I arrived in the underground. At the entrance, guarded by security personnel, I told them I was here for a mission, and they let me through.

It felt like I was now truly recognized as a Hero Candidate of our city.

Well, what would the guards do if they didn’t recognize me?

I had Fiora, who was both my backing and my sex partner.

’If I do well on this job too, maybe I can go grope Fiora’s breasts faster? Hu-heh-heh-heh-heh-heh!’

A sour, fucking moldy smell permeated the air. The wastewater flowing nearby instinctively filled me with revulsion.

I didn’t even want to dip my foot in it, but if a slime appeared, I wouldn’t have a choice.

’This is worse than the semi-basement room I used to live in? Well, I guess that’s obvious.’

Clink!

Just in case, I brought a lantern from home and attached it to my waist. Actually, there were naturally glowing ’luminous orbs’ in the underground passages.

I looked up. Many luminous orbs were embedded in the ceiling. They glowed faintly with a blue light, making them seem like jewels.

But in reality, they had no effect other than glowing, so their value was no different from ordinary stones.

Still, I wanted to fight properly, so I brought and lit the lantern.

As I went further, a straight path, resembling a maze, appeared.

I had a map, so I wasn’t worried, but the atmosphere strongly suggested I’d be totally screwed if I actually got lost.

’In this world, the underground is the world itself. It’s vast and mysterious enough to have existed even before human civilization. They say you can even travel to neighboring territories if you’re lucky, but the problem is that no one knows the way.’

A vast and complex maze. Or a dungeon.

In this world, the underground was such an existence. Even if you were comfortably resting in your bed at home, it was a world where you couldn’t know what kind of monster was roaming right beneath you.

’How vast must it be for there to be talk of being able to go from neighboring territories to unheard-of ruins?’

Ruins mean money. Just selling artifacts could bring in a lot of money.

What if it was an item? That would be a jackpot.

Moreover, monsters inevitably gather and live in ruins.

Because ruins were once temples or places that contained special powers.

Monsters drawn to such places would form settlements.

I’d like to see one someday.

Then I recalled the main quest details.

’It feels like it’s really starting now. Amur Mamba, I will definitely eliminate you all.’

I had to show them who the true owner of this territory was. To do that, growth was ultimately the key.

Following the map attached to the mission, I advanced, and as I went, I found more and more animal bones and rotting corpses.

The smell was truly foul.

As the atmosphere grew eerie, some wastewater was dried up in places, or there were even just bones and hides.

I also saw the corpses of Goblins and Gnolls.

’All sorts of monsters must come in here. It’s extraterritorial, after all.’

Gnoll-like demi-human monsters were usually the regular customers.

But if I was unlucky, Plague Wolves or Huge Gavials could also appear.

Sriiing....

I flinched and stopped. I felt a presence nearby.

Just as I leaned in to listen.

"Kuaaak, save meee!"

Ah, fuck. My eardrums are gonna burst.

Why did I have to hear a scream just when I was listening closely?

I rushed forward. A man was flailing, stuck in the wastewater.

My energy drained. Did he come in drunk?

It looked shallow enough to get out with a bit of movement, so why was he doing that?

’Besides, he’s a man, so my interest drops. If it were a big-breasted big sis in a torn see-through dress, it’d be worth saving.’

A sigh escaped me. The man spotted me and reached out his hand.

"P-Please, save me! Please! I don’t want to die!"

The man struggled to get out. Yet, something kept pulling him back, making him slide repeatedly.

I looked behind the man.

A giant, bear-like slime was squirming. It glowed with four colors, strangely out of place here, and held the man with a tentacle.

The tentacle was quite thick and murky.

’That’s a Royal Slime, a mid-boss of the slime family that wields the power of four elements.’

Even a Necro Slime would be a saint compared to this one. This one can even use magic.

To confirm if it was the one I was looking for, a quest even appeared.

『Side Quest』

◆Today is Pudding Day!

-Objective: Defeat the Royal Slime.

-Reward: All Stats +10, your and your aunt Selena Canape’s Abyssal Value +15

The reward is a bit subtle, but let’s do our best. I came here to destroy that thing anyway.

The man cried out desperately.

"I am Lady Zara’s errand boy! Please save me, if I die like this, it will be disloyalty to the nobility!"

’I can accumulate some debt with Zara, I guess.’

I nodded and stepped forward. Lucky me, lucky me.

"Calm down. I am Lucian Vane, a Hero Candidate."

"A Hero Candidate...?"

The man’s expression turned grim. He seemed to despair that the person who came was merely a Hero Candidate.

Well, I’d probably feel the same way.

A mere candidate, not even a Hero, trying to defeat a Royal Slime? It must sound ridiculous.

I drew my sword and aimed it at the slime.

"Alright, it’s Show and Prove time!"

As I was about to charge, the slime reacted first and swung a tentacle.

Thwack!

It came flying at incredible speed, like the sound of a whip cracking.

I raised my shield to block and moved in a zigzag pattern.

As I kept dodging and closing the distance, the slime brought out all its tentacles and swung them in all directions.

It felt like dozens of people were madly lashing whips.

As I tried to dodge somehow, my foot caught on a pile of corpses, and I stumbled. The tentacles rushed at me in a flurry.

"Gah, fuck!"

I struggled to roll to the side and catch my breath. As I moved to avoid the tentacles and approach, I stepped on a skull and fell again.

’This isn’t a favorable place for me. Plus, the underground passages have many straight sections, making it hard to conduct mobile warfare. Fuck, this is annoying.’

This was a different kind of fight than before. I had to fight in a narrow, restricted underground passage, not an open plain.

My feet kept getting caught or tripped, and the tentacle attacks were powerful.

Again, tentacles came flying, intertwining. As I tried to block with my shield.

Thwack!

I took a hit to the head. Reducing the damage with my mask, I swung my sword.

Chwa-rarak!

I cut through the tentacles and advanced. The Royal Slime seemed angered and made a bubbling sound.

Following that, its body glowed. I felt a powerful mana reaction.

[Flame Spear]

"You crazy bastard!"

Boom!

I tried to block with my shield, but it exploded. As I was pushed back, several more spells flew at me.

[Hydro Sphere]

[Electric Wave]

They were all 1st Circle magic. I somehow closed the distance and thrust my sword.

[Stone Armor]

The strike I had just unleashed was blocked by its stone-transformed outer skin and bounced off.

As the distance widened, the monster once again spammed spells.

I dodged the incoming Flame Spear and rolled. As I pushed off the wall and closed the distance, a Hydro Sphere flew at me.

I tried to block with my shield, but an Electric Wave came at an off-beat timing and struck my thigh.

Zzzzzzt!

"Kuaaak!"

I raised my shield as high as possible and retreated. As the Royal Slime swung its tentacles again, I barely blocked them and kept being pushed back.

’I’ve only just become Runner Late-stage, and the terrain is advantageous for the monster. Thanks to the resistance on my shield, I avoided a fatal injury, but another hit would be dangerous.’

I moistened my dry lips and concentrated. I gripped my holy sword with both hands.

Looking at the man’s face, he was despairing. Because I was being pushed back.

I smirked, as if to show off.

’Aura Activation.’

A brilliant golden light, enough to make the lantern’s glow seem insignificant, emanated from my sword. Soon, it enveloped my entire body.

An unknown energy inside me writhed as if it would explode at any moment.

Power surged as if I could blow away a mountain.

The slime trembled and tried to spam spells.

[Flame Spear]

[Hydro Sphere]

[Electric Wave]

[Slow]

It even cast an earth-attribute magic that slows movement.

But you know what? To me, with my aura activated, it’s nothing.

I kicked off the ground. In one breath, I closed the distance with the slime.

Even with Slow cast on me, my body felt as light as a feather. That’s because all my Stats nearly doubled when I activated my aura.

As expected, a tentacle came flying. I dodged, and another came from the opposite side at an off-beat timing.

I swung my sword and cut them all down.

Gurgle!

The monster made a sound as if displeased.

’Right now, I’m stronger than Lumina at full power!’

A slime that only swung tentacles and sprayed low-circle magic seemed laughable.

Dozens of tentacles came flying, filling my vision. It was truly a tentacle hell.

[Leonhardt Severing Sword Style - White Lightning]

Shaaaak!

My vision, murky from the tentacles. I thrust my sword straight ahead. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

My murky vision instantly turned white and was purified. The bundles of tentacles were cut and scattered in all directions.

As I took a step closer, the slime seemed surprised and activated Stone Armor.

Regardless, I thrust my sword.

[Leonhardt Severing Sword Style - Divine Strike]

Swooosh!

I merely struck it with the flat of my blade. The slime trembled violently, and its body split open significantly.

The monster tried to spam spells again to create distance. Its tentacles were already cut, and it had sustained critical damage.

I pushed forward, taking the incoming spells with my shield and masked face.

Perhaps this sight was more terrifying, as the slime trembled.

Its fear was fully conveyed to me. I grinned and closed the distance.

I gripped my sword and pulled it back with all my might.

"Human desire is endless. That’s what makes us human!"

[Leonhardt Severing Sword Style - Nameless Thrust]

Swoosh! Pwaaaak!

I split the slime in two, even shattering the core inside its body.

The gigantic slime instantly evaporated, leaving only byproducts behind and disappearing.

[You have defeated the enemy!]

[You have gained 15000 Collector Points (CP)!]

[Conditions met!]

[You have acquired the title ’1st Circle Grand Resistor’!]

[1st Circle Grand Resistor (Rare)]

Type: Title

Effect: You become immune to all 1st Circle magic.

Huh, I’ve become invincible against 1st Circle magic. Lucky me!

I obtained byproducts from the slime’s remains. I even acquired a rare item called Hybrid Species Leather.

’Special byproduct? I can use this for enhancement or crafting.’

[Side Quest ’Today is Pudding Day!’ Cleared!]

[All Stats increased by 10!]

[Your and ’Selena Canape’s Abyssal Value increased by 15!]

I received the quest rewards. My Abyssal Value increased again. The enemies are gonna get tougher, I guess.

Having rescued the errand boy, I began to leave the underground.

I almost lost my balance while supporting the errand boy. My breathing was a little ragged.

’Is it the effect of using aura? My energy is really draining incredibly fast, like a bank account balance.’

The stronger I became, the more my energy consumption became unimaginable. I really need to use this sparingly.

"Thank you for saving me."

"Be careful next time."

"No way, how can a Hero Candidate use aura...."

"I was lucky. Come on, let’s go."

"Yes, yes! If Lady Zara finds out, she will surely bestow a reward!"

"I wasn’t particularly hoping for a reward."

Actually, I was hoping for something. Because I’m the future Debauched Hero.

"No, Lady Zara, who reveres justice, will surely be pleased!"

She’s a justice fanatic, alright.

I smiled, looking forward to meeting her in the future. Well, just a little.

I felt a sense of accomplishment as a Hero.