Chapter 17: Aaargh!

The former convenience store clerk and current beauty W-tuber, BeautyLime.

She was the first to review the <Insole Slime>, and thanks to that, her channel grew rapidly.

After changing her channel name to the current one, she has been even more successful.

Something happened that got her excited.

“My PengRhyme recognized me!”

None other than a new product, <Pack Slime>, made by Alchemy Slime, came in as a sponsorship!

In her mind, Alchemy Slime and PengRhyme are the same person.

The sponsorship from Alchemy Slime meant that PengRhyme had recognized her.

Of course, it was only because she was the first to review <Insole Slime> and still films videos of herself joining the open-run every day to buy <Insole Slime+>, catching the eye of the marketing manager. A voice deep inside her mind told her this, but she stomped it down with her foot and ignored it.

There were no detailed requests.

They just hoped she would review it positively and upload the video.

They wanted her to film it in a way that highlighted the product’s effect of removing makeup and regenerating skin.

That was all.

She didn’t sense any big expectations.

It felt like they were just scattering the product around here and there.

Perhaps they planned to do proper advertising with a famous celebrity.

She wasn’t too disappointed.

It was only natural.

Still, she had no intention of doing a half-hearted job.

“This is something my PengRhyme is selling.”

Although she felt a bit uneasy since it was a new product, if it was something PengRhyme was selling, she was ready to smear even dung on her face.

She could just put <Pack Slime> on her face before bed and look in the mirror in the morning while saying, “Wow~ Look at my skin. Can you see how plump it is? Usually, when I wake up in the morning, my skin is so dry, blah blah-” and upload a video like that. To show that it removes makeup, she could apply lipstick on the inside of her wrist, put <Pack Slime> on it, and show the mark disappearing.

But she wanted to show something even more impressive. After all, it was a new product that PengRhyme had worked hard to prepare.

Thus, she decided to do a live broadcast instead of a recorded one.

Of course, some preparation was necessary.

She applied acne patches, famous for being unnoticeable, to cover blemishes on her skin. On top of that, she did some makeup to make her complexion look slightly off and drew fake acne marks. She didn’t overdo it, though, to avoid accusations of exaggerated advertising.

Since her bare face needed to look as pretty as possible after removing the <Pack Slime>, she cut and attached a few strands of artificial eyelashes. She also applied a little waterproof tint to her lips.

After doing this, when the makeup was removed with <Pack Slime>, a pretty ‘bare face’ would emerge.

She mustn’t forget to lower her head while removing the <Pack Slime> and adjust the lighting to subtly increase the brightness without it being obvious.

The difference between before and after had to be stark for the advertising effect to be maximized.

The core of this plan was whether the makeup would be removed.

She tested this by applying some color to the inside of her wrist, attaching <Pack Slime>, and confirming that it was properly removed.

As expected of a product made by PengRhyme, the effect was undeniable.

She resealed the <Pack Slime>.

Since <Pack Slime> came in a plastic container instead of a plastic bag, she could pretend it hadn’t been opened.

[<Pack Slime> Review~!!!#Sponsorship#<Insole Slime>#AlchemySlime]

“Hello, everyone! This is BeautyLime, who loves PengRhyme!”

She smiled brightly and waved her hand.

After briefly glancing at the chat window where greetings were exchanged, she proceeded with the script she had diligently memorized.

“Thanks to all your love, I’ve received my first sponsorship.”

The number of viewers surged in an instant.

Having done a few live broadcasts while participating in open-runs, this wasn’t her first time, but the viewer count quickly surpassed ten times her usual numbers.

Tension gripped her chest, but she mustered courage for PengRhyme’s sake.

“The product I’ll be reviewing today is ta-da.”

“A new product by Alchemy Slime that hasn’t even been released yet. It’s <Pack Slime>!”

“The texture of this is really unique. It’s so soft and chewy-“

“Huh? This is much lighter than I thought. It feels like holding a cloud.”

After smoothly delivering her script, she closed her eyes and applied <Pack Slime> to her face.

It felt cool and comfortable.

The Slime stuck firmly to her face without sliding down, staying perfectly in place.

There was no sense of heaviness or pulling.

She wondered if she needed to make holes for her nostrils, but surprisingly, she could breathe without any discomfort.

She made a mental note to mention these advantages after removing the Slime and cautiously opened her eyes.

There was no irritation to her eyes at all.

Thinking she should mention this as well, she looked at the chat window.

AtopyNight: -Hahaha

tmffkdladksla1: -Hahahahaha

GiveMeInsole: -Hahaha

The chat window was flooded with laughter.

Feeling uneasy, BeautyLime couldn’t open her mouth and just rolled her eyes.

Wondering if the Slime had puffed up like bubblegum from her breath, she carefully checked the screen.

There didn’t seem to be anything particularly odd.

AtopyNight:

￦10,000

-Eyelashes & Patches

WhereAmI: -Bare face (No makeup)

Not17YearsOld: -Unnie, you’re cute

Only then did BeautyLime notice the black and small orchid and floating objects like jellyfish drifting inside the Slime.

She covered her face with both hands.

“Uwaheheheukheheuk”

Something between a scream and a laugh escaped her mouth.

Naturally, the chat window was flooded with laughter again.

Removing her hands from her face, BeautyLime widened her eyes.

She couldn’t give up like this. It might harm PengRhyme!

“Everyone, I can explain.”

AtopyNight: -I get it. Everyone does the basics, right?

LimeLove: -If it’s just the basics, it’s still a bare face.

tktktk332: -Toner is basic, after all.

WhereAmI: -Cream is basic, after all.

ThatOneIsYou: -Sunscreen is basic, after all.

WaterFishSkin: -Cushion is basic, after all.

AdPalmTree: -Concealer is basic, after all.

tmffkdladksla1: -Eye pencil is basic, after all

GiveMeInsole: -Eyelash curler is basic, after all

OpenFour: -Mascara is basic, after all

SweetTreat: -Eye palette is basic, after all.

sohain224: -Lip product is basic, after all.

Not17YearsOld: -What about artificial eyelashes?

AtopyNight: -Not basic, right?

GiveMeInsole: -What about patches?

AtopyNight: -Of course not.

BeautyLime sank back between her palms.

“I’m sorry…. Please stop….”

-Hahaha

-Hahahahaha

-Hahaha

Usually, people just say whatever they want, but at times like this, they show terrifying unity.

“I’m sorry. I just wanted to do well, so I did a little….”

AtopyNight: -A little?

sohain224: -A little?

Not17YearsOld: -Unnie, you’re cute.

“I wanted to show a dramatic contrast, so I put on acne patches, attached artificial eyelashes, applied lip product, and did makeup to make my complexion look bad! I’m sorry!”

AtopyNight:

￦10,000

-Where did you put the patches?

“AtopyNight, thank you for the donation. So, the patches were here because I had acne marks…. Huh?”

BeautyLime, searching for the darkened spot near her lips, widened her eyes.

“It’s gone?”

The chat went wild.

Don’t lie.

No, considering the effect of <Insole Slime>, it’s real.

Don’t be fooled.

How much is it?

When does it go on sale?

Unnie, you’re cute.

With the chat speed scrolling so fast it made her eyes spin, BeautyLime gave up on reading it.

“Hey, everyone, please calm down.”

With her mind turning to white ash from the burning enthusiasm, she started following the script.

“This doesn’t just have a skin regeneration effect, but a cleansing effect too, you know? Since it’s already like this, I’m not sure if I need to show you, but I’ll still demonstrate it disappearing after a full makeup look.”

BeautyLime shook some toner into her hand and was about to apply it to her face when she touched the <Pack Slime> still on her skin.

“Ah.”

Then, in a fluster, she peeled off the <Pack Slime> and put it into a container.

“You can reuse it like this.”

Ignoring the chat flooded with lol again.

She touched her skin with her hand to check its condition and was startled.

“I don’t think I need to apply toner or cream. It’s so moist and firm that makeup will stick well.”

Her skin, with blemishes melted away by the <Pack Slime>. With much less to touch up, the makeup process went quickly.

She finished her glamorous makeup in half the usual time.

After making a few pretty expressions.

She applied <Pack Slime> to her face.

Not long after, black caterpillar-like things started floating inside the <Pack Slime>.

The chat was filled with shock rather than laughter.

There’s no way it comes off that easily; isn’t it applied too lightly?

The lip color faded that much already? I use that product, and it doesn’t come off that easily.

And so on.

AtopyNight:

￦10,000

-When does it go on sale?

“Sales start next Monday, and they say there will be a space at the Seoul Central Alchemy Center where you can try it out.”

GiveMeInsole:

￦1,000

-How much does it cost?

“The price is 15,000 won per piece, which is a bit expensive, but it’s not disposable and can be used for a week. However, if you remove heavy makeup every day or use it roughly, the usage period shortens, so please be careful.”

When the makeup was completely removed.

BeautyLime brought her face close to the camera to show her skin.

“Wow…. This is really amazing.”

She stepped back and delivered the prepared lines.

“The day you come home after drinking. You need to remove your makeup. If you don’t and just sleep, your skin will break out the next day. Makeup will cake and cause chaos.

But your body feels so heavy, your mind is fading in and out, and you absolutely don’t have the strength to cleanse for 30 minutes.

That feeling. Everyone can relate, right?

At times like that, if you just stick this <Pack Slime> on your face and sleep, you can wake up with skin full of moisture like this. Why don’t you all give it a try?

Well then, everyone, this was BeautyLime who loves PengRhyme. See you next time.”

After saying goodbye and ending the live broadcast, BeautyLime buried her face in her palms.

“Argh!”

PengRhyme, I’m sorry!

Unnie is really sorry!

***

Though an incident did happen.

I think the genuine reaction from the panic actually made for better promotion.

That’s my opinion, but I don’t know what the public will think.

Anyway, I trust Counselor Park Taeyang will handle the repercussions of this broadcast well.

I’ll focus on designing a new product.

What should I sell?

This time, I want to make something that sells quietly.

Something with a clear target audience that will definitely sell, with high manufacturing difficulty and energy density to help raise skill levels, but something most people don’t need.

Thinking about it, functional insoles are also something only certain people use, and even though it turned out like this, it has to be different this time.

In that sense, the target I’ve set my sights on is Hunters.

What reason would ordinary people have to use alchemy products for Hunters when they don’t fight?

Even if the items I make become popular among Hunters, it would just be someone else’s story to the general public. There won’t be a commotion to increase stock like now.

What kind of item should I sell to Hunters?

The alchemy products Hunters mainly use are alchemy potions. Things like wound treatments, mana recovery potions, and antidotes.

But it’s hard to break into that market.

Because it’s not just about health but lives are at stake, they prioritize product reliability.

Even Korean Alchemists, who produce under licensed methods, are considered a grade lower.

And I’m supposed to enter this market with Slime?

Isn’t Slime consumption still too early for humanity?

So, this time again, I turned my attention to alchemy tools rather than potions.

Among the well-known alchemy tools used by Hunters, there are things like space expansion bags.

But that’s something I can’t even dream of attempting unless I’m a Grade A Alchemist, so it’s not a target for me.

Smaller alchemy products like lights, water bottles, and protective gloves also sell quite well.

Rolling around.

Squirming.

Munching.

After a day of pondering.

If I hadn’t come up with anything else, I would have made and sold lights.

But mentioning lights reminded me of one related item.

“Alright. Let’s go with this.”

At the same time, the tips of my fingers turned gray and split into hundreds, thousands of threads. Those threads stretched out long and intertwined like countless snakes binding each other, forming a single ball.

[The level of the Divide skill has increased to 7.]

[The level of the Transform skill has increased to 7.]

“Complete.”

<Explosive Web Slime>

-A Slime that wraps around the target it touches when impact is applied after removing the safety strap. It crumbles after 3 minutes.

When going monster hunting, you need to bring items, right?

I also plan to make things like smoke orbs, flash orbs, and deodorizing orbs. Return orbs might be too much, though.

Anyway, I made capture orbs first.

Why?

Because this seems the easiest to use and has good stats.

Smoke orbs might trap the user in smoke too.

Flash orbs might blind my own eyes too.

Deodorizing orbs probably have low demand.

The size is about that of a ping-pong ball, and the weight is like a golf ball. If it were smaller or lighter, it would actually be harder to throw.

When you remove the safety strap and throw it, it tightly binds the opponent it hits. Naturally, if the opponent is too large, it can’t bind them properly. Even as an alchemy product, it’s not completely free from the laws of physics.

The reason the time limit is 3 minutes is that by then, the energy stored in the orb runs out. If the target struggles violently, it won’t even last 3 minutes.

And 3 minutes is enough, right?

If you’ve bound the target for 3 minutes and the battle still isn’t over, you should find a different hunting ground.

Three minutes is a long time in a fight.

If a game released a character with a 3-minute crowd control skill, people would say, ‘This game company is doomed.’

This is a really good product in many ways.

The structure is surprisingly complex, so the [Control], [Divide], and [Transform] skills level up nicely. Making it also consumes quite a bit of energy, so I can use [Decompose] and [Absorb] skills without much burden.

Since each one is small, a lot can fit into a single box. In other words, it reduces the number of times boxes need to be shipped.

Truly a product optimized for skill level growth.

I hope it sells well.

Ah, but I don’t want it to become too popular.

Moderately, just moderately.

As I finished packing, I heard footsteps outside.

And a moment later.

Ddiriri.

Next door. In other words, the sound of someone pressing the door lock of the house I live in.

“!!!!”

My sibling? Mom?

The hole! Block the hole!

As soon as I blocked the hole with black Slime, I heard the sound of the door opening and then closing.

What’s the situation over there right now?

The Mascot Suit can’t pass through the hole, so it’s left behind like a shed skin.

They probably won’t think anything strange about seeing it.

Something weird.

Is there anything suspicious left behind?

Smartphone.

Smartphone!

Does it make sense for a modern person to leave their smartphone behind when they leave the house?

Even if it did, I can’t stay away from home for long!

If it’s my sibling, it’s fine.

If it’s my sibling, I can wait until they leave and later make up some excuse over the phone.

If it’s Mom?

There’s a high chance she’ll wait until I come back.

I quietly consumed the Slime blocking the hole.

I changed the color of my head to be as transparent as possible.

I stretched only my head thin and long, peering through the hole to look next door.

Uwaaah! It’s Mom!