My Slime Wife: Training and Pampering Her Makes Me Stronger
Chapter 30: I Got My Wife Back

Chapter 30: I Got My Wife Back

Liam stood frozen.

Lydia was right in front of him.

It wasn’t an illusion.

It wasn’t a memory.

It was her.

His wife had completely regained her human form.

Her long black hair rested gently over her shoulders, swaying in the breeze that swept across the mountaintop. Her skin no longer had the faint green sheen from when she had been a slime. Instead, it was the warm, familiar complexion Liam knew so well.

Lydia’s eyes met his.

She smiled, her face overflowing with emotion.

"Liam..."

He didn’t answer with words.

He simply walked over to her and wrapped her tightly in his arms.

For a moment, it felt as though the rest of the world had disappeared.

Liam felt something he had missed for far too long.

Her skin.

It was no longer the soft, gelatinous texture he had grown to love.

It was warm, soft...

And real.

He closed his eyes and breathed in the familiar scent of her hair.

He could feel the gentle rise and fall of her breathing.

The steady beat of her heart.

Lydia hugged him just as tightly.

She buried her face against his chest and let out a quiet laugh mixed with tears.

"I can feel you again..."

she whispered.

Slowly, she lifted her head.

"I can see you with my own eyes."

She blinked several times.

"I don’t have to see the world through you anymore."

She turned her head slightly.

"I can hear the wind."

She took a deep breath.

"I can even smell the mountain."

A tear rolled down her cheek.

"I’ve got all my senses back."

Liam gently stroked her hair.

"I missed you so much."

"I missed you too, darling."

They remained in each other’s arms for several more seconds.

Then Liam slowly opened his eyes...

And noticed one small detail.

Well...

Not exactly small.

Lydia was completely naked.

"U-Um..."

He quickly took off his jacket.

"Here."

Lydia tilted her head.

"What’s wrong?"

Liam cleared his throat.

"Well... you’re..."

He couldn’t finish the sentence.

Lydia slowly looked down at herself.

Her cheeks instantly turned bright red.

"Ahhh!!"

She tried to cover herself with both arms.

"I’m naked!!"

Pix, who was still floating nearby, tilted her head.

"Well... Slimes usually evolve without clothes. Hic."

Lydia shut her eyes in pure embarrassment.

Without even thinking about it...

Her body emitted a soft green glow once more.

Her skin began to change, and a thin white layer appeared across her body.

It covered her torso first.

Then it extended downward, forming an elegant skirt.

Sleeves grew from her shoulders.

In only a few seconds, she was wearing a simple white dress.

Liam stared at her in surprise.

"How did you do that?"

Lydia looked down at herself and gently tugged at the dress.

The fabric felt completely real.

"...I don’t know."

She smiled.

"I just imagined it."

Pix raised one finger.

"That’s part of Shapeshifter too. You can alter your appearance, create clothes, reshape parts of your body..."

She smiled proudly.

"You can even transform into other creatures."

Lydia’s eyes widened.

"Really?"

Pix nodded.

"Yep."

"Though..."

"You’ll need some practice."

◇◆◇

The little pixie awkwardly adjusted her round hat.

Then she clasped her hands together in front of her chest.

"First of all... Congratulations."

She smiled sincerely.

"You cleared the dungeon."

Then she lowered her head again.

"And... I’m sorry about all my mistakes."

Liam folded his arms.

"There were quite a few."

Pix started counting on her fingers.

"I mistook an S-Rank Dungeon for a D-Rank one. And... I thought those chicks were going to become your allies."

She bowed once more.

"This is my first job managing a System. I lost my glasses. Hic. And I’m still learning."

Lydia let out a small laugh.

"It’s alright. We survived in the end."

Pix smiled with obvious relief.

"Thank you!"

Then her expression suddenly changed.

Her eyes went wide.

"Oh! That’s right! You have to leave!"

Liam frowned.

"Leave?"

Pix pointed behind them.

"The dungeon is about to collapse."

All three of them turned around.

At the far side of the summit, the air began to distort.

Little by little, a massive pitch-black doorway appeared.

At the same time...

The mountain began to shake.

CRAAACK.

Huge cracks spread across the ground, while chunks of rock broke away and tumbled into the abyss.

Lydia instinctively took a step back.

"I think she’s right."

◇◆◇

The radio clipped to Liam’s belt crackled with static.

"Liam!!"

It was Instructor James.

"Can you hear me?"

Liam quickly grabbed the radio and pressed the side button.

"I hear you perfectly."

"Is everything alright?"

James asked.

"Our sensors indicate that the dungeon has started collapsing. What happened? Did you clear it?"

Liam glanced at Lydia.

Then at Pix, who was still floating nearby, looking a little tipsy.

He smiled.

"Yeah. We defeated the boss."

He paused for a moment.

"Though... There were a few complications."

A hearty laugh came through the radio.

"Excellent! Then you passed the trial with room to spare. We didn’t even have to send Millie. You still had nearly an hour left before the rescue team would’ve gone in."

Liam smiled.

"That’s good to hear."

"But get out of there immediately."

James continued.

"The dungeon is going to disappear completely. We’re not about to lose our future hunters."

"Don’t worry."

Liam replied.

"We’re on our way."

He clipped the radio back onto his belt and looked toward the massive black doorway.

"Time to head home."

◇◆◇

The three of them broke into a run.

Every few steps, another crack split the path apart.

Massive chunks of rock tore away from the mountain.

The ground tilted dangerously beneath their feet.

Liam grabbed Lydia’s hand.

"Don’t let go!"

She nodded.

"I’m staying with you!"

They leapt over one fissure after another as an enormous section of the mountain collapsed behind them.

The black doorway was still a long way off.

Pix flew alongside them.

Then she spoke as though she’d just remembered something.

"Why don’t you use your slime?"

Liam kept running.

"What do you mean?"

"Her new evolution."

The pixie explained.

"She’s a Shapeshifter. She can take the form of other creatures."

Liam’s eyes widened.

"What?"

Pix nodded.

"For example... That Dark Condor."

Lydia looked just as shocked.

"So... Is that how I got my human body back?"

"Exactly."

Pix replied.

"You just have to picture the form you want."

Still running, Liam looked at his wife.

"Do you think you can do it?"

Lydia took a deep breath.

"I can try."

Without slowing down, she closed her eyes and focused.

Her body gave off a faint glow.

But because she wasn’t watching where she was going...

Her foot landed right on the edge of a crack.

"Lydia!!"

She lost her balance, and the ground beneath both of them gave way.

Liam lunged forward and caught her around the waist.

The two of them tumbled across the ground.

Another enormous crack opened directly beneath them.

"Watch out!!"

Pix shouted.

At that very moment...

Lydia’s body glowed once again.

Her human form disappeared, returning to that of a small green slime.

But this time...

Two enormous black wings burst from either side of her body.

They were identical to the wings of the Dark Condor.

Several tentacles shot out and wrapped tightly around Liam’s torso.

Just before the two of them could plunge into the abyss...

The wings beat powerfully.

WHOOSH.

The pair shot several metres into the air.

Liam dangled in midair, held securely by his wife’s tentacles.

His eyes went wide.

Then he burst into laughter.

"Lydia!"

"That was incredible!"

The tiny winged slime spun proudly in front of him.

[Lydia: It worked!]

[Lydia: I’m flying!]

Pix clapped excitedly.

"Great job! Now hurry! Before everything disappears!"

The mountain was already falling apart.

Massive chunks of stone plummeted into the abyss.

The summit where they had fought the Dark Condor was gone.

Guided by the little pixie, Lydia beat her new wings with all her strength while carrying Liam with her tentacles.

Together, the three of them flew through the gigantic black doorway.

For a brief instant...

Everything faded back into darkness.

And behind them...

The E-Rank Dungeon disappeared forever.