Chapter 8

“This is a bit…”

The ordinary Tricolor Slimes stopped dividing once they had been split into four pieces.

It seemed to be because they had become too small, but there was one variable: if enough of the blue slime’s slime stuck to them and they grew back to a divisible size, they would split again.

In other words, the division wasn’t limited by the number of times, but by their size.

If that was the case, then what about the Slime King in front of me, which looked like it could divide forever?

“I’d better pray.”

[Sub Quest]

[Tricolor Slime King!]

[● You have discovered a mutant Tricolor Slime King that appears at a very low probability. Defeat it!]

[● Reward: 1 Gold, Stat Point (1)]

Looking at the Hidden Quest that had appeared alongside the Tricolor Slime King, I prayed.

“……Please let it go down in one hit.”

The Gold was one thing, but Stat Points were incredibly valuable since you only got 3 per Level.

So valuable that items with Stats as an Option sold for much higher prices.

And on top of that, there was a Heroic Grade chest.

A random box based on probability was more likely to work out well for Han Youngwoong, so I had to get it no matter what.

“Hoo.”

Thud. Thud.

The Tricolor Slime King had accurately locked onto Han Youngwoong and was bouncing toward him.

It didn’t look like it had any special strategy.

At that size, simply crushing him would be enough to kill him by suffocation.

And just as it drew near—

“Huh? Why is it turning red…!”

Red, blue, green.

The Tricolor Slime King’s body, which had been divided into three colors, suddenly began to change.

As if a dam had burst, the red portion started swallowing the blue, and soon it devoured the green as well, becoming a completely red Slime King.

There was no way I wouldn’t know what that meant.

“…Please.”

Tell me I’m wrong.

Fwoosh!

“Dammit.”

A disaster all on its own.

“Stop!”

A giant ball of fire came bouncing toward me, leaving flames in its wake.

Unable to wait any longer, I charged straight at it.

For the first time, I felt like I understood the hearts of firefighters who bravely run into flames in the face of overwhelming disaster.

I was scared.

The intense heat stung even through a mere touch.

And this was just a fake sensation created in virtual reality.

But the thought of having to protect something gave my body the courage to move.

“I said stop moving! All the herbs are going to burn up, you son of a bitch!”

If there was one good thing about the Tricolor Slime King being so huge, it was that I could hit it anywhere.

I swung the hammer at the body of the giant burning creature.

Boing!

The spot I hit caved in deeply, and as soon as I saw the slime starting to split, I yanked the hammer back and swung again.

It’s just a slightly bigger slime.

Boing-thwack!

Flash!

“Oh!”

For the first time since entering the Slime Cave, Luck had triggered on the very first hit.

And against a boss Monster, no less!

Starting from the point where the hammer struck, the giant red Slime King’s slime began evaporating as if it were being burned away.

“Did I get it?”

Could Lucky Strike really kill a boss Monster like the Tricolor Slime King in one blow?

[Tricolor Slime King defeated!]

[Level Up!]

[1 Gold acquired]

[1 Stat Point acquired]

“……Wow!”

Sweet rewards poured into my lap.

===

Red slime remained where the giant Tricolor Slime King had died.

“What, it’s not dead?”

The dungeon had already been cleared, and I had dealt with all the remaining slimes, so I cautiously approached it with my hammer raised.

“Huh?”

It wasn’t a slime.

The Tricolor Slime King had dropped its slime.

I carefully picked it up.

It was soft and squishy, just like a slime’s body, and it reminded me of the slime toys I’d seen as a kid.

[Tricolor Slime King’s Slime (Heroic)]

[The rare core of a Tricolor Slime King. Applying it to a weapon seems to grant the power of a Tricolor Slime.]

[● When used on a weapon: [Enchant]]

[● Attack Power of [Enchanted] weapon +7]

[● Power of Three Colors (Heroic): Allows the use of the powers of red, blue, and green.]

“Whoa.”

A slime that could enchant a weapon.

I held up the Boing Hammer.

What kind of effect would I get if I applied the Tricolor Slime King’s Slime to this unique hammer?

Considering the traits of each slime, it felt like it could produce some pretty appealing Options.

“This is good.”

A clear and flashy effect like this would surely attract plenty of attention from users.

“I should sell this.”

Of course, I wanted to use a good item myself too.

Even though I mostly hunted by relying on Luck and aiming for one-shot kills, I could still beat Monsters to death with the strength of my items.

Even if it was just a +1 Attack Power hammer right now, it might still do the job if I enchanted it.

I had already experienced how hunting comfortably with good items, like I had in the dungeon, increased my efficiency in earning Gold.

But I had also confirmed that Fantasia was overflowing with people spending money like water.

Even now, I was hunting in a place nearly twice my level with nothing but the Boing Hammer I’d gotten through luck. So was there really any reason to use an item I could sell for a high price?

“For the highest price possible.”

How much could I sell it for?

The top-ranking users, the ones doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and gaming, were already racing toward Level 10.

More users were entering the forest, and talk about Quests related to the Corrupted Forest was beginning to spread.

Once they started facing powerful, intelligent Corrupted Monsters, they would naturally begin craving better items.

And if a Heroic Grade Slime King’s Slime was posted on the Exchange at a time like that, it was bound to become a huge issue.

I gathered up the slime and harvested the herbs.

“Ah, half of them are burned.”

I hadn’t even fought the Slime King for that long, but quite a lot of the herbs had already become unusable.

Is this what it feels like to watch money burn?

Holding back tears, I scraped together whatever herbs I could salvage.

The only slightly disappointing thing was that I hadn’t gotten to pick up raw Gold the way other people did.

[You are exiting the dungeon.]

The pit where the Golden Light had faded was filled in.

For the rest of the time, I hunted Corrupted Goblins until dusk, then returned to the village.

“I really do lose track of time.”

The village at sunset was bustling with users returning from the hunting grounds.

People sat by the stream outside the castle walls, chatting away without even going inside the village.

Others sat on the grass, eating food.

It was romantic.

Trades were happening not only in the village square, but out here as well.

“Selling handmade potions! Cheaper than the village alchemy shop!”

“Selling a copper sword. Good Damage against wolves.”

“Anyone up for a late-night hunt?”

I suppressed the urge to pull out the slime and show it off.

After watching for a moment, I went straight into the village and headed to the temple, turning in the Corrupted Mana Stones I had collected.

“To think you gathered them so quickly. You’ve worked hard.”

The priestess was pretty no matter when I saw her.

Her benevolent smile and gentle voice made me want to say I’d gladly bring her as many more as she wanted.

I bit my lip as emotion welled up at the priestess’s words acknowledging my hard work.

[Quest Complete!]

[1 Gold acquired]

[2 Stat Points acquired]

My heart swelled with sweetness.

I had already withdrawn nearly 5.5 million won, and I still had more than 4 Gold piled up.

On top of that, including the points from reaching Level 5, I had accumulated 18 Stat Points.

I didn’t know what to do with myself in the face of the Goddess of Fortune’s grace.

“The Goddess of Fortune’s grace is too great.”

“The Goddess of Fortune is always by our side.”

The priestess clasped Han Youngwoong’s hands together and prayed.

I asked her a question.

“But…”

“Yes, Hero. Please speak.”

“…Alchemists buy Corrupted Mana Stones for 50 Silver each, so is there a reason the temple only pays 3 Silver?”

“……”

The priestess, who had been praying with her forehead resting against our hands, flinched.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she lifted her head and explained with a smile that never wavered.

“Hero, of course Corrupted Mana Stones are rare crystals of Magi, so they are sold at a high price to those who need them. But are you not the foremost agent carrying out the Goddess of Fortune’s will? You gain power in exchange for following the Goddess of Fortune’s will. Gold is merely secondary.”

“Right. I suppose no one can buy Stats with money…”

“We do not ask you to work without reward, Hero. The Goddess of Fortune does not bestow such a will either. Why not think of it as receiving something more valuable than Gold?”

She was excessively benevolent.

And beautiful.

Han Youngwoong smiled and nodded as well.

“My faith was lacking.”

“Not at all. To suit your wishes, Hero, I will try to pass along that you wish to receive more Gold from now on.”

I had only asked out of curiosity, but the answer was surprisingly positive.

After the prayer ended, I quickly stopped the priestess as she told me to return and rest after all my hard work.

“Are there any more requests?”

“Ah, I will let you know after I complete my research on the Corrupted Mana Stones!”

“……”

The corners of my mouth twitched.

I had planned to take the next Quest before it got dark and head straight out of the village again tomorrow, so what was I supposed to do if there was a waiting period?

“While you wait, how about taking on a contribution request from the temple bulletin board?”

Fortunately, it was as if she had heard my thoughts.

Still wearing that benevolent smile, the priestess showed me another path.

The bulletin board next to the support item box near the temple entrance became active.

[Temple Request Board]

[● Current Contribution: Level 1]

[● Requests Available: 0 / 1]

I had thought my contribution level might have risen after clearing the tutorial Quest and a Common Grade Main Quest, but it was still only Level 1.

There were three requests posted on the board.

And I could only choose one.

“Just like the support items, the requests reset at 6 o’clock. So for the sake of your growth, Hero, and for the stability of the village, please make good use of the request board.”

“Hmm.”

Once per day.

One out of three.

[● Temple Grand Cleaning (Common)]

[● Proselytizing in the Slums (Advanced)]

[● Collect Corrupted Mana Stones (Rare)]

Naturally, I had to choose the one that looked like it had the best rewards.

Usually, a higher grade meant better rewards.

The difficulty would go up too, but after hunting in the Contaminated Moina Forest, there wasn’t much left that could stop Han Youngwoong.

[Sub Quest]

[Temple Request: Collect Corrupted Mana Stones]

[● Grade: Rare (Hidden)]

[● Hunt Corrupted Monsters in the Corrupted Forest and obtain 5 Corrupted Mana Stones, which can be acquired at a low probability. Learn how to purify corrupted areas by combining them with Holy Water.]

[● Reward: 50 Silver, crafting recipe for Magi Purification Water]

It was even a term I recognized.

Since I had spent all day collecting Corrupted Mana Stones, I was actually glad to see it.

“I can’t pass this up when they’re paying 10 Silver per stone.”

On top of that, it was a Hidden Quest.

Just from the name Magi Purification Water and the fact that it was meant to purify corrupted areas, I had a feeling it would be connected to the Main Quest.

I accepted the request and immediately ran to the Exchange.

The sun had set, and the moon had risen.

“Hmm…”

It was already close to closing time.

Since this was cutting into my sleep, I needed to post it quickly and go.

“How much should I list it for?”

But I couldn’t just throw it up carelessly.

This was the biggest prize from today’s hunt: the Tricolor Slime King’s Slime.

I checked the Exchange.

I had suspected it, but there was nothing else on this level.

“This is tricky…”

If I listed it too cheaply, I’d lose out. If I listed it too high and it didn’t sell, I’d just be wasting time.

So I looked at another function on the Exchange.

“Should I put it up for auction?”

The Exchange allowed two methods: sell at a set price, or use an auction format where Buyers competed over a limited period.

The brokerage fee was a bit higher, but when in doubt, there was nothing more reliable than an auction, so I decided to go with that.

“The minimum bid is…”

Someone who really wants it will buy it.

“……5 Gold?”

More than 8.5 million won.

It felt like the kind of amount that some heavy spender in the world today might actually throw down.

After all, this was a game where someone had bought 2 Gold on the very first day.

And this was a Heroic Grade enchantment item appearing only a few days into the game.

Without flinching, I set the minimum bid at 5 Gold.

The auction duration was 72 hours.

After confirming that the slime had been listed on the Exchange, I logged out.

“Please, just let one person bite!”

I fell asleep praying with all my heart.