Chapter 41

Chapter 41: That time when not just clothes, even my body almost melted

TL: kizen

ED: Unedited

My butt hurts

There were some proper roads when we went to that large monster outbreak subjugation last time . That is not the case this time though since were headed for a swamp inside a forest .

Manning the roofless carriage was a person called Stillo who is a part of Faders party . This person is a calico cat-like cat-eared beastkin whos also pretty good looking like his companion . If he was just a regular cat back in my previous world, he would most certainly end up in a research center because of how rare he is but when I asked him about it, it seems like there are a lot of males with calico pattern fur .

Well, this isnt earth but trying to do a bit of surveying of the cats while Im in town would probably alright .

Incidentally, it seems like he and Fader-san came from the same village and as adventurers, they take on subjugation requests from the guild .

IyaI try to choose a better lane as much as possible but

Since the carriage is shaking so much that its changing your voice, it might be better if you focus on the road to make sure things advance smoothly even just a bit .

I cant ride a horse so I wont complain . And besides, after acquiring an undamaged slimes core, we have to put it in a bucket full of water so we need to use a carriage . Rather than resent Stillo-san, Im grateful to you for being our coachman

While laughing, Fader-san, who is seated in front, kept checking on the rope thats holding the barrel every time the carriage shakes .

Judging from the suns position, its about to be noon soon . Are we just going eat our lunch after reaching the designated area I wonder?

Well, Ill just let them decide .

Fader, its about to be noon soon . What should do we do?

Stillo-san looked over for a moment and said loudly .

What does Caam-san think?

I can still bear my hunger so I dont really mind whether we continue forward or eat now to let the horses rest

In my previous life, I used to spend long holidays training myself to survive for 3 days with only a laymans knowledge, a days worth of food and 8 liters of water in a situation where a huge disaster happens and the supply lines get unexpectedly cut off . Compared to the hunger I experienced at that time, getting lunch delayed by just a few hours is no problem .

Then, Im really sorry about this but can you wait until we reach the forest? With our speed right now, the sun would have lowered two spots from where it is right now by the time we arrive

Understood

Did you hear that?

Stillo just raised his hand in response .

A few hours later, a forest could finally be seen . Is that the forest with the slimes I wonder?

Ah . We might have arrived later than planned because of the rough terrain but we have plenty of time to hunt before it gets dark . Well then, lets start preparing our meal immediately

After eating my rye bread and dried meat then washing it down with water, I started preparing my equipment . Since were not dealing with humanoids this time, I just wore my armor normally without turning it into my improvised ghillie suit then waited for the two to finish .

Even if were just trying to get an undamaged core, as expected, it would be rude if I dont take any equipment . 1

Uhm, why did you just take the shovel out from the carriage? Is that perhaps your weapon?

Stillo-san came and asked me with a curious look .

Eh? Is there something wrong with it?

Eh?

Eh?

Ill just have to show these guys how great the shovel is later .

As for the twos equipment, Fader-san has a long sword while Stillo-san has a short spear . Well, although I say short, its still 1 . 5 meters long .

Fader-san entered the forest first as a vanguard . Meanwhile, Stillo-sans going to stay behind to guard the carriage . I want to get along with Stillo-san a bit more so Ill just chat with him at dinner .

The inside of the forest isnt what you could call thick since the sunlight can pass through the trees and you can even hear the birds chirping . There are hardly any monsters around so its not really that different from the forest thats close to our village .

Also, you probably use this place to look for medicinal herbs if you took on that kind of quest since it seems like there are a lot of them growing here . I dont know what kind of medicinal herbs these are though .

Please stay vigilant because were going to reach the swamp where the slimes are dwelling in just a bit

Roger

Saying that, I equipped my shovel as we continued to walk . Im told that slimes are slow moving beings so well be safe as long as we dont receive a surprise attack from the shadows or it falls on us from above the trees . Still, the probability isnt zero so it would probably be better if we just remained cautious .

After advancing for a bit, something thats a meter in diameter was bouncing around as it blended with the background . Even though it was bending with the background, you could immediately tell that its there because of its translucent green color .

Thats it, right?

It can form some kind of shape but it cant maintain it . If I had to compare it to something then it looks like a water balloon thats been placed on the floor I guess .

Yeah, thats right . The thing were after that red core in its center . We need to get it without damaging it

Got it . I dont know how you would normally defeat those though so please teach me

Sure, no problem . Those guys immediately move their cores around once they get hit so it would usually require a really quick attack or two people attacking it from both sides . Well, just watch

After saying that, Fader-san pulled out his long sword and swung it sideways while aiming for the core of the slime but the core just shifted upwards . He did it again but it just avoided it again .

After that, he came back to where I was in a hurry to avoid getting attacked .

As you can see, it would just move its core out of the way so thats why it would usually take two people to hunt it

How about those things methods of attack?

It hurls itself at its prey while stretching out its body in order to cover it

Does that mean that our clothes would get dissolved if we get caught by it?

Eh?

Hn?

I guess that was a weird question . I cant help having the image of a female knight or adventurer getting caught by mistake and having all of her clothes dissolved after all .

Never mind . What happens if you get caught by it?

You would suffocate and get dissolved by it until theres nothing left

How big can those guys get?

That just depends on how big of a prey those guys are trying to consume . If it had tried captured me back there then it would have just grown to accommodate my size . This it might be impossible but if theyre trying to capture an orc, an ogre, or a dragon, then it would probably grow to that size as well . Then, after it reaches a certain size, it would split into two . The split halves would just be half of their original size but they could just gradually grow back to their previous size again

Oh, I see

Do they absorb their preys volume or something? I wonder if it would still grow as big if I just bring it some large monsters corpse .

How would you usually do it when youre trying to get an undamaged core then?

You can freeze it and just shave off the outer part until you reach the core . However, if you overdo it and freeze the core as well then it would just break once it thaws . Finally, you can just gently scoop it out of its body then place it in water so that it wont break . You need to use thick leather gloves to protect your hand but even those only last for 3 tries

Its probably getting destroyed because of the damaged cells when it gets frozen . Its kinda like a frozen sashimi, isnt it?

Got it . Ill manage somehow

For some reason, the slime didnt attack us while were talking . Its kinda like those shows where they dont attack the hero while hes in the middle of a transformation scene . While thanking the strange slime, I attempted to extract its core while not damaging it .

It really looks like some kind of fluid with how jiggly and bouncy it is . I dont know if its acidic or alkaline though .

Well, compared to the brick mixture, its probably softer .

While thinking that, like that time I was mixing the ingredients for making bricks, I loaded magic into the slime to disrupt the fluid in it . Having done that, the core in the center started moving so I just continued what I was doing . It was putting up quite the resistance but after a while, the core finally got really close to the surface so I wrapped it with a water ball, extracted it from the jelly-like part and made it float on top of my hand .

Halfway through, I heard somebody saying, Uhm, are you going to freeze it?but I just ignored it and continued what I was doing .

Phew . It was resisting quite a bit but that didnt really use that much magic power compared to mixing bricks

Ahokay

It seems like Fader-san was quite astonished by what I just did . Did he think I was going to freeze it and just shave off little by little until I reach the core? I think that its probably made up of mostly water if it can be frozen so thats why I was able to immediately decide to use this method .

Uhm, should we go back to the carriage for now to store this?

Ah, yes yes . It would be bad if it gets damaged after all

Fader-san hid a thick leather glove in his pocket . Although I saw him put it away, I just decided not to ask about it .

*

Stillo-san who was guarding the carriage saw us coming out of the forest said .

Oh, that was fast . Were there any problems?

There were no problems but something different has come up . Take a look at Caam-san

With that said, the two of them looked at me who has a slimes core floating on each hand . On our way back, we came across another slime so I tried to see if I can do it with just one hand . I succeeded so thats why we have two right now .

Ahh, this is a really serious matter, isnt it? We dont have any more work left to do

Thats not it . He was able to do that even though I just gave him a simple explanation about the core and showed him how it moves when you cut the slime with a sword

Uhm, could you please open the lid of the barrel? Ill fill it with water using magic

s-sure

Using the same trick with my kunai, I produced a waterball in front of me, dropped it into the barrel, then slowly put the slimes core in it .

Although we just planned to get two, lets just continue to get some more . Theres a high demand for undamaged cores, right?

Y-yeah

It seems like what I did was completely beyond there expectations so they could only give a half-hearted reply .

Uhm, could I talk with you for a second?

What an awfully serious face youre making .

What is it?

Its about your pay . Since we havent really done anything, at the very least, the rent for the carriage

Well spit it between us of course . Thats what we discussed from the beginning after all . And besides, I didnt think it would be this easy so Id feel bad if Im the only profiting from all of this

You might say that Im being too honest here and I do think that it may come back to haunt me sooner or later but its better than getting resented .

Looking at the position of the sun right now, I thought about the time it took for us to reach here . Considering how long it would take to go back with our luggage in tow, then it would seem like the gates are already closed by 8 pm . Since were going to camp anyways, we can still continue hunting for two more hours . Well, I guess I should just ask first .

I thought about what you said yesterday and if were going to camp outside the gate, what do you think about going back inside the forest three or four more times?

Please let us discuss it for a bit

Understood

Saying that, the two of them moved a bit further away to discuss it . Well, I guess Ill just eat my dried fruits for the meantime .

What you do mean were camping outside the gates?

That was just something I said as a joke during our negotiations . I said that if we can get the necessary amount quickly then well go back and camp outside the gates

Well, theres nothing more we can do about what you just said but still, if we enter the forest 3 more times, that means were going to get 6 extra pieces right?

Ah, thats right . However, I also said that if we couldnt find any, well have to camp in front of the forest while taking turns standing watch . Do you think we can use that as an excuse?

You wont lose anything by trying so why dont you try to negotiate with him

Got it

Ah, he came back .

Are you done with your consultation? Ah, do you want some dried fruits?

His face looks a bit cramped . Oh, oops . Was I a bit too familiar? Was it rude of me to talk with something in my mouth?

Uhm, you see, I am terribly sorry about this but as the result of our discussion, since it seems like it would we would earn more, would it be alright if we just camp in front of the forest like I said yesterday?

Sure, I dont mind . I told our supervisor that Im taking a slightly longer break from work after all

Oiiii, why is this person so easygoing? Are you really the Caam-san from the rumors?

Indigo blue skin, a day laborer making bricks, living in that den of weirdoes Clinochlore, he certainly fits that description right?

I can hear you, you know

Then, well leave it to you

Yeah, Ah, I have a suggestion

Wh-what is it?

Can we increase our efficiency?

Ha?

*

After that, we entered the forest and I had Fader-san pick out which slimes core to get .

That one is good

Understood

That ones core is small so its no good

Understood

What we did was instead of using the magic I used when mixing the brick ingredients on the slimes immediately after finding them, we gather them all first on a waterball2 floating in the sky .

Since its up there, there would be no problems even if they started struggling . I still have to be careful they dont get too violent that they damage their own cores though .

After finding 10 of them, I start kneading them then we go back to the carriage to store the cores . After putting the cores in the barrels, I just dispose the large number of coreless jellies on a spot where the sun hits .

When I asked what I should do with those, they just told me .

Other slimes would grow really big and multiply if they absorb those so please put them someplace thats unobstructed where they can dry out vanish like ice

After hearing that, I decided to limit our remaining trips inside the forest to 10 . Im kinda scared that theyll go extinct after all .

Its already evening so its starting to get dark .

This is the 36th piece, right?

After putting the final slime core we collected inside the barrel I just randomly threw the leftover jelly remains of the slimes back to the forest .

We dont have any barrels left

Even if we shove more in there, it might hit against each other and get damaged . It was a good thing we brought bit more barrels than usual

It cant be helped . Who would have thought we would get this much

Thats right . Even I didnt think it would go this smoothly . Well, the price would go down if we bring back too much so I guess this much is alright

Its the law of supply and demand after all .

Thats right, isnt it? I think so too

Well then, since it would be dangerous to travel with the carriage in darkness, lets just camp here

Uhm, I have a question

What is it?

Camping in front of the forest or a bit further away from the forest, which one is safer?

A bit further away from the forest would be the safer option but as expected, letting the horses travel like this would be dangerous

Could we travel for a bit if its bright then?

Saying that, I looked at Stillo-sans direction .

Yeah . Its possible if we just drop our speed

Then lets get some distance away from the forest . Im a good for nothing coward so I would feel better if were just a bit safer

Why did they pull back after I said that with a huge smile? Isnt it a fact that safer is better?

But what about the source of light?

Ill make it . Well, I havent tried this before so Im not sure if Ill succeed so please let me try it once

Haa

Imagea 300 meter tall1 million cd3 bright spotlightthat disappears after 60 secondsexecute

Well, its just something like a flare . Ive seen it in videos before so its easy to imagine . I dont know if theres stuff like magnesium or sodium nitrate here but since I can produce a flashbang using magic, its possible to make something like that .

Using that image, a great light source appeared above, brightly illuminating the vicinity .

Amazing . Its like he made a sun

I havent seen anything like this before

Looking at my test, the light gradually became dimmer until it finally disappeared .

It was a success . Nocturnal monsters are scary so lets go

The two of them were giving me the kind of looks that are saying What the heck is this guy sayingbut I just decided not to mind it .

Okay then . Shall we start preparing for our departure?

After we finished with our preparations, I activated the short duration Flare then we departed .

A while later at a place where you can barely see the forest, Stillo-san said .

If its here then we can clearly see our surroundings and its much safer compared to the forests vicinity-ssu

With that said, we then started our preparations for camp .

They began setting up the bonfire using firewood that was probably gathered while we entered the forest . They were going to use the sparks from a flint to light it so they were glad when I produced a lighter-like fire on my fingertips instead . You got burned? 4

It has been decided that were going to sleep immediately after eating because were going back first thing in the morning so my plan to mingle with Stillo-san was canceled . As for the night watch, we would do it in three-hour shifts decided by lottery . I was first .

While they were asleep, I took out a piece of slime that securely wrapped and placed inside my leather bag .

Of course, this is so that Ill know how much you can melt with it .

I placed a piece of the slime thats the size of making a ring with your thumb and index finger on top of a cloth place at the back of my hand . After 5 seconds, it made a hole through the cloth and I immediately started feeling pain on my skin so I hurriedly flung it away .

Looking closely, theres a circle-shaped scald on the back of my hand .

A-ah, if its like this then its impossible to just melt through clothes . I wonder what would happen if I dilute it in water? How much pH level does it need to have for it to just melt clothes but not the skin anyway? Even if you enter an alkaline or acidic hot spring with a towel, your skin gets smoother but the towel doesnt dissolve after all .

The cloth would start to fade if you kept doing that for a few years though This is seriously useless . Also, slimes are unexpectedly scary creatures .

While thinking that, I healed the scald-like marks on the back of my hand using recovery magic then stayed by the fire as I continued staying vigilant for any presence while waiting for the bowl of water with a small opening thats used to tell time empty out .

After confirming that the bowl has emptied out 12 times, I woke up Fader-san who was next .

Fader-san, its time

Hnn Ah, sorry . You can go to sleep now

While yawning and taking off his blanket, he looked at me to make sure I was asleep .

*

It seems like nothing happened after that since Stillo-san, the last one to stand watch, greeted me .

I slept on a different bed today so I woke up in a bad mood .

Good morning

Morning-ssu . Nothing in particular happened-ssu . Heres some tea .

Thanks

I put in a slightly larger amount of sugar into the tea to wake me up . After that, I took some bread, dipped it into the sweet tea then ate it .

Stillo-san was giving me a strange look . Whats wrong? I just sweetened the tea and made the hard bread softer right?

This makes me feel like Im drinking sweet black tea while eating some softened rusks right now . Well, Im actually drinking tea but I dont have anything to soak the bread with though . It cant be helped, lets just eat it as is .

While I was nibbling on my bread, Stillo-san went to Fader-san to wake him up .

Oi! Wake up

Argh, I got it already

After he was violently woken up, he met eyes with me and said .

Ah, good morning

Did meeting eyes with me cause me to him to fully awaken? He returned to the usual way he speaks .

Since it was still dark, the three of us surrounded the campfire while idly passing the time by . Once the sun started peaking out of the mountain, we started moving out . After putting out the fire and confirming the conditions of the slime cores, the carriage slowly started moving . Were going to take it slow on the way back . Thats good since I wont have to worry about my ass hurting this time .

*

The towns protective wall can finally be seen-ssu

Its almost over!

I just confirmed that it doesnt matter if were traveling slow or fast, my butt still hurts . Even Fader-san seems like hes in pain . I guess I should make a cushion next time .

Well, we still have to get the goods examined at the gate but it will be all over once we reserve the requested amount and give the rest to the guild so just be patient okay?

Hes been cycling through sitting down and standing up for a while now so it seems like it really hurts for him .

Next! Whats this? You guys came back really quick . You finished everything in just a day?

After saying that, he started checking the goods .

Oi, arent these undamaged slime cores!? Getting this amount in just a day Ah, so Caam was with you . I now know why . You can go ahead and enter then

With that said, we peacefully entered the gate .

Someone you know?

The repairs for the protective wall is done outside the gate after all so he remembers my face from passing here all the time . That aside, we get involved with each other quite a lot so weve gotten close

Really? I wonder if I can be on good terms with any of the gatekeepers as well

Its pretty convenience you know?

Caam-san . Getting too friendly with him to the point that he starts getting sloppy with the inspection is going to be a problem you know?

Right . If we had just left it to you back then, that guy would have just let us in without asking us anything

*

Well then, shall we sell the rest of the subjugation materials then?

UnderstoodOu

After saying that, Fader-san put let the carriage to the back of the guild .

Iya, Caam-san really was a huge help . Who would have thought we would be able to complete it that quickly . I also cant believe we manage to get that much

Me too . I couldnt believe that slimes would be easier to deal with than mixing bricks

Would it be okay if we invite you again next time?

Sure, as long as its not dangerous . Dont count on me too much though . I want to live a safe and carefree life after all .

Hahaha! As expected, I wouldnt know whats safe and whats dangerous for someone with that kind of amazing magic, would I?

Iya, isnt it kinda awkward if you say it in front of the person himself? And besides, Im a coward and dont want to die so I dont like battles . Thats not good now, isnt?

Well, Ill tell our leader to not invite you as much as possible . That guys just the leader of a two-person party though

Stillo-san is pretty interesting .

Im back . Out of 36 pieces, we only need two so I sold the other 34 pieces . They sell for 5 silver a piece so I got 1 gold and 7 large silvers . I asked for it to be changed into silvers so I got 170 silvers in total . If we divide this between us then

Its 56 silver, 6 large copper, and 6 copper coins right?

Well, you cant divide it evenly though .

You calculate really fast, dont you?

Thanks

Lets divide it between us immediately then . Hmm . I dont have anything other than silver so I guess Ill have to go and exchange them again

Then lets do it like this . That amount is just for the subjugation materials you sold, right? To make thing simpler, lets just change my daily wage to 4 large copper and 4 copper coins so that all you have to give me is 57 silver . If we do it like that then the two of you would get 56 silver and 5 large copper coins each . If we divide it like that, you would also be paying me my wages at the same time

I dont want to cause any misunderstanding by just explaining it orally so I took a stick and wrote my calculations on the ground .

If Caam-san is fine with that then I dont see any problem with it .

Me too-ssu . But still, arent you losing out on that deal?

I already earned in one day what I would have earned in 70 so you wont hear any complaints from me . You can just think of those 4 large copper as some kind of handling fee . And besides, thats a pretty cheap price to pay for getting some connections . Ah, I already told Stillo-san this earlier but please dont invite me if youre going to a battle

I see . If thats what Caam-san says then

Fader-san looked pretty troubled while saying that . Well, being a money grubber would just invite resentment after all . Id rather get comrades here rather than make enemies .

Then, I guess its time for us to split our ways . Though I want to celebrate, I think it would be bad if I dont hand these over to our acquaintance right away

Yeah, thats true . If I have the opportunity, let me treat you guys next time

Thank you very much . We look forward to it . Till we meet again

Thank you very much

Thank you as well

After saying that, I immediately entered the guild and decided to deposit the 57 silver coins . I dont want to be walking around with all that money on me after all .

Ah, I still have to ask the landlady about the price of making duplicate keys . Because of that, instead of depositing it all, I decided to leave a bit more on hand .

Its still daytime but I felt sluggish so when I reached my room after taking a bath so I went to