Chapter 170: Story of the Monsters.

The investor entered a quiet village.

Then, a small werewolf child came running, wagging its tail vigorously.

“Trick or treat!”

“Here it is.”

“Yum yum. Hmm? This is chocolate! Gulp.”

The child collapsed on the floor with a thud.

Glancing around.

The tail was still wagging vigorously.

“Not fooled.”

“Pfft….”

The child jumped up and dusted off the dirt from its clothes.

“Sad that the innocent uncle is gone.”

The child played the same prank when they first met.

I was very confused back then, but the third time it doesn’t work.

The second time it did work. At that time, the child foamed at the mouth.

I was so confused that I only noticed later that the tail was still wagging.

It turned out to be a candy that makes foam.

“You shouldn’t play pranks after getting candy.”

“Uncle gave me just one candy? Originally, you can get one or two candies and still play pranks.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes, yes. It’s my own rule.”

“Your own rule?”

“Do you want to have Uncle’s rule? It’ll double or triple the fun?”

“Maybe?”

“Yes! From now on, it’s our rule!”

The investor unwittingly smiled.

He liked this place.

His mind was at ease.

It was a place where he could speak and act naturally without filters.

“You’re here.”

“I’m here.”

One werewolf greeted the investor.

“Trick or treat.”

“Here it is.”

“Sniff sniff. This is good alcohol.”

The werewolf’s wife prepared the alcohol table.

As the investor sat at the alcohol table with the werewolf.

“Trick or treat!”

The children swarmed in and shouted.

“Uncle said he’d follow my rule! Triple the candy!”

The children’s eyes changed.

“Trick or treat!!!”

“Oh no.”

Since two is dangerous, the investor had to distribute more than three candies.

The candies he brought were gone in an instant.

“This is chocolate!”

“Gulp.”

“Gulp.”

“Ugh.”

“I already did that!”

“Aw….”

The children jumped up.

“We got three each?”

“We shouldn’t play pranks now.”

And they swarmed away.

“Hmm…. So you’re following our child’s rule.”

The werewolf said while stroking his chin.

The alcohol he brought was just one bottle.

“Please forgive me.”

“It’s a prank, apparently.”

The investor tilted the alcohol table while chatting lightly with the werewolf.

What kind of amazing story could a werewolf living quietly in such a small village have?

Such suspicions had disappeared long ago.

“Where did I leave off last time….”

“You told us up to the part where you made a bowl to fetch water from the Milky Way to marry your wife.”

“Ah, yes.”

Because the culture and environment were different, the werewolf had quite interesting stories.

“Do you have similar experiences?”

“Yes. But my story is insignificant.”

“No, from what I see, the human world is truly wondrous. How could a story born from such a wondrous place be insignificant?”

He also showed deep interest in what I said.

So, exchanging stories would make time fly by.

“I should get going soon.”

“Alright. Come again.”

And so, another day passed.

This relationship will end in about 1-2 weeks.

“Do you know that you’ll disappear in a few days?”

The investor didn’t know how they viewed their current situation or their own existence.

Still, the investor didn’t choose his words.

They respond to pranks with pranks.

Even if it’s not a prank, they treat it as one and respond with one.

That’s why he could prank freely without worrying about hurting them.

He could say anything without worry.

“I know. I won’t be able to meet you anymore.”

A slightly off answer came back, but the investor continued as if it were natural.

“I wish this relationship could last longer. If many people think the same as me, we might meet you longer.”

There’s no way to force the Alchemy Slime’s actions.

But if many people want them to continue.

If they gather their voices and wish, the Alchemy Slime might create a space in a corner of Slime Land where we can meet them.

“No need for that.”

“Are you okay with it ending?”

“Since the end is scheduled, there are relationships that are comfortable because of that. Didn’t you say something thinking this relationship won’t last long?”

“I did.”

To him, this place is a space that will disappear soon.

He didn’t have to worry about his words being used against him in the distant future.

That’s why he said some things casually.

“If you think you have to keep a relationship for a long time, how many things do you have to consider? And if you spend a long time together, you’ll learn aspects you don’t want to know.”

The werewolf looked around and lowered his voice.

“I never thought my wife would have such aspects either.”

“I should tell your wife that the husband has complaints.”

“At that time, you will also experience my sincere joke.”

“Hahaha. That’s scary.”

The investor laughed briefly and then said.

“Do you all fight too?”

The monsters were simple, transparent, and cheerful.

Yet, do they have occasions to quarrel?

“Of course we fight. We’re different from each other. If there’s difference, conflict inevitably arises. The longer the time we spend together, the more that conflict raises its head.”

The werewolf laughed.

“But because we’re different, the world is this enjoyable.”

All the same as me

“If everyone was like me, how boring would that world be.”

The investor couldn’t help but agree with that statement.

“A traveler must eventually leave and return to their hometown. If it’s a journey to a distant land, it’s common that you never meet the ties formed there again.”

“That’s right….”

The investor found this place comfortable.

People trying to deceive him to get money.

People trying to use him to build connections.

People who ruin well-progressing work with irrational decisions.

There was none of that kind of person here.

The investor wanted light and comfortable relationships.

Interacting comfortably without deep worries.

And counterparts who treat him comfortably as well.

The monsters in the Halloween event were like that.

They approached actively.

Suddenly coming and saying trick or treat.

Making you choose whether to give candy or get pranked.

Without thinking about who we are.

And we didn’t have to think deeply about who they are either.

In modern society, relationships that are hard to wish for due to various constraints.

If that relationship is achieved thanks to a limited time.

You have no choice but to accept the parting.

“I’ll come tomorrow too.”

“Bring some delicious alcohol.”

Just like the investor, many people had built friendships with the monsters.

The NPC in this event was special.

The NPCs that appeared in previous events had very simple behavior patterns.

They didn’t repeat the same lines, but you could feel that they all had some mission.

There was a purpose to guide people somewhere, and they worked hard to achieve it.

But the monsters living here were different.

They had no purpose or mission.

They just had their own stories, lived their own lives, and existed in their places.

And whenever you visited, they always welcomed you warmly.

Trick or treat.

Eating candy together and playing pranks together.

Like very close friends.

A breath-taking duel between a murderer and a survivor?

A game of fixing a spaceship and rooting out traitors?

Piloting a space battleship and fighting other spaceships.

Occupying planets and upgrading spaceships with the resources obtained there.

And fighting again in such a space age story.

It was interesting.

It was interesting, but the short time spent with monster friends whose parting was scheduled was much more comfortable, enjoyable, and precious than that.

***

This is the story of a great king who led an era of peace for a long time but left alone without being understood by anyone.

Our king is arrogant.

Only I am right.

This is the king’s manner of speaking.

He asked for opinions but thoroughly refuted them.

If neither side was correct, he always acted on what he believed.

And he was always right.

Under the absolute ruler, the kingdom welcomed an era of peace.

There were those in pain.

There were those suffering.

There were those in despair.

There were those walking the wrong path.

Still, tomorrow like today.

Or a tomorrow better than today would come.

We could believe that.

Peace continued for a long time.

Time is cruel.

No matter how great the king is, as he is human, death will inevitably come.

The king said.

I have so many things I must do, I cannot die

“And he touched the taboo.”

The records say.

The end of those who touch the taboo is miserable.

They are consumed by the craving for blood and end up mad, destined to be subjugated.

The king said.

Do you think I would succumb to a trivial desire like appetite?

All addicts say

“I can control it.”

Others may lose, but I won’t.

I can stop anytime.

And they lose.

After losing, they say it’s not something that can be done with human will.

If we classify based on will.

Our king was certainly not human.

Is that why?

Or is it our shortcoming?

The king gradually went beyond our understanding.

A thousand years.

With dynasties that don’t exceed 500 years being common.

Our king alone brought an era of peace to the kingdom for over a thousand years.

The king was arrogant.

As much as he was arrogant, he was great.

One day, the king changed.

The king who was looking up at the sky changed.

He changed while looking up at the sky.

As he looked up at the sky, the king changed.

You began to act irrationally.

Suddenly started a large-scale construction.

Plowed up the perfectly fine rice fields.

You suppressed the culture.

You became a tyrant to whom the word arrogant truly fits.

The resentment soared day by day.

We were living well.

The old ways were better.

Let’s go back to how it was.

We can’t live like this.

The king ignored all those words and shut himself away.

From renowned secret arts to the taboo knowledge deep underground, you sought all sorts of mysteries.

Everyone thought.

A thousand years. That long time eventually consumed the king’s mind.

Or perhaps the death he avoided has finally come, and he is struggling to escape it.

We thought this.

There was betrayal.

A rebellion occurred.

The king suppressed everything and carried out his intentions.

The kingdom was like a glass bead full of cracks, on the verge of collapse.

It seemed like it could shatter at any moment.

But the king did not care.

People left.

But the king did not hold them back.

No, rather, he began to drive people away.

Eventually, he drove out everyone from the royal castle and even from the capital.

Everyone sensed it.

The king has gone mad, and the kingdom is finished.

We did not know.

We did not know his intentions.

We did not see properly.

We did not try to understand.

A star fell on the royal castle with not a single person left.

The king, who had driven everyone out, guided the star to the royal castle.

He fought against the star with a brilliantly shining barrier.

But it was not enough.

The royal castle disappeared just like that.

It disappeared along with our great king.

That day when he looked up at the sky. The king had foreseen it.

He knew that an unstoppable disaster was approaching and was trying to prepare for it somehow.

Ah…. Forgive us.

Forgive us for not understanding your intentions, you foolish ones.

Forgive us for doubting your wisdom that led us for a thousand years.

The fallen star covered the entire kingdom with a black veil.

Thanks to the king’s preparations, many survived.

We survived, but difficult days began.

People’s lives changed.

Instead of the ground where sunlight entered and wind blew well.

We lived in the stuffy underground where damaging dust does not enter.

Instead of delicious crops that grew well in places with good light and water.

We ate crops that grew well even in the shadows, though tasteless.

Instead of splendid and luxurious culture.

We enjoyed modest and practical hobbies.

All of it was prepared by the king.

It was prepared by the king who disappeared with the star after fighting alone.

Yes, the king was arrogant.

You thought we would not accept the truth.

You were certain that no one except yourself could accept that heavy truth.

That is why you said nothing.

You bore it alone.

A thousand years. We, who were ruled by you for that long time.

At some point, we stopped asking the king why.

During that time when everyone thought the king had become strange.

No one asked the king why he was doing that.

If we had not given up and continued to ask about the king’s intentions.

And if the king had revealed everything because of that.

If we had all prepared for the star together.

Would our king not have had to sacrifice alone?

The king is still sitting on the throne.

When does the king ever rest?

When does the king live a personal life?

He is sitting just as he was in that era when no one questioned it.

Forgive us.

Forgive us for our foolishness.

Please grant our king peace.

Please save our king who is still sitting on the throne and cannot sleep.

***

I heard this story from a lingering spirit wandering around the castle without entering it.

I recommend that those with time go and hear it directly.

I felt a sincerity that I couldn’t express with my writing skills.

-This event is really good because these stories are hidden all over.

└I agree. There are really good people(?).

└Honestly, they’re much better than most humans.

└Yeah.

└Although it’s destined to end, I’ve made a precious friend. I’m glad.

└I’m sad that I can’t meet them after the event ends, so I won’t make friends.

└Today, a werewolf gave me a famous saying: ‘Because the end is set, there are relationships where the mind is at ease.’

└That resonates. I’ve suffered greatly from damn ties that couldn’t end when they should.

└It’s great that you don’t have to worry about whether monsters are trustworthy or not.

-As expected, this year’s Halloween video was a trap. They hid something like this on the ground? Space? Nah, not interested~.

└Right. Yeonseul seems to think Halloween and April Fools’ are the same.

└Space is fun too.

└The entry barrier to space is too high.

└Damn veterans. The murderer is on my side.

└Spaceship repairs have too much incitement and slander, so I don’t want to do it.

└Space war is too complicated.

└It’s set up so even newbies can do it, and once you build a little skill, it’s okay. The problem is the event ends by the time you get used to it.

└Right. Since it’s only a month, I don’t want to bother practicing.

└If it were an attraction added to Slime Planet instead of a Halloween event, it would have been more popular.

└The ground is in chaos, so who can focus on space!

– Honestly, the vampire doesn’t have much nautical map, and I wondered if I need to subjugate it, but I guess I have to.

└It’s not subjugation. It’s salvation and rest.

└I’m planning to drop a star on your head, but it’s salvation and rest.

└Crazy lololol.

-Based on the patterns so far, to attack the vampire, I have to drop a star. Is it possible?

└Not a star, but maybe an asteroid would do? It seems like what actually fell was an asteroid.

└After the space war ends and everyone combines forces, we could probably bring in something like an asteroid.

└It might not be a real star, but a metaphorical expression.

└It could be something like a bomb snack made from clumped starlight.

└Even if not a star, we can drop a spaceship.

└Getting a spaceship is quite difficult, and it requires many people to work together, but I think we’ve reached an agreement on that.

└Yeah. Space has become a battleground for huge factions. For small fry like us, there’s no place to intervene, so I was thinking of giving up.

└Crashing a spaceship into the castle…. That’s insane.

└Let’s do it right away.

***

The entry barrier is high because of the game experts.

Is the space side unpopular for that reason?

It’s inevitable that understanding of the game varies based on the knowledge one has.

If someone is familiar with the game it’s based on, they can start at an advantage.

Still, there’s a clear difference between seeing it through a screen and actually moving your body.

It’s not copied directly from the game.

So, even if you’re familiar with the existing game, there are limits.

On top of that, we’ve added various devices to help beginners.

We designed it so that once you get a little familiar, you can enjoy it fully.

The problem is that the event ends quickly.

By the time you get used to it, win somehow, and start enjoying the game, the event is over.

A lot of people think that way.

If they just tried a bit more, they could see that it doesn’t take that long to compete properly.

But holding on until they realize that, the ground seems too attractive.

I thought the fact that the Halloween event is time-limited would interfere with interacting with residents.

Even if you interact with the Halloween event’s monsters, that relationship ends when the event does.

So, I thought few people would try to form deep bonds.

But apparently, the fact that the relationship will end soon acts like a seasoning.

Hmm…. I don’t really get that reason.

You go on a trip, interact with the residents there for a few weeks, and then leave.

I don’t particularly prefer such things.

The relationships I build are either shallower and shorter or much longer and deeper.

This is done for.

The flow is already set.

The popularity of space will gradually cool down, and the ground will heat up even more.

I’ll change the composition and save it for later, and give up on this one.

In that case, I need to make the ground side’s finale even more extravagant.

Research and development team members?

It’s time to work.