Chapter 107: Paradise Iron.

‘Is this really the right way to live?’

The office worker was filled with doubt about their way of life.

When they first got into a company much bigger than the one they used to work for, they were overjoyed.

It felt like a bright future was waiting for them.

But that excitement was crushed the moment they got on the subway to work and were squashed by the crowd.

It’s already been a year of commuting to and from work, squeezed between people.

The commute hours were still the worst.

Everything from the smell to the temperature was just unpleasant.

After <Slime> was released, a lot of that discomfort went away.

Just sticking a <Pack Slime> on their face freed them from foul odors and suffocation.

Breathing became easier, but that alone often wasn’t enough.

Things got a little better once the <Raincoat Slime> came out and they started wearing it.

It made them feel isolated from those around them.

But even then, their personal space was constantly invaded, which felt awful. It was bad enough when strangers got close, but now they were actually touching.

And there were problems that couldn’t be solved just by getting rid of discomfort.

Namely, the time spent commuting.

Just getting to work took an hour and a half.

Add up going to and from work, and that’s three hours.

Including prep time, over four hours a day were invested just in getting to and from the office.

When you add the time spent at the company to the time spent in the subway, there was almost no time left in the day.

On days with overtime, it was better to just give up on going home.

If only they could make effective use of the time spent in transit, it might not be so bad.

But in a subway packed like a can of bean sprouts, it was hard to even take out their smartphone.

Sure, you could leave for work earlier and come home later to avoid the rush.

But then home would really just be a place to sleep.

They’d considered moving to Seoul several times.

But when they thought about how much money would go into paying rent, it just didn’t seem possible.

If they compromised on rent, the commute got longer again.

In the end, they always came to the same conclusion: just stick with the current situation.

That was always the answer, but it was never a happy one.

Instead of being treated like a human, they were just a delivery box, shuttled to work.

At the office, they got scolded and pushed around, doing whatever they were told.

Then they became a delivery again, went home, and just slept.

Their only free time was barely on weekends.

With each passing day, they felt the corners of their mouth droop and their cheeks stiffen.

Was it really right to keep living like this?

“Why not try going to Slime Land?”

One day, a friend they hadn’t seen in a while recommended Slime Land to the office worker, who was living with these worries.

“I’m not a fan of crowded amusement parks…. If I have time to go somewhere like that, I’d rather just rest at home.”

Slime Land was a place even office workers had heard of. It was obvious the place would be packed, so they’d never paid it any attention.

Getting jostled by people was already bad enough on the subway.

“It’s not an amusement park, it’s a theme park.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Instead of focusing on rides, think of it as a park built around a specific theme.”

“Still, I bet there are tons of people.”

“Not really.”

“How can that be?”

“It’s insanely huge.”

The low density meant you didn’t have to bump into people, which was a relief.

“But there must be a ton of people coming and going.”

They really didn’t want to ride a subway packed with people even on weekends.

“No, there’s something called <Tunnel Slimes>, which are like personal elevators underground. They’re a means of transportation.”

The office worker didn’t really understand their friend’s explanation.

“You’ll get it once you try it. It’s really fast, and you can use it just like the subway.”

Apparently, you could go to Slime Land and then exit at a different stop.

You could travel quickly and comfortably, and it was free, too.

“How is that possible?”

“You can find it if you look it up a bit. Why would I lie about something like this?”

It sounded unbelievable, but the next day, the office worker left home to go to Slime Land.

If there was a chance to escape that hellish subway, they had to give it a shot.

<Tunnel Slimes> were mostly spread throughout Seoul, but a new one was added every day. Fortunately, one had been installed near where the office worker lived.

Just like their friend said, <Tunnel Slimes> were incredibly comfortable.

They could ride alone, without a single other person.

Partway through, a pledge form appeared, but they just filled in the blanks and signed without reading it.

There was no way they had the energy to read that long document word for word.

A bracelet was fastened to their wrist, and it was time to choose a course.

They didn’t want to ride any amusement rides.

They hadn’t come with family, and it had been ages since they’d read a book.

With no good options, they picked the [Slime Course].

Arriving in the peaceful land of slimes, like a scene from a fairy tale, the office worker first checked their bracelet.

Just as their friend had said, they could move to a place different from where they’d entered.

They picked a terminal near their office.

It took only a few minutes to arrive.

‘Is this… a dream?’

The office worker absentmindedly pinched their cheek hard.

The place where the <Tunnel Slime> was located was close enough to walk to the office.

If they walked, the total travel time would be under 45 minutes.

They’d crossed a distance that would have cost at least 50,000 won by taxi in total comfort.

The office worker couldn’t believe it, so they got back on the <Tunnel Slime>, went to Slime Land, and returned home.

Then they went again to the <Tunnel Slime> near their office.

Even after all that, less time had passed than their usual commute.

The office worker went back to Slime Land and sat down on a random bench.

It felt like they were dreaming in broad daylight.

But it was real.

The thought that they wouldn’t have to endure that hellish commute anymore-

With a feeling like their blocked airways were opening up, they naturally breathed in and out.

It felt like being freed from a heavy burden weighing down 10% of their life.

Suddenly, something climbed onto their knee.

A single slime was sitting on their leg.

With an attitude that seemed to say, ‘Well, what are you waiting for? Start petting me,’ the office worker pressed and rubbed the slime with their palm.

As they did, they somehow felt more at ease.

“Ah.”

After a while, the slime rolled away as if its business was done.

The office worker suddenly realized they were hungry.

Checking the time, they saw lunch had already passed.

Suddenly, they remembered hearing that you could get snacks for free if you did a treasure hunt.

But they immediately felt too lazy.

They just wanted to spend time zoning out like this.

Besides, when they thought about the money they’d save on transportation by using Slime Land, it didn’t feel wasteful at all.

While wondering what to eat, the office worker spotted a passing Mascot Slime. It was a mascot carrying a huge vending machine on its back.

They didn’t understand why it was carrying a vending machine around, but it was perfect timing.

The office worker stopped the Mascot Slime.

The Mascot Slime thumped the vending machine down.

‘They have pasta and even gukbap?’

The menu was so varied it was hard to believe you could buy all this from a vending machine.

Still, since they had come to the theme park, they wanted to try something they didn’t usually eat.

The office worker chose the Churros Slime.

As soon as they finished paying by card, the Churros Slime began to emerge from the slot.

It came out, and out, and kept coming.

While the office worker was flustered by the over 1.2-meter-long Churros Slime, the vending machine mascot gave a polite bow and went on its way.

“How am I supposed to eat all this….”

Thud. Something touched the office worker’s leg.

Looking down, they saw a bunch of Slimes of various sizes and colors gathering like puppies waiting for food.

“Uh, uh…. Alright.”

Thinking they’d better taste it before sharing, the office worker took a bite of the Churros Slime.

Crunch.

The outside was crispy and sweet, while the inside was chewy.

Once something was in their mouth, they couldn’t stop.

The giant churros they hadn’t imagined finishing disappeared into the office worker’s mouth.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The Slimes began bumping their bodies against the office worker’s leg.

It didn’t hurt, but the silent pressure weighed on the office worker.

“Just a moment, please!”

The office worker hurriedly ran after the Mascot Slime with the vending machine.

***

“Sales are looking good.”

Hans checked the report he’d been handed.

Surprisingly, we’re not in the red, but actually turning a profit.

That’s because we’re selling Slime here that used to be sold at the Alchemy Shop, and the slime labor costs for me, Mother, and Root aren’t included.

If the three of us were paid based on performance, we’d be posting terrifying losses.

Since we’ve hired so many people, labor costs are no joke. Even though we’re covering benefits with Slime, it’s still like this.

If a management expert saw this, they’d scold us for even thinking about running a business. If a corporation turned in results like this, the board would probably move to fire the CEO.

But our alien, who is the world’s top management expert, just smiles like everything’s going well.

It’s not like I’m running this business to make money anyway.

Even now, it’s sucking in wealth like a black hole.

If I make any more money here, the economy will shrink and then collapse.

“Among the courses, the [Slime Course] is especially doing well in sales.”

“That’s because a lot of people fall into the Slime’s traps.”

The concept of the [Slime Course] is a peaceful world full of Slimes.

If you look carefully, there are actually tons of activities, but the course is basically designed for strolling.

It’s not that popular among teens and people in their twenties, except for huge Slime fans.

It’s very popular with kids, seniors, and office workers.

Kids love it because there are so many Slimes.

Adults like that they can enjoy the peaceful scene of children playing.

And it’s also quite popular among office workers in their thirties.

Most office worker guests were trying to use Slime Land as transportation.

If you can exit somewhere other than where you entered, it’s natural to use Slime Land as a passageway.

Compared to public transportation, it’s a much more convenient means of getting around.

And it’s free.

Those people naturally end up choosing the [Slime Course].

More and more people have started taking a breather in Slime Land as they pass through.

They have more stamina and time than when using public transportation.

Anyone knows you should occasionally enjoy some good fresh air.

So they end up spending a bit of time inside Slime Land.

That’s when the rolling Slimes ambush them.

Not physically, but by applying a bit of mental pressure.

Telling them to buy snacks and hand them over.

Many people feel guilty about using such a great transportation system for free, so they want to buy something.

Besides, they’re all people who earn money, so they tend to have some disposable income.

If you absentmindedly eat a snack, you’ll fall into the trap.

There’s no way you could complain about the portion size being too small.

But after eating some yourself and sharing with the Slimes, you’ll find it’s not enough.

So you end up buying at least two.

The course with the lowest sales is the [Scream Course].

Over there, everyone’s too busy screaming to eat anything. Still, since there are a lot of teens and people in their twenties, jewelry sells pretty well.

In the [Family Course], snack sales are lower than expected. That’s because kids love searching for Coin Slimes. They’re often given out for free.

Instead, ranger-related items sell well.

The [Adventure Course] also brings in surprisingly good sales.

We sell all sorts of tools useful for adventuring, and they’re quite a hit.

Maybe that’s the wicked side of Marco, who designed this course.

The [Adventure Course] has a variety of environments, and depending on the environment, different adventure tools are useful.

Plus, all the tools are single-use.

Each one isn’t that expensive, but as you keep buying and using them, the costs snowball in the [Adventure Course].

There’s a competitive element, too. Various people enter a single course and compete to see who can get the treasure first.

Of course, if you throw a lot of money at it, it gets easier, but if you don’t use the tools wisely, it’s likely to be a waste. Luck also plays a big role.

Still, since people might complain about it being pay to win, there are courses where tool use is allowed and others where it isn’t.

If you don’t like competition, there are solo adventure courses too, so people who want their own adventure can be satisfied.

[My Own Story] is extremely popular, so sales are great. All sorts of merchandise are flying off the shelves.

But not all the sales here go to me.

For merchandise not made with Slime, the copyright holders take a big share.

Even for those made with Slime, I give away a lot.

Lastly, the lodging facilities.

Most foreigners who come to Slime Land stay here.

They’re people who came prepared to spend a lot.

Also, since they’re used to Slime prices overseas and came ready to spend, they don’t mind.

In fact, since they can buy Slime cheaply, they feel like it’s a bargain even if the lodging is expensive.

The facilities are decorated to the Smart House Slime standard, so almost no one is dissatisfied.

Naturally, business is good.

“Everything’s going well.”

“Yes, Lime. Slime Land is running smoothly without any issues. But you seem to have some complaints?”

“The Terminal Slime is the problem.”

“What’s the issue?”

“Isn’t it too slow?”

We plan to open passageways all over Korea in the future.

At the current speed, it’s way too slow.

I’m not expecting Mach speeds, but it should at least match an airplane.

“Please do your best.”

Since this is entirely up to my ability, Hans just cheered me on lightly.

“Okay. I’ll do my best.”

I looked at the watch Ash gave me.

I received it and kept running the [Analyze+] skill, but I still hadn’t fully figured out what it was.

If I just ate it, I might be able to learn more than I do now.

[Analyze+ level has increased to 22.]

Just looking at this thing raises the level of the [Analyze+] skill-a true treasure.

It feels like a waste to eat it at my current level, so I’m holding off.

This is an item gifted by Ash, the Alchemist of Space and Time.

Thanks to the <Space Expansion Bag> I got from Ash, my [Store] skill grew into the [Store+] skill.

After drinking the <Ash’s Buff Potion>, my [Accelerate] skill evolved into [Accelerate+].

If I eat this, maybe one of the two skills will advance to the next stage.

If possible, I hope it’ll be [Accelerate+].

That way, I’ll definitely be able to move people even faster.