Let's take a moment to reflect on the daily life of this red slime in my house.
Although Lime often plays with Mium, it spends more time playing alone.
When Mium is tapping its round belly while watching a TV drama, Lime bounces around by itself, exploring from the inside of the store to the surroundings of Yggdrasil and the corners of this space. While freely moving around, it occasionally makes a “mew” sound as if trying to talk to me.
“Mew, mew!”
I'm curious.
What exactly does that “mew” sound mean?
In my search for a way to communicate with slimes, I stumbled upon a video by chance.
It was a famous video that had been a staple on the YouTube main page for a while.
The video shows a green slime bouncing its smooth, soft body.
- Mew, pi! Mew!
A lively cry can be heard.
The videographer then points a small device with a black-and-white screen at the slime.
Mew, mew, pi!
The device lights up as it recognizes the sound. After a moment, text appears on the screen.
‘I feel good. I like it.’
- Mew!
Once again, the device promptly recognizes the slime's cry.
‘I am a slime. I like clean water.’
This is an introduction video for a slime language translator.
A high-performance translation artifact that can interpret slime language is too expensive; even selling the entire store wouldn't be enough to buy it. But this language translator might be within reach!
I thought so and searched, but soon hit a wall.
[GIFT] AI Portable Slime Language Translator SlimeTALK★
Currently out of stock.
We will notify you when it is back in stock. [Request Notification]
It turned out that this slime language translator was not sold anywhere.
Upon further investigation, it was found that only a limited number were produced and the company went bankrupt before general sales began. Despite the recent popularity of slimes, there are many people looking for it, but no available stock.
With no other choice, I set up a keyword alert on the popular Carrot Market among hunters and waited.
Although only a few hundred were produced, making it hard to find, patience is a virtue!
Time passed, and finally, the Carrot alert rang. I immediately set up a meeting to make the transaction.
“I'll go buy a slime language translator and be back.”
“I don't think it's a good idea, whyong.”
To my surprise, Mium showed a negative reaction. She had previously said it was better not to understand Lime's language. What secret could be hidden in those “mew” sounds?
“Why?”
“Sometimes not knowing is better, whyong!”
“Well, if you can interpret for me, that would be fine.”
Mium said she doesn't understand Lime's language precisely but can grasp the vague meaning by reading the waves of the slime's cries. She refused to interpret, though.
“Don't go. It's for your own good, kyaoh!”
“I already set up a meeting. I'll be back!”
And at the meeting place.
The seller, who seemed to have multiple Carrot appointments, appeared with a large bag.
“Is this the Slime Language Translator SlimeTALK★?”
“Yes, that's right……”
“Please wait a moment.”
He rummaged through his bag. Inside were large slime cushions, slime figurines, slime lens cleaners, slime humidifiers, and other slime merchandise.
He must really love slimes.
“Here it is. I'll also give you a slime cushion, slime badge, and a random slime figurine box as a bonus.”
“Really?”
I bought a palm-sized device, but the bonuses were bulkier.
“No, you don't have to give me so much……”
“It's fine. I still have about twenty more, so take them without worry.”
He sighed deeply and his shoulders slumped.
Upon hearing his story, it turned out that his friends had bought dozens of the same items, leaving him with no space. His warehouse was already full, and the items had even invaded his room, leaving only enough space to sleep, surrounded by large slime figurines.
Given the situation, it couldn't be helped……
Anyway, I returned to the store with the large slime cushion and the language translator.
“What's this, whyong!”
“Mew!”
I threw the cushion to Mium, who enjoyed its softness, and immediately turned on the language translator.
“Lime, say something.”
“Mew, mew!”
The device's light flickered, and the screen turned on.
Thump thump…… What did it say?
- The avatar of □□□□ will soon awaken. The dark ether has reached its critical point.
Huh? The text was unexpectedly serious, unlike the cute appearance and sound. It seemed to be a warning of something significant to come.
“Lime, what did you mean just now? Can you say it again? Okay?”
“Mew…… mew, mew!”
The device's light flickered again. I checked the screen immediately, but……
- 3.14159265358979……
Huh? Is this an error? Why is pi showing up?
I shook the device vigorously. The text on the screen disappeared. Hmm, it must have been a temporary glitch. Yeah, why would pi show up for a slime's cry?
“Mew! Mew, mew!”
- Ac, Th, Pa, U, Np, Pu, Am, Cm, Bk, Cf, Es……
Mom, it's making strange sounds……
Lime, you're a science slime.
“I hope you now understand the pain I've endured, human! Mew!”
I tried a few more times, but only got a list of unrelated scientific terms, not the answers I was looking for.
I gave up and decided to put the slime language translator in a drawer. Communicating with this slime was just too difficult for me.
* * *
As the deep darkness descended, near the dungeon gate, in an abandoned house.
The Supreme One scanned his surroundings with a tense expression.
‘How did it come to this?’
‘Where did it all go wrong……’
He sighed inwardly, but it was too late.
Around him were a group of people smoking and waiting. Their loud voices, cocky attitudes, and the equipment they wore made it clear they were involved in unsavory business. They laughed and boasted, but their faces betrayed their tension. They were just putting on a show of nonchalance.
One of them approached the Supreme One and offered him a pack of cigarettes.
“Have a smoke, bro.”
“I quit.”
“Wow, you're tough.”
He blew smoke in the Supreme One's face, then patted his shoulder.
“Don’t be so tense. We’ve done this more than once.”
The man seemed to be trying to reassure himself as much as the Supreme One. He continued,
“You know who’s backing us, right? It’s <C&L>, <C&L>! The big boss of <C&L> is personally overseeing this. You’re already part of <Sincrown>, so don’t worry.”
He flicked his spent cigarette to the ground and glanced back. The moment he saw the large wooden box, his fingers trembled.
The source of this eerie tension was the large box.
It contained the rare monster, the Long-Tailed Phoenix, found only in special environments.
The group around the Supreme One were members of the Sincrown faction. Their goal was to sell this rare monster to the buyer for a high price.
But the box exuded a strange aura.
Even though it was just a box, an indescribable ominous and unpleasant feeling emanated from it. Was the Long-Tailed Phoenix really inside? It felt like something far more terrifying was in there.
The seal on the box was perfect. The monster should be in a deep sleep.
Yet, he was afraid.
Damn, I shouldn’t have taken this job.
The Supreme One inwardly lamented.
He should have rejected Isein’s offer. No, he should have reported it even if it meant being arrested for a murder he didn’t commit.
“We’ll take care of the aftermath once this is done.”
He came here today, believing the secretary’s words.
But they were likely lies. If something went wrong, they would find a way to implicate him.
It felt like an invisible noose was tightening around his neck.
“Keh……”
It was too late.
“Late.”
From the opposite side of the dungeon gate, shrouded in darkness, the buyer appeared.
The buyer was a foreigner, wearing sunglasses even in the dark, accompanied by an interpreter and a hunter who seemed to be a bodyguard.
His nationality and background were unknown, but he offered a large sum of money. The Sincrown faction didn’t care about his identity; they just wanted to get rid of this ominous box quickly.
The buyer muttered something, and the interpreter relayed it.
“He wants to inspect the item. Open the box.”
“……”
“……”
Their gazes wavered. No one wanted to open the box.
“Why not? Is there a problem with the item?”
“No, how can you say that about something we obtained!”
“We don’t do business on trust alone. We need to inspect the item before the transaction.”
“Fine, I get it.”
The response was still reluctant. The leader of the Sincrown faction pointed to one of them.
“Hey, you go open it.”
“M-Me?”
“Are you going to do it, or do I have to do it myself!”
Finally, the most experienced member approached the box. As he inserted the key into the lock and tried to turn it……
Bang!
“Aaah!”
“What’s the commotion?”
Even the rebuke in his voice trembled slightly.
“Boss, there’s a strange sound coming from inside!”
Bang, bang, bang!
The dull vibrations grew stronger.
“Famous Sincrown faction, and you’re all scared.”
The interpreter sneered and stepped forward, intending to open the unlocked box.
“Hey, stop……”
“Why? There’s a sealing spell on it……”
Thud!
The interpreter didn’t finish his sentence.
The box split vertically, and a black hand shot out.