Chapter 43: Head, shoulders, knees, and toes.

The linebacker took a deep breath.

The heat that must have built up hot and stifling inside the helmet as the game went on.

Now, it feels as cool as it did before the game started.

Two-point conversion.

A chance to earn extra points with a run or pass from three yards out at the end line.

It’s only three yards, but for the defense, who are blocking with everything they’ve got, it feels endlessly far.

Both sides charged at each other as the pass was made.

Thud.

A heavy sound echoed from the collision, like a car crash.

The goalpost rang, muscles and ligaments screamed, and the shock made bones and joints creak.

With <Insole Slime D> and <Insole Slime+> covering the whole body, the impact was absorbed, and the blow to the body was greatly reduced. The shock even spreads widely through the <Slime>.

The damage to the body is almost negligible.

<Insole Slime> isn’t without its drawbacks.

As much as it reduces the shock you receive, it also reduces the shock you deal to the opponent.

But since the other side doesn’t have the shock spread out, the harder the collision, the more this side benefits.

So you can throw your body at full power.

Even if you hit hard, your brain doesn’t get rattled, so you can make cool-headed decisions.

With the reason that remains, you quickly judge and overpower the opponent with strength and technique.

A gap opens in the opponent’s defense, and the running back succeeds in a touchdown.

The <Slime> cools the heat that tries to rise.

The heart stays hot, and the head stays cool.

The linebacker crashed in without hesitation.

The opponents felt the impact was less than expected, but they couldn’t shake off their fear completely.

You can never be completely free from the fear of injuries like concussions.

On the other hand, thanks to repeated training, we’re mentally prepared.

The offense and defense switch, and the running back with the ball runs.

The movements of the running backs armed with <Insole Slime> have become much bolder than before.

Even when they’re tackled by much heavier players, the risk of injury is so much lower that instead of running away, they push for even one more yard.

That mindset pays off with a higher win rate.

You can’t change the habits you’ve drilled into your body overnight.

Even if other teams figure out how to use the slime, they can’t copy it right away.

This advantage will probably last for a while.

The running back adjusted his helmet.

With the slime that gives him courage.

Today, he’ll charge toward enemy lines again.

***

Head~ shoulders knees and toes knees and toes. Head~ shoulders knees and toes knees and toes~.

Head, neck, shoulders, chest, back, stomach, waist, thighs, knees, feet, and so on.

They say they put <Insole Slime> wherever there’s room for a cushion. They even researched which is more efficient to use, <Insole Slime D> or <Insole Slime+>, depending on the body part.

Shock absorption, prevention of skin chafing, inflammation suppression, fatigue removal.

<Insole Slime> also has the effects of a pain relief patch, so it must help when stuck to muscles.

It’ll also prevent heat from building up inside the clothes.

I didn’t know either, but if you lay the insole slime densely, the shock gets spread out through the slime.

“Ha….”

I let out a hollow laugh.

I don’t know much about American football, but it sounded pretty plausible.

Considering how rough American football is, the reliability of protective gear must make a huge difference in performance.

Still, would you really want to stick insoles on your head?

-There’s even a proposal to send one Slime-nim to America in exchange for ample compensation.

“There’s no way there’s any compensation out there worthy of our slime. But I get what you mean.”

Did the fact that I have not just one slime, but both Gongsooni and Gongdori, leak to America?

I never thought I could hide it from America anyway, so I’m not disappointed.

“You mean they’ll start putting pressure on us soon?”

-That’s right.

It’s a matter related to American football.

I doubt America will act rationally.

“So they want us to increase production.”

-I’m sorry.

If we send them enough product to satisfy them, there’s a limit to how much America can push us around.

America’s population is six times Korea’s, but the price of <Slime> is also six times higher, so demand won’t be six times higher.

If we increase production two or three times and tell them to split it up themselves, it should work out.

How to increase production?

Of course there is.

Me, Gongsooni, and Gongdori.

We’re all hiding our true abilities.

Especially Gongsooni, who has leveled up a lot lately. At this point, even if she ramps up production several times, it won’t be a burden.

Currently, the main producer of <Insole Slime> is not Gongdori, but Gongsooni.

Because I switched the two.

When I handed Gongsooni over to the Alchemy Center, I said I’d made a new slime and didn’t send her.

I sent Gongdori, calling it a medicine to help him grow.

Gongdori laid an egg, and from that egg, Gongsooni was born.

I didn’t make a new slime.

My Gongdori split off an egg as he grew.

Anyway, that’s how it is.

The staff at the Seoul Central Alchemy Center moved the slime born from the egg to another machine.

That’s how two machines started running.

The original slime keeps making <Insole Slime> and <Pack Slime>.

The slime born from the egg mainly makes <Mosquito Repellent> and also helps with <Insole Slime> and <Pack Slime>.

But people don’t know.

In fact, the one born from the egg is not Gongsooni, but Gongdori.

The truth is, Gongsooni took over the spot where Gongdori used to be!

It’s a switch for more efficient level-ups.

Gongsooni, pretending to be the Gongdori who gave birth to her, has leveled up and greatly increased her production.

“I think I can guess the recipe for a potion that boosts my slime’s <Insole Slime> output.”

-Really?

We do have the capacity to meet America’s expectations.

As long as we solve one problem.

“But is there a solution to the bottleneck?”

The reason we can’t increase production as much as America wants.

It’s more a physical issue than a problem with Gongsooni’s production ability.

Bottleneck.

The exit of the machine our Gongsooni lives in is limited in size, and there’s a cap on how many products can come out per unit of time.

There’s also a limit to how much raw material we can pour into our Gongsooni.

It’s like having an engine that boasts monstrous performance in theory, but there’s no way to supply the amount of fuel the theory requires, and no chassis to withstand the engine’s output.

-Can’t you produce <Insole Slime> and <Pack Slime> in orb form?

“Huh?”

They figured that out.

Well, since Gongdori is already making <Mosquito Repellent>.

<Mosquito Repellent> is produced in small orb form by applying the [Store] skill. After that, it’s processed separately and sold.

On the other hand, <Insole Slime> and <Pack Slime> are still produced in the shape of the finished product.

If those two series are produced as orbs, the bottleneck will be solved.

That way, a much greater quantity of items can pass through the machine’s exit per unit of time.

There is a drawback in that it requires a separate process, but compared to the increase in production volume, it’s a trivial issue.

“If we produce them in orb form, it’ll be good for sales to America too.”

-Yes. That’s correct.

“But didn’t I specifically ask you to keep it a secret that I can produce in orb form?”

-….

The reason I haven’t sold <Slime> in orb form until now.

Compared to the volume of products sold by Alchemy Slime, I wanted the amount I send by delivery to look very small. Even if people realize there’s an alchemist living in my house, I wanted to make it hard to deduce that Alchemy Slime lives here too.

“Well, it’s a meaningless secret now.”

At this point, it doesn’t really matter anymore.

The fact that I live in this house has already gotten out everywhere.

I’ve given up on hiding where I live.

After all, intelligence agencies around the world have probably already figured out my address.

The only problem is all the small fry that get attracted.

But Emergency Rations’ sturdy wall will drive them all away.

“It’s fine to sell in orb form.”

-Thank you so much.

“No problem. You made my property registry private, after all.”

-It was absolutely necessary for the alchemist’s personal protection.

And since the government made my property registry private, no one can find out my real name from it either.

So it’s fine to sell in orb form to America.

Not only will it reduce the volume, but also the weight, so I’ll save a huge amount on shipping costs. With the products being smaller, it’ll be much easier to transport them too.

Processing and packaging can be done by regular people. Just set up a factory in America.

A factory means jobs and taxes.

With all this I’m doing for America, surely they won’t pressure me to hand over Gongsooni as well.

If they do, that means they want to pick a fight with me.

How would I fight America?

I don’t need to fight them myself.

Just say I won’t sell <Slime> to America.

That’ll be the day football fans rise up with guns.

What pressure?

They’ll have to pay me.

Good. This time, I should ask for some materials that can only be sourced in America as part of the payment.

The experience points I can get from the same ingredients are limited.

If I can get a chance to obtain new materials, I should take it.

“But how are you going to solve the ingredient input problem?”

-We plan to address it by mixing in high-quality materials.

Are you stupid?

“Just give those materials to me instead. I’ll come up with a way.”

-Are you sure you can do that?

“If I’m lucky, sure. And send me the materials for the Elixir of Growth too.”

I named a few materials that are normally hard to get my hands on.

There are things in this world that are hard to buy even if you have money.

-Understood. Thank you.

As soon as I hung up, I made a new slime.

<Glutton Slime>

-A slime specialized in absorbing and storing the nutrients it consumes.

All I have to do is feed this <Glutton Slime> to reduce the volume, then give it as food to Gongsooni and Gongdori.

If I introduce this <Glutton Slime>, even waste from other centers will be much easier to deal with.

It’ll be very effective not just for alchemy waste but other waste disposal too.

It feels wasteful to just sell it.

I should trade this for materials too.

I already have more than enough money, and I need to level up quickly.

***

The actor blinked awake from sleep.

She peeled the <Pack Slime> off her face and put it in the <Pack Slime Case>.

After drinking a glass of water, she felt the urge to go to the bathroom.

She tossed a <Strawberry Gargle Slime> into her mouth and headed straight for the restroom.

She chewed away, munch munch, and-blast!

With a clean strike, a wave of freshness surged.

After a light shower, she put the <Pack Slime> on her face again for a moment, then took it off.

She made herself breakfast, ate, and brushed her teeth.

Honestly, she wanted to just finish up with the <Gargle Slime>, but it felt wasteful to use more than one a day.

She put on shoes with <Insole Slime D> inside and strapped a <Mosquito Extermination Slime> to her wrist.

She got into the car driven by her manager, plugged in her earphones, and leaned her back against the seat, listening to SLimelove eating while reading the script.

When her mouth felt bored on set, she popped a <Random Jelly Slime (Mild Flavor)> into her mouth.

If she started to feel hot, she stuck a <Pack Slime C> under her arm or on her neck to cool off.

After coming home from filming, she used the <Pack Slime> to remove her makeup.

Truly, a life lived with slime.

And now, one more thing was added.

“It’s here!”

The actor beamed at the delivery that had arrived.

The package was none other than the <Pillow Slime>.

“Wow. Smells amazing.”

The moment she opened the box, a soothing fragrance gently wafted out, putting her at ease.

There was even a manual, which was rare.

‘It gets softer when you spread it out, and firmer when you fold it?’

Right now it’s folded a few times and has the resilience of memory foam. When she pulled on the seams, it came apart. When she spread it out as much as possible, it turned feather-light and soft. But when she put weight on it, it held up firmly.

‘Feels nice.’

Absentmindedly kneading it, she was startled to realize thirty minutes had passed.

‘A pillow should be comfortable to sleep on. Let’s find the firmness that feels best.’

She placed the pillow at the head of her bed and rested her head on it.

Maybe the surface was specially treated, because it felt really cozy.

She blinked a few times.

And drifted right off to sleep.

–

The actor woke up with a start and checked the clock.

Thankfully, she wasn’t late.

Except for times when she was so exhausted she passed out, this was the first time she’d fallen asleep in just a few seconds.

She thought of a friend who always suffered from insomnia whenever filming started. That friend didn’t trust alchemy products and wouldn’t even use the <Pack Slime>, but she wouldn’t be able to refuse this <Pillow Slime>.

The actor had a small ambition.

Next contract, she would definitely include a clause for <Slime> supply. Even if it meant losing out on profit sharing, she wanted that clause.

But honestly, she didn’t want to take a loss on profit sharing either.

If possible, she wanted to slip it in as a welfare benefit.

It’s hard to push for something alone, but when many people ask for it, things get done more easily.

The more people who joined in, the better her chances of achieving that ambition.

***

“Ah… Right. So it can be used like this too. That’s good news.”

Rarely is there actually good news.

Did they get the idea from the stories about football players covering their whole bodies with <Insole Slime>?

I even upgraded it by sticking <Pack Slime> on my face.

“Hmm… hmm…! Maybe I should donate a little.”

To the fire station.

But why do I feel so reluctant to donate like this?

That’s strange.