Chapter 61

Chapter 61

Magic Tower (6)

There are two types of magic tools.

One type is powered by the mana of the person using it.

The other type is activated by inserting a magic stone and drawing the mana contained within it.

The structures of the type that absorbs mana from a magic stone and the type that absorbs mana sent directly were fundamentally different.

Absorbing a person's mana was practically the same as sucking it in haphazardly.

Even the slightest leak of mana would be absorbed immediately, but it was a method that sacrificed efficiency to achieve that.

On the other hand, the absorption type through a magic stone worked by steadily absorbing the inherent mana stored within the stone.

It was a method that always absorbed a fixed amount of mana at a fixed concentration.

Even if you poured in more mana recklessly, the magic tool would not absorb it.

To use such a magic tool without a magic stone, one needed an incredibly delicate skill in mana manipulation with not even an inch of error.

High-ranking mages could manage it, but even they required considerable concentration for the act.

Yet the slime was enjoying it, continuing without pause.

The only one who realized just how absurd what was happening was Kkanjuk.

‘I thought it wasn’t ordinary, but I never expected it to be this much...’

For the first time in a long while, Kkanjuk’s curiosity as a mage began to stir.

‘Is it only able to operate this magic tool? Or can it use other magic tools too? How much longer can it keep this up? Should I suggest trying other magic tools?’

Although Kkanjuk was a natural-type mage, that was only in terms of preferring the natural path for developing his own skills.

He was not negative about magic tool research itself.

‘Exciting!’

Splish-splash!

The slime sprayed water over its head and lightly bounced inside the pot.

And that sight was witnessed by Amelia, who had finished reading and come out to the living room.

“Budul-ah? What are you doing?”

‘It’s Amelia!’

Splish!

“Huh? Tentacles on the magic tool?”

She saw that the slime inside the pot was extending a tentacle upward to hold the magic tool.

Moreover, the lid of the magic stone compartment was open, the magic stone was placed in a corner, and the slime’s tentacle was there instead.

And the water continued to pour down onto the slime.

Amelia could easily figure out how the situation was progressing.

“You used up the magic stone and are putting your own mana into the magic tool? Is it that fun?”

‘Fun!’

Splish!

The slime bounced lightly inside the pot as if answering Amelia’s words.

The sight naturally brought a warm smile to her face.

“Even if it’s fun, don’t use up too much of your own mana, Budul-ah. I heard mana exhaustion makes you suffer.”

‘Okay!’

Amelia only gave a light warning.

She did not react with astonishment like Kkanjuk.

The reason was simple.

Because Amelia didn’t know much about magic tools either!

Even if the slime injected its own mana directly into the magic tool instead of using a magic stone.

She only thought something like, since it’s the same mana, wouldn’t it work?

The only thing Amelia knew well was that there were mages who fainted or became weakened from mana exhaustion.

‘Why are you just letting that pass! That’s amazing! Don’t you even find it strange!’

And watching that, Kkanjuk felt like his nonexistent clothes were about to burst.

Monsters might not understand, so that was unavoidable, but he had thought that if it was the human Amelia, she would notice the oddity.

‘Right! A paladin! A paladin would know! Someone who has been through many battles should be able to tell how absurd this is! How ridiculous what Mallang is doing is!’

A short while later, Paulen, who had finished what he considered light training by his standards, entered the villa.

“Phew, as expected, lightly moving the body is refreshing and good!”

“You swung the sword that much and call it a light level?”

“Were you watching?”

“I saw through the window. More importantly, look at that, Paulen. Budul is...”

Amelia pointed at the slime as if showing off something cute and told him what she had seen.

Upon hearing that, Paulen said.

“Oh, really? Not only lifting dumbbells, but also putting mana directly into the magic tool. Budul, you really are full of talents!”

Brrr!

Paulen lightly brushed it off while praising the slime.

And the slime, happy from the praise, trembled inside the pot.

‘Why! Why are you passing over it so easily!’

Kkanjuk’s nonexistent clothes seemed about to burst even more.

It was true that Paulen had experienced many battles as a paladin.

But having a lot of combat experience did not necessarily mean he knew a lot about magic tools.

When it came to knowledge of magic tools, Paulen was not much different from Amelia.

If there had been a mage here who had studied at the Magic Tower for about a year, they might have raised an objection, but unfortunately, the only ones present were the monster slime and the Holy City natives Amelia and Paulen.

‘This won’t do! This won’t do!’

Kkanjuk felt like he would die of frustration as a mage if he kept watching this.

Quickly racking his brain for a way to resolve his suffering, Kkanjuk thought of his descendant.

Gracie came to mind.

‘Right! That child would do!’

When they first met, he had suspected that Gracie might be suffering from a severe magic tool addiction, to the point where he didn’t even want to acknowledge her.

But precisely because of that, compared to the completely ignorant Amelia and Paulen, she would realize the slime’s boldness.

She would understand just how absurd the things that little slime was doing were.

‘And it could be an opportunity to learn how our family is doing recently.’

The slime couldn’t ask directly, but if he created a point of contact, he might be able to hear about it.

Therefore, Kkanjuk decided to try inducing a meeting between the slime and Gracie.

[Free Spirit]▶Mallang-nim, is playing with the magic tool fun?

▷Fun!

[Free Spirit]▶Be careful not to use up all your mana like the humans said, mana exhaustion is dangerous yy.

▷Okay!

First, he naturally offered words of concern, then Kkanjuk got to the main point.

[Free Spirit]▶Mallang-nim, don’t you want to play with other magic tools too?

▷Other magic tools?

[Free Spirit]▶Yy, not water, but something that blows wind or magic tools with other functions.

‘Other magic tools!’

The slime was already having too much fun just playing with the water-spraying magic tool.

But playing with other magic tools as well?

Just imagining various kinds of fun made its body tremble.

▷I want to play!

[Free Spirit]▶Then I have a good idea!

[Soft Queen]▶Wait a moment! What are you trying to say to my kin!

[Free Spirit]▶?I’m just saying an idea came to me so Mallang-nim can have more fun.

Even when Soft Queen, who cared about the slime, spoke up, Kkanjuk answered slyly and continued.

[Free Spirit]▶Besides, if it plays with other magic tools, Mallang-nim will be happier too, right.

[Thread Lady]▶That’s a good idea~ Because no matter how much I look at the joyful Mallang-nim, it’s good!

▶Honestly, just using the water one is boring lol.

▶Humans make all sorts of weird things, so I do want to see others.

▶The fact is that just spraying water is boring now.

▶Real lol.

The monsters who wanted new stimulation agreed with the atmosphere Kkanjuk created.

‘Good, I can keep talking.’

[Free Spirit]▶Mallang-nim, do you remember the human with magic tools dangling all over?

▷Gracie!

[Free Spirit]▶Yy, if you go to Gracie’s house, there will be more magic tools. Try visiting tomorrow.

▷More magic tools!

▶How do you know that?

▶She was dangling so many, of course there would be tsk tsk.

▶Aha!

▶Aha real.

Kkanjuk added that that human’s role was to help the humans who were with the slime.

So even if it visited the house, it wouldn’t be refused.

▷How do I get to Gracie’s house?

[Free Spirit]▶Find it with detection.

‘I’ve given both the motivation and the method. The rest... Mallang will handle it well on its own.’

If it doesn’t work properly, he can just give more advice.

‘I’m looking forward to the reaction.’

Kkanjuk expected his descendant to relieve this frustration.

+++

The next day.

After eating breakfast, Amelia encountered a flustering situation.

Boing! Boing!

Tok tok!

“What’s wrong, Budul-ah? Do you want to go out for a walk that badly?”

After eating breakfast, the slime immediately moved to the front of the door, driven by the desire to play with more magic tools, and tapped the door with its tentacle.

‘It played well even inside the house yesterday, why is it suddenly like this?’

The slime that had been playing just fine by injecting its own mana even after the magic stone ran out was acting like this, so Amelia couldn’t understand the slime’s thoughts.

“Hahaha! Since we’ve come to a new place, it must want to wander around. We were going to take a walk anyway. Let’s go out quickly and walk while basking in the bright sunlight!”

“Ugh...”

Amelia was not yet mentally prepared for a walk.

If they went out in the afternoon after settling their minds in the morning as usual, there would have been no problem.

However, even in a state where her mind wasn’t fully settled, she was pulled outside by the energetic Paulen and the slime.

Amelia went out holding the slime with both hands.

Meanwhile, the slime began searching for Gracie using detection, as Kkanjuk had advised yesterday.

“First, let’s walk around the Magic Tower area. It seems like incidents could happen there even in the morning like this.”

“Walking is fine, but wouldn’t it be better to stay home for lunch? The sunlight has been getting stronger recently, right?”

“Hahaha, I won’t say we should spend the whole day looking at the Saintess and walking around searching for those who need a helping hand. I only hope that this becomes an opportunity for you to walk around more even in the Holy City.”

Outside, where there were many people, Paulen answered refreshingly while calling Amelia the Saintess.

Amelia and Paulen walked toward the Magic Tower.

Of course, they did not enter the Magic Tower itself.

Extending a helping hand to those who need it was natural, but since no accident had occurred, going there first would only be a nuisance.

Therefore, they arrived at the Magic Tower in the mood of truly taking a walk, then walked through the nearby areas.

‘Found it!’

And while walking around the vicinity of the Magic Tower, Gracie was caught in the slime’s detection.

‘This way!’

Boing!

The slime, which had been on Amelia’s hand, extended a tentacle and pointed in the direction where Gracie was.

“Huh? Budul-ah, what’s wrong?”

‘This way!’

Stretch!

The slime stretched its tentacle even more and pointed in the direction.

“You want to go that way?”

‘Yes!’

Brrr!

“Why is that, Saintess?”

“It seems Budul wants to go that way.”

“That way? Hmm, let’s go there first.”

Amelia and Paulen walked in the direction the slime pointed.

And the place they arrived at was.

“This is... a house.”

“Why did Budul point at this house? Huh? This is...”

Paulen blinked as he looked at the nameplate hanging in front of the house.

“Gracie Frail?”

“What? Gracie? Is this perhaps Gracie’s house?”

“It seems so? No, Budul-ah. How did you know to come here?”

They knew the slime had various special skills, but they couldn’t have expected it to have a detection skill that could find even people who weren’t visible.

Without caring about the two people’s surprise, the slime jumped down from Amelia’s hand and headed toward the entrance.

“Ah! Budul-ah!”

Boing!

In front of the entrance, the slime took out one more tentacle and knocked on the door.

With a tentacle that could lift dumbbells that even adults found hard to hold properly, knocking on the door hard enough to make a dull sound was as easy as pie.

Knock knock knock knock!

“Bu, Budul-ah! It’s rude to suddenly visit!”

The moment Amelia hurriedly approached and picked up the slime.

Creak!

“Who is it?”

Gracie opened the entrance and showed her face.

“Ah.”

“Huh? S, Saintess? And the Paladin too? How did you know my house...”

Blinking in confusion, Gracie had one ominous thought come to mind.

‘A, are they planning to thoroughly work me to the bone for a whole month!?’