Chapter 45: The Slime Lord and the Legend

A mysterious stringed instrument sound.

The moment those words were uttered, Sephiroth and I locked eyes. We were both thinking of the same thing: that heavy metal gayageum-playing slug that had tormented us back in Doltec’s castle.

“I really do wonder if the Master has made a deal with the devil, just as people whisper,” the taller man said.

“Hush! Don’t speak of such dangerous things. If a guard heard you, it would be your head. And not just yours—I’d be in danger too.”

“Right. It is dangerous…”

The taller man nodded weakly. The shorter man patted his arm repeatedly.

“The pearl tribute season is coming up soon, so let’s just hang in there. No more gloomy talk, okay?”

“True. As long as we provide a good pearl, the Master remains mild-tempered.”

“Exactly. Didn’t they say he’d even give a reward to anyone who brings the specific pearl he desires?”

“…Yeah. That’s right.”

The taller man’s shoulders slumped. The shorter man gave him a final pat and turned away. The taller man stood there blankly for a moment before slowly walking in the opposite direction.

“Shouldn’t we talk to him?” I asked, watching the fisherman’s back disappear down the slope.

I was feeling impatient, but Sephiroth shook his head.

“We’ve got all the information we need. It’s a waste of time. Let’s move.”

“Really?”

“Of course. The pearl Doltec wants is already in my hand.”

There wasn’t a hint of hesitation in Sephiroth’s voice. I stared at him for a second and then nodded.

At least when it came to the game, I had never regretted trusting Sephiroth’s judgment.

[Zelpia Community Board]

# Holy sh*t, the Fanatic appeared in Hodellem today ㄷㄷ;;; Hasn’t the Psycho been living only in the beginner zone lately? Why the hell did he suddenly come to Hodellem? I was in the middle of a quest and the whole area became a ‘No-Go Zone.’ This sucks…

[Comments]

User1: Looked like he came with his girlfriend. └ User2: Who’s the girlfriend? └└ User3: BlueberryWhiskey. You know them, they’re famous. └└└ User4: Is that his girl? └└└└ User5: If they weren’t dating, would Sephiroth really be following someone around like a servant? └└└└└ User6: I never pictured Sephiroth as the type to follow a girlfriend around like a servant…

User7: They didn’t look that close for a couple. └ User8: How’d you see them? └└ User9: Saw them from the observatory then bolted. └ User10: Have you ever even dated? Couples aren’t always overflowing with love. └└ User11: LMAO └└ User12: Why are you hitting him with the truth like that? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ └└ User13: You jerk! I’m not a ‘forever alone’ person, okay???? └└ User14: ㅋㅋㅋ Judging by the anger, definitely a ‘forever alone.’

User15: Hodellem has fallen. We need a worldwide ‘Fanatic Alert’ now. └ User16: Ugh T_T I liked it better when the Psycho stayed in the beginner zone… └ User17: At least in the old days he only stayed in the max-level zones. Now he’s terrorizing the whole world. Sh*t. └ User18: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ └ User19: As long as you aren’t within 40 meters, it’s fine. I hate those Endless guys way more. └└ User20: ^^ Don’t try to change the subject. Why bring up the Endless guild in a post about the Psycho? └└└ User21: Oh boy, the Endless mods are here to clean up the comments.

User22: Why? ㅋㅋㅋㅋ The low-levels need to see how crazy the Psycho is too ㅋㅋㅋㅋ That way they can sympathize with us ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ └ User23: If you want to die, die alone, you jerk! T_T └ User24: Man, max-level players play so petty.

# Shouldn’t we start putting BlueberryWhiskey on the blacklist too? There’s no way someone hanging out with Sephiroth that much is a normal person. X

[Comments]

User1: Real. User2: Facts. └ User3: Agreed. User4: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ So blunt. └ User5: But it’s true. └└ User6: ㅋㅋㅋㅋ True. If you’re sane, you can’t stand being with Sephiroth for even a minute.

User7: The standard for a normal person: Has been killed by Sephiroth at least once. └ User8: This is the truth. └ User9: Real. └ User10: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ └ User11: No, honestly, even the crazy guys get killed by him a lot. └└ User12: Read the room.

User13: But seriously, BlueberryWhiskey can’t be sane. Someone dig into their past; they probably successfully summoned a demon as a kid. └ User14: Is this ‘8th-grade syndrome’? ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ └ User15: ㅋㅋㅋㅋ Such a random demon-summoning theory. └ User16: ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ └ User17: Why are people laughing at such a lame joke;;; └└ User18: Because it’s so out of nowhere ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

It was obvious which building was Doltec’s office in the central market the moment I saw it. Amidst the small, charming shops with their colorful tents stood a three-story stone building. Ivy with leaves half the size of a palm curled up the exterior walls leading to a high spire.

Numerous NPCs were moving about inside the building. Most of them wore expressions full of worry. I caught the sound of someone sighing deeply and muttering.

“How am I supposed to secure this month’s pearl…”

Sephiroth and I pushed through the crowd and approached the reception desk on the first floor. An elf with short blonde hair and long ears looked up; he had a sharp, cold impression. He pushed up his glasses and asked us:

“What business brings you here?”

I delivered the line Sephiroth and I had rehearsed.

“We have come to offer the Legendary Pearl as tribute.”

“The pearl? I’ll need to verify the quality first.”

“Here? Absolutely not! This pearl is an extremely precious item that must be shown directly to Master Doltec.”

As I shook my head with an expression of feigned shock, the elf frowned and scanned our appearance for a moment. He then let out a small sigh and waved over a servant.

“Go inform Master Doltec that people have arrived wishing to present the Legendary Pearl.”

He still looked suspicious, but we didn’t care about a receptionist. According to Sephiroth’s calculations, the servant would lead us to the drawing room shortly. Because Doltec was obsessed with finding the “Legendary Pearl.”

And soon enough, that’s exactly what happened.

Doltec’s drawing room was coordinated entirely in deep red tones. A fireplace flickered with crimson flames along one wall, and atop the mantle sat exquisite ornaments that looked incredibly expensive. A red carpet covered the floor, shimmering at different angles as we walked. In the center of a large mahogany table was a chessboard, flanked by thick books and models of mermaids. A tapestry hung on the wall depicting a woman in a red dress spinning thread, and her eyes seemed to follow us.

But more than any of that, the most striking thing was Doltec’s appearance.

“Welcome. I hear you’ve brought the Legendary Pearl.”

I had imagined a rugged, fierce-looking man in his 40s who had captured and sold mermaids, but sitting in the large office chair was… a blue slime.

The chair was visible through his translucent, semi-liquid body. What on earth is this visual? I looked at Sephiroth in shock, but he just gave me a look that said, “What are you doing? Keep going.”

I composed myself and forced out my acting tone.

“Yes. We discovered a precious pearl and wish to offer it to you, Master Doltec.”

“Know this: if you have uttered the words ‘Legendary Pearl’ lightly, you shall not leave this room alive.”

“Of course. The receptionist tried to verify it, but I stopped him. Only Master Doltec is worthy of being the owner of this pearl.”

Was I a sycophant in my past life? The flattery flowed out of my mouth with disturbing ease. The slime’s “lips” curled up in satisfaction. Surprisingly, I could faintly see the outlines of eyes and a mouth on this slime. It made the giant creature look even more grotesque, but Doltec himself seemed oblivious.

“Show it to me.”

Sephiroth pulled the pearl from his inventory and placed it on Doltec’s desk. Doltec stretched upward and leaned over the pearl to inspect it closely. He looked exactly like the slime my classmate Jung-min used to play with in the student lounge. The resemblance made it impossible for me to stay immersed in the situation.

“This color. This feeling…”

Regardless of my lack of immersion, Doltec was very immersed. He stared at the tiny pearl, letting out a breathy moan. Honestly, the sight of a panting slime was not a good one. It wasn’t just visually bizarre; I felt like my brain was being contaminated just processing it.

“It is the one…!”

Doltec trembled. The shivering shape of the slime was identical to the way Jung-min would hold up his slime and shake it while saying, “Look at this.” Sephiroth, who also seemed to find the sight difficult to watch, whispered to me.

“In the main quest, I could just cut him down immediately, so it was fine.”

For once, I sympathized with Sephiroth from the bottom of my soul.

“You two, where did you find this pearl? Are you adventurers? Heroes?”

The slime’s color turned a very faint shade of red. A purple hue began to tint his body as he let out a heavy, unpleasant snort. I instinctively took a step back, but the slime slapped a “hand” onto the mahogany desk and stretched his face—if you could call it that—right up to mine.

“W-we’re heroes.”

“Then I have a request. I will reward you handsomely. Well?”

“Yes… What is it?”

I nodded with a lukewarm expression. Contextually, I knew I had to accept this quest to proceed, but my heart kept screaming that I didn’t want to get any more involved with this slime. Fortunately, whether it was because he couldn’t read human expressions or was just programmed to deliver his lines, Doltec ignored my reaction and presented the quest.