It had been two days since the End-of-Fishing Festival.
I had finished my shopping yesterday, so my goal for the day was to catch some Mad Slimes. Selerepta had told me that I could find them using Mud Magic, but to be honest, I had never actually cast a spell from that school before.
However, I had seen Mud Magic used in the past, and I knew it was a combination of Water and Earth Magic. Since I was already accustomed to using spells that blended multiple attributes, I figured I could make it work if I just gave it a try.
And so...
"Big brother! Over here!"
Niki and I headed into the forest first thing in the morning, making our way to a spot where the ground was particularly swampy.
"Alright. Let's see what I can do."
Mud magic... Simply put, mud was a mixture of water and earth.
I needed to blend the water-attribute mana used in Water Magic with the earth-attribute mana used in Earth Magic.
Visualizing the process, I focused on mixing the two types of mana and infusing them into the muddy ground. For the spell itself, I imagined the mud rippling like the Wave spell from the Water Magic school.
If I had to give it a name...
"Mud Wave!"
Upon activation, small ripples formed in the mire, turning into surging waves of muck.
The mud washed against the roots of the surrounding trees, swallowing them up. It was then that things began to happen.
"Whoa! Big brother, they're coming out!"
"Ah... I didn't realize there were so many."
The mud rippled by my magic began to move unnaturally, and one after another, small clumps of mud began to take shape. I estimated there were roughly thirty of them. They looked so saturated with moisture that they seemed on the verge of collapsing, squirming frantically as they tried to put some distance between us.
"Let’s catch them. Just like we planned."
"You got it!"
The Mad Slimes' movements on land were just like any other slime species—if anything, they were even slower.
Niki scooped them up one by one and tossed them into the pots I pulled from my Item Box. We were so successful that despite a few individuals managing to escape by assimilating back into the mud, we caught twenty-seven in that single attempt. When I checked them with Monster Appraisal, the results were as follows:
Mad Slime Skills: Scatter Lv3, Cohesion Lv3, Moisture Retention Lv5, Digestion Lv1, Absorption Lv2, Division Lv2, Assimilation (Mud) Lv5.
"Heh..."
"Big brother, did you find out something?"
"Yeah. Their skills are actually quite similar to the Ash Slime's."
They possessed Scatter and Cohesion, and they had Moisture Retention instead of Drying. The most noteworthy skill, however, was Assimilation (Mud). It was the first time I had seen a skill with a specific qualifier in parentheses; it likely meant they could only assimilate with mud and nothing else.
With this, I had added another species to my collection. If I could catch nearly thirty in a single go, I might be able to gather enough to form Big or Huge variants if I searched a little longer.
I told Niki that I wanted to collect more if possible.
"Then let's check out some other spots!" he replied, readily agreeing to help.
The two of us spent the next several hours running through the forest.
Every time I used Mud Magic, more Mad Slimes appeared with hilarious ease; if this were fishing, you'd say they were biting like crazy. We took occasional breaks and moved between locations, and without overexerting ourselves, I managed to capture and contract over six hundred of them.
No matter where I cast the spell, four or five would always pop out. It reached the point where I started to wonder if the "mud" in this area was actually just composed of Mad Slimes.
"Oh."
"What's up?"
"Look, over there."
"Ah, the secret base tree."
I looked where Niki was pointing and saw the tree I remembered from his runaway incident.
"Wait here! I'll be right back!"
He dashed toward the tree and crawled into the secret base nestled among the roots.
Wondering what he was up to, I sat down on a thick, protruding root and waited. About two minutes later, he emerged from the hole, holding his hands together as if protecting something.
"Sorry to keep you waiting. Here, big brother. This is for you."
"What is it?"
He handed me a handful of irregular, ordinary-looking stones.
"They're called Moist Glow Stones. You find them in the mud. They're super rare—if you get them wet in the dark, they glow!"
"Heh..."
Now that he mentioned it, I remembered seeing a light source inside his base during the search. I hadn't looked closely at the time, but this must have been it. "But why give these to me?"
"You're heading home today, right? You taught me all sorts of things, so I wanted you to have a souvenir. I don't need them anymore anyway."
"You don't?"
I was genuinely happy to receive them; they seemed like interesting fantasy minerals. But hadn't he been using them to light his base?
"Kids are allowed to play around here, but it's still pretty far from the village, right?"
"True."
"I talked it over with Dad and Mom. We agreed that it's dangerous if what happened before happens again... so even though I worked hard on this base, I decided to rebuild it closer to the village. I’m going to build it somewhere more visible so they won't worry. I've already picked out the spot. That's why I don't need the stones."
"I see. That’s very mature of you."
"Hehe! I'm big enough to help the adults with their work now! I’ve graduated from being a little prankster!"
He was likely referring to his time helping out at the waste processing plant. Come to think of it, he had seemed to enjoy the work there; perhaps it really had been a good experience for him.
...Though looking at how much energy he still had, I suspected his graduation from pranks might still be a long way off.
"Well then, should we head back and start on your new base?"
"Are you done with the slimes?"
"I’ve already caught six hundred. Consider this my thanks for the stones. I can use some convenient magic, so don't hesitate to tell me what you need."
"In that case... do you think you could build a base up in a tree?"
A treehouse, huh? If it was something simple, I could probably manage.
"I’ll have to see the site first."
We hurried back to the village, and he showed me the planned construction site.
It was right on the border between the village and the forest, in a corner of the gathering grounds where the villagers collected timber and firewood. He had set his sights on a massive tree that had been left alone because its trunk and branches were too thick to be easily cut.
"Dad talked to the Village Chief and everyone else so they'd let me use the area around this tree. He said he'd help me build it, too."
"Heh... The trunk and branches are certainly thick enough. It should be able to support a fair amount of weight."
The only issue was creating a space for the base itself. On the way back, I had asked him what kind of structure he wanted, and he’d described something like a small shack perched in the branches.
"...Alright. Dimension Home!"
I summoned the Wire Slimes that had evolved while I was in this village.
"Big brother? Are you going to cut the tree down?"
Niki looked anxious, but I wasn't using them for cutting this time. I gave him a quick word of reassurance and issued my instructions to the slimes.
The tree resembled a mangrove with many bifurcating branches. I had the slimes hook their wire-like bodies onto the branches, pulling and bending them to create a wide, open space in the center.
While holding them in that position, I cast my next spell. "Grow!"
I used Wood Attribute Magic to stimulate the plant's growth. The branches affected by the magic grew ever so slightly, causing the wires to bite into the bark. By forcing the growth while they were bent, I was effectively "training" the branches to grow in a new direction.
"Whoa! The tree is changing shape!"
"There’s an art called Bonsai where people artificially shape trees to express nature. Normally, you'd do this with a tree in a pot over years or even decades, but this works too!"
I pulled a thin, flexible branch with all my might and tangled it with a branch from the adjacent tree to fix it in place. The two branches wound around each other, creating a support so sturdy it didn't budge even when I hung my full weight from it. I decided to install a swing there. A treehouse wasn't complete without a swing, after all.
"I want to help!"
"Alright. I'll set the wires, and you help me pull."
We spent the next hour correcting the structure of the massive tree. The branches branching from the trunk now grew radially—extending horizontally before curving upward at the tips. It was a bit of an odd shape, but it looked somewhat like a giant table. It would be easy to lay boards across the gaps to create plenty of space for a shack.
"Okay, I think we're done once we set up the swing and a rope ladder to make it easier to climb."
"What about the shack?"
"Ask your father for that. He promised to help, right?"
"Oh, right! I'm going to build an awesome base with Dad! I'll show it to you next time you visit, big brother!"
With his agreement, I prepared some suitable timber. The two of us finished the rope ladder and the swing together, and once they were installed...
"Finished!"
It was only the foundation, but it was a great spot. By the time we were done, it was getting late.
"Are you leaving now, big brother?"
"After I say goodbye to everyone in the village."
I had already told them I intended to head out today, but it would be rude to leave without a proper farewell. I quickly tidied up the traces of our work and headed back to the village, returning to Hoi's house.
"Oh! He's back!"
Not only were the members of Shikumu's Pier there, but a large crowd of villagers had gathered outside as well. Before I could even wonder what was happening, they swarmed me.
"Kid! We heard you're heading out!"
"Y-Yes! Thank you for—!"
"Don't mention it! You helped us with the fishing and the festival!"
"You really should've stayed a bit longer."
"Just when the fishing season ended and things finally calmed down, too."
"Ah, wait, um...!"
Men and women of all ages surrounded me, everyone talking over each other at once. I was starting to feel overwhelmed when a few familiar faces cut through the crowd.
"Hold on, everyone!"
"Ryoma-kun looks troubled."
"Please, calm down."
Kai, Kei, and Shin moved in to create some space, while Sein and Peiron pulled me out of the thick of the crowd.
"Are you okay?"
"Thank you. You really saved me there."
"Sorry about that... Everyone just wanted to see you off. They didn't mean any harm."
"Once the fishing stops, everyone suddenly has too much time on their hands. Honestly."
Even as we spoke, more people seemed to be joining the group.
"Ryoma, take this with you."
"Eat this for dinner tonight."
Mei and her mother emerged from the house and handed me a bundle wrapped in large leaves. It must have been a packed lunch; a savory aroma wafted from it. Behind them, Niki's father trudged out and grunted a single sentence.
"Be careful... out there."
"Thank you. And thank you truly for everything! I had a wonderful time staying here!"
I bowed my head and spoke loudly so that everyone gathered could hear me.
"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself."
"Hey, take this too!"
"Do you want some Mad Salamander jerky?"
"Just come back and visit sometime!"
"This is from last year, but it's still good. If it tastes bad, give it to your slimes!"
The crowd dissolved into boisterous chatter again, with people pressing souvenirs and food into my hands. It was a chaotic, confusing scene, but the warmth of the community was palpable.
To be honest, I hadn't expected such a massive send-off. Perhaps it was just because everyone was free now that the fishing season was over, but the voices calling out to me didn't stop. It was a little sad to say goodbye, but everyone insisted I come back whenever I liked. There was no need for a somber farewell.
"Thank you so much! I'll come back again!"
"Take care of yourself!"
"Come back soon! That's a promise!"
"We'll be waiting for your letters!"
Sent off with a roar of voices until the very last moment, I promised to return one day and finally departed from the village that had been so kind to me.