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yukiarimo

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tamer-novel

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Immediately as I enter Ratto Village, I search for where the adventurers gather and observe the village's situation. From the state of the village, there are no significant problems. The rest is information about the forest.

When it comes to monsters and animals that attack people, adventurers are the best to ask. There is a tavern in the center of the village and many shops where adventurers gather. In these places, they talk boastfully about the animals and monsters they have hunted, making it easy to understand the situation of the forest. The information that comes most is in the evening, and the story that comes when they're drunk is the most reliable. Beyond that, the conversation becomes meaningless.

I strained my ears to pick up the voices around me along the way.5 From what I heard, I learned that the forest near this village is relatively safe. That's good; I can take Sora out of the bag. However, I heard something interesting.

They said there were signs that snake monsters were increasing, and the village might request their subjugation. The location is near the village road leading to the next village. Should I wait in the village and see how the situation is going? Also… I'd like to hunt and make some money. If there are many wild rats, I think I can hunt them.

Before leaving the village, I looked for a butcher. When I entered one of the butchers, an uncle with a good smile welcomed me. There are some dried meats, but….. the amount is smaller even though the price is the same 100 Dal.

"Sorry, but thanks to the snake bastard, the number of wild rats is decreasing, so the price of the meat is rising."

Perhaps seeing me puzzled while looking at the dried meat, he told me why the price was rising.

"Thank you very much for the explanation. Then, if I hunt wild rats, will you buy it?"

"I'll be very grateful if you do. But, if you aim at wild rats, the snakes will come for you."

"...Really?"

"Aa, because those who went hunting wild rats in their nest made a noise that irritated the snakes."

"I see….. thank you."

"No problem; I hope your wild rat's hunt goes smoothly!"

After buying a piece of dried meat, I left the store. The snakes will likely become a problem; the snake in question is probably a monster. It was said that it occurred on the village road that leads to the next village, but could it be spreading more widely? 1 . I'll go to the forest and check it with my eyes.

This reminds me, even if I say it is a monster, what type of monster is it?2 Does its magic power contain poison, or can it release magic? If it's magic, let's escape immediately.

Should I hunt the wild rats? I hunt by putting a trap where the wild rats run. Will it get trapped together with the snakes? If it's impossible after trying once, I might have to think of another way.

Speaking of which, will he buy the snakes if I get one? I forgot to hear about it.

I leave the village and walk through the forest, but I can't feel the presence of the snakes. As I thought, Its place is still limited.

While observing the surroundings, I went to a tree with a big trunk that was easy to get onto. I found it near the dump. Looking around from the top, I could see a small animal running.

At that time, with the colossal ant, all small animals disappeared over a wide area. So, does this mean that the snakes aren't that strong? N~, let's gather more info about the snakes in the village tomorrow.

I sit on the big tree and put Sora on my lap.

"Are you okay?"

Like always, he was shaking his body. I felt sorry when I looked at him.3 No, no, no, not good. Let's finish what I must do first.

I had to arrange the potions initially in the magic bag, and I just picked them up and checked their color and stock. I remove the potions from the magic bags, but the blue potions are gone.

"Again?"

I tried to turn the bag over, but as I thought, it was gone. It's the same situation as at the dump before. Thinking whether something was the same as before, I looked at Sora.4 The same thing is none other than having Sora in it.

"Sora? …..Could it be"

Now that I thought about it, what does Sora eat? Regular slime is a monster that processes organic matter. Inorganic substances are also possible if they are rare slimes. What about the crumbling slime? The missing blue potions….. Perhaps a potion that heals wounds?

But it's still strange. Slime can only process organic or inorganic substances. Potions are organic, but the containers are inorganic.

What's going on?

Even if I think about it, I don't know, so I bring a discolored blue potion from a nearby dump. I'm a little worried, but I put the potion before Sora. My heart starts pounding.

Sora moves his body towards the potion in front of him. I'm impressed seeing him move other than rolling his body. After a while, the potion is sucked and immediately absorbed into Sora's body. The potions and their containers that disappeared into bubbles inside his translucent body were terrific. I thought it might be, but I was surprised to see it.

"That's amazing, Sora! Are both organic and inorganic substances okay with you?"

Looking at Sora, he shakes his body a little violently. I somehow felt like he was saying, 'Give me more,' so I looked for more blue potions in the dump. The blue potions I found numbered 21 in total. However, their color had changed considerably. There are 11 that have an indescribable color. Will it be okay?

A little worried, I only arranged 10 of them in front of Sora, excluding the ones with indescribable color. Fizz~, fizz~, Sora absorbing the potions one by one. It is interesting to look at. When the 10 potions are gone, he shakes his body violently again. Nn~, I look at the remaining potions, but my anxiety won't go away. As expected, this is….. While I was in doubt, Sora was rolling towards the remaining potions. I wonder if he has any other way of moving other than rolling? When looking at him, he hit the potions and stopped. He could probably roll, but he was not good at blocking. Maybe it's not impossible to stop…. but it's still unknown.

When he hit the potions, he started to digest them individually. The remaining potions also disappeared more and more inside Sora. Sora decided that it was okay, so it was probably safe. Nevertheless, he ate pretty vigorously. Was he hungry? The amount slime can consume varies individually, but how much can crumbling slime consume?

Sora, who had digested 21 potions, is now shaking slowly. Apparently, he seemed satisfied. That's good; even if he started shaking, I couldn't find any more blue potions in the dump.

"A, my share is….."

Well, everything inside the bag could have been eaten.1 Next time, I'll ensure I have my share and give the rest to Sora. Without the blue potion, injuries can result in wound suppuration. It is a potion that I would be troubled without.

Anyway, the crumbling slime is full of mysteries. Until now, no one has been able to tame it, so it can't be helped that it has not been clarified.

"Sora. You still have something you hide, aren't you"

Sora is shaking in the wind. Looking at him, my eyes closed slowly... don't tell me, I fell asleep. …..Isn't I a little too much at my pace?

I'm anxious about what's ahead.

I woke up the following day feeling anxious, and Sora was in front of me. ...He did not disappear! I'm so happy that I forgot to say morning greetings.

Put Sora in the bag and head out to the village. Today, I'm gonna gather information about the snake monster. There's been no change to the village since yesterday.

However, I see an adventurer carrying a snake-like before and has yet to be dismantled. I'm curious, so I'll follow them. After a while, they entered one of the buildings with a pharmacy mark on it. Looking inside, it seems they are selling the snake. Apparently, the snake monster is a type of medicine. This could become money, so I want to catch one. To be used as medicine, the snake must be caught alive. I've heard that the snake is immersed in medicinal water. I learned the characteristics of the snake and looked it up in the book. The trap book might tell me how to catch a snake.

I leave the pharmacy and find a plaza that adventurers can use. I immediately find one, but it is packed with adventurers. Let's just go to the forest.

I opened the book on the same tree as yesterday. First, I decided to check the type of snake. Unfortunately, the snake information I looked for is not in it, even though I only wanted to know if it had poison. However, when I looked at the snakes that can be used as medicine, all of them were written as poisonous. The snake, this time, will most likely be toxic, so I have to be careful. Next, I checked the trap book.

"Good, there is."

It looks like a trap for snakes, which is simple. I need something, but it won't be a problem because the dump is near. However, it may be problematic to process the entrance to prevent snakes from escaping. I then searched around the dump for the materials. I found a new blue potion that did not exist yesterday. I need many of them for Sora and me, so I put everything in the bag regardless of the color.

Next, I picked up the necessary materials. It was lucky that I was able to find torn cloth and rope in the broken basket. I searched and picked up other essential and useful stuff. When I placed the materials at the tree's base, I tied the fractured basket and torn cloth together with a string. It was written that it was important to tie the string so that no snake escaped from the gap and no gap was formed. I don't know how much gap it needs for the snake to escape. Scared that it might have poison, I tied it with multiple strings to fill the gap. At the entrance, tie a broken iron cup with a string to make it easier to enter the sack. Alright, the trap to capture the snake is complete. It is a straightforward trap where you feed a snake in a basket, and when the snake enters, tie the bag and lock it inside. It's troublesome because I need to keep watching the trap... but I'll do my best. It was difficult for me to process the entrance hole, so the snakes couldn't get out by only reading the book.1 Let's learn it little by little. I also prepare a trap to hunt wild rats. I'm going to lure the snake using the rats as bait, I'm not sure if I can do it, but I have to try! It's for money, so let's do our best!

Let's feed Sora, who is looking at the magic bags. How does he know that there are potions inside them? He shouldn't have known that I had picked them.

~….., it's been three days since I laid the trap. I finally succeeded. I really did my best. Moreover, I was able to catch two snakes and two wild rats. It could be called a great hunt, but a trap that must be closed manually is no good. It will cause you to lack sleep. I'm sleepy….. not good! The wild rats need to be dismantled, but the snakes are good as is because I need to sell them alive.

I have already become accustomed to dismantling, and I was able to do so neatly today. Moreover, today's wild rats are slightly larger, which is nice. Next are the snakes that are rampaging in the basket. I'm a little scared, but I need to bring it back. Let's do our best.

I enter the village and watch the villagers and the adventurers. There is no problem since nothing has changed. First, I go to the store where I bought the dried meat. I just need to sell the meat quickly before it rots.

"O! You're at that time….. the wild rats, right?"

"Yes, is it okay?"

"Ooh, thanks for your trouble….. and that one, is it a snake?"

"Yeah, I'm going to sell it at the pharmacy."

"Is that so? Aren't you amazing, boy"

"The wild rats are big; they look splendid. How about 260 Dal? Is that okay?"

"Yeah, thank you very much."

I'm glad that the meats were bought at a higher price than I thought. After receiving the money, I asked for a pharmacy that he recommended. I leave the butcher and go to the pharmacy, which the store owner recommended. Let's hurry up. Even so, it seems he'd see me as a boy; what a relief. If I were to go on a journey, the Fortune Teller told me to disguise myself as a boy. She said that it is dangerous for girls and women to travel alone. It's maybe like "Kamonegika"1 in the previous me….. I don't even know what "kamonegika" is, but it's probably dangerous. It's better to not be exposed.

When I arrived at the pharmacy, it was the store where the adventurers from before had sold their snakes. It was my first time entering a pharmacy, which made me nervous.

"Excuse me."

"What is it?"

A slightly moody store owner appears from behind the counter.

"I want to sell some snakes. Would you like to see it?"

"...Where are your parents or your friends?"

"There aren't, I'm by myself."

"…..Is that so, show it to me"

He thought a little and asked me to show the snakes. I put the basket on the nearby desk, removed the string, and pushed it out in front of the store owner. It's scary, so opening the bag is impossible. The store owner unexpectedly smiled, opened the bag, and checked inside.

"It looks lovely, the size is big, and the color is clear too."

Selling seems reasonable; I'm glad my effort is not for nothing.

"It's 2 Gidal for one snake, making 4 Gidal for two snakes. And one of them is female, so 1 Gidal is added."

Ha? Gidal? One Gidal equals 100 copper coins, and one Gidal is equal to one Silver coin, which means five Gidals are….. Ee! Snakes are so expensive.

"Aah, thank you very much."

"Me too; female is rare and popular."

I trembled a little while receiving the money. I can't believe I was getting this much money. I'm glad there was a mass outbreak of snakes. Otherwise, I won't be able to catch them.

After selling the snakes for a large sum of money, I return to where I sleep with a light gait. I can't believe it; it really is 5 Gidal. I'm so happy. However, this is due to the increased number of snake monsters. It will be problematic if it's in the next village where I think I'll go. Well, for today, it's okay to feel happy.

I place Sora at the tree's base and wrap him using the strap of the magic bag. Otherwise, he will roll around when I return. One time, I was astonished at how far he had rolled. Since then, I have always wrapped him with the strap of the magic bag so he won't be blown away by the wind. Although he didn't disappear the next day, I'm still anxious about it. And he really eats a lot.

Yesterday, 58 potions were thrown away at the dump. Perhaps children were asked to make potions to improve their skills. Rather than using a regular container, it was just a simple bottle. I tried to give it to Sora while feeling anxious because it was not using regular containers.

There are three types of regular containers used for potions. It was a grade to third-grade container. The difference lies in the transparency and thickness of the bottle. The first-grade container uses uniform glass, and the way the light enters is stable.3 The degree of light entering is important, and it is said that it is easy to discolor when unstable. Many people whose potion-making skills still lack or produce unstable potions mostly use third-grade containers. In fact, those who make unstable potions are recommended to use first-grade containers. Still, if they use it and the potions are discolored, they wouldn't be able to sell them as degraded versions, and the price of the containers would make them in the red. No one is using first-grade containers because it would be a hard blow for them. Now, the first-grade container is proof of high quality.

In the practice stage, they use a simple bottle instead of a regular container to check the discoloration. If the time it needs to be discolored decreases, it's time for them to make it using the regular container. The potions that were abandoned were most likely from the practice stage. I look at the bottle. It's really different from the regular containers... I know just by looking at the shape of the container.4 Next is….. Is the air entering because the shape is distorted?5 When I was pondering that, Sora rolled over to me and, with the same momentum, covered one of the potions. No matter how many times I saw it, it was still mysterious. Then the bottle and the blue potion disappear.

"There is no problem with the practice bottle, it seems…."

I put the bottle in front of Sora, and he doesn't respond. It seems necessary to have potions inside it. How can I secure a large number of potions?

As I keep giving Sora as is, the remaining potions disappear, too. I never thought he could eat 58 potions at once. I read the ecology of the slime in the book. Still, I could not tell about the amount of food they eat, which was only written as [varies for each individual]. So I'm not sure whether Sora eats a lot or if it's normal, but because his size is a little bigger than my hands, he seems to be a glutton.

The practice bottle seemed okay for Sora, so I put it in front of them when I found an empty bottle. He is not responding at all. It seems necessary to have potions inside it. How can I secure a large number of potions?

I'm giving up on the snake traps and increasing the traps for wild rats. If I try to hunt snakes, I'll lack sleep. On the day I sold the snakes, the lack of sleep reduced my awareness, and I felt it would be dangerous in the forest. Until the trap can be improved, I'll give up on it.

I searched around the trap that I had set up yesterday. The wild rat's escape routes are scattered because of the snake, making it difficult for the wild rats to fall into the traps. The four traps that I had set up yesterday were destroyed. Was it because of the snakes? Still, it was right to increase the number of traps. From fifteen traps, three wild rats are secured. I quickly finish the dismantling and head to the village.

When I entered the village, I noticed something unusual. The adventurers are in a hurry. What's happened? As I headed towards the butcher, I overheard a conversation... Apparently, the village had issued a subjugation request for many snakes. Are the adventurers busy preparing for the subjugation? Is snake subjugation worth more than selling it to a pharmacy? Even if it can earn money, it's better not to participate in the subjugation. A minor travels alone, so it's better not to stand out. Instead, I have to find out when the subjugation begins. If there are many adventurers in the forest, I should leave that day. A menacing monster may appear in the presence of the adventurers. It will be difficult if I get caught up in it.

When I enter the butcher, unlike before, I see a woman for the first time. That really surprised me.1 I thought the store owner would be there, but it was not what I had in mind.

"Oh, welcome!"

"….Umm, I want to sell wild rats."

"E?... Aa~, I've heard about you from my husband. You're the child who came to sell wild rats, right?"