The apartment door closed behind Liam and Lydia.
"Finally..."
Liam murmured.
The two of them remained standing in the entryway for several seconds, too tired to even take off their shoes.
It had been a long day.
After kicking Logan out of the group, they had gone on to clear several F-rank dungeons alongside the other hunters. What had started as a somewhat uncomfortable expedition had ended up becoming a much more enjoyable experience than Liam had expected.
Lydia let out a sigh.
"I’m exhausted."
"Me too."
Liam took off his shoes and walked toward the living room.
"But it was worth it."
Lydia smiled.
"Yeah."
After what had happened with Logan, some of the hunters had suggested that Liam become the leader of the group.
Liam, of course, had refused.
Not because he didn’t want to help.
He simply didn’t believe he had enough experience to be above the others.
"I don’t think any of us needs to be above the rest," he had told them.
"If we work together, we can complement one another. It’s better if we’re simply a team."
That proposal had been quickly accepted.
And, to Liam’s surprise, they had worked quite well together.
Harper, the shy healer, had gained a lot of confidence during the expeditions. After what happened with Logan, she had even begun participating more in their conversations.
Eve, the girl whose phone had been destroyed, hadn’t stopped talking about buying a new one.
"With everything we got today, I’m sure I can buy one that’s much better," she had said while hugging her share of the loot.
Lucas, the young man with the enormous gloves, had also had an excellent day.
He had earned enough merits to rank up from Silver to Gold.
And Lydia...
Lydia had reached Level 46.
She was only four levels away from evolving again.
Liam was still curious to discover what would happen when she reached Level 50.
But for now...
He just wanted to rest.
"Should we cook something?"
Lydia asked.
Liam looked at her.
She looked at him.
And the two remained silent.
"Pizza."
"Pizza," Lydia immediately replied.
◇◆◇
A while later, the two of them were lying in bed.
They had taken a shower together to wash away the exhaustion of the day, and were now enjoying a dinner that, until recently, would have been a luxury for them.
Two trays rested on their laps.
And sitting on top of them was a huge pizza.
Liam picked up a slice.
"This is the life."
Lydia bit into hers.
"Definitely."
For several seconds, the only sounds were their little noises of satisfaction.
Liam smiled.
It still felt strange.
They had gone from counting every coin they had to being able to order food without worrying too much about the price.
They weren’t rich, not by any means.
But now they had a source of income.
They had a guild.
They had teammates.
And, above all, they had an opportunity.
Lydia took some cheese that had fallen from her slice and began stretching it between her fingers.
Then she spun it around.
Afterward, she wrapped it around one of her fingers.
Liam watched her.
"Darling."
"Yes?"
"Don’t play with your food."
Lydia smiled innocently.
"I’m experimenting."
"You’re going to get it all over the sheets."
The cheese stretched even farther.
Lydia examined it curiously.
"Look how stretchy it is. It’s like a slime, just like me."
"Lydia..."
"Just a little."
Liam shook his head, amused.
Then a window appeared before his eyes.
[Your Slime has consumed Bread.]
Liam blinked.
Another window.
[Your Slime has consumed Tomato.]
Lydia stopped playing with the cheese.
"What?"
And then a third one appeared.
[Your Slime has consumed... a Yellow Slime?]
Liam looked at Lydia.
Lydia looked at Liam.
The two of them burst out laughing.
"No way!"
Liam exclaimed.
Lydia covered her mouth.
"Pix thought the cheese was a slime!"
Liam wiped a tear from the corner of his eye.
"Pix."
There was no response.
"Pix, did you lose your glasses again?"
Lydia immediately joined in.
"Or did you drink mushroom wine again?"
The answer came a few seconds later through another window.
[Pix: But you just said that was a slime, didn’t you?]
Liam started laughing again.
"No, no. It was a joke."
[Pix: A joke?]
"Yes."
[Pix: I don’t understand your humor.]
Lydia rested her head on Liam’s shoulder.
"I think we’re confusing her."
"I think she came pre-confused."
[Pix: I heard that.]
Liam froze.
"..."
Lydia burst out laughing.
"She heard you."
"That’s your fault."
"Mine?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because you started talking about her glasses."
Lydia smiled.
"And you kept going."
The two continued eating while laughing.
Eventually, the pizza disappeared.
And so did the box.
Lydia extended a hand.
Her arm turned green and gelatinous.
The box began sinking into her body until it disappeared completely.
Liam raised an eyebrow.
"That’s really useful."
"I was too lazy to get up."
"Definitely the best ability to have after dinner."
Lydia smiled with satisfaction.
"Exactly."
Then she settled herself between the pillows.
"I think we should go to sleep."
"Yeah."
Lydia slowly extended one of her arms toward the wall.
Her gelatinous limb reached the light switch.
Click.
The lights went out.
The room was illuminated only by the faint glow of the street filtering through the blinds.
Liam settled down beside his wife and kissed her forehead.
"Good night, darling."
"Good night."
Liam picked up the cell phone the guild had given them.
The screen lit up, and among the notifications was a reminder.
[Squad Selection]
29 days remaining.
Liam stared at it for a few seconds.
Twenty-nine days.
It didn’t seem like much.
Over the past few days, they had learned a lot.
Lydia had gained new abilities.
He had begun learning how to shoot.
They had found teammates.
And now they would have to prepare for something much bigger.
The guild squads.
Liam locked the phone, left it on the nightstand, and lay back down.
He looked at Lydia.
"Good night."
There was no response.
"Lydia?"
Liam slightly raised his head.
His wife was already fast asleep.
She had even begun snoring softly.
Liam let out a small laugh.
"That was fast."
Lydia shifted beneath the sheets.
"Mmm..."
Liam smiled.
It had been an exhausting day.
But it had also been one of the best days of his life.
Liam closed his eyes.
"Tomorrow will be another day."
And with a smile still on his face...
He fell asleep.