Volume 2 Chapter 3 The Importance Of Not Missing Opportunities
A few days after classes started... The strange looks directed at Randy and the others hadn't changed much, but their peaceful school life continued.
Ellie had shown interest in school life, but that interest was already starting to fade. It was no surprise, as the Royal Academy's curriculum didn't excite her at all.
The Royal Academy, attended by noble children and talented students from across the kingdom, had a very unique curriculum, especially since most of the students were from noble families.
Classes like,
Math, and
Language,
Which represent basic academic skills, were almost nonexistent after the first year──especially since the continent has a unified official language, so there are no foreign language classes. From the second year onward, most classes focus on arts and culture, which are considered essential for nobles. For example, painting, music, literature, and dance. There are even classes on classical literature and ancient language, which are deemed necessary for nobles.
Additionally, from the second year onward, students who wish to can take practical classes in swordsmanship, magic practice, and even learn about the differences in manners between countries. In the third year──limited to nobles within the kingdom──there are classes on tactical theory, which are necessary for nobles who might need to take command in emergencies.
On the flip side, if students don't want to, they don't have to take swordsmanship, magic, or manners, so some students finish their classes by noon after the second year.
Now, what about our Randy...?
"Are you not taking any afternoon classes?"
"I'm taking the basics of territory management."
"But that's only once a week."
As Liz pointed out with a glare, he was definitely enjoying his half-day schedule.
"Even if you say that, swordsmanship is fine, but magic practice isn't really necessary."
Randy raised an eyebrow and snorted, "Especially with Ellie here."
"You're not wrong, kid."
Ellie, laughing, had recently become able to switch places with Liz without changing her hair color.
"Well, if you're going to call yourself a great magician, you should easily surpass the academy level."
Randy snorted again and looked up at the large building in front of him.
"And we need to earn our lodging fees. We don't have time to waste on pointless things."
"That's true."
Nodding along with Ellie, Randy pushed open the door of the building. Inside was a counter and a large bulletin board, along with a tavern and a few people.
What they had opened was the door to the Adventurer's Guild. It was a large organization that oversees adventurers, like the [Iron Lion], and spans across the country.
From beast hunting to running errands, it's not uncommon for students like Randy to visit the Adventurer's Guild to earn some quick cash. Because of this, the adventurers inside barely glanced at Randy and Liz, not particularly caring about them.
(Thanks to the predecessors.)
For Randy and the others, not having to deal with unnecessary trouble was a relief, as they didn't want to waste time. This also applied to the guild's reception.
"I'd like to register as an adventurer."
"Sure. Please show your Royal Academy student ID──."
Since many seniors had gone through this process before, everything went smoothly.
"Here you go."
The student ID that came back had an added section for adventurer rank. The 'F' written there shows that they are beginners, but for the 3 of them, other people's opinions didn't matter. What was important was that hunting beasts could earn them money.
"Are you going to take a request right away?"
"Yeah. Is there anything left?"
It was already past noon, so there probably weren't any good requests left. Still, that didn't mean there were no jobs at all.
"There are permanent requests for herb gathering, and also... delivering slime cores."
"Then let's go with the slime core delivery."
One core wouldn't earn much, but if they collected enough, it would add up to a decent income.
Having accepted the request, Randy and the others left the guild.
* * *
After leaving the guild, Randy and Ellie arrived at a small cave near the royal capital. Slimes, which prefer damp and dark places, often lived in such areas.
As Randy expected, there were quite a few slimes in front of them.
"Bingo. Let's get this done quickly."
Randy took out a heavy iron block instead of his beloved greatsword from a small magic bag attached to his waist. This magic bag was prepared by his father Alan and mother Grace to hide the eye-catching greatsword.
The bag had limited space, only fitting the greatsword and this iron block, but for Randy, it was great not to have to wander around with a weapon. Besides, it was unthinkable to complain about something his parents had prepared for him.
Randy shaped the iron block with 'craft magic'... and it turned into a thick iron pipe. When Ellie tilted her head and asked, "What is that?" Randy threw it at the slime without hesitation.
With a whoosh, the iron pipe hit the slime.
It pierced through its jelly-like body and stuck into the wall behind it.
The pipe trembled slightly as the slime's body began to break apart.
"Here we go──."
Randy pulled out the iron pipe, pointing the end down...
"Oh?"
As Ellie expressed her surprise, the tube-shaped slime fell to the ground in a gooey mess. It seemed it couldn't hold its shape in this state. The tube-shaped slime quickly fell apart, leaving behind the core.
Normally, to defeat a slime, you just need to crush the core, but this time they needed to deliver the core. To take the core without damaging it, the usual method is to evaporate the slime's outer layer with fire magic, but Randy literally pulled the core out with brute force.
"That's quite an interesting tactic."
Seeing Ellie satisfied, Randy joked, "Looks like you liked it," and threw another pipe.
The pipe stuck into the wall while the slime crumbled.
Ignoring that rough method, Ellie snapped her fingers.
In an instant, rock spears pierced through every visible slime around them.
The rock spears shot out from the wall, floor, and ceiling, but upon closer inspection, the tips were shaped like hands. Each hand, with sharp claws, neatly wrapped around the slime cores.
"You cheat!"
Randy smiled wryly as the slime suddenly fell apart in front of him.
"How's that?"
"That's impressive, as expected."
Randy shrugged, and Ellie nodded in satisfaction, saying "Um, um."
"Anyway, let's gather the cores."
Randy took out a burlap sack, and Ellie quickly disappeared, saying, "I'll leave the rest to you," while Liz, looking troubled, showed her face.
"Damn, you old ear."
As Randy frowned, Liz, with a wry smile, urged him to collect the cores... With a small sigh, Randy decided to gather the rolling cores.
While picking up a few cores, Randy suddenly noticed something.
(The slime's body... it's fallen apart, but it's still there.)
It spread across the floor, but the jelly-like body remained. Randy poked at the slime's remains and picked it up.
(It's jelly-like, but it has a lot of moisture and stretches well.)
Normally, the slime's body would dissolve anything it touched, but now it wasn't dissolving Randy's hand. He had guessed that the slime's body didn't always have to be dissolvable, especially when it stuck to walls, but it seemed that a dead slime was just a wobbly jelly.
(Wobbly egg skin... just saying──)
At that moment, Randy turned to Liz as if he had been jolted. There was Liz, who had just approached him. Liz, startled, had been coming over to scold Randy for playing around and not working.
"W-what's wrong?"
Liz opened her mouth cautiously, and Randy silently beckoned her over. Liz tilted her head and crouched down next to Randy...
"Liz, can you touch this for me?"
"No way."
"It's fine, really."
Encouraged by Randy, Liz reluctantly poked the slime's remains.
"Huh? It's wobbly and feels nice."
"Right? ...Hey, Liz. You can decompose items now with Craft, right?"
"Yes."
Liz nodded, confirming that her 'craft magic' level had increased, allowing her to decompose items in the Craft tab. After confirming this, Randy transformed part of the iron pipe into a corner bucket and placed the slime remains on top.
"Can you decompose this for me?"
"Sure, but..."
Liz tilted her head and touched the slime remains, using Craft to decompose it... Then, the slime remains turned into a gelatinous lump and a colorless, transparent liquid with a faintly sweet smell.
"What is this?"
"I don't know, but..."
Randy rubbed the liquid that had collected in the bucket on his finger.
(It feels like lotion...)
It was a rather pathetic thought, but someone like Randy, just a reincarnator, wouldn't know about glycerin. There might be hyaluronic acid in it too, but he didn't know that either. All he understood was...
(A lotion that keeps slime wobbly... If used well, could it become a beauty serum?)
While Randy kept rubbing his fingers together, Liz peered in worriedly, asking, "Randy?"
"Ah, sorry. I just had a thought."
Randy stood up and started gathering the remains, leaving the slime cores behind.
"Sorry, but if you could decompose these too..."
"Sure, I can do that──."
While Liz looked puzzled, she began decomposing the remains next to Randy, who was turning the leftover iron into a larger water bottle.
After a while of working together... Randy happily headed home with a lot of natural moisture ingredients and the slime cores.
On the way back, Randy explained to Liz what the liquid was for, and they chatted excitedly.
"Um, I'm sorry. The budget for the request is up to 5 gold coins..."
"So you can't buy everything?"
"Yes."
Liz and Randy exchanged glances in front of the apologetic receptionist.
"Then, just buy what you can."
With Randy's permission, the receptionist hurriedly sorted through the cores and handed over 5 gold coins.
"Out of 31, we can take 20."
With the remaining cores rejected and the gold coins in hand, Randy and Liz left the reception and the guild.
"What can you use slime cores for?"
"I've heard they're used as catalysts for magic potions."
"Oh, really? Then should we try selling them at the magic shop?"
"I think that's a good idea."
They left behind a conversation that didn't sound like it belonged to noble kids.
So, they didn't know. They didn't know that after they left, the counter became noisy.
"I've never seen such beautiful cores before."
"And there are 31 of them..."
"A big newcomer has arrived."
But they also didn't know. They didn't know that this was nothing compared to the problems they were about to cause.
No one knew yet. No one knew that the rampage of the reckless final boss and the muscle-headed hero had not even begun.
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