Chapter 22. Encounter
The monster in the video uploaded by Pururu looked almost identical to the regular slimes I knew.
【Yumi】─So you’re saying the video is real?
【Pururu】─What the heck? 😨
【Mysticism】─🤨
“I think it’s too similar to the regular slime I know to be fake. Of course, with today’s advanced technology, I can’t be completely sure.”
【Pururu】─So you’re saying it *could* be a fake video?
I nodded in agreement.
“It’s possible.”
【Yumi】─But doesn’t that seem a bit far-fetched? What are the odds that an ordinary person would make a fake slime video that just happens to look exactly like a real slime?
“The odds aren’t that low. Slimes have a pretty simple appearance compared to other monsters. It’s an easy design to imagine. Anyway.”
I raised my hand slowly, extending my thumb, index finger, and middle finger.
“There are three possibilities. Either the slime in the video is real, or it’s a fake video that just happens to resemble a real slime by coincidence…”
I folded down my thumb and index finger, leaving only the middle finger.
“Or, it’s a fake video made by someone who’s actually seen a real slime. In other words, a Returnee.”
【Pururu】─Wait, are there other Returnees besides you?
“I don’t know. It’s possible.”
【Pururu】─What *do* you know? 😒
【Yumi】─If it is a fake, why would someone go through the trouble of making such a video?
“For fun, or to get attention and grow their YouTube channel. That’s usually the motivation. But out of the three scenarios, I think it’s most likely that the slime is real. Even if someone had seen a real slime before, it would be hard to recreate it so perfectly without being a really skilled artist.”
Saying something like this might make my assistants anxious.
I could’ve reassured them with a lie, but I decided to be honest.
There’s no reason to be scared of a slime, after all.
“Even if it’s a real slime, you don’t need to worry. As you saw in the video, it’s a monster that even regular people can easily deal with. There’s no way Earth would suffer any serious damage from something as weak as a slime.”
【Pururu】─True, I feel like I could take on a regular slime myself. 😂
【Mysticism】─😏
【Pururu】─What? You wanna die for laughing at me?
【Yumi】─Hmm… There’s no chance a slime could cause some kind of epidemic, right? I mean, it’s a monster from another world, so it might carry unknown viruses that could affect us on Earth.
Ha Yumi was still worried.
“Slimes are pretty clean creatures, so you don’t have to worry about that. In fact, they could be helpful to Earth. They can eat and digest almost anything, making them useful for waste disposal.”
【Pururu】─What if they start eating buildings?
“Well, people would just have to manage them carefully. Anyway, Yumi.”
【Yumi】─Yes?
“If you see more videos like this, let me know right away. If stronger monsters show up, that could be dangerous.”
【Yumi】─Ah, understood! I’ll keep checking YouTube regularly! I’ll also check other video sites, both domestic and international.
【Pururu】─But what good does it do to tell you? You’re not even on Earth right now.
“How does it not help? I can still provide assistance.”
【Pururu】─?? I thought you couldn’t return to Earth?
“I can’t return, but…”
I crouched down for a moment, stroking my monsters as I continued speaking.
“I can send them, can’t I?”
【Pururu】─?
【Yumi】─Oh! You’re talking about the tickets you bought from the vending machine, right?
【Pururu】─?
【Yumi】─Geez, Pururu. Don’t you remember what tickets Geon bought?
【Pururu】─Are you talking about the *Reverse Support Ticket*?
【Yumi】─That’s for sending items, not monsters, you idiot.
【Pururu】─Then how do you send monsters? Explain it, you fool.
【Yumi】─He has *Dispatch Tickets*. Not just regular Dispatch Tickets, but *Designated Dispatch Tickets*.
Ha Yumi was right.
Dispatch Tickets.
A ticket that allows you to send one tamed monster to another dimension for 24 hours.
And the Designated Dispatch Ticket I bought alongside it.
This ticket lets me designate a specific dimension to send my monsters to.
In other words, I could send monsters to Earth.
Furthermore, with the Designated Dispatch Ticket, I could even send them near one of my assistants.
I learned this while we were eating the pork; unlike the Reverse Support Ticket, the dispatch didn’t require the assistant to have a specific rank.
I explained this to Pururu, who still seemed confused.
【Pururu】─Haha, got it now. Makes perfect sense.
【Mysticism】─😏
“Quick learner, huh?”
【Pururu】─I’m pretty sharp. 😎
【Yumi】─Don’t feel too proud. That wasn’t a compliment.
“Anyway, if monsters that humans on Earth can’t handle appear, I’ll send one of my monsters using the Designated Dispatch Ticket. I’ll also send one if Yumi or any of you, Pururu or Mysticism, are ever in danger.”
【Yumi】─Thank you! I’ll be sure to support you as much as I can! If I find another vending machine, I’ll cover the cost of the next Designated Dispatch Ticket!
【Pururu】─We’ll give you tons of support. Well, mostly Yumi will.
【Yumi】─Don’t mention me by name. If you’re going to call me out, use your real name too.
【Pururu】─You’re the one who used your real name for your nickname, idiot. Why are you mad?
【Yumi】─At least I didn’t include my last name.
【Pururu】─What difference does that make?
【Yumi】─I just don’t want someone like you calling me by my full name. You lied to me when you said you’d kick me out if I didn’t reveal my name.
【Pururu】─So petty. (Not that kind of hole)
【Yumi】─Are you not afraid of being reported for that kind of talk?
【Pururu】─Sorry!
【Yumi】─I’ll let it go this time.
【Pururu】─Thank you~
I couldn’t figure out what Pururu was afraid of…
This wasn’t a normal stream, so it couldn’t even be reported.
You couldn’t take screenshots either, and even if someone managed to, there was no way to track anything.
‘Wait, is Pururu a guy?’
I had assumed they were a girl.
After all, they had ogled at my body before.
But considering the crude humor, maybe Pururu was a guy after all.
Of course, some women make dirty jokes too, but on average, men tend to make more of them.
Especially ones that vulgar.
‘If he’s a guy, then he’s probably gay… or bi.’
Well, I had to respect people’s preferences.
【Pururu】─But Geon, even if people start spotting monsters, wouldn’t the government just try to cover it up? They might confiscate videos too.
“Why would they cover it up?”
【Pururu】─Isn’t that what governments usually do?
【Yumi】─You’ve watched too many movies.
“I’m not sure, but if they *can* cover it up, that’d actually be a good thing.”
【Pururu】─Why would that be good?
“If they can cover it up, it means the monsters are weak enough for humans to manage. We don’t need to worry about monsters that weak.”
【Pururu】─Oh, got it.
【Yumi】─You’re so clueless, Pururu.
【Pururu】─😭
【Mysticism】─🤭
I still didn’t know if the video we saw was real or not.
But I had a contingency plan in case Earth ever faced a real threat.
Well, more like I accidentally stumbled into a plan.
In any case, I decided to stop worrying about the video.
My survival and labyrinth exploration were my top priorities right now.
***
There were eight passages connected to my hideout.
All but Passage No. 1 had been explored.
Though, I hadn’t thoroughly explored them.
I had only taken a quick look at the entrance of each.
Now, it was time to pick a passage and explore it more deeply.
‘Which one should I choose?’
I immediately ruled out Passage No. 1.
That was where the giant skeletal monster had been.
Exploring a passage where I knew a monster I couldn’t handle was waiting would be foolish.
I glanced over the remaining passages from Passage No. 2 to No. 8, pondering.
Should I go in order again?
Maybe check Passage No. 5 or No. 8, where I had found food?
Passage No. 7, where the vending machine had appeared, also seemed like a good choice.
The vending machine was probably gone by now, but there could be a new one further inside.
‘This is tough.’
After much deliberation, I made my decision.
The place I chose was:
‘Let’s just go in reverse order. I’ll start with Passage No. 8.’
I approached Passage No. 8 and glanced at Jellyfish.
“Jellyfish, we’re full and energized. Let’s push forward quickly, okay?”
［Pii!］
Jellyfish’s speed magic enhanced itself.
My body felt lighter.
【Yumi】─Looks like you’re going to explore Passage No. 8 again.
【Pururu】─He must want more pork.
【Mysticism】─😋
And so, we began our re-exploration of Passage No. 8.
With full bellies and plenty of energy, we dashed forward.
***
After about an hour of running, I was starting to get tired.
I slowed my pace to a walk.
Even so, thanks to the speed magic, I was still moving at the speed of a normal person running.
【Yumi】─There are so many branching paths.
【Pururu】─It’s like an ant nest.
Passage No. 8 was full of forks in the road.
The deeper we went, the more the paths branched, sometimes into two or even five directions.
Now, we had reached a point where there were ten paths to choose from.
At first, I agonized over which path to take.
But by now, I was advancing without hesitation.
If I kept second-guessing, it would only prolong the exploration.
For reference, I was always choosing the leftmost path.
That way, I wouldn’t get lost on the way back.
It was a simple but effective strategy.
As I continued forward, I suddenly heard a faint sound.
“Ugh, ugh…”
I stopped to listen closely. It sounded like the groans of some creature.
I slowly approached the source of the sound.
Eventually, I saw a figure in the darkness, beyond the reach of the stalactite lights.
It was dragging itself across the ground, crawling toward me.
【Pururu】─Something’s coming!!! Get ready for battle!!!
【Yumi】─Geon, be careful!
【Mysticism】─👻
The figure emerged from the shadows, and I saw it clearly.
It wasn’t human.
It looked more like a monster.
But it wasn’t a monster native to the labyrinth.
The word above its head made that clear.
『Drifter』
A glowing title floated above it: Drifter.