Chapter 158: Bomb.

What kind of value does Satellite Slime (Large) have?

First, it can be used as a base to build and launch structures into space.

The biggest obstacle when launching a satellite is not building the satellite, but actually getting it into space.

There’s the cost issue, and other countries keep a close watch.

Rocket technology is also linked to missile technology.

Satellite Slime (Large) solves this problem simply.

It will also be a huge help for using and researching technologies that require special environments like zero gravity or low gravity.

Up until now, space stations have been cramped, there were limits to sending up experimental tools and materials, and even if you developed a useful technology, the cost of sending things to and from space meant some technologies were abandoned.

New possibilities for technology are opening up.

It’s possible on Slime Planet too, but you’d have to watch my mood when you try. I might not give permission.

Because of international law, there are limits to how much I can block things, but there’s no law that says I have to provide space inside Slime Planet. I can also interfere with launching satellites from inside Slime Planet.

Since I transferred the ownership of Satellite Slime (Large), whatever you do inside it or launch from there is up to you.

You can live in the living room, but having your own room makes life much more comfortable.

For countries with advanced space technology, it will help them solidify their lead.

For countries lacking in space technology, Satellite Slime (Large) is a chance to stick their head into space.

Many countries placed their bets.

Some countries offered me money.

I was a bit dumbfounded.

I already have plenty of money. It’s never been a lack of money that stopped my business.

If it’s something I can buy with money, I can usually make it myself, so there’s little need to buy anything.

How little research did they do to think offering me money would work?

Of course, they were immediately eliminated.

Quite a few countries proposed trading for artifacts.

That’s a decent offer.

Up until now, I’ve often received artifacts in exchange for providing Slime.

So if not a single country offered me what I truly wanted, I was going to trade for an A or S-class artifact.

But there was something I wanted even more than an artifact, and one country put that on the negotiation table.

Their mining industry is developed, with copper, lithium, coal, and more.

It’s a world-class wine producer.

Not the longest country in the world, but the slimmest.

[Chilean government. Decided to build a close partnership with AlchemySlime Company.]

[A Slime route connecting Korea and South America opens.]

[One hour is enough to reach the other side of the Earth.]

Chile offered up its land.

They allowed passage through their territorial waters and occupation underground to station Tunnel Slimes.

They placed almost no taxes on Slime and didn’t limit export volumes.

That’s a pretty bold move.

Other countries impose heavy taxes on Slime to prevent their own industries from collapsing and becoming overly dependent on me.

But Chile just opened the door.

They even opened the dungeon gate.

Everything obtained from the dungeon is mine, and I only have to pay a small tax.

They even agreed to recognize the rights to dead land.

At this point, it’s like they just ripped the door off its hinges.

Why did Chile act this way?

Hans wrote up a report and gave it to me.

“Rather than Satellite Slime (Large), they were just waiting for an excuse to open the door.”

“Aha.”

For Chile, it was a win-win situation.

Buying Satellite Slime (Large) was used as a justification for not falling behind in the coming space age.

But their real goal was introducing Slime.

“Population density is high, too.”

“Yes. We’re aiming to solve the population density problem with Slime.”

Chile’s territory is more than seven times the size of South Korea, and because it’s so long, it has a wide range of climates.

There’s a desert in the north, a mountain range on the right, and glaciers at the bottom.

The best places to live are in the center of the country; the far north and south aren’t that livable.

Most of the 20 million population is concentrated in the center.

Naturally, all sorts of problems are cropping up.

Of course people want to leave the tough areas and move to places with better infrastructure.

Even in Korea, where the environment isn’t that extreme, rural populations are shrinking and cities are getting crowded.

Who would want to live on a desert or glacier?

But Korea came up with a solution to this problem.

That’s Tunnel Slime.

I’m expanding Tunnel Slimes all over the country.

With Tunnel Slime, you can get to Slime Land from anywhere in the country in just a few minutes.

It’s become easier to come to Seoul and go back, but since there’s a transportation fee, it’s not like you can travel freely to and from Seoul.

Still, the reason people trust Tunnel Slime enough to leave Seoul-

There’s little loss in terms of culture or education.

Tunnel Slime is free when going to Slime Land.

You can enjoy culture in Slime Land.

The education provided inside Slime Land is of pretty good quality too.

Also, if you’re a student, the Tunnel Slime fare is heavily discounted, so you can use it to attend cram schools in Seoul.

And one more thing.

Wherever people gather, a market will form.

Commercial districts have sprung up around Tunnel Slime.

This kind of change isn’t a secret.

Anyone in Chile could find this out with a little research.

The Chilean government was probably aiming for this when they decided to introduce Slime.

On top of that, if you regularly wear the penguin set of Raincoat Slime, Glove Slime, and Boot Slime, it becomes much easier to live in extreme environments.

People will start living in areas that were previously too harsh to inhabit.

Maybe penguins will finally find a home.

Though some penguins might end up living in the desert for no reason.

“What a spectacular environment.”

“There’s also the intention to use Slime for safety.”

Chile’s harsh environment doesn’t end there.

Chile sits on the Pacific Ring of Fire, so earthquakes are common and volcanoes erupt frequently.

With Slime, people’s lives will feel more secure.

Stories of people surviving disasters thanks to being armed with Slime have become so common they don’t even get attention anymore.

Chile’s main industry is mining. With Slime, you can protect your respirator, shield your body from heat, and be prepared for mine collapses.

“Looks like they’re aiming to improve transportation efficiency too.”

My Slimes can tunnel through anything, no matter the environment.

By allowing Tunnel Slimes to be installed throughout the country, they want to make it easy to travel the 4,000 kilometers from north to south.

And that’s not all.

Chile has even more tricks up its sleeve.

“Dungeon management is a mess.”

Now that the door is open, it looks like they want to hand off the headache of dungeon management to me too.

Chile’s geography makes it hard to manage the far north, far south, and the mountain regions.

Lots of migratory dungeons are moving around, creating vast areas of dead land.

Plus, with so much coastline, their territorial waters are huge.

There’s no way undersea dungeons are being managed properly.

It’s a chronic issue for a country with a large landmass relative to its population.

Entrusting the solution to me is a wise choice.

“Even the trash problem.”

Chile’s Atacama Desert is famous for its abundant copper, but it’s also notorious for its mountains of clothing waste.

There are heaps of trash mountains in the desert that are discarded and won’t even decompose.

“They’re also aiming to expand trade.”

If Korea is connected through Tunnel Slimes, trade with China, known as the world’s factory, becomes much easier. Sending items to Southeast Asia also becomes more convenient.

Importing and exporting goods will save both time and money.

It could become a logistics hub connecting Asia and South America.

“At this rate, shouldn’t I have received more than just a Satellite Slime (Large)?”

“I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize when you know it’s a joke.”

How much benefit Chile gained wasn’t important.

As long as it’s mutual benefit, why should I be jealous just because the other side gained more?

If the other side gains a lot, they won’t be able to give up cooperating with me, so I should be glad.

The biggest benefit I gained.

Other countries have permitted the entry of my tentacles.

The first step is always the hardest, but once a hole is opened, things get much easier afterward.

Countries that hesitated to open their doors will have to think much harder when they see Chile’s transformation.

Especially other South American countries.

When a country similar to or worse off than yours starts doing well, it naturally makes you envious.

If it were a country on the other side of the world, it might not matter.

But when a neighboring country starts doing well?

You can’t stand it.

There’s a reason for the saying that when a cousin buys land, it makes your stomach ache.

With this, extending my tentacles across all of South America has become much easier.

Will my tentacles really stop at South America?

There will definitely be voices saying, why aren’t we opening our doors when other countries are?

The day when the whole world is connected by my tentacles is not far off.

***

Two Hunters entered a shop inside Slime Land.

The taller and sturdier of the Hunters headed to the section displaying bombs and started sweeping them into a shopping cart.

“Why are you buying so many bombs?”

“Because they’re good.”

“If you rely only on bombs, won’t your skills stagnate?”

“I know. But once you experience a chain explosion, you can’t get out of it. The thrill of bombs placed in the right spots exploding in sequence and wiping out enemies all at once. Ah~! You won’t get it unless you try it. You should try it too.”

“One magic spell is enough, why bother?”

“Oh, oh~. Look at the great wizard over here~.”

The Hunter started sweeping bombs into the cart again.

Then suddenly stopped.

“Stop right there.”

The wizard, startled by the words, tried to subtly hide the shopping cart.

The Hunter quickly approached and reached into the wizard’s cart, pulling out a bomb hidden under a Pack Slime.

“What’s this?”

“Well, that’s….”

“Attribute-Checking Smoke Bomb. Isn’t this the one I gave you as a gift before?”

“Well, that’s….”

The Hunter poked the wizard’s side, who was rolling his eyes.

“Hey. Be honest.”

“Alright, fine! I tried it, and it was good!”

“It’s good, right? It’s good, right?”

“Yeah!”

The Hunter spread both arms wide.

“Welcome to the World of Bombs!”

“I’m only buying this one, okay?”

“Sure, sure. Everyone says that at first. Soon, you won’t be able to live without bombs.”

The wizard, unable to resist the Hunter’s enthusiasm, ended up buying not just the Attribute-Checking Smoke Bomb but other bombs as well.

[The stock of Attribute-Checking Smoke Bomb has dropped significantly.]

“Is that so? Thank you.”

At the words of the Helper Slime, Kim Suhyeon began manufacturing Attribute-Checking Smoke Bombs.

Kim Suhyeon, an alchemist who could no longer endure a slave life and defected to AlchemySlime Company.

Back then, he was just an F-rank, but now he’s a Grade D Alchemist.

It happened in an instant.

He started earning in a single day what used to take him a month.

Kim Suhyeon quickly surpassed E-rank and became a Grade D Alchemist.

If he had continued his slave life, it would have taken years to achieve what he did in a single leap.

Grade C wasn’t far off either.

Thanks to Alchemy Slime, once the number of alchemy products sold exceeded a certain threshold, there was no need to fulfill the three-year experience requirement.

The owner of the workshop, who didn’t even treat those below Grade D as human, was now within reach of the same rank.

But he didn’t let arrogance creep in.

There was no room for arrogance when the mountain right next to him was too high.

Kim Suhyeon knew that the alchemy products he made couldn’t do anything to even a single Slime rolling around endlessly in the Slime Course.

‘My bombs are indeed impressive.’

Kim Suhyeon had confidence in the items he created.

It wasn’t arrogance.

It was justified confidence since his products passed the inspection of the Helper Slime.

The Helper Slime, who had always been by his side, was strict.

Items that didn’t meet the standards were mercilessly criticized.

[You’re going to sell that for money?]

-(Interpretation) That trash isn’t worth a single penny.

[Let me teach you how to calculate production costs.]

-(Interpretation) The more you touch it, the more its value drops. Instead of turning stone into gold, you’re turning gold into stone. And you call yourself an alchemist?

[So, you want to declare yourself a freelancer.]

-(Interpretation) You’re going to sell that trash in Slime Land? Are you out of your mind?

Though it felt like an overinterpretation at times, Kim Suhyeon refined his items under the whip of the Helper Slime.

He tried making various things, but most were deemed trash and became food for the Helper Slime.

Still, there was a product line that easily passed.

Bombs.

Kim Suhyeon came to a conclusion.

Explosions are the best.

Indeed, explosions are art.

So, he created artistic bombs.

These passed the Helper Slime’s inspection and could be displayed in the shops inside Slime Land.

And these bombs became popular.

‘But if I had sold them at an alchemy shop, it would have taken ages to see the light of day.’

The shops inside Slime Land were in an incomparably better location than online alchemy shops.

Products that weren’t Slimes drew people’s attention simply for not being Slimes.

Since there was a training center for Hunters inside Slime Land, many Hunters came and went, making it easy to catch the eyes of potential customers.

If he had sent them to the Alchemy Center, they would have rolled around in a warehouse for ages. But on the day they were displayed, there were Hunters picking them up.

Expectations were high, so the evaluations were strict, but since they passed the Helper Slime’s inspection, they also met the Hunters’ standards.

High-ranking Hunters deemed them unnecessary, but lower-ranking Hunters felt differently.

Compared to overseas products, they were popular as cost-effective auxiliary weapons with superior quality and low price.

‘If others were placed in the same environment as me, anyone could rise from F-rank to Grade C or higher.’

Kim Suhyeon didn’t think he was special.

Thanks to mustering up courage, he was able to get a job at AlchemySlime Company.

Coming here allowed him to discover and develop his talent.

It would likely be the same for others.

Alchemy Slime-nim, the Alchemist, said they would create a school for both Awakened and ordinary people.

Alchemists are also Awakened.

Alchemy classes would be held.

Many outstanding alchemists would emerge.

Kim Suhyeon didn’t see this as a crisis.

Rather, he hoped those classes would be conducted properly.

‘I can’t be the only one to enjoy something this good. No matter what happens, they’ll wait for me.’

As long as he didn’t give up, he was convinced that Alchemy Slime-nim, the Alchemist, wouldn’t abandon him.

So, he didn’t feel his position was threatened.

However, he did have concerns.

To hold classes, teachers or professors are needed.

Not someone chasing money, but someone who deeply studies alchemy.

‘Would a renowned alchemist really come?’

It’s true that Alchemy Slime-nim, the Alchemist, is remarkable.

But they are not the world’s only S-rank alchemist.

The products they sell are varied, but all are <Slime>.

No one can replicate them, and no manufacturing method exists.

For an outstanding alchemist, there are better options than AlchemySlime Company.

There’s Sole Alchemy, which holds the world’s greatest reputation, and other companies run by S-rank alchemists.

Such companies not only provide materials to alchemists but also offer numerous alchemy product manufacturing methods accumulated over time.

The level of their archives is different.

It didn’t seem likely that someone deeply researching alchemy would find it attractive.

‘Bombs. Yeah. If it’s just bombs, I can create a decent manufacturing method. But alchemy products aren’t just bombs, are they?’

Kim Suhyeon didn’t let himself become arrogant.

He didn’t think he could create products other than bombs that were suitable for sale.

The face from his slave life came to mind.

Those people who turned a blind eye when that wretched old-timer stole his credit.

It was infuriating, but it was an environment that allowed for such things.

‘If those people were given the right environment, could they also create useful items like me?’

As the saying goes, even small grains make a mountain; if such things were gathered, the archive might look a bit more attractive.

Kim Suhyeon thought about ways to bring them to AlchemySlime Company.

‘Should I blow it up? Let’s blow it up.’

Though he made up his mind, instead of acting rashly, he consulted with the higher-ups.

“Very well. But don’t do it alone; get some help.”

The director who scatters purplish light introduced him to two unfamiliar employees.

“I’m Kim Suhyeon!”

“I’m Uh Byungwook.”

“I’m Lee Doa.”

A master of physical bomb-making.

A master of social bomb-making.

A specialist in agitation came together.

The bomb the three of them created exploded in the Korean alchemy world.