Isn't it nice when a girl takes care of you after drinking too much?

As for the methods to deal with slimes, it's said that either severely damaging the nucleus or removing enough of the surrounding material will stop its activity. The surrounding material is a mixture of magical elements and ingested substances, having a high viscosity. It seems there’s no use for this surrounding material.

I tried throwing a stone as hard as I could, but it stuck to the surface before dropping off with a plop. The Huge Slime, about tens of centimeters in size, sluggishly moved toward our side, then spread and covered its nucleus. After that, it stopped moving and returned to its original place. It seems to have some sort of tactile sensation.

“Is it okay if I destroy the nucleus?”

I don’t know how hard it is, but I need to confirm.

“Yes, as long as it’s destroyed enough to be irrecoverable. Please prioritize stopping its activity.”

Hartis answered. So, perhaps we should consider a method where we go in small and deep, scattering the surrounding material. From practice results, increasing compression rate and speed tends to increase the burden. If I try to scatter this size, I might collapse. Let me start with something moderate.

“I’ll give it a try. Let’s begin.”

I imagine compressing a spherical block of wind with a diameter of 3 meters down to about 10 centimeters.

“Attribute: Wind. Pressure definition. Shape: A cone with a radius of 7mm and height of 1cm. Fixed at 10cm in front of the index finger of my right hand. Rotate conically forward and fire, speed set to 700 km/h…”

Due to the high viscosity, I don’t know if it will penetrate until I try. It’s similar to an artillery shell’s tip. The speed is about half that of a bullet. This also depends on the material being targeted; adjusting it is difficult. I wonder how other mages in the world figure out the optimal values.

I slowly move to stand about 10 meters in front of the Huge Slime’s nucleus, slightly to the right. I imagine a trajectory slanting from top to bottom.

“Execute.”

As soon as I mutter this, there’s a wet bursting sound, and the lower-right part of the Huge Slime’s nucleus near the ground explodes. It flies into the air before being slammed onto the ground. More than half of the surrounding material scatters, revealing the nucleus.

It seems stronger than expected; the nucleus maintained its shape. Since it’s wind pressure, it’s more like blowing it away rather than direct destruction. But just as I think this with some complacency, an overwhelming fatigue and headache hit me. Nausea rises, and I can’t hold back anymore. I crouch down and vomit repeatedly. It feels awful.

Watis runs over and gently massages my back from below. The nausea doesn’t stop.

“Thank you so much for going to such lengths…”

I try to apologize, but there’s no energy left to respond. I even throw up stomach acid. This must be due to either the compression rate or speed; I need to properly verify this next time.

After about 20 minutes of struggling with nausea, the headache and fatigue gradually subside.

“This is the worst it’s ever been.”

I still have some lingering nausea as I scrunch my face.

Looking around, Hartis is keeping watch while Deed and Arie are extracting the nucleus and wrapping it in cloth.

“I’m surprised. Honestly, I didn’t expect this much. Thank you for handling it beyond your limits.”

Deed says, crossing his arms and muttering.

“It’s just that I don’t know my own limits yet. Plus, I’ve only recently learned magic.”

I manage to stand up but still feel unsteady. Leaning against a tree, I catch my breath. Arie takes over watch while Hartis begins examining the nucleus.

“The size affects the purity of the magical elements. This size is quite rare and valuable.”

Apparently, this achievement is worth much more than expected. Deed had complained earlier, but he seems to have accepted it with the understanding that it will be considered in future commissions.

At least, just as everyone’s tension eased from successfully completing the request, Arie shouts.

“I don’t know what it is, but something’s approaching. It’s not a bear or wolf, but it’s really big.”

Just when I could barely stand and move again, something else happens.