The Slime Doesn't Die from Mana Transfer

Chapter 71 : Version Update

Bad news spread quickly through the adventurer circles.

Prices at inns and taverns had gone up.

For adventurers, the two most indispensable things—sex and alcohol—were now both more expensive. In an instant, the resident adventurers of Flemont were seething with resentment.

With the sudden appearance of the Undead Fortress labyrinth, more and more adventurers were swarming in from surrounding regions.

Even though the Adventurer’s Guild had already posted a notice reading “Parties below A-rank are not recommended to enter”, it still couldn’t stop B- and even C-rank adventurers from flocking here.

Now Flemont was bursting at the seams—inns fully booked, taverns hanging “Out of Alcohol” signs, and the city filled with groaning complaints.

Fortunately, this wasn’t the first time the Undead Fortress had appeared. The Adventurer’s Guild already had contingency plans. They requisitioned food and alcohol from nearby towns, set up an outer camping zone around Flemont, rented out tents and drinking water, and tightly managed waste disposal to keep at least a minimum order amid the chaos.

Rozelite, for her part, felt lucky.

After leaving the labyrinth, flush with cash for the first time, she had splurged and reserved a full week’s lodging at the inn.

So for now, they didn’t have to worry about being homeless.

Even so, when she saw the current prices in Flemont, she was shocked stiff.

“A single piece of bread costs 1 silver and 14 copper?!”

“Isn’t that daylight robbery?!”

Rozelite gaped.

“Please, don’t be rude. This isn’t just ordinary bread,” the bakery owner said sternly.

“This was crafted by Master Baker Sidler, using the finest wheat flour, baked for exactly 108,000 seconds in a 240-degree artisan oven, and infused with thirteen rare spices to create the ultimate ancient handmade Golden Ratio Pro Plus Max Bread!!”

The man’s self-righteous tone made Rozelite want to storm into the Adventurer’s Guild to deliver a rousing speech—then string him up on a lamppost.

Still, she knew the truth: the entire city of Flemont was like this now.

Even though the Guild was shipping in food from outside towns, with adventurers arriving in droves, prices would keep climbing. Those who caught wind of the labyrinth early had already begun hoarding supplies, driving prices up even faster.

The whole market was in a state of artificial inflation. Without panic-buying and profiteering, things wouldn’t be this bad. But reality never followed ideal lines.

At this rate, the inflated prices would probably last at least twenty days before cooling down.

“This is terrible, Mr. Slime!”

Rozelite’s face was grave.

“Does this mean we’ll have to sleep on the streets and eat gruel again?”

“...First of all, we’ve never slept on the streets. Second, we’ve never eaten gruel.”

Russell sighed.

“Relax. With the money we have, we’ll make it through this month just fine. Though, yes, expenses will be higher...”

“B-but...”

Rozelite clutched her chest in pain. That money was what she had earned, forcing herself to endure stench and filth while scraping materials off monsters in the labyrinth.

And now, only a few days after she had finally held it in her hands, it was already so devalued?!

How could she bear this?!

“Let’s run away, Mr. Slime! Let’s get out of this money pit, this city of drunken debauchery!”

Rozelite gritted her teeth.

“...Calm down, kid.”

Russell had read plenty of web novels—upgrading to a new map was common, and changing locations as the plot advanced was normal. But he had never once seen a protagonist change maps because prices were too high. That would be far too lame.

Still, Rozelite wasn’t wrong.

Nobody had expected a gigantic S-rank labyrinth to suddenly appear, nor that prices would skyrocket so quickly.

He and Rozelite had shut themselves away these past days, focusing solely on training. When they finally emerged, it was as if the version had updated: the currency was devalued, and there was no login bonus gift pack!

More importantly, with so many adventurers flooding into Flemont, the crowded conditions only made it harder for Rozelite to keep her identity secret.

So yes, while leaving because of high prices sounded ridiculous, they probably should leave.

Only, Russell suddenly wasn’t so sure he wanted to go.

【Predation】 was still only at lv3. 【Hardening】 was only at lv4. Both were far from the level he wanted. And the best way to improve them was to keep delving into labyrinths and seizing related skills from monsters.

Outside of labyrinths, acquiring such skills was almost impossible.

The Rhine Kingdom was simply too peaceful.

Even in the north—the region where monsters appeared most frequently—it was still relatively safe. Heading south would only mean fewer monsters, and less chance to level up.

“Looks like I’ll need to decide soon,” Russell thought to himself.

But first, dinner.

Rozelite hugged the 50-copper loaf of bread she had just bought, planning to rest a while back at the inn. The streets were packed and noisy.

Suddenly Russell leaned closer.

“We’ve run into acquaintances.”

“Acquaintances? Who?”

“The Blue Falcon Party. Just passed by.”

In the crowd, Russell had caught sight of familiar faces.

Thomas the warrior. Chris the rogue. Kate the archer. Winnie the swordswoman.

“Huh?”

Rozelite froze.

She instinctively looked around, but even with her skills aiding her, she couldn’t spot Winnie.

Too many people.

And more importantly, her height was limited...

“Don’t worry, they’re gone already,” Russell said.

“...Mr. Slime, what if they noticed us?”

Rozelite asked nervously.

“What if they’re here specifically to capture me?”

“Unlikely. They’re adventurers. They probably wouldn’t take a job like hunting fugitives.”

Russell guessed they were here for the Undead Fortress too.

From Ato City to the capital, their routes would’ve overlapped. Russell had chosen Flemont as their first stop specifically to avoid them. But thanks to the fortress, the Blue Falcon had also detoured here.

That said, Russell wasn’t too worried about Rozelite being exposed.

It had been a while since they left the labyrinth, and he had gained a clearer picture of this world’s level system.

Excluding outliers like Winnie, who had honed a single ability to its limit, most people’s strength could be gauged by level. By that measure, S-rank adventurers were roughly level 40–50. Monsters, too.

The reason S-rank monsters required multiple S-rank adventurers to defeat wasn’t raw power disparity, but margin for error.

For monsters, the fight was about survival.

For adventurers, it was about making a living.

In this world without healing magic, a single monster strike could leave a wound taking weeks to recover from. Sometimes the earnings from one expedition weren’t even enough to cover the downtime. Adventurers might well have the power to take a monster down with them, but... nobody was that stupid.

As for people above that level, Russell hadn’t seen any. Likely, they were few.

Given all that, he didn’t feel much need to be paranoid.

For now, hiding was just a way to avoid unnecessary trouble.

But then, as they spoke, Rozelite suddenly looked up sharply, as though guided by instinct.

Winnie was walking toward them alone.