Chapter 110: Gacha.
Chapter 110: Gacha.
Transportation is free.
It wasn’t strange for everyone to immediately switch to using the new mode of transportation.
But surprisingly few people chose to use the <Tunnel Slimes> for transportation.
Is it that dreaded curse about going bald if you like free stuff that’s stopping people?
Maybe people decided it’s better to spend a few thousand won a day to safely maintain their hair health, rather than risk that curse.
Just kidding.
I don’t even know if such a curse exists.
I have tentacles, but no hair!
The reason so few people switched their transportation.
People live habitually.
They avoid new challenges and stick to what they know.
This is especially true when time is short or the stakes are high.
Commuting, going to and from school, meetings, appointments.
All of these have time constraints, and being late can cause significant losses.
At times like this, people naturally choose familiar and proven means over taking risks.
But if the usual transportation service gets worse, or problems keep happening so you’re late, or old complaints aren’t fixed, soon enough people will change.
But before anyone could switch, I improved the problems that existed in public transportation and raised the quality of service.
I changed it into something much more interesting.
While people were thinking, ‘It’s fine as is, do I really need to switch?’, <Tunnel Slimes> became monetized.
Now there’s even less reason to switch.
Thanks to that, there weren’t as many people opposed to monetizing <Tunnel Slimes> as I expected.
In fact, most people just accepted it as inevitable.
[You never know when Slime Land might start charging, so let’s enjoy it now.]
[Slime Land’s must-do course]
[Recommended [Breakup Course]. Cut ties with people you dislike.]
The fact that you could still use <Tunnel Slimes> for free if your destination was Slime Land didn’t change.
But if your entry and exit points were different, and your stay inside Slime Land was below a certain time, you’d be charged transportation fees.
Trying to get away with not paying?
Your use of <Slime> might be restricted.
But soon, the idea spread that even coming to Slime Land, you might have to pay for <Tunnel Slimes>, as well as entrance fees and amusement ride charges.
Even more people started coming to Slime Land.
At least for now, Slime Land won’t be bursting at the seams.
There’s still plenty of space.
I set down the report I got from Hans.
I’m not giving any orders.
Honestly, I don’t think my mental state is all that stable, so I decided to step back from running Slime Land for a while.
Instead, I decided to focus on gacha.
What kind of gacha?
Class A artifact gacha.
I started officially selling <Slime> to countries all over the world.
Eventually, governments decided to import <Slime>.
Some countries probably proposed importing a few <Slimes> before, but it was delayed because they didn’t offer the terms the Korean government wanted.
The fact that it passed through the Korean government means other countries had to make major diplomatic concessions.
They got diplomatic rights by giving me the underground of Korea.
They were probably trying to squeeze me as hard as possible to make up for their losses.
Why did governments suddenly make such big concessions?
According to Hans’s analysis, there were three main factors.
One was the <Altar of the Sacred Flame>’s tour of America, burning <Aroma Slime (Sacred Wood)>.
As the <Altar of the Sacred Flame> traveled all over America, more and more people experienced its effects firsthand.
Now, huge crowds are lining up around the <Altar of the Sacred Flame>. That scene made the news in many countries. With curiosity piqued, more people went to see it, and the <Altar of the Sacred Flame>’s effects spread worldwide.
If that were all, it would have just ended with people thinking the <Altar of the Sacred Flame> was amazing, but there’s constant testimony that the flame from <Aroma Slime (Sacred Wood)> is different from burning <Sacred Wood> alone.
The fact that it’s not just hype is proven by the quiet, orderly pilgrims who continue their journey without causing a scene.
Curses are even more unsettling because they have no form.
There’s always demand for ways to escape that anxiety.
The <Altar of the Sacred Flame> is America’s treasure. Asking for an international tour is a tall order.
Fortunately, there’s a substitute called <Aroma Slime> in the world. Even if its effect is weaker, staying close to it continuously chases away curses and calms the mind.
People all over the world started seeking <Aroma Slime>.
Another reason is Slime Land.
More people are enjoying <Slime> at the hotel inside Slime Land and buying <Slime> from the shops.
It’s only natural that people who experience <Slime> want a way to keep getting it.
Plus, since people have received <Slime> as gifts from those visitors, the demand for <Slime> in each country has grown even louder.
There must have been some national leaders who didn’t want <Slime>, knowing it would negatively affect their own industries. Many companies probably opposed its introduction too.
When the demand for <Slime> was small, it could be ignored.
But now, the demand is too loud to ignore.
The owner of a country is its people.
If public opinion in a country solidifies in favor of importing <Slime>, the government has no choice but to comply.
Of course, since it’s an alchemy product, they could have decided not to import it for safety reasons.
Here’s Hans’s third reason.
The fact that I rose to S-rank Alchemist blocks that argument.
If you can’t trust a product made by an S-rank Alchemist, whose work can you trust?
The moment you say you can’t trust my products, you’re undermining the authority of alchemists worldwide.
Korea showed very clearly what happens when you fall out with alchemists.
No country wanted to make that choice.
In the end, the door opened.
Many countries slapped on huge tariffs to protect their industries, sending prices through the roof. <Slime> probably won’t become truly mainstream. Like in America, it’ll just be for the rich.
For now, let’s just be satisfied that more people have access to <Slime>.
It’s not like I can produce enough to supply the whole world at Korea’s level anyway.
With the increase in money coming in, I can hire more people at the AlchemySlime Company.
Even more benefits for people visiting Slime Land….
I’ll leave that to Hans.
The Korean government may have approved it, but they still need to pay me a deposit.
The best I can get for a deposit is a Class A artifact.
It’ll be tough to raise skills with a + attached any higher.
But I should be able to raise skills without a +.
And there just happens to be a skill I want to raise that doesn’t have a +.
[Purification] skill.
Since my mind seems to be under the influence of a curse, I should raise my [Purification] skill to weaken its power.
I succeeded in increasing the sales of <Aroma Slime>, which has the effect of purifying curses, and in getting A-class purification artifacts from various countries in exchange for selling <Aroma Slime (for purification)>.
They’re all pretty worn out and in bad shape, but that doesn’t matter to me.
My goal isn’t to use or repair them, but to consume them for information.
Just because it’s a purification-related Class A artifact doesn’t guarantee it’ll raise my [Purification] skill.
The <Purification Water Bottle> and <Sacred Wood> I’ve eaten so far raised unrelated skills.
It’s fine even without certainty.
There’s a guaranteed way to win at gacha.
Just keep pulling until you get what you want.
The first Class A artifact arrived.
[Decompose+ skill level-]
Dud.
The second Class A artifact arrived.
[Absorb+ skill level-]
Dud.
The third one.
[Transform skill has grown into Transform+ skill.]
Dud?
I mean, I appreciate the growth, but it’s not what I need right now.
The number of items I have to sell has increased a lot, so I guess it’ll help replenish that, but still….
It’s really not easy.
***
The collector streamer set foot in Slime Land.
‘Today, I have to find it no matter what.’
Slime Land was basically a paradise for independent streamers.
There was an endless amount of content.
Even the <Ice Cream Slime> that’s a whole meter tall.
Even the <Churros Slime> that’s over 1.2 meters.
Even the giant <Cotton Candy Slime> you can slurp up with your mouth.
Just eating each one of them could make for a short video.
And that’s not all.
There’s short-term content like the never-ending full-auto endurance of the [Scream Course].
And long-term content like winning the item battle in the [Adventure Course] or the constellation battle in [My Own Story].
People who preferred calmer streams would film and upload collection videos.
There are people who try to find out exactly how many types of slimes there are in the [Slime Course].
There are people who try every kind of snack in Slime Land, checking how many types and flavors there are one by one.
There are tons of people trying to find out how many types of <Mascot Slimes> exist.
Slime Land really does have all sorts of <Mascot Slimes>.
Some mascots just decorate lightly with a simple penguin look and a bit of pattern, but the serious mascots take on all sorts of appearances.
Just among birds, there are pigeons, crows, and even chickens.
Some mascots go beyond birds and take on the forms of cats, dogs, tigers, or lions.
Some mascots express their individuality with props, like carrying around vending machines or gift pouches.
Collecting photos of different mascot slimes, almost like collecting Po*mon, was becoming a trend among people.
The collector streamer wandered through Slime Land searching for the legendary wigged penguin.
The wigged penguin was a penguin who usually appeared at places with disputes, acting as a peacekeeper.
So unless you caused an incident, it was hard to meet one.
But if you did cause an incident, your stream would blow up in that instant.
After it blew up, only the wreckage would remain, and your channel would become a place only visited by the occasional mocker.
That actually happened once.
It was a foreign streamer who mostly did prank videos, and they were always getting complaints for being a nuisance.
They came to Slime Land, deliberately started a dispute, and demanded a photo from the wigged penguin who showed up.
They were immediately kicked out of Slime Land.
They broadcasted a protest video live, full of anger.
But instead of supporting them, their entire channel went up in flames.
Normally, they would have spun even that into noise marketing.
But after that, there’s been no news from them.
There are even rumors that they were kidnapped by football players.
-If you attract the wrong kind of attention, scary guys will come looking for you, so if you want a provocative stream, go to the [Scream Course].
After that incident, this became a strict rule among streamers.
The collector streamer took care to avoid causing any trouble as they wandered around inside Slime Land.
It was nice that getting around inside Slime Land was so easy, but the mascots were so elusive-that was the downside.
Still, there was a hint.
Looking at all the wigged penguin photos uploaded so far, there was a high chance it would be roaming inside the [Slime Course] on a normal day.
“Usually, there are a lot of <Coin Slimes> in places like this, right? If a slime looks heavy, don’t try to move it by force-use your head.”
If they just found one, the stream would be boring, so the collector streamer also filmed some tips for finding <Coin Slimes>.
“Usually, tickling works best, but if that doesn’t, try poking it. If that still doesn’t work, make a weird or annoying sound….”
At that moment, a rock rolled and blocked the collector streamer’s path.
Thanks to the perfectly timed coincidence, the stream had its moment.
‘Does my voice really sound that annoying?’
The streamer felt a bit sad.
After that, the collector streamer kept searching for <Coin Slimes> and filming unusual <Slimes> as they continued through the [Slime Course].
Then they discovered something and stopped in their tracks, holding their breath.
‘Phoenix Slime?’
Pink, the Slime Ranger who burst onto the scene at the hero show, spreading wings of flame in a dazzling debut.
That show became a legend, but Pink never appeared in another hero show again.
The other Slime Rangers are sometimes seen, but there are no sightings of Pink at all.
It’s beyond legendary.
In terms of rarity, it’s almost mythical.
“Excuse me, with honey….”
Tap.
Something landed on the collector streamer’s shoulder.
Just that made them feel as if they were wedged between rocks, unable to move.
Turning their head, they saw the wing of a mascot slime resting on their shoulder.
Turning the other way, the head of a wigged penguin was right there, extremely close.
“Brother. What business do you have with our Princess Pink?”
The voice was deep and intimidating, completely at odds with the cute appearance.
“A p-picture….”
“A picture? Sure. Get your camera out. I’ll take it with you.”
The streamer’s hand trembled as they pulled out their smartphone and raised it.
“Why are your hands shaking so much?”
The wigged penguin helped lift the camera together.
“You should smile, right?”
With a twitching expression, the streamer barely managed to press the shutter.
“Looks good.”
After checking the photo on the smartphone, the wigged penguin handed it back.
“That’s a relief. If you’d shoved your camera in without asking, we’d have had a more serious conversation.”
The wigged penguin patted the streamer’s shoulder a couple times, then approached the Phoenix Slime.
They lifted the little one up and disappeared together.
The collector streamer looked at the photo left on the screen.
They’d captured a photo of the elusive wigged penguin.
In the end, they achieved their goal.
They’d properly taken a photo with the wigged penguin.
But it felt like their lifespan had shortened by ten years as a result.
‘There’s a rumor that retired Hunters are hired as mascots and put in slime masks. Could it really be true?’
The intensity was hard to believe from an ordinary person.
‘From now on, I’ll always ask a mascot’s permission before taking a picture.’
I’ve always done that, but from now on, I’ll make extra sure to ask.
“May I take your picture?”
With that resolve, the collector streamer jokingly asked the Rock Slime.
The Rock Slime struck a pose.
“….”
Slime Land was full of unexpected surprises today, too.
***
[The Multiply skill has grown into the Multiply+ skill.]
[The Divide skill has grown into the Divide+ skill.]
Wow…. The Purification skill really must be rare.
I’ve devoured more than half of the Class A artifacts I was supposed to get, but only unrelated skills have grown, and the Purification skill still hasn’t leveled up.
Even though I received them as purification-related artifacts, this is how it turned out.
People really do purify curses in such a wide variety of ways.
There were even artifacts that neutralized curses by transforming them.
There were also artifacts that purified curses by multiplying the cells of a creature imbued with purification power.
There were artifacts that divided a large curse into smaller ones to weaken and purify it, too.
Thanks to that, I gained the Transform+, Multiply+, and Divide+ skills.
Now, I’ll be able to produce the increased amount of spells without any trouble.
But isn’t this probability way too low, no matter how you look at it?
Is this some kind of greed sensor?
Maybe the curse is blocking the Purification skill from growing.
“Sigh….”
At this rate, I’ll probably hit Level 50 first and get a new skill before that happens.
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lol