Suddenly, I Became a Slime

Chapter 26: Weren’t you raising me?

*Rattle, rattle.*

A sound that felt a bit out of place in the noisy space echoed through the room.

The source of the noise was a glass cylinder containing 7496-KR, the All-Melting Slime. In other words, it was Han Seori who came in with a stern face, carrying the slime girl inside the cylinder.

The sudden noise drew the attention of those inside, and it didn’t take long for their expressions to change to puzzlement.

Some were surprised that the Anomaly had come out of the facility in a glass container, while others looked at Han Seori as if she was doing something strange.

“…What are you doing? Don’t you think you really need to get a mental evaluation?”

Eventually, a man with a stern-looking face stepped in front of Han Seori with a disapproving expression.

But for Han Seori, this was exactly what she had hoped for. She was almost disappointed at how long it took him to come.

Instead, she smiled faintly and opened her mouth.

“Ah, Committee Member Yoo Kangjik.”

“Dr. Han Seori. I don’t think this is a situation for greetings…”

The man pushed up his rigid-looking glasses and glared at Han Seori.

He had not expected her to be so reckless.

Carrying around an Anomaly that hadn’t even gone through a danger classification yet in this manner.

If she had been under his direct supervision, he would have immediately processed her “resignation,” but unfortunately, she belonged to the research centre. Moreover, she held the authority of the deputy head of the research centre.

So, for now, since nothing had blown up yet, all he could do was tell her to take it back.

He wondered if she had reached such a position at a young age because of these antics, but since she had caught his eye, he couldn’t just let it go.

Yoo Kangjik sighed lightly and looked at Han Seori.

“Do I really need to spell it out for you?”

“Why don’t you take a look instead? It might help with the danger assessment, you know.”

“…”

Yoo Kangjik felt a dizzying sensation. This must be what they mean when they say talking to a wall.

Rather than conversing with someone who made no sense, it seemed better to give in to what she wanted and coax her.

…Though it’s not like he had any other choice anyway.

But even so, Yoo Kangjik thought she was making a fuss.

‘I think I’ve already reviewed all the necessary documents.’

What more did she want him to see?

He looked at the glass cylinder with meticulous eyes. Then, the vague image of the slime girl came into clear view.

“…”

There, ignoring Yoo Kangjik, the slime girl was looking around and tearing open the packaging of the snack in her hand.

In the slime girl’s arms was a blonde doll, and as she tore the packaging, crumbs fell on top of the doll’s head with a *pitter-patter*.

The girl took out the contents, put them into her own body, and then lowered her gaze as she put the packaging into the wriggling blob of slime next to her.

She then brushed the crumbs off the doll’s head and into the blob of slime.

Somehow, it looked like she was giving a treat, and Yoo Kangjik unknowingly curled the corners of his mouth.

Seeing this, Han Seori grinned wickedly to herself.

‘I saw it on his desk.’

She recalled the small mascot that had been on Yoo Kangjik’s desk.

A person who looks stern but unexpectedly likes cute things.

Could he still say the same things as before after seeing this girl right in front of his eyes?

As Han Seori chuckled, Yoo Kangjik, who had noticed, cleared his throat.

“*Ahem*… It seems there is an… unreported… Anomaly… I think it might be… a mental type… Anomaly…”

“What nonsense are you talking about?”

“Ugh…”

Faced with her triumphant expression, Yoo Kangjik gritted his teeth.

“…I admit it’s cute. But you know better than anyone that it has nothing to do with the danger level, don’t you, Doctor?”

“…It’s not working.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing.”

Yoo Kangjik’s guard was stronger than expected, unlike the people who had been cautious of them just a moment ago and were now looking pleased, forgetting about it.

Well, that’s probably why he holds the title of “Committee Member.”

Still, it didn’t seem like a complete failure.

The people who had jumped up in surprise and astonishment.

And those who had given her a look that said, “Is it you again?” also approached with intrigued faces.

Wasn’t this all thanks to Committee Member Yoo Kangjik, who was clearing his throat suspiciously in front?

Although she couldn’t completely convince him, it seemed like enough publicity.

After talking with others for a while, preaching about the harmlessness of the slime girl and how friendly she was to humans, Han Seori smiled with a satisfied face.

Yoo Kangjik, who saw her, shook his head and sent people back to their seats, then looked at Han Seori.

Han Seori, who had been smiling with an embarrassed face, now looked a bit tense.

She seemed to know what he was going to say.

“Well, I’ll concede that she’s friendly to humans, as you say. But still… we need to do a danger assessment.”

“Ah… yes, we should.”

In the end, the inevitable had come.

Feeling troubled, Han Seori glanced at the glass cylinder. She could see the girl eagerly digesting her snacks with a *gurgle gurgle* sound.

As she stared blankly, Yoo Kangjik spoke.

“Then, will you hand her over to me?”

“…No, I’ll take her. Nevermind.”

“…?”

Yoo Kangjik felt somewhat uneasy at her sudden change of words. But this was the procedure, so there was no reason to feel strange.

‘…What? What is this uneasiness?’

As he felt confused, Han Seori obediently stepped back after releasing the handle and said,

“What are you doing?”

“…Ah, um. Yes.”

Yoo Kangjik hurriedly grabbed the handle. He was holding it so tightly that he could feel the warm heat.

As he lowered his head, the top of the slime girl’s head came into view. Upon closer inspection, there were small protrusions growing out like weeds.

The protruding parts seemed like stray hairs, so he unknowingly pursed his lips.

Eventually, he regained his senses and pulled the cart containing the slime girl.

Han Seori followed silently behind him.

Her face seemed to show a hint of apology.

…But it was unclear who it was directed towards.

Suddenly, someone who looked like… an old… fogey blocked my view.

Somehow, his face reminded me of the manager who always nagged at me.

If it weren’t for the glass, I might have unknowingly spit out some slime.

Anyway.

It wasn’t a face I particularly wanted to see, so I was finishing up my remaining snacks when I heard a grating term.

Danger assessment.

It was a term that blatantly reminded me that I had become a non-human entity, even though it shouldn’t come as a surprise now.

It shouldn’t be a big deal at this point, but I felt strangely bitter.

…Ah, it’s because of the dark chocolate in my stomach right now that I feel bitter.

As I was blankly passing the garbage to Daesik.

The cart I was riding on started moving again.

The place I had been in until now had an atmosphere that could be commonly described as… a command and control room.

I’m not sure if it was really a command and control room, but it seemed like it was based on the atmosphere.

There was a map with unknown symbols all over it, and next to it were combinations of numbers and English letters that I had seen in the previous room.

Occasionally, I saw things like JP, EN, or CN instead of KR, so… I thought it might be some kind of international organization.

It was a guess, but it seemed pretty plausible.

My brain had already melted away, but my brilliant intellect still remained.

Heh.

While feeling pleased with myself, the moving cart came to a stop.

Looking back, the pretty Han Seori was nowhere to be seen, and the man who resembled the manager I had seen earlier was holding the handle.

…What the.

Ha, Dr. Han Seori? Weren’t you raising me?

Did you… hand me over to the manager?

As I felt shocked and terrified, the door opened, and a person wearing equipment reminiscent of a spacesuit, just like last time, took me out of the glass container.

As my viewpoint rose higher, I could see various things.

First, I saw Han Seori standing behind the manager guy, and I noticed the balding spot starting to appear on the manager’s head.

Somehow, I felt a sense of solemnity.

I was left alone in a space that felt somewhat desolate.

Alice and Daesik seemed to have been left inside the glass cylinder.

The surroundings had faint dark marks, and there were huge claw marks on the wall.

…Could it be the danger assessment?

It isn’t what I think it is, right?

As I was panicking, the closed wall rose up.

*Thump, thump.*

As the wall opened, the sound of something’s footsteps came from inside. I focused on the open wall with my slime highly tensed.

…It might be closer to my body reacting automatically.

Perhaps because the memory of the sewers was still vivid.

Eventually.

A rather large silhouette, by my standards, began to emerge from the darkness.

The first thing I saw was a pointed horn gleaming menacingly in the dim light.

Below the small but sharp horn, the figure of what was presumed to be a wolf slowly revealed itself, its fur a dark and matted grey.

With each echoing footstep, its identity became clearer.

It was a… horned wolf wearing a dog collar around its neck, the metal tags clinking with each movement.

No, wait, is this really what I think it is? They assess the danger level in this way?

Ah, no!

*Growl!*

The creature looked at me, its eyes glinting with hunger as it licked its lips and slowly began to approach, its muscles rippling beneath its fur.

Its gaze was like that of a predator eyeing its captured prey, ready to pounce at any moment.

My slime boiled and bubbled, quivering with tension.

Seeing that, for some reason.

I felt annoyed.

In the past, I might have been scared by such an appearance, but it felt strangely different now.

Then, I remembered the giant crocodile I had seen in the sewers, its scales glistening in the murky water.

…Come to think of it, compared to that monstrous beast, this doesn’t seem like a big deal.

The creature approached leisurely, its claws clicking against the hard floor.

How lightly did it see me that it was approaching while drooling profusely, the saliva dripping from its jaws?

Do pets really go without being neutered these days? I could’ve sworn I saw something unsightly dangling between its legs.

Geez… you’d think they’d do that for the sake of the creatures’ lifespans.

Seeing that it has horns, maybe they can’t help it? Because it’s a rare species?

I don’t know.

I calmly waited for the creature approaching with its guard down, recalling the memory of hunting stray dogs in the sewers, their whimpers echoing off the damp walls.

But… as it got closer, it seemed to look a bit bigger than I initially thought.

Its teeth also looked a bit large, with yellowed fangs protruding from its gums.

…Uh, was it this big?

Didn’t they bring in the wrong one?

Suddenly, my slime dripped down, splattering on the floor.

At that moment.

*Woof!*

The creature opened its huge maw wide, revealing rows of sharp teeth, and thrust its snout towards me, its hot breath washing over my gelatinous form.

Its teeth were yellowish, a testament to its lack of dental hygiene. Chunks of blackened flesh were stuck between its fangs, the stench of decay filling the air.

Unpleasantly.

As I watched the creature thrusting its maw as if it would tear me apart and send shreds of slime flying in all directions.

I thought of the manager who had brought me here a little while ago, his stern face flashing through my mind.

Indeed.

Physiognomy might be a science, after all.