Kuilan had been swallowed by the Slime Emperor, carrying two freshly crafted SSR-grade pieces of equipment.
And these weren't just any SSR-grade equipment. They were brand-new pieces crafted from the Magic Core of a Named Vampire General. Both the performance and the effects of these items were exceptional.
If digested like this, the equipment would be lost.
'God damn it, those two pieces of equipment cost more than the entire loot of those bandits combined!'
Of course, I had to save them—my goddamn equipment!
And so, a rescue plan was formed.
In truth, I had some experience rescuing hero characters from being eaten in the game, so I knew what had to be done before the digestion process started.
The plan was swiftly made, but the problem was that if I told Lucas, he would definitely try to dissuade me.
So, without saying a word, I moved towards the Slime Emperor. Lucas followed me, clueless.
"Lucas."
"Yes, my Lord."
"Don't worry. I've got insurance."
I showed him a magic scroll from my inventory. Lucas tilted his head, not understanding.
"Huh?"
"Just wait and see, okay?"
Right afterward, I swung my staff in front of the Slime Emperor, conjuring a blade of magical power.
Ping!
Boss-level slimes have a grab pattern where they swallow enemies who prepare threatening actions within their close-range perimeter.
Wait for more than 3 turns without doing anything or blatantly use magic like this, and...
Bam!
Well, you get swallowed.
Tentacles shot out from the stiffening body of the Slime Emperor and grabbed my arms and legs.
Its massive mouth gaped open, and in an instant, I was sucked in.
"My Loooorrrd?!"
Ignoring Lucas's shocked cry, I waved my hand leisurely.
"See you in a bit~"
Gulp!
Just like that, I was swallowed by the Slime Emperor.
***
When I came to my senses, I was inside the slime's belly.
While normal slimes would just imprison their victims in their mucous bodies and melt them, boss-level slimes have a separate cavity that acts like a stomach, due to their large size.
The place itself was considered a mini-dungeon.
"Ugh! It's so slippery! Somebody save me!"
"Get me out of here! I don't want to die!"
The dark monster's stomach was filled with captured adventurers screaming for their lives. So noisy.
I pulled a [Blue Flame Torch] from my inventory and held it up. The previously dark interior of the monster was suddenly illuminated.
"Huh?"
"Why is the Prince here...?"
The bandits, who were visibly unsettled by the sudden appearance of light, all turned to look at me at once.
The brawny men, all snot and tears, didn't look too handsome.
Huddled in a corner and covering his face with both hands, Kuilan brightened up when he saw me.
"Could it be, Your Majesty has come to save us personally?"
I offered a sly smile.
"No, I got captured too."
It was a joke, but the bandits started wailing even louder. God, they're idiots.
"I did come to rescue you, so cut the crying. Penal Squad, attention!"
Despite their tears, the training I'd put them through over the past few days in the dungeon seemed to have some effect. At my command, the bandits lined up in front of me, still sobbing.
"Listen up. We have approximately 7 minutes until the digestion process is complete. If we don't escape by then, we'll all melt into gooey stew."
The ground here was oozing with acid.
Right now, it was merely sloshing around, but as time ticked on, a massive burst of acidic liquid would gush out, dissolving us instantaneously.
I spoke calmly to the trembling bandits who stood at attention.
"The Slime Emperor has high regenerative powers in its outer layer, but its internals are vulnerable to sustained damage. If we consistently focus our attacks in one direction, we can escape. Attack where I tell you."
I pointed in a specific direction. It wasn't so much that there was a weakness; it was more important to focus our attacks cohesively.
As the command was issued, the bandits started pounding away at the Slime Emperor's internal walls with fierce intensity.
Everyone seemed quite desperate to live. I too extended my magical blade forward and attacked.
"By the way, Your Highness, did you really come in here to save us?"
Kuilan, who was vigorously pounding the internal walls, asked me as if baffled. I chuckled.
"Why? Surprised?"
"More like, I don't get why."
Thump! Thumpity-thump!
Without stopping, Kuilan glanced at me while swinging fists and feet.
"Are we not just expendable pawns to you? Why risk your life to save us?"
I snorted.
"I made you two pieces of new equipment, didn't I? Those aren't cheap, you know. I have to reclaim them."
"You're risking your life just for some gear? Doesn't make sense."
"..."
I shrugged, reluctantly explaining myself.
"I save people."
"?"
"I kill monsters, and I save people."
It felt a bit embarrassing, but that was my truth.
"That's the one principle I uphold on this front."
"You save people?"
Kuilan's voice quivered with bewilderment.
"We're nothing but a Penal Squad made up of convicts. You'd save even us?"
"Isn't the Penal Squad made of people?"
Annoyed, I retorted. Kuilan pointed to his red hair.
"Look at my hair, and you'll know. I'm a hybrid with mixed blood, tainted with the blood of beastfolk—those most despised."
"Fuck, aren't beastfolk people too?"
Crash! Bang!
My blade of magical power shattered. Panting, I summoned the next one.
"If they're within my reach, if I can save them with my strength, then I save them. That's all there is to it. We're in a crunch here, so stop talking."
"..."
Kuilan stared blankly at me, then muttered.
"I never saw you as this kind of idiot."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
"I've seen plenty who spout high-minded ideals, but you're the first I've seen crawl into the belly of a monster just to uphold his belief of 'saving people.'"
Where my magical blade struck, Kuilan's fist followed.
As Kuilan's fist struck the spot, my blade of magical power impaled it.
We found ourselves instinctively trading blows at a specific point on the monster, as if we had some unspoken agreement. The monster's innards squelched as they were punctured.
"Why, do I finally look cool to you? Do you genuinely want to believe in me and follow me?"
"Honestly, you look fucking awesome, but..."
Kuilan groaned and looked down at her feet.
"It seems like we're going to die either way, whether we follow you or not. The acid has already reached below our knees."
Time was running out. At best, we had around three minutes. Plus, we were lacking in damage to break through the upper wall of the creature.
'No choice, then.'
I had been saving it for later, but I needed to use it now.
"You said you were lucky, didn't you, Kuilan?"
I took out a pair of gloves from my inventory and tossed them to Kuilan.
"Prove it."
Catching the gloves, Kuilan looked at them quizzically. They were black leather gloves adorned with metal studs.
"What are these?"
"[Lucky Strike]."
A grin unwittingly spread across my lips.
"The ultimate gear of luck in this world."
An SSR-grade melee weapon, [Lucky Strike].
It randomly draws damage between 0~777 like a slot machine, the epitome of luck-based weaponry.
I had sealed this weapon not just because it often yields low damage, but also because of its high risk. If the damage slot hits 000, a Fumble, the attacker—in this case, me—would take a massive amount of damage. Last time, all the bones in my left arm had shattered.
This risk was too great, so I had sealed it away. But for Kuilan?
"Your [Strong Luck] trait should make this gear worth trying."
Kuilan's special trait, [Strong Luck], eliminates critical failures in decision-making.
In other words, it nullifies the maximum downside of [Lucky Strike], the risk of hitting 000 damage.
Though the damage might fluctuate, at least there would be no risk of his arm shattering into pieces.
"I don't know how amazing these gloves are, but I never turn down gifts."
Kuilan tightly fitted the gloves and pulled back his fist with a fierce smile.
"And you asked if I'm lucky? Haha, of course, I'm extremely lucky!"
His fist wrapped in red energy surged forward.
"Why? Because someone as great as you came all this way to save a nobody like me! I'm already lucky!"
Boom!
The moment Kuilan's fist hit the slime creature's upper wall, a damage slot began to spin in the corner of my vision.
0, 2, 4!
24 damage—a number even lower than an average melee weapon.
However, Kuilan's fists were fast. Swift as lightning, he retracted his fist and launched a storm of punches.
Boom!
0, 2, 1!
Boom!
0, 1, 7!
Boom!
0, 1, 4!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Dozens of punches pummeled the monster's upper wall.
'9 damage, 7 damage, 6 damage, 4 damage...'
But strangely, the damage seemed to be decreasing.
Less than a minute remained until a wave of acidic fluid would flood this disguise. The acidic fluid had already risen to our waists.
0, 0, 1!
0, 0, 1!
0, 0, 1!
Kuilan's fists were now consistently dealing only 1 damage.
'Is Lucky Strike designed to reduce damage as the number of attempts increases?'
Even if the system did have such a balancing feature, true luck would be breaking through against all odds.
If one were truly a 'man of astounding fortune,' then Kuilan needed to prove it now.
Thump! Thump! Thud!
Less than 30 seconds remained before we would be completely submerged.
"I am Kuilan, the Miracle Maker..."
In a situation where the acidic fluid had reached his chest, Kuilan's pulled-back fist emitted a vivid red light.
"Do you really think I'd die here?!"
The punch Kuilan unleashed ferociously struck the upper wall,
Ding-!
The damage slot spun wildly, eventually forming a three-digit number.
7, 7, 7!
...It really happened.
Staring at the system window with widened eyes, I couldn't help but shout,
"Jackpot!"
[Congratulations!]
[☆★☆JACKPOT!★☆★]
Boom! Kaboom!
Fireworks exploded splendidly around the system interface to celebrate the big win.
And then the next moment,
Whoosh-!
Kuilan's fist released a dazzling array of colored lights, tearing apart the monster's upper wall with an overwhelming gust, creating a hole.
Beyond the hole was the castle wall. Acidic fluid gushed out through the hole, and sunlight poured in.
"Woohoo!"
"We're saved!"
None of us could tell who had shouted first as we hastily scrambled out of the belly of the Slime Emperor.
The Slime Emperor was rapidly regenerating the gaping hole in its belly.
Rolling out of the acidic pool, I yelled at the top of my lungs,
"Junior! Do it!"
Junior, who had been on standby, immediately activated her ultimate skill [Elemental Disassembly].
A halo that resembled an angelic ring appeared above the Slime Emperor, glowing white, and a brilliant light engulfed the area.
Ping-!
The next moment, cracks appeared in the air as if a mirror had shattered, and then it broke into pieces.
At the same time, all the magic elements around the Slime Emperor were instantly 'disassembled.'
This was [Elemental Disassembly].
The ultimate debuff magic that reduced the target's Magic Power stat to below zero.
Now that the Slime Emperor's magic defense had fallen below zero, it would take true damage from all magical attacks, as well as additional damage!
"Reina! What are you standing around for?"
I yelled at Reina, who was staring dumbfoundedly at the effect of the ultimate magic.
"Finish it off!"
Finally coming to her senses, Reina swung both arms dramatically.
Whooshhhhh!
Sharp, blade-shaped winds blasted from all directions.
The precise gusts avoided our soldiers and struck the Slime Emperor directly.
Faced with an all-out magical attack from the captain of the magic troops, and with its magic defense reduced to negative, it had no chance of survival.
Boooooo...!
There's no way he's going to live.
The Slime Emperor trembled, spewing jelly-like fluid in all directions, and then finally lost its elasticity and collapsed, deflated.
The boss kill was a success.
"Ah, thank God... We made it."
Only then did I allow myself to slump onto the ground, completely drained. Kuilan collapsed beside me as well.
"Seems like we're lucky today..."
Hearing Kuilan's murmur, I couldn't help but look down at his face, which was discolored as if it had been steeped in acid. Even so, Kuilan was grinning from ear to ear.
I chuckled without realizing it.
"Exactly, we're damn lucky today."
No one died.
Just that fact alone made it an incredibly lucky day for us.