Chapter 91
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 91
Chapter Title: Siren
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Even against Erzsebet, who had burst part of her own body, and Lilith, who had manifested a massive iron mace to smash its form, the slime had charged ahead fearlessly. Now it thrashed wildly, desperate to escape. But it was no match for Dryad's speed—lately, she'd been starving because Eugene had cut back on her snacks.
-Whoooosh!!!
In case something went wrong on the lower floors, the [Meal] Eugene had given her separately had already been devoured. Thanks to that, her wooden roots—now over twice as fast as usual—shot out in an instant, piercing straight through the slime's body.
"Glurgle!!"
Just like it had with Erzsebet and Lilith, the slime desperately produced [Cleaning Fluid] from the liquids it had swallowed and spat it at Dryad. But nothing worked on her.
Of course not. These roots extending from Dryad weren't some contaminant—they were part of her body, as an [Employee].
"Bon appétit!"
"Glurgle?!"
-Squiiiish!!!
Dryad plunged her roots into the slime's body, greedily slurping up its moisture. The slime—big enough to match two or three iron golems—shrank rapidly. Meanwhile, Dryad's roots thickened bit by bit, her skin growing plump and taut.
"..."
"..."
Erzsebet and Lilith—who had struggled so much against this mere slime—fell silent and took a cautious step back from Dryad. Their master had to see this merciless sight: roots jammed into a living creature, draining its fluids in seconds...
"Glurgle..."
The slime resisted for a while but couldn't overcome its natural predator. Most of its body—made of water—was sucked dry, shrinking it back down. Now the size it had been when Eugene first bought it, the slime drooped limply, its transparent, clear gelatinous form sagging.
"All done!"
"...Dryad. You okay? That thing came from such filthy sludge—it must've been disgusting..."
"It's... clean?"
Thinking the danger passed, Erzsebet and Lilith approached Dryad, who was patting her belly contentedly. They examined the deflated slime. It was a unique evolved specimen, unlike any they'd seen before.
It had emerged from that lake full of rotten water, yet it smelled clean—no stench at all. In fact, looking at the spot where it had burst out, the algae was gone, and the water looked clearer...
-Splash!!
"Hm?"
Cautiously poking the slime with the tip of the [High-Pressure Cleaner] her master had given her—careful not to damage it—the lake water surged again.
"What? Don't tell me there's another one..."
Had the repeatedly evolved slime split? Normal slimes needed at least half a year after evolution to divide and multiply, but this one was unprecedented. Maybe it had split in the meantime...
"Blub blub!!"
"...Huh?"
"Eh?"
But the bubbling creature that emerged from the lakeside wasn't a slime, contrary to Erzsebet's guess. What came out was...
"...A siren?"
Her lower body was fish-like, covered in scales. Yet her upper body was human-like—a woman with blue hair.
For some reason, she wore a sulky expression as she suddenly appeared between them and the slime, hugging it protectively.
-Plop!
"Ah! Wait...!"
As Erzsebet's group froze in shock at the sudden intruder, the siren—who cradled the shrunken slime—dived straight back into the lake.
"...What the hell was that?"
"Siren?"
Erzsebet's group had returned safely from the lower levels. For some reason, Lilith was covered in strange slime goo, so Eugene had forcibly dragged her to the bath despite her protests. Dryad, patting her full belly like she'd overeaten, was left to play on her own.
Erzsebet reported on the anomaly they'd found underground, ending with the emergence of a 'siren' from the lake.
Siren.
A demi-human demon race that dwells in water. Capable of both lung and gill breathing, they thrive in or out of water. Innately gifted with control over marine life and water itself.
Unlike common land-dwelling demons, most sirens live in vast lakes or deep oceans, so little is known about them.
Even other demons rarely encounter them in a lifetime—let alone humans, who have few dealings with demonkind. Fishing demons consider sighting a siren a stroke of luck, revering them as sacred.
"One of those is down here?"
Not just outdoors, but in this ruin's basement—with a huge pond, no less. And a siren living there? Plus, the missing slime had been found there, only for the siren to snatch it after Dryad subdued it.
"Let's sort this out. That slime ate blood, right?"
"It even replicated and spat out the magical substance you used—[Cleaning Fluid]? It wiped away the blood membrane with it."
From the traces around, the slime was definitely behind the rapid drop in contamination. The filthy basement had cleaned up nicely, and on their way back, they'd seen marks where it had devoured the grime.
The ability to produce [Cleaning Fluid] internally... Probably from the residue I didn't clean up after washing—it seeped into the ground, the slime absorbed it, and evolved. I'd heard about slime evolution from the dungeon merchant, but who knew it could evolve like that?
"...I want it."
Listening to Erzsebet, Eugene started coveting the slime. Self-cleaning waste-eater that produced [Cleaning Fluid]—which cost points at the [Shop]?
And considering how fast contamination had dropped... It must've cleaned massively in no time. The only concern was...
'That siren is probably like Erzsebet or Desmond.'
A being dormant in the ruins. Likely depicted in the damaged mural sections underground.
All the ones encountered so far were abnormal and amnesiac, but he had no intention of leaving this rare find buried. Plus, why did it suddenly take the slime?
"It didn't attack you or anything?"
"Just scooped up the slime and dove back in."
No clue what it was exactly, but it showed no hostility when they met. Maybe it could be tamed like Lilith.
'I need to bolster the ruins' forces now.'
The siren had appeared amid mounting concerns. But rather than fret, Eugene saw opportunity.
Rescuing and taming the starved Lilith from the basement had greatly boosted the ruins' power—her abilities were incredibly useful. The dormant beings here were all exceptional.
Erzsebet had top-tier combat prowess and vast knowledge; Dryad accelerated plant growth and controlled flora; Lilith wielded illusions and charm; Desmond... well, his skills were solid. Though now living off Dryad's snacks.
Maybe the siren matched them? If it could be tamed too...
'Humans are restarting the war.'
He was installing magic circles via Pandora, selling loot from the dungeon Erzsebet wrecked, and buying more magic tools and monsters. Still, preparations felt insufficient.
At minimum, they needed strength to repel a 5-star hero—even one gnashing teeth over Fallen Hero's defeat.
"Erzsebet. Not too tired?"
"Fights were short, so no, Master. Still, investigation's done—your blood...?"
"Get ready."
"Hm? Ready for what, Master? Finally giving me blood...?"
"Dryad! You're coming too. Lilith... leave her be. Just in case, grab all the undead, a few [Robot Vacuums]..."
"Master? What are you preparing for...?"
"Never mind. Lead the way."
He'd check it himself.
Unlike Lilith, Erzsebet and Dryad could use [Fast Travel] to skip stairs and drop straight underground. Of course, only to cleaned areas—but he'd prepped part of the basement for this.
'Usable space hasn't expanded.'
Good job cleaning hard, slime—but not thorough. Every nook and cranny needed 100% cleanliness for full clearance.
"Master. Couldn't you have sent us like this last time?"
"Stairs might have anomalies."
Not really—he'd sent Lilith then, unregistered as [Employee]. Erzsebet thought [Fast Travel] was magic, unaware it targeted [Employees] in cleaned zones.
No need to explain... Tsk. Points were rolling in unexpectedly well. Skip infinite points greed; register Lilith as [Employee]? The [Sub Quest] had loosened point strain...
Hm. Think later.
"So. Where's the lake?"
"Over there."
Erzsebet led to the discovered lake. Who knew a door hid in Lilith's old prison... Walls were sludge-covered then.
"Foul."
Passing the door, a massive lake sprawled before them, as Erzsebet said.
...Way bigger than expected. Really indoors?
'Insanely dirty.'
Huge, but stagnant—no circulation. Water was filthy at a glance: green with algae. Lowering the [Cleaning Mask] confirmed the rotten stench.
"A siren really lives in this?"
Frowning at the lifeless-looking lake, Eugene got agreement from Erzsebet.
"Definitely. Too filthy. Sirens prefer clean water... Hm? Maybe that's why it has that slime..."
Erzsebet muttered in realization, but Eugene couldn't leave the lake like this. [Main Quest] aside, no sign of the siren anyway...
'Clean it first.'
[Water Purifier (Lv. Max)]: A purifier that adsorbs and settles all floating matter, algae, and the like in water!