Beep beep beep! Beep beep beep!
When did I fall asleep?
I turned off the alarm and got up.
“Sigh.”
A sigh comes out as soon as I wake up.
I glanced at the pants I had laid out, and they had dried up before I knew it.
The day before, they had gotten wet from top to bottom.
The top from tears, the bottom from slime.
It’s clear that my newly awakened ability had an effect—the single slime in the dungeon was incredibly sticky.
It seemed like a form of affection, but I couldn’t really understand the intentions of a creature that couldn’t speak or show expressions.
“But…”
Before I knew it, the slime was next to me again.
But it wasn’t just one anymore.
“Does slime also split? Why are there two now?”
The slime that had multiplied into two was squirming affectionately as I lay on the bed.
“Go play over there, it’s distracting.”
Squirm!
Understanding my words, the slimes began to wriggle away.
…It was just fascinating.
“Sigh.”
So this is why people smoke.
Having never smoked or drunk alcohol before, I felt like I understood why people use these to relieve stress.
“But the rumors were all true. I was just unlucky.”
Dungeons offer tremendous rewards.
Dual awakenings do exist.
All the stories were real, and here I was, having experienced both.
Honestly, while the newly acquired ability of being a slime lord was somewhat trivial, the rewards were indeed substantial.
“Huh! Lee Kyu-seong! Get a grip!”
Snap!
I slapped my cheek and stood up vigorously.
It wasn’t a pleasant situation, but doing something was better than despairing and doing nothing.
I got up and instinctively moved towards the garden. Completing the quest was necessary before moving forward, so I habitually checked the garden first.
‘Ah, I wonder if a new quest has appeared for the second awakening ability?’
Although it was a crappy ability, you never know.
Breaking the quest might evolve into a great power.
[Awakening Quest: Hunt Monsters]
Use the slime to hunt monsters.
Goblins: 0/10
“Heh, are you kidding me now?”
I watched the two slimes loafing nearby. I didn’t know what they were doing, but they were squirming and trying to climb on top of each other.
Squirm-
As one slid off, the other tried to climb on top.
Squirm-
That one slid off immediately too.
Their actions seemed utterly trivial.
“Heh, heh heh.”
With these guys, hunt goblins?
Maybe it could work if about ten slimes overwhelmed and suffocated them, assuming the goblins didn’t resist at all.
I could have hunted myself, but the quest seemed to count only if the slimes did the hunting.
Given that I couldn’t complete another quest due to a single word, it definitely had to be them.
“Sigh.”
I sighed again, feeling foolish for checking as I took a brief look at the garden, which was all damp.
I hadn’t watered it, but seeing it wet, I quickly knew who the culprit was.
“It’s the slime.”
It really left a noticeable mark.
But is this okay?
Thinking about it, I knew slime’s fluid was harmless to humans, but I had no idea about its effects on plants.
“Hey, you. Come here.”
I gestured for one of the slimes.
Then one of them squirmed over to me, taking more than 10 seconds to cover the short distance.
“Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Squirm-
Whether it was a response or not, it just wiggled its body.
“Just so you know, this is a garden, okay? A place where plants grow. Wouldn’t your fluid ruin the garden?”
I felt silly even asking.
How would a slime know?
But the slime seemed to ponder for a moment before starting to squirm again.
Squirm- squirm-
“What are you trying to say.”
Being a slime lord and not understanding the slime’s response was frustrating. As I was despairing over the triviality of my power, the slime began to slither around the garden, bubbling.
“What now?”
The ground started getting damp.
Watching this, an idea struck me, and I commanded the slime.
“If your fluid helps the garden, keep going; if not, stop.”
Despite my command, it kept moving, so I tried the opposite command.
“If it helps, stop; if not, keep going.”
Pause!
Oh. This one’s clever?
It seemed to understand my command precisely.
That meant the slime’s fluid was beneficial to the garden…
‘I’ve never heard such a thing before.’
I had asked around, but there was no information related to slimes. Naturally, I hadn’t thought of using them either.
I called the still slime again.
“I should send some of your fluid to the lab.”
I need to spend some money to find out what’s in it.
Just as I was thinking this and picked up the slime.
[Slime LV.1]
A window similar to a status screen popped up.
“Oh?”
What’s this? Is it related to my slime lord ability?
It seemed to be the only explanation.
I had never heard of being able to see a monster’s information.
‘Ah, the awakened ones with the ‘Third Eye’ ability or something can see it.’
You needed a special ability to see it.
So, the fact I could see the slime’s status must be due to my power.
[Slime LV.1]
Just an ordinary slime.
‘Capable of liquid synthesis’
“Huh?”
As I looked closer at the status window, I noticed the glowing phrase.
“Liquid synthesis… possible?”
What does that mean?
Is this thing also a liquid?
Squirm?
The slime in my hand squirmed as the second one, which had been playing alone, had also approached me by now.
‘I haven’t made today’s potion yet.’
The shock from the previous day was so intense that I used my ability as soon as the cooldown was over, but today I had forgotten to use it. However, this allowed me to use it on the slime.
‘What should I synthesize with the slime? A potion? Would that turn it into a potion-spewing slime?’
That’s crazy.
If that were possible, I would say goodbye to poverty. I could properly support my family too.
I immediately grabbed a potion and held it with the slime.
“Liquid Synthesis!”
I shouted the ability name, which didn’t really need to be said out loud, with great energy.
Then…
[Slime LV.1 and Slime LV.1 are synthesizing.]
[The merging slimes share all memories and experiences.]
Something amazing happened… wait, hold on!
[Slime LV.2 has been completed.]
[Cooldown Time: 23 hours 49 minutes 59 seconds]
Suddenly, another slime at my feet slurped up and merged with the one in my hand.
And thus, Slime Mark2, no, LV.2 appeared.
Squirm?
There was no change in appearance.
But there was an internal change.
“A core has formed?”
Ordinary slimes had cores too.
But they were so small that they were hardly visible unless you looked closely.
However, the core of the synthesized creature had grown visibly larger.
“Ah, I wanted to synthesize it with a potion…”
Maybe it was impossible.
Of course, I would try again tomorrow, but seeing that it had synthesized with the slime on the ground rather than the potion close by, it seemed unlikely.
“And I haven’t used my slime lord ability yet.”
I hadn’t used the ability because I thought, why a slime? But now the situation was different.
I immediately created another slime.
[Slime LV.1 has been produced.]
[Cooldown Time: 23 hours 59 minutes 59 seconds]
A blob of white light appeared out of nowhere, and as the light faded, a new slime was formed.
“Back to two slimes.”
Ah, but first, I need to check on the synthesized slime.
I immediately opened the status screen of Mark2, no, LV.2.
[Slime LV.2]
An ordinary slime.
‘Capable of liquid synthesis’
Ability: Farming LV.1
“Slime farming?”
Farming? The farming I know?
The kind that farmers do?
Why would you have that?
Squirm?
Mark2, or LV.2, squirmed as if asking what now.
* * *
As the surprise faded, the first thing that came to mind was the fact that the slime had gained an ability.
Could it be considered an awakening ability?
Honestly, even if it wasn’t a grand ability, seeing it firmly placed in the status screen indicated it was not something ordinary.
[Farming LV.1]
Enhances the growth of crops.
Increases the yield.
It was a simple explanation.
But who would have thought that a slime would have such an ability?
“Mark Two.”
Squirm?
From now on, this one was named Mark Two.
It was necessary to distinguish it from the other slimes.
“From now on, you’re in charge of this garden.”
Squirm!
Mark Two seemed pleased, squirming happily.
Then it immediately went to the garden and started rolling around.
“…Can you really do a good job?”
I was skeptical because of the prejudice against slimes, but maybe it could do better than me, who had struggled vainly for three years.
After all, it was a creature equipped with a farming ability. It had to be better than me.
Having entrusted the garden to it, I started thinking about things I hadn’t considered yesterday.
“The dungeon has definitely changed since I’ve undergone a dual awakening. So what else has changed?”
Just the appearance of slimes?
It might really be just that, but it didn’t hurt to be cautious.
Since it was just a tiny 200-pyeong (about 661 square meters) micro-dungeon, checking every corner wouldn’t take long.
“There’s nothing changed…”
I took Slime 1, which was idle, and looked around the dungeon interior, but nothing stood out. Or maybe there was something I just couldn’t see.
“I have a mission for you.”
Squirm?
“Search every nook and cranny of this dungeon and report to me if you find anything unusual. Understand, soldier?”
Squirm!
The slime bubbled from my hand and started crawling on the ground.
Being a fluid-like creature, it might find cracks or secret rooms that I had missed.
“Hehe.”
While they seemed insignificant when considered separately, combining their abilities seemed to offer some potential. Of course, there was no tangible result yet, but perhaps there was a faint glimmer of hope.
Until now, it had felt like I was walking through pitch-black darkness, enduring simply because of my responsibilities and my resilient personality.
“Now it’s different.”
There was hope.
Even though its true form wasn’t fully apparent yet, that was alright.
Having just enough hope was sufficient for living.
“I’ll need money.”
I looked at the synthesized potions neatly arranged to one side. I had been managing their stock, not selling them right away, but I would need to sell about half of them now.
If I continued using my synthesis ability only on slimes, I wouldn’t be able to make more synthesis potions, so I needed to secure living expenses in advance.
While going out, I’d also see my family and gather information about awakeners and dungeons.
“I must go now.”
Time was of the essence.
I grabbed the potions and prepared to leave immediately.
“I’ll be back shortly. Keep the house safe. Ah! This isn’t an order, just continue doing what I told you earlier.”
Squirm!
I left the dungeon, leaving behind Mark Two and Slime 1, who responded not with words but with a bubbling noise.
Cliche Novel 