My Slime Wife: Training and Pampering Her Makes Me Stronger
Chapter 35: The Guild Shopping Center

Chapter 35: The Guild Shopping Center

The taxi they had taken that morning came to a stop in front of a building so enormous that, for a moment, Liam thought they had arrived at a shopping mall.

He stepped out alongside Lydia and looked up.

Five massive glass floors reflected the sky above. Bright illuminated signs displayed various logos while people came and went carrying shopping bags, briefcases, and even sheathed weapons.

Lydia’s eyes widened in surprise.

"Does all of this belong to the guild?"

Instructor James, who was already waiting for them at the entrance with his hands tucked into the pockets of his white suit, let out a small chuckle.

"It does."

Liam looked at the building again.

"I wasn’t expecting anything like this."

"Neither was I..."

Lydia replied, turning in a slow circle to admire all the storefront displays.

"I thought it would just be a warehouse full of weapons."

James shook his head.

"Being a hunter is a profession. And every profession needs suppliers."

He turned around.

"Come on. You’ve still got a lot to see."

The married couple exchanged a glance before following him.

◇◆◇

As they reached the entrance, Liam noticed a metal archway beside a small electronic scanner.

James pulled out his ID card and held it against the sensor.

Beep.

The glass doors slid open automatically.

That’s when Liam noticed something.

James’s card wasn’t green like his.

It was completely silver, engraved with intricate patterns that shimmered under the lights.

Lydia noticed it as well.

"Instructor..."

James looked over his shoulder.

"Yes?"

"What rank are you?"

The man smiled modestly.

"Platinum."

The two of them fell silent for several seconds.

"Platinum?"

Liam repeated.

James nodded.

"That’s right."

Liam looked at the metallic ID once more.

"So... did you start out as Platinum?"

The instructor burst into laughter.

"I wish."

He shook his head.

"No. I started as a Gold-rank hunter."

"So that means you didn’t start in this guild?"

"Exactly."

James crossed his arms.

"I was originally part of another guild. I spent several years working there. I advanced to Emerald and kept improving. Once I finally reached that level, Captain Armstrong personally invited me to join the Ace of Spades."

Lydia smiled with admiration.

"That must have been an incredible moment."

"It was."

James replied with a nostalgic smile.

"Not everyone receives a personal invitation from the captain."

Liam glanced at Lydia.

"I guess we got pretty lucky."

James pointed at both of them.

"No. You earned it."

Both of them looked slightly embarrassed.

◇◆◇

"Now it’s your turn."

James gestured toward the scanner.

Liam pulled out his new emerald-green ID card and held it against the sensor.

Beep.

A green light traveled around the doorframe, and the glass doors slid open once again.

James smiled.

"Welcome."

The three of them stepped inside.

Both Liam and Lydia froze.

The interior was even bigger than it looked from outside.

Five full floors.

Escalators crisscrossing the building.

Glass elevators constantly moving up and down.

Skybridges connecting different wings.

Brightly lit stores everywhere.

Uniformed employees.

Hunters.

Staff members.

Customers.

It looked exactly like a massive shopping mall.

"It’s enormous..."

Lydia murmured.

James started walking.

"I’ll give you a quick tour."

He pointed toward the first level.

"First floor: everyday clothing."

Liam looked through the storefronts.

Suits.

Shoes.

Dresses.

Accessories.

Everything from premium brands.

Then James pointed to the second floor.

"Second floor: more clothing, personal items, technology, and various services."

Next, he raised a finger toward the upper levels.

"But things really get interesting starting on the third floor. That’s where you’ll find specialized hunter gear. Reinforced clothing. Rare materials. Accessories with special properties."

He continued pointing upward.

"The fourth and fifth floors... are dedicated to weapons."

Liam looked up.

Swords.

Spears.

Bows.

Shields.

Firearms.

He could even spot an enormous war hammer displayed behind reinforced glass.

"Wow..."

he muttered.

◇◆◇

As they continued walking across the first floor, Lydia kept stopping in front of every display window.

"Look at that dress!"

Her skin rippled, and within seconds, the white dress she was wearing transformed completely.

Now she wore a long-sleeved black dress.

She spun around.

"How does it look on me?"

Liam smiled.

"It looks good."

She looked back at the display.

"Wait..."

Her dress changed again.

Now it was red.

Then blue.

Then a long gown.

Then a short dress.

James watched the scene before laughing.

"That Shapechanger ability really is incredible."

Lydia smiled proudly.

"I’d rather do this than actually buy clothes."

She looked at the price tag again.

"...Although I don’t understand this."

She pointed at a label.

"Why does it say one hundred and twenty Tokens? What kind of currency is that?"

James chuckled.

"Good question."

He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out two black cards.

He handed one to each of them.

"Here."

Liam accepted his.

Lydia took the other.

Both cards were engraved with the Ace of Spades emblem.

"What are these?"

"Internal credit cards."

James explained as they continued walking.

"This entire building runs on Tokens. Hunters receive rewards, bonuses, special incentives, and mission payments. Everything gets deposited onto these cards."

Liam turned the card over in his fingers.

"So... how much do we have?"

James answered immediately.

"One thousand Tokens."

Lydia’s eyes went wide.

"A thousand? Is that a lot?"

"For beginners..."

James smiled.

"It’s a pretty solid amount. It’ll be enough to buy your basic equipment."

Lydia hugged the card to her chest.

"Then we’re rich again!"

Liam couldn’t help laughing.

◇◆◇

They spent nearly an hour exploring the different stores.

Lydia looked like an excited little girl.

She would walk into a shop, admire the clothes, copy different outfits with her Shapechanger ability, and walk right back out.

Then she’d copy another one.

At one point, she even imitated an enormous hat that made both Liam and the instructor laugh.

"I don’t think this one suits me."

"Just a little."

"Only a little?"

She immediately switched back to her white dress.

"Yep. White is definitely still my favorite."

James smiled.

"It’s quite practical. As long as that ability works, you’ll never have to spend money on clothes."

Lydia proudly lifted her chin.

"That’s exactly what I was thinking!"

◇◆◇

When they finally reached the base of the stairs leading to the fourth floor, Liam stopped looking at the storefronts.

His expression became noticeably more serious.

James caught it immediately.

"What’s wrong?"

Liam looked toward the display cases filled with swords, rifles, shields, and countless other weapons.

"I wanted to ask you something."

"Go ahead."

Liam took a deep breath.

"I want to stop relying so much on Lydia."

She immediately turned toward him.

"Liam..."

He gently shook his head.

"Don’t get me wrong. Things worked out during the last dungeon, but the whole time, it felt like you were the one doing all the fighting."

He looked down at his hands.

"I was basically just giving orders. And I don’t like that."

James remained silent.

Liam continued.

"I want to learn how to use a weapon. I want to be able to protect her too. I don’t want to keep being the man hiding behind his wife."

Lydia smiled gently.

"But you were never hiding. You were always standing in front of me."

Liam slowly shook his head.

"That’s not enough. If one day you can’t fight..."

"I want to be able to."

James crossed his arms.

For several seconds, he simply studied Liam.

Then he smiled.

"I’m glad to hear that."

Liam looked up.

"You are?"

"Many Tamers are content to stand behind their summons, but a good hunter is always looking for ways to grow stronger."

The instructor pointed toward the stairs leading to the fourth floor.

"In that case... Let’s go find you a weapon."

Liam smiled.

"Any recommendations?"

James started climbing the stairs.

"Several. But first, we’ll have to figure out which one suits you best."

Lydia took Liam’s hand as they followed the instructor upstairs.

"Whatever weapon you choose... I seriously doubt it’ll ever make a better partner than me."

Liam laughed.

"No. It doesn’t stand a chance against you."

The three of them continued climbing toward the upper floors, where the hunters’ weapons awaited.