. Ilga and Oujin included.

Behind them, a thick, ochre-colored, amorphous mass was creeping forward, shifting its shape as it pressed toward us. It had grown large enough to fill the entire passage.

I muttered unconsciously,

“Oh, come on…”

Oujin, now close, let out an exasperated sigh.

“Eremia, it’s that thing. It’s three times bigger than before. At this size—”

“...Yeah, I can see that…”

No good. The bag in Oujin’s backpack wouldn’t be able to contain it. The plan had been to follow the standard slime countermeasure—sealing it inside a bag and leaving it behind—but it wouldn’t even fit halfway inside, let alone completely.

It had grown way too much. Well, considering it had absorbed over fifty goblin corpses, it wasn’t surprising.

Oujin grimaced and complained,

“I even bought the biggest bag I could find.”

“It can’t be helped. We have no choice but to retreat and shake it off. Ilga, we should return to the fourth floor and drop down to the fifth from the large hole. It will likely follow us up to the fourth floor, but I doubt it will cling to us and jump down.”

Ilga crossed his arms and groaned.

“There’s no other way. I can’t put everyone in danger.”

That response was unexpected.

I had assumed he’d insist on charging through.

Ilga raised his voice.

“Everyone, fall back to the fourth floor!”

If Fix were here, magic would have resolved this instantly. While I was relieved Ilga didn’t choose a reckless charge, splitting up the class was still a foolish decision.

As we turned to retreat, one person moved against the flow—Bernard walked forward.

Ilga turned back, and we all stopped.

“Bernard? Can you use magic?”

“No. I have no talent for magic.”

He walked slowly, just as he spoke, unfastening the magic lamp at his waist.

I hurriedly called out,

“Hey, a magic lamp doesn’t use flames. If you’re planning to burn it—”

“Don’t worry. This isn’t a magic lamp.”

With those words, he threw the lamp—no, the lantern.

The shattered lantern spilled its fuel, and the tiny flame on the wick flared up slightly.

“When I enrolled, I pleaded with my father to let me bring it.”

“You’re using something that important—”

Bernard shook his head.

“If we leave it now, we’ll encounter it again on the way back. And next time, there will be no detour. Even with Fix, the mage, the Fourth and Fifth Teams would still be in danger. We must finish it here.”

“That’s… true, but…”

The giant man smiled.

“To protect my group, this is a small price to pay. Your Third Team risked your lives in battle to protect everyone. You are brave warriors. My father would understand. Allow me to do at least this much.”

The flames flickered. But they were weak. A mere breath could snuff them out.

With that tiny fire, against a slime of this size—if it collapsed onto the flame, it would be extinguished instantly.