Isekai Nonbiri Sozai Saishu Seikatsu - Chapter 177

I caught a slime and thrust my right hand into its body.

Quickly grabbing the core so it couldn’t escape, I pulled it out.

The slime went limp as its core was removed.

“Alright, that’s the twelfth one…”

I stored the slime, along with the extracted core, into the magic bag.

At first, I struggled to remove the cores, but by the twelfth slime, I was getting the hang of it.

Once you’ve decided to collect, it’s important to thrust your arm in quickly and extract the core immediately.

Hesitating allows the core to move, wasting time.

“Shuu-san, can you help with these as well?”

“Got it.”

While I was collecting, Lumia had gathered quite a few slimes herself.

She had seven slimes in her arms.

I began storing the limp slimes into the magic bag.

“We’ve collected quite a number. How many do we have now?”

“Including the ones we’re storing now, it’s twenty-eight.”

I had caught twelve slimes, while Lumia had caught sixteen.

It was an astonishing number to gather, considering it hadn’t even been an hour.

“Lumia-san, you’re really quick at gathering.”

“Well, I’ve handled materials for work before. But still, this is my first time harvesting them alive, and it’s amazing! They’re so glossy and elastic when they’re alive!”

Lumia spoke excitedly about the process of slime gathering.

When she worked in the shop, she probably handled items delivered by adventurers and such.

“Indeed, there’s a difference in the skin’s texture and elasticity before and after removing the core.”

Before removing the core, the body is elastic and the skin is glossy.

However, after removing the vital organ, the elasticity seems to decrease slightly, and the skin loses its shine.

Well, it’s natural for there to be a difference in freshness between living and dead states.

“Yeah, that’s true. While it’s fine as it is, I’d prefer to harvest them in their best condition if possible.”

However, from the perspective of an alchemist who processes materials, it’s natural to want to use them in their best state, just like when they’re alive.

Looking at the slimes from which the cores had been removed, Lumia wore a troubled expression.

【Slime】

By adding lightning magic to the core, it’s possible to harvest without deteriorating the skin or flesh.

Thinking if there was a way to harvest them in their best condition, I appraised it, and appraisal sensei gave me an answer.

“It seems there’s a way to gather while maintaining freshness.”

“Really!?”

“I’m not sure if it will work, but let’s give it a try.”

With hopeful eyes on me, I captured a nearby slime.

Thrusting my hand towards the core, as soon as my fingertips touched it, I activated lightning magic.

With a crackling sound, the slime’s body trembled.

Paralyzed by the electric shock, the core didn’t move.

Carefully nudging the core to the edge, I gently scooped it out.

And unlike before, it didn’t become floppy. It maintained a shape as if it were still alive.

“How’s that?”

“Amazing! The skin is glossy like it’s alive, and the flesh is elastic!”

Lumia expressed her excitement while gently touching the slime.

I tried what was suggested in the appraisal, and it seemed to work well.

“Could you tell me how you did it?”

“I flowed lightning into the core and slowly extracted it. By paralyzing the vital organ, we can harvest without stressing the body, thus minimizing deterioration.”

“I see! I can’t use lightning magic, but if I ask master, she might be able to create a specialized item.”

Muttering to herself, Lumia pondered.

As an expert in lightning magic, Saffy could likely create an item for easy gathering.

“When we get back, can I consult with master and try making the item?”

“Of course. If it’s successful, I’d appreciate having one.”

“Certainly. And if it can be commercialized, I’ll give you a portion of the proceeds.”

The value of the knowledge to harvest high-quality slime material and the potential of the item are unknown, but if it results in high-quality products, it’s a cause for joy.

Plus, having a convenient harvesting tool would be greatly welcomed. Let’s wait with anticipation.

“Shall we continue to gather high-quality slime materials?”

“Yes!”

♦ ♦ ♦

Continuing the slime gathering in the grasslands, I stumbled upon individuals with colors different from the usual slime.

Ordinary slimes are opaque and water-colored, but the ones in front of me sport hues like blue or green, though still opaque.

【Blue Slime – Danger Level: F】

A subspecies of slimes mainly inhabiting water bodies.

Sporting a blue body color, it feels cooler to the touch than other individuals.

Possessing the power of water attribute, it shoots water balls, but they aren’t particularly powerful.

【Green Slime – Danger Level: F】

A subspecies of slimes mainly inhabiting grasslands.

With a green body color, it emits a refreshing scent reminiscent of grass.

Possessing the power of earth attribute, it can raise or lower the ground.

Appraisal revealed the name and information of each slime.

Seems like they’re subspecies of slimes, carrying the magical energy and attributes of the land they inhabit.

“I found Blue Slime and Green Slime, what should we do?”

“Oh! Those ones carry water and earth attributes respectively, and they can be used for different items, so it’d be helpful if you could gather them!”

Since they carry attributes, they seem to have a purpose.

I nodded and approached the nearby Blue Slime.

As the Blue Slime noticed me, it shuddered and deployed a magic circle, shooting water balls.

However, the speed of those water balls was slow, and their scale was small, so I easily dodged them.

The water ball that missed burst with a splash behind me.

Although they carry attributes, their basic abilities are still those of slimes.

Dodging the second water ball as well, I reached out and caught it, then extended my arm to touch the nucleus just like before.

The Blue Slime, frozen in shock from the touch of lightning, had its nucleus extracted.

I collected the perturbed Green Slime in the same manner.

Since it could only make the ground slightly concave, there was practically no resistance.

“The Blue Slime feels cool inside, while the Green Slime has a refreshing scent.”

“The Red Slime is warm, and the Light Slime is bright. Slimes have easily recognizable characteristics based on their attributes, which is quite interesting.”

Monsters that carry attributes are common, but few are as distinct as these.

“What’s this? The slimes seem to be converging in one place?”

“They’re not running away, are they? Are they gathering in one spot?”

As I stored the Blue Slime and the Green Slime, I heard voices like these.

When I glanced back, I noticed that the adventurers were standing dumbfounded a little distance away.

Their gaze was fixed on a large mass of slimes gathering in one place.

As the slimes pressed against each other, they gradually transformed into a huge slime.

“That’s a Big Slime!”

Lumia pointed and exclaimed.

【Big Slime – Danger Level C】

Slimes evolve by gathering more than a hundred bodies and merging together.

With the increase in volume, the power of simple attacks like body slamming is heightened.

Their acidic properties are also enhanced, capable of dissolving anything caught for a prolonged period.

They can manipulate their bodies to change shape and act like tentacles.

Underestimating them as mere slimes can lead to painful consequences.

The materials obtained from them are superior to those of ordinary slimes.

As Lumia said, it’s a Big Slime, not just an ordinary one. It seemed to be an advanced species that evolved through the merger of over a hundred slimes.

Though initially only about fifteen centimeters tall, it had grown to a height of around three meters, towering over humans.