Suddenly, I Became a Slime

Chapter 2: Not a friend

Though I’ve never experienced it, the feeling as if an earthquake had occurred quickly subsided.

Perhaps due to some great pressure that made my body tremble, it felt like an earthquake.

Considering that my surroundings did not shake, the possibility of it being an earthquake seemed less likely.

Then what on earth… could it have been?

Based on the common sense of an ordinary person, I couldn’t even begin to guess its identity.

I may try to guess with my sense, but even with that unrealistic…

In my contemplation, I look at my sticky hand.

…Having already taken on this slime-like body, it strikes me as amusing to think of it as unrealistic.

And then.

*Thump, thump, thud!*

*Thud!*

*Thud! Thud! Thud!*

A sound, as if hitting a solid floor, echoed.

The tiny sound that I heard was gradually, slowly getting louder.

Or, to be precise, it seemed like it was getting closer to me.

An ominous sound comes from the dark space beyond the small light bulb.

My wobbly body shivered sharply.

As I heard the sound getting closer, I looked around anxiously.

There was nowhere to hide. Whether I couldn’t find the place or it didn’t exist, I didn’t know, but for now, there was none.

What I can do right now is simply run in the opposite direction of the noise.

Having organized my thoughts, I quickly moved my body.

For now, it seemed better to avoid confrontation.

*Thud, thud, thud.*

The sounds of my sticky body hitting the hard floor resounded faintly.

For some reason, there seems to be less stickiness compared to earlier.

So… does it feel easier to run now?

…Is it because I felt a threat to my life, unlike a while ago?

I don’t know. Because even though it’s my body, it doesn’t feel like mine, I have no idea what has happened.

Since it made escaping easier, I didn’t particularly mind. I was thankful, if anything.

To avoid the sound of footsteps chasing me, I entered a dark corridor without light bulbs.

It seemed like hiding in a dark place would be fine no matter what was chasing me.

I crouched my body tightly in the darkness, almost as if I were lying down.

Then, I focused on the sound coming closer. The footsteps were near.

Before long, the identity of the thing unsettling my mind became clear.

“Heh, heh, heh…”

A group of animals passed through the passage where I was hiding.

They appeared somewhat ambiguous, making it hard to distinguish whether they were dogs or wolves.

They seemed to be in a rush, passing through the passage at a very fast pace.

While relieved that they were not after me, their appearance of being chased by something unknown gave me an eerie feeling.

It meant that there was something here that could make them run away.

They seemed bigger than me, which alone was not good news at all.

The reasons for escaping from this place seemed to be increasing.

It didn’t seem like they were specifically looking for me, but I stayed flat on the ground for a while, observing the situation.

I concentrated my senses on the path they took.

Amidst the gradually fading sounds, I heard barking noises.

I was confused about whether they were wolves or dogs, but it looked like they were dogs.

…Since they were similar, I wondered if it would be meaningful to distinguish them in this environment, but it was.

How long have I been lying flat, stifling my movements?

Just as I thought it was all over, a mouse began to approach me for an attack.

*Grumble!*

*Jiggle!*

Before I could even give it a name, the mouse melted with bubbling noises.

While I was feeling strangely bitter, I felt something dripping onto my body.

Moreover, a faint warmth could be sensed.

With a pounding sound, it feels like my heart started beating again.

Do I have a heart?

At that moment, I moved my body, thinking about whether the precious and valuable thing inside of me made a throbbing sound.

“Woof! Wooof!”

A loud bark was heard from above my head.

As I looked up in a crouched position, there was something above me that resembled the guys who had passed by earlier.

Before I could react, the creature’s paw came down on me.

*Whack!*

I felt a sinking sensation as my body was pressed down.

Unable to do anything, allowing the fellow’s front paw to strike me, I felt a peculiar sensation.

With the startled feeling, the creature’s front paw that touched my body seemed to slide through it and enter inside me.

Still lost in the surreal sensation, I stared blankly at the scene in front of me.

I experienced firsthand that people tend to become quiet when they are quite surprised.

At that moment.

*Bubble.*

I heard the sound that occurred when my ‘friends’ entered inside me.

“Woof! Grr!”

The creature tensed its front paws and began to bark wildly.

It was not a fluffy pillow-like punch but a sharp attack with claws extended.

*Swirl!*

My jelly-like body was cut by the claws.

Only then did I start to feel a sense of crisis as I watched that.

I might have been too careless.

The frenzied creature seemed to realize its effectiveness and recklessly attacked me.

I was not staying still either. I struggled to break free from its claws.

Since opening my eyes, I moved my body most vigorously.

I rose from my crouched position and sprinted towards the path the creatures had passed through.

*Clang, clang!* At the sound, a sensation of something being cut off was felt with a swish!

It gives me goosebumps.

I felt relieved that I didn’t feel any pain. If I had a physical body right now, I would probably be writhing in pain on the floor.

Still, I ran, knowing that parts of my body were being severed.

Escaping from a big guy with a small body was quite a task.

With a few steps, it lunged at me and cut through my body in one go.

“Woof! Roar!”

His roar echoed loudly throughout.

My body, which was already small, was gradually shrinking even more.

Around me, small blue pieces that had been cut off from my body fell with a splash.

Although I didn’t feel pain, the threat of death was vivid.

Continuing to flee like this, it seemed inevitable that I would end up like a jelly falling from a table.

I would probably breathe my last underfoot, trampled by paws on the ground.

“Ugh…”

Yet, my mind was strangely calm despite the circumstances.

It didn’t bother me because it was helpful right now, but I couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable.

My worry was short-lived.

Did he now believe he had weakened me enough?

He rushed towards me with a gaping mouth, seemingly ready to chew me up.

Finger-sized fangs were visible.

With my calm mind, his actions were clearly visible to me.

At that moment, a way to remedy the current situation came to mind.

Normally, I might not have noticed, but my tranquil mind brought forth a solution.

Oops!

Dodging his teeth, I embraced his face, thinking quickly about what to do next.

There was no problem, as there was just enough of me to cover his face completely.

*Bubble.*

*Bubble! Bubble! Bubble! Bubble!*

Like my ‘friends’ bubbled inside me, offering nutrients for me.

I was expecting the face of that guy to bubble, too.

Or he would suffocate in my jelly-like insides.

One of the two was likely to happen.

I hoped it would happen.

It wasn’t that easy. I realized how gently my friends had approached me.

*Boom, boom!*

The guy inside me shook his head like crazy, making bubbling sounds.

In order not to fall off his face, I stuck closely to him.

Putting conscious effort into hugging his face tightly, I desperately hung on somehow.

*Bubble! Bubble! Bubble!*

Whether it was effective or not, the sound of bubbling came harshly from the guy’s mouth.

*Thunk! Urgh!*

Seemingly not satisfied with just shaking, the guy slammed my face against the wall.

Small pieces scattered on the floor.

However, there seemed to be no significant outcome. It appeared that despite his best efforts, the falling pieces were extremely minimal.

*Bubble! Bubble!*

The rough breathing of the guy became thinner and thinner.

Unlike with ‘friends,’ the extinguishing of life felt blatantly real, yet I desperately turned a blind eye to it.

Otherwise, I might be the one dying.

*Bubble… Bubble.*

His movements slowed down.

Perhaps due to hitting and swinging the head, something seems to have gone wrong.

There’s a bitter taste.

Finally, at what seemed like the end, his teeth touched something precious inside me.

Indescribable emotions overflow in my mind.

Something immeasurable was felt, yet ultimately at the end of it all,

There was death.

*Thud!*

Perhaps it was his last move, but he eventually lost his strength and fell to the floor.

…Did I kill him?

Although aware that it shouldn’t be said, those words came to mind on their own.

I felt like I understood the emotions of those who uttered those words.

Victory.

It was a situation that could be described as such. Yet, I didn’t particularly feel refreshed or a sense of accomplishment.

I only heard a simple impression of survival. No, I was rather feeling extremely unsettled.

I was not someone who felt guilty about eating animals, but the sensation of life fading away before my eyes and inside my body…

It wasn’t exactly pleasant.

Contrary to those thoughts, my body savored the victory, and I started to digest the one I had brought down.

It tasted slightly better than rats, but the taste was not much different.

*Bubble… Bubble.*

The difference is that the amount was large enough to make me think it was on a different level.

In my head… do I actually have a brain right now?

Am I… truly myself?

Startled by disturbing thoughts that suddenly came, I focused on eating to push them away from my head.

The taste of contaminated skin and fur.

Soft and weak raw meat.

Organs and blood.

Bones, claws, and molars.

Everything.

Just when I managed to eat up everything with great effort.

A bubbling sound started to emanate from my body.