Chapter 36: Mochi

"But..."

Qiu Nuoya sat down on the ground.

The small slime with a slightly greenish tint that always stayed near him bounced around his feet before jumping straight into his chest.

"Ugh... I can’t do it! I can’t kill this little guy!"

While hugging the slime that had become completely attached to him, Qiu Nuoya made up his mind.

He would just cancel the mission.

Because he could not do it.

There was no way he could kill such a cute little creature.

"But if you can’t complete the extermination mission, you’ll stay Rank G forever! Ah, or maybe..."

"Hm?"

"If you make that thing your familiar, then it should count as defeating one monster. I think."

"!"

"How do I do that?!"

"How should I know? I’m not a Beast Tamer, so I have no idea. But that thing seems really attached to you, so maybe if you do something or other, it might work?"

Warren shrugged.

Qiu Nuoya looked down at the slime in his arms.

A familiar...

Could he really do that?

The problem was that Qiu Nuoya did not even know what that "something" was supposed to be.

He lifted the slime into his arms and pressed his forehead against its soft and jelly like body.

"I want to stay with you. Hey, what about you?" ℯℯ𝑙.

The small slime only trembled slightly in his palm.

Previously, Qiu Nuoya had assumed that this meant agreement and tried to take it with him.

That was what had caused the other slimes to attack him.

Qiu Nuoya shook his head.

He still had no idea how he was supposed to make this little one come with him.

If only he had properly studied how to make a monster into a familiar beforehand.

The slime in his arms suddenly began trembling more strongly and slipped free.

"Ah..."

The slime that escaped from Qiu Nuoya’s arms rushed toward another slime and collided with it.

Then, strangely, the two slimes began merging together.

The slime became noticeably larger.

"Eh...?"

The enlarged slime immediately moved toward another slime and absorbed it as well.

One after another, it continued taking in its companions, growing larger and larger.

"W-Wait, isn’t this bad? It’s getting bigger and bigger..."

Warren stepped backward in panic.

Even while he was retreating, the slime continued merging with the others, expanding more and more.

"This is bad! Seriously, this is bad! We need to run, Nuoya!"

"But that’s that child. That child is trying to tell us something."

"That doesn’t matter! Slimes are monsters too! Monsters attack people!"

"That’s not true. That child isn’t the kind of person who would attack us for no reason!"

It was the same cute little creature that had always happily bounced around Qiu Nuoya.

There was no way it could suddenly become something dangerous.

"Hey, why? What are you trying to do? I’m not your enemy."

The giant slime continued growing.

Then, a voice reached Qiu Nuoya’s mind.

[ ...I am not your enemy either. ]

A voice suddenly echoed inside Qiu Nuoya’s mind.

"Eh...?"

[ Take me with you, Nuoya. ]

Along with those words, the enormous slime that had grown before him charged straight at him.

"Wait, what... hold on, ugh..."

Qiu Nuoya was completely crushed beneath the slime’s massive body, unable to even breathe.

Was this an attack?

Was it possible that it was actually trying to kill him?

[ Ah, sorry! ]

With a panicked voice, the slime on his chest began shrinking rapidly.

[ I jumped at you out of habit. ]

"You..."

In Qiu Nuoya’s arms was the same small slime as always, with its usual size and appearance.

Had everything that happened just now been an illusion?

No.

That was impossible.

The proof was Warren, who had completely collapsed and frozen in place from shock.

"Will you stay with me?"

[ Yeah. I want to be with you, Nuoya. ]

The small slime with a slightly greenish tint trembled softly in his arms.

"H-Hey, Nuoya... Is that really okay?"

"Yeah. Somehow, I think I managed to make it my familiar."

[ Qiu Nuoya, not yet. ]

The slime in his arms trembled again.

"Hm? Not yet? Did it not work?"

[ My na-me? What is it? Nuoya has to give it to me. ]

"My name? You mean I have to give you a name?"

[ Yeah! ]

The slime stretched and shrank repeatedly, fidgeting excitedly as it waited for Qiu Nuoya to name it.

"Hey, Nuoya. What have you been muttering about this whole time?"

Warren cautiously leaned closer to the slime in Qiu Nuoya’s arms.

Apparently, he could not hear the slime’s voice.

"It seems like it wants me to give it a name... Hmm... It’s so soft... How about Mochi?"

[ That’s so obvious~ ]

The slime completely rejected the name!

[ But it’s okay. My name is Mochi. Nice to meet you, Nuoya! ]

Wait, really?

Even though the slime had criticized the name as being too obvious, it looked extremely happy as it trembled excitedly.

Soon, its body began glowing brightly.

After the light faded, it returned to its usual slime form and started bouncing around happily.

"Hey, Nuoya. What was that just now?"

"I don’t know either. But it looks like it worked. Mochi, come here."

When Qiu Nuoya called its name, Mochi happily bounced back into his arms.

As expected, slimes really were incredibly cute.

And so, Qiu Nuoya somehow managed to complete his very first extermination mission.

When he reported to the Adventurer’s Guild that he had made a slime his familiar, some people laughed a little.

But Qiu Nuoya did not care.

Even if Mochi was not strong, its existence alone was enough to make it adorable.

Mochi, I will treasure you for the rest of my life!

Qiu Nuoya’s familiar was a slime named Mochi.

Whenever he walked around while carrying the slime in his arms, people around him would strangely start giggling.

Qiu Nuoya tilted his head, unable to understand why.

"Why does everyone laugh whenever they see you?"

[ Hmm... I don’t know! ]

Mochi did not seem bothered at all by people laughing at it.

Because of that, Qiu Nuoya decided not to worry about it either.