Chapter 102
Chapter 102
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 102
Chapter Title: Cat, Storage
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Cat, Storage
Have you heard of Vantablack?
It was once the darkest thing in the world, absorbing a whopping 99.965% of light.
The property of darkness that absorbs light.
Thinking about it, Kami follows that principle too.
Paaah!
A red light bloomed from my fingertips.
The energy, which had been flowing like a stream of water without taking form, moved toward Kami.
Sss...
But my mana couldn't reach Kami.
Its shadow blatantly devoured the red waves.
'No wonder Seolbaek-i's fox fire has no effect on it.'
I could kind of see why Seolbaek-i dislikes Kami.
"How about it? Seems like a good idea, right?"
I asked.
Kami's ability to absorb mana. What if we used that as a kind of barrier?
After all, hunters' abilities are techniques forged through mana.
If we can nullify mana, we could block even an S-rank hunter's attack.
"Hmm. The idea sounds good. But can Kami interfere with information systems?"
That's the issue.
Kami's power is alien, but it manifests in the physical realm.
Applying it to the electronic world is another matter entirely.
"Can't we link them somehow? Like using Kami's mana as a power source to activate unnie's ability?"
"Like that?"
Hmm, Jina tilted her head slightly and pulled out a long thread.
It was a bit too thick to call a thread—more like a straw.
Ah. So we're supposed to use that as a mana injection port.
"Here, want to try injecting some mana into this?"
Nyaaang.
But our Kami.
It seems obedient but is subtly willful, like a feline monster.
It barely listens to its butler, me, so Jina's words...
It'd be a miracle if it even pretended to listen.
"What is this? Am I being ignored right now?"
Nyaaang!
Kami, wearing a mischievous smile, shook its head side to side.
Is it refusing? Or saying it's pointless?
I couldn't read its true intentions.
I prided myself on perfect communication with monsters.
But communication doesn't mean mind-reading.
"I'll just force it then."
No choice.
If it doesn't want to, I'll have to command it through the thread.
"Wait, I prepared something for times like this."
Mischievous expression on her too?
Jina looked inexplicably pleased, like she'd stashed something fun in her fourth-dimensional pocket.
Drrrk!
Jina dragged her chair wheels across the floor toward the fourth-dimensional pocket in the corner of the room.
A commercial fridge installed somehow. When she opened the door, countless Molrangtori greeted me.
Thorough double storage.
No worries about food spoiling. So that's why she takes Molrangtori occasionally.
"Hmm... this one? Ah, these are eye candies.... This is it."
She'd organized them by color, so no confusion.
Drrrk!
Jina kicked off the floor lightly and slid back with practiced skill!
"Ta-da~ Cats go crazy for these too."
From the Molrangtori emerged a green stick. A refreshing scent wafted faintly from the hard tip.
"No way... catnip?"
"Correct."
"Why do you even have that...?"
Is she the type who likes strays?
Given her semi-basement, she'd probably interact with them a lot.
"Nah. Bought it on sale a while back."
"Why?"
"Needed to meet the minimum delivery order. Short by a thousand won."
"And you kept it?"
"Well... it'd be a waste to throw away."
So very Jina. That's why she was happy earlier.
People like Jina have a tendency during deep cleans.
'Oh~ Might use this someday, better keep it?' Under that logic, they can't discard most things.
But then an opportunity to use one of those hoarded items arises?
Can't resist that thrill.
"Here, come on~"
Jina pulled out a stick of catnip.
Giggling, she held it out to Kami.
Nyaaang!
For real?
Kami immediately rolled onto its back in a submissive pose I'd never seen before.
...Catnip works wonders.
"Good, good! Want to inject mana into this straw? Then I'll give you this."
Nyaaang!
Purely for the catnip, Kami extended a pitch-black tentacle.
The intensely dark tentacle slipped smoothly into the straw's hole, seemingly entering the electronic world without issue—
Sss...
No dice.
The tentacle sucked up even the straw's own mana, bit by bit.
Soon the straw lost form and collapsed, giving us a clean conclusion.
"...Can't use it as is."
"Yeah. We need another way."
**
The day after the server crash.
We handled everything offline, putting out the immediate fire.
But we couldn't drag it out forever.
While researching Black Slime, my mind was busy brainstorming ways to use Kami.
Should I just summon an electronic-type monster?
There was this famous anime that served as a teaching aid.
Referencing it, it didn't seem impossible to make...
'Let's think on it till today.'
I heard the Hunter Association was working on countermeasures too.
If no progress, I'll summon tonight.
Porong!
"Eek...!"
Black Slime hopped up and poked my abdomen.
With all 1~100 fused, it packed a punch.
Its size had grown overnight too.
Now about the same as a Molrang.
And what that means:
Time to harvest slime balls from Black Slime.
Slime balls are basically the essence of Molrangtori.
No harvest means breeding the pudding slime was pointless.
"Blackie. You can do it, right?"
Pororong!
Not sure if it understands, but it spun around anyway.
It opened its mouth wide. Then—
Pong! Pong! Pong! Pong!
"Whaaaah!"
It started firing slime balls like crazy.
A single pudding slime produces 3 per day.
Pong! Pong! Pong! Pong!
So Black Slime unleashed about 300 rounds, machine-gun style.
"Hey... hey...! You're doing this on purpose, right?"
What a marksman? Why so accurate?
Lucky it's slime balls, not pebbles, or it'd be dangerous.
Anyway, slime ball production confirmed.
By eye, high yield of quality ones.
"Always one or two defectives."
Of course, perfect production was impossible, as expected.
Defectives originally used for slime bouncy balls.
But Black Slime's were poorly elastic and tiny.
Generously, walnut-sized.
Not enough to make anything worthwhile.
Nyaaang!
But did it have another use?
Kami suddenly extended a tentacle.
It pierced a defective one!
The tentacle began pulsing.
Something injected into the defective's core.
"No way, injecting mana?"
Nyaaang!
Injecting mana.
Simple implication.
'Black Slime's slime balls can store mana.'
That's how tentacle-breeding slimes worked?
Tentacles packed with stored mana.
Black Slime, grown on it, inherited the ability.
Pop!
Kami withdrew the tentacle after fueling.
No clue how much mana inside.
But the thick aura suggested it was packed tight.
But what to do with mana-stuffed ones...
Wait. I see a very bad future.
Nyaaang!
And sure enough, Kami proposed it to me.
"...You want me to eat this?"
Nyaaang!
No thanks.
Nyaaang!
I balked.
Kami used its tentacle like a hand to shove it at me.
Dead set on stuffing it in my mouth.
"Urgh...."
I had no counter.
It presented the perfect solution; as owner, I couldn't kick it away.
'Please, just make it edible.'
I slowly opened my mouth.
Nyaaang!
Kami gently dropped the slime ball in.
'.........Urk.'
A horrific taste, just as expected—blissfully awful.
Even I, who'd tried monster byproducts before Molrang Park opened, struggled.
At least the soft texture helped. Otherwise, I'd spit it out.
"Haaah.... Thought I was dying."
I barely regained composure and raised a hand.
Suppressing the nausea, I drew out mana.
Wooong!
Pitch-black mana spread out—totally unlike my signature red.
Kami's mana.
But I could wield it freely.
Wooong!
Following my will, a new monster began forming. A finely crafted black one.
Of course, I didn't finish it.
No detailed design, it'd be a bloody lump otherwise.
But as predicted, we had the answer.
**
"This is what you want me to eat?"
That afternoon.
Back at Jina's hideout, I offered her the slime ball.
Packed full of Kami's mana.
Like a two-person serving in one.
"Yeah. Unnie can handle it easily, right? You eat Dart horns like candy anyway."
"Those taste awful."
"I know. But you eat them. Compared to eye candies, this is heavenly."
"Why do I sound tougher?"
"Not eating? Then no performance bonus this month."
If she refuses, oh well.
I'm a kind boss who respects employee rights.
Choice is hers.
Freedom over money.
Or vice versa.
"Sigh.... Where did pure little Saebyeok go...."
"Right in front of you."
Phew, long sigh. Jina finally took the slime ball.
Then gulp.
"Urk.... Tastes like shit."
As expected from a veteran of awful flavors, swallowed without chewing.
"Let's start right away?"
"Wait.... Stomach's churning."
"No whining."
"...So mean."
She feigned pitifulness, but it was whining.
Jina flashed bitter smiles on both cheeks, then activated her ability.
Wooong!
The black mana entered the monitor world.
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