by Hello, this is Rikao Yanagita from the Institute of Science and Technology. I enjoy thinking about manga, anime, special effects programs, etc., from the perspective of science fiction. By the way, this research report is.
Slime is an indispensable monster in the “Dragon Quest” series.
He has a simple shape with eyes and mouth like water drops (and a weak expression), but he is impressed by Hijo. It’s terrifying.
This slime is weak as a monster, and your experience points will only increase a little even if you defeat it. But don’t let your guard down because he’ll run into you if you’re not doing anything.
It has appeared in the entire series from the first word, and various versions appear. For example, ultra slime can be larger than a mountain. There are also metal slimes that are usually soft but stiff and repel attacks.
What kind of creature is such slime?
What kind of creature is slime?
Slime appears in “Dragon Quest” and in various novels, movies, and games.
Initially, it means “muddy and sticky substance,” which means mucus such as fish and snails. The one with the same name is sold as a toy.
Real-life slime can be made from water, starch, and borax. It has a unique feel, such as when you put it on your palm, it runs down, but when you pinch it and pull it, you can feel a slight elasticity.
The slimes that appear in novels and movies are probably drawn with such an image.
However, the impression of slime in “Dragon Quest” is slightly different. It’s not muddy, and even if it bounces, it doesn’t lose its shape like a water drop.
What do you mean? Perhaps a natural slime-like substance is wrapped in a thin film.
In the cells that make up the body of a natural organism, a flowing substance called “cytoplasm” is wrapped in a “cell membrane.” If the slime’s body has the same structure, it may maintain its shape like a drop of water.
In that case, slime is a unicellular organism whose body comprises only one cell. Speaking of natural unicellular organisms, bacteria, yeast, algae (clostridium, diatom), protists (ameba, Paramecium, Euglena), etc., slime seems to be a very primitive organism.
But if so, some things make sense.
Unicellular organisms that can move on their own behave simply (taxis), whether they approach or move away from stimuli such as light and electricity. When slime finds a human, it bounces and approaches, so this may be one of the tactics!
I also wonder, “Do unicellular organisms have eyes and mouths like slime?”, But Euglena has organelles that sense the light called “eyespots.” Paramecium has the role of the mouth, “cytostome.” There is a part that fulfills.
I’m also worried that “it’s not too big for a unicellular organism !?” Indeed, many unicellular organisms are tiny, but the algae Valonia is 10 cm in diameter, and the closely related amoeba Xenophyophorea is 20 cm long.
At first glance, the slime image is 30-40 cm, but it’s no wonder that unicellular organisms are that big and have eyes and mouths!
How to defeat metal slime
Among the many slimes, I’m interested in metal slime.
It’s usually soft, but it’s funny that it gets complicated when attacked. What kind of substance is it made of?
“Dilatancy” is likely to be helpful. You can easily experiment at home, so please try it when you are free.
Put the potato starch in a bowl, pour water into the bowl, stir well by hand, and leave it overnight. –This is the end of the experiment preparation.
The next day, let’s throw away the water on the surface and slowly poke your finger into the potato starch. The finger dives like being sucked in. However, when you hit the punch, the fist is instantly returned! This is an extraordinary feeling.
Potato starch, which is well mixed with water, is soft against weak forces but hard against solid impacts. This is dilatancy.
Since water is accumulated in the gap between the potato starch and the starch, it is necessary to move the water from the gap to the gap to deform it. If you apply a force slowly, the water will move smoothly and deform, but if you apply a force suddenly, it will not deform because there is no time for the water to move.
If the body of metal slime has dilatancy, it’s usually soft, but it’s no wonder it gets complicated when attacked.
How do you attack such a nasty monster?
If you slash violently with a sword, your body will become stiff, and no effect can be expected. If you insert the sword as gently as possible, you may dive as if you were sucked in.
Well, it’s an attack method that doesn’t suit the hero of “Dragon Quest.”
I think you should run away.
By the way, since “metal” is metal, its body may be made of metal. Mercury is a metal that is liquid at room temperature.
Mercury has a high density, 13.5 kg per liter. It is much higher than the density of iron (7.9kg per liter), so if you put a shot put the ball in mercury, it will float.
And in general, dilatancy occurs when a liquid is mixed with a denser powder. Substances with a higher density than mercury include gold (19.3 kg per liter) and platinum (21.5 kg per liter).
Gold dissolves in mercury to form an “amalgam,” but platinum does not. Therefore, if mercury is mixed with platinum powder, two phenomena can be explained: (1) the body of metal slime is made of metal, and (2) dilatancy causes the body to harden when attacked. Wonderful!
Such metal slime is probably quite heavy.
From the description in the game, assuming that the width of the body of the metal slime is 50 cm and the height excluding the head tuna is 35 cm, the volume is 46 L. With this size, if the contents are the same density as a normal creature (1 kg per 1 L), the weight is 46 kg.
However, if the contents are “mercury + platinum powder,” the weight is at least 620 kg. About a cow!
If you get on such a thing, the hero will not have a life.
If I come across metal slime, I would recommend a quick escape. I’m not more like a brave man …
