Chapter 119: [Shopping Course]
Chapter 119: [Shopping Course]
I called over the Mascot Slimes.
“Pick one.”
In action movies, there’s often a scene where you enter a secret shop and the walls are lined with countless guns.
I made something similar.
Behind me, a huge array of gear is lined up.
“Why the sudden interest in instruments?”
What’s displayed behind me isn’t guns, but Instrument Slimes.
I gathered every instrument I could get my hands on and activated the [Analyze+] skill.
I looked up a variety of materials, watched performance videos, and checked out instructional videos teaching how to play each instrument.
I can confidently say the sound will be just right.
“I’m thinking of marching while playing instruments in the parade that wraps up this event.”
“You mean this weekend?”
The mascots all looked troubled at once.
A few whose eyes sparkled at the guitars were there, but most looked uneasy.
Well, that makes sense.
There aren’t many days left until the last day of the event.
What I’m asking now is for them to reach a level where they can perform in front of people in just a few days.
Whether someone has learned an instrument before or not doesn’t make much difference.
Even if someone used to have a hobby of playing an instrument, they probably lost the ability after Awakening.
Sage, at least, hasn’t been Awakened for many years. After Awakening, he tried various ways to play the piano.
These people, except for Red, have been active as Hunters for at least ten years since Awakening.
Even if they learned to play instruments as kids, by now they’ve probably forgotten everything.
“Surely you’re not asking me to master an instrument by the weekend?”
“….”
Why is there no answer?
Have I ever made them do something so unreasonable?
I’ve made lifelong Hunters wear Mascot Slimes.
I’ve told people who’ve survived fierce battles not to retaliate even if someone attacks, suppressing their reflexes.
I’ve told junior members to take on famous seniors as subordinates and put them to work.
I’ve thrown various other tasks at them, too.
Was it really that bad?
Maybe I did.
“Don’t worry. The Instrument Slimes will handle the performance. Just think of it as playing air guitar.”
This is Slime Land, the land of dreams, tentacles, hope, and slime.
It’s a place where things just a bit off from common sense happen all the time.
And the boss here has a pretty strange sense of common sense, too.
I take great care of salaries and benefits, but sometimes I hand out tough assignments.
Still, I never ask for the impossible.
“Even if the Instrument Slimes play, if your hands and the sound are too out of sync, it’ll look awkward, so you at least need to practice a little.”
Only then did the mascots relax and look around at the instruments.
“Is this an instrument too?”
A penguin picked up an instrument that looked like two walnut-sized fruits connected together and asked.
“Yes. It’s called a pachi.”
There are plenty of other instruments that look fascinating.
If I could get it, I got it.
There are probably a ton of things here they’ve never even seen before.
Some instruments make thunderous sounds, some make clear, bright sounds, and some make sounds you’d only hear in a temple.
One penguin picked up an electric guitar and started playing like he was possessed.
“Oh~!”
Must’ve been an air guitar hero back in the day.
When I snapped my fingers, the guitar produced the chaotic sound it was supposed to, ripping through the air.
“Puhahaha!”
“Boss!”
I gave a thumbs-up to the guitarist.
“With this much difference, just pick what you want and play confidently.”
Even those trying an instrument for the first time got a good sound, so the mascots started confidently testing out all sorts of instruments.
They began picking out their instruments one by one, and most chose rare ones over common ones.
“Everyone’s picking some pretty unusual instruments, huh?”
“If it’s something like a piano or violin, we can just bring in real musicians. We should show off the rare ones.”
They say even a village dog learns poetry after three years at the school.
True to their experience, these veteran Hunters have figured out my style after just a month at Slime Land.
I added instrument performances to this parade to showcase a variety of instruments to people.
So people would take more interest in instruments.
I hope people enjoy more cultural activities.
That’s why I plan to hire instrumentalists to give performances and give people a chance to learn.
I’ll also open music classes so people can easily learn instruments.
Learning an instrument isn’t easy.
There are lots of difficulties.
The main problems are threefold.
– Money.
Some instruments are cheap and accessible, but others boast terrifying price tags.
For some instruments, you have to pay a lot and make a special order.
For rare instruments, you often don’t even get the chance to buy one.
Even if you get your hands on an instrument, learning it costs more money.
You can try teaching yourself, but there are limits, and it’s easy to pick up bad habits.
– Place.
Even if you have an instrument and a teacher, the next problem is finding a place to play.
If you practice at home, noise complaints can easily arise, so you need to find somewhere else.
If you play in a park, people in nearby apartments might complain.
And setting up perfect soundproofing takes a lot of work and costs a lot.
– Motivation.
The more obstacles there are, the harder it is to start learning anything.
Just starting something new takes a lot of energy.
A slump almost always comes, too.
And if you have to invest time, money, and effort into other things, your motivation to keep learning quickly fades.
I can solve these problems.
‘That’s right. If someone wants to try something, just give them a gentle push from behind. That alone is enough to get people moving.’
I hope people can enjoy cultural activities more easily.
I’ll lend people Instrument Slimes and provide a place to play.
Since I’m planning to hire current musicians as teachers, there’s no need to worry about ruining the market. I’ll give them a place to perform, too.
Instrument sales will probably drop.
Still, if the market itself grows, there will be people who want real instruments, not just Instrument Slimes.
If you think of it that way, it’s good for the music market, too.
Great. This idea really should go ahead without hesitation.
***
Former beauty W-tuber, now Slime review W-tuber BeautyLime, entered the deepest part of Slime Land as usual riding a Tunnel Slime.
And as always, she tried to enter the [Slime Course], but there was a choice she hadn’t seen before.
[Shopping Course].
After a brief hesitation, BeautyLime started a guerrilla broadcast.
It’s important to be the first to jump on things like this.
If you consider the time it takes to shoot and edit a video, you’ll end up behind others.
After I suddenly ended my broadcast last time because of an unexpected event announcement, I really felt that.
Since then, I’ve been carrying two phones.
Since it was a guerrilla broadcast and still early, there weren’t many viewers.
Still, a few subscribers joined quickly.
After greeting them, BeautyLime explained why she was starting the broadcast.
“When I entered Slime Land, a [Shopping Course] popped up. I haven’t looked around yet, so let’s explore together.”
The [Shopping Course] she arrived at wasn’t much different from an ordinary shopping mall.
On both sides, women’s clothing stores lined up in a row.
“This is fine, but personally, it’s a little disappointing.”
Some people might prefer this clean style over a theme park vibe.
But for BeautyLime, who loves PengRhyme, Slime, and Slime Land, it felt a bit dull.
Maybe sensing her mood, a chubby Slime waddled over.
The Slime wore a hat labeled [Dedicated Guide Slime] and pulled out two signs from inside its body, holding them with its tentacles.
[Welcome.]
[Please leave your luggage with me.]
“Wow! Everyone! I got a dedicated guide Slime! It’s so cute! Do you think I can film it?”
First, BeautyLime asked the Dedicated Guide Slime for permission to film.
It was common knowledge among those in the know that if you were friendly to a Slime, the Slimes would respond in kind.
[Yes. Please film as much as you like.]
“Guys! Look at this! Isn’t it adorable?”
[LimeLove: <Guide Slime>? I’m going right now.]
As expected from viewers who enjoyed watching BeautyLime play with Slimes, everyone loved both BeautyLime and the Slimes. They were also interested in fashion enough to keep up with Beauty W-tube.
The presence of a Slime that shopped with them was right up their alley.
After playing briefly with the Guide Slime, BeautyLime filmed the nearby stores.
Maybe because it was still early, there weren’t many people.
“These are clothing stores, huh?”
[AtopyNight: Is our Byula going back to her original job?]
“Ahaha. I really haven’t been keeping up with this side lately.”
She couldn’t help it. She’d been busy enjoying Slime Land, picking out gifts for PengRhyme, and conquering the cake zone.
“Today, I’ll show you properly.”
With confidence, BeautyLime entered the nearest store.
It was an underwear store.
BeautyLime’s face turned bright red.
The viewers immediately started teasing her.
[WaterFishSkin: lololol.
SweetTreat: Are you really going to show us?]
“Of course I can’t show you! I’d get flagged!”
BeautyLime quickly moved on to the next store.
“Feels like a department store?”
There were tons of clothes, not much different from what you’d see in a department store.
It was obvious that the Raincoat Slime was made from Slime, but with these, you couldn’t tell at a glance.
“The lining is made from Slime.”
The secret was in the blend of Slime and fabric.
Since you couldn’t completely remove the sheen of Slime, they covered it with fabric.
Functionally, it was inevitably inferior to the Raincoat Slime.
Since it didn’t cover the whole body, that was unavoidable.
With short skirts, it was physically impossible to block sunlight from hitting your legs.
But the design was much better.
The temperature in places with Slimes was definitely regulated.
“This outfit is a little unusual.”
BeautyLime spotted a skirt with a few strands of thin, barely visible Slime thread hanging down.
The Guide Slime explained what it was.
“If you stick these threads to your legs, they’ll absorb the heat. It can’t block sunlight completely, but it does keep you cool.”
There were similar tops as well.
“As expected of PengRhyme. The idea is great. The design is nice too. Huh? This designer made it?”
Surprised, BeautyLime checked the designer of the clothes.
She even searched the name on her smartphone.
She checked to make sure she didn’t have the wrong name, but she hadn’t.
“I’ll try going to another store.”
She entered other stores, checking out the designers.
Every time she said a name, the viewers were amazed.
Up-and-coming designers who were either from famous companies or expected to join them had gathered here.
“Honestly, the clothes aren’t cheap. They have a lifespan, so you can’t wear them for years. But what if you think of them as top brand products? The designer is famous, and the maker is an S-rank Alchemist. Does it still seem expensive?”
Even though they didn’t have the luxury feel, the clothes were worth more than most luxury brands.
Then the Guide Slime held up a sign.
“Really?”
The viewers clamored for her to speak as BeautyLime, wide-eyed, was at a loss for words.
“They even do body shaping? Of course, it depends on the clothes, but they help correct your figure. Hold on a second. I’ll try them on.”
BeautyLime picked out jeans and a t-shirt and paused the video stream.
She took the clothes into the fitting room and changed.
She felt the Slime wrapping around her body, gently correcting her posture.
That wasn’t all.
Looking in the mirror, BeautyLime resolved to buy at least one set of Clothes Slime.
She left the fitting room and resumed the broadcast.
“How do I look?”
[Not17YearsOld: Unni, you look pretty.
AtopyNight: Isn’t that overpowered?]
The viewers admired BeautyLime’s improved figure.
“You have to buy this. The moment you put it on, it feels like you’ve set down a backpack you’ve been carrying forever. That’s… it distributes the weight.”
The viewers immediately knew which part she was talking about.
“If clothes are like this, how much better would underwear be?”
That question was answered by a brave broadcaster.
That broadcast gained huge attention overseas.
A few people who’d struggled with size and weight issues cursed the fact that Underwear Slime couldn’t be shipped internationally and started planning a trip to Korea.
***
The operation of Slime Land’s internal shopping mall began in earnest.
For now, Clothes Slime is the main product.
Some people in the world aren’t interested in food or amusement rides.
But everyone has something they enjoy.
For those people, clothes became the way to draw them to Slime Land.
Even if they don’t care about eating or playing, some people are very interested in fashion.
The plan to sell Clothes Slime had been around for a while.
Designers had been steadily recruited.
After agonizing over when and how to open, they decided to go for it now.
Whether artistically or commercially, successful designers handled the design, so there shouldn’t be any shortcomings.
The warmth and sun-blocking functions aren’t quite at the level of Raincoat Slime, but they’re still excellent.
Above all, the body shaping effect is far superior to the Raincoat Slime.
Raincoat Slime was made loose so that various people could wear it.
Since Clothes Slime clings tightly to the body, it can continuously apply pressure to the body.
It’s not just for women. There are clothes for men too.
The clothes for men focused more on function than design.
I told the Dedicated Guide Slime to highlight those features when guiding.
When you wear Clothes Slime, you get taller.
That doesn’t mean a fully grown adult’s bones suddenly lengthen.
It corrects misaligned bones, revealing the hidden height on the outside.
Your shoulders also get broader. It straightens rounded shoulders.
It protects the joints of your elbows and knees, supports your spine, and even compresses belly fat.
These are also great clothes for children to wear.
For children, they might actually grow taller.
It also reduces the risk of injury for kids who fall often.
These are also good clothes for the elderly.
It helps straighten a bent back.
It safely protects weakened bones so they won’t break.
Anyone, people of all ages and genders, can come and buy clothes.
The first time is always the hardest, no matter what it is.
Once you take your first step into Slime Land, it becomes easier to visit again.
The more positive your experience inside Slime Land, the more often you’ll want to return.
‘From behind, give a gentle push in the direction you want. If someone is already moving forward, even a small nudge can guide them where you want them to go.’
People who only came for shopping end up enjoying other facilities too.
That way, the time people spend in Slime Land gradually increases.
That’s my goal.
There are still many places left to open.
What should I open next time.
1 Comment
Login Required
You must be logged in to comment on this chapter and rate the novel.
Login to rate this novel
lip-sync are doable, but playing instrument in-sync ( not actually playing ) is still hard af no? unless the slime do muscle train those finger till they’re at sync level, welp interesting