Gun didn't waste time.
The moment he realized the King Slime resisted magic, he moved first.
The giant creature bounced forward, its body wobbling like a mountain of living gel, but Gun was already in motion. His boots scraped across the wet jungle ground as he closed the distance, sword low, dagger ready.
"Alright," he said under his breath. "Let's see how you like this."
He vanished behind the boss's side and triggered [Avenger's Cut].
The dagger flashed.
A clean, silent strike carved deep into the slime's body.
The King Slime lurched, a section of its flesh splitting apart like thick jelly under pressure. Green fluid sprayed out, but it wasn't ordinary slime.
It hissed.
Then Gun's eyes widened.
The chunk that had fallen from the boss started to melt and crawl toward him.
"Acid."
He twisted sharply and used [Flash Step].
His body snapped backward in a blur of motion just as the falling mass hit the ground where he had been standing. The jungle floor smoked instantly, stone and dirt dissolving with a sickly hiss.
Gun's expression hardened.
"…Yeah, no."
That stuff would not be fun to get hit by.
The King Slime bounced again, faster than before, and spat several glob-like projectiles toward him. They flew through the air with wet bursts, leaving trails of corrosive slime behind them.
Gun clicked his tongue.
"Cute."
He raised his blade and met the first projectile head-on.
CLANG.
The impact rang out as he parried the slime shot away.
Another came from the left.
Parried.
A third from above.
Parried again.
Each block sent acid splashing against the ground, eating holes into the dirt and stone. Gun could feel the danger immediately. One bad parry, one slip, and he would lose more than posture.
He advanced anyway.
The boss was too slow in this phase.
Or rather, Gun had already learned how to punish it.
He lunged straight at the front, cutting through a smaller bulge of the slime body with a brutal slash. Then he raised his weapon and brought it down toward the crown-like mass on top of the creature.
A heavy hit landed.
The King Slime shuddered.
Gun's eyes narrowed.
"There."
He drove in with another clean strike and immediately followed with [Avenger's Cut] again, using the opening before the boss could fully recover.
The blade disappeared into the creature's body.
The King Slime shrieked.
Gun didn't give it a second to breathe.
[Flash Step].
He blinked to the side, then behind it, and unleashed the same strange three-hit sequence he had used against the bullies.
One slash.
Two.
Three.
The combo landed hard and fast, each hit striking a different weak point in the slime's shifting body. The creature jerked violently, its mass rippling in anger.
Then it roared.
The sound shook the jungle.
The King Slime's body began compressing.
Gun stepped back, suspicious.
"Uh… what?"
The giant mass shrank inward, folding and compacting itself into something smaller.
Not weaker.
Faster.
Much faster.
The creature's huge frame collapsed into a denser, more aggressive form. It lost some bulk, but what it gained was frightening. Its movements became sharper, tighter, almost violent in their precision. It bounced once and vanished from Gun's front, reappearing with a sudden slam that forced him to block on instinct.
The impact rattled through his arms.
Then another strike came from a different angle.
Gun parried it.
Another hit followed immediately after.
He blocked again, but now the slime was moving too fast for him to keep up with cleanly. Acid splattered from the boss's body in short bursts, leaking over the stone and forcing Gun to dodge more than he wanted.
One splash grazed his side.
His armor-less body took the hit directly through his clothing.
A sharp burn shot across his skin.
"Ah—!"
He gritted his teeth and stumbled back.
The acidic damage wasn't huge, but it was enough to remind him that this fight had turned ugly.
Gun backed away, breathing harder now.
"Luna."
She was already moving toward him.
Her eyes widened slightly when she saw the burn on his side. "You're hurt."
"Yeah," Gun said, one hand braced against his ribs. "Turns out slime bosses are rude."
Luna gave him a look that was half concern, half disbelief.
Then she raised both hands.
Smoke spilled outward instantly.
Her [Ashen Veil] spread across the battlefield, swallowing part of the clearing in a thick gray haze. The smoke drifted around Gun, hiding him from view while its healing effect settled over his body.
The burning pain dulled quickly.
Gun exhaled.
"…Nice."
Luna nodded. "Stay inside the veil for a bit."
The King Slime bounced into the smoke, trying to chase him by sound and movement alone. Gun crouched low and let the haze hide his position.
Then he moved.
He pushed upward through the veil like a shadow rising from smoke and vanished from the boss's line of sight.
The slime reacted instantly, turning and throwing a counterstrike in the direction it expected him to be.
Gun was not there.
The creature's body twisted.
Too late.
Gun appeared at its side and struck with the dagger in a clean, sharp angle.
The boss recoiled.
Gun followed with another parry when the slime tried to lash back. The timing was perfect. The attack bounced off his weapon, opening the creature for just a moment.
"Now."
He used [Avenger's Cut] again.
The blade cut deep.
The King Slime tried to spring away, but Gun saw the retreat coming a heartbeat before it happened.
"Not this time."
[Flash Step].
He appeared directly in front of the fleeing boss and drove in a critical attack with both weapons, the greatsword and dagger moving in brutal coordination.
The hit landed hard.
The King Slime shuddered.
Luna took the opening and raised her hand.
[Fire Spark]
A small fireball shot out and slammed into the boss's side.
This time the spell didn't do much, but it was enough.
Enough for Gun to smile.
Because that was the point.
The fireball wasn't meant to kill it.
It was meant to force the reaction.
The King Slime turned toward Luna for a fraction of a second.
Gun was already moving.
He slipped through the smoke, came around the side, and executed another silent strike from behind.
[Avenger's Cut].
The boss's body split under the hit.
The compressed slime form buckled.
Its core flickered.
Gun twisted the dagger free and stepped back.
The King Slime tried to bounce toward him, but it was too late. Its body had been cut too deep, its movement too unstable, its recovery too slow.
Gun's eyes narrowed.
"That's it."
He moved in one last time.
A final slash.
A final dagger thrust.
A final opening.
The King Slime burst apart in a spray of glowing green sludge, collapsing into a spreading puddle of fading light and acid steam.
For a moment, the jungle went silent.
Then a message appeared in the air.
THE ENEMY FELL.FLOOR BOSS DEFEATED.
A bright loot glow rose from the remains.
Two items floated upward.
One was an uncommon scroll.
The other was a pair of strange boots made of glossy blue material.
Gun stared at them.
[Slimy Boots]
-Bounce: Jump 2x higher.
-Friction: After running for 30 seconds, the user's feet lose most friction, granting a 75% speed boost while running.
Gun blinked.
Then looked at Luna.
"Okay, that's actually kind of insane."
Luna smiled a little. "Pretty useful too."
Gun glanced between the boots and the scroll.
"Alright. So…"
He picked up the boots first.
"Those are mine."
Luna shrugged immediately. "Fine by me."
Gun pointed at the scroll.
"You want the scroll?"
Luna shook her head. "You carried the fight. Take whatever you want."
Gun hesitated only a second.
Then he tossed the uncommon scroll over to her.
She caught it with both hands.
"Seriously?"
Gun nodded.
"Yeah. You helped."
Luna looked down at the scroll, then back at him.
"…Thanks."
Gun scratched the back of his neck and looked away.
"Don't mention it."
He slipped the Slimy Boots into his inventory and flexed one foot once, already imagining how useful they would be for movement-based fights and tower climbing.
Then he glanced toward the next staircase leading to the next floor.
The jungle was still.
The boss was gone.
And the tower kept going.
Gun exhaled and smiled.
"Alright."
He adjusted the sword on his shoulder.
"Let's keep climbing."
And with Luna beside him, they moved toward the next floor.