Episode 43: Question Time

A few minutes after returning the spear, we were sitting facing each other.

Well, only the two humans were sitting on logs. I, a cube, was standing on the ground.

“Alright, first question.”

After returning the spear, I was promised some information as a thank you.

The young man said he’d do more for me, and I had a lot of requests. But first, I needed information.

There’s still a lot I don’t know about this world, and knowledge is essential for deciding what to do next.

More importantly, this young man is the second son of a merchant family. It seems like he has more knowledge than the average adventurer.

“Are there creatures like pets or familiars… magical beasts that coexist with humans?”

“Are you asking about something other than livestock?”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“…I haven’t heard much about that. I’ve heard that nobles and wealthy merchants occasionally keep magical beasts as a hobby, but it’s very rare.”

“So, they do exist. Then, if a human cooperates, can magical beasts enter towns?”

“Ah, no, that’s difficult… or rather, you shouldn’t try it.”

The young man frantically waved his hand.

“The species of Slime you belong to is highly valuable, both in terms of <Soul Fragments> and materials, so many humans would target you. Unless you’re under the protection of a very powerful authority, you’d certainly be attacked or kidnapped. Besides, without the cooperation of such a figure, no knights or guards would allow a magical beast into a town.”

“Hmm, is that so… I thought if things went well, I could avoid being attacked by adventurers…”

“Oh, you don’t have to worry about that.”

Picking up on my grumbling, the young man replied in a light tone.

“It seems the upper ranks of the Adventurers’ Guild have decided not to interfere with you, Slime-dono.”

“Huh? I didn’t hear anything about that.”

The girl tilted her head while chewing on a piece of fruit.

I had given her some fruit from my cultivation as a thank-you for sharing her information as well.

“Well, this matter has been kept secret.”

Then the young man explained it further. I, who defeated the red monster, am considered a dangerous magical beast. However, I can’t be easily killed with normal methods, and I don’t seem hostile toward humans. So, they decided to keep their distance and observe for now.

But, there will inevitably be humans blinded by greed once they know a ‘Grand Beast’ Jewel Slime exists.To prevent that, they kept the information hidden from regular adventurers and spread the rumor that I had already been defeated.

Fortunately, only the young man knows about my existence. And as long as higher-ranked adventurers in the Grand Beast Region—where humans categorize areas by |Mana| density—are sworn to secrecy, my identity can theoretically be kept hidden.

“So that’s what’s been going on…”

“Well, Paula-san, you don’t have much contact with other adventurers, so…”

“Sorry for being a loner.”

“No, that’s not what I meant! Anyway, please don’t tell anyone about Slime-dono.”

“Of course.”

Here, I decided to ask something that had been bothering me.

“By the way, is your name Paula?”

“Oh, I didn’t say? Yeah, I’m Paula Stia.”

“Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Ergo Farge.”

“And what about you, Slime-san? Do you have a name?”

“I do. My name’s Katsu. Nice to meet you.”

I thought it might be strange for a Slime to have a surname, so I left that part out.

After the introductions, we moved on to the next question.

“Can you also tell me about adventurer ranks? Like what <Level> they are or what Beast Rank of the magical beasts they can fight?”

“Sure… there are five ranks for adventurers. The lowest is Unranked, then Low-rank, Mid-rank, High-rank, and the highest is Hero-rank. So—”

Summarizing Ergo’s explanation, here’s how it works.

Unranked adventurers are rookies with single-digit <Levels>, barely able to hunt Lesser Beasts.

Low-rank adventurers are still weak, even though they’ve graduated from being complete newbies. Most are <Level 10> or above. But even in a party, they struggle to fight Greater Beasts.

Mid-rank adventurers are finally considered fully-fledged. They’re above <Level 20>, and some can take down Greater Beasts alone.

Once you reach <Level 50>, you’re considered a proper High-rank adventurer. These individuals, especially in a party, are strong enough not to lose to a Grand Beast monster. In most guilds in towns, they make up the top ranks.

However, in reality, there is a rank for only a handful of warriors who surpass the Level 100 barrier. Those people are considered Hero-rank. It’s a superhuman rank that can take on a Sovereign Beast.

“And that’s how the ranking works. But even within the same rank, there’s a lot of variation in strength, so you can’t fully rely on it. For example, I’m a mid-rank adventurer, but I’d be killed instantly if I fought a Greater Beast”

I took the chance to ask him something that had been on my mind for a while.

“Hey, has a Hero-rank adventurer been around here recently? Someone older, maybe?”

“Oh! Yes, they have. Their name was…”

“Munch, gulp… mm, that would be Tolva, the War Demon.” 

“That’s it!”

As we talked, it became clear that this Tolva person is an old man who fights any monster with his bare hands—completely insane.

His characteristics match the old man who managed to hurt me. But since he’s already left for another town, I can relax for now.

Anyway, onto the next question.

“You mentioned Sovereign Beasts earlier. Is that the next rank after Grand Beast?”

“Yes. Only monsters that surpass the <Level 100> barrier can {Evolve} into Sovereign Beast. They’re disasters capable of destroying entire towns alone.”

“Is the giant turtle with trees growing out of its shell, at the center of this forest, one of those?”

“The giant turtle… you mean Dwarzof? Yes, that’s definitely a Sovereign Beast.”

“I see…!”

Alright, I’m finally getting closer to that forest turtle! It’ll take a lot more time to catch up, but just knowing I’m close to reaching the same Beast Rank gives me a surge of energy.

“Oh, by the way. Speaking of ranks, humans have something else, right? What was it… oh yeah, Attribute!”

“Yes, we do. Attributes are like a human’s version of Beast Rank. They have a system called Class Rank.”

“Class Rank…?”

Another unfamiliar term.

“It’s a sort of grade for Attributes. It starts at First Class, followed by Second Class. The higher the number, the stronger the Attribute becomes.”

“Does that also rise with <Levels>?”

“No, Class Rank increases with magical proficiency. However, to train magic, you need to level up and increase your maximum |Mana|, so it’s somewhat related. Unlike beasts, a human’s Attribute rarely changes in name. For example, I’ve been Phantom Attribute since I was First Class, and now I’m Second Class.”

“Ah, so that trick you used to hide was magic after all.”

Suddenly, I turned my attention to Paula beside me.

“By the way, what Attribute do you have, Paula?”

The atmosphere froze.

──I have a lousy Attribute, so I can’t use magic.

I suddenly recalled what she had said before.

The girl looked down, and Ergo awkwardly shifted his gaze away.

“Sorry, that was insensitive of me. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to──”

“No, it’s not a big deal. I’ll tell you, since you’ve been treating me to food.”

Paula lifted her gaze and spoke in a calm tone.

Her voice, unusually flat, seemed to hold a suppressed anger, a hidden sadness, or maybe a sense of resignation.

“My Attribute is…”

If I had a throat, I would have swallowed nervously. That’s how tense I was.

No matter what answer she gave, I had already decided I wouldn’t react in a way that might hurt her.

After a brief pause, Paula spoke.

“──Space.”

“Spa… Space…?”

I repeated the word, not fully grasping what she meant.

Does she mean *that* Space, the one that’s super famous?

“Yeah, my Attribute is Space.”

“…………”

“Heh, doesn’t make much sense, right? Space, of all things.”

Paula gave a bitter, self-deprecating smile, so different from her usual bright expression.

I took a moment to process her words, turning them over and over in my mind, letting them sink in.

And then, I screamed internally.

Isn’t that a total cheat ability?!