Chapter 62: The Acid Soup
Liam could barely keep his eyes open.
The smell was unbearable.
The inside of the dungeon boss was filled with a sharp, acidic stench that seemed to seep directly into his lungs. Every breath made his stomach churn even more.
Lydia had wrapped her gelatinous body around him, trying to protect him from the environment.
[Lydia: Liam! Don’t fall asleep!]
Liam barely opened his eyes.
"I’m awake..."
[Lydia: Liar! You just closed them again!]
"I was thinking."
[Lydia: Then think with your eyes open!]
Liam tried to smile.
But another wave of acidic fumes reached him.
"Ugh..."
His head dropped forward.
[Lydia: Liam!]
The trunk they were standing on creaked again.
CRACK.
A piece of wood broke off and fell into the acid below.
Pssssssss...
The branch disappeared within seconds.
Lydia watched with concern.
[Lydia: The acid is rising.]
"I know..."
[Lydia: And the tree is falling apart.]
"I know that too..."
[Lydia: Then think faster.]
Liam closed his eyes again.
[Lydia: Don’t fall asleep!]
This time, a green tentacle shot out from Lydia’s body.
SMACK!
The tentacle struck Liam across the cheek.
"Ouch!"
Liam immediately opened his eyes and rubbed his face.
"That hurt."
[Lydia: It was necessary!]
Liam looked at her and smiled.
"But it was pretty good."
[Lydia: What?]
"Save that for later."
Lydia remained motionless for a second.
[Lydia: That is, if we get out of this dungeon alive.]
Liam let out a small laugh.
"Exactly."
He looked down and noticed that the acid continued to rise.
But this time, his expression changed. He no longer looked dizzy.
He looked like he was thinking.
"I think I have a plan."
[Lydia: What plan?]
Liam pointed toward the liquid.
"That acid."
[Lydia: The acid?]
"Yes."
Liam took a deep breath.
"It’s dangerous, but you have your necklace."
Lydia looked toward her neck.
The necklace Don Rouch had crafted using one of the gems from that F-Rank dungeon.
"The gem has the same ability as my bullets."
[Lydia: Storing energy.]
"Exactly."
Liam pointed toward the acid again.
"And if I’m not mistaken, I think everything that exists inside a dungeon is made of energy in one way or another."
Lydia began to understand.
[Lydia: So you think...]
"That this monster’s stomach acid could also be energy."
Lydia looked at the liquid.
[Lydia: And my necklace could absorb it?]
"I hope so."
[Lydia: How did you come to that conclusion?]
Liam smiled.
"Believe it or not, I was thinking."
[Lydia: And not just taking a break?]
"That too."
Lydia’s slime body moved as if she were laughing.
[Lydia: Are you sure?]
Liam shrugged.
"Not completely."
[Lydia: Liam!]
"But we can spend one bullet to find out."
Liam pulled out his pistol, which was loaded with one of the new cartridges containing the bullets made from the gems of the snowy dungeon, and aimed downward.
"Let’s find out."
He fired.
BANG!
The bullet fell directly into the acid.
The projectile pierced the surface.
It didn’t disappear or melt.
Instead, it began to emit a faint glow.
Liam smiled.
The bullet was absorbing some of the liquid.
"It worked."
[Lydia: It worked!]
Lydia immediately produced her necklace from inside her body.
The gem was glowing faintly.
Liam watched the acid.
"Now comes the difficult part."
[Lydia: What?]
"If you throw the necklace, it could fall too far down."
Liam pointed into the depths.
"And we have no idea where it would end up."
[Lydia: I don’t like where this conversation is going.]
"You need to get closer."
[Lydia: I definitely don’t like it.]
"And make the gem absorb the acid."
Lydia remained silent for a few seconds.
[Lydia: Okay.]
A tentacle began emerging from her body, with the necklace secured at its tip.
"Be careful."
[Lydia: You can trust me.]
The tentacle slowly descended.
Lydia brought the necklace closer to the surface of the acid.
The gem reacted, and a light began traveling through it.
The liquid started to move.
Bloop.
Then another.
Bloop.
Small bubbles appeared around the necklace.
The acid began to be absorbed, and Lydia pulled back slightly.
[Lydia: It’s working!]
"Don’t get too close!"
[Lydia: I’m being careful!]
A drop of acid landed on the tentacle.
Pssss.
Lydia shuddered.
[Lydia: Ah!]
"Lydia."
[Lydia: I’m fine.]
Another drop grazed her body.
"Careful!"
[Lydia: Relax. I’m becoming a professional at this.]
Liam couldn’t help but laugh.
"That doesn’t reassure me."
◇◆◇
Little by little, the acid level began to drop.
The problem was that, along with the liquid, the tree continued descending.
The distance between them and the acid remained dangerously short.
"Keep going."
[Lydia: Okay.]
The necklace absorbed more and more, and the gem began to glow intensely.
Then...
BOOOOM!
The monster was struck by another attack from outside.
Its entire body shook, and the tree tilted violently.
"Lydia!"
[Lydia: I know!]
The tentacle lost its balance.
Liam tried to hold onto the branch.
But the wood was too damaged.
CRACK.
The branch broke.
"Ah!"
[Lydia: Liam.]
Lydia reacted immediately.
The tentacle holding the necklace detached, and her entire body launched itself toward her husband.
The gelatinous mass completely covered Liam.
[Harden.]
Lydia formed a kind of suit around him.
Liam fell directly toward the acid.
SPLASH!
The liquid completely covered him.
But he didn’t feel anything.
He opened his eyes and saw Lydia protecting him.
"Lydia..."
His wife had used her entire body as armor.
But she was the one taking the damage.
The surface of her body began to bubble.
[Lydia: Ah...!]
"Lydia!"
[Lydia: I’m fine...]
"You’re not fine."
The surface of her body warped under the contact with the acid.
Liam gritted his teeth.
"We have to get out."
[Lydia: How?]
Liam looked at the liquid, and an idea suddenly came to him.
"Consume the acid."
[Lydia: What?]
"Your ability."
Liam pointed toward the liquid.
"If you can consume anything..."
He looked at the acid.
"...maybe you can consume this too."
Lydia remained motionless.
[Lydia: It’s burning.]
"I know."
[Lydia: It hurts.]
"I know."
Liam gently stroked the gelatinous body surrounding him.
"But I think you can do it."
Lydia remained silent.
Then...
[Lydia: I trust you.]
Her body began to expand.
The gelatinous mass stopped resisting the acid.
Instead of protecting herself...
She began absorbing it.
The liquid started disappearing, faster and faster.
The acid entered Lydia’s body as if it were water being absorbed by a sponge.
"It’s working!"
[Lydia: Yes!]
The sea of acid began to shrink. The surface dropped, the smell slowly disappeared, and then a series of windows appeared before Liam’s eyes.
[Your Slime has consumed Acid Soup.]
Liam’s eyes widened.
"Soup?"
Another window appeared.
[Your Slime has obtained Great Acid Resistance.]
Liam smiled.
"That sounds good."
The next window appeared immediately.
[Your Slime has learned "Acid Bubble."]
Liam raised an eyebrow.
"Acid Bubble?"
Lydia didn’t answer. She was completely focused on absorbing the last remnants of the liquid.
Then the final window appeared.
[Your Slime has reached Level 50.]
Liam froze.
Level fifty.
Lydia had finally reached the level required for her next evolution.
"You just leveled up, honey."
The gelatinous mass stopped moving.
[Lydia: Really?]
"Level fifty."
Lydia began to tremble.
Not from fear, but not from excitement either.
They were both nervous, because they knew exactly what it meant.
Lydia was about to evolve once again.
She was afraid to discover what would remain of her body after doing so.