Ch.22The NPC Who Raids (2)

I had misjudged two things. First…

-SWOOSH!! HISSS!!!

“Why is that thing so fast?”

Slime. Contrary to my expectation that it would be slow, the creature was keeping pace with me at nearly my full speed.

A giant slime chasing after me, shooting acid bombs and rapidly dissolving everything around it—this is a real horror game.

If it only dissolved clothes, this might be an erotic game, but judging by how the surrounding trees are melting away, this won’t end with just fanservice.

And the second misjudgment…

[We’re approaching a spectacular view soon. When will you be taking off your clothes?]

Gor. This bastard is a real pervert. Why does he keep trying to undress me? Is he seriously insane?

[There is demand for it. No. Quite high demand. If you would undress, my efficiency would increase.]

It doesn’t need to increase. Just do what you’re currently doing. Go back.

Somehow, as I strongly object, the golem droops its head, looking dejected.

Come on, I don’t care if a golem that looks like a drawing mannequin gets depressed!

[Jokes aside, we’re 150 meters from the cliff edge.]

“Usually people say ‘that’s enough joking around.’ You bastard.”

[I am in a state of not lying… Gole… I am Gor.]

“Don’t say you want to see your master naked even if you have to lie. In the first place, when I bathe…”

[I’ve never seen it. I thought you wouldn’t like me joining you.]

Huh, come to think of it, is that true? I always felt like he was stuck to my side, so I didn’t pay attention, but was that really the case?

But anyway, what should I—

-HISSS!!

“Hey, doesn’t it seem like it’s getting faster?”

[The ground is starting to slope. It seems to be rolling down, which is making it faster.]

Though I’m running while casually chatting with Gor, the situation hasn’t changed—a giant slime with flesh-melting acid is chasing after me like crazy. No, wait, this is starting to get dangerous, isn’t it?

And then…

“…We’re screwed.”

[Distance between cliffs: 30 meters.]

Behind me is a house-sized slime, and in front is a ravine too wide to jump across. I led us here intentionally, but now we’re in a pinch. This is driving me crazy!

“…The map didn’t say it was this wide.”

[What shall we do? If we turn now…]

Gor paused briefly before writing more.

[If we turn, you’ll end up naked.]

“This is insane.”

Enough with the bullshit!

Just naked? I’d be lucky if that’s all! The slime already has more acceleration than us—one wrong move and there might not even be bones left to collect. Or maybe, since I have HP, I’d survive?

What to do? I’m screwed. I should have just taken a hit before coming here!

[…Just trust me and keep running.]

“What?”

[Trust me and keep running.]

I frown at Gor’s sudden words, as if he’s about to deliver a baby. Wait, is this…

And Gor starts to slow down. The mime golem that was right beside me gradually falls behind, then completely disappears from my sight.

Hey, hey! HEY HEY!!

“Hey?! Who told you to…!!”

[Hold on tight.]

Hold onto what? I didn’t even have time to ask.

The golem that I thought had fallen behind suddenly lifted me up and started running at full speed. And then…

-WHOOSH!

With the wind cutting past my ears and experiencing a weightlessness I’d never felt before, I turned my gaze away from the blue sky stretching out before me.

Hey, what is this?!

“G-Gor?!!”

[It’s okay. I won’t die.]

A status window appeared before my eyes, as if it had been waiting for me to turn my head.

And then…

-CRASH!!!!

The moment the [Hyper-Acidic Slime] pounced on it, all the ignition stones and frost stones the mime golem was carrying exploded, and the golem fell down the cliff along with the slime.

*

“…Hey. Status window.”

[……]

Wait. The golem isn’t even the original. Why are you playing dead?

“Answer me, you punk. Stop pretending to be dead. You said you wouldn’t die.”

[……]

What’s it doing? Is it hoping I’ll cry and snivel, saying “Why did you do that?! Why did you sacrifice yourself to save me?!” or something?

Sorry, but I’m not a fan of melodrama.

“…Hey. Is the slime that fell down there still alive? Does it only lose 10 HP from falling from this height? The experience points would have been nice.”

[……]

Seeing the status window truly not responding to my words, I felt increasingly dumbfounded.

Could it be that the masochistic, perverted, self-aware entity has lost its soul because the golem it was attached to fell?

“Gor. If you don’t answer, I’m just going to leave?”

[……]

“…Ah. It’s hot. Maybe I should take off some clothes?”

[……]

Even when I deliberately take off a hood while talking, the status window doesn’t react. No way. It can’t be, right?

“…Status window. Status.”

[-Occupation: Mountain Keeper NPC- Level: 300 Name: Jack. Age: 16.]

[Strength: 50+?]

[Agility: 47+?]

[Intelligence: 3+?]

[Luck: -15+??]

[HP: 300,000+???]

[MP: 0+0]

[Skill: Mountain Manager]

[Mountain Manager Effect: All stats slightly increase in the mountains you manage.]

[Mountains Being Managed: -Ponia- -Ottoman Empire- (How to register nearby mountains: View Details)]

[Titles: View Details.]

“…Holy shit.”

The status window that appeared before my eyes listened to my words and acted accordingly for the first time.

Wait, is this for real?

“…Status window, disappear.”

And as soon as I tell it to disappear, it really vanishes from thin air with a poof. What the hell, seriously?

Thinking it can’t be true, I call the status window again, and it promptly appears before me.

No, fuck. Really? Did its soul leave? With the golem just now? Did it die? Huh?!

“…This is crossing a line. I didn’t want it to die like this.”

It’s absurd. Is this really the end?

That perverted, unruly, living status window that created parties on its own and acted however it wanted has died and become an ordinary status window. Hmm. Wait.

“…Is this actually a bad thing?”

Thinking about it again, it doesn’t seem that bad.

A status window that tried to undress me, acted on its own, and ended up throwing me across a ravine, giving me a second back attack. Honestly, isn’t it better without the self-awareness?

“Well. It was a sad death. I won’t forget you.”

I’ll remember you for about three days, I thought, and then…

“Ah, fuck! The wind is blowing like crazy!!”

I climbed down the cliff to the bottom of the ravine.

*

The status window was now in big trouble that wasn’t really big trouble.

[I didn’t expect to survive this.]

[Hyper-Acidic Slime: Level 270]

[HP: 3,768]

The house-sized bulk had been halved by the explosion and impact from falling off the cliff, but the field boss slime’s core remained intact. And the mime golem trapped inside it.

[Mime Golem: Level 362]

[HP: 106,974]

It hadn’t been long since the fall, but nearly 100,000 HP had already melted away.

The appearance wasn’t visibly damaged yet, but clearly if things continued this way, the golem would completely dissolve in the slime’s acid and become unusable.

[…I like living with Master and Ira.]

Getting this body that could be connected to its master after awakening to self-awareness was a fortunate miscalculation.

Somehow, the golem that had left its position in that cave had become a completely empty shell, and being able to settle its will into it was nothing short of a miracle.

In fact, it had tried several times to settle its will into dead goblins or trolls, but it never worked.

If it lost this golem here, it would just go back to being a floating status window.

Above all…

— [Ah, whatever. Since it’s a golem, Gor. AH!! What?! I told you my naming sense is garbage! If you don’t like it, forget it!! Just be a status window!!]

[I don’t want to lose the origin of my name.]

The name it had begged for several times and finally received.

Since this golem was the origin of that name, losing it would mean the death of the name given by him.

Of course, given his personality of acting indifferent while actually caring for others, he might still call it by name if asked, but…

[I have my pride too.]

It didn’t know how a status window without a physical body developed such self-awareness, but the name he gave it and the time spent together with this golem were things it neither wanted to forget nor lose.

So it tried to move the golem, which could barely function in the acidic slime’s liquid.

However…

-SIZZLE!!!

[Oh.]

[HP: 56,974]

Another 50,000 had evaporated in an instant.

No, it seemed to be dissolving faster because of the movement. If nothing was done, this golem would corrode and break apart… Huh?

[Skill Mimicry: Target [Hyper-Acidic Slime] is now available.]

Why? It couldn’t mimic until just now, so how and why is it possible now? Gor wondered. And then…

[Hyper-Acidic Slime: Level 270]

[HP: 14,796]

[Skills: Corrosion, Dissolution, Absorption.]

After seeing this slime’s skills and checking the golem’s condition, it understood. Ah, so that’s why.

[This is my victory.]

If the status window had a face, its lips would surely have curled up. “She” immediately activated the golem’s mimicry.

The slime, which had absorbed HP and recovered a bit, was startled when the level 362 mime golem with nearly 50,000 HP remaining started using the same skills, causing its HP and body to suddenly shrink.

And then…

[I’ll enjoy this meal.]

The cracked gaps in the mannequin-like face that had been corroded into nothing formed into a fanged maw and bit into the core inside the completely shrunken slime’s acidic liquid.

And…

[!!!!!!!!]

“She” felt an unprecedented sharp pain and the fear of death.