Chapter 5
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 5
Chapter Title: Na Cho Mu: Fortuitous Encounter or Hidden Piece
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Daniela returned to her private quarters after giving Seong Cheon-je a basic tour of the place.
She closed the door behind her and leaned against it.
Listening to the occasional pops of embers from the fireplace, she steadied her pounding heart.
"Haa."
It was a joy she'd never felt before in her life.
It was as if spring had finally arrived in a heart that had always known only winter.
"My god, how... haa."
She swallowed dryly without realizing it.
A chill seeped through the sturdy metal door, cooling her back.
But her mind was so full of Seong Cheon-je that she barely noticed.
Daniela's clear eyes wavered.
'How could a man who fits me so perfectly just show up like this? It's ridiculous—he's just some adventurer!'
She had thrown herself into a political marriage with great resolve.
After all, women in this era were little more than tools for their families.
But what she got in return was the baron's one-sided disdain and mockery.
She had tried her utmost to turn her heart away from it all.
Yet what she witnessed was the baron bringing young virgins right in front of her to have his fun.
'It felt like my heart was being torn into a thousand pieces.'
Day after day, suffocating, maddening days.
She had come to see this place as her prison, her hell.
She didn't have the confidence to endure such profound betrayal.
All she wanted wasn't anything grand.
Just a smile. Just love.
'But to think I'd find peace of mind with some random adventurer I bumped into.'
What she had longed for from the baron.
Love.
Nothing grand or flashy—just simple love.
Sharing little jokes and laughs, cooking tasty meals together, enjoying tea time.
That everyday kind of love. Nothing more.
'The baron never gave me any of it. Cold-blooded bastard. He saw me as less than a scarecrow.'
But now, things were different.
As long as Seong Cheon-je was by her side, she felt like she could live like a human again—like a woman.
A smile bloomed naturally on her face.
"No, what am I thinking!"
Daniela shook her head.
Her cheeks flushed red.
Her heart was leaning toward Seong Cheon-je, but she had to put a stop to it.
'I'm still the baron's wife, after all. Right, we're just friends? Someone to chat with. I'm already a taken woman.'
But another thought crept in.
'But what if he's not taken? Do I even have an obligation to hold onto this marriage?'
She let out a deep sigh and bowed her head.
What was she supposed to do with these stifled feelings?
If there was one desire bubbling up...
She wanted to see Seong Cheon-je again.
That was all.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I stared at the notification in shock.
It was even more astonishing than the sight of the old man vanishing into death.
I'd gained a brand-new ability.
I reflexively shouted out.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙
[Foreigner's Concept Book]
Explanation: The distilled knowledge left by the first Foreigner. Displays information on the relevant concept or entity.
※Passive
"Status window."
Calling up the status window brought up a hefty new skill added to the list.
I examined it in awe.
⚔ STATUS ⚔
⚡ Strength:15
💨 Agility:15
✨ Magic Power:15
💪 Stamina:15
🍀 Luck:10
Unique Abilities: [MILF Collection App] [Origin Absorption] [Foreigner's Concept Book]
Other Skills: -
'Displays information on the relevant concept or entity?'
I wanted to test it right away.
I glanced around the room.
But there wasn't much worth looking at.
This old man must've lived in extreme poverty.
'What kind of guy was he anyway? Just spouting weird nonsense.'
Then my eyes fell on the sword.
I'd already checked its specs, but I wanted to confirm.
⚙ Foreigner's Concept Book ACTIVATED ⚙
[Sealed Almas. The holy sword Almas in a sealed state for some reason. Primary unlocking possible with a slime variant core.]
Normally, items only showed specs.
It never told me how to unlock this sword.
But this one did.
My mind raced. Just who the hell was this old man to have something like this?
"Whoa, insane. This is a total game-changer! It's like a goddamn wiki!"
Confidence surged through me.
I stepped out of the house immediately.
With my heart pounding, I headed beyond the territory.
I needed to hunt slimes anyway, right?
I licked my lips in anticipation.
'Something's bound to drop if I kill enough slimes.'
My chest swelled with excitement.
Day after day, worrying about how to deal with arrogant hunters.
How much ass-kissing the higher-ups would demand.
But not anymore.
Now I could carve my own path with my own power.
'This is what life's all about!'
I passed the checkpoint and exited the territory.
The guards at the post clicked their tongues as they saw me.
"Sigh, how long do you think that adventurer will last?"
I chuckled.
The soldiers' gazes earlier.
Even their reactions now.
They were worried about my life.
Previous adventurers must've met bad ends.
But I was confident.
'I've basically got the answer key right here. Nothing I can't uncover with this. Hidden pieces, fortuitous encounters—whatever it is, I can claim them all.'
Thinking that far made my heart burn even hotter.
I was happy.
'With abilities like these!'
A lake came into view to the northeast.
I headed there.
It took less than ten minutes to arrive.
It was a wide, serene blue lake surrounded by moderately lush greenery.
No sooner had I arrived than I spotted head-sized blobs made of translucent liquid.
'Slimes.'
They looked exactly like the ones from games and media.
Even down to the cores inside their bodies.
I drew Almas.
"Line up, you punks about to get spanked!"
I charged forward with gusto.
I approached lightly and swung my sword down at a slime.
'A slime's weak point is its core. No matter how tough, shatter the core and it's done.'
The slime died in one blow.
Not only did it crumble to dust, but the core byproduct remained.
Looks like the body vanishes, but intact cores excised beforehand stick around.
⚔ ENEMY DEFEATED! ⚔
[Acquired 1 MILF Mileage (MM)!]
"Oh?"
I whistled.
Something unfamiliar popped up.
Come to think of it, I'd heard about this.
Hunters get points from killing monsters to invest in stats or items.
'Mine's mileage, huh. Wonder what it's for?'
⚙ Foreigner's Concept Book ACTIVATED ⚙
[MILF Mileage. Also called Madam Mileage. Exclusive to owners of the MILF Collection App. Can be invested in stats, items, or nearby MILFs.]
The corners of my mouth curled up involuntarily.
What happens if I invest in a MILF? I'll save that fun for later.
Anyway, it was tricky.
'Do I have to kill them leaving the cores intact?'
I raised my sword again.
I scanned the nearby slimes.
'Translucent ones, light brown ones, sky blue ones.'
I processed the slimes around me, slicing only their bodies to leave the cores.
Sizzle.
"Ugh, gross. Feels weird."
I had to scrape off whatever slime body remained.
Normally, you'd use a special utility dagger for porters.
But I didn't have one, so I did it by hand.
Almas wasn't ideal for it.
'It's already rusty—don't wanna make it worse.'
Ten minutes of collecting cores while rinsing them in the lake.
'No variant cores yet?'
No variant cores dropped.
I looked around for any variant slimes, but nothing.
"How do you make a slime variant core?"
I triggered Foreigner's Concept Book.
⚙ Foreigner's Concept Book ACTIVATED ⚙
[Slime Variant Core. Feed three cores of different slime types to another slime. Defeat that slime to complete and obtain the variant core.]
One shock after another.
It even explained this.
I laughed in disbelief.
'This is straight-up a cheat key. Hidden pieces and fortuitous encounters, right here?'
It just hands this out.
Of course, you probably need a specific target in mind.
It wouldn't spit out methods for vague stuff like "I wanna get rich."
Still, it was as good as a crib sheet.
I nodded slowly.
'Perfect, I've got one intact core each of three different types. Now what?'
Just feed them to any slime?
But I'd killed them so enthusiastically that no slimes were in sight anymore.
I'd have to hunt more.
'Let's wander around.'
I circled the lake, eyes on the center.
Maybe I'd find another slime.
'I've taken down about ten so far. Got 10 mileage too.'
I'd cleared them out too thoroughly—no sign of even the letter S for slime.
As I kept searching, something started approaching me from the lake's center.
Gentle ripples spread out.
'Huh, no way?'
I backed away slowly.
Gripped my sword with both hands.
That instant.
Splash! Crash!
A porter-sized slime appeared.
Its color was a mix of the three types—like sewage slime if you put it harshly.
'Ah, this guy's the big boss here?'
I nodded slowly.
I could've figured it out without the Concept Book.
'Boss slime. There's always one wherever slimes gather. Rookie hunter shredder!'
Bigger than regular slimes.
Meaningful acid abilities.
And a tough core to boot.
Gurgle, gurrgle!
The boss slime writhed threateningly.
I dashed in nimbly and swung my sword.
Slash!
I cut into it, but...
The boss slime regenerated in an instant.
Core intact, after all.
'Normal attacks are pointless. So then?'
First, I tossed the three cores at the boss slime.
"Here, eat up."
Gurgle, guurgle!
The boss slime absorbed them immediately.
Inside its body, the three different cores fused, tainting its original core—I could see it.
Weird to witness it for real.
Like meeting a celebrity in person.
As I watched, it stretched its body like a whip and lashed out.
"Guh!"
I blocked with my sword.
Its power was immense—I flew back and crashed into a tree.
"Urgh!"
I caught my breath.
The back of my head felt hot and sticky, but I ignored it.
I'd awakened as I'd hoped.
I had the power to fight, the weapon too.
The old me would've just thought, Guess this is it.
'But I've got everything now. No reason to lose.'
I grinned and pointed my sword at it.
It seemed to charge, then writhed.
Gurgle, splurt!
The slime suddenly spat acid.
Not melee—ranged?
I'd anticipated it, but moving to follow threw off my countermove.
Block this?
"I can!"
Siiiing, boom!
I unleashed the sword's function: Freezing Wave.
It was smaller than expected.
Too hasty?
The wave froze the incoming acid, shattering it.
'Lucky. It's the slime I know.'
Boss slimes are one step above regulars.
They spit acid, move faster.
But short range.
Like a forkball in baseball.
Straight at first, then drops suddenly. The acid's heavier than it looks.
"Hoo, hoo!"
I regulated my breathing.
I had to pull this off here.
I had to win.
Tough opponent, sure, but no reason I couldn't.
'Time for the hidden card!'
I tried properly channeling the wave's power.
The boss slime writhed and closed in fast.
I thrust Almas at it with all my might.
From now on, I'd seize everything with my own strength!
'I wanna try it for the first time. Help me out!'
Maybe my desperate wish triggered it.
A cool surge of power drained from my body.
Ah, this must be properly expending mana!
The mana flowed into Almas, making it glow blue briefly.
"Huh?"
A massive cold wave erupted from the sword's tip.
It cleaved the boss slime in half mid-air and froze it solid.
It happened in a flash.
I kicked off the ground and charged the vividly freezing boss slime.
'Now's the time—the opening!'
I smashed through half its body.
Sliced the rest to pieces.
Like shattering some pent-up grudge inside me.
A thrilling rush swirled through my veins.
⚔ ENEMY DEFEATED! ⚔
[Acquired 3 MILF Mileage (MM)!]
⚔ BOSS 'Boss Slime' DEFEATED! ⚔
[Absorbed 'Corrosion'!]
Tough guy gave more mileage. That's 13 now.
What's left is...
"There it is!"
A core glowing with mixed colors from the three types.
Fist-sized and hefty-looking.
I swallowed dryly and grabbed it.
The core resonated with Almas at the same time.
Vmmm, vmmm, vrrrm!
'Weird. Do I just bring them together?'
They resonated like they craved each other.
I swallowed again and pressed the core to Almas.
The chaotic resonance flared with light.
Then the change happened.
"Wha—what?!"
A brilliant white light burst before my eyes.
The whole world seemed to turn white.