Chapter 103: Find .
Chapter 103: Find <Pandora>.
There are only six S-rank Alchemists in the world.
In the field of space-time, no one can match the alchemy products they create.
They invent manufacturing methods for various alchemy products and have many alchemists under their command.
The very person who founded the world’s largest alchemy company, Sole Alchemy.
Ash Pramel.
So the reputation of being the best in the world is not just empty words.
As Ash said, I am not an Alchemist.
I am an aberrant being who peels off [Transformed] Slimes from my body and sells them.
Even by job classification, if Alchemists are in manufacturing, I am closer to livestock farming. Slime Land is more of a livestock product than an alchemical creation.
This reality is directly linked to the fact that I turned into a Slime, so I could never let it be discovered.
I knew a day like this would come.
Thinking that no one could ever uncover the secret of <Slime> is just too arrogant a way of thinking.
But there was no real way to solve it.
If someone can see through to the essence of my <Slime>, they must be a person who has already established their place in society.
Like an S-rank Alchemist.
I can’t just bury this.
“Am I supposed to be nervous right now?”
“Suit yourself.”
Even though my fatal weakness had been exposed, I didn’t feel particularly tense.
It wasn’t resignation, I just didn’t feel like this was a crisis.
“I knew from the start that the <Slimes> you make aren’t created with alchemy.”
“Why are you bringing that up now? Because it’s our first meeting?”
“No. Language is an imperfect tool. I need to explain the situation to reduce misunderstandings.”
In trying to reduce misunderstandings, I could have mobilized all the nearby Slimes to attack.
Well, if you’re an S-rank Alchemist, you probably have some means of self-defense.
“A true Alchemist isn’t someone who just has alchemy skills. A true Alchemist is someone who explores the unknown, brings discoveries into the real world, and shares them with people.”
‘Even if you obtain a job through Awakening, you can’t really say you have that job.’
This kind of claim has been common since long ago.
Even if you have swordsmanship skills, if you’re too cowardly to fight monsters, can you really call that person a warrior?
Even if you have healing skills, if you have no desire to save people, can you really call that person a healer?
You can’t.
Only by acting in a way that fits the job can you truly be said to have that job.
This is the most widely accepted view.
“Those who only rely on what others have discovered cannot be called Alchemists.
They don’t know how to explore.
Those who only know how to imitate others also cannot be called Alchemists.
They have discovered nothing.
Those who only present theories also cannot be called Alchemists.
They have implemented nothing.”
Still, no one else sets such harsh conditions like Ash.
“Aren’t those requirements too strict? If you go by that, most of your company’s employees aren’t Alchemists at all.”
“Right. They can’t be called true Alchemists.”
So by that logic, your company isn’t even an alchemy company.
“Especially the last requirement is too much. It’s because there are people who come up with theories that progress is made at all.”
“They’re scholars, not Alchemists.”
If you put it that way, I have nothing to say.
“You explored the unknown material called Slime and created a whole world with it. So you are a true Alchemist.”
“Well, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
It feels good to be recognized by someone.
Especially if that someone is one of the world’s top talents.
If the compliment was completely off-base, I couldn’t accept it.
But it isn’t.
By Ash’s definition, I can confidently call myself an Alchemist.
I’m proud of what I’ve accomplished.
“Here, take this.”
Ash tossed me a watch.
“It’s a gift to celebrate your grand opening and promotion.”
With that, Ash manipulated the bracelet on his wrist.
He rode a kart to the [Scream Course].
He talks like he’s leaving, but then he just goes to the [Scream Course]?
The whole time he was riding the amusement rides, he kept a stone-faced expression, so I thought he wasn’t having fun, but maybe he’s actually enjoying himself.
Ash doesn’t seem to have any intention of revealing my secret.
Rather, as long as you have the abilities he recognizes, he doesn’t care if you’re a Slime or whatever.
He’s really a my-pace kind of guy.
He even left the guide behind to go have fun on his own.
I used the [Analyze+] skill to look at the watch Ash gave me.
I can’t see anything.
Even though my level has dropped, evolving into a 4-star Slime made my overall skill power much stronger.
And yet, even with [Analyze+], I can’t get any information.
Just what kind of item did he hand me?
***
A man entered Slime Land tightly holding a child’s hand.
He wasn’t worried about how crowded it would be.
What he was worried about was how much money he would end up spending at this place.
That was his concern.
Since admission and amusement rides are free, they must be trying to make money in other ways.
That means they’re definitely selling attractive products at high prices.
Thanks to <Slime>, his expenses had dropped a lot.
With just one <Towel Slime>, you could take care of bathing, dishwashing, and cleaning.
Wearing a <Raincoat Slime> kept you perfectly warm without having to turn on the heat at all.
<Glove Slime> and <Boot Slime> were so sturdy that you didn’t have to worry about getting hurt while working.
Putting on a <Pack Slime> reduced the worry of your respiratory system getting damaged by dust.
Most of all, alcohol.
In the past, he used to rely on alcohol to numb his pain and fall asleep.
Even though he knew it was bad for a young child’s upbringing, he couldn’t help himself.
But now, just lying on a <Pillow Slime> put him to sleep in an instant.
The muscle-tearing pain he always felt the next day after a hard day’s work was gone, too.
As he was able to stay sober for longer, his daughter’s expression brightened as well.
Not only that, he even learned what his child liked.
He hadn’t known because she never said, but his daughter really loved drawing.
Seeing her drawing in the dirt, he bought her colored pencils, but she didn’t want to use them.
Instead of getting angry, he tried talking to her and found out it was because of money.
Using colored pencils would wear them down, and paper would get used up, too.
You’d think a child wouldn’t know anything, but she knows a lot.
She learned to endure because she knew they couldn’t afford many things at home.
So the man bought her a <Coloring Play Slime (for Slimes)>.
When he told her that if she didn’t use it, it would soon become unusable, she started happily drawing on the <Towel Slime> and <Pillow Slime>.
Unlike a sketchbook, she could draw and erase as much as she wanted.
To think she had been holding back from doing something she loved that much until now.
He felt both sad and happy.
Though it was a bit disappointing that she had to erase her drawings every time, at least they could save them as photos.
Days passed, poor but happy in their own way.
Slime Land opened.
His daughter, very rarely, begged him to go.
It was the first wish his daughter had voiced in a long time.
He usually couldn’t do much for her, but this time he was determined to grant her wish.
Taking out his emergency cash, he grabbed his daughter’s hand and went to Slime Land.
What his daughter chose was the [Slime Course].
“Shall we go ride some amusement rides?”
His daughter shook her head.
The man chose free mode.
The place they arrived at looked like a space straight out of a child’s dream.
Clouds made of Slime floated in the sky.
Soap bubbles made of Slime drifted gently upward.
Rocks made of Slime rolled around.
Water made of Slime flowed.
Everywhere he looked, there were big and small Slimes of all sorts.
As the man stepped forward, he was startled by a “Jjin~Poom!” sound from beneath his feet and quickly lifted his foot.
A tiny Slime, looking like a crab, rolled away from under a rock.
Holding his daughter’s hand tightly, he walked on and arrived at a floor covered in various colors and shapes.
There, a woman was showing off dazzling movements, just like playing an old arcade pump game.
Crunch crunch crunch.
Crisp.
Crackle crackle.
Rumble rumble rumble rumble.
Every time she stepped, a different sound was heard.
Looking closely, the sound changed depending on which shape she stepped on.
Suddenly, the woman stopped in her tracks.
“Would you like to try?”
“Ah, no.”
The woman started dancing dazzlingly again.
Walking a little further, they spotted a Penguin Slime mascot selling ice cream.
He barely stifled a groan at the price tag he glimpsed.
Honestly, it was expensive.
It even felt a bit pricier than the ice cream sold at ordinary amusement parks.
Of course, the height of the stacked ice cream was impressive.
By mass, it was probably a better deal than a supermarket ice cream on 50% discount.
But for a man with a tight wallet, it was still a burden.
“It’s okay.”
His daughter squeezed his hand and said it was okay, but the man’s heart was not okay.
At that moment, the mascot approached them.
The penguin pushed the Rock Slime beside it. When the unmoving Rock Slime wouldn’t budge, the penguin started tickling its side, running its flipper along the surface.
The Rock Slime trembled and then rolled aside.
Underneath it was a Silver Coin Slime, shining in silver.
The mascot Slime picked it up and handed it to the daughter.
Then it pointed at the price list.
It said that if you brought back ten Silver Coin Slimes, you could exchange them for either an <Ice Cream Slime> or a regular ice cream.
“Thank you!”
“Th-thank you.”
The daughter bowed, and the man followed suit.
The mascot nodded in return.
“Shall we go look for Silver Slimes?”
“Yeah!”
The two set off to find Silver Slimes.
The first place to check was under the rocks, just like the mascot had shown them.
The man, confident in his strength, grabbed a big boulder Slime with both hands.
Then, using all his strength, he lifted it.
The Rock Slime stretched out long.
“Huh?”
Unable to control his strength, he fell backward.
“Dad! Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Not hurt at all.”
“Hahaha!”
Seeing he was okay, his daughter looked at his head and suddenly burst out laughing.
Wondering why, he touched his head and found a strand of Slime sprouting up.
Checking with his phone, he saw an orange tentacle waving around like a toy headband.
The man took it off and put it on his daughter’s head.
“How is it?”
“Cute.”
When the man took a picture, his daughter liked it so much she shook her head side to side.
Each time, the tentacle swayed like a tail.
After that, their search continued.
“Found ten!”
Before long, they managed to find ten <Silver Coin Slimes>.
On his daughter’s head were two Slimes shaped like animal ears, one tentacle sticking up and wiggling, and a tail attached to her tailbone.
The man looked about the same.
They probably couldn’t take them home, but here, they could borrow jewelry that would cost a fortune to buy.
The man was very grateful for that.
“Shall we head back? It’s big enough for us to share.”
The Penguin Slime selling ice cream took the ten coins and made them a <Slime Ice Cream> as ordered.
It was nearly a meter long, so even taking turns, they could enjoy it for a while.
“Where shall we go next?”
“Where <Pandora> is.”
At his daughter’s words, the man operated his bracelet.
When he pressed move, a huge Slime came running from afar.
They climbed on top, and the Slime moved slowly.
The place they arrived at was a quiet art museum.
[Find <Pandora> by James Theodore.]
The art museum was filled with paintings that looked almost identical.
He could tell there were small differences, but to him, they all looked the same.
But to his daughter, they seemed different.
Passing by hundreds of nearly identical paintings, she stopped in front of one in the corner.
She just stood there, staring blankly at the painting.
Who knows how much time passed.
“To find it right away-you have a talented child.”
Suddenly, a voice spoke up.
When the man turned, there was someone wearing a Slime mask that looked just like the mascot from before.
1 Comment
Login Required
You must be logged in to comment on this chapter and rate the novel.
Login to rate this novel
slowly i get the clear picture of how the scene unfolds, time sense wise still unclear how much they spent lol