Chapter 165
Chapter 165
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: penny
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Waves Rising from the Sea
-----------------------------------------------------------------
A small, wriggling purple creature.
It resembled a slug made entirely of slime. But clutched in Aria's hand, it trembled violently, chirping desperately over and over as if begging her to spare its life.
"It may not look like much, but it's great for restoring vitality. Good for the baby in the belly too."
I had no desire to argue with something verified by experience, but looking at this tiny thing called a slime, I couldn't help feeling pity for it.
"These live near the water's edge, but they're usually not easy to find. Nephyr must've gotten incredibly lucky."
"Not easy to find? It seems pretty slow-moving and weak-looking—"
The question that briefly popped into my head was quickly answered. Wedged between Aria's fingers, the slime wriggled furiously, then mimicked her appearance perfectly.
"What...?"
Then, in that identical form, it clasped its hands together in supplication and chirped again, as if pleading not to be eaten.
"That's how they always act. They copy whatever's around them exactly. Anyway, it's incredibly good for the body."
Aria's claim that it was especially beneficial for pregnant women finally made sense. To the natives, these slimes were practically walking treasure troves.
Most civilizations had superstitions like that. The kind where [eating something similar enhances that ability].
The variations were endless. Stories like eating the eyes of animals with good eyesight improves your vision, or pig lungs are good for your respiratory system, or the gruesome rumor that eating the brain of the smartest person makes you just as intelligent...
They were usually untrue,
but it seemed a similar superstition had arisen on this planet.
"Give me some too."
"Me too, just a little...!"
Arachne and Nephyr requested a piece to share. But Aria promptly swatted their hands away, gripped the slime tightly, and declared,
"It's still too small. Better to raise it a bit more before eating."
Yet everyone's eyes burned with their own flames of determination.
Even those without children felt compelled by the mere mention of its benefits for pregnant women, fueling their resolve to claim it for themselves.
"...Amy, what's with you?"
"Ah— nip. No, nothing."
"Sigh. You can't give in either. Especially not you."
Even Amy, who could scan and analyze the slime, was swept up by Aria's words, clenching her fists tightly. That said it all.
"If we're raising it more before eating, just let me take care of it... No, I'll carry it around. This is gonna cause a fight. Everyone, disperse! Stop staring and disperse!"
In the end, I took custody of the slime, clutching it tightly in both fists as I carried it around.
Everyone looked disappointed and sullen,
but since I stepped up to take it, they didn't make a fuss and quietly returned to their spots.
"Joo-ho, how are you planning to raise it?"
Only after things settled did Isaac sneak over and ask me. In his eyes, this little slime probably looked like a pitiful young girl evoking sympathy.
I knew the feeling all too well.
I felt the same.
"Well... I dunno. Carry it around and release it somewhere suitable?"
"Don't hold back on my account. Think of your ladies first. I'm just tagging along anyway, what do I matter..."
But we both reached the same conclusion.
This was a world of the survival of the fittest,
and we'd eaten plenty of animals and plants to get this far.
There was no need to feign sympathy. If we were sparing it just because it looked similar, we'd have pitied all the wild boars we'd hunted, roasted, and devoured up to now.
"Yeah, I know. I'll raise it well and feed it to them or whatever..."
Still, the slime panted raggedly in my palm, wriggling about.
It seemed a little relieved now. The other women had been ready to pop it straight into their mouths, so my hands, which were keeping it alive for the moment, must have felt somewhat safe.
Yes,
just like me back in the days when I fled desperately to survive.
"..."
This little thing was struggling hard to live too.
It was unfortunate that its fate lay in my palm,
and yet it seemed to mistake me for its savior, shedding tears of gratitude as it rubbed its cheek against my hand.
7 hours after discovering the slime.
We'd built a temporary shelter for the night,
and now sat around the bonfire in the center, chatting.
"The more I watch it, the cuter it gets..."
Today's topic was the slime.
Perched on my palm, it munched contentedly on some seaweed stems I'd roughly dug up. Its cheeks and belly were already puffed out round and full.
I couldn't resist disrupting its peaceful meal, so I pressed down firmly on its forehead with my finger. Like a balloon, its inflated body flailed, and it toppled backward. Adorable.
"How much bigger does it need to get before it's edible?"
"Hmm... about 30 days."
"Who has time to wait that long? No sense at all."
"Such impatience. 30 days is nothing."
"...Huh?"
As Aria and Arachne raised their voices slightly, the slime startled again, trembling and hiding behind my hand as its safe haven. Even that was utterly cute.
It shouldn't be cute, but it was.
Was this how it survived?
"Think about it. Slimes are rare prey you hardly ever see. Eat this one now, and you might not spot another for years?"
Aria addressed everyone once more.
Gliding gracefully over the moonlit river, she explained just how valuable capturing the slime had been.
"Look, even the finned beast is holding back, arms crossed like that... Spiders really have no patience."
"...Not like you're any better, splashing around excitedly in the water. If we're talking rare prey, aren't mermaids pretty exotic too? Should I skin and eat you right now?"
"Ahh, please don't fight, you two..."
As Aria described, slimes seemed extremely rare. But if so, it didn't make sense for Jenny to sit there arms crossed, just watching.
I discreetly cupped the slime with both hands to hide it and checked Jenny's condition. Her eyes were already fixed on me and the slime.
"Doesn't feel right."
Jenny was suppressing her immediate hunger while mulling over the [ominousness] of this slime that had appeared before them.
"Be careful in the sea, everyone. I won't die anyway. Dad doesn't need to worry. I'll protect you."
Her senses were extraordinary. An intuition sharper than quick wits, bordering on instinct.
After issuing her curt warning, Jenny climbed onto a massive boulder by the river and settled down to sleep atop it.
"...Do all finned beasts have personalities like that?"
"She was like that in the desert too..."
The rest of us were left below, scratching our heads in the awkward atmosphere.
Jenny's cold water doused everyone's heads, spreading unease.
"Maybe we just got lucky finding it. Right, Joo-ho?"
"Yeah, probably. But still..."
My survival instincts, dulled lately, sharpened again at Jenny's pointed words.
Honed to a razor's edge, sparks flew.
My vision flashed.
"Dr., I have something to show you."
Tat-tat-tat—
Amy, who had been keeping watch a bit farther out, hurried over with urgent steps.
In her hand was something very familiar...
"A slime?"
Another slime.
Amy had brought back one even larger and squishier than mine.
"A slime?"
"Two in one day...?"
Aria and Arachne finally tilted their heads, sensing something off about the unfolding situation.
Now, the only one with a bright expression in our temporary shelter was the slime on my palm.
Thrilled by the reunion, it waved happily at its kin on Amy's hand, but...
"They don't seem friendly."
Amy's slime puffed out its cheeks and deliberately ignored mine.
Smaller and a bit dimmer, it probably got bullied in the group.
"Where'd you find this one? Weren't slimes supposed to be super rare?"
"That's why I'm reporting it."
Amy pointed behind her.
All our gazes turned to the long river stretching beyond the massive boulder where Jenny slept.
"They're swimming upstream."
"Huh?"
"A total of 281. Different sizes and colors per individual. But all following the same migration path."
Aria and Arachne jumped in alarm but grabbed bags to collect them, not wanting to miss the chance. But...
Isaac and I shared the same thought simultaneously.
"Damn. Something's definitely going down."
At our destination,
something ominous was stirring in the sea.