Chapter 180: Aww, Did Baby Miss Mommy? Don’t Cry—Mother Maddy Has Returned~!

[New Map Acquired — South Plains]

The sun rose over the South Plains, spilling gold across endless stretches of tall, swaying grass. It was a vivid, almost jarring contrast to the sterile gray desolation of the Shellgrave.

Maddy stepped forward, her adventurer’s boots sinking into real earth for the first time since her reincarnation in the depths of the cave. She paused.

Closing her eyes, she let out a slow breath as a steady breeze rolled across the plains. She tilted her head back, welcoming the warmth of the sun as it soaked through her skin and into the layers of her gear.

For a moment... it felt like she was back on Earth again.

"It’s... it’s beautiful."

A small, wistful smile touched her lips.

"I wish my children could see this too... to be out here with me, in the open..."

Her smile softened but didn’t fade.

"I’ll make sure that happens. They deserve to be seen. They deserve to explore every inch of this world... even if not everyone will accept them for who they are."

She took a deep breath.

"But for now t’s just us, isn’t it? Right, Lucy?"

Inside the silent spaces of her mind, Lucy responded.

[Response: Always, Maddy. I am literally living into your consciousness. Everywhere you go, I am there.]

"You’re the only one who can appreciate the view with me right now. It’s nice having a best friend!"

As the words left her lips, an unintended memory resurfaced, hitting her with suddenness. She saw a much younger version of herself, laughing on a patch of open ground far away from her cardboard house. She wasn’t alone. Beside her was a boy—her husband.

They had been chasing each other through the weeds, breathless and lighthearted. He had caught her, spinning her around.

"Best friends for life, Maddy!" he had shouted, his voice full of a promise "No matter what happens, we’re the team. Best friends until the end."

A sudden gust of wind tore the memory away.

Maddy blinked, returning to the present as the plains stretched out before her. She pressed forward but stopped.

Her eyes widened. In the distance, rising from the sea of green like a monument carved from stone, stood a jagged, sprawling silhouette.

"...Is that... A town? A real one!?"

Excitement surged through her, washing away every trace of exhaustion. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"Humans! Real people, living normal lives!" she laughed, breathless. "I want to go there, Lucy, I want to see a marketplace, hear people gossip about their neighbors! And the food—gods, the food! I want to eat something that isn’t packed with monster parts!"

With a sudden burst of energy, Maddy broke into a run. The wind whipped her hair back, and she felt the literal "vitamin D" of the sun soaking into her skin, recharging her spirit after the long dark of the Shellgrave.

"I’m going to find a bakery, Lucy! I’m going to buy a whole loaf of bread and—"

[System Alert!]

[Warning: Mana Distortion Detected]

[Monster Spawning Rate is extremely fast.]

Maddy skidded to a halt. The vibrant morning of the plains was suddenly replaced by flickering shadows.

"What!? There is mana distortion here too!?"

[Response: Multiple mana distortions forming within a fifty meter radius.]

Maddy spun around, her eyes widening as the serene landscape began to tear apart. Violet storms—swirling vortexes of dark, crackling energy erupted from the grass. One by one, the storms "birthed" their horrors.

Goblins tumbled out of the rifts, clutching blades. Behind them, much larger shadows emerged—Hobgoblins, their muscles bulging under leather hide, standing a head taller than Maddy with heavy iron clubs resting on their shoulders.

Within seconds, the peaceful path to the town was choked with a snarling, cackling horde.

Maddy blinked once... then frowned.

"...Tch. This again? It’s just like Shelggrave. Every single day, every damn day, there was a mana distortion popping up somewhere."

She let out a small, almost nostalgic huff.

"And back home, that was a good thing. More monsters meant more meat. My family would already be drooling by now..."

Her stomach growled faintly but instead of excitement, her expression twisted into mild annoyance.

"...Yeah, no. Not today."

She waved her hand dismissively at the advancing goblins.

"Never mind you lot. I’m not here to eat goblins."

Her eyes shifted past the horde, toward the distant town barely visible beyond the chaos. A strange, almost dreamy look crossed her face.

"I want bread. Fresh bread. Maybe something warm... soft... baked by actual humans..."

She took a step forward, completely ignoring the monsters closing in.

"And I’m gonna walk into that town, sit down like a normal person... and make some neighbors."

She paused for a second, glancing at the growing horde with mild disinterest before shrugging.

"Besides... this is human land, right? Adventurers will take care of them."

Her tone softened just a little, almost thoughtful.

"They’ll need the work anyway... and the pay means their families get to eat too."

With that, she turned her back on the snarling goblins and towering hobgoblins, as if they were nothing more than background noise.

"...So yeah. Everyone wins."

As the distant outline of the town grew clearer, she slowed her pace slightly, her expression shifting from carefree to... focused.

"Okay... okay... Normal. Act normal."

She cleared her throat, then tried a smile—too wide. She dropped it immediately.

"No, that’s creepy."

She tried again, softer this time, lifting a hand in a small wave.

"Hello! Good morning! Lovely weather—Ugh. Do people even say that?"

She sighed,

"I’ve been... locked up at home for years. I think I forgot how to talk to people properly."

She shook her head, then forced herself back into character.

"Okay, again. Friendly. Harmless. Not hungry! Ahem! Good day, miss! Might I—uh—might I become your neighbor?"

She held the pose for a second... then cringed.

"That sounded like I’m about to rob you... Arghhh! This is harder than fighting monsters..."

Still muttering to herself, still practicing little greetings and gestures, she continued toward the town gates—so caught up in her own world that she didn’t notice it at first.

Something was wrong. The gates were open... but no one stood guard. Maddy slowed. Her gaze lifted to the colorful welcome sign hanging above the entrance.

"Welcome to Slime Village!"

It was literally a slime village.