Volume 4 Chapter 102 The Issue of Being Reborn and Having Lava Extracted
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
It was one of those days when I was called in by Beckus, the blacksmith. He greeted me with, “So, Taro, you still haven’t caught a lava slime?” We were talking inside a room of the Love Hotel, which had been turned into a workshop.
The lava slime was a monster found on the sixth floor, called Burning Dragon Peak. Its body looked like molten lava, glowing red and giving off heat. Just standing near it could burn you, and touching it meant instant death.
I had beaten them many times, but only with magic from a distance. Fighting with a sword was too risky, and touching it with bare hands was insane.
But now, this old dwarf wanted us to capture one alive. Why?
”That’s a secret,” Beckus said, stroking his mustache with a grin.
”I don’t need a big one. Even a small, weak one will do.”
That seemed more possible.
”If it’s small enough, I can catch it with my magic,” interjected Rozmiaque, an elf with flowing gold hair that cascaded down his back and long ears. He was my father-in-law, and the father of Lifia. Ever since Lifia became pregnant with my child, he had been stepping up in her stead.
Rozmiaque specialized in tree magic through spirits. Originally weak against fire, he had grown in this dungeon’s sixth floor and now boasted heat resistance. If he said he could do it, I might as well believe him.
It was worth a shot.
* * *
So, we made our way to the sixth floor of the dungeon. The moment I opened the door, I was engulfed by a landscape of dark red plains and surging flames—a veritable hellfire.
A wave of heat assaulted me, as if trying to incinerate me whole. Without the safety of the Love Hotel, which had a warp feature, reaching this place would have been impossible. Yet here we were, systematically conquering this scorched dungeon, one careful step at a time.
”Ice Protection!” Yomi chanted, and all around us, countless ice shards levitated into existence. Cold air wafted from the shards, shielding us from the heat.
Until now, Lifia’s wind magic had kept the scorching winds at bay. But she was pregnant, so we had to rely on Yomi.
Despite her insistence that she was fine to keep active, I refused to relent. There was no room for error—not when she was expecting. There were ample healing options like potions and elf secret medicine, Ambrosia, but she was still pregnant. Extreme caution was a must. We could not afford any mishaps.
So now, we were relying on Yomi’s magic. But what would happen if Yomi ended up pregnant too? I had been planting my seeds with abandon every night. She was healthy, a teenage girl, so it was only a matter of time before she bore my child as well. Well, we’d take that as it came.
Regardless, we pressed on through the dungeon. Soon, we spotted our target: the lava slime. After all, it was one of the most frequently encountered weak monsters on this floor. Of course, it was only considered weak relative to the deeper parts of this dungeon. Should it ever appear on the surface, it could trigger a catastrophe.
The lava slime that appeared was roughly a meter in diameter.
”All right. Rozmiaque, I’m counting on you,” I urged.
”Understood! Ssloualbo, Incinerate the fruit!”
As Rozmiaque chanted, red sprouts shot up from the ground beneath the slime. In no time, double leaves burst forth, and a gray trunk twisted and wriggled to ensnare the slime. However…
Slurp! The slime enveloped the plant instead and swallowed it whole.
”I’m so sorry. It seems to be too big still,” Rozmiaque said, remorse coloring his face.
”Well then, Yomi, you’re up.”
”Got it. —Absolute Ray!”
Yomi unfurled two spellbooks simultaneously. In the next moment, a pale blue beam erupted forth, piercing the body of the slime.
Steam hissing, the section struck blackened and hardened into lava rock. The slime quivered, retreating as it shed the stony part, gradually diminishing in size. We didn’t aim for the center, taking care not to deal a finishing blow.
”This is harder than it looks…” Yomi muttered, but she skillfully drained the slime’s power.
Before long, the slime had shrunk down to a small mass about ten centimeters in diameter. It had been weakened to a size that could now fit in my palm.
”This will do!”
Rozmiaque chanted again. The red plants bloomed forth, surrounding the tiny slime while scattering fiery powder. Sealing it as if in a cocoon, the creature transformed into something resembling a coconut, encased in a blackish-red shell.
”Master, how is this?” Rozmiaque raised the coconut with the slime inside, wiping his brow while beaming with pride.
”Perfect. Both of you did well.”
”Fufufu! Of course!”
”It’s an honor to hear that…!”
As I praised them, Yomi puffed her chest with ample breasts jiggling, while Rozmiaque appeared almost bashful.
Having accomplished our goal, we returned to the Love Hotel, our trophy in hand.
* * *
”I’ve been waiting for you!”
”Whoa! Is this the strongest class of slime?”
The dwarf brothers, Beckus and Nokiroul, came rushing as soon as the coconut was presented, genuinely excited by the sight. Their small frames belied the power they exuded, their eyes gleaming with anticipation.
”Is it in there!? Hurry and show me!”
”Wait—”
Rozmiaque’s warning fell on deaf ears as Nokiroul reached for the coconut without hesitation.
The red plants he controlled, while heat resistant, simultaneously radiated significant warmth. Although it posed no threat to Rozmiaque, anyone else touching it would likely—
”Ouch!!”
Exactly as expected. With a sound like sparks, Nokiroul recoiled, pressing his fingertip against his mouth.
”Rozmiaque, open it already.”
”Old man, if I open it carelessly, it’ll burst out.”
”Hmph… then what do we do?”
The dwarf brothers gritted their teeth, their eyes glued to the coconut like a child unable to resist a toy.
”Rozmiaque, what’s it like inside?”
His Spirit Magic enabled him to hear the inner thoughts of beings—monsters included. He could ascertain the situation of the trapped slime as well.
”…It’s filled with hostility. It’s desperately trying to break free from its shell.”
Yeah, once that thing is opened, it’s guaranteed to go berserk.
The lava slime that attacks by launching scorching lava. If we opened it indoors, that would be disastrous.
The motel that served as our workshop had limited flammable materials. So even if it emitted some lava, I didn’t expect significant damage. Still, I’d prefer to avoid it. A fire in my Love Hotel was out of the question.
”What if we let it out in the furnace?”
”Wouldn’t a sealing pot be safer?”
”Then we wouldn’t be able to observe it.”
Thus began a debate among the dwarf brothers.
”Here’s an idea, through your power, Master…”
Rozmiaque whispered to me. My power? Did the Love Hotel have a solution for this?
—Oh, right!
A small door in the wall of the Love Hotel. Just large enough for a laundry basket to fit through, and glowing faintly on the inside. We used it whenever we returned from an adventure.
This was the laundry service. It had a magical system that could restore clothing to like-new condition. This same system also perfectly cleansed not only clothing but potentially other items as well. It could cleanse cursed magical tools. Moreover, it could even wash monsters.
Most monsters instinctively viewed humans as foes and would attack. However, those that went through this service would forget their enmity and become as docile as harmless livestock.
”What? If such a thing exists, then hurry up and use it!”
Beckus urged.
Rozmiaque placed the coconut, encased in its red plants, into the laundry box and shut the door.
I displayed the Love Hotel’s menu and selected the laundry service. Tapping ‘Start Cleaning.’
An hourglass icon appeared on the menu—this would likely take time.
Sitting in wait for about an hour. During my previous cleansing of monsters—against a horde of demon sardines, it was completed within minutes. This wait felt disproportionately long.
A single tiny slime likely cost more in purification than a horde of demon sardines. This goes to show the more powerful the monster, the more challenging it is to cleanse.
After a while of waiting, I finally heard a cheerful ding, signaling the completion of the cleaning.
”Now then, what happened?”
I opened the door. The coconut didn’t appear altered from the outside. What about inside?
”The hostility has vanished.”
”Great! Open it! Show us!”
”Time to start the research!”
The dwarves crowded around. Rozmiaque reluctantly began to open the coconut slowly.
As it cracked open, out came the red slime.
There were large differences in appearance. But this monster, which had previously attacked us with lava, now only quivered softly, harmlessly. We had successfully neutralized it. The Love Hotel worked wonders.
”Yay! Time for research!”
Beckus cheered, quickly grabbing the slime.
”Hey, isn’t it hot?”
”Fufufu, I have heat-resistant gloves!”
”This is made from salamander leather. This much is nothing!”
Nokiroul boasted proudly.
I had to admit, they seemed to have learned a thing or two.
Thus, the subdued lava slime became the subject of relentless experiments at the hands of Beckus and his brother.
The girls rushed toward us, their eager voices blending into a cacophony of excitement as they surrounded the creature. The slime shimmied restlessly under their curious pokes and gentle tugs, its gel-like form quivering with what seemed like annoyance, yet it did not attempt to flee. What on earth was going on?
”That is the true nature of a lava slime,” Nokiroul explained, his tone matter-of-fact.
This lava slime had absorbed magma from the dungeon’s sixth floor. It grew stronger, gaining heat and molten energy from its surroundings. Beckus and the others had managed to siphon some lava from the slime, revealing what it was meant to truly be.
”I see,” I said, a wave of admiration washing over me. But even as I marveled, a frown tugged at my brow.
In its current state, the slime was undoubtedly adorable, reminiscent of a playful pet. But what about its combat power? If we were to domesticate this creature, would it actually be of any use in battle?
As if reading my thoughts, Beckus flashed a mischievous grin.
”That little fella can do much more than you think.”
”Huh?”
”The larger variants of the lava slimes can fly, you see?”
Indeed, I recalled tales of these larger slimes soaring through the air like balloons, raining down torrents of lava from their elevated vantage points—fierce opponents to say the least.
”The principle behind a slime’s flight lies in the gas produced within its body,” Nokiroul continued with a note of pride in his voice. “They take in lava from their surroundings, but they generate gas internally.”
So, this milky-white slime could float too, given the right conditions.
”If it grows larger, that is,” he added. “And a fully-grown slime possesses enough buoyancy to carry a substantial amount of lava.”
Meaning…
If this slime were to grow to a larger size, it would be capable of carrying something with the weight of molten rock. The thoughts raced in my mind. What could we make it transport? What did I want this creature to carry?
”You catch on quick,” Beckus said, a grin spreading across his face, reminiscent of a boy sharing his secret hideout plans.
”With it, we could probably even fly a ship.”
Notes:
• Rozmiaque – High-ranking elf investigating large-scale Spirit Magic usage. Condescending, believes a High Elf is involved. Uses 6-letter Spirit Magic to trap targets. Displays contempt for half-elves and humans. Aggressive interrogator, possibly capable of sensing hidden information.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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