Chapter 7
Chapter 7
By the time I had gotten used to living with Yeo-reum, something strange had started happening in this area.
Well… calling it “strange” wasn’t entirely accurate.
It was more like something “planned” was finally unfolding.
Bang!
The gun barked fire.
A silver anti-monster bullet pierced through the slime’s body, tearing into it and striking its core.
The slime didn’t even get a chance to react before it burst apart.
I casually cleaned up the remains and reported to my partner.
“Low-tier monster, slime. One eliminated.”
[You’ve been running into monsters way too often lately, don’t you think?]
“Tell me about it.”
It really had been happening too frequently.
Before, monsters were mostly mimics of Earth creatures—rats, spiders, things like that. Occasionally appearing once every day or two, drawn by residual demonic energy.
But now…
Only slimes were showing up.
Slimes were still low-tier monsters, but they weren’t exactly common. In fact, they were rare enough that encountering them regularly was abnormal.
And they were annoying to deal with.
Unlike other monsters that could be taken down anywhere, slimes required precision. You had to destroy their core.
Which meant…
Yeah. Something had changed.
A territory had been established.
All demons that descended into this world lost power initially.
So to recover, and to operate freely, they usually built territory zones.
And this pattern of slime appearances meant one thing.
The demon that came down with me had finally settled in.
The slime demon, Amunis.
He controlled slimes.
Which meant this entire situation… was likely his doing.
I glanced at the clock.
Almost time to get off work.
And more importantly…
Yeo-reum would be waking up soon.
“Munch… munch… munch…”
Morning.
Yeo-reum was eating with surprising enthusiasm, stuffing her cheeks full of rice.
Her small face puffed out as she chewed, completely focused.
I just watched her.
She didn’t seem to mind my gaze anymore.
She was probably just used to it by now.
Even though there was still time before school, she was eating quickly like she was in a hurry.
She must really like it.
“Yeo-reum, is it good?”
“Yes! It’s super tasty!”
She nodded vigorously.
Now I understood why parents always asked that question.
Hearing a child say the food is good… gives a strange kind of satisfaction.
For the record, what I made was just stir-fried dried squid using pre-made seasoning.
Truly the work of modern culinary science.
“Wanna eat chicken tonight?”
“Chicken!!”
“I’ll buy it on my way back from work.”
At that, Yeo-reum suddenly stopped eating.
“…You’re going to work again?”
“Yeah. I’ve got a late shift today.”
“…You’ll be careful, right?”
She asked it quietly.
Of course she did.
Her parents were killed by monsters.
So even hearing about “work” probably made her uneasy.
I smiled confidently.
“Don’t worry. I’m really strong.”
But she still stared at me.
That worried look didn’t go away.
So I gently placed a piece of egg roll on her rice.
“Eat this too. It’s good.”
“Yes!”
She went back to eating.
I watched her for a moment, then made a decision.
Amunis would be dealt with.
Permanently.
Leaving him alive carried too much risk.
If things went wrong… Yeo-reum could become his target.
That possibility alone was enough.
I wouldn’t allow it.
Never again.
After dropping Yeo-reum off at school, I didn’t go home.
Instead, I began tracking mana signatures.
Amunis, the slime demon I came down with.
He was the weakest among demons.
In the game “Magical Girl Estia,” he was literally a tutorial boss.
A lazy, gelatinous mass that mostly just slept.
So lazy that even while demons prepared a full-scale invasion, he just… stayed still and expanded his territory at his own pace.
Which meant something important.
If I killed him… the demon army wouldn’t care much.
They’d probably just say, “Well, he must’ve been annoying.”
So there was no downside.
Which meant…
It was better to eliminate him now.
I followed the dense, humid mana trail underground.
“…Found you.”
I lifted the manhole cover and descended.
The deeper I went, the more comfortable it felt.
Yeah. He really was just lying around and doing nothing.
At the bottom of the sewer, slimes began to appear.
They wobbled toward me like they were greeting someone they adored.
I ignored them completely.
And kept walking.
Eventually, I arrived at the deepest point.
There he was.
A massive, bloated humanoid slime.
Transparent, gelatinous body.
Amunis.
I called out.
“Amunis.”
He stirred slowly.
“Who… dares call my name…”
“It’s me.”
He blinked at me for a moment.
Then immediately dropped to his knees and slammed his head into the ground.
“N-Nacht-sama…?! W-Why are you here?!”
I actually paused.
That reaction was unexpected.
Amunis was technically my subordinate.
A lazy, useless, but obedient one.
So I came here to interrogate him… and maybe kill him.
But this level of submission?
Even I was surprised.
“…I came to check your work.”
“Yes! As ordered, I have completed territory expansion!”
So he actually worked.
Shocking.
“…And now you’re resting?”
“Yes…! I was investigating the anomaly you ordered, but…”
“And?”
“The slimes carrying information… kept getting killed by the police before reaching you…”
I blinked.
“…Excuse me?”
Amunis continued bowing.
“T-They were drawn to your presence, Nacht-sama! But before they could reach you, they were eliminated by that police organization!”
“…I see.”
So that’s what this was.
Wait.
That means all those slimes I’ve been killing…
Were actually messengers?
“…Unfortunate.”
Amunis kept rambling.
“We think one of the initial monsters evolved abnormally into a demon-like entity. We were investigating it, but… it kept getting killed by the police…”
That part I already knew.
Because I was the one killing them.
But I wasn’t about to explain that.
“I see.”
I nodded slowly.
Then shifted my thoughts.
No more need for information.
I already had what I needed.
Now only one thing remained.
Eliminate him.