Chapter 7: Day 46

The next day, Yuzuma's relentless battle continued. Woken by the chirping of Mamezo, he rubbed his sleepy eyes and went out to the garden. Clutching the trio of tools—a hammer, a gas burner, and a cooling spray—under his arm, he peered into the hole where the dog was barking. As expected, the metallic slime was wriggling around.

"Alright, let's do this the usual way..."

First, he sprayed the cooling spray to stop the slime's movement, then seared it with the gas burner. After repeating this two or three times, fine cracks appeared on the surface of the metal slime.

"Time to finish it off—"

Yuzuma swung the hammer, and a high-pitched crack echoed. The brittle body of the metal slime shattered into pieces, turning to sand and disappearing.

The task itself was simple, but he had used up the gas cylinder and needed to buy a new one. Yuzuma sighed deeply, looking at his wallet.

"If I keep buying these every time, my allowance will be gone."

Replacing the cylinder every time was a tough financial strain for a high school student. After repeating this routine for many days, on the 46th day—

"Damn it! It's not coming out!! The magic gemstones aren't appearing at all!!"

Yuzuma pulled his upper body out of the hole and fell to the ground. Mamezo, his dog, whined worriedly, "Kuun~."

"It's no good, Mamezo... I've been doing this for nearly two months, and there's no progress. I'm getting tired of it."

Mamezo licked Yuzuma's face, who was complaining.

"Hmm, you're right. It's for the 100 million. Waking up early every day and spending my allowance on strange expenses are all for the 100 million... I have to endure."

Yuzuma patted the mud off his body and crawled out of the hole. He stroked Mamezo's head, and the dog wagged its tail while panting.

"You're in a good mood when the slimes are gone, huh?"

Smiling wryly at the pragmatic Mamezo, Yuzuma headed back home.

◇◇◇

The season had changed from summer to autumn, and a slightly chilly breeze caressed his cheeks. On his way to high school, Yuzuma was lost in thought, wondering how many more slimes he needed to defeat.

"Hey! Good morning!"

"Whoa!"

Startled by the sudden voice, Yuzuma's body jerked. Turning around, he saw his childhood friend, Ichinose Kaede. Though they were in different classes, they often met during their commutes because they lived nearby.

"You've been doing great. You used to always arrive just in time, but lately you've been early."

"It's, it's not that, I just started waking up a bit earlier."

"Hmm, a change of heart, huh?"

Kaede leaned in, teasing him. Her short bob swayed gently, and the faint scent of shampoo wafted.

She used to dress like a boy when they were kids, but now she had become very feminine. Her bright smile made his heart race.

"Is it because you're a senior next year and have more awareness?"

"It's not that!"

He turned away from Kaede's innocent smile.

"Hey, do you know what Louis has been up to lately?"

"Louis? What about him?"

Tenchizawa Louis was also Kaede's childhood friend. They used to play together a lot, but after high school, they saw each other less often due to different classes.

"He's obsessed with dungeons now and only studies that."

"Dungeons!?"

Yuzuma's eyes widened at the sudden mention.

"He wants to work for a dungeon-related company in the future. Apparently, he visits various dungeons on his days off."

"Really? I didn't know dungeon-related companies were profitable. They seem unstable..."

"Really? You didn't know. Dungeon-related companies are a growing industry now. Even medical startups are getting involved."

According to Kaede, there are several types of dungeons, and the most valued is the "White Dungeon." The magic gemstones produced there are colorless and transparent, with the magical effect of "healing injuries and diseases." Skilled users can even cure injuries and illnesses that modern medicine can't.

This has led to massive financial movements, and some overseas dungeon companies have market capitalizations of several trillion yen.

"I had no idea. It's come to this..."

"Isn't that amazing? Louis already has a clear vision for his future."

Watching Kaede marvel, Yuzuma felt a mix of emotions.

—Louis is also involved with dungeons, just like me. But he's thinking realistically about his future... Unlike me, who spends every day hammering metal lumps.

"Have you thought about your future, Yuzuma?"

"Eh?"

Caught off guard by Kaede's question, all Yuzuma could manage was, "Not really..."