Chapter 93: Penguin Edition.

The leader of the Slime Rangers, Red, stood in front of Song Taesan teacher’s house.

By using old connections, he managed to find the address and contact information somehow.

Fortunately or unfortunately, the teacher said he welcomed meetings with junior Hunters.

It was a relief that he wasn’t completely isolated, but unfortunate that it meant Red couldn’t avoid visiting him.

If, because of Red, the teacher stopped welcoming meetings with juniors, that would be the worst misfortune.

The teacher’s house was quite large.

To an ordinary person, it would seem big enough that there was nothing to envy.

But compared to the teacher’s reputation and achievements, the house looked rather humble.

“Come in.”

The front gate opened, and upon entering, there was a garden where various vegetables grew.

It was a delight to see the garden covered with Raincoat Slimes and a Humidifier Slime by the water tap.

If he understood the convenience of Slimes, he wouldn’t get angry at being asked to wear a Mascot Slime suit.

“Welcome.”

When he stood at the front door and rang the bell, a gracefully aging woman opened the door.

“It’s nice to meet you for the first time.”

After greeting her, Red offered a Slime set as a gift, thinking nothing could be better.

“Oh my, thank you.”

The woman received the Slime set as if she was very familiar with it.

“Come in. He’s waiting for you.”

When he entered, the teacher was sitting on the sofa, waiting.

The sofa was made for three, but with the teacher sitting there, it looked more like a large chair.

“Come, have a seat.”

Red sat on the sofa placed across from the teacher.

“Would you like something to drink?”

“Water is fine!”

“Dear, could you?”

“Yes. Please wait a moment.”

Red looked at the teacher in front of him.

The teacher he remembered was even bigger.

Perhaps that memory was exaggerated from childhood.

Still, he looked smaller now.

He was someone who had a build as massive as a mountain.

But now his shoulders and back were hunched, making him look as small as a hill.

‘Teacher, you really need to return to the world.’

“I heard the story. You were possessed by a parasitic monster for thirteen years?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Go ahead, tell me your story. At my age, there’s nothing more enjoyable than hearing about the lives of young Hunters.”

Red began to tell his story slowly.

The teacher’s wife, who brought water and fruit midway, also listened intently to Red’s story.

“You’ve been through a lot.”

“It’s an honor.”

“So, what brings you here? You didn’t come just to say hello and share your stories, did you?”

“I have a favor to ask.”

“Go ahead. I may have been retired for quite some time, but I still know people here and there. I can’t offer much help, but I can at least help you find a new job.”

Red swallowed hard.

The teacher, guessing that it would be hard for Red to return as a Hunter after being a host for so long, was even offering to help him find a job. But Red had to make an outrageous request.

“I’ve already found a new job.”

“That’s good. Very good.”

“I didn’t come to ask for a job, but to ask you to take on a certain role.”

The teacher’s brow furrowed.

“I’ve been retired for far too long. If you came hoping for my old skills, I’m sorry, but that’s impossible. And politics really isn’t my style.”

The teacher seemed to have been asked for similar favors several times before.

“There might be a little fighting, but that’s not the main thing, and it’s not related to politics either.”

“Stop beating around the bush and tell me straight.”

Red moistened his increasingly dry lips with water. Then he sprang up, raised his hand, and shouted.

“Transform!”

A red Mascot Slime wrapped around his body.

“Please join me in wearing this suit and become a mascot at Slime Land, the theme park that’s about to open!”

After saying that with all his might, he bowed at a perfect right angle.

His body trembled with fear, as if his head was about to fall into a guillotine.

In fact, it was no different from a guillotine.

If the teacher got angry and slammed his hand down, his head would part from his body.

‘My Slime isn’t that weak, is it?’

It felt like the president was scolding him, but it was surely an auditory hallucination brought on by fear.

“Raise your head and explain.”

Red lifted his head.

And faced the teacher, whose smile had vanished.

“I-I’ll explain.”

Red explained the situation as if standing before the King of the Underworld.

The more time passed, the more the teacher’s expression twisted, as if he was about to send him straight to hell.

The pressure made his stomach churn, as if his throat was blocked, but Red squeezed his eyes shut and shouted.

“How much longer are you going to cower like a coward! It’s too soon to give up! You can still live a normal life among people! Where is the teacher who never backed down in the face of despair?”

Red regretted it as soon as he said it.

He wasn’t a coward.

Really, he wasn’t.

“A coward, huh….”

“I’m sorry! That was too harsh!”

Red bowed his head deeply.

“First, raise your head.”

“I’m sorry.”

“If you let me check just one thing, I’ll forgive you.”

“Ask me anything!”

“It’s not something to ask.”

The teacher stood up from his seat.

As he straightened his back and waist, Red felt such an overwhelming presence that he thought his head would bow again, as if facing a towering cliff.

Song Taesan teacher clenched his fist.

“You said that no matter what, even I couldn’t hurt a child in that suit, right? Mind if I test it?”

“Well, this is a suit made to my specifications, so I’m not sure it can withstand your punch….”

“Don’t talk like a coward.”

“A-alright! If I can endure it, you have to wear this suit too!”

“I’ll think about it.”

Red spread his arms and braced his stomach.

The punch swung toward him.

Thud.

The house echoed with a noise like a giant’s footstep.

“Grrr…!”

Red swallowed the feeling that his guts were about to burst out.

‘See? My Slime is sturdy.’

It felt like the president was boasting, but it was surely an auditory hallucination caused by the pain.

“I endured it!”

“You endured it. You weren’t even pushed back.”

Seeing his strike, which he had put considerable strength into, being easily blocked, Song Taesan looked at his own fist.

Even though he was much weaker compared to his prime, it wasn’t an attack that should have been blocked so easily.

“Has an Alchemist who can create such alchemy products appeared in Korea?”

If such an Alchemist had existed during his active days, the number of lives lost in vain would have been far fewer.

Even now, many Hunters are still paying the harsh price from back then.

And even more couldn’t endure that price and passed away early.

Song Taesan, too, is suffering from aftereffects.

Even though decades have passed since his retirement, he still can’t casually hold his wife’s hand.

Because if he’s not careful, he might crush it.

Even the household items at home are all made with extreme durability.

“Yes. The president of Alchemy Slime is truly amazing. You’ve used <Slime> before, haven’t you, sir?”

“That’s right…. Even if everything else broke easily, those stayed quite intact.”

He can’t even easily hold objects, let alone his Awakened wife.

What about a child?

What about a grandchild?

The marriage partner of an Awakened is usually another Awakened.

If an Awakened with great strength gets excited and embraces their partner, they might crush their spine just with that. Even if not, a careless bump could cause serious injury.

To have a normal married life, the partner’s body also needs to be tough.

Moreover, ordinary people often don’t understand the life of a Hunter.

For modern people living in safe areas, violence is a distant story.

Even for those living in areas where violence is close, it’s natural not to understand the life of a Hunter, who exchanges life for life every day.

Even if they’ve lived similarly, disputes arise due to differences in way of thinking.

When an ordinary person and a Hunter, who are as different as a dog and a dinosaur, live together, conflicts are inevitable.

That’s why Awakened often marry other Awakened.

But even if Awakened marry each other and have a child, there’s no guarantee happiness will follow.

Even a child of Awakened doesn’t necessarily Awaken.

And even if they are Awakened, before Awakening, their body is as frail as an ordinary person’s.

A tiny child who feels like they might break like dry twigs if hugged carelessly.

Naturally, even touching them becomes something to be cautious about.

They distance themselves out of fear of causing harm.

Around this time, one of the Awakened couple often gives up their Hunter life.

Because becoming stronger would interfere with raising a child.

As time passes, the Awakened who continues the Hunter life grows distant not only from the child but also from their wife or husband.

As the physical distance grows, so does the emotional distance.

Not long after, a separated life begins under the pretext that areas with many Hunters have poor security.

Once the child becomes an adult and independent, there’s even less chance to meet.

If it’s like this with a child, what about a grandchild?

If they couldn’t even touch their child out of fear of breaking them.

After time passes and their level rises, becoming even stronger, could they hold their grandchild?

Not all Hunters experience this hardship.

There are many Awakened who can control their strength properly even as their level rises.

But the more desperate the battles they fight, the worse the aftereffects they suffer.

And decades ago, Korea was a country where everyone had no choice but to fight desperate battles.

Song Taesan turned his head to look at his wife.

On his hand, his wife gently placed her own with affection.

“Can I really hold my wife’s hand? Can I hold my grandchild?”

“You don’t have to worry about breaking something. You don’t have to worry about hurting someone. <Slime> will protect everything.”

Red declared confidently.

Seeing Red’s unwavering faith, Song Taesan gave a bitter smile and let out a short sigh.

“Dragging out even an old retired person to work like this. Your president is quite a ruthless person.”

“Sir! Thank you!”

“I have no intention of stepping in front of people until I’m convinced it’s safe.”

“Yes! That point will definitely be ensured! Rather, the president won’t allow it otherwise.”

The legendary Hunter of Korea, Song Taesan, joined AlchemySlime Company.

“But why are they trying to make me a mascot? Isn’t there a more suitable job?”

“I’m not sure about that either….”

“I’ve been hired by an eccentric.”

Song Taesan felt both anticipation and anxiety about the future.

***

Just as sprouts raise their heads when winter ends and spring arrives.

March, when one is dragged out of the cozy place called home to school.

I’m on a leave of absence this semester again.

As a Grade A Alchemist, surprisingly, I’m still a college student.

A degree means nothing to me. Considering the time spent on school life, continuing university is a loss.

Still, while on leave, I can enjoy the benefits without investing any time.

The status of a college student is convenient in many ways. I can get discounts here and there and freely access papers. There’s no reason to give up the status of a college student, so I’m still maintaining it.

I’ll keep taking leaves up to the limit.

Bang!

A hole was pierced, and water started gushing into the aquifer.

When I say I pierced an aquifer, you might think I made a hole in an already flowing one.

I physically created a path for water to flow.

A waterway connected to the world’s greatest puddle-the sea.

To secure mass from the land, I’d have to keep digging, but seawater flows in on its own due to water pressure.

Since the incoming water is continuously consumed, it keeps flowing without clogging.

Flowing water carries kinetic energy, so it can be turned into mana with the [Convert+] skill.

With this, infinite mass and energy are secured.

Just as a company becomes more stable with diverse funding sources, Slime Land’s operation becomes more stable with diverse energy supply routes.

With this, there’s no need to worry about over-consuming the surrounding soil.

Even if snow or rain blocks the sun, there won’t be a shortage of energy.

The downside might be that future people could worry about sea level decline?

But if it reaches the point where that’s a concern, wouldn’t most of the land be covered in Slime? It doesn’t seem like the time to worry about sea levels.

It’s too far in the future to consider at this stage.

Along with the peacefully living seafood, I moved through the long passage and arrived at Mother.

Mother accepted my body inward as it was and immediately absorbed the seawater.

Then, shall we go up?

Today is the first day all the retired Hunters gather.

I have to go and watch.

Once Red hooked Hunter Song Taesan, everything progressed smoothly after that.

When it was said that Hunter Song Taesan was hired, other retired Hunters also lined up wanting to be hired.

At first, we had to contact them, but later, they started contacting us.

Amidst the penguins wearing <Mascot Slime> gathered together.

Red, wearing a red hat, stepped onto the podium.

“Depending on how you act, I can be an angel or a devil.”

Immediately, the penguins exploded.

“Hey, you bastard! Did being trapped in a tree for so long turn your eyeholes into knotholes? There’s not a single person here with less experience than you! How dare you speak like that?”

“You must suppress that anger! Kids these days are far more mischievous than what I’m doing.”

That kind of talk wasn’t going to work in this situation.

Immediately, the penguins rose up in revolt.

“Are you some kind of kid, huh?”

“If it’s just kids, we can hold ourselves back!”

“Step on that bastard!”

“They say it doesn’t hurt at all when you hit someone in this outfit, right? Perfect. We can step on him without holding back!”

“W-Wait… h-hey, brothers!”

“Who’s your brother, huh!”

What a mess.

Is this the Penguin Edition?