The beasts here are much weaker than the beasts of the mountains. The level of the monsters was like that too. It was a thought that came to mind while tearing and eating sun-dried meat under the midday sun.
Or maybe the mountain where I lived had an unusually dangerous number of beasts. This could be average, and perhaps the place where I lived was the dangerous one.
I’ve encountered all sorts of monsters. Carnivorous trees that move, ants about the size of a footprint that eat such trees, transparent spiders…
And there were even ones that looked human but had a single eye. There wasn’t a single thing among them that could be easily killed.
The beasts were also much larger than what I knew. And the wild boar. There was a wild boar about the size of a compact car, similar to the one that killed me.
After resuming school and helping with farm work in my hometown during vacation, I encountered something like that, so there was no way I could survive. I wonder if my parents and grandmother are doing well. I hope they managed to get through it alright.
For no reason, I growled at the fleeing wild boar and continued chewing on the rest of the meat.
“Try not to eat too much, Alterra. We didn’t bring that much food. If you keep going at this rate, you’ll end up eating tasteless monster meat.”
“I’ve lived eating things like that before. If asked to eat it again, I wouldn’t say no. It just… wouldn’t be pleasant.”
If it tastes really bad, we could ask that magician for help. With his remarkable skills, he might be able to make something delicious out of those ingredients quickly.
While I stood guard at the front and Yuna at the back, it seemed unnecessary in a place like this. Beasts or monsters would flee upon seeing us.
“Right, you said you saw a pure Demon Tribe member? What did they look like? And don’t mention anything about demanding a key; that’s far too obvious.”
“They had… a horn about as long as an index finger on their head, straight and black, the unique inverted pupils of the Demon Tribe with blue irises, and she… yeah, her outfit was somewhat revealing like Alterra’s. She also wore a mask-like cloth covering her mouth and nose.”
“Hmm. So, a raggedy dress, horns, and blue eyes. Pureblood, so naturally with the attached breathing apparatus. Too generic? I’ve probably seen thousands of incarnations like that. Any other features?”
The two men were discussing the Demon Tribe member.
It was so peaceful that I wished for something to happen, so I looked around for something interesting and found a half-melted human corpse not far away.
“…She approached using invisibility. Alterra noticed immediately since she couldn’t control the vibrations completely.”
“Hmph. Using invisibility to sneak around? Even the Demon Tribe has fallen. Those cowards pretending to be purebloods. In my time, it wasn’t like that. I don’t know. At least, I have no memory of such cowards.”
“It’s good to talk, but take a look ahead. There’s a melted corpse. And there are some… damp traces as though something passed by.”
“Corpse? What kind of corpse? Animal? Or… human…yes.”
Even with my less-than-perfect vision, if I can see it, they probably can too. Confirming my thoughts, Myungho glanced in the direction I pointed and frowned.
“…Looks like it was attacked by a Slime, but it’s strange. Have they ever let prey escape or left any behind?”
“No. But these wounds are definitely from a Slime. The slime residue embedded in the body confirms it… It’s certain. However, as you said, it is strange. Why leave it behind?”
“Exactly. They shouldn’t leave anything behind. Hey, Leader, can I go search for this Slime? Let me see if it’s some kind of mutant.”
“No. We don’t know how long it will take, and we still have places to go. It’s just a Slime after all.”
“That kind of anti-exploratory mindset hinders technological and academic progress. Ah, you wouldn’t understand curiosity like this… Alright, let’s go then. Go.”
Is a Slime the kind of jelly-like blob that appears in games? Though I haven’t seen one in real life, I imagined it might look something like that, but apparently, they do exist.
We decided to continue on our way, but I was curious about what a Slime actually looked like, so I asked Myungho.
“What does a Slime look like? Is it… round and blobby?”
Myungho gave me a rather peculiar look, scratching his temple as if contemplating the right words before answering.
“Not exactly. Their form isn’t fixed. More like… whatever they become. Like water flowing around, then when they find prey, they cover it and digest it directly. They have nuclei, so they’re not that hard to defeat.”
Hmm. So they aren’t as cute as I imagined.
—
The sun was still shining brightly but was gradually setting toward the east.
Yes. In this world, for some reason, the sun rises in the west and sets in the east. While it didn’t make a huge difference, it was quite shocking during the first month.
Looking at the towering mountain range in the distance made me wonder if I could really cross it, but watching Alterra reassured me.
We’ll manage somehow. If we’re lucky, we might even discover the ruins of the kingdom rumored to exist in the mountains. Though I’m not sure if it’s true.
As we walked, a village nestled against the mountains came into view. What would it feel like to have such rugged peaks as your backyard? Pondering this unanswerable question, I picked up my pace.
“…Stop right there! Are you adventurers?!”
Without thinking, I halted as villagers armed with farming tools and bows approached.
“Yes. We are Gold-ranked adventurers! Why are you pointing weapons at us?”
“That’s Gold rank?! Then you must be the ones sent by the guild…! Oh, Hans has succeeded, everyone! He did it!”
Request? We hadn’t heard of any requests from the village. And the young man we saw along the way… Thinking of the worst-case scenario, I asked cautiously.
“By any chance… was the young man named Hans… with brown hair? Wearing white clothes?”
“It seems you’ve met him! Yes, that’s Hans! We gathered enough money to hire a Gold-ranked adventurer and sent him off, but we were worried because we hadn’t heard from him…”
Uh-oh.
“…I regret to inform you, but we found a half-melted corpse on the way here. It seems that was Hans. Our condolences.”
At this, the muscular man who appeared to be the leader bowed his head in despair.
“Oh… Such a lively young man… Because of that cursed Slime…!”
Approaching him, I slowly lowered my weapon and asked him to explain what had happened.
“It started a few weeks ago. A Slime was lingering near the village. As usual, we tried to drive it away, but… this one didn’t have a nucleus.”
“No nucleus?”
Could there be a Slime without a nucleus?
Slimes are creatures that even regular people can handle if they aim for the nucleus. That’s why, despite their terrifying ecology, they’re often considered easy prey for even D-ranked adventurers.
But… without a nucleus?
It’s essentially a monster that cannot be killed by physical attacks or magic, leaving one puzzled on how to defeat it.
“I can hardly believe it, but it’s true. Already ten people have been eaten! Hans, Sophia, Evan, Ned, Darren the Village Chief… All of them fell victim to that Slime!”
He cried as he listed the names of those devoured. Originally, I had only planned to stay quietly for a bit…
“…I am not only a Gold-ranked adventurer but also a Hero. I will help you. As payment, I’ll just need a place to stay for the night. Could you tell me more about this Slime?”
When I revealed myself as a Hero and offered to help, the villagers’ faces lit up with joy. Akashi was delighted, thinking it would satisfy his curiosity.
Alterra alone looked uninterested. Her expression suggested she didn’t understand why she had to help these people.
“…Alterra, please. I can’t just pass by without doing something.”
“I get it. You’re just too soft-hearted.”
Amidst the cheers of the villagers, we entered what seemed to be the chief’s house and learned everything they knew.
Unclear origins, behavior patterns distinct from other Slimes. The absence of a nucleus, which serves as a detection mechanism, leading to a lack of sensory abilities. Yet, it somehow finds humans.
And most importantly, it periodically attacks the village.
It’s almost as if there’s something else inside the Slime shell.
“…What’s the frequency of the attacks? Size? Any other abnormalities?”
Akashi was asking various questions to the villagers, determined not to miss a single detail.
“It will come soon. It’s been three days already…”
“Just a moment. If there’s no nucleus, how did you repel it? You mentioned it has some mysterious power to detect humans.”
“Ah, yes. When we poked or scratched it with sharp objects, some of the slime would peel off. Although its size decreased, it fled before we could reduce it entirely…”
So it shrinks when poked? Is it because it lacks a nucleus?
Normally, the slime should regenerate from the nucleus, but without it, the Slime can’t maintain its size when the slime content decreases.
In that case, Alterra and Yuna aren’t entirely useless either. With their powers… they could dismantle the slime body of the Slime in an instant.
While slowly devising a plan to exterminate it, someone outside screamed.
“Slime… It’s the Slime! The Slime is back!!!”
