My Slime Wife: Training and Pampering Her Makes Me Stronger
Chapter 13: The Truth About the Dungeon

Chapter 13: The Truth About the Dungeon

The forest had returned to its peaceful state.

At least, for a few minutes.

The goblins’ campfire had completely gone out.

The remains of the battle were scattered around the clearing.

Broken spears.

Burned stones.

The footprints of monsters that had disappeared.

And in the middle of all of that...

Liam was sitting beside Lydia and the two women they had just rescued.

The small green slime rested beside him.

She seemed completely calm after defeating an entire horde of goblins.

But Liam knew they couldn’t stay there.

They were still inside a Dungeon.

They still didn’t know how to get out.

And most importantly...

They still didn’t know how dangerous this place truly was.

Liam looked at the women.

"Before we think about what to do next... I need to know something."

The two women looked up.

"How did you get here?"

One of them, a woman with brown hair, lowered her gaze.

"We..."

She sighed.

"The truth is, we don’t know."

Liam waited.

"We were simply going to have tea. It was a normal afternoon. And then suddenly..."

Her expression changed.

"The street started breaking apart. The ground disappeared beneath our feet. We fell into the void. The last thing I remember was hitting something between some bushes."

She looked around.

"When we woke up, we were here."

Liam became thoughtful.

So it was the same.

They hadn’t entered through a normal entrance either.

The Dungeon had appeared beneath the city.

And it had dragged people inside.

The second woman continued.

"After that, those green creatures appeared. At first..."

She looked embarrassed.

"We didn’t know what to do. They approached us. They touched us. They looked at us like we were something strange. We tried to get away, but there were too many of them. And the next thing we knew, we were tied up."

Liam pressed his lips together.

So it was true.

The goblins weren’t simply guarding the area.

They had captured people.

He looked at Lydia.

The slime remained silent.

But Liam knew she was listening to everything.

Suddenly, one of the women raised her head.

"Wait... are you hunters?"

The question made Liam freeze.

The woman smiled.

"You came to rescue us, right?"

Liam placed a hand on his head.

You could say that.

After all...

They had defeated monsters.

They had saved people.

But technically...

He wasn’t a hunter.

Not yet.

Then a message appeared.

[Lydia: Tell them the truth.]

[Lydia: We aren’t hunters yet.]

Liam sighed.

He used his Tamer ability.

[Call.]

The message reached Lydia directly.

’Lydia.’

The slime moved slightly.

’It’s better if they believe we are.’

There was silence.

[Lydia: Liam...]

[Lydia: I don’t want to lie to them.]

He looked at the women.

’I know. But we just saved them.’

’If they think we are just ordinary people trapped here like them, they might panic.’

’And we don’t need them being afraid or doing something reckless.’

’I don’t want them getting in the way.’

Lydia took a few seconds.

Then she replied.

[Lydia: Okay.]

[Lydia: I understand, honey.]

Liam looked back at the women.

"Yes. You could say we are hunters."

The two women were surprised.

Their expressions immediately changed.

Now they had hope.

"Then... can we get out of here?"

Liam nodded confidently.

"Don’t worry. This Dungeon is Rank D. It’s not something a prepared group can’t overcome. The other hunters have probably already entered. We just need to find a safe area and wait."

The women smiled.

They seemed much calmer now.

They trusted him.

And that made Liam feel a small weight in his chest.

He didn’t like lying.

But at that moment...

It seemed necessary.

Then...

BOOM.

A massive sound echoed through the forest.

Birds flew out from the trees.

The ground trembled slightly.

Everyone looked toward the direction of the noise.

Several kilometers away...

A column of black smoke rose above the treetops.

Liam widened his eyes.

"That..."

Another explosion was heard.

BOOM.

’Maybe...’

’This time it really is the hunters.’

The women looked toward the smoke.

Liam stood up.

"We have to go. If you want to survive, follow us."

They quickly nodded.

The group began moving.

Liam in front.

Lydia close beside him.

The two women behind.

◇◆◇

As they moved forward, new messages appeared.

[Lydia: Liam.]

He answered mentally.

’What is it?’

[Lydia: I don’t feel comfortable.]

Liam looked back.

’Because of the women?’

[Lydia: Yes.]

[Lydia: It doesn’t feel right to lie to them.]

He remained silent.

’I know.’

’Lydia...’

’We just saved them.’

’I don’t want them causing a scene because they feel unsafe.’

’We need to reach the exit.’

’I don’t want them getting in the way.’

There was a pause.

Then...

[Lydia: Okay.]

[Lydia: I understand, honey.]

But Liam noticed something.

Although Lydia accepted his words...

She didn’t seem completely convinced.

The explosions continued.

Getting closer.

Getting louder.

The group increased their pace.

Until suddenly...

Something broke through the trees.

A figure was sent flying out.

A woman.

Wearing combat armor.

She crashed into a tree with tremendous force.

The impact caused several branches to fall.

Liam froze.

The woman fell to the ground.

Her armor was damaged.

She had wounds all over her body.

Blood.

Her breathing was heavy.

But something caught Liam’s attention.

An insignia on her chest.

He had seen it before.

On broadcasts.

On the news.

In reports about famous hunters.

Before he could say anything...

One of the women he had rescued opened her eyes.

"That is..."

Her voice trembled.

"That’s Amber."

Liam looked at her.

"The vice-captain of the Ace of Swords Guild."

The name hung in the air.

The same guild Liam and Lydia had seen on television.

The same guild everyone expected to overcome this threat.

But if she was there...

Injured.

Thrown out of battle.

Then something was wrong.

The armored woman slowly opened her eyes.

She looked at the group.

Then looked around.

And when she saw Liam and the others...

Her expression changed.

There was no relief.

There was worry.

With the little strength she had left, she shouted:

"Run away from here! It’s dangerous!"

Liam felt a chill.

Because if a hunter from the Ace of Swords Guild was running away...

Then whatever was ahead...

Was not something they were prepared to face.

The hunter stood up and shouted again.

"We’re not inside a Rank D Dungeon!"

A pause.

Her expression became desperate.

"We’re inside a Rank S Dungeon!"