I had a feeling I was misunderstanding something.
"We aren't going to catch any fish, you know," I told her.
In the first place, there might not even be any in those ditches. I’d heard they drew water from a river upstream, so it was possible, but I had absolutely no desire to eat anything pulled from a sewer.
"Yes, it is so," Miria replied.
"Even if you see some, don't eat them."
"Yes, I understand."
Her eyes were definitely wandering.
"I’ve lectured her on not eating anything she finds, so it should be fine," Roxanne said. "Probably."
"I think it would be dangerous if we didn't have fish for dinner tonight," Sherry added.
It seemed Roxanne and Sherry shared my concerns.
"I will go," Miria insisted, refusing to back down on her participation.
"Will she be okay with the language barrier while she’s working?" I asked.
"There should be other beast-kin participating. It will be fine," Roxanne reassured me.
"And if there aren't?"
"The woman who works as a servant for the hardware shop owner is a beast-kin. She’ll be there. I’ll ask her to keep an eye on Miria."
I didn't even realize the hardware shop had a servant like that. I wondered when Roxanne had managed to cultivate such a relationship with the neighbors. Well, if she said it was fine, I’d take her word for it.
"The work isn't supposed to be very difficult, so I’m sure she can handle it," Sherry said.
Hearing that from Sherry made me feel a bit better.
"It is fine. Dinner is fish," Miria chirped.
That, on the other hand, made me uneasy. Her objective had clearly shifted. Still, if her goal wasn't the sludge-dwelling fish in the ditch, I suppose I could breathe a sigh of relief.
Having decided to let Miria join the cleanup, I warped to the Hafen fish market on the morning of the day after next. If I didn't "catch" some fish by buying them in advance, there was no telling what Miria might try to bring home. I even brought a tub along.
"Can you pick out some small ones for tonight, like the ones we had before?" I asked her.
Miria wandered through the market with a deadly serious expression. She made a beeline for the same stall we’d visited last time—the one run by the Cat-kin woman. The woman clearly had reliable skills when it came to cleaning and prepping the catch.
"Eight of these should be enough, right?"
"Yes, those," Miria agreed.
They were the same horse-mackerel-like fish as before. Miria selected them and placed them in the tub. The shopkeeper also had shrimp on display. They looked like standard prawns—I couldn't tell if they were kuruma, black tiger, or vannamei, but I figured the cooking method would be the same regardless.
"We can just grill these, right?" I asked Roxanne.
Roxanne translated the question for the shopkeeper. The woman poked the shrimp, and they jumped.
"She says they’ll stay fresh for two or three days," Roxanne reported.
So they were still alive.
"I’ll take eight of those as well."
Roxanne translated the order. The woman wrapped them in leaves covered in sawdust and placed them in our tub. She counted them off on her fingers.
"The shrimp are two for one Nahl. The total comes to twelve Nahl."
Even without understanding the language, I could follow her finger-counting. I paid the twelve Nahl and headed home.
The cleanup was scheduled for the afternoon. After a quick trip into the labyrinth, I sent Miria off to do her civic duty. She was dressed in full agricultural gear: clothes that could get muddy, knee-high boots, a hat, and gloves. It was different from a fishing outfit, but I doubted she cared about the distinction.
A fair number of people seemed to be gathering for the work. Looking from a distance, the crowd was substantial, mostly dressed in shabby clothes. It was less because of the nature of the work and more because the neighborhood's servants and maids had been sent in place of their masters. It made me realize just how many servants the houses around here actually employed.
Well, it made sense. The nearest well was quite a distance away, and hauling water was backbreaking labor. Our house was only an exception because I could conjure water with Water Wall.
Society, it seemed, was heavily constrained by the level of its technology. In this world, servants were indispensable if you wanted any semblance of a comfortable life. There was a sharp divide between the class that lived well and the class that supported them—those who had someone else fetch their water and those who fetched it. A middle class between the two barely existed. I suspected many of those "servants" were actually slaves.
Technology constrained society in other ways, too. For instance, there was no such thing as forensic science. DNA testing, fingerprinting, even blood types were completely unknown.
This meant that the Knight Order’s "investigations" weren't really investigations at all. If they asked around and everyone said a certain guy was suspicious, then that guy was the culprit. Without forensics, physical evidence was non-existent. There was no luminol to find blood on a murder weapon, and no way to prove a specific blade had done the deed. Confessions and eyewitness testimonies were everything.
If a neighborhood had an eccentric or an outsider, they were the first person blamed whenever something went wrong. A society where you didn't know your neighbor’s face—or where an inhabitant of another world with different customs lived next door in total anonymity—simply couldn't survive here. Even if it did for a while, it would collapse the moment a crime occurred.
Quratar was a city teeming with Explorers, mostly strangers living side-by-side. Compared to other places, neighborhood ties weren't that tight. I didn't even know the faces of the people living directly next to me. Roxanne did, for some reason.
Nevertheless, one had to perform the bare minimum of community service. If you were branded a "weirdo" or a "jerk," you were as good as dead when trouble started. If a robbery or a murder happened nearby and you were the one who had skipped the ditch cleaning, you were the culprit by default. After that, nothing but torture awaited you until you confessed.
Participating in the cleanup was a defensive measure against being framed. That was my interpretation of Sherry’s desperate persuasion. It was a survival tactic for this world. That was the real reason I sent Miria.
Of course, there were ways to contest an accusation. Trials did exist, but they were either Trials by Ordeal or Trials by Combat.
A Trial by Ordeal was essentially a death trap. They might put a pebble in a pot of boiling water and force the accused to retrieve it—if they were unharmed, they were innocent. Or they’d tie your limbs and throw you in a lake; if you floated, you were innocent. Or they’d force you to drink poison. It didn't take a genius to figure out what happened to those found "guilty."
In a Trial by Combat, you dueled your accuser or a witness. If you won, you were innocent. If you lost, you were guilty—and usually dead, which saved the state the cost of an execution. If the accused won, the accuser was then punished for false testimony, which conveniently settled both sides of the matter at once.
I had no desire to ever step foot in such a court. But in a society with zero investigative tools, they had no other way to find a culprit. In a world where Field Walk existed, even alibis were flimsy at best. Drawing lots to find a killer was a perfectly standard procedure here.
If someone was murdered in a mansion and there were six suspects with no sign of an intruder, a detective wouldn't show up—the dice would. The dice were toys in appearance but held the "mind of a god." They determined the culprit according to divine will. Of course, if one of the six was a social pariah, the other five would simply coordinate their testimonies to ensure the "divine" dice pointed his way. At that point, it would be a five-on-one duel. The number of witnesses made the situational evidence so overwhelming that the unfairness of the fight didn't matter.
I was a man with three beautiful slaves. That alone was enough to make people keep an eye on me. If I also failed to show up for community events, I was practically volunteering to be the next fall guy.
The key to surviving this world was to stay under the radar, blend in, and live a seemingly upright, cheerful life.
"Master, a messenger has arrived from Mr. Luke," Roxanne announced. "He successfully won the bid for the Slime Skill Crystal."
The message arrived while I was still at home, shortly after Miria had left.
"Sherry, what kind of skill does a Slime Skill Crystal provide?" I asked.
"When attached to armor, it grants Physical Damage Reduction. If fused alongside a Skill Crystal: Kobold, it becomes Physical Damage Mitigation, though we likely don't need to go that far."
So it could reduce physical damage. That felt appropriate for a slime; I always had the image that physical attacks weren't very effective against them.
"I wonder what we should put it on. Well, let's head to the Merchant Guild while we're out doing the rest of the shopping."
We went into central Quratar, picked up some vegetables and other crystals, and returned. If I put the slime crystal on my hard leather armor, it would be bound to me. I already had my waterproof mittens, so maybe boots? No, if it reduced physical damage, I wanted whoever was on the front line to benefit from it. I also wanted to be able to use it myself when I had to step forward.
Swapping armor in the middle of a fight was impossible, and changing boots was too difficult. Gloves were a possibility, but a hassle. A hat, however, was easy to swap. The hard leather hat I’d bought from the armor shop had two empty skill slots, making it the perfect candidate.
I handed the hat and the crystal to Sherry. She performed the Skill Crystal Fusion without a hint of hesitation.
"It is done," she said.
"Wow. Nice work as always, Sherry."
"You did it, Sherry!" Roxanne cheered.
It was a clean success. Sherry didn't even seem anxious about the process anymore.
Sturdy Hard Leather Hat (Head Equipment) Skill: Physical Damage Reduction / Empty Slot
I equipped it immediately and we headed for the labyrinth. We couldn't even use the water at home while the cleaning was happening, so it was the perfect time for some testing.
"Let's start easy on the first floor. Roxanne, find us a target."
"Yes, Master."
It had been a while since it was just Roxanne, Sherry, and me. We started on the first floor of Halber. There shouldn't have been any danger, but I had something specific I wanted to check: the Bounty Hunter skill, Dead or Alive. I wanted to see if it would trigger against first-floor monsters.
I drew Durandal and faced off against a monster, waiting for the skill to activate... but nothing happened before it reached me. The next encounter was the same. I ended up just cutting them down with Durandal as they approached. If I’d left it to Roxanne, she could have toyed with them forever, but there was no point. This way I at least recovered some MP.
It was a shame that Dead or Alive consumed MP even when it failed to trigger, but that was just how it worked. At least I was now certain it was an offensive skill.
"Everything seems fine. Let's head to the thirteenth floor of Quratar," I said.
"Yes, Master."
The lack of triggers was likely due to my low Bounty Hunter level. It would be a problem if I couldn't even kill a bottom-tier mob after the job leveled up. Conversely, if a Level 1 Bounty Hunter could suddenly delete any monster regardless of the floor, no one would ever use any other job. It was a safe bet that the success rate was tied to the level gap.
I decided to head to the thirteenth floor to grind the job level before trying Dead or Alive again. I wanted to hit Level 10, or at least Level 5, before making another serious attempt. By swapping around my experience-boost skills and job slots, the levels came quickly.
"Try to find isolated enemies. Sarracenia would be ideal. I’ll be testing things, so just hold them off until I get the kill," I instructed.
"Understood."
I chose Quratar over Halber because Halber’s thirteenth floor had the poisonous Grass Bees. Grind-wise, it was a bit more of a walk, but I wasn't going to be stingy with the effort. It was just one Warp away, after all—even if it did eat into my MP.
On the thirteenth floor of Quratar, Roxanne was so skilled that the carnivorous plants couldn't even touch her. I was supposed to be testing the new equipment's defensive boost, but she was too good for her own (or my) good.
"You can let them hit you a little, you know," I muttered.
I fired Fireballs from the safety of the back line. Against a single target, there was zero risk. Efficiency-wise, it would have been better if Sherry stayed back, but having her there for backup was the safer play. When my MP ran low, I pulled out Durandal, swapped the Sturdy Hard Leather Hat with Roxanne, and stepped to the front.
Taking those hits was purely for the sake of verification. I had no other motive. Besides, for MP recovery, it was actually more convenient to face a group of monsters rather than just one. Because there were several of them, it wasn't a perfectly controlled comparison, but... well, even I could handle one on my own. Mostly.
"I see. With Physical Damage Reduction, the impact definitely feels lighter," I noted.
The fact that I could make that comparison at all meant I was getting hit way too often. Come to think of it, if Roxanne had been the one to take the hits for the test, I probably wouldn't have been able to tell if the damage was reduced or not, because she almost never gets hit to begin with. In the end, I was the only one who could have done the testing.
"Is that so? I'm glad to hear it," Roxanne said.
"It’s definitely a solid piece of gear. It’s all thanks to you, Sherry."
"No, I only..." Sherry blushed.
I hit Bounty Hunter Level 5 fairly quickly, so I pushed through and ground it all the way to Level 10. Once that was done, we returned to the first floor of Halber. Even at Level 10, however, Dead or Alive was still stubborn.
I started to have doubts. Was it really an instant-death skill? Could it be something else entirely?
"Ah."
"Eh?"
"The monster..."
Just as I was descending into paranoia, the monster simply toppled over and died.
"S-See? I told you I was testing this," I stammered.
"It’s amazing. The monster died without you even touching it," Roxanne said, her eyes wide.
"I see. So that is Dead or Alive," Sherry added.
She clearly saw right through my fumbling.
"I’ll do a bit more testing, but this skill might not be very practical," I admitted.
It was definitely an instant-death skill, but the utility was poor. A level gap of ten didn't seem to be enough to make it reliable. If the gap were twenty or thirty, it might be different, but maintaining that gap was the hard part. As my level went up, the effort required to level further increased exponentially, while the monsters' levels rose steadily with every floor we climbed. Eventually, the gap would always close.
It was fine as a secondary choice once the job was already leveled, but it was hard to see it as a primary combat tool. Bounty Hunter was going to stay on the bench for now.
There were other jobs I wanted to train, but since I was already here testing against Level 1 monsters, there was one more thing I wanted to try: the bonus spell, Extreme Drop Dead.
The name suggested extreme sudden death or radical fatality. I wondered if it was an instant-death spell like the skill, or perhaps a spell that specifically killed monsters with "extreme" values.
What counted as an extreme value? For a monster, that would be Level 1 or Level 99. Or maybe Level 100 was the cap. In math, the extreme value theorem states that a continuous function on a closed interval must have a maximum and a minimum. Levels probably had a minimum and a maximum, too—putting aside whether a level could be considered a continuous function. Maybe even if it showed as "Level 3," it was actually something like 3.14159... otherwise, you couldn't calculate a perfect circumference. Not that I had any reason to do that here.
Anyway, if it worked on extremes, it should be effective against Level 1 monsters. I swapped my settings to pick up Extreme Drop Dead and used it on a monster Roxanne found.
Whoa.
"Another monster died!"
"And another one right after!"
It was effective, but... man, the MP cost. The consumption was on a completely different level than Dead or Alive. It was more than double—a massive, visible chunk of my bar vanished with every cast. It was almost depressing. I was going to have to spend some serious time recovering MP after this. I’d have to skip the Warping for a bit.
Ultimately, Extreme Drop Dead was definitely an instant-death spell for Level 1 monsters. I tried it back on the thirteenth floor, but it didn't work on Level 13 enemies at all. It seemed Level 1 was indeed the "minimum extreme." Unlike the skill, it seemed to have a 100% success rate against Level 1s, but the cost was too high for it to be useful.
After bouncing between the first and thirteenth floors for testing, I concluded that just killing things the old-fashioned way was still the best. Since the first floor was terrible for MP recovery and Warping was too expensive, I decided to keep fighting on Halber’s thirteenth floor, even with the Grass Bees. Even without Miria, we could handle it, though I wouldn't call it effortless.
Without Miria there to help divide the enemies' attention, I ended up taking far more hits than usual. I was really glad I’d made that Sturdy Hard Leather Hat. I’d grown used to having three people on the front line, and my skills had evidently rusted. When I used Durandal, I was usually in the thick of it, so it wasn't like I had forgotten how to fight, but I had to sharpen up.
I managed to parry a Pig Hogg’s charge. Focusing on the pig’s movements, I chanted Water Storm. Two of them collapsed. The space in front of me cleared. One Grass Bee remained, but Roxanne was already busy with it. I fired a Breeze Ball from her flank while she toyed with the bee, easily finishing it off.
The next group Roxanne found was two Pig Hoggs and two Grass Bees. Sherry used her spear with the Chant Interruption skill to deal with the bees and their ranged attacks, while I took on the pigs. I used Breeze Storm to prioritize the poisonous bees. It meant the pigs were left for later, but it was the safer bet. It turned into a long fight, but I only got hit once.
The next pack was three Grass Bees and one Pig Hogg. Roxanne blocked the bees' ranged needles with her shield. I focused on the bee in front of me and chanted Breeze Storm. I parried a tackle from another bee with my rod. The bees that had been hanging back for ranged attacks joined the melee late. I had to keep an eye on the one Roxanne had pulled away with her sword. A quick glance confirmed it wasn't aiming for me.
I thought I was fine.
In that split second when I looked away, the bee in front of me lunged. I tried to twist away, but I took the hit. I repaid the favor with a final Breeze Storm, and all three bees dropped.
Immediately, a wave of heat and nausea washed over me. Poison. I’d taken it from that last bee’s tackle. Trying to explore without Miria had been a mistake.
This was my second time being poisoned, so I managed to stay relatively calm, even though it was physically agonizing. My chest felt like it was being squeezed in a vice. Still, the remaining monster had to die first. I aimed at it and fired a Breeze Ball—no, wait. The enemy was a Pig Hogg. Wrong spell.
I was calm enough to realize my mistake and slammed a Water Ball into it instead. It hurt to breathe. How much more could it take? I fired one more Water Ball. I was calm enough to count the spells. Completely composed.
Sherry moved in front of me. The medicine. An Antidote Pill. Delivered via mouth-to-mouth. I was calm enough to understand exactly what was about to happen.
I pulled her close with all my strength and feasted on her lips. I sucked deeply, savoring the soft, warm sensation. I had to make the most of this opportunity—that was the kind of rational, calm judgment I was making.
Sherry pushed the pill into my mouth, and I swallowed it whole. I didn't stop, though; I kept chasing her tongue, entangling it with mine. Sherry’s tongue moved slowly and gently. I was calm enough to savor every second of it.
Slowly, the agony receded. The weight on my chest lifted, and my mind cleared.
Wait, what was I doing? I could have just kept going and enjoyed myself, but... where was the monster?
I reluctantly released Sherry’s lips. It was fine; the monster was dead. Of course, even if I was being a weirdo, Roxanne and Sherry were still on the job. If the monster hadn't been dead, they would have handled it.
"Thanks, Sherry. I'm okay now."
"Yes. I'm so glad," she whispered.
I took a deep breath. I needed to compose myself. Maybe some water? I pulled out a cup and filled it with Water Wall.
"...Hey, Roxanne? Could you...?"
"Yes, of course!"
Roxanne looked at me with eyes full of expectation, so I had her give me the water mouth-to-mouth as well. She took the cup from me afterward, so I guess I made the right call.
I took a long time to just breathe and settle down. The labyrinth was dangerous. Being down even one person changed the math significantly. It wasn't worth the risk. We headed home early.
I had plenty to do once we got back. First, I got the bath ready. Since we couldn't let the wastewater flow out yet, I had to be careful not to spill. I put the water jar inside the tub to catch the overflow from Water Wall so we could reuse it. Miria wouldn't be back for a while, so I made it nice and hot.
For the first time in a while, it was just the three of us at home. And when it’s just us, there’s only one thing to do.
"I'm home," Miria announced.
She returned just as we were finishing up, covered in mud from head to toe. She’d worn the cheapest rags she owned, the ones she’d had when I bought her, and she’d thoroughly trashed them.
"I told Miria to take those clothes off immediately," Roxanne said. "Apparently the water can flow again, but I’ll go outside to do the laundry while I double-check the drainage."
"I want to get her into the bath, but..."
"That’s fine. It’s her turn today, since you’ve already given Sherry and me plenty of affection," Roxanne said, adhering to her strict sense of order.
"Miria, you worked hard today. The bath is ready, so let's get in."
"Bath," Miria agreed.
I got her into the tub, but first, I gave her a total scrub-down. I washed every single inch of her, meticulously and thoroughly. I covered her in foam and cleaned her with gentle hands. Miria stayed quiet and obedient throughout the process. She was quite cute when she was being well-behaved.
After rinsing her off, I washed her hair, then gave her body one more scrub for good measure. Two rounds of washing seemed about right.
"Miria, sorry for making you do that kind of work today."
"Dinner is fish," she replied.
"Was it tough?"
"No fish," she said.
I tried to keep the conversation going while I washed her, but without Roxanne there to translate, we were mostly talking past each other. Apparently, there were no fish in the ditches. That was a relief.
Once Sherry and Roxanne joined us and everyone was clean, we all soaked in the tub together.
"So, you planted some kind of flowers too?" I asked.
"Yes," Miria said.
"It’s Lycoris," Sherry explained. "They’re often planted on riverbanks and levees. The roots, flowers, and leaves are all poisonous, so they keep burrowing animals away. That prevents the banks from collapsing. Plus, if you soak the roots in water long enough to leach out the toxins, they can be used as emergency rations."
It was a classic bit of survival wisdom. This world had some remarkably convenient plants. I wondered if I should have changed Miria’s job to Farmer before sending her out. She’d been helping in our herb garden, so she did have Level 1 in that job. It probably didn't matter much, though. I didn't think the Farmer job made things take root faster, though she might have gained some experience points from the planting. Even then, it would have been a pittance.
"Roxanne, Sherry, why don't you two head out first and start the soup? I’ll handle the rest of the cooking."
"Understood, Master."
I let the two of them out and stayed in the tub with Miria. There was, as always, only one thing to do.
Afterward, I had Miria help with the prep work—even though I’d said I’d handle the cooking. It was just safer that way; if I prepped the fish wrong, she’d be heartbroken. Miria expertly filleted the fish and prepped the shrimp by removing the heads, shells, and veins. The process for shrimp seemed identical to Earth. She didn't seem to care that they were still alive when she started. She looked satisfied just to be touching seafood, so I called it a win.
"Tell me what you want to eat. I’m going to start with the shrimp. Roxanne, what about you?"
Once everything was ready, I started the dinner. I set a pot over an earthenware stove—something like a charcoal brazier—and heated up some olive oil. I lined up the ingredients on the table: fish, shrimp, sausage, ham, and various vegetables.
I made a batter using wheat flour, Slime Starch, and a bit of Shell Powder, whisking it lightly with water and an egg. All that was left was to dip and fry. I started with the shrimp.
"I’d like the shrimp too, Master," Roxanne said.
"Ham for me, please," Sherry added.
"Fish," Miria declared.
Naturally.
I battered more shrimp, some sliced ham, and the fish, and dropped them into the oil. Soon, they floated to the surface surrounded by light, dancing bubbles. Tempura. We ate it with a dipping sauce made of lemon juice and vinegar.
"This is great."
"Master, your cooking is always the best."
"It’s delicious!"
"Amazing," Miria said.
I was the only one who could use long cooking chopsticks, so the frying was my responsibility. The shrimp tempura had that perfect, snappy texture I remembered from home.
"Let's try the leafy greens next."
"Me too, please!"
"I think I’ll try the mushrooms," Sherry said.
The "mushrooms" were a variety that looked like button mushrooms, which I’d bought as a substitute for shiitake. I’d never had them as tempura before, but they were edible, so I figured they’d be fine. The leafy greens, of course, were a guaranteed success—perfectly light and crispy.
The tempura was a huge hit. The secret was the Slime Starch, which prevented gluten from forming and making the batter heavy and doughy. The addition of Shell Powder—essentially baking soda—added that extra crunch. It was a pro-level tempura tip.
"How about the sausages next?"
"I’ll have whatever you’re having, Master."
"I’ll go back to the shrimp," Sherry said.
"Fish."
...
"I’d better eat some of this fish before it’s all gone," I laughed.
"I’ll have a piece too!"
"I’d like to try the fish as well," Sherry agreed.
"Fish," Miria repeated, her eyes locked on the pot.
I made sure to snag some of the fish tempura before Miria devoured the lot.
"Hey, make sure you eat your vegetables too!"