Greedy Slime
The guard lowered his stance, blocking the way as if to protect Rumiel.
“Are you okay? No injuries?”
“……”
Rumiel didn't answer. She just stared at the guard fixedly.
“……” Uncle, what are you doing?”
“What do you mean! I'm saving you!”
The guard continued firmly.
“These guys are more dangerous than you think. Don't let your guard down just because they look scary!”
“……”
Rumiel was at a loss for words for a moment.
What was she supposed to say?
To her, it was just a cute slime, but the guard was treating it as if confronting a huge monster.
'Does he think I'm a novice?'
Uh, thinking about it, that could be.
Rumiel let out a sigh.
Thinking about it, this place was near the novice village.
Even a level 5 mob could be a threatening presence for novices.
So, from the guard's perspective, he was saving a young girl who had approached a dangerous monster.
“……” Uncle, I'm fine.
“So I said, you shouldn't come out alone like this, go back to the village!”
The guard said firmly.
But Rumiel had no intention of returning to the village.
Instead, this was the real beginning of the adventure, so don't go back like this.
Rumiel slowly sighed and said.
“I'm fine. I'm strong.”
“Strong? What are you talking about, a novice suddenly saying that?”
The guard shook his head, unable to believe it.
“I'm not a novice...”
Rumiel stared at the guard for a while, then suddenly an interesting thought crossed her mind.
Since explaining wouldn't help, showing it directly would be the fastest way.
Rumiel quietly looked at the slime.
The one that had been attacked was still flailing on the ground.
“Uncle, I'll show you something fun.”
“……”?
While the guard looked puzzled, Rumiel quietly raised her hand.
And—
Damage dealt: 3,000,000,000
Slime disappeared without a trace.
Only small items left on the ground.
The guard's mouth fell open in shock.
“Wh-what...?”
Rumiel quietly looked at the guard and gave a small smile.
The guard stared blankly, alternating between Rumiel and the ground.
“...... What, what is this? What was that just now!?”
In panic.
“What the hell happened?! Who are you... who are you really?!”
Rumiel looked at the clear sky for a moment, then slowly opened her mouth.
“Just, a passing adventurer.”
The guard was still unable to shake off the shock, muttering.
But Rumiel no longer paid attention to him.
“Then, I'll be going.”
“Wait, wait a sec! Where are you going?!”
“To adventure.”
Saying that, Rumiel slowly walked towards the forest path where slimes were bouncing.
The guard stared with a dazed expression until Rumiel's figure disappeared beyond the horizon.
¤
Passing the slime habitat, a faint sobbing sound came from somewhere.
“Hic, ugh...”
Rumiel turned her gaze to the direction of the sound.
On the side of the road, a red-haired man was squatting and crying.
“...... Ah.”
This NPC was also in Rumiel's memory.
Piolo.
One of the novice quests that could be progressed here.
This Piolo was the NPC whose bag was stolen by the slime.
The bag contained the village return scroll, the key item of the quest, so he couldn't go home.
Rumiel quietly approached him.
“Excuse me... are you okay?”
When she spoke, Piolo startled and looked up.
Red hair, round face, expression all teary.
“Hic, ugh... Adventurer-nim?”
He looked at Rumiel, sniffed, and wiped his tears.
“Adventurer-nim. Sorry for showing such a shameful sight. ... If you have no business, could you help me?”
“What's wrong?”
“Hic, I'm... Piolo.”
As expected from memory.
“Slimes stole my bag. That greedy slime over there bit my bag and ran away... There's a village return scroll inside, I lost it. So I can't go home...”
Rumiel reflexively opened her inventory.
A stack of tens of thousands of village return scrolls came into view.
Quantity limit, so many that it's a pity not to be able to take more.
Rumiel scratched her cheek and pondered for a moment.
Thinking about it, according to the encyclopedia description she saw casually before, the greedy slime is more sticky, soft, and even delicious than regular slimes.
Soft and delicious slime.
... What would it feel like?
Rumiel felt her heart flutter with sudden anticipation.
Since she's already here, it was a chance to check directly.
After closing inventory, she slowly nodded.
“Wait. I'll find it for you.”
“Y-you really?”
Piolo looked at Rumiel while wiping tears.
Rumiel smiled and nodded.
“Hic... Thank you! Adventurer-nim!”
Behind Piolo bowing his head repeatedly with grateful expression, Rumiel walked towards the direction of the greedy slime's dwelling.
With a fluttering heart, she slowly moved her feet while looking around.
But, there was a customer.
Far away, a faint silhouette of a person was visible.
Rumiel stopped walking for a moment.
This place is one she's passed dozens, no, hundreds of times.
And clearly—
It was a place where NPCs don't appear.
Then, that person...?
Rumiel's ahoge stood up straight.
Perhaps that person is a 'player' like Rumiel herself, suddenly hope fills her.
Rumiel has never seen a player other than herself so far.
In this place where all NPCs act as if alive, perhaps there is someone in Rumiel's position.
If so, maybe they can adventure together?
Rumiel approached him quickly with fluttering heart.
But,
The moment she saw the name and level floating above his head, Rumiel's hope crashed miserably.
[Lv.8 Novice Adventurer]
Rumiel's ahoge lost power and drooped.
Rumiel's eyes also became sorrowful, drawing a soft curve.
It was an NPC.
But... it was an NPC she hadn't seen before.
A novice adventurer.
There was no such NPC in quests that can be done here.
A completely new existence.
Along with disappointment, a strange curiosity welled up.
Anticipation for new discovery swelled.
Rumiel no longer hesitated and approached in one breath.
“Who are you?”
“......!?”
Unexpected voice from behind, the novice adventurer startled and turned his head.
Startled eyes scanned Rumiel instantly.
“Waah!?”
The novice adventurer, who lost balance and staggered, hurriedly lowered his body and hid in the bushes.
Face showed embarrassment.
“Ah, no... what?!”
Why suddenly like this.
Rumiel tilted her head and looked at the novice adventurer.
The novice adventurer also stared fixedly at Rumiel, sighed as if in disbelief.
“What, it's a kid? Why is a kid here?”
“What are you doing now?”
“...... What?!”
The novice adventurer scanned Rumiel up and down again.
Then burst into laughter.
“...... You're kidding? Do you know where this place is?”
“Yeah. It's where the greedy slimes are.”
“You came here knowing that?”
The novice adventurer looked incredulous.
“You, got lost?”
Shook head.
Rumiel remembers every meaningless fire hydrant placed in the corner of the novice village.
To such Rumiel, saying got lost doesn't make sense.
“...... You didn't come here without a guardian, did you?”
The novice adventurer scratched his head as if in disbelief, glared at Rumiel and sighed again.
“Haa... Yeah, kids sometimes pretend to be brave and come out of the village. But you came too deep. This place is not for kids like you. It's dangerous.”
Rumiel blinked at those words.
In the game, the greedy slime was an unusually weak monster among early monsters.
It had low attack power despite high HP, so even beginners with some movement could fight without armor.
Since Rumiel knows this fact very well, the novice adventurer's worry doesn't make sense at all.
“...... So, what are you doing?”
“Me? Of course, I came to receive a request!”
The novice adventurer proudly puffed his chest.
“An old man had his bag stolen! I'm going to get it back for that poor old man!”
Rumiel's eyes sparkled with interest.
'It's the first time I've seen an NPC go to solve a quest directly!'
In the original game system, quests were always performed by players.
But this NPC is acting on his own, trying to solve the problem himself.
It was a very strange sight.
“But, you came here alone, right?”
The novice adventurer asked while still looking suspicious.
“Yeah.”
“...... Haha, amazing guts.”
Then suddenly chuckled and continued.
“Well, anyway, a kid like you can't catch even one slime, so go back.”
“……”
“Didn't you hear? If a kid is here, it only gets in the way, so go back to the village obediently.”
Rumiel stared at the novice adventurer with a dazed expression.
'What would the greedy slime taste like.'
That was Rumiel's thought.