I should have known today would be a disaster the moment I opened the store doors.
The first customer was a gelatinous cube the size of a small car. It didn't speak. It didn't gesture. It just oozed toward the snack aisle, leaving a sticky trail that slowly absorbed a stack of candy bars.
I sighed. "Morning, Globby?"
Globby bounced happily, clearly thrilled that the cube was being assimilated?
Meanwhile, Mira was tangled in a mop, yelling at two goblins arguing over discount codes. Somehow, they had each convinced themselves they were the official coupon manager and now they were holding an arm-wrestling contest in the middle of aisle two.
I rolled my eyes and got to work.
Slime Soda Disaster
The next task was pouring Slime Soda into bottles. Sounds easy. It wasn't.
Slime Soda isn't just a drink. It's a living beverage. It jiggles. It tastes suspiciously like mint and despair.
It has a tendency to bounce right out of the bottle if you blink.
I carefully poured one bottle, set it on the shelf, and looked away for a second...
POP.
The soda exploded like a rainbow-colored geyser. One bottle hit the ceiling, one landed on Globby's head and one rolled into a goblin's hands, instantly fermenting into a tiny, dancing slime with a party hat.
Mira shrieked. "NO! Don't let it escape!"
I dove to catch it, slipped on the trail of soda and somehow ended up tangled in the mop, which spun me like a carnival ride. Globby laughed.
Loudly.
By the time we subdued the Soda Slime, the Dungeon chimed:
Incoming urgent delivery request.
I groaned. Just when I thought I could clean the store, the Dungeon demanded I leave immediately.
Dungeon Delivery #1: Goblin Bakery - Floor Two
I grabbed the requested item: a bag of magically hardened dough. Apparently, the goblin baker was experimenting with levitating croissants.
The moment I left the store, I realized: I had underestimated the dungeon.
The hallway was flooded with floating cupcakes.
A rogue centipede was juggling dough balls.
A slime patrol formed a blockade, demanding to be paid in candy.
I ran, dodged, and tripped more times than I care to admit. Globby had hopped along for moral support or chaos support.
When I finally arrived at the goblin bakery, the baker immediately shoved a croissant in my face. "It's... alive. Don't drop it."
Of course, I dropped it. It bounced across the bakery, leaving a trail of magical sprinkles, then attached itself to a wall like it was auditioning for a musical.
The goblins cheered.
I got +50 points.
Back to the Store: Aisle Two Mayhem
Returning to the store was supposed to be relaxing. I was wrong.
Slimes had created a "tunnel system" through the candy aisle.
Globby had painted my shoes neon green.
Mira had invented a new game called "Coupon Dodgeball" using sticky flyers.
I tried to restock the shelves, but each item I placed ended up moving or bouncing. At one point, a bag of magical marshmallows literally whispered a complaint at me.
A customer, a very polite shadow creature, approached. "Excuse me, do you have..." it trailed off, looking at the chaos. I stared back, equally speechless.
The Dungeon chimed again:
Delivery request: Floor Three. Urgent.
Dungeon Delivery #2: Slime Concert Hall - Floor Three
Apparently, the slimes were hosting a concert and needed special soundproofing gel. Simple enough. I thought.
I trudged through the hallway. A slime choir had blocked the entrance, singing in perfect harmony. The sound waves were... powerful. I felt my bones rattling.
Globby jumped into the middle of the choir, conducting with wild enthusiasm. I tried to navigate around, but one slip on a bouncing music note sent me tumbling into the gel supply.
By the time I arrived at the concert hall, I was covered in sticky slime gel, humming a tune I didn't know. The conductor slime paused, tilted its head, and nodded. Apparently, I had passed some hidden test.
+75 points.
Return to Store: Victory, Sort Of
Back in the store, everything had settled... slightly. Globby was asleep on the counter. Mira was scribbling a list titled: "Things That Could Go Wrong Tomorrow." The trolls were politely stacking marshmallows.
I collapsed behind the counter. Sticky, exhausted, slightly traumatized.
The Dungeon hovered above, apron-wearing and cheerful:
"Excellent work today. You've earned +50 bonus points for surviving both store and delivery chaos. Soon, the Dungeon Shop will be ready for you."
I groaned. But somewhere deep down, I felt... excited. Because surviving both worlds, store and dungeon was the closest thing to a superpower I'd ever have.
And maybe, that coffee machine that doesn't explode was within reach now.