Volume 3, Chapter 2 – Can You Drink Blood from a Slime?

“Mary, I’m back.”

With a wooden bucket slung over her shoulder, Yisi emerged from the woods and walked over to Mary, who was building a stove out of stones. The latter was humming an unknown folk song, her chestnut hair swaying as she washed vegetables. “Where’s Camilla?”

Yisi’s return made Mary stop what she was doing. She wiped her hands and turned around.

“Miss Camilla isn’t back yet. Master, this wooden bucket is…?”

With a thud, Yisi placed the bucket on the ground.

“It’s a slime.”

“Whoa…” Even with the bucket between them, Mary couldn’t help but take a step back. “Master, you’re not thinking of eating the slime, are you? Slimes don’t taste good at all! They’re very sour and have an astringent taste. You’ll get diarrhea if you eat one.”

Even Mary, who wasn’t a picky eater, quickly tried to dissuade Yisi upon realizing the slime might become lunch. Yisi couldn’t help but smile.

“I wasn’t planning on eating it. I just want to try the slime’s blood. But Mary, have you eaten a slime before? Besides the fact that it doesn’t look edible, it wouldn’t even fill you up, right?”

“I’d only catch Mr. Slime when I was starving…” Mary’s gaze remained firmly locked on the bucket in front of Yisi. “Master, if you’re hungry, you can have me… Mr. Slime is too unclean.”

It seemed Mary had gotten the wrong idea, so Yisi quickly explained.

“It’s not like that. I just want to try the slime’s taste, just like how Mary always wants to try out a new weapon after getting one.”

“But Mr. Slime really tastes awful! He tastes really, really awful, you know?!”

No, no, if you say he tastes awful right in front of him, Mr. Slime will be sad.

Yisi took two steps forward and patted Mary on the head.

“Anyway, you don’t need to worry about me, Mary. Go ahead and start cooking. This is today’s catch.”

Taking the poultry she had hunted from her inventory, Yisi placed it next to the stove Mary had built. Yisi would occasionally help with washing and cutting vegetables, but dissecting an animal was something she couldn’t do.

“I’m going to study this slime for a bit. I’ll leave lunch to you, Mary.”

“Aren’t you going to look for Miss Camilla? She’s been out for a while.”

“Camilla will be fine.”

Yisi glanced at the Omniscient Map. Camilla was on her way back.

As Mary retrieved cooking utensils from the carriage, she mumbled to herself.

“Miss Camilla is so pitiful.”

“Huh? Why would you say that? Isn’t she always bullying you?”

“Because Miss Camilla likes you so much, Master, but your response is so cold. Shouldn’t sisters be more intimate?”

“I think that has already crossed the line of what sisters do. And for that matter, it’s surprising you think Camilla’s behavior is normal. Ordinarily, would a little sister sneakily attack her older sister when she’s not looking?”

“But when I was still at Baron Wells’s place, there was an older sister who often held me while we slept.”

“That’s completely different.”

She was probably just using Mary as a pillow or a heater. In fact, Yisi felt the same way. Mary was always warm, which further solidified her status as a child in Yisi’s mind; only children had higher body temperatures.

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Mary started to boil water, and Yisi turned her attention to the slime in the bucket. It only occupied a small area and, perhaps due to its low intelligence, showed no signs of struggling.

“By the way, you don’t dislike Camilla, Mary? I thought you’d be secretly complaining in your heart, saying something like ‘What a petty woman’.”

“Well, I did take Miss Camilla’s job, after all. Besides, Miss Camilla doesn’t hate me from the bottom of her heart. She even protected me when we were fighting the Empire’s Fallen.”

“That may be so… but even if a normal person could understand rationally, they couldn’t accept it emotionally. And what do you mean, ‘Mary took Camilla’s job’?”

Taking the burning Eye of Dusk out of the iron pot, Mary submerged the bled chicken in the boiling water, then rolled up her sleeves and looked up at Yisi.

“Wasn’t Miss Camilla in charge of your breakfast before, Master?”

“No. I’d rather make my own breakfast than let Camilla do it.”

“Miss Camilla really is pitiful…”

“Why this time?!”

Yisi couldn’t understand Mary’s knowing sigh and shake of the head at all.

Just as Yisi was about to press further, Camilla appeared at the campsite, her arms full of firewood.

“Oh my, even a silly goose can be clever sometimes.”

“Are you calling me a silly goose…”

Seeing Camilla, Mary immediately became timid. Yisi could only let out a small sigh and change the subject.

“Camilla, why didn’t you put the firewood into your storage magic?”

Although what Camilla was holding were just dead branches, carrying them like that wasn’t very clean, with all the dirt and potential splinters. She could accidentally prick her skin.

Camilla placed the collected branches on the ground and shook her messy blonde hair.

“My storage magic is already full.”

“Full?”

Storage magic can get full?

All this time, Yisi had assumed that all storage magic in the world was like her own inventory—a magic with infinite capacity. Now it seemed that wasn’t the case.

“Let me ask, how much can your storage magic hold, Camilla?”

Camilla looked up and thought for a moment.

“Hmm… about the size of a standard single bed, I guess. Generally, a normal person’s storage magic is only half the size of mine. That’s what Father said. What about you, Onee-sama? You should have a space the size of a room, right?”

“Ah-ha-ha.”

Laughing stiffly, Yisi chose to remain reserved.

Camilla didn’t mind. She took small steps to Yisi’s side, her gaze also falling on the wooden bucket.

“Onee-sama, what is this?”

“A slime.”

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“You caught a slime to…?”

“The Master said she wants to try drinking Mr. Slime’s blood.”

Mary, who was plucking the chicken, answered for Yisi. In an instant, Yisi immediately felt the atmosphere around Camilla change—it became a seriousness that permitted no argument.

“Onee-sama, have you been enduring your hunger again? Mary and I can be your food at any time. Why would you resort to the blood of these inferior monsters?”

“No… I just wanted to taste it…”

“I won’t be fooled by you a second time.”

Camilla placed her hands on Yisi’s shoulders, her ruby-like eyes staring intently into Yisi’s blue ones. The scorching gaze made Yisi unable to help but turn her head away.

There’s no need to feel guilty.

“Th-that, Camilla, if I drink some blood first, and then use this slime, that should prove it, right?”

“You still have some left? The amount Shinku and the others gave you before we left was only enough for a week at most.”

“It’s from Refina and the other Vampire. I won’t let a Blood Frenzy happen a second time.”

“Then I want to see you replenish your blood with my own eyes.”

“Yes, yes.” With some amusement, Yisi took out a small vial of blood from her inventory, tilted her head back, and poured it into her mouth. “You believe me now, right?”

“Mhm.”

Nodding obediently, Camilla let go of Yisi, but still looked at the bucket with a strange expression.

“Why do you always want to try these strange-looking things, Onee-sama? Do slimes even have blood? Besides, most slimes’ bodies are corrosive. It would be terrible if you got a stomachache.”

“If I get a stomachache, I’ll have you take care of me, Camilla.” Yisi joked lightheartedly, her gaze falling on the slime in the bucket. “But speaking of drinking a slime’s blood, how should I even process this thing? If I take out the magic core, the monster will die instantly. Am I supposed to just bite into it? That’s no different from eating it, right?”

When dealing with the other two slimes earlier, she had specifically tested it. She directly removed one slime’s magic core and slapped the other one into pieces. The former immediately turned into a puddle of water, while the latter waited a moment, only gradually liquefying after its magic core was exposed.

“If you just want the liquid part of the slime, Onee-sama, you can just take out the slime’s magic core. Then, you can skim the slime’s corpse off the surface of the liquid. The remaining part is the slime’s ‘blood,’ though I don’t think it’s blood.”

“Is that so… Well, there’s still some time before lunch. I’ll give it a try.”

Without any hesitation, Yisi rolled up her sleeves and plunged her hand directly into the bucket. Although the slime immediately and desperately grew several tentacle-like appendages that wrapped around Yisi’s arm, trying to devour her hand, the slime’s acidity and strength were nowhere near enough to break through Yisi’s incredibly high resistance. In fact, due to the slime’s cool, jelly-like body, Yisi even found it somewhat comfortable.

Ignoring the slime’s resistance, Yisi reached into its body, grabbed the visible magic core, and easily pulled it out—a translucent, irregular magic core the size of a small pebble.

The moment the magic core left its body, the slime turned into a puddle of pale green liquid with a splat.

“Can I drink the rest?”

Yisi turned to look at Camilla. For some reason, Camilla’s mouth was wide open in astonishment, her eyes looking at Yisi as if she were seeing something incredible.

“You stuck your hand directly into the slime’s body… Onee-sama, you don’t feel any stinging or burning sensation?”

“I don’t feel anything at all.”

“Although this slime might not be at that level yet, slimes can corrode even iron swords… Are you really okay, Onee-sama?”

“This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone dare to stick their hand inside a slime.”

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Mary was also standing nearby with her mouth agape in shock, not even noticing that the chicken in her hands was about to fall to the ground.

“How did you deal with them before, Mary?”

“I’d use a torch to drive them into a dead end, and then smash their magic cores with a rock…”

So there was that method. As Yisi marveled at this, she prepared to use a small bottle to collect the liquid in the bucket, but Camilla quickly stopped her.

“Wait, Onee-sama. There’s a layer of the slime’s corpse on the surface of the liquid. If you don’t scoop the corpse out, you’ll definitely get an upset stomach from drinking it like that.”

To demonstrate for Yisi, Camilla specifically brought a wooden stick and dipped it into the bucket. As soon as the stick touched the pale green liquid, a cloud of white smoke rose from it, and the tip showed signs of blackening and carbonization. At the same time, a thin film, like rice paper, appeared on the surface of the liquid.

However, after Camilla skimmed off the film, which was the slime’s corpse, the remaining pale green liquid was no longer corrosive. Even when she put the stick back in, nothing happened.

Slimes have corpses?

As if sensing Yisi’s confusion, Camilla added.

“Although slimes are weak, their survival ability is very strong. As long as you put the magic core and the slime’s corpse together with enough water, the slime will quickly revive. This ability allows them to deal with being preyed upon by powerful monsters and also prevents them from drying out during dry, rainless seasons.”

“Eh, I’ve never heard of that.”

Although she wanted to experiment, it was better to focus on the slime’s blood for now. After witnessing the corrosiveness of the slime’s corpse, Yisi for the first time had a real sense of the slime’s untouchable nature.

If I drink the water that makes up the slime’s body, will my stomach be carbonized like that stick?

Not daring to use a glass bottle, Yisi carefully dipped her index finger into the bucket, collected a drop, and put it in her mouth.

It was a little sweet.

It felt like melon juice, but without the fragrant, fruity aroma of a melon that lingers in your mouth.

Yisi dipped her finger again and put some more in her mouth. It was the same as before; the taste hadn’t changed.

“Phew.”

At least it’s not a sour and astringent taste, Yisi thought with relief.

“Onee-sama, are you feeling alright?”

“Mhm, it’s sweet. Do you want to try, Camilla?”

“Mhm.”

Nodding doubtfully, Camilla copied Yisi, dipping her index finger and placing a drop on her tongue. But Camilla’s reaction was completely different from Yisi’s. As if she had eaten a green, unripe orange, a sourness comparable to a lemon flooded her taste buds, causing her eyebrows to knit together.

“So… so sour…”

“Camilla, water.”

“Th-thank you, Onee-sama.”

Watching Camilla rinse her mouth, Yisi came to a conclusion. It seemed that a slime’s liquid could indeed be considered blood.

After all, only vampires could taste the unique flavor of blood. If slimes were naturally sweet, she and Camilla wouldn’t have experienced two completely different tastes.

This was an extremely valuable experiment.

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Like someone who had discovered a new continent, Yisi’s heart soared. Unlike human blood, which was difficult to obtain, slimes were everywhere. Although not every slime might taste good, the sheer number of them and the lack of a psychological burden when hunting them pointed to a clear path forward for Yisi.

All that was left was to verify that slimes not only tasted good but could also act as blood and wouldn’t cause her to fall into a Blood Frenzy.

With these thoughts, Yisi began to drink the slime blood as if it were a beverage. Perhaps she wouldn’t need to drink water anymore in the future.

After storing the slime blood in her inventory, Yisi joined in helping to prepare the meal. The three of them quickly made a lunch that was a little too lavish.

If any passing travelers saw them, their jaws would surely drop in shock that Yisi dared to light a fire in the wild. While fire could drive away most monsters, many monsters were also attracted to it, and those types were usually extremely troublesome. Therefore, for travelers, most of the time they could only subsist on dry rations.

Of course, Yisi had no need to fear monsters, so she had no such reservations about lighting a fire.

The meal consisted of roasted chicken, scrambled eggs, and stew, with white bread as the staple. Every dish was fragrant, something Yisi couldn’t achieve. Rather than relying on seasonings, Mary was better at bringing out the original flavors of the food. Even with very little seasoning, she could make delicious meals.

“Hah, I’m full.”

Placing her chopsticks aside, Yisi put her hands together in a gesture of etiquette unique to this world. It was a way of giving thanks to the gods. Although Yisi was something of an atheist, she had often seen Mary, Shinku, and the others do it at the tavern, so she had adopted the custom.

Then, Yisi threw her energy into researching the slime’s corpse.

At first, Yisi thought the slime’s corpse was a thin membrane that could be easily pierced. However, after pulling on it—while wearing gloves—she discovered that the slime’s corpse was actually tougher than she imagined. While not as strong as leather, it was stronger than ordinary cloth and had the characteristics of being heat-resistant and not easily deformed.

Yisi tried roasting it with a candle flame, but the slime corpse remained unchanged, like a piece of tin foil.

“If it weren’t translucent, it could be used as material for clothes.”

“Onee-sama has worn it before.”

“Eh? Me?”

Wouldn’t wearing translucent clothes be considered lingerie?

Once again, Yisi was shaken by the debauchery of the Count’s eldest daughter.

Shaking her head to dismiss the thought of searching the Count’s eldest daughter’s memories, Yisi began the next experiment—reviving the slime.

“First, put the magic core and the slime’s corpse together, then add enough water… Camilla, will this really revive the slime? Don’t you need to perform a complicated ritual?”

In the bucket, the slime’s corpse, magic core, and water were completely separate, like pouring gasoline and water into the same cup.

Camilla nodded.

“Mhm. This is how slimes in the wild survive.”

As soon as she finished speaking, Yisi noticed a change in the slime in the bucket.

“Ooh! It’s really reviving! The corpse is starting to absorb water, and the magic core is lighting up!”

However, just as Yisi was getting excited about the slime’s revival, Mary’s cry suddenly extinguished her enthusiasm.

“M-Master, someone has collapsed in the grass!”

Instinctively, Yisi, who had been squatting to watch the slime grow, stood up and looked back in the direction Mary was pointing.

There was indeed a person collapsed in the grass, but there was a slight discrepancy with what Mary had said. To be precise, the girl wasn’t a ‘person,’ but a humanoid slime girl whose entire body was a jelly-like pale green.

On the Omniscient Map, the girl, unlike other monsters, was not nameless. She was a level 5 Slime Girl named ‘Tiffany.’