Chapter 31

□【Triple Horn Subdragon】Marilyn

【Mithril Arms Slime】.

According to the owner of the Demon King Store, it is one of the rarest species among metal slimes.

Although it is a slime, it is neither carnivorous nor omnivorous; its main diet consists of water and minerals, particularly mithril ore.

Like other slimes, it has a liquid body, but it has the special ability to instantly harden and transform into a mithril weapon.

Therefore, it possesses unusually high physical attack power for a slime.

When attacked, it can either harden its body into a mithril shield to block the attack or transform into a liquid to evade it.

There have been only a few dozen recorded discoveries of this species by humans.

There have been a dozen or so recorded cases of its defeat.

There have been zero recorded cases of its taming.

Yes, zero.

The 【Mithril Arms Slime】 has never been tamed before.

There was even an incident where a Demon Tamer tried to bind a contract seal on it and ended up having their right wrist cut off.

Yes, after it was in a tamable state.

Normally, once a creature is in a tamable state, the tamer can directly touch it to bind the contract seal and complete the taming. Audrey was apparently tamed this way.

However, the 【Mithril Arms Slime】 is different.

As long as it is in a state of alert, it will not hesitate to attack a Demon Tamer, even if it is in a tamable state.

Its attacks are equivalent to being struck by a mithril weapon, and the speed is that of a master.

Due to this, it is known as a monster with a higher taming difficulty than a pure dragon.

Despite its rarity, its value as a monster is low, and it is often referred to as "useless except for being turned into materials" or "a moving block of mithril."

The owner said, "If it could be tamed, it would be worth at least two more digits."

He also said:

"Some of my customers have tried to tame this thing, but they all failed. Even those who were at the max level as Demon Tamers couldn't do it."

That means even the top-tier Demon Tamers couldn't tame it.

It was a hopeless situation, yet the master continued to attempt to tame the 【Mithril Arms Slime】.

Indeed, he had been trying for about four hours.

This meant he had been failing to tame it for four hours.

◇

In a corner of the Demon King Store, the master faced the jar containing the 【Mithril Arms Slime】.

“…………”

The master silently extended his right hand.

What he extended was a rod less than a meter long and as thin as a wire.

The rod was not just any rod; it was made of metal—mithril.

It was something the master had asked Rubiera to buy at the bazaar earlier.

Incidentally, when Rubiera returned with the purchase, she was having a conversation with the owner: "The grandson of the president of the Ruol Chamber of Commerce has been kidnapped by the Gouzmeiz Bandit Gang," "Another one of their crimes? How many times now? Over a hundred, right?"

Is the security in this city that bad?

Now, to return to the topic, the mithril wire the master bought could be used as a weapon, but it was somewhat unreliable.

Ordinarily, it would only be used as a material for a blacksmith to add to mithril weapons.

However, according to the owner, mithril is the main food of the 【Mithril Arms Slime】.

The master was trying the classical method of feeding it.

But.

“……!”

As the sound of the air being cut was heard, the tip of the rod the master extended shifted.

It seemed that feeding it was also a target of its alertness, and the 【Mithril Arms Slime】 attacked it.

The severed tip fell to the ground, making a light sound like a coin.

Although it was made of mithril, the tip was cleanly cut. From Jewel's perspective, the cut surface was likely as sharp and flat as a mirror.

Even so, as the master continued to bring the remaining part closer, it was cut into slices one after another.

The way the rod was sliced from the end resembled a certain type of candy.

In the end, the mithril rod was reduced to a pile of sliced waste.

“2000 rils...”

Utter waste.

The master sighed and flicked the mithril fragment left in his palm.

The 【Mithril Arms Slime】 also cut this fragment as soon as it entered its alert radius.

“Seems like you're having a hard time, huh?”

The owner spoke to the master.

“Yes, as you heard, it’s difficult even after it’s in a tamable state.”

“Huh? You’ve already gotten it to that point?”

“Slimes are all female biologically. The charm of a male is working, and it’s in a tamable state.”

Impressive, master.

“But when I try to bind the contract, my hand gets cut.”

The master looked at the sliced mithril and the shallow cuts on his hand.

“Some Demon Tamers who tried to tame this thing wore mithril gauntlets, but they still lost their wrists.”

It seems that even mithril processed into armor couldn’t withstand the 【Mithril Arms Slime】’s attacks.

“Maybe adamantite or orichalcum armor would work. Want to try getting some?”

“I’ll pass. I don’t think I can equip it due to my level. Besides… I don’t think that’s the right solution.”

The master said this quietly.

It wasn’t particularly strange words, but the nuance of the words was concerning.

It was as if he was saying that there was a correct solution and he was thinking about it.

The master was not just trying to tame it but was also searching for the answer to taming it.

Although he didn’t say it explicitly, it felt like he was implying it.

“But it seems like you don’t have any other options?”

“I’ve only noticed two things so far.”

The master pointed to the jar containing the 【Mithril Arms Slime】.

“First, the alert state. It’s not automatically attacking everything that comes close; it’s thinking and attacking each time.”

Isn’t it indiscriminately attacking everything that comes close?

“After four hours, I noticed a few centimeters of variation in the alert radius. It doesn’t seem to be an automatic, precise attack like a machine.”

Next, he pointed to the mithril remains on the ground.

Upon closer inspection, they were all sliced, but with slightly different thicknesses.

“I see. And the second thing is?”

“It wants to be tamed.”

…It wants to be tamed?

But it’s so alert and attacks anything that comes close?

“Why do you think so?”

When asked, the master showed his hands.

His fingertips were covered with numerous scars from the 【Mithril Arms Slime】.

“These cuts are all shallow.”

“I can see that.”

“Yes, the mithril rod that entered the alert radius was sliced, but my fingers weren’t.”

“……!”

Indeed.

If it were cutting things in the alert radius without mercy, his fingers would have been severed, not just scratched.

“All shallow cuts, but the deepest one is from when I carelessly pointed at it. Yes, it was before I put it in a tamable state.”

The master gently raised his left index finger.

Indeed, the depth of the scar was only slightly different, but it was the deepest.

“It’s reducing its attacks on humans. Especially on the one who put it in a tamable state, it’s only warning or intimidating. Clearly, its attacks on objects are much heavier.”

“But previous Demon Tamers—”

“Yes, they suffered severe injuries like losing their wrists. I think I would suffer the same if I extended my hand a bit more.”

The master extended his hand into the 【Mithril Arms Slime】’s alert radius.

A shallow cut appeared on his finger, but he didn’t pull his hand back.

Naturally, the 【Mithril Arms Slime】 continued to attack.

However, all the cuts were shallow.

After confirming this, the master pulled his hand back.

“This difference. Considering the difference in how it treats me and the mithril rod, there must be another reason besides distance. It’s likely following a clear set of rules.”

“So, if we figure out those rules, we can tame it?”

“Yes, but I haven’t figured them out yet. There must be a clue somewhere...”

The master’s words stopped as he was explaining his thoughts.

Something seemed to have caught his attention.

Looking at his face, his eyes were fixed on a point on the floor of the store.

Since it was near the jar containing the 【Mithril Arms Slime】, I thought it might be a clue, but it wasn’t.

There was just a mouse.

“A mouse. Did the barrier against pests break?”

“...mouse”

“Huh?”

Master?

“Mouse, mouse, mouse, mouse, mouse, mouse, m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m-m