Chapter 9: Got A Slime

“Act now, worry later. Efficiency is the top priority.”

—Akane Masaki

A wonderful morning warmth could be felt throughout the Melodious Scale Forest in Beetho. Sunlight filtered through the towering trees, casting an intricate pattern of shadows on the ground covered with dried leaves and branches.

The subtle breeze that made its way through tree trunks, winding and turning carrying a somewhat floral scent—it was perfect. Sweet melodies from the forest critters resounding, giving the forest an atmosphere that felt lyrical. Just what one would expect from a—

"MRRBBLHH!!!"

On the ground, Meisatsu could be seen pulling at a fiery red, gelatinous substance, with Ayame rushing to his side, holding a translucent, diamond shaped crystal.

Yesterday at the Explorers Guild

“Slime hunting?” Meisatsu implored.

“Yes, slime hunting.”

Ayame placed a hand firmly on Meisatsu’s shoulder and explained—

“Yeah, it’d be fun. We get to go to an area crawling with them, pop a crystal in their bodies and bam!—you’ve hunted a slime,” she said clenching a fist, facial expression overly dramatic.

A young man—who appeared to be an Explorer—was present at the desk, returning from a quest he had just completed.

He had overheard the conversation on Meisatsu’s first quest, leading the man to look at him with a condescending smirk and patronizing eyes all while stifling a laugh.

Why the heck’s he looking at me like that for? Is slime hunting really that embarrassing?

Am I missing something? Meisatsu contemplated.

“You mentioned something about—what was it again—ah yes! Crystals.” He did his best to ignore the Explorer, still sneering at him.

“Right! The crystals are just used to tame the slimes. Makes them a lot more docile.”

“Huh... Tame?”

“Yup, slimes are often caught and sold as pets, pretty common in the main cities.”

“Plus,” she said raising a finger, “they don’t have a specific preference for what they attack. Which basically means... they’ll chow down on anything in sight.”

Akane added, “Yes, that is correct. Note that you will be rewarded based on how many slimes caught are brought in”

“Alright, fair enough,” Meisatsu responded.

Seems I can make some quick moola on the fly. Heh heh. He thought, rubbing his hands together inconspicuously.

“And is there some sort of minimum requirement for said quest?” he questioned, his voice sounding like a narrator of some fantasy epic.

“That would be a minimum of ten slimes which would yield a reward of fifty silver coins,” Akane responded swiftly as she directed her gaze to the incoming message projecting from the desk.

“It appears that a small group of slimes have made their way through the barrier and have settled in the Melodious Scales Forest.” She locked eyes with Meisatsu, causing him to get slightly flustered.

“Miss Ayame, you’ll accompany Meisatsu to the forest first thing tomorrow morning. Ensure you show him the ropes.”

Hold on, why does Ayame get a title to her name and I don’t?

“Don’t worry Akane,” she responded eagerly with a thumbs up and a wink. “You can count on me.”

Oh please, this’ll be like taking candy—from a—baby.

The next day, Meisatsu and Ayame made their way through the thick of the forest. Meisatsu buried his upper half into a bush he found suspicious—it looked funny, resembling a butt.

“No slime in here,” he called out to Ayame who kept looking upward examining the branches on the trees keenly.

“You gotta think ten steps ahead when dealing with slimes,” she said with a hint of expertise.

“Oh, come on. It’s just sli—”

“Watch out!!!” Ayame yelled.

PLOP!

“Hmm?” He touched his head, squishing the rather malleable substance.

Back to the Present

Meisatsu clawed and yanked on the gelatinous substance that had engulfed his head. When it had sunk in that he was losing the battle he dropped and rolled on the ground—he had learnt that one from a fire drill he had gone through in high school.

The red slime didn’t budge, in fact, it had tightened its grip on his noggin heightening Meisatsu’s panic.

With his arms and legs flailing, he tried to yell but—

"MRRBBLHH! "MRRBBLHH!" His speech caused bubbles to form within the slime’s body.

Due to his tenacious will to escape his plight, he kept kicking and screaming until—

DING!

He had run out of air.

Meisatsu had become completely motionless—so much so it looked, serene.

“Take this!”

PLOP!

Ayame had tossed the mysterious crystal she had been carrying along all this while at the slime, it being absorbed upon contact.

“PTOO!”

The slime spat out Meisatsu with great force, sending him flying into yet another butt shaped thicket.

“Heck yeah! Ayame one, slime zero,” she declared breaking into a victory dance.

Out of the thicket came leaping forth Meisatsu. His eyes were dead serious, both fists clenched. Pointing squarely at the slime he yelled—

“Listen here you little...” That’s when he saw it.

He slumped to his knees hunched over.

“Uhh... Satsu? Are you alright?”

“Kawaii...” he whispered under his breath.

“I didn’t quite catch that. Could you repea—”

“KAWAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIII!!!” he screamed as he dashed toward the fiery red slime.

He lifted it to the skies, as a single ray of sunshine came down upon them.

With his eyes dilating, only the slime before him reflected within them.

“He’s just so cute!” he screamed, his words echoing through the forest followed by an absolute silence.

“Look at his brilliant form—there can be no doubt. He is...the—PERFECT KAWAII SLIME!!!”

He began to snuggle what he had hoped to be the slime’s face.

“Hey Ayame, can I keep him?!” He dashed towards her—probably the fastest he had ever moved—with his eyes filled with sparkles.

“Sure! Why not?” she retorted throwing an arm around her dear brother.

NYAHAHAHA! All according to plan. Let the slime land on him, swoop in, save him from peril and ultimately, impress him with my awesomeness. Ingenious, if I do say so myself, she mused with a somewhat lecherous smile.

She planned all this, didn’t she... Meisatsu reflected as he gazed upon his newfound squishy companion.

“Now, let’s bag ten more of these babies and be done with—”

“WAAAAAAAAAAIT!” Meisatsu shouted with his arm stretched out.

“Before anything,” he gestured toward the slime resting gingerly on his right hand, “a befitting name should be given to our newest companion, don’t you agree?”

“Right, of course! How could I miss that?” she replied, face-palming.

“Fear not!” Meisatsu proclaimed. “I shall give our friend here a name, one that would strike fear and cuteness into the hearts of our enemies.”

Meisatsu took a long hard look at the slime, nodding all the while.

“Mm-hmm... Mm-hmm, I see.”

“So, what’s the name?!” she asked excitedly, pulling on her hair. “The suspense is killing me!”

“His name shall be...” He bent one knee. “SIMURU!!!”

“Simuru?”

“Yes indeed, Simuru, The Slime!”

There was a lengthy pause hanging in the air, followed by a subtle gust of wind.

“Woooooooow Satsu, that’s perfect!” Ayame said applauding.

Simuru just sat in Meisatsu’s palm, bubbling idly.

“I think he likes it,” he said as he rubbed a finger on what was assumed to be Simuru’s cheek.

RUSTLE!

Out of the shrubs emerged twenty slimes, all varying in color, forming what resembled a small army of sentient jellybeans. They formed a circle around the group, closing in steadily.

“Ha! You guys don’t hold a candle to Simuru here,” he boasted, as he used both hands to point to the slime perched on his head. “He was strong enough to ambush me, the Hero!”

Of course it was strong enough to ambush you, dear Satsu, she smirked inwardly. That’s a level ten rage slime, pretty much their leader.

BOING!

The slimes pounced, ready for an aerial assault—for some unknown reason, Simuru kept wobbling enthusiastically, almost like someone giving orders...

“You ready to do this Ayame?” Meisatsu asked with a picturesque vibe.

“You betcha!” she responded excitedly. “Here, catch!”

She had tossed a pouch filled with more of those crystals used to tame the lovable monsters.

“AAAAAAARRRRGH!!” they both screamed in a battle cry, as they tossed crystal after crystal at the airborne slimes—

PLOP! PLOP!! PLOP!!!

One Minute Later...

“Phew...” Meisatsu sighed as he looked at the colorful spectacle before him. “They sure put up quite the fight.”

“Tenacious little things,” Ayame said as she patted an idle slime bopping near her foot.

A looming thought resurfaced in Meisatsu’s mind—

“So... How do we carry them back to the guild?!” he questioned panicked.

“Easy.” With a wave of her hand, a small wagon appeared before them in a flash of light.

Seems I forgot that my sister was an expert in this kinda stuff for a while there, he thought to himself as he grabbed the slimes and loaded them on.

The pair trudged along the path that led back to the guild—after several protests from Ayame who opted they walk to enjoy the scenery.

As the sun hid behind the clouds, the trees swayed softly in tune with the wind—the duo were almost out of the forest when Meisatsu broke the silence with a question.

“I’ve been meaning to ask, how exactly do you tell the levels of monsters just by looking at them?”

“You still haven’t figured it out?” she asked chuckling at her brother’s naivety.

“It’s rather easy actually.” She pointed at Simuru—who seemed to have dosed off atop Meisatsu’s head. “Imagine peering deep into the monster’s soul, like you’re looking for the details within. Should come naturally.”

“Nngh!” Meisatsu squinted his eyes as he attempted to examine the slimes in the wagon he pulled.

“Yup... got nothing,” he said, voice discouraged.

“You’ll get the hang of it eventually.” She gave him a light nudge on the shoulder.

“Oh! Almost forgot. I’m still a little confused on the whole explorer ranks and stuff—like your job is still mage even though you are still an Explorer too, right?”

“Yeah, it still is,” she responded, scratching her chin.

“I’ll put it this way—There are two types of explorers you’ll meet in the guild: voluntary and involuntary.”

Meisatsu scrunched up his face, trying to decipher the latter part of her sentence.

“Basically, those who are born with it... and those who signed up later. You catch my drift?”

“Hmph!” Meisatsu gave a firm nod.

“Someone like Umare—he was born with that job but we...” she gestured between them, “we chose it.”

“Ah, so it’s sorta like an ID badge for us?”

“Pretty much. Remember that desk at the guild? It’s not just for registration—it decides your starting rank.”

She sighed as she gazed upon her pendant.

“Umare can tell you that he’s a Level 25 Explorer and his pendant would show it. But for those who joined voluntarily... it’s still kinda... a grey area...”

“What do you mean?” Meisatsu asked, his tone much softer now.

“Even if I became a Level 25 mage, it’s not a given that my rank as an Explorer would change as well.”

“Someone looks at your pendant and concludes, ’oh, that’s a mid-level Explorer’— without knowing your full capabilities.” She placed a hand over her chest. “I know Umare has had more experience in battle or whatever... but I could hold my own against him if I really did try.”

“I see...” Meisatsu said, throwing a quick glance at his own.

“When I decided to join the fight for Fifth Strongest, I went all out against Umare.”

She looked up at the cloudy sky. “We were evenly matched... but in the end, they just chose the one with a higher level.”

So that’s what this is, Meisatsu pondered.

“I guess... I’m just being paranoid,” she said, wearing a forced smile. “I’ve seen Explorers level up their main job class, but their Explorer rank remained stuck. They always say that for us, it’s about more than our level, something about having an Explorer’s spirit... what even is th—”

Meisatsu grabbed her hand, his grip tightening steadily as he spoke.

“I don’t really care what your level or rank says about you,” he said, firmly holding her gaze. “Besides, you’re the strongest person I know—and that’s a fact.”

Tears welled up in Ayame’s eyes. She perked up, wiped the tears away with her arm and let out a smile so radiant, it could light the world.

“Well... you do have a point,” she responded, her tone cheerier than ever.

The two had finally arrived at the Explorers Guild, as they made their way through the hustle and bustle of fellow Explorers.

“Well done Meisatsu on your first quest,” Akane commented as she perked up her glasses while examining the haul.

“Oh please, it was nothing.” He puffed out his chest, in an attempt to look manlier—it wasn’t working.

“I used to be a pro slime hunter in my early days too.” Ayame chipped in, her voice resonating with expertise.

“Oh really?” he said incredulously. “How many did you catch on your first day?”

Her face turned stoic.

“Five hundred,” she replied bluntly.

“Come again...”

“Five hundred.”

Isn’t that like—one fifty... two hundred—more than that one show?!

Whatever sliver of pride he had from his successful quest, fizzled into nothingness.

“Since you brought in twenty slimes, you’ll be rewarded with one gold coin.” Akane stated.

“Just one gold coin?”

“Yes, just one gold. Or would you prefer it in silver?”

“Uhhh...”

“A hundred copper coins are equal to one silver coin.”

“O-okay,” Meisatsu stuttered.

“And a hundred silver coins are equal to one gold coin.” She paused to check if Meisatsu was still following—somehow, he was.

“Finally, fifty gold coins are equal to one platinum coin.”

Meisatsu’s eyes darted around in a desperate attempt to avoid direct eye contact with Akane. He felt somewhat embarrassed for having spent fifteen years in this world and not grasping a basic concept as its currency.

Akane realizing his plight, softened her tone and said, “You’ve earned a hundred silver coins.”

“R-right,” he added quickly.

Guess it’s time I paid more attention to my surroundings. He placed both hands on his face. I can’t go through this crappy situation ever again. Never!

Meanwhile an old man looming in the corner had his sights set on Meisatsu.

So that’s the new Hero huh...? He mused.