014. Yu-mi
I have three friends I occasionally exchange greeting texts with. One of them, I used to meet up with often right after returning from that other world, sharing drinks.
During those drinking sessions, I'd let the alcohol loosen my tongue and confessed to my friend that I was an isekai returnee. Naturally, he didn't believe me. He dismissed it as a joke meant to amuse. At first, anyway.
But every time I got drunk, I kept bringing up stories from that other world seriously, and his reactions gradually changed. Before long, he started doubting my mental state. Worried I might be losing it, he offered to introduce me to an acquaintance.
And one day, a woman joined our usual two-man drinking party. Her name was Ha Yu-mi. She was the older sister of my friend's cousin's friend's sister, and by profession, a psychiatrist specializing in mental health.
"Long time no see, Yu-mi."
The doctor I'd met through my friend's introduction. From that day on, Ha Yu-mi crashed every one of our drinking sessions, insisting she'd treat my delusions and fabrications.
Feeling burdened, I started avoiding drinks with my friend, and as time passed, we became the sort who only texted occasional check-ins.
You did block her, didn't you? Probably for about a year before unblocking. Even after ditching the drinks, her persistent contact felt overwhelming. She'd keep nagging to meet one-on-one for counseling.
"To explain our relationship, that's somewhat accurate, but it wasn't a formal doctor-patient bond from a hospital. It was forced on me during drinks when I didn't want it. And above all, I wasn't a patient to begin with."
I hurried to clarify before any misunderstandings arose.
"And Yu-mi."
"Those stories I told you before about the other world? They're all true. Not some delusion of mine."
The other world is real. This is it—where Geon is right now.
Apparently, monsters weren't showing up on Ha Yu-mi's screen. Before explaining the current situation and the helpers, I decided to show her these guys first.
"Yu-mi, you can't see the monsters right next to me, right?"
"Guys, come stick closer to me."
[Sii!]
[Pii!]
Dog Spider-001 and Jellyfish-002 clung tightly to me. That should definitely show up on her screen now.
"What else? Monsters."
Now it was time to start explaining.
Just like I'd explained to Mysticism, I slowly repeated the same stories I'd first told Pruru.
Even so, Ha Yu-mi denied it. She kept showing disbelief. She even suspected the monsters were advanced CG from modern tech.
She was the picky type who wouldn't believe without seeing it herself—tougher than the other helpers.
But as time passed, she started shedding her doubts bit by bit, gradually coming around. I'd pinched the monsters' cheeks and such to prove they weren't CG or costumes.
The clincher? One phenomenon modern tech couldn't explain. The broadcast was visible only to helpers. Once Ha Yu-mi confirmed this with her contacts, she finally believed me.
"It's fine. Believing that stuff would've been the weird part."
"Just when I was drunk. I don't usually tell people. No one believes it anyway, and I'd just get labeled crazy for nothing."
"No issue. Being a returnee isn't some big secret."
The dimensional mage had said as much. She'd seal my power to prevent trouble, but talking about this world was fair game.
More importantly, those three never showed.
The invite message had ended long ago. The helpers who responded: Pruru, Mysticism, Ha Yu-mi. None of the three I regularly texted came.
Or maybe they're mixed in here.
Of course, I still didn't know Pruru or Mysticism's identities. They could be among those closer acquaintances. Well, I'd find out eventually. No way they'd hide forever.
Hot air filled my lungs. One step, another. With every footfall, the surrounding temperature rose steadily.
At first, it was subtle, but soon the heat grew unbearably intense. It even felt like lava coursed beneath my skin.
This frail body was such a hassle.
"Jellyfish. Cast a protection spell on me."
[Pii!]
A transparent barrier enveloped my body. Only then did the raging heat subside, letting me breathe.
I pressed on into the cave. Then, in the distance, a monster spewing fire entered my view.
It was a slime made of fire.
"It is dangerous. That's no fodder mob."
Slimes with cores are F-grade—called regular slimes. Destroy the core, and even civilians can take them down easily.
But this one wasn't regular.
"That was about regular slimes. This guy's different. No core, its weakness."
Slimes divide into two types: those with cores and those without. The presence of a core is the absolute measure of danger, a fundamental divide.
That alone made the risk worlds apart. And this slime had no core.
"A slime's core has unique properties—it can't be concealed by other materials. That's why civilians handle them. Plus, regular slimes lack offensive power, so they don't wield natural elements like that one."
Strictly speaking, this slime didn't "wield" an element—it embodied it. An untouchable living disaster, beyond normal means.
Coreless slimes are called Demon Lord Slimes—S-grade or higher. In my knowledge, no coreless slime below A-grade existed.
But...
"B-grade."
This one was B-grade.