Chapter 48

Isaac rushed toward me while avoiding the pool of blood and puke. "You okay, Llyne?" Isaac helped me up.

I wiped my puke from my mouth and said. "For now. How's Ronald?"

Rona carried Ronald here. Ronald smiled and said. "I'm alright. No worries. Luckily, Isaac did first aid on me."

Tiny slime jumped on my head and cried. "Blu!!!!!!"

I stretched my arms. "I'm fine, tiny slime. I'm just glad it's all over." Isaac shook his head. "Not yet. One more level to go." We looked at the ladder leading to the fifth level.

"Oui... No... I'm too lazyyyyy. Let me sleeeeeep."

Isaac pulled my ear. "I don't care if you are lazy. You are climbing the ladder." I sobbed as he dragged me to the ladder by my ear. "Nuuuuuuuu."

[Fifth level]

I stared at the maze and smiled. "Ah... Maze..." Tiny slime bounced on my head. "Blu?"

Isaac waved his hands in front of me. "She's completely useless unless it's fighting." Isaac dragged me by the collar. "Follow me."

As we walked towards the centre of the maze, I felt more energized. "Wow, we killed so many monsters of different shapes and sizes. Awesome! Before this, whenever I see a monster, I feel like running away, but now I want to run towards them and slice their head off. I wonder why...? What about you all?" Isaac looked dispirited and said. "Centaur, unicorn, werewolf, dragon, griffin, basilic, fairies, ghoul, erlking... My brain is fried. Those things don't exist, you hear me? They don't!" Isaac screamed while shaking Rona.

I whacked Isaac's head. "Hey, shorty. You have seen them. You killed them. They're real, so stop disturbing Rona." Isaac let go of Rona, and Rona quickly hid behind Ronald.

"Zzzz..." Tiny slime was sleeping comfortably until it sensed something. "B-Blu?" Tiny slime looked around. "Blu...!" Tiny slime jumped off my head. "Blu! Blu!" Tiny Slime rushed off somewhere else, leaving us behind. "Wow... This is the second time I felt betrayed." I pouted.

"Where did Blu go?" Ronald asked.

"Tiny slime said it sensed its mother somewhere." I looked in the direction where tiny slime went. "Let's follow tiny slime!"

"What about our goal?" Isaac refuted.

"Don't you want to see a family reunion, shorty?"

"Not really."

We stared at the cold-hearted Isaac. Isaac sighed. "Fine. Fine. Let's go."

I smiled and said. "Follow me." I pulled Isaac by the collar, and Rona and Ronald followed from behind. Isaac struggled and screamed. "You don't know where tiny slime went."

"I do. Tiny slime and I are connected by heart."

Isaac gave a worried look. "Oh, no... We'll be lost here forever."

We found tiny slime a few minutes later with his mother. "It's tiny slime. We found tiny slime." I shouted while waving my sword. Isaac's eyes widened. "I can't believe it. She didn't get lost in the maze."

I looked at tiny slime's mother. "Oui... She's big." Tiny slime's mother was blue in colour and a few stories tall. Isaac poked me and whispered. "How can a blue slime give birth to a green slime?"

"Maybe tiny slime got it from the father?" I replied.

Isaac shook his head. "According to most RPGs I had played, slimes are genderless, and they reproduce asexually. Therefore, their babies would look identical to their parent." We looked at tiny slime and its mother. I gulped nervously. "If so... That seems wrong, isn't it?"

Isaac sighed. "That's what I had been trying to tell you."

I tilted my head and pondered. "But... Tiny slime kept saying 'Blu', so it must be calling its mother, which is blue in colour?"

Tiny slime's mother loomed over us. We shut our mouths and moved back. We looked at Rona and Ronald. They don't seem to care about how tiny slime's mother might eat us. I turned toward Isaac. "Maybe we're just overreacting? I mean, look at Rona and Ronald. They look so happy playing with tiny slime."

Isaac looked at Rona and Ronald, then back at me. "That's because it's Rona and Ronald."

"Rargh!" The tiny slime's mother screamed. I closed my ear and screamed. "WAAHH! What's wrong now?!" Tiny slime's mother opened its mouth and dived toward Isaac and I. We looked at each other and screamed. "Dodge!" We dodged to the side to avoid the huge slime's attack.

"Oof!" I slammed to the ground. "Oui... Am I that unlikable? Or do I taste good?" I licked my hand. "Nope. I don't."

Tiny slime panicked and cried. "Blu? Blu!" The huge slime ignored tiny slime and continued to attack us. Tiny slime continued to scream at the huge slime, and huge slime got annoyed. The huge slime turned toward tiny slime and attacked it. Luckily, Rona was able to save tiny slime, or else tiny slime will already be inside of huge slime.

Isaac and I ran toward tiny slime, and I patted tiny slime. "You alright, little one? Just so you know, I don't think that's your mother." Isaac rolled his eyes. "I think tiny slime already knows that since that huge slime tried to eat it."

The huge slime screamed and started jumping. We floated up. "Huh?" And slammed to the ground. "Ouch!" Blu screamed. "Blu! Blu!" We crawled towards the maze wall and hold onto it. I grabbed tiny slime and said. "Don't think calling out to your mother is going to help us any way, tiny slime."

Suddenly, a huge green slime appeared beside us. Blu jumped happily. "Blu~." We looked at the green slime. "Oui. I think that's tiny slime's mother." The huge green slime moved toward the blue slime and started to attack it. Rona and Ronald got excited and cheered. "Go, green slime mama. You can do it!" I stared at the two slime battles. "Never would I ever imagine I'll be watching the battle of the slimes." Tiny slime happily cheered for his mother. "Blu... Blu!" Whereas Isaac was staring at the battle in a daze.

After the battle ended, the winner was green slime, tiny slime's mother! Tiny slime ran toward his mother, and they both snuggled with each other. I sniffled. "What a perfect family reunion." I blew my snot onto Isaac's shirt. Isaac, who was still in a daze, didn't react. I chuckled. 'Heh! This is the best time to tease him. Wakakakaka!'

Tiny slime's mother moved toward us and said. "Grin..." I smiled and said. "No problem, ma'am. Anyone would do the same for tiny slime."

Tiny slime bounced around happily. "Blu. Blu. Blu!"

"Grin." Tiny slime's mother slowly moved away, and I followed it. Isaac pulled me back. "Where are you going now?" I pushed away Isaac's hand. "Following Mother Slime. She's going to take us to the centre of the maze. she knows the shortcut."

Rona drooled. "Shortcakes?"

Ronald shook his head. "No, it's shortcut."

Rona tilted her head. "Cut shortcakes!" Ronald looked at Rona in confusion. We followed Mother Slime.

Following Mother Slime, we reached the centre of the fifth-level maze in a few minutes. Rona and tiny slime jumped in excitement. "We're here! We're here!"

I bowed towards Mother Slime. "Thanks for your help!" Mother Slime wiggled and said. "Grin." Tiny slime looked back at Mother Slime and squealed. "Bluuuuuuuuu!" Rona, Ronald, and I cried. "We'll miss you too, tiny slime."

Isaac said emotionlessly. "But this is farewell." I smacked Isaac's arm, and he glared at me.

Tiny slime followed Mother Slime and bounced away. We waved at tiny slime. "Goodbye, old friend." I wiped my tears. "Oui... Tiny slime is gone. Although our adventure may be short, it was filled with so many memories."

Isaac stared at me blankly. "Are we done yet? You realize crying won't solve anything, right? It wastes valuable time."

I frowned and said. "Yes, yes, you cold-hearted robot."

"Robot doesn't have heart, moron." Isaac sighed.

Ronald pointed in front. "Is that the red button we are supposed to press?" We looked in front and saw the suspicious red button. "Oh, the red button." Isaac sighed in relief.

I tilted my head. 'Red button? Where? I could see the black mist. Oui... Don't tell me...'

"Red button!" Rona ran toward it, but I grabbed Rona and pulled her back.

"Rona! Be more careful. What if it's a trap? You might get hurt or, worse, killed." I scolded Rona.

Isaac agreed with me. "Llyne's right. We have to take precautions." Isaac looked at me. "Since when do you take precautions?"

"'Cause I can see it?"

"See what? The trap?"

"I can't see the trap, but I know it's dangerous."

Isaac stared at me in disbelief. I pouted. "Really!"

Suddenly, a boy came out of nowhere and rushed to the red button. He pressed the red button and disappeared into thin air.

"Oh no. He got to it first." Ronald said.

Isaac shrugged. "Looks like it's safe. Let's go."

I grabbed Isaac and shook my head.

"What?" Isaac looked at me.

"Isn't it weird that the super efficient, stuck-up maniac didn't announce the winner yet?" I pressed on.

Isaac pondered. "You're right. But there's a chance he is waiting for all the survivors to press the button first before announcing the winner."

I shook my head. "I don't think so. I got a bad feeling about that button. Trust me!"

Isaac looked away and said. "Fine. If that's not the end goal, then what is?"

"I don't know."

Isaac got pissed off and strangled me. "You, poopbrain!" I struggled and strangled Isaac back. "Listen to me, dwarf!"