chapter_0187

188 – Let’s Go to the Dungeon

188 – Let’s Go to the Dungeon

I stepped outside the imperial capital for the first time in a long while.

Without opening the shop.

Since I opened the shop, I couldn’t even count how many times I had been outside the imperial capital.

“Almost none, right?”

I had been living busily every day without a holiday.

Naturally, it was to earn money.

Even during times when there were no customers, I made money by taking on side jobs like alchemy or magic research, helping with thesis production for various guilds and the magic department.

Even on the rare holidays I had, I just rested at home to recharge my energy.

There was nothing to do outside anyway.

I didn’t have much money.

Nor did I have many friends.

Since I spent all my time in a small room researching magic, aside from my master Meiko, I didn’t have many people I knew personally.

The few people I knew publicly were all busy working or having fun.

Naturally, I was left alone, with only work and comfortable rest remaining.

Of course, I didn’t always slack off when I rested.

When funds were tight, I doubled my side jobs.

Going outside also costs money.

To save even a little, I tried to suppress going out as much as possible.

But today, even though it was a business day, I closed the shop and went outside the capital.

Why?

There were several reasons.

First, my financial situation had become more stable than I expected.

I had enough money to be okay with not opening the shop for a day, enough to travel outside.

And the next reason was that I had a new employee to help me.

A Nightmare, a Succubus, with considerable power.

I thought that there were things I could do with her that I couldn’t do as a nearly powerless illusion magician, so I came outside.

“Um, I mean, boss, where are you going?”

Frelia, unable to contain her curiosity, followed me closely from behind.

“I’m going to get something essential for adding a new service to our Illusion Shop.”

“But didn’t you say you were going to a dungeon?”

“That’s right.”

Dungeons.

Spaces filled with monsters that began to appear on the continent after the Demon King emerged in the world.

Dungeons, made up of slightly different rules from the typical ecosystem, became lands filled with all kinds of treasures.

In the past, when the Demon King was powerful, they were spaces that poured out monsters, but after the Demon King was defeated, most of them disappeared, and the remaining dungeons weakened, effectively becoming a means of business for various adventurers.

“There are still some dungeons that are being maintained.”

I planned to head to the dungeon closest to the capital among the remaining ones.

“If you tell me what you’re looking for, I can go get it right away.”

“It’s okay. I’m going to go with you to get it. It’s faster that way.”

“Are you not going to tell me what it is?”

“I thought you wouldn’t go if I told you.”

“……”

Frelia narrowed her eyes slightly.

She might think it was something difficult, but in fact, the item I was looking for in the dungeon today was a Slime.

The bodily fluid of a Slime?

No.

An actual Slime.

You might wonder why I was making such a fuss over a low-level monster like a Slime, but would I want to be in this situation?

I, a nearly powerless illusion magician, couldn’t even win against a single Slime one-on-one.

No, it was because it was a Slime that I couldn’t win.

To cast an illusion, the opponent had to be an intelligent being with intellect.

Orcs, who live solely by instinct, have intellect, so illusions work on them.

Goblins? Naturally, they are affected.

But Slimes do not get affected.

How could I use illusion magic against a single-celled organism that just wriggles around?

They were all useless.

To me, they were monsters scarier than Dragons.

Dragons, Drakes, and Wyverns could at least be attempted to be affected by illusions.

But Slimes? That was impossible.

Of course, I didn’t plan to just hunt a regular Slime.

What I was looking for was not the common green Slime, but a blue, sparkling Slime.

It was commonly known as a Melting Slime.

Unlike other Slimes, it could freely adjust its shape.

I planned to cast a specific spell on this Melting Slime to extract all the toxins and acidity from its body to create a truly “safe” Slime.

“If this goes well, it can be used for various purposes.”

For example, it could be used for a woman like Nikki who wants to be violated by a Slime.

Moreover, if I could tame the Slime, various services would become possible.

If I had received help from someone else, I might have tried to control such a useful monster by now.

The reason I hadn’t until now was that I couldn’t answer the question of why I was going to such lengths for a Slime.

It was something I couldn’t even say to my master Meiko.

What could I do?

“This is a beginner dungeon. I can’t believe a dungeon like this is still alive. There shouldn’t be any strong monsters here…”

“It’s used for beginner adventurers to gain practical experience.”

“Then why here…?”

Instead of answering, I walked forward.

“Let’s go.”

“Ah, okay.”

I entered the beginner dungeon where Slimes resided with Frelia.

Honestly, finding a Slime wasn’t that difficult.

Pew.

A wriggling green Slime.

Most Slimes were like this, spraying acidic bodily fluids.

“Are you here to hunt Slimes?”

“Sort of. I’m here to find a Slime.”

“Ah… then I’ll catch it right away.”

She raised her hand.

She seemed ready to catch all the Slimes in the area.

“Stop. We’re not here to catch that Slime.”

“Really? Then what…?”

“From now on, your job is to find a blue Slime.”

“A blue… Slime? But blue Slimes don’t exist.”

“Stop talking and look for it. It’s in this dungeon.”

“…Okay.”

If I couldn’t find it, I might have to come back here later.

Since I was here today, I had to find it right away.

I wandered around the dungeon with Frelia.

And after how long…

“I thought it would be here.”

In a corner of the dungeon.

In a remote area that adventurers rarely searched, a blue Slime was wriggling.

“It really exists…?”

Frelia looked at the blue Slime with a surprised expression.

It was clear she had never seen one before.

How unexpected.

I thought that as a Demon race, she would know all about monsters.

“Frelia.”

“Yes?”

“Catch that one. Don’t kill it. Just extract all the acidic fluid from its body.”

“Understood.”

Since meeting Yuris, Frelia had become surprisingly obedient.

I thought she would resist using her strength to catch the Slime.

But as soon as she heard the command, she quickly ran towards it.

“Don’t underestimate it. It’s different from other Slimes.”

“How different can it be?”

She shouted with a voice full of laughter.

At that moment.

Pew!

Feeling threatened, the blue Slime took a step back and grew in size.

“Huh?”

The Slime’s size grew to that of an Orc warrior.

“Is it really growing this big…?”

When Frelia hesitated in surprise at the sudden change.

Pew!

The Slime swung its massive fist.

“Frelia!”

I rolled to the side, holding her.

Thud!

The blue fist of the Slime crashed into the ground.

“B-boss…?”

“I told you. It’s not an ordinary one.”

“Ah…”

Perhaps because I had rolled to the side while holding her.

I found my hand wrapped around Frelia’s soft waist.

“Um, excuse me, boss? Your hand is on my waist…”

“Oh, sorry.”

I stood up.

“Anyway, it’s not going to be easy to capture it alive and extract the acidic fluid.”

“…Don’t worry. I’m not as weak as you think, boss.”

Frelia, who had gotten up, said.

“I was just surprised that it grew suddenly. I wasn’t surprised by its strength.”

Pew!

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Frelia reached out towards the Slime charging at her.

The Slime, shaking the ground as it charged, already had a terrifying appearance that was far from a Slime.

It was definitely a monster I could never handle alone.

Pew!

Before it swung its massive fist.

“Get lost.”

A deep blue light flashed from Frelia’s hand.

The shoulder of the Slime that was hit by the light flew off.

Pewww!!!

It screamed, and acidic fluid poured out of its body.

“I’ll take care of it properly.”

Frelia said firmly.

And it didn’t take long for her to catch the fleeing Slime and extract all the acidic fluid.

‘Her abilities are impressive.’

But that light from earlier.

Could I have endured it if I had been hit?

Why didn’t she use it on me?

Leaving those questions behind, I took out a basin and potions from my bag, which had space expansion magic cast on it.

Including the potion that permanently removes the Slime’s toxicity, the agents to lower their ferocity, and all sorts of alchemical potions to add elasticity and softness.

I was going to mix all the potions in this basin and put the Slime in it.

The ratios were already researched multiple times before, so there was no problem.

If I soaked it in this potion for about 30 minutes, the versatile Slime I initially aimed for would be born.

“I’m starting the process. If this guy resists, stop it.”

“Understood, boss.”

I placed the blue Slime that Frelia had caught into the basin filled with potions.

A Slime that can change its shape freely.

I imagined the future where I could use it in various ways as I submerged it.

Pew…

It tried to resist, not wanting to be destroyed, but a Slime without acidic fluid was not scary.

While it was terrifying that illusion magic didn’t work on it.

‘With more than half of its body blown off, I can subdue this blue Slime with my strength.’

Splash.

Pewww~!!

I continued the process to turn the resisting Slime into a pleasure-specific Slime.

And Frelia quietly watched that scene from behind.

When I said I was catching a Slime, she was disappointed.

That the Demon King had to personally move for a mere Slime.

It was absurd.

That couldn’t be the case.

Of course, that Slime was a bit different from the others, but still, it was just a Slime.

How much help could that be?

It seemed the Demon King thought she was very weak.

“Frelia!”

To throw herself at the attack of a mere large Slime.

That meant she didn’t trust me much.

I understood.

As a Nightmare, she couldn’t even charm a single Demon King.

So she was angry.

‘I have to show her properly.’

She poured her sincere attack onto the Slime.

Subduing it was instantaneous.

However, aside from subduing it, she was curious.

Why did the Demon King come personally to catch such a Slime?

Could it be that she couldn’t catch this Slime alone and brought me along?

‘Maybe I misjudged her?’

Perhaps she wasn’t the Demon King?

There was no way such a weak being could be the Demon King.

However, she soon changed her mind after seeing the result of mixing all the potions into the Slime.

Pew!

The Slime, having absorbed all the potions, transformed from its blue body to a light pink hue.

Instead of acidic fluid, it now held a slippery liquid.

On the surface, it appeared to be a normal Slime with a significantly reduced danger level, but as a Demon race, Frelia instinctively knew what that liquid was.

A liquid that excites a woman’s body.

Although it had become a state that a normal Slime could never be strong in, the strength depended on who used it.

The one holding the Slime that sprays aphrodisiac was none other than the Demon King, who had conquered the goddess of victory.

‘Indeed, the Demon King had a plan.’

To enhance her strengths even more.

To create a new weapon so that strong beings like Yuris could submit beneath her.

Even using a Slime that could change its shape at will.

‘Ah, Demon King, please forgive my unfaithfulness.’

Was it the smell of the Slime?

Or was it because she was moved by the Demon King’s insight?

Frelia felt her lower abdomen heat up with excitement.

Ah, she wanted to be dominated by the Demon King again.