Jue's pov
In unknown surroundings, I and Aiena big sister found ourselves alone for nearly 10 mins. We kept standing on the spot waiting for big brother to appear,
Aiena big sister seemed tense, so I spoke,
"Don't worry, big brother will be fine!!" It wasn't hard to reassure about that because I believe it completely, big brother is strong and smart, but we still need to find him fast he must be worrying about our disappearance,
'Hope that person won't bother big brother' I prayed inside my mind because I knew for a fact that big brother doesn't like annoying and bothersome people and treat them accordingly. at some point, I was among them being a brat. My immunity was being his brother,
"Ryu is it you!?" Aiena big sister shouted suddenly, which pulled me out of my thoughts and I saw a human-shaped shadow approach us,
"It is not big brother! It is a monster!?" I shouted. I could feel it for sure it wasn't the big brother or a human. The shadow shape which wasn't clear due to the absence of light was a monster,
"By the blessing residing in the orb, I pray for the source of light" Aiena big sister chanted and a ball of light came out of the holy orb she was wearing on her neck, and illuminated the surroundings but somehow it wasn't as much illumination it usually gave the only things, we could see were those near us,
"I will take care of it, big sister!!" I said as I saw the monster, a slimy creature with a shape resembling a human lacking all physical features, I rushed towards him for punching it hard but it suddenly opens up from the middle making my punch pass through,
It swings its hand slime towards me which burns my skin somehow, I jumped back and Aiena sister cast a small heal on me she shouted,
"Grandpa chief story said!! Slimes have a nucleus I aim at it!" and I noticed that all of that clear liquid that made up the monster's body have a small ball-like hard thing moving inside it, and I moved my hand in a jab,
"[Gravel claw], [Smash]!!" I shouted, casting two skills in chain making short work of the monster when I noticed more of them coming from behind, extending their arms towards me the arms themselves giving fumes,
"[Gravel barrage] take this!!" I shake my hand towards them and the gravel claw that had appeared on my hands loosens gravel shooting it towards them like a barrage, although the speed and pressure are less than that of big brother's water ball or icicles this is enough for these monsters with their thin body and frail core,
"Big sister, we should move! This place seems to be a corner. If many monsters came, we would be, trapped" I said to big sister and she nodded,
She began chanting multiple times, creating a few light balls which made our surroundings more visible. I knew she was trying to keep herself together but was deeply scared and worried about big brother,
"Jue, be careful don't push yourself too much, Ryu would be finding us too," Aiena big sister said as we started to walk forward,
The place was like a small cave there wasn't enough space for moving or paths the only thing was forward and backward, there was water flowing out of crevices and cracks on some places on the wall but it was disappearing before reaching the ground strange, I had heard a lot about an emerged dungeon from big brother and adventure guild master uncle,
A random dungeon appears out of nowhere containing the main core, which is an important component for high-grade appraisal devices placed in churches and adventurer's guilds, that said emerged dungeon used to appear in lesser numbers with a gap of a few years but for some reasons recently there had been an explosive increase in emerged dungeon appearing randomly at various places,
To a level, the Adventurer's Guild had started to keep patrol and give quests for finding emerging dungeons because an emerged dungeon can cause stampedes a phenomenon where monsters in a high amount of number come rushing out of dungeon causing destruction everywhere, stopping stampede is one of the main reasons adventurer go inside a dungeon and as killing monster's inside dungeon regularly stops the stampedes but with emerged dungeon who no one knows about the sudden stampede could be surprising,
"Stay back," I said to big sister as I noticed more humans shaped slime occurring. They were carrying something in their hands,
They threw it fast towards us and it comes towards us fast, making an arc in the sky suddenly becoming hand and spiky as it falls towards us brown color,
"Here!!" I shouted as I punched straight into one of the spiky balls and it turned out to be a crystal slime changing its shape into this spiky ball strange, smashing towards it took some energy and they still got a lot of those, this is the first time I saw a monster use other monsters as weapon baffled, I just use [Mud wall] instinctively but it turned out to be a wise choice,
A lot of thrown crystal smashed in-wall falling on the ground I confidently went towards them flatting the wall with [Ground loosening] smashing them fast but I let my guard down, one of the human-shaped slimes who was carrying the crystal slime threw its own body on me as I was smashing crystal slime,
"Ouch, it burns!!" I shouted. it burnt; the slime had smashed its acidic hand on my neck I pushed my hand inside its body with a punch. it tried turning into a blob to save itself but I grabbed and crushed its nucleus,
"[Heal]!! Jue is it fine!? Are you still hurt? [Heal]!" Aiena big sister asked, concerned. I smiled at her, saying,
"It is fine!! Thanks, big sis you are the best!" it was miraculous in just a few second pain and discomfort went away as if it was never there, I made a short work of leftover monsters smashing all of their nuclei, it was a mess the slime's body making the floor slippery as they dispersed after breaking,
"I wonder if the boss of this dungeon is also a slime? Never had I heard about a dungeon with a slime boss or a super-strong slime," said Aiena big sister with her finger on her chin,
I doubt any of these weak slimes could be a boss, but all this dungeon has shown so far is slim, and it is just a young emerged dungeon.
"I wish it is a harmless slime boss, big brother might do something crazy against a strong monster if we are cornered," I answered to big sister, and I was serious about it.
Big brother Ryu might not realize it but he is really awesome and strong. Grandpa once told me that big brother is someone who would be wanted by those of higher standing of nobility for his talents, smarts, and manifest,
'I will make sure big brother doesn't go crazy and will be strong enough that big brother can believe and rely on me too sometimes' I thought as we kept walking forward on the one-way path the more, we walk the brighter it gets and that it happened,
"Ryu!? Green!?" Aiena sister shouted as she pointed towards something that looked exactly like big brother with same features save for its total blue color,
"It isn't brother!" I shouted as I rushed toward slime, but it came towards me in the same way big brother do which had me for once, it had two daggers made out of compressed crystal slime copying the stance and attacking the way big brother do,
It irritated me it copied big brother's look and tried fighting like him, but,
"YOU AIN'T NOTHING LIKE HIM!!" I shouted in my irritation at the slime, I could feel big sister shake a bit behind me too but it didn't matter, I was so pissed at the slime performing brother's move in an extremely sloppy manner,
"[Arm Strengthening IX]!!" I shouted, pushing the slime back with strengthened arms, and knuckle leaving an impression on its body but it wasn't defeated. Its body was different and thicker than other slimes. It acted almost human body with more freedom. The impression began to fade as it puts his hand forward.
I knew what it is doing it was copying my brother's gesture before the icicles chant, I just stare at it giving it time as it collected its blue slime in the shape of an icicle in front of its body which turned into an actual icicle,
'Not that it matters,' I thought as I rushed towards it, and threw the sword I carry towards icicles smashing them into pieces.
"[Gravel claw] only copy what you can compare to, obviously in next life now!!" and I punched through its nucleus, and finally felt satisfied as I hear the voice of Aiena big sister from behind.
"Jue, it was taking shape of Ryu!! Means Ryu is just ahead the slime saw him and copied him" she seemed relieved and assured as something which I killed couldn't possibly scratch big brother,
I nodded, and we walked forward towards the path where we will find big brother more assured than before as the surrounding kept getting brighter and the wall more solid and well defined,
'We are coming big brother' I thought and then added to that thought,
"Why Jueeee!?" a loud shout suddenly entered my ears,
-to be continued