Jake then informed them, "Careful, this one is a D-rank Abyssal beast."
"D-? No wonder, it can dodge and block our attacks, but it might also have offensive moves. Be careful," Mark said.
Jake and the others went to different positions, preparing their moves. Although Jake could have easily defeated the slime, he decided to use teamwork.
"Let's just bait him and defeat him," Jake said. Mark and Jimmy created basic elemental attacks and hurled them at the slime from two different directions. Emily jumped up in the air, aiming a Mana arrow at the slime from high ground. Jake moved to a different position and released a white lightning strike.
Together, they created a Trigonal Pyramid attack. The big slime jumped upwards, trying to dodge, but from above, Emily's mana arrow sent it back to the ground, and the three attacks hit it simultaneously. The slime exploded and died.
[Host assisted in killing an Elite Slime and received 5 exp]
Jimmy, Mark and Jake jumped some distance away from it, as Slime body is usually acidic, not to mention this one is Abyssal core, the core known for all types of Dark and Destruction properties.
Jake and others then came near it and Jake picked up a cracked round bead, size of new born fist, he tossed it to Mark and said " It's Abyssal, among us only you can absorb it".
Mark didn't say anything and pocketed it.
"Hmm, it's no longer acidic," Jimmy muttered, touching the grey liquid spilled all over.
"After one minute of their death, their bodies lose all their acidic properties," Mark explained.
Jimmy nodded, and then they all came near the pile of rocks.
Jake used his Akashic eyes on it:
[Name: Tantalium
Rank: Uncommon
Description: A blue-grey metal with corrosion-resistant and has a high melting point.
-Can be used to create weapons up to Uncommon rank.]
Jake looked at its description and muttered, 'Maybe I can use smelting to purify it and then mix it with other suitable metals to create a rare rank equipment.'
"Oh, it's Tantalium metal. It can be used to create equipment, Jake," Mark exclaimed after examining it.
"Hmm, I will use it to create some equipment for us," Jake nodded.
Then they all started to collect the herbs and metals.
After half an hour of work, they collected everything and came out of the portal. The swirling portal shook, and then cracks started appearing on it, finally breaking.
Mark picked up the Gate Key and frowned. "Shouldn't the Gate key be broken after we killed the boss? So why is it still intact?"
Jimmy, Emily, and Jake came near him and looked at the Key. "Let's ask Master Tom; he might know about it. If he doesn't, we can always ask Jake's Mom," Emily suggested, and the others nodded in agreement.
Together, they made their way to Tom's house. While on the way, Jake mentally communicated with Nexus, 'How much time will it take to complete the key upgrade?'
[Roughly 6 hours], Nexus replied.
Jake knew why the key wasn't breaking, but he couldn't share that information with his friends. The fewer people who knew about the Cube and System, the more secure Jake would feel.
Reaching Tom's house, they knocked on his door and waited. Soon, the door opened, and Tom looked at them, asking, "What brings you all here?"
Jake showed him the gate key and explained what had happened.
Tom took the gate key and examined it carefully. "I don't know what's happening, but one thing is sure: some new Runic markings are appearing on it, and the previous markings are replaced."
"Ask Sera; she is an expert in Runecraft, after all," Tom suggested as he returned the key. He then added, "Wait for me; I would also like to know what's happening with it."
Tom closed the door, and after 5 minutes of waiting, he opened it again, now dressed in casual clothes instead of his previous pajama attire. "Let's go," he remarked, locking the door.
Jake and the others nodded, and together they arrived at Jake's house.
"Mom, I am back, and my friends and Master Tom are with me too," Jake said as he opened the door and went inside, inviting the others in.
Reynold came there upon hearing Jake and asked, looking at Tom, "Did something happen?"
"It's related to the gate key," Tom said and then asked, "Where is Sera?"
"In the kitchen. Come sit inside the lobby; I will go and bring her here," Reynold said as he left them and moved to the kitchen.
Jake and his friends, along with Tom, then waited in the lobby, and after a few minutes, Sera arrived.
Jake gave her the key, and Sera started analyzing it. After a moment, she said, "It's amazing; the coordinates are being changed, and from its speed, it won't be long before it changes."
"Coordinates?" Jake and his friends asked, while Reynold and Tom understood what Sera meant.
"But how is this possible?" Tom said.
"This baffles me too. All we can do is wait, and if clearing another gate changes its coordinates too, then it's definitely a treasure unheard of," Sera said.
"Mom, what about these coordinates you were saying?" Jake asked.
"The coordinates are what link a key to a gate, like in locks and keys, specific key for a specific lock. Coordinates are the same. Gate keys are usually marked with a particular gate's coordinates, and if the gate is destroyed, the key gets destroyed along with it. That's the true reason why keys break after the gate breaks. But in this case, the coordinates are changing, which means it will no longer be a Slime gate key but will become another gate key," Sera explained.
"Your luck is on another level," Mark said to Jake.
Jake smiled and nodded, 'Truly, my luck is something else.'
"How much time will it take?" Reynold asked.
"Given its speed, I will say 7 to 8 hours," Sera replied, and Jake thought, 'So close, Mom.'
"I will inform Jimmy and Emily's parents that they will stay here today," Reynold said and left the lobby.
"Now let's eat dinner," Sera said, putting away the key.
Jake, his friends, and Tom nodded, and all moved to the dining table.
Sera then brought the food, and Reynold helped her with it.
Tom looked at the food and muttered, looking at Jake and his friends, 'Lucky brats.'
Jake chuckled slightly, hearing Tom muttering, and he knows the reason behind it as their food is made up of legendary herbs and lord-class beasts.
After dinner, all Jake and his friends went to sleep while Sera, Reynold, and Tom sat in the lobby and discussed.
In the morning at 5:00, Jake woke up, and his friends also awoke.
Together they came to the lobby to check on the key. Tom chuckled looking at them and waved his hands. A mist enveloped them, and all of them felt like they had just bathed.
"Mom, is it over?" Jake asked, coming near Sera and saying good morning to her tummy or his unborn sibling.
Sera ruffled his hair and said, "Yes, it's ready, and Tom will accompany you in there, this time, as it's now a D-rank Gate key."
Jake and his friends nodded, and then they readied their weapons. Sera poured her Mana into the key, and soon a swirling blue portal appeared inside the lobby.
"I will enter first," Tom said and entered the portal, followed by Jake, Jimmy, Mark, and lastly, Emily.
Entering it, they found themselves inside darkness. The pitch-black darkness greeted them.
Jake created an orb of light, illuminating the surroundings, and they saw themselves inside an underground cave. There are also some hideous green creatures shivering not far from them.
"So it's a goblin cave this time. It's good I entered first or those sneaky b@stards must have attacked one of you," Tom said, pointing at the shivering goblins.
"They are E-rank goblins, Emily scout the area," Jake said and then instructed Emily.
Emily closed her eyes, then felt the air currents around them, and communicated with them with the help of her wind spirit and opened her eyes.
"There are close to 500 creatures inside, some on two feet, while some on four, and there are 4 powerful presences," Emily said.
"Two and four feet huh, there must be more than goblins in this cave," Jake said.
"Correct, Despite being E-ranks, Goblins have the wisdom of normal humans, unlike other beasts," Tom nodded and added.
Jake and others nodded, and then Jake used Akashic Eye on one of the shivering goblins.
[Name: Goblin
Rank: E
Core: Mana
Attribute: nil
HP: 100
MP: 10
Strength: 21
Agility: 17
Intelligence: 13
Vitality: 2
-Skills: Jump (Common), Bite (Common), Club smash (Common), Screech (Common)
Description: A certified canon fodder]
Jake then pointed his fingers at them and fried them to death.
[Host killed 11 E-rank goblins, Host gained 33 exp]
'So each goblin provides 3 exp,' Jake thought, looking at the notification.
"Now all of you tell me what will be your course of action," Tom asked.
"I will create a fire and burn all the oxygen and suffocate them to death," Jake replied.
"I will do the same," Mark said.
"I will produce a lullaby and then kill them one by one silently," Jimmy said.
"I will freeze the cave and then suck out all the air using my wind spirit," Emily replied.
Tom shook his head and remarked, "Only Jimmy passes; the rest of you, what if there are captives? Will your method not kill them too?"
Jake, Mark, and Emily bowed their heads while Jimmy flashed a smug smile.