What's up with the comment I got?! I was only telling the truth!
I write up a reply and brace myself, looking at my monitor with a focused stare. Both KaizerYuto and I were chatting back and forth in my discussion forum...
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[OP] BenevolentMerchant replied to KaizerYuto: I'm serious! I've been fighting in the area with the slimes that were patrolling near the trees, and I've grown a lot from just that!
KaizerYuto replied to BenevolentMerchant: ???...😂
KaizerYuto replied to BenevolentMerchant: dude, stop trolling, u said u were a noob 😂
[OP] BenevolentMerchant replied to KaizerYuto: ...but I am?
KaizerYuto replied to BenevolentMerchant: lol aint no way...those slimes can only be cleared with wives haha 😂
BenevolentMerchant replied to KaizerYuto: I cleared it by myself though? Both in the dungeon and out of it...
KaizerYuto replied to BenevolentMerchant: LOL ur lie would have been more believable if u said u were fighting the ones in the grasslands..but sure yeah u totally took out those strong slimes in the front by urself hahaha 😂
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...what.
...you mean to tell me that I was fighting stronger slimes after all?
I don't...I don't even know where to begin...
So, the slimes closer to the trees were the menaces, and those further out in the fields were the normal-to-hunt ones?!
That's crazy! I don't believe it! Why is the game like that?!
The further the enemies, the stronger they are supposed to be! This is too contradictory!
...or maybe I was just misguided with the directions and used a different pathway to get to the Pasture of Mire?
No wonder I passed out and easily depleted my stamina when I was fighting the slimes...
What a mess...
...and thus, what I did was simple: I deleted the forum, letting that KaizerYuto believe that I was a troll.
It doesn't matter if one person thinks that way...what I needed was information about the Pasture of Mire, and it was answered by that KaizerYuto.
The strong slimes are dispatched at the front, and those in the grasslands are the weaker ones.
...in that case, it gives a relation to Cateline's Trials since the "stronger slimes" near the trees served as guards, while the other slimes in the grasslands were the normal ones.
I've been...killing such creatures.
Hostile or not...they all had their things to protect.
...so why was this a secret quest? What did the egg I got have to do with this situation?
I don't know...but what I know is that I need to understand what the guild hall was before I proceed going back to the game.
...and so, minutes pass, and I'm finally done reading about the guild hall.
It was a typical tavern that seemed to be connected to all the other continents in the game and was only accessible if: 1.) the player is a ranker, or 2.) the player has gained enough reputation to impact Belunia.
...it's basically a place brimming with threats.
This also means I have to look like a presentable and experienced player when I enter.
It would be alarming if a noob who played the game for 3 days would already be eligible to enter the guild hall.
So, I return to the game, and after 10 minutes, I use the ruby tablet to teleport to Rosylvianna's pavilion.
The sight was as beautiful as ever, but a stark difference that I immediately noticed was the existence of a familiar red flower with long, slender petals that was planted below the cherry blossom tree in her courtyard.
However, that's not the only surprising thing I've noticed...
My wife, Rosalina, was practicing in the open field of her courtyard, below the shade of the tree.
With elegant and swift strikes, she slashes through the falling petals with precision, accurately slashing them in half.
One other thing to note was that she was also moving...in a particular manner. I can't describe it quite well, but she had a particular pattern with the movements of her foot.
It seemed more than just an elaborate movement. Detailed and hard to follow— in fact, too much so that it seemed more like a traditional dance than a sword art of sorts.
I wanted to watch her practice more and gauge her skill level...but my presence did not go unnoticed.
"Husband," She calls out with a nod, a stoic look in her eyes as she immediately retracts her sword and sheathes it back in her scabbard, all while coming close to me.
"I'm sorry, I didn't intend to intrude..." I say, looking away from her as I see her come close to me. Her body was drenched in sweat, but she didn't look fatigued in the slightest. It seemed rather unbelievable...
Quite the contradiction to how I was looking after I first killed slimes at the Pasture of Mire...
Her eyes droop down low, to the thing that's on my hands.
"From where did you get such a creature?" She asks, looking at me with shock...a look that only describes that I got something I shouldn't have.
Is that why I gained entry to the Guild Hall? Could this egg be something like a taboo?
If it is, then what should I do instead?
Cook it and eat some fried egg for dinner?
"I...I got it from a dungeon," I answer, a look of perplexity on her face. Her mouth was left agape— her expression unreadable. She was clutching the scabbard of her sword with trembling hands.
...just what is this egg?
"This..." She says, her words held back with utmost discipline, as a pained look on her face is reflected in her eyes. "Nevertheless, what matters is what you intend to do with such a creature?"
I look at her curiously...wondering if I should tell her my initial plans of raising it...or crossing that idea entirely.
I don't know how she'll react, after all.
But I decided to be honest.
"...I want to raise this egg," I smile...knowing that it's better to tell the truth and just see what happens afterward. Rosalina should be alright with this, right? She may be a beauty who is accustomed to violence...but she's a fair person.
She moves away from me slightly, a look of awe on her face, but something tells me that there's more to that look than just audacity.
"You intend to raise such a creature? A slime nonetheless? One who cannot help you much in battle?" She asks, looking back and forth from the egg to my eyes.
This time, I'm the one who looks shocked instead of her.
She squints her eyes and thins her lips at my reaction, probably expecting me to react in such a way. The grip on her scabbard is more relaxed now.
But why is she reacting that way? Why the change from shock to wariness?
...and a slime egg? But...what type of slime does it grow into? She said that it would not help me much in battle, but why is she so guarded?
And no...even if it's a slime, I'm not changing my answer regardless.
"Yes, I want to raise this egg," I smile warmly at the egg, as I set down my spear to the ground and carry the egg like a baby. "Do you know any way to incubate it?" I ask, but she only stays stunned...and silent.
Her mouth moves slightly, as her eyes lighten into pure curiosity.
Another emotion I would never expect her to show, given the wariness donned in her eyes just seconds ago.
"..why do you care for such a creature? A frail creature that serves nothing else aside from fodder to the wilderness?" She asks— tone judging and tense as if to test me.
I stay silent for a few seconds, blinking.
She stays silent too: unmoving like a statue.
...then I end up laughing boisterously with a silly smile on my face.
"Do I need a reason? I'm the only family this egg has,"