Chapter 127: interpretation.
Chapter 127: interpretation.
■■ The one you hold most dear will fall into the Swamp of Despair and struggle (in hostility) ■ meet their end by (my) hand!
It doesn’t seem like the lich cast this curse on me.
It must be a curse placed on the one who defeated it.
If so, the first word would be something like ‘you’ or ‘your’ to refer to the target.
(You) The one you hold most dear will fall into the Swamp of Despair and struggle (in hostility) ■ meet their end by (my) hand!
If this is the correct answer, wouldn’t the word in the ■ be ‘my’?
(You) The one you hold most dear will fall into the Swamp of Despair and struggle (in hostility) (my) hand will bring their end!
If the lich used some means to ride or merge with the curse, it could realize this curse.
Even if the lich didn’t survive, since it’s the one who cursed me, if I meet my end through this curse, it would be realized.
Meeting one’s end doesn’t necessarily mean death.
It could mean that I am no longer myself.
At the time I was cursed, the ones close enough to hold me dear were my family, Makina, and Gisu.
Unless my family is secretly working as superheroes without my knowledge, it wouldn’t be them.
The possibility of it being Makina is low.
It seems most likely to be Gisu.
It must be true that Gisu defeated the lich.
It’s a bit strange that it came to me instead of Gisu’s mother.
Perhaps this curse isn’t all there is to it.
Or it could simply be a matter of wording.
‘Dear’ means to love intimately, but it’s not a word often used for family.
If my guess is correct, then me becoming a slime is entirely because of Gisu.
“….”
Used the [Barrier☆] skill.
There’s some kind of reaction.
A strong shock shook my head.
A sentence made of just two words came to mind.
‘I am right.’
Even after using the [Barrier☆] skill and shaking my head, those two words won’t leave my mind.
Tsk. It seems like the [Barrier☆] skill worked properly.
Staying still until I made a move, then calmly and coldly counterattacking once hit by the [Barrier☆] skill-truly fitting for Arrogance.
If I were to frame the curses remaining in me now, it would be Arrogance and anger.
When I just spit out the curse, its influence is at its weakest.
Even so, it takes its place just a little.
Surprisingly, anger didn’t surge up as much as I thought at the fact that I ended up like this because of Gisu.
If the next one was anger, it wouldn’t be strange for that anger to fill my chest completely.
So, thinking this time it was Arrogance’s turn rather than anger, I used the [Barrier☆] skill.
My guess was correct, and the skill went in properly.
It went in, but Arrogance was heavy.
If I were to describe what I felt.
I succeeded in wrapping the opponent in chains with my sealing ability.
I tried to drag them into the place of sealing as is.
But it felt like the opponent scoffed, hit me once, and walked into the place of sealing on their own.
As if they weren’t being dragged but retreating on their own accord.
Judging by their behavior, it definitely seems like Arrogance.
If it were anger, they would have thrashed wildly the moment they were caught.
Since I used the [Barrier☆] skill, the influence of the Curse of Arrogance on me should lessen.
Maybe I can relax a bit for now.
It’s annoying that the lich cursed me to get revenge on Gisu, but it’s not something to be angry at Gisu for.
If I’m to be angry, it should be at the one who cast the curse, not Gisu.
I mustn’t confuse the target of my anger.
This is akin to terrorism.
If a terrorist causes an attack in an unrelated place to get revenge on someone, the anger should first be directed at the terrorist.
It’s right to resent the terrorist, not the target of their revenge.
Of course, the person who caused the terrorism should also be investigated.
There might be a reason to empathize with that revenge.
If, after investigation, I can empathize with that revenge, then I can resent both sides.
Just because I empathize, does that mean I should forgive the terrorist?
No. Since I was caught up in the method they chose, that’s reason enough to resent them.
If I can’t empathize with that revenge?
Then it’s right to resent only the terrorist.
Was Gisu defeating the lich truly an unjust act?
The lich tried to hijack an evil god summoned by a doomsday cult with a curse to do something.
It wouldn’t be for something like world peace.
Judging by the nature of the curse within me, what the lich tried to do would never have been beneficial to humanity.
I am human, and I stand on the side of humanity.
I can’t resent Gisu for stopping something an enemy of humanity tried to do.
Gisu only saved the world.
Since the curse likely wouldn’t work properly on Gisu, they targeted an easy friend to give Gisu a mental shock.
It’s right to be angry at a third-rate villain like the lich.
Still, since this did happen because of Gisu, I kind of want to hit him once.
The fact that I can rationally categorize the target of my anger right now proves that this curse isn’t anger.
Really….
How many times do I have to analyze these curses?
Since the Curse of Lust came wearing a mask, I can’t let my guard down.
Riiing, the phone rang.
[SSS-Rank Hunter.]
Can’t be a gentleman, huh.
I’ve noticed that every time I spit out a curse, they contact me around that time.
Since they’re involved in the curse, they might feel something when there’s a change in it.
The Curse of Sloth was too weak to notice, but this curse is about 1.2 portions worth.
Seems like they felt something.
By the way, do they know that their actions caused me to be afflicted with this terrible curse?
Since they came to burn me before, they seem to suspect that a fragment of the evil god came down to me.
Gisu hates monsters.
He hates monsters so much that he prioritizes killing them over his own body.
If I became a monster because of him, he’s the type of person who would take responsibility and end my life himself.
He must not be convinced.
If he were convinced that I became a monster, he would’ve burned me without hesitation.
He probably doesn’t know that I ended up like this because of him.
It’s not strange that he doesn’t know.
The Ribbon cult and the lich are completely separate groups.
It’s not even certain if there was any connection between the two.
The Ribbon cult prepared for a grand ritual but didn’t pay proper attention to security.
It seems the lich simply discovered and exploited that.
It’s like stealing a world-class treasure from a museum and then trying to send it via quick service. If the plan hadn’t leaked, it might not have been a bad idea, but since the plan was exposed, it must have been very easy for the lich to intercept the treasure.
If a connection between the two groups can’t be found, the Ribbon cult’s evil god summoning and the lich’s defeat would be seen as separate incidents.
I know because I saw visions while burning the curse.
From Gisu’s perspective, those two events are separate.
Gisu defeated a lich scheming something. At the same time, elsewhere, other people attacked the Ribbon cult’s ritual site.
Afterwards, the tentacle monster summoned by the Ribbon cult was dealt with as a follow-up to the cult’s evil god summoning, an event unrelated to the lich.
Gisu must also be aware that the lich attempted something and failed.
But he probably doesn’t know exactly what it failed at.
Our ignorant Gisu doesn’t have the knowledge to analyze what kind of magic the lich unleashed.
The Ribbon cult summoned an evil god. For reasons unknown, that evil god might have descended upon me.
That’s the situation from Gisu’s perspective.
Since he set me on fire last time, this suspicion must have been cleared.
It’s true that this happened because of Gisu, yet he has no idea about it.
I really want to give him a good punch.
-What are you doing?
“Fire play. There was something dirty, so I burned it. So, what’s up?”
-Nothing much.
Nothing much, huh.
Well, I guess that’s a fair way to put it.
Gisu must have called me for some unknown reason, without a clear idea of why he acted.
“Are you still going around subduing tentacle monsters these days?”
-That side is taken care of.
“Then you must be mainly running dungeons now.”
-Yeah.
“Don’t overdo it. If you decide to rest, I can fill in the gaps you leave behind.”
-You?
“I’m an S-rank Alchemist, after all. Creatures armed with the <Slime> I created are strong. If I gather enough numbers, they can raid most dungeons.”
-Don’t do it.
“Why?”
-There are countless parties that got wiped out by a sudden formidable foe due to overconfidence.
Dungeons are full of various risks.
Among the many dangers, the one with the highest fatality rate is the formidable foe issue Gisu mentioned.
Sometimes, a monster of a completely different caliber from the others pops out.
Life isn’t like a game where you can retry a dungeon.
Quite a few people don’t return from dungeons due to the unexpected appearance of powerful monsters.
But if you only make safe choices, it causes income problems.
Also, Hunters have a duty to subdue migratory dungeons, so there are limits to choosing dungeons freely.
“Just escape or outmaneuver them.”
You can escape by returning to the entrance.
Or outmaneuver the formidable foe and destroy the dungeon’s core.
-Aren’t you talking about it too lightly?
“Am I? I think it’s totally doable with <Slime> by my side.”
<Slime> not only hides body heat, smell, and sound,
but, though not perfectly, it can also blend into the surroundings with camouflage.
It’ll be quite helpful when shaking off pursuers.
-Don’t do it, or you’ll end up blaming yourself for leading them into a deadly situation.
I think it’ll be fine.
Well, if I’m uneasy, I can just enhance <Slime> further.
Or send only <Slime> in.
Rather than <Slime> fighting alone, it’s more efficient for dogs, cats, or retired Hunters to fight armed with <Slime>.
The <Slime> I created are pretty smart due to the influence of the [Analyze+] skill.
But just like with the evil god’s fragments, maybe because they’re beings that can swallow anything,
the hunting software installed in their instincts is at the level of hobby-made freeware.
You can see them stuttering when fighting fast and clever opponents.
There is a way to upgrade the software through training, though.
If sending only <Slime> results in slow progress, I could deploy a large quantity of <Slime> and overwhelm with numbers.
Should I think about it a bit more?
The reason for thinking about it?
I am the ruler of Slime Land, the land of dreams, tentacles, hope, and slime.
I need to pay attention to military power as well.
***
There are things I did while under the Curse of Lust.
But I have no intention of fixing them.
The things I’ve done only become a problem if they cross a line.
For now, they aren’t issues.
I plan to keep expanding my business.
Slime Land must continue to develop.
The direction of development I’m thinking about right now is, first and foremost, military power.
And when it comes to military power, it’s giant robots.
Is that weird?
No, it’s not weird.
Since we have Slime Rangers, we should have giant robots too.
Technologically, it’s not difficult.
Using <Slime>, the dream material, I can create a giant robot that runs around freely!
This giant robot can even be taken into dungeons.
I wonder how monsters feel when they’re suddenly attacked by giant robots made of slime.
I made a giant robot full of romantic appeal.
The pilots are the four Slime Rangers, excluding Pink.
“Red! How does it feel to pilot the giant robot?”
-I-I feel like I’m going to die!
It definitely moves in a crazy way.
It’s like watching a cicada that fell to the ground.
Or as if it’s possessed by an evil spirit.
Rather, it looks like a villain that needs to be subdued.
I didn’t just make a giant robot; I created a <Combined Robot Slime>.
Like the robots often seen in tokusatsu shows, this <Combined Robot Slime> is formed by combining four <Slime> units.
Its limbs are each made of different <Slime>.
I like stories where everyone joins forces to fight the enemy.
So, I made it so that all four pilot it simultaneously.
-Hey! Green! Get the timing right! Is our bond only worth this much?
-Say something that makes sense! Is this something that can be solved with bonds right now?
-Hahaha!
-I never thought just taking one step would be this hard. I’m newly grateful for the brilliance of a brain that lets us walk without thinking.
-Blue! Don’t give up and escape into delusions!
-President! Can’t you let us pilot separately?
In the end, Green gave up and shouted.
“It’s okay! You can do it, everyone! I believe in you!”
-I don’t think we can!
“If the four of you pilot separately, you’ll be able to make unpredictable, unconventional movements that even the enemy can’t anticipate.”
-We don’t even know what kind of actions we’ll end up making!
The <Combined Robot Slime> ended up like a cicada that’s run out of energy.
It’s not working. What a shame.
Too many cooks spoil the broth, as they say.
If I placed a battleship on a mountain and fired, it could give the enemy a surprise gift.
But of course, it would crash into rocks and run aground before that.
“Please release the combination.”
<Combined Robot Slime> released the combination and split into their individual forms.
Since their size was reduced, they were too small to be considered humanoid giant robots.
They weren’t big enough to fight a Giant Monster with a forest of skyscrapers at their waist.
The romantic appeal diminished.
To begin with, they no longer even resembled robots.
They were just an armored, reinforced version of the human <Mascot Slime>.
They were made with extra care to ensure their movements wouldn’t become sluggish.
Unnecessary parts weren’t added just to make them look like robots.
Feeling that the fun was over, the Slime Rangers began seriously testing the <Reinforced Mascot Slime>.
As expected of seasoned Hunters, they showed no difficulty in adapting.
“Shall we start sparring soon?”
The <Mascot Slime> appeared, each holding their own weapons.
“It’s time for insubordination, you rookies.”
Could it be that they had pent-up resentment from being ordered around by the Slime Rangers all this time?
The <Mascot Slime> were truly brimming with hostility.
Good. This will be a proper test.
-Haven’t we always been respectful all this time!
The Slime Rangers had never abused their authority.
“We just can’t stand the fact that you’re above us!”
The battle began.
After swinging their weapons lightly a few times, the <Mascot Slime> saw the durability of the <Reinforced Mascot Slime> armor and started attacking in earnest.
The result was a draw.
“Ugh… If I were ten years younger, I would’ve crushed you.”
The wigged penguin, Junghoon, leaned on his weapon and groaned.
“What are your thoughts?”
“Wow… This is impressive. Even when handled by rookies, if it performs at this level, it’ll raise the ranking of Hunters below Grade B by at least one level. Though Hunters below Grade D might be dragged down by the gear, their survival rates will increase while wearing and operating it.”
“If they wear this and enter a dungeon, could they achieve a 100% survival rate?”
“President, there’s no such thing as absolute in a dungeon.”
“I see.”
“By the way, do you have some business in a dungeon? I strongly advise against entering one yourself. If it’s dungeon-related, there are plenty of people here ready to roll up their sleeves and step in. Just grab anyone and send them. Even these rookies will do.”
“Aren’t there many countries overseas where dungeon management isn’t done properly?”
“That’s true.”
Korea, with its small landmass, manages dungeons quite well, but in countries with vast lands, low population density, or social chaos, dungeon management often falls short.
“I’m preparing a bit just in case a problem arises.”
“Are you planning to conquer dungeons now?”
“Conquer, you say.”
I’m just preparing for any eventuality.
If others can’t solve the issue, shouldn’t I step in and handle it myself?
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i hope not into dungeon