Chapter 82: Giant Monster

Geothermal mana conversion using Special Slimes.

Upon hearing this news, the leaders of each country secretly sent spies to Alchemy Slime’s waste processing facility.

[Observation] As confirmed by Awakened with related skills.

Beneath the waste processing facility, a massive Slime, capable of swallowing even an aircraft carrier, had taken its place.

The leaders of each country did not declare an emergency… upon the emergence of a super-giant monster.

A Slime is just a Slime, after all.

It wasn’t due to the influence of certain games from Japan and Korea that they disregarded Slimes.

Slimes are indeed formidable enemies, difficult to deal with both physically and chemically.

However, the judgment of each country was that mobilizing Grade A or higher Awakened would be sufficient to deal with them.

It is certain that the [<Slime> Tearing Challenge] influenced this judgment.

If splitting an apple with bare hands is the standard for measuring hand strength among ordinary people.

For Awakened, whether they can tear apart <Insole Slime D> with bare hands became a sort of benchmark for hand strength.

Just as there are quite a few ordinary people who can split an apple with bare hands, there were also many Awakened who could tear <Insole Slime D> with bare hands.

No matter how large a Slime is, the leaders of each country judged that mobilizing Grade A or higher Hunters would be enough to tear it apart.

Above all, the opponent is a Special Slime capable of converting geothermal heat into mana to revive dead land.

And the owner of that Slime is Alchemy Slime, who is considered a strong candidate for the next S-rank Alchemist.

After weighing the risks and returns, no country was willing to make an enemy of Alchemy Slime unnecessarily.

Still, the fact that they were raising such a monster was deemed a sufficient threat, providing grounds to exert diplomatic pressure on Korea.

Korea, which had been acting boldly with Alchemy Slime’s backing, had no choice but to open its doors wider.

Of course, opening the doors doesn’t mean items that didn’t exist suddenly appear.

Still, there is hope.

It is clear that Alchemy Slime had been hiding the reserve power to create a Special Slime called Mother instead of making <Slime>. Moreover, if that Giant Monster is a large-scale factory, it could produce several times more <Slime> than before.

However, no country believed they could supply as much <Slime> as America or Korea. It might be fine if only a couple of countries were interested, but quite a few were salivating over it.

Moreover, since an exceptional Alchemist is irreplaceable, they are always in the superior position.

While requests to produce <Slime> can be made, Alchemy Slime cannot be forced.

An agreement was reached that each country could request at least one item.

Each country began to ponder what item they should import first.

That deliberation didn’t last long.

Because a problem erupted.

Dead land is not cursed land. However, the mountain of trash piled on it can curse the ground.

This statement from Alchemy Slime had a profound impact on the waste processing industry utilizing dead land.

“We have the right not to be cursed!”

“We have the right to work in a safe place!”

“The government must immediately stop actions that cultivate curses!”

People working at the trash site on dead land began refusing to enter the landfill. Environmental groups also jumped in, escalating the issue.

If nothing is done, public approval ratings could drop.

However, even if they wanted to move the trash piled in the landfill elsewhere, no one was willing to go in there.

Thus, the conclusion they reached.

Import <Glutton Slime> and sprinkle it on the trash mountain.

Then, the trash would decrease while simultaneously supplying mana to the dead land.

That was the public stance, but internally, they were full of thoughts about whether <Glutton Slime> could replace mana stones.

However, for this premature optimism to not end up as mere wishful thinking, there was a problem to solve.

It was persuading Alchemy Slime to make <Glutton Slime> not only eat trash but also emit mana as a specification.

Some countries had friendly thoughts.

They considered offering artifacts that wouldn’t be a significant loss to give.

Other countries harbored malicious intentions.

If words didn’t work, they would wield whips.

Would they become heroes who dealt with trash and dead land?

Or would they be seen as mad Alchemists who created a Giant Monster?

It depended on Alchemy Slime’s choice.

***

Today, another delivery from Ash arrived.

Though he is one of only six S-rank Alchemists and the chairman of Sole Alchemy, the world’s largest alchemy company, to me, he seems like a pitiful human with few friends.

Ash replied incredibly quickly. A speed that would be impossible unless he pounced on the delivery the moment it arrived, solved it immediately, and sent a reply.

The puzzles Ash sends are items that even I have to focus on. Also, crafting a reply that matches Ash’s level is quite difficult.

In short, I don’t have that much time to play along.

With work at Slime Land and quite a few other tasks, I sent a letter suggesting we exchange just one puzzle per week.

Perhaps Ash understood, as the delivery arrived a bit later.

I didn’t mean for the delivery to arrive exactly on the seventh day after I sent mine.

Solving the puzzle that required me to use my ability well, I found a business proposal inside.

It was about working together on a waste processing business.

It stated that Sole Alchemy would handle all follow-up work, so I should just supply a large quantity of <Glutton Slime> with a lowered security level.

The ‘large quantity’ mentioned here differed by two digits compared to previous deals.

The basis for judging that I could produce such numbers must be Mother’s existence.

Ash must have determined that Mother is a Slime specialized for mass production.

Not just Ash, but other countries likely judged Mother as a <Slime> production factory too, right?

The moment I mentioned the Special Slime at the landfill, Mother’s existence could no longer be hidden.

It was something that would inevitably be revealed once Slime Land was established anyway.

I figured there wouldn’t be a big difference if it was revealed a bit earlier, so I just made it public.

This provided a basis for significantly increasing production volume.

The market for <Slime> will expand worldwide.

If I allocate just the <Slime> that Mother produces and sells to cover Slime Land’s operating costs, I might not have to worry about deficits.

By the way, this business proposal.

Even if Ash has issues with social skills, he is the chairman of the world’s largest alchemy company.

There’s no way he’d start a large-scale business without reason.

Something must have happened in America.

Tossing the business proposal to Hans!

He’ll organize the reasons why Ash made this proposal and send it back.

Ding.

A reply came back almost immediately.

I know Hans is competent, but isn’t this too fast?

The reason for the quick reply was well explained in the report.

Apparently, there had already been a request from the Alchemy Center to mass-produce <Glutton Slime>.

And with the specification to emit mana to the surroundings.

Hans noted in the report that behind this request were strikes at waste processing facilities around the world.

And the diplomatic pressure exerted on Korea due to the Giant Monster, Mother.

Giant Monster, huh.

How rude.

How cute our Mother is.

Refusing to deal just because I’m upset would be a poor move.

The best move is to thoroughly empty the opponent’s wallet.

Shall I agree to both proposals to sell <Glutton Slime>?

Let Sole Alchemy handle the American market.

And for the other countries, let’s send this.

<Glutton Slime (ocean sunfish)>

-A Slime specialized in converting consumed nutrients into mana. Weak to stress.

I think it’s good to solve the trash and dead land issues around the world. It’s worth revealing some of my and the children’s abilities that we’ve kept hidden.

However, I have no intention of overlooking any tampering with my <Slime>.

If I send an ordinary <Glutton Slime>, they’ll probably research whether it can be used as a substitute for mana stones.

I must prevent that.

What I want is the handling of trash and dead land.

Not for unrelated folks to profit off it.

So, I’ve set it so that if <Glutton Slime (ocean sunfish)> is used in ways other than its intended purpose and gets stressed, it will self-destruct immediately.

Even if it’s sturdy while eating trash and emitting mana, if the environment changes, it can’t adapt and just-splat.

And one more thing.

<Glutton Slime (ocean sunfish)> have very soft hearts and can’t bear to see a friend die.

In other words, if one crosses the Samdo River, the rest will follow, jumping into the water one after another.

Of course, I’ll send it with proper warning labels.

But if they ignore this?

Thank you for purchasing again.

There’s also an excuse for making it with these specs.

The story that the mana meant to be stored inside leaks out constantly means that <Glutton Slime> is inherently unstable.

I made it according to the request, didn’t I?

***

A male singer who maintains stability with an attractive voice and solid singing ability.

He had a deep concern.

Namely, hair loss.

The first time he felt something was off was while washing his face.

As he vigorously lathered soap on his face, his fingers slid too far up without resistance.

After rinsing off the soap and pushing his hair back, his forehead looked oddly wide.

No way. He denied it, saying it was just his imagination.

He went online and looked at photos of slicked-back hairstyles.

It felt like the M-shape was sharper, but he reassured himself it was just his imagination.

While his eyes and brain denied reality, his hands were ordering foods said to be good for hair loss.

Hearing that black beans were good, he bought black bean soy milk and drank it for a while.

Only for a while.

The black bean soy milk became a decoration in the fridge for a few months.

Feeling that the volume of his bangs was oddly lacking, he pushed his hair back.

On the frontline of that stark white land, he found a few strands trembling pitifully.

He screamed and rushed to the hospital.

“Hair loss.”

Hearing the doctor’s words, he was furious.

Even if his grandfather and father had white hair, their hair volume was fine, so why did this tragedy strike only him?

But the more he got angry, the more his heated scalp turned into a wasteland.

He decided to compromise.

He accepted that he had hair loss but believed he could stop it with the power of medicine.

He worked hard to save money.

With that money, he transplanted the troops from the back to the front.

After a few months, looking like insects had laid eggs on his head, he succeeded in occupying the frontline.

He thought his head would become a lush black meadow again.

It didn’t.

Even if he built barricades late, the swarm of locusts eating his hair had already deeply infiltrated.

Far from preventing devastation, it looked like he was wearing a bowl decorated with fur around the edges.

The singer, with a gloomy heart, put on a wig.

He wore a full wig that was sturdy and wouldn’t come off easily.

It was summer.

It was stuffy, sweat accumulated, it itched, and he felt like he was going crazy.

This feeling followed him 24 hours a day.

He couldn’t even take it off while sleeping, so he often couldn’t sleep.

Unable to bear it any longer, he gave up on the expensive full wig he had bought.

He bought a clip-on wig.

Fortunately, this one could be taken off, but he was still worried it might come off when he went outside, driving him crazy.

Moreover, even with a clip-on wig, it was still stuffy, hot, and caused skin issues.

He was always filled with the urge to rip off the wig and pour water on his head.

That’s when <Pack Slime> appeared in the world.

Just by putting <Pack Slime> in a hat and wearing it, his suffering was significantly alleviated.

By taking off the wig at night and sticking <Pack Slime> on his head while sleeping, he no longer suffered from skin diseases.

But humans are creatures that adapt and seek something better.

Among his acquaintances, there was a brave soul who stuck <Pack Slime C> on their scalp and wore a wig over it, but that looked quite precarious.

So, one day, while repeatedly writing in <Pack Slime> reviews to release a thin <Pack Slime> like hair,

Alchemy Slime announced the release of <Wig Slime>.

He immediately cleared his schedule.

Open-run? He could endure even 20 hours.

It was winter, with the cold wind still blowing though spring was approaching.

Penguins who didn’t show their faces at all waited for the offline Alchemy Shop doors to open.

Even without seeing their faces, it was clear how determined they looked.

Even without anyone saying it, everyone knew what problem they were carrying.

The open-run had been going on for over half a year, and since they recognized each other, light chit-chat was common.

But that day, tension hung in the air, and it was quiet.

And finally, the shop opened its doors.

Following the rules, they didn’t run, but the penguins marched inside at a fast pace, their feet barely touching the ground for a moment.

Those who got their hands on <Wig Slime> split into two groups.

One group headed straight to the bathroom as if following a predetermined path.

They entered a stall and took off their hoods.

Some just ripped off their full wigs.

Some took off their clip-on wigs.

Some revealed their bare heads as they were.

They put on the black <Wig Slime> perfectly.

They felt as if their heads were wide open.

The air passes through.

The air passes through!

The singer took out a nutritional supplement for hair loss treatment from his bag.

He poured it all onto the <Wig Slime>.

“Grow, hair, grow!”

Then, the <Wig Slime> twitched and started to grow rapidly.

Touching the hair that reached down to his shoulders in an instant, the singer shed tears.

Even knowing it was fake hair, he couldn’t be happier!

Looking at the photo he took, there was definitely a unique sheen characteristic of <Slime>.

Anyone could tell he was wearing <Wig Slime>.

But that was okay.

Considering the popularity of <Slime>, soon no one would know whether someone wore it out of necessity or for style.

And who knows.

Just as <Pack Slime> has an effect on vitality,

Maybe wearing <Wig Slime> will someday make hope grow.

***

The meeting day came again.

Since there was homework I gave last time, I thought even Lee Doa might bring something mild.

Lee Doa, a human who doesn’t know how to back down, held firm.

Apart from the homework I assigned, they came up with a spicy amusement ride concept.

It’s really quite fascinating.

Somehow, I feel like Lee Doa would be great as a fitness trainer.

“One more, member! Just one more! Really, just one more! Seriously, the very last one!”

I bet she’d say that while pinpointing your limits with chilling precision.

Why do I think this?

The proposals she brings seem unrealistic.

Judging by common sense, they have a lot of problems in many ways.

But if it’s me, I can make it work, right?

Even if it’s impossible by common sense, I can keep it within the bounds of reality.

She comes up with feasible proposals for making amusement rides with <Slime>.

Honestly, this is the kind of thing I hired her for, but….

How on earth does she figure out my abilities?

Does she instinctively calculate it when she sees the <Slime> I create?

< 82. Giant Monster > End