Elixirs Hijack the Gallery's Hot Topic
The Slime Core Gallery had abruptly shifted its main buzz to my elixir buying post.
Previously dominated by chatter about subspecies raids and their rewards, now it was all speculation about the next dungeons to be unveiled.
While the gallery was buzzing with wild guesses,
I was chatting back and forth with folks who'd reached out after seeing my post.
Yeah, thinking about it, money's pretty worthless in this apocalypse world...
There weren't many places to spend it even if you had it.
Fancy meals... taxes... and uh...
"Uh..."
Whatever, having money's better than not, but...
The real issue was she wasn't hurting for cash either, so there wasn't much to trade.
I've been sending her tons of tickets as thanks for her constant help, so even tempting her with those won't work.
What the hell do I give her? No matter how I rack my brain, tentacles are the only thing that comes to mind...
Should I just take her materials and finish that tentacle dungeon for real?
As expected, Sticky's tentacle loyalty runs deep.
Her tastes are utterly baffling, but she's waited this long—time to deliver.
Let's give her what she wants.
My resolve to reclaim the surface seemed to have shifted her mindset too. Before, it felt like resignation; now, she was thinking more about the future?
Back to square one, huh.
Hm... I've met other admins like Padak in person already, no big issues.
"She's way too paranoid about security."
How big a deal is she?
Still, she's helped me countless times—meeting up's the least I can do.
"With conditions like that, isn't she basically giving away the elixir for free?"
Just like that, we set a meetup for tomorrow, and she'd hand over the elixir in person.
"Got one down..."
Hope the rest go this smoothly.
[Message arrived.]
[Message arrived.]
I started replying to the incoming chat requests one by one.
Unlike potions, elixirs surprisingly had decent stock.
Sip... Why does this sound so scammy...
I bought elixirs from about 20 sellers this way.
After wrapping up deals, I pulled out a bought elixir and fed it to Kkomangi.
"Hek hek..."
*Shiver*
As expected, Kkomangi shivered happily, his jiggly body quaking.
The elixir I gave him? For cold hands and chills. Drives out internal cold, boosts circulation, warms the whole body. Great for winter outdoors or Raynaud's.
Something like that.
I set up a sign describing it in front of the changed bath in the Hot Spring Dungeon, with Yeomje distinguishing the pools.
Since baths change randomly, someone inside has to ID the new effects.
Feed too many at once, and they'd mix—hard to tell effects apart.
I cracked another elixir and fed Kkomangi.
"Hek hek..."
"...Good thing I stocked up more than expected."
Unlike war-depleted potions, elixirs were kept as supplements by many.
Potions needed finicky core ingredients, and their herb farms burned in the monster war.
Elixirs? Just refine various herbs into pills—no rare cores—so plenty available.
One issue: most effects were meh.
I wanted something potent, but most were just vitamins.
Excluding Sticky's incoming one, Aisha's was strongest. She made it herself—wonder if I can get regulars...
"Hmm..."
In the Magic Tower's research wing, Aisha was experimenting with rewards from the last subspecies raid.
A giant slime core.
Pipes and devices linked to it in the lab's center.
Unlike normal strategies exhausting it with jelly, they'd depleted all that insane volume, leaving a pristine core.
Tower's goal was inner subspecies core jelly, but...
"A core this intact... must have other uses."
Analysis showed it wasn't just a scaled-up normal slime core—fundamentally different structure.
Obviously, given it powered that mass and otherworldly abilities.
Aisha couldn't hide her awe with each test.
It was confirmed as a massive bio-power source.
Problem: zero grasp of internal structure.
Red and gold inner cores inside? For that output, it'd need complex efficiency—but filled with cores? Impossible.
Like a scientist facing quantum mechanics for the first time, she was stumped.
And this core... looked dead, but half-alive.
Tested with jelly: no absorption, no reaction.
Then a teammate rushed in with fresh data.
"Aisha! This core's output shatters predictions!! Instead of smashing for jelly, why not process it properly!? Humanity's history-changing feat!!"
"...I agree. Too rare to crack open. Need formal approval from Tower Master."
Maybe this pristine core was the true giant slime prize.
Next day.
I met StickyThingLover in the empty Hot Spring Dungeon as promised.
She was a stunning beauty with radiant golden hair and red eyes.
Uncannily like that Empire princess pic from the gallery once.
Her gift? Not an elixir, sadly.
*Click*
"You're mine now."
"...?"
"Serve this lady eternally. I'll treasure you."
The princess collared me like a dog.