Drubre (2)
“Get your body-boosting, tasty slime jerky here! One pack of spicy for 2 copper! One pack of sweet for 2 copper! Half-and-half for 3 copper!”
“Sword sharpening here! Just a graze and ow, hot! Dwarf-level edge that turns you superhuman—for only 2 silver! Bring your blades!”
Three days had passed since Northern Duke Tolstoy Lancaster left the Beauty Tower.
And today, Saturday, I was on the first floor of the dungeon with Walter and Res.
“The dungeon…… it’s way different from what I imagined?”
“That’s because we’re still at the entrance of the first floor, Director. In any region, humans have mostly taken over the first floor of dungeons, so merchants and peddlers set up shop there. No taxes on business inside dungeons, after all.”
“A tax-free zone…… yeah, that makes sense.”
Walter’s explanation helped it click.
The dungeon interior I’d pictured was full of cobwebs, eerie winds whistling through, and the damp, humid floor crawling with creepy unidentified bugs amid horrifying sounds.
But coming back to the actual first floor, it felt more like…… a neighborhood market?
Like one of those corner shops that’s failing, slaps up a “Closing Sale! 90% Off All Items! Premium Products Below Cost for One Day Only!” sign like a department store, and keeps peddling from the same spot for years.
It’s a total mess, like the market floor five minutes before closing…… way too chaotic.
I’d come here myself amid all these merchants hawking their wares because of Drubre.
Sigh…… everything good that pops up here always has a catch.
Drubre, the holy relic necklace I got from Northern Duke Tolstoy Lancaster, was a miraculous item—a freakishly holy artifact that could freely morph its shape and even perfectly replicate the form and abilities of other objects!
But just like Res’s magic guzzled 1 gold per hour, Drubre had restrictions to replicate shapes and functions.
To absorb it, I have to touch Drubre directly to the material. For living creatures, I have to kill them myself.
Basic stuff like iron lumps or wood could be grabbed from nearby forges, lumberyards, or the adventurer’s guild.
But for medical tools, I needed a ton of materials.
And those were magic beasts inside the dungeon!
If only the materials were easier to get. But most are magic beasts…… and ones inside the dungeon, no less……
Over the past few days, I’d checked Drubre with Walter’s help.
When I held Drubre up to a medical tool I wanted to replicate, a translucent hologram screen popped up like a status window from a novel.
<Stethoscope>
Usage impossible.
To use the complete form and function of a perfect stethoscope, the following materials are required.
Required Materials: [Goblin 1] [Rubber Slime 3] [Slime 1]
But Drubre’s status window was nothing like I expected.
In any webnovel, a status window would show your stats or at least “Level up?”
This wasn’t my status—it was Drubre’s. And it only listed what materials were needed to change into the medical tool I wanted, plus which dungeon floor they were on.
“Maiiineer! Can I get one slime jerky? Half-and-half flavor?”
“I gave you allowance already, right? Buy it with that.”
“I don’t have a subspace pouch! We’re out for fun, and you won’t even buy me a snack? Stingy!”
“This isn’t a…… sigh, here. Get plenty. Bring the change.”
“Yay! Be right back!”
I handed 1 gold to Res, who’d been riding my shoulder, and the little guy flapped his tiny wings toward the slime jerky stall.
Living creatures throw tantrums at the drop-off chance.
Tired, bored, hurt, mad, even hungry—it’s the same.
Each time, your mental stats take a hit.
Stuffing something in Res’s mouth cuts the tantrum odds by at least 1/5, so even if it’s precious gold, it’s a net gain.
“Hehe, Miner, I’m back!”
I’d originally planned to bring the witches instead of Res.
But Res whined so hard about never seeing a dungeon that I couldn’t leave him behind.
Damn, he bought a ton……
Res came back stuffed to the brim, having blown the whole 1 gold.
At least he’d be quiet for a while. Good.
About 30 minutes deeper into the first floor, the merchants vanished, replaced by adventurers everywhere.
“Director, the basic slime area’s up next. Get ready.”
“Whew…… got it.”
At Walter’s words, I yanked the cross of Drubre from around my neck and gripped it.
Shhhk—
No matter how many times I see it, it’s amazing.
Right now, I felt like I’d become Lee Eun-gyeol from that novel.
With materials and a thought or command, Drubre shifted into whatever form I wanted.
But staring at its current shabby iron sword shape reminded me of the badass sword Northern Duke used, leaving a bitter taste.
The crystal orb too—these isekai items seem insecure, but they’re actually pretty airtight?
When I first got Drubre as a gift, I thought I could just use the duke’s sword right away.
But after three days of checks, a status window popped up demanding new user registration before use.
Drubre’s necklace and cross are a set. Wear the cross attached to the necklace, and the user registration window appears.
Makes sense—with power like this, they’d lock it to owners only.
So my Drubre was factory reset. I couldn’t use the duke’s badass sword or any of his items.
And unless I reset it or die, no one else can use its functions even if they wear it.
“Director, see those opaque jelly-like things ahead? Those are slimes.”
After trekking deeper, Walter halted and pointed.
There, clusters of translucent blobs like half-melted Hershey’s Kisses wobbled creepily.
“Slimes look transparent, but their organs are too, so invisible to the eye. They’re weaker than other magic beasts, but still beasts. They seem harmless at a glance, but get close and……”
Walter snatched a cute frog hopping on the dungeon floor and chucked it at the slimes.
The nearest slime’s side split wide horizontally into a mouth and swallowed the frog whole.
“Eek! Poor frog!”
“Note it well, Res. In dungeons, only the strong survive.”
What crime did that frog commit?
It would’ve lived if Walter hadn’t grabbed it, but I held my tongue.
“You can’t see it with the naked eye, but as you saw, slimes rip open a side into a mouth. Get sucked in, and their strong acid melts everything but bones in seconds. Like that frog.”
“……I see.”
The frog dissolved in bubbly foam, skin and flesh gone. Moments later, the slime spat out the bones with a *ptoo*.
“You said stab straight through the center of the body to kill them?”
“Yes. Slimes only open one side. No matter how wide, never over 180 degrees. Wider mouth exposes more organs.”
Unlike their melted chocolate look, these were seriously scary.
“I’ll mark the top of a slime and clamp its mouth shut with my sword so it can’t attack. You just stab the mark, Director.”
“……Let’s try.”
“B-Be careful, Walter!”
Ignoring Res’s pointless cheer, Walter strode to the slime cluster, sword drawn.
And.
Slash! Swish! Swish! Stab! Swish! Stab! Stab! Swish!
His blade danced lightly like drawing stars in the air barehanded.
Splat! Spurt! Thunk! Splat! Squish! Spurt! Splat!
To me, it was just straight lines, but every slime around exploded instantly.
All but one.
“Director, come here. It’s scared—won’t open its mouth. Just stab and done.”
“……”
Even a slime would be terrified. Mom, dad, friends, little sis—all popped in a blink.
“So, what now? You said keep the mouth shut to catch it.”
“Ah, that’s.”
Squish!
“Stab.”
“……Yes.”
I didn’t expect such a brute-force fix.
Way off plan, but okay?
Shaking off doubts, I focused on piercing the slime’s skin.
“Here we go!”
“You got this, Miner!”
With a clear shout, I thrust Drubre—now an iron sword—with all my might into Walter’s marked spot.
Crunch— *spurt*— crunch—
“Walter? Feels like it’s not dead?”
“Hm…… grip tighter, Director.”
“I’m already gripping tight…… urk!”
Crunch-crunch!
Walter glanced at the slime, then lightly gripped my wrist and slid it down.
He didn’t squeeze hard.
But my wrist, just overlapped, felt yanked like by a monkey wrench straight down into the slime.
*Ding!*—
<Stethoscope>
Usage impossible.
To use the complete form and function of a perfect stethoscope, the following materials are required.
Required Materials: [Goblin 1] [Rubber Slime 3] [Slime 1]
With Walter’s help, I killed one slime, and Drubre’s status window pinged an update right away.
Walter released my wrist with an awkward look.
“A bit…… more strength…… and it would’ve been fine.”
“Miner, you okay? You’re so weak, it’s worrying.”
“……”
For full Drubre use, I’d need…… some training.