Floor 16.

The 16^th floor is really massive. The ceiling is high enough to stack five or six houses on top of each other and wide enough that you could fit a massive highway here.

It’s rather beautiful too. It looks like a completely natural cave with lots of smooth cut rocks and lots of sub caves connected to the main one.

And all that space is currently occupied.

*Slash!*

*Fwoom!*

I am currently surrounded by monsters. There are Hellhounds, a dog monster that can breathe fire, Lygerfangs, a tiger monster, Wyverns, which are flying above me, and the ever famous Minotaur, a cow-headed humanoid monster.

There are over 50 of them altogether.

*Shing!*

*Fwoom!*

Another Hellhound turns to dust as I shout at the top of my lungs towards the two girls (traitors) are sitting off to the side eating popcorn.

Rimuru- “You girls! Help me out already!”

*Slash!*

Minotaur- “*Roaaaaah!*”

Rimuru- “Shut up! I wasn’t asking you!”

*Slash!*

*Fwoom!*

Mikoto- “Mmm… Nah.”

Shizu- “I'm fine.”

Pikachu- “Pikachu.”

Rimuru- “Yeah, you’re all fine… but I’M NOT!”

Where did they even get the popcorn in the first place!?

Normally, I could snap my fingers and turn this massive mob of monsters into black mist. Unfortunately, my C Rank substitute body has got shit magicule reserves, I can't use any of my hard-hitting skills.

*Bang!*

I jump to the side as a Minotaur smashes the ground where I was standing with its fist, cracking the floor slightly.

Normally, floor 16 should be a cakewalk for a party of C Rank adventurers. If you’re alone, then it might be hard, but still possible to get through.

Unfortunately, I seem to have done something to piss off the Goddess of Fate (if there is any) and just happened to run into a group of over 60 monsters.

60! You’d be considered unlucky if you ran into a group of 20. I'm standing in the middle of triple that!

I spin around and swing Yamato into a wide horizontal arc. It seamlessly passes through the Minotaurs neck, causing it to instantly turn to black mist and drop a fist-sized magic stone.

Feeling movement behind me with my frustratedly limited [Universal Sense], I lift my hand behind me a write a simple silver rune in the air with [Odin].

Rimuru- “Firebolt!”

The rune combusts into a flame and hits the Lygerfang in the head with a bolt of fire, dealing sufficient damage to kill it in one hit.

And no, I didn’t have to scream it out, I just wanted to, because… well, it’s a fire spell, and I'm in a dungeon under Babel Tower. I was practically compelled to do it… probably not the best choice, since that one spell took around 5% of my reserves, which will regenerate in around 5 minutes. Damn shitty magicule reserves…

Two more monsters lunge at me, another Lygerfang and a Hellhound. From my left, a Wyvern flaps its wings also swoops down at me, opening its jaws, revealing its sharp teeth.

I squint my eyes and calculate my options. Sighing to myself, I resheathe Yamato and bend my knees, lowing my body into an Iai stance.

Once all of them cross the three-meter distance, I draw Yamato again.

[Origin Slime Sword Technique: Life Seeker]

Three separate bursts of light escape from Yamato’s sheathe, each splitting into three separate directions in their own beautiful curved movements.

*Shing!*

In that single moment, each arc of light crossed the necks of all three monsters.

*Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!*

An original sword art I made that targets the necks of everything I consider to be an enemy, regardless of the angle or number, as long as they’re less than three meters from me. I then use Yamato’s effect over to space to pull off a pseudo-Tsubami Gaeshi by pulling in strikes from nearby parallel worlds to create multiple attacks that occur simultaneously. This happens instantaneously and returns the sword to its sheath at the end, ready for another technique.

Yes, I'm lazy, but I never stopped practising my swordsmanship. Hakurou would beat my ass if I did…

Another Minotaur rushes up behind me, this one carrying a long sword. Probably dropped from another adventurer who died and got resurrected back on the surface. Although it looks like a short sword when the Minotaur is holding it…

It swings the sword at me, a normal overhead swing, easily telegraphed. So I step aside, causing it to miss.

[Life Seeker]

*Shing!*

*Fwoom!*

More monsters rush at me. A Wyvern and three Lygerfangs.

[Life Seeker]

*Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!*

More.

[Life Seeker]

*Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!*

More.

*Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!*

Even more.

*Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!* *Fwoom!*

(A/N: Racking up that word count.)

Until eventually, it’s just me standing in the middle of a field of magic crystals.

Hmm… should I have styled on these scrubs some more and used other techniques other than [Life Seeker]?

Hmm… Nah. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Mikoto- “See? I knew you could do it!”

Mikoto says as she walks up to me, Shizu walking next to her, finishing up the rest of her popcorn.

Rimuru- “…”

Mikoto- “…”

Pikachu- “…”

Rimuru- “… *Cough*”

I cough, causing a plume of black mist to escape my mouth.

And it’s not just that. I'm literally COVERED in this stuff.

Mikoto- “… You didn’t die, so… I’d that that’s a win?”

Why is that a question?

I shake my body, causing the majority of the black dust to fall off my body.

Rimuru- “Yeah, but some help would’ve been appreciated.”

Shizu just shrugs.

Shizu- “I was hungry.”

Rimuru- “You’re always hungry!”

Shizu- “Exactly.”

Pikachu- “Pika pika!”

*Inhale ominously*

.

.

.

It’s not worth it. Calm down, me…

Rimuru- “*Sigh* Whatever. Come on, next floor is floor 17, the boss floor.”

Shizu/Mikoto- “Boss!”

Shizu and Mikoto shout at the same time. They look towards each other with guarded eyes.

Mikoto- “… I wanna kill the boss.”

Shizu- “But it’s my turn.”

Mikoto- “But the floor after that is floor 18, so I won't get a turn.”

Shizu and Mikoto continued to argue back and forth until they finally agreed to settle this with the tried and tested ancient method… of rock, paper, scissors.

Mikoto/Shizu- “Jan Ken Pon!” (Rock Paper Scissors in Japanese)

Both throw out paper. A draw.

Mikoto/Shizu- “Aikodesho!” (Play again!)

Both throw out rock. Another draw.

Mikoto/Shizu- “Aikodesho!”

Both throw out scissors.

Mikoto/Shizu- “Aikodesho!”

Paper.

Mikoto/Shizu- “Aikodesho!”

Rock.

Mikoto/Shizu- “Aikodesho!”

Scissors.

This kept repeating hundreds upon hundreds of times. Until finally…

Mikoto- “Yes! I win! Hahaha!”

Shizu- “Aww…”

Mikoto drew rock and Shizu drew scissors.

And just in time too, as we’re standing at the entrance of the boss room.

There’s no big ass door or anything like that, it’s just a normal natural entrance from a cave to an even bigger cave.

And so we enter…

Mikoto- “…”

Shizu- “…”

Rimuru- “…”

Mikoto- “… Hey…”

Shizu- “… Yes, Mikoto?”

Mikoto- “… Where’s the boss?”

That’s right, there is no boss. It must’ve already been killed and is on a respawn timer.

Shizu- “… Pfft.”

Mikoto- “Don’t laugh!”

Mikoto shouts with a red, embarrassed face.

-----

Name: Rimuru

Race: Origin Slime

Protection: Crest of Space

Title: Highest Tier Spirit, Leader of the Monsters, Onii-chan, King of Avalon, Master of Headpats, Procrastinator King, The Nutcracker, socially awkward cringe slightly chuuni slime, True Dragon Slayer, Sensei, World's Strongest, Overpowered to a stupid degree, Mikoto's Equal

???: [Codex: Illyasviel]

Ultimate Skills: [Yahweh, God of Creation], [Odin, God of Runes], [Azathoth, God of Void (Alternative)]

Equipment: Yamato - Genesis