Chapter 7

Chapter 7

[Ding.. Host has defeated a slime; you received +2 Agility]

Haruto, who was cursing at the slime due to his lack of confidence in his sword skills to counter the slime's attack, felt a sudden rush of energy in his legs upon seeing the notification, making him feel a bit lighter.

'This system... isn't so strange after all,' he thought with a smile, and at the last moment, he managed to dodge the incoming attack, which struck the wall behind him and began to sizzle like acid.

Glancing back at the wall that had instantly turned black, Haruto realized that the slimes' attacks weren't weak if their opponents were merely f-rank adventurers; however, recognising that it wasn't the time to dwell on that, he sprinted toward the slime and swung his sword, "Take this, you slimy bastard."

Shatter*

Another slime core was shattered, and the slime started to dissolve. With one more slime defeated, Haruto shifted his focus back to the girls. Akane, who was panting a bit, had finally managed to defeat a slime, as there was a puddle of slime beneath her long white legs, while Emi was still struggling to destroy the slime with her bare hands.

[Ding.. Host has killed a slime; you received 20 Bronze coins]

'It's not wise to concentrate on the system's rewards,' Haruto thought, redirecting his attention to the nearby slimes.

Although Haruto had previously felt that he wouldn't be able to handle all the slimes with those inexperienced girls—he himself was a rookie too, but at least he had knowledge from his past life and now some useful assistance from the system—he ignored the nearby slimes and, utilising his newly acquired agility, dashed over to Emi. "Miss Emi, if you keep punching the slime randomly, you won't be able to defeat it."

Emi briefly ignored Haruto before landing another punch on the wobbly slime.

"You're going to wear yourself out and won't even manage to kill a single slime," Haruto remarked, and just as he was about to turn away to continue his own hunt, he heard a shrill cry from behind, "Ouch, my hands... it's burning."

The three of them immediately turned their attention to Emi, whose hands had turned nearly red, indicating that she had taken the slime's attack directly.

'Sigh, why are all these overly excited people like this?' Haruto couldn't help but sigh, shaking his head; he initially didn't want to interfere in their hunt, but seeing Emi's condition, he glanced at the slime that seemed to be grinning mischievously at her and rushed toward it, swinging his sword.

Shatter*

The slime that had posed a bit of a problem for Emi was defeated by Haruto in a single strike, once again killing another slime with one blow.

[Ding....]

"How... are you... doing that?" Emi, wincing in pain while clutching her hands, looked at Haruto with an expression she hadn't shown before.

At that moment, she was extremely confused; no matter how hard she hit the slime, it appeared to be unaffected, while with this man's blow, each slime collapsed as if they were barely clinging to life.

Haruto, hearing her, looked at her and clicked his tongue in annoyance, "Tsk, as I told you earlier, just punching the slime anywhere won't yield results; you need to follow my advice." But seeing her expression, he sighed and added, "Why don't you get healed first? Akane and I will handle things until then." while pointing to Hana who at the moment was showing worried expression.

Emi, hearing this, seemed like she wanted to say something, but the pain in her hands was intensifying with each moment, leaving her no choice but to comply with Haruto's request.

Watching Emi leave to get healed, Akane quickly approached Haruto, her breathing nearly strained. "Mister Haruto, can we manage all of the slimes?" Initially, she was thrilled at the prospect of finally earning her first monster core, which she had already accomplished, but she also realized that obtaining just one slime had required so much effort and strength that for a moment, she even doubted her suitability for this kind of work.

Haruto surveyed the area, noting that there were still more than six slimes continuously attacking them. Akane, wearing Haruto's shirt, had it torn in several places.

However, recognizing how easily he had dealt with the slimes so far and feeling a surge of newfound strength, he believed he could handle all of the slimes on his own. He reassured her, "Don't worry about it, Miss Akane. Focus on what you can manage, and leave the rest to me."

"Are... Are you sure?" Akane inquired, though she had witnessed his capabilities firsthand, like how he had defeated more than three slimes without breaking a sweat; still, she couldn't shake her concern.

"Yeah, I think I'm confident in handling them," Haruto replied, almost reaching out to place a hand on her shoulder for reassurance, but suddenly realizing something, he cleared his throat. "Ahem, I think we should return to what we were doing."

Akane, aware of Haruto's intentions, felt herself blush slightly at the thought, but as she watched him walk away, she thought, 'I didn't know he was such a gentleman.' Yet, understanding her responsibilities, she gripped the short sword in her hand and redirected her focus to the slimes, murmuring, "I can do it... No, I have to do it."