Chapter 4
"Mister Haruto, it seems you have a lot of knowledge about the dungeons?" Akane remarked, genuinely impressed, as she too believed that understanding the dungeons could offer some benefits, and had tried to gather some information before approaching this dungeon.
However, as a villager with only average skills, her interests had been stifled early on, and now she was merely trying to seize this last opportunity after going to great lengths against her parents' wishes.
"Haha, it's not a big deal; I just enjoy studying dungeons and monsters, that's all." Haruto, pleased by his first compliment, felt happy. At the same time, he realized that being an otaku had its perks when one transmigrates to an isekai world.
Having read numerous dungeon manga and various webcomics, Haruto felt confident in sharing the information he had gathered, but knowing he might earn another nerdy label from the beautiful women, he chose to be humble and keep his comments to a minimum.
"No need to be so humble." Emi, who had seemed a bit down earlier, suddenly approached Haruto and gently patted him on the back, "More importantly, your earlier words have inspired us to work harder."
Haruto was a bit taken aback, as his simple words had such a significant impact on her, while on Earth, it often took considerable effort to engage in even a brief conversation.
"Thanks, but we should head further into the dungeon now." Although chatting with beautiful women was enjoyable, his primary goal was to defeat slimes and gather firsthand information about this world, as shared knowledge could vary greatly.
"Mister Haruto is correct; we're just wasting time here." Hana, who had been quiet and uninterested in talking, suddenly saw an opportunity.
With the four of them agreeing that moving forward was the best decision, they proceeded; and after taking another turn following a few steps, they spotted their first target.
It was a green slime, appearing cute as it bounced around, lost in its own little world.
"So that's what a slime looks like?"
"It's adorable."
"It seems huggable."
"Who wants to take a shot at it first?" Haruto suddenly asked, capturing the attention of the three beauties, who were now entranced by the cute and cuddly slime.
"What?" the three of them exclaimed in unison, drawing the slime's attention.
'Did their other instincts kick in?' Haruto wondered, as he had no experience with women, but he at least knew they often had a soft spot for things like slimes.
"Mister Haruto, how could we possibly kill something like that?" Emi was the first to voice her concern, prompting Haruto to raise an eyebrow, thinking, 'Wasn't it you who seemed disappointed when you didn't find any slimes to defeat?'
"Miss Emi and the others, even if you don't want to harm that slime, there's a zero percent chance of what you three are thinking happening, and moreover, there's a hundred percent chance that slime will attack you." Haruto stated, deciding there was no need to reason with them; he was there to slay slimes and earn something that would allow him to survive another day in this world without worrying about food and necessities.
"But... it still doesn't look like a monster." Akane stammered; when she first learned about slimes while gathering some info, she had imagined them as large, gooey creatures that would be disgusting, but seeing this slime made her heart soften a bit.
Haruto, hearing Akane sigh, suddenly noticed the slime approaching them almost stealithy and, seeing a glimmer of hope, said, "If the three of you don't want to kill the slime, then what are you doing here? You should just leave, right?" His goal was to buy some time and let the slime attack them, so they could face the reality of their situation. If they still didn't change their minds after that, he would leave them to their own devices; it wasn't like he wouldn't encounter other beauties while exploring this world.
"About that..." Akane wanted to speak, but the words caught in her throat, as there was a reason she had chosen to become an adventurer at this age, and she was willing to go to any lengths for that.
With those thoughts in mind, Akane turned her attention to Emi and Hana, wanting to say something; however, her focus suddenly shifted to something approaching her, it almost looked like a small projectile.
Haruto, already aware that the slime had attacked with its gooey substance from a distance, chose not to intervene and let the three experience the consequences of their choices.
Caught off guard and lacking battle experience, Akane was hit directly in the chest by the gooey substance.
"Argh... my chest." she cried out, as if something unimaginable was about to happen to her; however, for a few seconds, nothing occurred, leaving the girls confused and thinking the slime's attack was much weaker. But just as they reached that conclusion, Akane's upper dress suddenly melted away, revealing her fair skin and two large mounds topped with pink nipples, a truly captivating sight.
However, the next moment, another shrill cry echoed in the dungeon as Akane quickly covered herself with her hands, exposing her finely sculpted abdomen.
"Looks like it's ready to attack again." Haruto, though intrigued by Akane's captiavting beauty, knew his priorities, so he alerted the girls upon noticing slight movement in the slime's body, indicating it was preparing for another attack, "Do you still not want to fight it?"
Hana and Emi glanced at Akane's condition and immediately shook their heads; while they were proud of their assets, it didn't mean they wanted to display them to just anyone.
"No, mister Haruto, we apologise for our earlier conduct."
"That's right, we'll follow your lead mister Haruto."
"Alright then, let me handle this little guy." Haruto, seeing the girls finally gaining some sense, smiled while suppressing a nosebleed, and rushed toward the slime with his short sword in hand, knowing exactly where to strike.