The other slimes were all blue, but this one was red.
Was it a high ranking slime?
I watched them for a while, but the red slime did not seem to be doing anything other than move around in the same area like the others.
“Strange little creatures ”
In a way, they were the most mysterious monsters.
Well, there was nothing to do about it now.
They seem to be low level, I don’t think there is any harm in leaving them alone.
“Ah, right.”
Curiosity took a hold of me, and I took out some ‘garbage’ from my Item Box.
It was stuff like plastic containers from finished lunch boxes.
I threw them at the slimes.
The slimes did not respond-no, they started to.
They surrounded the garbage and melted it.
Very slowly.
“Huh ”
I stared at this very interesting sight.
It took the slimes about ten minutes to finish eating the garbage.
They jiggled a little before resuming their consumption of the remaining garbage.
“They sure eat a lot.”
It was like I was looking at huge microorganisms.
Hm? What was it?
Now the red colored slime was slowly coming towards us.
Neither ‘Hostility Detection’ or ‘Danger Detection’ were sensing anything.
But I still took a few steps back just in case.
Momo dropped into a fighting stance.
–For a second I wondered if I had heard that wrong.
The voice echoes in my head once again.
No, I hadn’t heard it wrong.
Wow. I didn’t think such things could happen with monsters.
I mean, this meant that slime’s had a ‘will’ of their own.
The slime was jiggling and staring at me or I thought that it was.
Perhaps it was because I fed them?
But
I wasn’t sure about this one.
People would often befriend slimes in web novels. But in real life
I look at the red slime near the garbage pile and think.
It didn’t seem to be threatening to me, but it looked like there were no merits to it either.
If anything, considering my specialized skills, wouldn’t it actually be in the way?
‘Concealment’ and ‘Presence Block’ only affect me. And Momo could at least hide in shadows.
Also, the slime was slow, I would have to carry it to move around. And it didn’t seem like it would be useful in combat.
Having it around would just be a burden.
I choose ‘No’ inside of my head.
I don’t know if it was just me, but it looked like the red slime shuddered with sorrow.
But it was probably just me.
It was. It must be.
“ Let’s go, Momo. We’ll search for other monsters.”
“ Bark.”
Yes, I wasn’t wrong.
I couldn’t be wrong.
Just as I begin to walk out again, my stomach rumbles.
“ Now that I think of it, it’s almost lunchtime.”
I look at my watch and see that it is past twelve.
“Let’s take a break then, Momo.”
“Bark.”
We search for a building that we can rest in.
That looks like a good place.
There was a multi-story apartment close by.
I turned my back to the jiggly slime and headed towards the building with Momo.
At the same time, on the roof of a certain apartment building-
“ As I thought, there are fewer and fewer monsters within this visible perimeter.”
‘She’ says as she looks at the town through a scope.
It was the third day after the monsters had appeared.
She had not taken a single step outside of the apartment, instead, she stayed here and sniped.
Due to this, her level had gone up and she received more than enough points.
However, it seemed that this strategy had reached its limits.
Because there were now much fewer monsters who were within range of her shooting.
“Maybe I should finally leave ”
Considering her own job and skills, it would be better for her to stay.
However, it was quite clear that she had reached her limits here.
“I could use my points to strengthen my skills and status. Then I could find another good building and hole up there ”
She could find another tall apartment building that fit the requirements of her job, and make it her new base.
“I wish I had someone to work with. I do wonder if that guy and his dog are still alive ”
She recalled the guy and his shiba that had come here yesterday.
He had an interesting skill.
But ultimately, she had walked away without being able to talk to him.
“ Well, he seemed rather scummy. He’s probably alive.”
No, maybe not scum. But he did play dirty.
That is how she felt after seeing him fight at the supermarket and his reactions here.
Why did she think that?
Because she was the same.
She didn’t want to die. She wanted to live.
And so she would kill monsters, raise her level, and plan ways to ensure her safety.
That being said. She thinks
“That dog was really cute ”
It always stuck close to him and wagged its tail.
It was so adorable.
She wanted to pet its soft fur.
She was a dog person, not a cat person.
And she had a special fondness for shiba dogs.
If this apartment hadn’t banned keeping pets, she would probably have had a cute dog like that as well.
Her cheeks became slightly flushed.
She was like a love-struck maiden.
“ I want to meet that dog again.”
She could barely remember the face of the guy. On the other hand, Momo’s appearance was beautified by about 200 times.
Shy people generally didn’t remember people’s faces.
“–‘Map.’”
She mumbled, and the status plate transformed.
It turned into a three-dimensional recreation of the town.
“ Yes, this one looks good.”
It was a tall apartment building that was a small distance away from the home center.
This place would fit the requirements of her job.
She would have to gather new furniture and food. But that was a compromise she had to make.
“Alright, I should go then.”
She leaned the now familiar rifle on her shoulder and stood up.
And so the girl, Natsu Ichinose, went out into the town to look for her new hunting spot.
And in a corner of her heart, she had a small hope that she would see that shiba again.
CH 39
39. A Brief Respite
I entered the apartment building.
While there were only a few, I could definitely detect that there were residents.
It seemed that some people were holing up in here.
Though, they were only on the upper floor.
I didn’t think I needed to worry about them.
I just helped myself to a random room that was open.
The door wasn’t locked, and the interior was a mess.
There were marks on the floor and furniture as if they had been slashed. And the windows were broken.
It was probably the work of goblins.
The first thing I do is put all of the furniture and glass that was on the floor into my Item Box.
Now there was some free space.
“Good, let’s eat lunch now.”
“Bark!”
Momo’s replies always seemed a lot happier when it was time to eat.
Her tail would wag uncontrollably when I brought out her favorite dog food.
“Alright then, let’s try this one today.”
I take out some especially cheap dog food.
“Bar- kuumm ”
Momo suddenly looked very crestfallen.
Even her tail had gone limp.
Really, she had expensive tastes. Her palate had become very refined recently.
For someone so stubborn over food
“–just kidding. Here you go.”
I take out one that was more expensive than the usual.
“! –Bark! Bark! Bark!”
Momo becomes overjoyed again when she sees it.
Her tail began to wag furiously as she pawed at my legs. Give it to me. Hurry up and give it to me!
Hey, stop that. I can’t move if you stick so closely to me.