My Slime Wife: Training and Pampering Her Makes Me Stronger
Chapter 3: A Legendary Apple Pie

Chapter 3: A Legendary Apple Pie

The apartment was completely silent.

Liam sat at the small dining table.

Freshly baked apple pie rested in front of him.

It was still giving off gentle wisps of steam, and the sweet aroma of cinnamon filled the entire apartment.

To his right, sitting on a small plate, rested a green gelatinous blob.

His wife.

Or at least, what the System now insisted on calling "Lydia Davis — Simple Slime Lv. 1."

Liam still held the crumpled termination letter in his hands.

He couldn’t stop looking at it.

Just an hour ago, he had thought this was the worst day of his life.

Now...

He wasn’t even sure it ranked among the top three.

The System chat appeared before his eyes.

[Lydia: Looks like we have a lot to talk about.]

Liam let out a weak chuckle.

"Yeah..."

He slowly placed the letter on the table.

"I guess getting fired isn’t the biggest problem anymore."

He glanced at the little green blob.

"Compared to awakening some bizarre power and having this damned System decide to turn my wife into a slime..."

He shook his head.

"I don’t even know where to begin."

A new message appeared.

[Lydia: I don’t want to see you looking so down.]

He looked up.

[Lydia: We’ll figure all of this out.]

[Lydia: We always do.]

Liam felt a lump form in his throat.

She kept typing.

[Lydia: So stop making that long face.]

[Lydia: Have a slice of your favourite pie.]

[Lydia: I’m sure it’ll make you feel better.]

Liam couldn’t help smiling.

"Even after turning into... well..."

He looked at the little slime.

"...you’re still more worried about me than yourself."

He picked up the knife.

Carefully cut himself a slice.

And placed it on a plate.

"You’re always too good to me."

The aroma immediately filled his senses.

The crust was perfectly tender.

The apples were cooked to perfection.

The cinnamon was balanced just right.

He took the first bite.

Closed his eyes.

"..."

It tasted perfect.

No.

Better than perfect.

It was warm.

Comforting.

Familiar.

It wasn’t just an apple pie.

It was all the care Lydia poured into every meal she made for him.

All of his wife’s love, wrapped up in a simple dessert.

He felt the weight on his shoulders ease, if only a little.

Then another message appeared.

[Lydia: Well? Is it good?]

Liam opened his eyes.

"It’s..."

He smiled.

"Better than ever."

He looked at the little green blob.

"You keep getting better and better at baking."

They sat in silence for a few moments.

Then he lifted another bite with his fork.

"Want some?"

The chat took a few seconds to reply.

[Lydia: I don’t know if I’ll be able to eat with this new body.]

"Well..."

Liam shrugged.

"There’s no harm in trying."

He cut off a small piece.

Slowly brought it towards the slime.

"Here goes."

He pushed the bite of pie into the gelatinous mass.

Nothing happened at first.

Then...

The piece slowly began to dissolve.

As though the slime were absorbing it.

Within seconds, it had completely disappeared.

Liam’s eyes widened.

"Did it work?"

A brief silence followed.

Then a message appeared.

[Lydia: ...]

[Lydia: I have no idea how I just did that.]

[Lydia: But that was absolutely delicious.]

Liam burst out laughing.

"So you can eat!"

Before he could say anything else, several green windows appeared one after another.

[Achievement Unlocked.]

[Feed your Slime a Legendary Apple.]

"...Legendary Apple?"

Liam frowned.

"It was just an apple from the supermarket..."

The System didn’t seem interested in explaining itself.

Another window appeared immediately.

[Lydia Davis has reached Lv. 10.]

A brilliant green light enveloped the little gelatinous body.

The blob began to tremble.

It grew slightly larger.

Its surface became even shinier.

And the System icon changed.

[Lydia Davis — Mobile Slime Lv. 10]

Liam blinked several times.

"...You gained nine levels from eating one piece of pie?"

Another message appeared.

[Lydia: That felt really weird.]

[Lydia: What just happened?]

Liam continued reading the System windows.

"It looks like..."

He searched for the right words.

"The System gave us an achievement for eating the apple pie."

He looked at the screen again.

"And now... your body evolved."

Lydia remained silent for a few moments.

[Lydia: Excuse me?]

[Lydia: I evolved?]

Another window appeared.

[Your Slime can now move on its own.]

Liam slowly raised an eyebrow.

"Wait..."

He looked at Lydia.

"I think you can move now."

[Lydia: Seriously?]

"Let’s test it."

He pointed towards the opposite end of the table.

"Can you make it over there?"

A few seconds passed.

Then another message appeared.

[Lydia: What kind of challenge is that?]

Liam laughed quietly.

"It’s not. Just give it a try."

For several moments, the slime remained perfectly still.

Then...

Its surface rippled.

The little green body made a tiny hop.

Plop.

Then another.

And another.

It moved awkwardly.

But it was moving.

Liam watched in complete fascination.

"It actually works..."

The slime continued making its way across the table.

Little hop.

Tiny slide.

Little hop.

Tiny slide.

Until it finally reached the opposite edge.

[Lydia: I made it!]

[Lydia: This feels like learning how to walk all over again.]

Liam smiled broadly.

"You’re doing great."

Just then...

Plop.

The slime accidentally bumped into the television remote.

It fell off the table.

And the television switched on by itself.

"..."

Both of them turned their attention to the screen.

A news broadcast filled the display.

The footage showed the very same Rank B Dungeon Liam had walked past just a few hours earlier.

The reporters were celebrating the success of the operation.

The enormous stone tower was already beginning to crumble into dust.

A news ticker scrolled across the bottom of the screen.

"The Ace of Swords Guild Successfully Completes the Raid."

The cameras then focused on a tall man clad in gleaming black armour.

A massive sword rested across one of his shoulders.

He smiled with absolute confidence.

It was the guild captain.

Sir Armstrong.

"As always, our guild has fulfilled its duty."

The reporters immediately began asking questions.

One of them raised a microphone.

"Captain Armstrong, is it true that several of today’s participants were rookies?"

The man nodded proudly.

"That’s right. Some of the young Hunters entering today had never stepped inside a Dungeon before. Even so, they overcame the challenge."

He smiled at the cameras.

"The Ace of Swords Guild is always looking for new recruits. Being a Hunter isn’t for everyone. It takes discipline. Training. Courage."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"But if you believe in yourself... you can do it."

Liam remained staring at the television.

A spark lit up in his eyes.

Without even realising it...

An incredibly stupid idea began taking shape in his mind.

A slow smile spread across his face.

At that exact moment, the chat window popped open again.

[Lydia: Don’t even think about it.]

Liam blinked.

"Huh?"

[Lydia: I know you far too well.]

[Lydia: That silence means you just came up with a dangerous idea.]

He let out a nervous laugh.

"Not necessarily..."

[Lydia: Liam Davis.]

[Lydia: Don’t you dare do anything reckless.]

[Lydia: There are plenty of ways for us to get through this.]

[Lydia: And I’d rather none of them involve my husband becoming monster food.]

Liam slowly turned his eyes back to the television, where Sir Armstrong was still addressing the reporters with that same confident smile.

Then he looked back at the little green slime.

And he couldn’t completely rule out the possibility that his ridiculous idea might actually work.