---
Three days passed since the battle.
Three days of healing, rebuilding, and processing everything that had happened. The dungeon hummed with quiet activity—not the cheerful bustle of before, but something more subdued. More thoughtful. The weight of what they'd survived pressed on everyone.
Baldo woke on the second day.
Dawn hadn't left his side since the battle. She'd merged with his wounds, stabilized his organs, and then simply... stayed. Her light glowed constantly, a warm presence that eased his pain and kept infection away.
"Morning, shiny dy," he croaked when his eyes finally opened.
Dawn's entire body fshed bright gold. "YOU'RE AWAKE!"
"Apparently." He tried to sit up, failed, and settled for grinning at her. "How long was I out?"
"Two days. Fourteen hours. Approximately." She was crying—happy tears, slime-tears that sparkled as they fell. "I was so worried. I thought—I thought—"
"Hey. Hey." He reached for her hand—solid, warm, alive. "I'm here. I'm okay. Thanks to you."
Dawn clutched his hand like it was the most precious thing in the world. "I've never healed anyone that badly hurt before. I didn't know if I could do it. I just—I just poured myself into you and hoped."
"You poured yourself into me?" Baldo's grin widened. "That sounds intimate."
Her entire body turned bright pink. "That's—I didn't mean—it's a healing technique, not—"
"Rex, shiny dy. I'm teasing." He squeezed her hand. "Thank you. Really. You saved my life."
Dawn's pink slowly faded to gold. "You saved all of us first. Charging that monster... that was the bravest thing I've ever seen."
"Nah. That was just stupidity with extra steps."
"It wasn't stupid." Her voice was fierce. "It was courage. And if you ever do it again, I'll—I'll—"
"You'll what?"
"I'll be right behind you. Healing. Always."
Baldo stared at her for a long moment.
Then he pulled her gently into a hug.
"You're something special, Dawn. You know that?"
She buried her face in his shoulder and cried—happy tears, relieved tears, tears she'd been holding for two days.
---
[Dawn + Baldo Bond: Deepened Significantly]
[Romantic Potential: High - She saved him, he sees her]
[Baldo Status: Recovering - Full recovery in 3-5 days]
---
Mel's kitchen had become the heart of the dungeon's recovery.
She cooked constantly—soups for the injured, pastries for the weary, full meals for everyone who'd fought. Her honey flowed freely, sweetening everything, healing from the inside.
Mira helped constantly, carrying trays, feeding those who couldn't feed themselves, sitting with anyone who needed company.
"You should rest," Mel told her on the third evening.
"So should you." Mira didn't stop moving. "You've been cooking for seventy-two hours straight."
"I'm a slime. I don't need sleep like humans."
"You need something." Mira finally stopped, turning to face her. "Mel, you're amazing. But you can't pour from an empty cup."
Mel's eyes glistened. "I just... I almost lost everyone. If I'd been faster, stronger, better—maybe Baldo wouldn't have—"
"Stop." Mira crossed to her, took her hands. "Baldo got hurt because he chose to be a hero. That's on him, not you. You kept everyone fed, everyone strong, everyone going. Without you, we would have colpsed."
"I just made food."
"You made hope. There's a difference." Mira squeezed her hands. "Now sit. Eat something yourself. Let me take care of you for once."
Mel hesitated—then nodded.
They sat together, sharing a simple meal, saying nothing. But everything was said.
---
[Mira + Mel Bond: Strengthened Further]
[Mel Status: Exhausted but loved]
---
The war beast's remains were gone—absorbed completely into my crystal. But its memories lingered.
I knew things now that I hadn't before. The goblin dungeon's yout. Its weaknesses. Its core's location, deep underground, surrounded by yers of trapped corridors.
And I knew about the other dungeons it had consumed. Three of them, all smaller, all weaker. Their cores were gone, absorbed, but fragments of their consciousness remained—trapped in the goblin core's essence, screaming silently.
Lilith.
"Yes, Master?"
The goblin core has prisoners. Not physical—spiritual. Other cores, partially absorbed. Still conscious.
Her eyes widened. "Still alive?"
Barely. Suffering. We need to free them.
"Free them how?"
Destroy the goblin core. Completely. When it dies, the fragments will be released. They'll need new homes—new dungeons. But at least they'll be free.
Lilith nodded slowly. "Then we finish this. No more waiting. No more preparing. We take the fight to them."
Agreed. But not alone. We bring everyone who's willing.
"I'll start pnning."
---
[New Quest: Destroy Goblin Core - Free the Trapped Fragments]
[Risk Level: Extreme]
[Reward: Allied Cores? New Dungeon Allies?]
---
That evening, Lilith gathered everyone in Floor 2.
The slimes came—all nine, plus Drip and Drop who'd recovered enough to join. Mira's party came—Baldo carried on a stretcher, refusing to miss anything. Even some of the adventurers who'd fought with them stayed to listen.
"We're going to end this," Lilith announced. "The goblin core is wounded, desperate, and vulnerable. If we wait, it'll recover and attack again. If we strike now, we destroy it permanently."
"Attack their dungeon?" Elena asked. "That's suicide. Dungeon cores are strongest on their home ground."
"Normally, yes. But this core is weakened. It used most of its mana to create that war beast. Its defenses are lower. And we have something it doesn't."
"What?"
"Me." Lilith's smile was sharp. "And the knowledge Master gained from absorbing its beast. We know its yout. Its traps. Its weaknesses."
Elena considered this. "How many are going?"
"Anyone who wants to. But this is voluntary. If you stay behind, no shame. If you come, be ready for the fight of your lives."
Bubbles stepped forward immediately. "I'm coming."
"Bubbles, you're—"
"I'm coming." Her voice was firm. "That core hurt Baldo. Hurt my sisters. Tried to destroy my home. I'm coming."
Mel stepped forward. "Me too."
Shiny. Ember. Frost. Glimmer. Dusk. Dawn. Prisma.
All nine slimes, standing together.
Mira drew her sword. "I'm in."
Elena notched an arrow. "Obviously."
Baldo tried to sit up. "I'm—"
"You're staying." Dawn pushed him back down. "You can't even walk."
"I can crawl!"
"You can die. Stay. Heal. Be here when we come back." Her voice softened. "Please."
Baldo looked at her for a long moment. Then he nodded.
"Fine. But if you're not back in three days, I'm crawling there myself."
"Deal."
---
[Expedition Force: Lilith + 9 Slimes + Mira + Elena + 12 Volunteer Adventurers]
[Total: 24 Fighters]
[Objective: Infiltrate Goblin Dungeon, Destroy Core, Free Fragments]
---
The march to the goblin dungeon took four hours.
Lilith led, her senses extended, watching for ambushes. Dusk scouted ahead, melting through shadows, reporting back every few minutes. The others moved in silence, tension building with every step.
The goblin dungeon entrance was still sealed—my mana held it closed. But Lilith had felt the goblin core digging new tunnels, trying to bypass the blockage.
"We go through the original entrance," she decided. "It's expecting us to come from somewhere else. Surprise matters."
She pced her hand on the sealed stone.
"Master. Now."
I pulsed mana through our bond, and the seal dissolved.
The entrance gaped before them—dark, foul, hungry.
"Light," Lilith ordered.
Prisma stepped forward, her rainbow glow illuminating the tunnel. It was crude, rough-hewn, lined with bones and refuse. The smell made several adventurers gag.
"We're in. Stay close. Stay alive."
They entered.
---
[Goblin Dungeon: Floor 1]
[Enemies Detected: 20+ Goblins (surprised)]
[Tactical Advantage: Surprise]
---
The first floor fell in minutes.
Goblins barely had time to grab weapons before the force was on them. Bubbles' crimson joy bubbles disoriented. Ember and Frost's combination attacks trapped. Shiny's metal form crushed. Mel's honey bound.
Dusk appeared behind leaders, silencing them before they could warn others.
By the time the floor was clear, not a single goblin had escaped to alert deeper levels.
"Too easy," Elena muttered.
"First floor always is." Lilith's eyes were distant. "The core knows we're here now. Deeper will be harder."
They descended.
---
[Goblin Dungeon: Floor 2]
[Enemies: 30 Goblins + Traps]
---
Floor 2 was trapped.
Pit falls. Falling rocks. Poison darts. Standard dungeon fare—but deadly in close quarters.
Dusk found them all.
"Step where I step," she instructed, leading them through the maze of death. Not a single trap triggered.
The goblins on this floor were ready—but ready didn't matter. The expedition force moved like a single organism, slimes and adventurers working in perfect harmony. Within an hour, Floor 2 was clear.
---
[Goblin Dungeon: Floors 3-5]
[Enemies: 80 Goblins + 10 Hobgoblins + More Traps]
---
The next three floors blurred together.
Fighting. Advancing. Resting. Fighting again.
Mel kept everyone fed with honey rations that restored energy. Dawn healed minor wounds instantly. Glimmer provided mana when slimes grew tired. Bubbles' bubbles scouted ahead, bouncing off walls, revealing ambushes before they sprang.
By the time they reached Floor 6, they'd cleared five levels and lost no one.
"We're halfway," Lilith announced. "The core is on Floor 10. Four more to go."
The expedition force was exhausted but determined.
"We keep going," Mira said. "We're too close to stop."
Lilith nodded. "Agreed. But we rest first. One hour. Eat, heal, prepare."
They rested.
---
[Expedition Status: Floors 1-5 Cleared]
[Casualties: None]
[Morale: Tired but High]
[Goblin Core Status: Aware, Preparing]
---
Floor 6 was different.
The moment they descended, everyone felt it—a wrongness in the air, a pressure on their minds.
"This is where it absorbed the first dungeon," Lilith murmured. "The fragments are close."
The walls themselves seemed to writhe. Shadows moved independently. Whispers echoed from nowhere.
"Fragments," Dusk whispered. "I can hear them. Calling."
"Can you follow the calls?"
Dusk closed her eyes. Listened.
"This way."
She led them through twisting corridors, past more traps, more goblins—but the goblins here were different. Slower. Duller. As if something had drained them.
"Using its own monsters for mana," Elena observed. "This core is desperate."
"Desperate is dangerous." Lilith's hand glowed with power. "Stay alert."
They found the fragments in a chamber deep in Floor 6.
Three crystals—or what remained of them—floated in a pool of viscous liquid. They pulsed weakly, their light fading, their consciousness barely present.
"Help... us..." one whispered.
Lilith approached slowly. "We're here to free you. But we have to destroy the core first. Can you hold on a little longer?"
"Core... dying... we feel... it weakens..."
"Then we finish it. Wait for us."
The fragments pulsed—faint hope.
---
[Fragments Located: 3 Trapped Cores]
[Condition: Critical - Hours remaining]
[New Objective: Destroy Goblin Core Within 24 Hours]
---
They moved faster now.
Floors 7 and 8 fell in rapid succession. The goblins were disorganized, terrified, their core consuming them for mana even as they fought. Hobgoblins turned on each other. Traps malfunctioned. The dungeon was dying.
Floor 9 was empty.
Not abandoned—empty. As if everything had been pulled deeper.
"It's gathering everything for a final stand," Lilith realized. "The core is on Floor 10, with every remaining goblin, every remaining resource. This is where it makes its st stand."
Mira gripped her sword. "Then let's not keep it waiting."
They descended.
---
[Goblin Dungeon: Floor 10 - Core Chamber]
[Enemies: 50 Goblins + 20 Hobgoblins + Core Avatar (Reformed) + The Core Itself]
[Objective: Destroy Everything]
---
The core chamber was massive—far rger than my own.
At its center floated the goblin core, a pulsing green crystal covered in cracks. Around it, the core avatar—stronger than before, fueled by desperation. And surrounding both, every remaining goblin in the dungeon.
"YOU!" The avatar's voice was madness given form. "YOU COME TO FINISH ME? I'LL FINISH YOU FIRST! KILL THEM ALL!"
The horde charged.
And the expedition force met them.
---
[Final Battle Initiated]
[Forces: 24 Defenders vs 70+ Enemies + Avatar + Core]
[Odds: Against]
---
Bubbles unleashed everything.
Her crimson joy bubbles flooded the chamber, disorienting goblins, turning them against each other. One moment they were charging; the next, they were ughing, dropping weapons, forgetting why they were there.
Mel's honey became weapons—sharp-edged projectiles that flew true, trapping, wounding, disabling.
Shiny expanded into a wall, protecting the healers and ranged fighters.
Ember and Frost became a storm—fire and ice swirling together, clearing paths, creating chaos.
Glimmer pulsed mana constantly, energizing her sisters, disrupting enemy formations.
Dawn's light reached everywhere, healing wounds before they could slow anyone down.
Dusk moved through shadows, appearing behind hobgoblins, dragging them into darkness.
Prisma's rainbow light blinded, confused, created illusions of reinforcements that didn't exist.
Mira fought like she'd been born for this—sword fshing, moving through enemies, protecting Mel's fnks.
Elena's arrows never missed—each shot finding a vital point, disabling without killing, conserving energy.
The volunteer adventurers fought with everything they had—swords, axes, magic, determination.
And Lilith—
Lilith walked toward the core avatar, and nothing could stop her.
Goblins threw themselves at her. They bounced off. Hobgoblins swung weapons. They shattered. The avatar itself shed out with corrupted magic. It burned.
"You should have run," Lilith said quietly. "You should have hidden. You should have done anything except threaten my family."
The avatar screamed and charged.
Lilith caught it.
One hand around its crystalline throat. Power flooding through their bond—my power, her power, our power combined.
"This is for Drip and Drop."
She squeezed.
"This is for Baldo."
The avatar cracked.
"This is for every moment of fear you put in my girls' hearts."
It shattered.
The avatar exploded into fragments—and this time, there was no reforming. Its essence scattered, dissolved, ended.
The goblin core screamed.
Its crystal pulsed frantically, desperately, trying to summon more defenders, more power, anything.
But there was nothing left.
The st goblins fell. The hobgoblins fled. The core was alone.
Lilith stood before it, wings spread, eyes burning.
"Any st words?"
The core pulsed weakly. "Mercy... please... mercy..."
"Mercy?" Lilith's ugh was cold. "You took prisoners. You tortured them. You tried to consume my family. And you ask for mercy?"
"Please... I was wrong... I'll do anything..."
Lilith raised her hand.
Then she paused.
Lilith. My voice echoed in her mind. The fragments. If you destroy it completely, they'll be free.
"I know, Master."
But if there's another way—if we could contain it, use it—
"No." Her voice was absolute. "Some things don't deserve second chances. This core had choices. It chose cruelty every time." She looked at the pulsing crystal. "It chose to become a predator. Now it faces the consequences."
I pulsed agreement.
Then do what you must.
Lilith's hand descended.
The goblin core screamed one final time—and shattered.
---
[Goblin Core: DESTROYED]
[Dungeon: Colpsing]
[Expedition Force: Evacuate Immediately!]
---
"RUN!" Lilith screamed. "THE DUNGEON IS COLLAPSING!"
They ran.
Back through Floor 9—already crumbling. Floor 8—rocks falling. Floor 7—the ceiling coming down.
Mira carried an exhausted Mel. Elena half-dragged a wounded adventurer. The slimes moved together, supporting each other, refusing to leave anyone behind.
Dusk appeared at every turn, guiding them through the safest paths.
Dawn healed as she ran, keeping everyone on their feet.
Bubbles' bubbles created shields against falling debris.
And Lilith—Lilith brought up the rear, using her power to hold back the colpse just long enough for everyone to escape.
They burst from the entrance as the tunnel behind them vanished—swallowed by stone and darkness.
Everyone colpsed outside, gasping, crying, ughing.
"We made it," Mira whispered. "We actually made it."
Lilith stood apart, staring at the colpsed entrance.
Lilith? I projected. Are you okay?
"I don't know, Master." Her voice was distant. "I killed something. Ended it. And I feel... empty."
That's normal. That's human. That's good.
"Good?"
If you felt nothing, you'd be a monster. You're not a monster, Lilith. You're a protector. There's a difference.
She closed her eyes—and nodded.
"Let's go home."
---
[Expedition: SUCCESS]
[Casualties: None]
[Goblin Dungeon: Colpsed - Permanently Destroyed]
[Fragments: Freed - Will find new homes]
---
The walk back was quiet.
Everyone was too exhausted to talk, too overwhelmed to process. But they walked together—slimes and adventurers, side by side, supporting each other.
When they finally reached the dungeon entrance, Baldo was waiting.
He'd crawled. Literally crawled, dragging himself from Floor 2 to the entrance, refusing to stay behind.
"Told you," he gasped. "Three days. You're back in one. I'm here."
Dawn ran to him, crying, ughing, glowing.
"You idiot! You beautiful, wonderful, stupid idiot!"
"Love you too, shiny dy."
She froze.
"What did you say?"
Baldo grinned weakly. "I said I love you. Dawn. Shiny dy. Healer. The one who saved my life and then wouldn't leave my side." He reached for her hand. "Is that okay?"
Dawn's entire body turned every color of the rainbow.
"Yes," she whispered. "Yes, it's okay."
She kissed him.
And the dungeon cheered.
---
[Dawn + Baldo: Retionship Confirmed]
[First Slime-Human Romance: Officially Begun]
[Dungeon Morale: SKY HIGH]
---
That night, they feasted.
Mel cooked everything she'd ever wanted to cook. Bubbles' bubbles were pure joy—no combat, just celebration. Shiny polished everyone's equipment for free. Ember and Frost performed their fire-ice dance. Glimmer created crystal decorations. Dusk emerged from shadows to actually socialize. Prisma painted murals of the battle.
Mira and Mel sat together, holding hands, watching their family celebrate.
"We did it," Mira said quietly.
"We did." Mel leaned against her. "Together."
Lilith found me in the core room, alone at st.
"Master."
Lilith.
"I love you. You know that, right?"
I know. I love you too.
"I also love them—our girls, our family. Is that okay?"
More than okay. That's exactly what I want.
She pressed against my core, warm and content.
"We're building something beautiful, Master. Something the world has never seen."
I know.
"And I can't wait to see what comes next."
Neither can I.
---
[Chapter 7 End]
---
[Chapter 8 Preview: New Beginnings]
With the goblin threat eliminated, the dungeon enters a period of peace and growth. Floor 5 construction accelerates. Ruri's evolution approaches. And the freed fragments—three orphaned cores—send a message: they want to meet their savior.
But peace never sts. A merchant caravan arrives with news: other dungeons have heard of the battle. Some are curious. Some are frightened. And some are hungry.
Meanwhile, Bubbles struggles with her new combat abilities. Can a slime made for joy also be a warrior? And Baldo pns something special for Dawn—but will his human body survive another romantic gesture?
Floor 6 pnning begins. The next queen draws closer. And in the depths, I feel something stirring—something that remembers me from before...
---
Author's thought:-
And just like that… the Goblin Dungeon has fallen.
This was one of the biggest battles in the story so far, and I really wanted it to feel like a true turning point for the dungeon and its family.
We also finally got something many of you might have been waiting for…
Dawn × Baldo is now official. ??
But this victory also opens new doors.
Other dungeon cores now know about this dungeon… and not all of them will come with friendly intentions.
Next arc will introduce new threats, new floors, and of course new monster girls.
Also, if you want to see the illustrations of the slime girls, make sure to check the Glossary chapter where their character images are listed.
If you enjoyed this chapter, consider: ? Leaving a comment
? Adding the story to your favorites/library
? Rating the novel
It really helps the story grow.
Thank you for reading!