A few days had passed since classes started. Though the strange gazes directed at Randy and Liz hadn't lessened much, their academy life proceeded peacefully.
Ellie, who had initially shown great interest in academy life, had already begun to lose that enthusiasm. The reason was simple—the curriculum of the Royal Academy failed to pique her curiosity.
The Royal Academy, which attracted nobles and talented students from across the kingdom, tailored its classes primarily to the nobles.
Subjects like:
- Mathematics
- Literature
…were mostly limited to the first year. With the continent unified under a single official language, there were no foreign language classes. Starting in the second year, the majority of the curriculum shifted to focus on nobles cultural studies such as art, music, literature, dance, and even classical languages needed to read historical works.
Additionally, the second-year students who wish to, could study practical skills such as swordsmanship, magic training, and etiquette differences between nations.
By the third year, noble students of the kingdom could also take specialized courses in tactical theory, designed for future leaders who might need to command troops in times of emergencies.
On the other hand, second and third year students who opted out of these practical courses often found themselves with free afternoons, as there were fewer compulsory classes after the first year.
And what about our Randy?
"Not taking any afternoon classes?" Liz asked.
"I've got the Foundations of Territorial Management class," Randy replied.
"That's only once a week," Liz said, giving him a glare.
Just as Liz suspected, Randy was thoroughly enjoying his half-days off.
"Well, what's the point? Swordsmanship might be fine, but magic training? That's just unnecessary," Randy said, raising an eyebrow. "Not when Ellie's around."
"Little brat, you understand well," Ellie replied with a hearty laugh. Recently, she'd managed to swap places with Liz without even needing to change her hair color.
"Well, you claim to be an ancient magus. You'd better be leagues ahead of anything this academy can teach," Randy quipped, smirking before looking up at the large building in front of them.
"Besides," he continued, "we've gotta earn our lodging fees. No time to waste on pointless stuff."
"Indeed," Ellie agreed with a nod as Randy pushed open the door.
Inside, they found a counter, a large bulletin board, a small tavern, and a handful of people. They had entered the Adventurers' Guild, a large, cross-national organization that oversees adventurers like the Steel Lions.
From hunting magical beasts to running errands, the guild handles a wide variety of requests. It wasn't unusual for students like Randy and Liz who were looking to earn some pocket money to visit.
Therefore, the adventurers inside barely glanced at them before returning to their business.
(Thanks to those who came before us,) Randy thought with relief.
Not having to deal with inexplicable hostility or petty grievances was a blessing for Randy, who hated wasting time. This courtesy extended to the guild's reception desk as well.
"I'd like to register as an adventurer," Randy said.
"Of course. May I see your Royal Academy student ID?"
The process went smoothly, likely thanks to the many students who had come before them.
"Here you go," the receptionist said, handing back the student ID
On the student ID, an additional information which was the Adventurer Rank had been added, displaying an F—the rank for beginners.
But to the three of them, such labels were meaningless. What mattered was that hunting magical beasts could now earn them money.
"Would you like to take on a request right away?"
"Yes, what's available?" Randy asked.
It was already pas afternoon, the more high-paying requests were likely already taken. Still, there were always tasks to do.
"There's a regular request for herb gathering, and we also have slime core deliveries."
"I will take the slime core delivery."
Though a single core wouldn't fetch much, gathering a decent number could still bring in quite an income.
With the request accepted, Randy and his ream left the guild, their business there concluded.
☆☆☆
Randy and Ellie, having left the guild, arrived at a small cave near the royal capital. The damp and dark environment made it an ideal habitat for slimes, which thrived in such conditions.
As Randy predicted, they were greeted by a considerable number of slimes in front of them.
"Bingo. Let's get this done quickly," Randy said.
From the small magic bag at his waist, Randy pulled out not his signature log greatsword but a block of iron.
The magic bag, specially prepared by his parents, Alan and Grace, was designed to discreetly store his oversized and conspicuous weapon.
Its capacity was limited—it could barely hold his greatsword and the iron block— still, it was invaluable for Randy, as it allowed him to walk around unarmed.
Even if the bag was of low quality, Randy would never complain about something his parents had provide for him.
Randy began reshaping the iron block using production magic. The final product was a thick iron pipe, sealed in the middle like a bamboo. Ellie tilted her head, curious.
"What is that?"
Without answering, Randy threw the iron pipe at one of the slimes.
With a sharp whistle through the air, the pipe struck the slime, tearing through its gelatinous body and embedding itself in the wall behind. The pipe quivered slightly as the slime's body collapsed.
"Alright then—"
Randy pulled out the pipe, tipping its end downward.
"Oh?" Ellie murmured, clearly impressed.
A hollow, tube-shaped segment of the slime oozed out onto the ground. It seemed the slime could no longer maintain its form and dissolved, leaving its core intact before completely collapsing.
Ordinarily, slimes were defeated by smashing their cores. However, since the guild request required intact cores, a common method was to evaporate the slime's outer body using fire magic. Randy, on the other hand, had literally extracted the core through sheer brute force.
"Quite the interesting strategy," Ellie remarked.
"I'm glad you approve," Randy joked, preparing for another throw.
The iron pipe struck another slime, embedding itself in the wall as the creature dissolved in the same manner.
As Randy worked with his unconventional method, Ellie snapped her fingers.
In an instant, all the visible slimes were skewered by earthen spears.
The spears jutted out indiscriminately from walls, floors, and ceilings, but their tips were shaped like hands. These hands with sharp claws carefully enclosed the slimes' cores, leaving them undamaged.
"You cheater" Randy said with a wry smile as the slimes around him disintegrated in an instant.
"What do you think?" Ellie asked, clearly pleased.
"Impressive as always," Randy replied, shrugging.
Ellie nodded, satisfied with the compliment.
"Alright, time to gather the cores," Randy said.
He took out a burlap sack. Ellie, having lost interest, vanished, leaving Liz to take her place with a troubles expression.
"That old virgin is so annoying," Randy muttered under his breath, scowling.
Liz chuckled at his frustration and gestured for him to get on with the core collection. With a small sigh of resignation, Randy began picking up the scattered cores.
As he collected a few, something caught his attention.
(The slime's body… It's dissolved, but it hasn't completely disappeared.)
The remains of the slimes spread across the floor in a jelly-like state, their bodies intact despite being lifeless. Randy poked at one of the slime corpses (?) and even picked it up for a closer look.
(It's like jelly, moist, and quite stretchy.)
Although slimes normally dissolve whatever they touch, the corpse did nothing to Randy's hand. He had theorized that a slime's dissolving properties weren't active all the time—after all, they could cling to walls.
His theory was correct: once dead, a slime's body was nothing more than a harmless, wobbly jelly.
(Smooth and bouncy like baby skin…)
As the thought crossed his mind, Randy's head snapped around to look at Liz.
She had been quietly approaching to scold him for goofing off instead of working.
Startled by his sudden turn, she froze mid-step.
"W-what is it?" Liz asked hesitantly.
Without answering, Randy gestured for her to come closer. Tilting her head in curiosity, Liz crouched down beside him.
"Liz, touch this for a second," Randy said, pointing at the slime's remains.
"No way."
"It's fine, really."
Reluctantly, Liz reached out and poked the jelly-like substance.
"Huh? It's kind of squishy and… oddly satisfying to touch," she said, her tone surprised.
"Right? Hey, Liz, didn't you say your crafting skill can dismantle items now?"
"Yes, that's correct," Liz replied with a nod.
Having confirmed this, Randy modified part of the iron pipe into a square bucket and placed the dead slime on top of it.
"Can you try dismantling this?" Randy asked.
"I can, but…" Liz hesitated, puzzled, but obliged.
She placed her hand on the slime remains and activated her crafting skill.
The jelly-like substance separated into two components: a gelatinous solid mass and a colorless, faintly sweet-smelling liquid.
"What is this?" Liz asked, confused.
"I have no idea, but…"
Randy dipped a finger into the liquid and rubbed it between his fingers.
(This feels like… lotion?)
Though he is from modern world, Randy had no knowledge of substances like glycerin, and the liquid probably contained hyaluronic acid and other things as well. All he could thought was:
(A slime's moisturizing essence… Could this be used as a beauty serum or something?)
Randy kept rubbing the liquid between his fingers, deep in thought, when Liz peeked at him with concern.
"Randy?"
"Ah, sorry. Just had an idea," he said, standing up. He began gathering more slime remains, leaving the cores for later.
"Sorry, but could you dismantle these too?"
"Okayy…" Liz agreed, still looking puzzled as she worked.
While Liz continued dismantling the remains, Randy transformed the leftover iron into a larger water bottle, resembling a thermos.
The two worked together for a while, eventually collecting a substantial amount of the liquid and the slime cores.
Feeling accomplished, they began their journey back.
As they walked, Randy shared his thoughts about potential uses for the liquid, and the two engaged in lively conversation.
Upon returning to the guild, the receptionist greeted them but hesitated as she examined their haul.
"I-I'm sorry, but the budget for this request is just at five gold coins…"
"You mean you can't buy all of it?" Randy asked.
"That's correct," the receptionist said apologetically.
Randy and Liz exchanged glances before Randy shrugged.
"Alright, just take what you can."
The receptionist quickly sorted through the cores and handed over five gold coins.
"Out of 31 cores, we can purchase 20," she said, returning the remaining 11 cores to them along with the coins.
Leaving the counter, Randy pocketed the gold and asked, "So, what are slime cores used for anyway?"
"I've heard they're used as catalysts in magic potions," Liz replied.
"Really? Then maybe we can sell the extras at a magic tool shop," Randy suggested.
"That sounds like a good idea."
Their conversation was casual, unbefitting of noble children, as they left the guild.
What neither of them realized was the commotion their visit had caused among the guild staff.
"These cores are so pristine—it's the first time I've seen anything like this!"
"And they brought in 31 of them… Are they some kind of prodigies?"
"Looks like we've got some promising newcomers."
What even the guild staff didn't know, however, was that this minor event was nothing compared to the chaos Randy and his team would unleash in the future.
Little did anyone suspect that the rampage of an overpowered "final boss" and a reckless musclehead was only just beginning.