D.E.M.O.N.S: Getting Summoned Weekly isn't so Bad Chapter 2200 Poisonous Remnants

--- Kat ---

Kat wasn’t entirely certain how much fear the area was supposed to evoke. Her party moved sluggishly, and the amorphous slimes were ubiquitous… yet they were merely slimes, weren't they? Kat even managed to encase a few in ice, preserving their core intact for Appoline’s further study. Kat harbored a hope that the containment jars were sufficiently robust to actually hold a live slime within their confines…

However, a genuine sense of peril seemed conspicuously absent. If these slimes were intended to breach protective gear, they were failing miserably at the task. Encounters were typically solitary, with an occasional pair. Kat expended minimal Qi to dispatch them all; the rare instances of two slimes attacking seemed more a consequence of accidentally straying into overlapping ranges than a deliberate ambush involving multiple assailants.

"Appoline, do you have any insight into how these slimes reproduce?" Kat inquired. "I- I’m trying to ascertain whether they regenerate or if more have been introduced," she added.

"I’ve had precious little opportunity to examine them thus far… but based on my initial observations, I surmise they are intended to consume the poison? Oddly, they don’t appear to be poisonous themselves, which contradicts my understanding of the creators’ objectives. Unless… perhaps their purpose is to assist in mitigating the poison after it has spread? Hmm…" Appoline mused, retrieving the jar containing the pink slime and giving it a gentle shake.

Appoline nodded slowly. "Indeed, I’m still quite in the dark. Further analysis will be necessary; a cursory examination isn’t sufficient, especially when their forms are flash-frozen. Although, the fact that they leave a residue… hmm…"

"Is that detail significant?" Kat asked.

"It deviates from the norm," Appoline offered. "Well, not entirely. Some slimes do leave a slight trace, but that’s not characteristic of these pink specimens. They appear to be actively deteriorating as they move, and only the substantial amount of mana within them sustains their cohesion. This marks them as decidedly artificial."

"So, were they necessarily brought here? If they break down while moving?" Kat inquired.

Appoline shook her head. "In theory, yes, but recall my earlier hypothesis about them consuming something, and their high mana content. It’s quite plausible they were engineered with a regeneration mechanism. Perhaps they absorb poison and convert it directly into pure mana. Or maybe strategically placed conduits within the sewers replenish them, explaining their tendency to emerge from those confines. The trails aren’t persistent; the entire vicinity isn’t coated in pink, suggesting they might reabsorb the residue during periods of inactivity?"

"It’s not simply disintegrating due to the poison?" Kat questioned.

"I don’t believe so?" Appoline replied uncertainly. Kat let out a sigh, her gaze sweeping over the other researchers, searching for any flicker of superior insight. It wasn’t difficult to locate them, as they remained clustered between Kat and Appoline, yet none offered any commentary. Kat sighed again; clearly, they were disinclined to engage in discussion.

Eventually, the group reached the fountain. Kat decided on a direct approach. First, she transmuted into water, flowing through the fissures at its base. Then, reforming, she lifted it from below. The others watched her, seemingly transfixed. "What? We compromised its integrity ages ago, and now someone must support it. I can maintain this for a time, but that doesn't mean I should. Poison is seeping in, so be quick about it."

This spurred the group into action as they rapidly descended. Vanilla led the way, with Maryland providing support and a single guard behind them. The rest followed, with the final three guards bringing up the rear. Kat scanned her surroundings, anticipating a slime attack as everyone else disappeared below… but none materialized. She must have purged them all. Kat let the fountain settle back into place and then hurried down the stairs…

Or rather, she intended to. After the first turn, Kat realized the rest of the group was far less eager. She quickly reverted to a steady walking pace. Kat let out another sigh.

Upon reaching the ground floor, Kat intervened to prevent Appoline from removing her helmet. "I know it appears largely clear, but the poison hasn’t completely dissipated."

Appoline nodded, withdrawing her hand as she surveyed the area. Now that she was concentrating, the faint wisps of green vapor clinging to the room's corners served as potent reminders that the environment remained unsafe for the unsuited. Once Kat confirmed no one else intended to shed their protective gear, she resumed their progress. "Keep an eye on the ceilings. I believe it should be safe, but there are golems here that favor aerial assaults. I hope I eliminated them all during my previous sweep… however, they failed to activate either time I was here before, nor in this specific section. Consequently, more are likely concealed."

The guards tightened their grip on their weapons, though Kat wasn't confident in their effectiveness. The strategy was to maintain distance from any immediate threats. Kat herself kept a watchful eye, but thus far, the path seemed secure. She half-anticipated alarms blaring from the latter half of the facility, yet since she had managed to escape previously, it seemed logical that nothing was actively pursuing her now.

Before long, Kat reached the greenhouse, gesturing towards it. "Ah... hmm... shall we proceed to investigate now?" Appoline inquired.

Kat surveyed the rest of the group before offering a negative shake of her head. "This corridor... it stretches considerably further than you might imagine. We have at least half an hour of walking ahead of us. I understand your eagerness to see it now, and I don't fault you for it... but we truly must establish those wards first. Lily can supervise this area while I escort you back, or vice versa, whichever you prefer."

"Yes... I believe I'd prefer Lily's company to impart some valuable insights as I work," Appoline conceded, her form settling back towards the ground.

Following this brief pause, Kat managed to keep the group moving... until they encountered the collapsed section. At that point, Kat recalled the difficulty Furen had experienced passing through. It seemed Steel, unlike Kat, had not forgotten the obstruction. Just as Kat was about to voice her thoughts, one of the guards approached and pressed something against the debris. A protective dome materialized around a specific area, and the rocks within began to flow as if liquid, reshaping themselves to reinforce the edges and maintain stability while carving out an opening. It was a captivating spectacle to behold.

A clear passage was now available for everyone. While still not particularly wide, necessitating Kat and several others to crouch, passage was now achievable without resorting to more drastic measures. *