139: Chapter 138, 100 points

Kwon Eunbi stood with her hammer held horizontally. Her gaze from beneath the Lion headgear (separated by wool) was locked onto the approaching giant jelly aggregate. Her heart drummed against her chest. Shame, nervousness, absurdity, and a trace of reckless determination warred within her.

"Gurgle... sau... sage..."

The Slime King's muddy whisper carried a resonance of obsession. Its massive body, composed of countless squirming Soft Babies, had already closed in to within three or four meters of the sausage stall. It slowly raised a thick, constantly shifting "arm," seemingly preparing to launch an attack.

It was coming! Kwon Eunbi's muscles tensed, preparing to receive the first blow—whether it would be a "Soft Slap" or a "Jelly Crash."

However, the expected physical attack did not arrive.

At the tip of the "arm" the Slime King had raised, the bodies of countless small Soft Babies suddenly contracted and squeezed violently. Then—

"Pshoo—!"

A thin, translucent, viscous stream of pale green liquid shot out from the tip of its "arm" like a low-budget, slow-speed, slimy version of a high-pressure water gun, aimed straight at Kwon Eunbi... and the sausage stall behind her!

Kwon Eunbi instinctively tried to dodge, but the stream wasn't fast or wide. It felt more like a symbolic attack or... spit (slimy version)? She leaned to the side, and the Slime jet grazed the edge of her Lion headgear, landing with a "splat" on the empty ground next to the sausage machine. It left a small, shiny puddle of what looked like a glycerin mixture, emitting an even stronger artificial fragrance.

"..." Kwon Eunbi was stunned for a moment. This attack... was a bit weak, wasn't it? And why spray Slime? Although it fit the "Slime" setting, still...

"Pshoo! Pshoo, pshoo!"

Before she could think further, the Slime King seemed to feel it had lost face by missing (if it had a face). Its other "arm" was raised, and the two arms alternated, starting a continuous barrage of pale green Slime jets! Although each stream was thin and slow, they were relentless, like two water guns firing wildly.

Kwon Eunbi had to start dodging left and right, occasionally using the inflatable hammer to block. "Splat!" The Slime jets hit the head of the inflatable hammer with a light sound, leaving wet marks, but the hammer itself was unharmed.

This scene... rather than a life-and-death struggle, looked more like a large-scale, low-budget, live-action version of Ultraman fighting a Little Monster. Except, "Ultraman" was Kwon Eunbi wearing a Lion headgear, holding an inflatable toy hammer, with a yellow duck towel once draped over her shoulder, and the "Little Monster" was a colorful, Slime-spraying jelly aggregate.

The movements were clumsy, the special effects were cheap, and the plot was childish.

But somehow, the surrounding audience—especially the children brought by their parents to watch the spectacle—was completely thrilled!

"Wow! The monster is spraying water!"

"Lion Hero, dodge!"

"Go for it! Lion Hero! Hit it!"

"Use the hammer! Hit its head!"

"The monster is so stupid! It can't aim! Haha!"

The children's crisp shouts, cheers, and laughter acted like the most enthusiastic background music, instantly igniting the atmosphere. They didn't care about shame or whether the setting was logical; what they saw was a "Lion Hero" fighting a "Water-Spraying Jelly Monster"! How cool was that! It was more exciting than a cartoon because it was real!

Kwon Eunbi had been immersed in her focused dodging and shame, but now she was suddenly pulled back to reality by the children's pure and passionate cheers.

While sidestepping a Slime jet ("Pshoo!"), she instinctively glanced toward the source of the noise. She saw a group of children crowded behind the safety line (temporarily set up by the staff). Their little faces were flushed, their eyes were bright, and they were waving their small fists, screaming their support for her. A few brave boys even imitated her hammer-swinging movements.

A strange warm current, mixed with even stronger shame, instantly surged into Kwon Eunbi's heart.

The shame was because she knew how ridiculous and absurd she looked right now.

But that warm current... was the feeling of being expected, supported, and purely seen as a "hero" (even if it was a comedic version).

Even though it was so embarrassing... why... did she feel like she was enjoying it!

This thought flashed by, startling even Kwon Eunbi herself. She quickly shook her head (the Lion headgear swaying along), trying to toss out this "dangerous" idea. Enjoying it? What a joke! she was being forced! It was to protect the sausages! It was Jiang Zhiyu's conspiracy!

"Sau~ sage~~"

The Slime King's obsessive whisper came again. It seemed dissatisfied with the poor results of its Slime-spraying interference tactic and began trying to move its clumsy "legs," wanting to directly approach the sausage stall! Although its speed was like a slow-motion shot, its "not stopping until the goal is reached" momentum (?) was quite sufficient.

"Don't even think about it!" Seeing this, Kwon Eunbi didn't have time to overthink her strange mood. The sense of mission to protect the sausages took over again.

She was no longer just passively dodging; she went on the offensive! Gripping the Inflatable Lion King Hammer with both hands, she spotted a moment when the Slime King was slightly unstable due to its step. With a lunge (in her clumsy mascot shoes), she rushed forward and smashed down with all her might (the full power of a toy hammer) at its raised "right leg" made of pink Soft Babies!

"Heiya!"

"Thump!"

This time, the hammer head didn't hit the soft body of a single Soft Baby, but a relatively "solid" aggregate part formed by many Soft Babies huddling together.

The sound produced was no longer a dull "thump," but a more peculiar, more... elastic sound.

"Squeak—!"

It was a bit like squeezing a large, thick sponge, and a bit like stepping on one of those rubber toys that makes a sharp noise.

The sound was crisp (relatively speaking), and its penetration was surprisingly not weak.

Kwon Eunbi herself was stunned. She looked at the hammer head, then at the Slime King's "leg." The spot that had been hit was clearly dented, and the surrounding Soft Babies squirmed violently. The entire "leg" trembled, causing the Slime King's massive body to lurch and almost fall, emitting a chaotic "gurgle-gurgle" cry.

It was effective! And that sound... was unexpectedly satisfying?

"Wow! She hit it!"

"Lion Hero is so cool!"

"The monster is going to fall!"

The children's cheers grew even louder.

Encouraged by the cheers (and the strange sound effects), Kwon Eunbi's confidence soared! She began to move more actively around the Slime King (even though the opponent was moving slower), looking for opportunities to attack. Every time she found a spot that looked like a joint or a support point, she swung her hammer and smashed down!

"Take this!" — Smashing at the "left arm" joint.

"Squeak!"

"Over here!" — Smashing at the side of the torso.

"Squeak, squeak!"

"Stay away from the sausages!" — Smashing below the "mouth" as it tried to spray Slime again.

"Squeak—!!"

For a time, rhythmic "squeaks" echoed around the Slime King, accompanied by its "gurgle" and "squelch" cries of pain (?) and the dents and tremors in different parts of its body. Kwon Eunbi swung her inflatable hammer. While her movements weren't elegant—even a bit clumsy and ridiculous—in the eyes of the children, they were filled with the intensity and fun of a battle between a "hero" and a "monster."

She got better and better at it, even starting to unconsciously coordinate her footwork and breathing rhythm with the "squeaking" blows. Her sense of shame seemed to be tossed to the back of her mind amidst the children's cheers and this battle that felt like an upgraded version of Whac-A-Mole.

Although the weapon was an inflatable toy, the opponent was a jelly aggregate, and the scene was comparable to a cheap Tokusatsu film...

But the heart to protect was real, the children's cheers were real, and this absurd yet hot-blooded feeling... didn't seem too bad?

The corners of Kwon Eunbi's mouth (under the Lion headgear) inadvertently curled into a tiny arc that she hadn't even noticed herself.

Of course, she hadn't forgotten that the biggest hurdle—that shameful ultimate move—might still be waiting for her.

But at least for this moment, let her enjoy the sense of achievement of this absurd battle between "Lion Hero" and the "Jelly Monster"!

"Squeak, squeak, squeak!"

The inflatable hammer swung, strange sounds rang out, and the aroma of sausages mixed with the children's shouts to form the most peculiar scenery in the amusement park. Under Kwon Eunbi's continuous "squeaking" blows and its own failed Slime attacks, the Slime King seemed to be getting... dizzy? Its massive body swayed even more violently, and its marker-drawn eyes seemed to have turned into swirly circles.

Kwon Eunbi fought more and more bravely (relatively speaking). The Inflatable Lion King Hammer swung with the force of a gale (toy version). The "squeaking" blows and the Slime King's "gurgling" cries intertwined to create a strange sense of rhythm. The mountain-like cheers of the children made her adrenaline spike, making her temporarily forget her shame as she immersed herself in this absurd and hot-blooded "Great Sausage Protection Operation."

Under her continuous strikes, the Slime King's massive body swayed more and more. Shallow pits were left where it was hit, and the speed at which it squirmed to recover slowed down. The Slime jets it sprayed became increasingly sparse and weak until they finally stopped altogether. It just "glared" at Kwon Eunbi with its crooked marker-drawn eyes, letting out unwilling "gurgles," but no longer dared to step forward easily.

Just when Kwon Eunbi felt that a little more effort would completely "knock" this jelly aggregate apart, that familiar Production team prompt board, which always brought "surprises" (frights), appeared yet again!