My first day working part-time at a convenience store.
I had thought all I needed to do was scan barcodes properly.
But reality was different.
I had to print shipping labels despite never having handled them before and work the fryer in front of scalding oil.
On top of that came the unfamiliar hours spent tapping away at a complicated register and even processing utility-bill payments......!
Truly.
It was one unexpected task after another.
At first, I had floundered and broken out in a cold sweat, but before long, my hands began moving on their own.
The cheerful beeps of scanned barcodes became as familiar as a rhythm.
There was the savory smell of golden fried chicken when it was first placed in the display case.
And the satisfaction of fitting the chaotic stacks of delivery boxes snugly into the storeroom like a game of Tetris......!
Everything had merely been unfamiliar. Once I grew accustomed to it, I found that each task concealed its own modest enjoyment and sense of achievement.
Perhaps.
Was life in another world the same?
I had suddenly become a slime and been entrusted with the weighty position of Nest Manager for a Dragon, no less.
But I knew.
Humans, no, even Slimes, are creatures that ultimately adapt to their environments.
So this unusual work would soon become enjoyable and familiar as well.
***
FLASH.
The flood of light faded, and my vision returned.
A familiar, cozy scene.
It was the very same table where I had been taking tea just before being summoned to the Black Tower.
The half-finished teacups remained on the table, still holding their warmth.
I had noticed it last time as well, but time seemed to flow differently in the Black Tower and here.
'Well, should I just keep that in mind for now......?'
Across from me, Airi quietly watched me with a faint smile.
The soft light of Mana Stones gently embraced the tabletop. When I met her languid, enchanting gaze, it felt as though something were tickling the depths of my core.
Somehow unable to hold it in, I vibrated my core as though pouring out my heart.
"I am back."
"Welcome home."
We exchanged greetings.
But just as awkward silence was about to settle between us again.
I puffed my round jelly to its fullest and raised the Trophy high, just as I had last time.
FLASH!
A mysterious halo radiated from the Trophy.
[ Trophy ] 「Forest of Beginnings, Area 2」 (Special)
▸Effect: While active in the Forest of Beginnings, your attack power increases by 5%.
At the sight, Airi smiled with languidly curved eyes. Her slender white hands lightly met.
CLAP, CLAP, CLAP.
The small, cheerful sound of applause filled the tea salon.
"Yuri, well done."
"Heh heh. This much is no problem at all!"
Airi called my name in an affectionate voice.
That small sound made me strangely happy, filling my heart to bursting.
I bounced in place and adopted the proudest pose I could manage.
Airi covered her mouth and chuckled at my adorable bravado.
Clear tea rose once more from her fingertips.
Warm steam curled through the tea salon.
I hollowed the top of my jelly into the shape of a small bowl.
The warm tea trickled into my transparent body.
Its sweet yet bitter floral fragrance gently embraced my core.
And so, we enjoyed another round of pleasant teatime.
The lingering traces of the violence outside washed away, and the warmth of the tranquil nest cozily heated my core.
It was a truly pleasant time.
***
Several days had already passed since I became a slime.
My squishy flesh had felt unfamiliar at first, but I was adapting somehow.
My daily life was simple and peaceful.
I diligently rolled across the floor and opened the nest's blocked passages.
"Now then, shall I start cleaning again today?!"
I rolled my body toward the rough pile of stones heaped like a mountain in the middle of the nest corridor.
They were hideous remnants of mana that had clumped together after lying abandoned for hundreds of years.
But I had a reliable solution.
The first thing I brought out was Smash.
I drew blue mana up from my core.
My once-squishy jelly body hardened like steel in an instant.
Overwhelming mass, merciless destructive power.
The shape of a solid hammer.
I used the floor's elasticity to spring high into the air.
I brought myself down fiercely upon the exact center of the enormous pile of stones.
CRAAAAASH—!
An eardrum-rending explosion and violent tremors mercilessly shook the nest corridor.
The hideous rocks had hardened over hundreds of years.
Their arrogant solidity split apart with a scream under a single blow.
BOOM—! CRASH—!
Merciless consecutive blows followed.
The exhilarating cracks, the weighty feedback, the unceasing rhythm of destruction.
Each time my blue trail flashed, the mountainous rocks crumbled helplessly.
Rough fragments flew in every direction, and pale dust billowed like fog.
Now that I had broken everything into bite-sized pieces, it was time to clean them up.
SHWOOOOOSH!
A strange scraping sound as though the air itself were being twisted and wrung out.
I opened a round entrance in my transparent jelly and flung wide the door to the subspace connected to my core.
The suction was as overwhelming as an enormous vacuum cleaner.
A black-hole-like vortex swallowed every fragment in the air from all directions.
It was a strange sensation, utterly devoid of weight.
Broken rocks and dust poured ceaselessly into my squishy body.
The rough obstacles that had obstructed my view vanished without a trace in an instant.
A clean demolition job that left not a single scrap behind.
"Heehee! Perfect!"
I bounced high in place and showed off a dance of joy.
The Swallow Skill was exceptionally effective for sprucing up the nest, far beyond merely storing cargo.
The process of sorting Mana Stones and rubble inside my subspace felt like an intriguing puzzle game in itself.
I neatly stacked the delicious Mana Stones in the left section and gathered the useless gray fragments along the right edge.
Whenever I found an especially large and sweet Mana Stone, I rolled it around in my mouth and enjoyed a little snack as sweet as honey.
I removed the rough piles of stone blocking the path and tidied away old, broken furniture.
Spaces that had been pits of dust regained their original radiance one by one wherever my blue jelly touched.
The [Lounge], where I had thoroughly cleared away old teacups and cobwebs.
The [Dining Hall], where I removed blackened ash and repaired the furnace.
And that was not all.
Past the [Barracks], where I had raised fallen columns and neatly arranged rusted weapons.
All the way to the [Underground Garden], where I had thinned out withered vines and hideous weeds.
In the Barracks, I had overturned an old helmet onto my head and pretended to be a knight, only to fall flat on the floor.
In the Underground Garden, I had rummaged through piles of dirt and swallowed sweet fragments of Mana Stone, fully enjoying a modest treasure hunt.
Areas abandoned for hundreds of years yet still holding the glory of the past gradually regained their proper functions.
A cozy refuge built by my own hands.
Whenever I looked upon the freshly cleaned nest, a peculiar pride filled my core.
And after I finished cleaning, I headed to the [Training Hall] without fail.
There, I trained alone to advance the Lightning God Style.
Although I had the body of a slime.
Through the core pulsing at the center of my jelly.
I had realized it was possible to train my essence, energy, and spirit.
I utilized the flexibility and elasticity of my jelly in place of human joints and muscles.
Compressing dense energy into a single point, I built a taut tension.
SWISH—!
I rotated my core at high speed and violently drove blue lightning toward the tip of my jelly.
[Your mana circuit is expanding.]
Faint electrical currents raced violently through my squishy body. I mercilessly drove a tightly condensed blow into the Training Hall's old practice dummy.
THWACK—!
With a crisp burst, traces of mana scattered through the air.
The breastplate of the dummy woven from solid steel crumpled like paper.
It was an exhilarating blow in which physical impact and the discharge of mana meshed perfectly.
[Your Soul Rank has increased.]
Proof of my growth appeared in a translucent system window. Although no beads of sweat dripped from me, the rising density of my mana proved the value of my labor and training.
And so, another uneventful, peaceful day was drawing to a close.
"Yuri, come here for a moment."
Airi's quiet call reached me from deeper inside the nest.
I stopped my training and bounced across the floor toward her chambers.
As always, I arrived in a space filled with mysterious light.
The blue light emitted by Supreme-Grade Mana Stones brilliantly illuminated Airi's silver hair.
She was leaning against a soft cushion as she watched me.
Her languidly reclining figure was as elegant as a painting.
"You called for me, Lady Airi?"
When I politely bowed my jelly, Airi rested her chin on one hand and spoke.
"Yes. It is about the commotion outside the nest."
The commotion outside.
I tilted my round head and sent out a wave from my core.
Airi's languid amethyst eyes drifted through the air.
"For many long years, I have not left this cradle. When I no longer revealed my presence outside, several races began gathering near my nest."
This was what she meant.
The area around the nest of a reclusive Dragon was a sanctuary that powerful predators and demonic beasts instinctively avoided.
Paradoxically, beneath that umbrella of overwhelming terror, the weaker races driven from the forest could settle nearby and seek safety.
But lately, unusual vibrations of mana had been coming from within the nest.
It seemed the effects of my cleaning and opening the nest's blocked passages had spilled outside.
"And so the children of the nymph tribe wish to present an offering."
I instantly inferred the situation and nodded my round head.
They were clearly seeking the Dragon's mercy in preparation for anything that might happen.
After all, gauging the mood of the strong and seeking peace is a common method of survival in any world.
Airi languidly closed her eyes and added.
"So, could you go outside and receive their offering for me?"
Greeting guests on behalf of the owner is always the manager's duty.
I needed to handle troublesome contact with outsiders smoothly and preserve the nest's peace.
This was the perfect time for me, the Nest Manager, to step forward.
"Of course! Leave it to me. I will settle the commotion outside cleanly and return."
I stretched my jelly to its fullest and struck a gallant pose.
Pretending to puff out my chest, I shook my body elastically.
A radiant smile spread across Airi's face at my adorable yet spirited response.
"Hehe. How reassuring. Do not overexert yourself, and come back safely."
Leaving her gentle encouragement behind me.
I left the nest and rolled vigorously toward the path leading outside.
BOUNCE, BOOOUNCE—!
The passage was spotless now that the piles of stone were gone.
The elasticity with which my jelly sprang off the floor felt lighter than ever.
Soon, far in the distance, an enormous steel door took shape at the edge of my vision.
The entrance to the nest.
I accelerated and approached the tightly sealed door.
RUMBLE!
A dull grinding noise like enormous gears meshing and turning.
Dazzling sunlight poured through the gap between the heavy doors.
A cool breeze pleasantly brushed across my transparent jelly.
This was my first outing since being reborn as the manager of Airi's nest.
Beyond the Dragon's sanctuary, which held hundreds of years of mystery.
What sort of offering could the nymphs waiting there have brought me?
My core pounded fiercely.
Unknown curiosity and anticipation pleasantly surged within my round membrane.
Now then, shall I go and display my dignity as the Dragon's representative?