Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: How About a Drink!
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Kim Yongchan's party's first official member.
The familiar slime.
Lime, for short, turned out to be a surprisingly versatile monster.
"Hmm... But now, how do we get out?"
"Master. If it's something like that, I have a good way!"
"A way?"
Suddenly, a monster and a hunter emerged together from a hospital room that had only had one occupant.
It was, of course, a scene that couldn't be shown to anyone.
As they pondered this, Lime struck a pose with hands on hips, cleared her throat with an "Ahem!", and her eyes sparkled.
"Here goes! Nom nom nom! Stretch stretch stretch!"
"Nom... stretch?"
For a moment, he was taken aback by the sudden strange incantation.
Shururuk.
"Huh?!"
"Hehe. In this form, no one will recognize me."
Lime, who had shifted from a humanoid shape into liquid, reduced her volume and clung to his right wrist, soon taking on the perfect form of a watch.
This must be the shape-shifting I've only heard about with slimes. First time seeing it in person.
He had read about it in books.
The only disguise technique possible even within dungeons—unique to slimes.
He knew they could change shape, but he hadn't imagined they could alter their size too.
Probably, the humanoid slime they had taken down before hadn't had time to transform like this because combat started right away.
On the flip side, if we'd been ambushed like this... it could've been a much bigger problem.
Truly, a super rare monster from the upper dungeon levels.
As he appraised Lime highly, his top priority right now was to escape this place.
"By the way, Lime. Do you know what kind of watch that is you transformed into?"
"No idea! I just went with what popped into my head!"
Even to him, who didn't know luxury 'S' brands, it looked like a top-tier pure gold watch, but now wasn't the time to nitpick.
A man decked out in a suspicious suit, now with a solid gold watch on his wrist.
Thanks to that, as he walked the hospital corridor, he felt stickier stares from the nurses than usual, but he tried his best to ignore them.
"Huh? No one's in the Velvet Room?"
Good luck or bad?
Entering the empty Velvet Room without Branch Chief Im Eonnyeon, he confirmed no one was around and slipped out of the building via the secret passage.
"Alright, this is the place you'll be living from now on, Lime."
"Home! I love home!"
Not a nest, perhaps.
But the monster Lime seemed to understand the concept of 'home' perfectly.
Well, she's a tamed familiar. The status window probably educated her before sending her to me.
It was a one-room apartment of about 10 pyeong, home to just one guy.
He'd worried it might feel cramped living with a kid-like companion.
But after clearing out the junk in the corner, there was decent space left.
So, the biggest worry was cleared.
Hmm, now the remaining issue is food...
Familiar monsters were pricey upfront, but their upkeep costs were no joke either—hence called luxuries in the hunter world.
If they were omnivores eating anything, fine.
Some demanded gold, oil, or even nuclear power in extreme cases.
If Lime's diet fell into that expensive category, worst case, though it wouldn't be polite...
I'd have to borrow money from Seolgi...
His one true friend and top-tier diamond wallet among his acquaintances.
No other option but to ask Lee Seolgi.
So.
"Lime, you hungry?"
"Starving!"
He decided to check his kid's eating habits first.
"Can I eat right now?"
"...Huh?"
Rice?
He'd eaten all the rice in the cooker before leaving, for sure.
So what did she mean by 'rice'?
As he tilted his head, Lime waddled toward the kitchen sink.
She turned on the faucet herself, then pressed her mouth to the tap and gulped water like mad.
"W-water?!"
Oh right, she's a slime made of mucus.
He'd forgotten for a sec because she looked so human.
And to smoothly reform the clinging slime, nothing beat 'water'.
Lime's food turned out to be one of the world's most abundant resources: 'water'.
Food bill... saved!
Though the water bill might skyrocket.
Still, compared to maintaining a regular familiar, this was an unbeatable deal.
Lime was truly a lucky charm for the house.
"Oh, right! Master, master!"
"Yeah? What's up, Lime?"
"Oh yeah, I had something to tell you!"
Meanwhile.
Having chugged enough water, her belly puffed out, Lime let out a satisfied burp—buuuurp—and turned to him as if just remembering.
Wondering what it was, he listened closely.
"Y'know, when we go down to the dungeon later, take me to... that lake where you were at the end!"
"The lake?"
Meaning Lee Gok's secret spot? Take her there?
No, wait—how did she even know about that place only they two knew?
"Lime, how do you know about that?"
"Yeah, see... before I met you, I was in this really dark space?"
"Dark space?"
"Yeah! Then I vaguely saw you there, and when you reached out your hand, I could come out!"
I reached out my hand?
Not pointed a gun?
Lime's words sounded like a kid describing a dream—hard to follow.
But she was definitely on his side, no matter what.
"So something 'special' will happen if we go there?"
"Yeah! Can't explain it, but... anyway! Feels like something good will happen if we go!"
Books said monsters' instincts beat humans'.
And it was layer 1 anyway, unavoidable on dungeon runs.
Fine, he'd trust Lime once and set the next exploration target: the hidden lakeside in layer 1, Lee Gok's secret spot.
Ding dong.
"Huh?"
"Eh?"
With today's tasks done.
To celebrate discharge, he pulled out his phone for some draft beer and chicken.
Then the doorbell rang out of nowhere.
"Who the hell at this hour?"
Current time: 11 PM.
Time for good kids to hit the sack quick...
But for not-so-good adult women, prime time to snag a guy and grind that heated crotch.
A world screwed by male pervs.
Wary it might be one, he gripped his fire pen in one hand, stood with Lime at the door, ready to counter...
"Hey, Kim Yongchan! I know you're in there. Open up~."
The woman visiting his one-room late at night.
None other than his childhood friend, who surprisingly hadn't called once while he was out cold.
And for some reason.
Even in this sex-lenient world, a virgin strutting outdoors in just a few ribbon strings—Lee Seolgi.
"Does she have no shame?!"
The ribbons on Seolgi covered only the woman's most vital spots.
Everything else—genitals and breasts aside—was fully exposed.
Unable to just watch, he quickly had Lime shift back to watch form, then hurriedly opened the door.
"Aren't you embarrassed?!"
"Not really? If I hadn't come like this, you'd have pretended not to be home, right?"
"Well..."
...True.
Still, this outfit was too much.
...No.
Compared to that time she showed up with just three bandages, this was almost modest.
That got him dragged to the station for public indecency too.
Anyway.
"I'm coming in~."
"H-hey, wait!"
She breezed past him and plopped naturally in the room's center.
Anyone'd think she was the lady of the house.
"Eaten yet? Checked with the Hunter Association—Kim Hyunjun just got discharged?"
"...I'm Kim Yongchan."
"Sigh, can't you drop that shitty concept? Even in that weird outfit, I can tell by your pussy smell."
Why's the detection method pussy scent, of all things.
He thought something was up with the sudden visit, but Seolgi was already convinced he was Kim Hyunjun in disguise.
Tracked him down to celebrate discharge.
"You haven't eaten yet, right?"
"Uh... well... was napping..."
"Bullshit. For that, the semen load in your balls is way too full."
Childhood friend skills OP?
Lee Seolgi, who could now gauge his semen volume beyond pussy scent.
"That amount needs at least two days bedridden, like Lee Gok unnie chilling at the family villa, to mature."
"How do you even know that...?"
"Duh, the scent hits right away—two days' worth."
No, scent changes by quantity too?
At this point, she was his personal expert.
He hadn't realized, but two days had passed since collapsing in the dungeon.
"Anyway, you're home after ages, right."
"Uh..."
"Argh! Fine! Let's just celebrate with drinks today!"
"...Drinks?"
Still, childhood friend.
Whatever the reason, she'd come worried about him.
And he was just about to eat dinner.
Timing perfect.
"Sure, why not?"
He set the table in front of Seolgi and was about to grab some soju.
"Oh, for drinks, I brought some!"
"Oh, yeah?"
Seolgi beamed, bringing her hands from behind her back.
Thus, he and his childhood friend after so long...
"Huh?"
...were about to clink glasses.
"...Vodka?"
What was this?
Jack Daniel's, Johnny Walker Black, Jim Beam, Chivas Regal, Valentine, and more.
"Today, specially strong... no, good booze!"
Western liquors with ABVs that made soju look like water slammed onto the table.