Chapter 139.2

Chapter 139: The Results of the Affinity Diagnosis and a New Slime (2/2)

The choices varied depending on what I wanted to achieve with the mount. If I wanted to cover more distance in a day, the branch head recommended that I pick a type that had plenty of stamina. The recommended type varied depending on how much luggage I wanted to carry and how much distance I wanted to cover.

Branch Head Taylor said that monster tamers need to know their monsters well, as they need to know how to make the most out of its strengths and how to compensate for its weaknesses.

I should probably study more before looking for a new monster.

Did we end up talking too much?　When I left the guild, the sun was already starting to set.

Still, it was time well spent.

Not only did I find out my affinity, but after seeing all those different monsters, I also thought of a new way to make use of my slimes.

I’ll go check on the store, then I’ll go back home.

…When I dropped by the store—

“Boss, good timing.” [Jane]

—Interestingly enough, something actually happened.

I waited at the office and Carm-san brought a wooden box I hadn’t seen before.

“This is?” [Ryouma]

“Inside the box is an advanced slime variant. It’s probably a variant you don’t have yet, Boss.” [Carm]

“A slime!?” [Ryouma]

Of course that would pique my interest. But what is it doing here?

“It was brought in earlier. Apparently it was found along the path from the town toward the mine. Didn’t you purchase a slime from somewhere before?” [Carm]

“I bought the bloody slime from a party of adventurers in the past.” [Ryouma]

“Well, it seems the person got word of that from somewhere. Because of that he brought this slime here after finding it, hoping to exchange it for money.

It’s a bit sudden, but I’ve never seen it before after working with you for so long, so thinking that you might want it, I bought it.” [Carm]

“Thank you for thinking about me. It makes me happy. How much did you pay for it?” [Ryouma]

“1000 suits.” [Carm]

Huh? That cheap?

“It’s a slime, after all. It can’t use magic too. If it were someone else, they would have haggled the price down even lower. In fact, there’s no telling if it could even sell. The person who brought it was happy with the price too.”[Carm]

“I see.” [Ryouma]

Well, I guess it’s fine then.

“If something like this were to happen again, should I buy the slime?” [Carm]

“If it’s no trouble to everyone, then please do buy them.” [Ryouma]

“Understood. In that case, if someone comes by wanting to sell a slime, I’ll have him go inside to negotiate with him. By the way, can I have a list of the slimes that you have, Boss?　I want to use it as a reference to know what to buy and at what price.” [Carm]

“Of course.” [Ryouma]

That’s no problem at all.

“Oh, and one more thing. The nun, Bell-san, left a message. Apparently, grass has started to grow on the body of the slime they’re raising at the church and is worried that the children might get sick. If you have the time, she hopes that you’ll be able to drop by the church.” [Carm]

“Does the slime appear sick?” [Ryouma]

“No, she didn’t mention anything of the sort. Just that grass had started to grow on it.” [Carm]

“Then it might have just evolved… Alright. I’ll go take a look immediately after this.” [Ryouma]

Because of that it was decided that I would be going to the church on my way back home.

But, first I better take a look at the slime inside the box. After confirming that there were no more messages left for me, I opened the wooden box. Inside was…

“…A stone?” [Ryouma]

Inside was a common fist-sized stone. For a moment, I was worried that we may have been tricked, but when I thought about it again, there was no way that Carm-san would just buy without checking. For the mean time, to make sure that it won’t be able to escape—

” ‘Familiar Contract’” [Ryouma]

—When I used my magic, I was able to successfully form a contract with it. It’s definitely a monster.

When I used Monster Identify on it…

’Stone Slime’

Skills:

Harden Lv2

Physical Attack Resist Lv2

Digest Lv3

Absorb Lv3

Split Lv3

Mimic Lv10

It’s a slime, alright. Its skills are similar to that of the metal and iron slimes. But it has a Mimic skill that they don’t have. Moreover, its level is exceptionally high. …The Mimic skill is probably the same as the bloody slime’s ability to be indistinguishable from blood unless they moved. It looks just like a stone to me, but… Wait a second. Now that I think about it, how did that guy even notice this? He must have had some crazy eagle eyes.

“Apparently, things didn’t go well with a coworker of his and he ended up venting his frustrations by kicking a stone. When the stone fell to the ground, it suddenly moved, causing him to – of course – be shocked.” [Carm]

“What a lucky person.” [Ryouma]

The slime’s diet is definitely ‘stone’. But the real question is whether it has a preference for certain types of stones. I should pick up stones from various places and figure out what this slime can do.

“Boss, please excuse me.” [Carm]

“Ah, Yes. Thank you very much.” [Ryouma]

After Carm-san left the office and went back to work, I started pondering about the stone slime.