Chapter 2: One Bounce Forward

When I came about, I was on top of some soft grass. But weirdly I couldn't touch the grass. But could rather jump on it? I knew it was there but couldn't feel it?

What the? And I couldn't really see either. I could feel and I knew where what was, but I wasn't necessarily seeing a picture of sorts. I just knew…

Drip.

Damn, that was loud…. No, my ears were probably just sensitive. Wait. Did I even have ears though? Appendages? Head? Body!?

What is going on?

Wait, wasn't I eaten? Then I heard those weird stuff. And… ah, I died. I see, so that's what happened. Sigh. I rolled around.

Rolled around!

I could jump, I could roll, but I didn't have a body, right? So, then wha-

Before long I remembered some words… slime system. This was a cave. And judging by the ragged design and elaborate layout, it was pretty big if nothing else. 

Menu.

Nothing. As expected. Yup, I was totally imagining everything, totally-

Oh…

Transparent window. With letters, numbers and symbols…

[Status]

[Quests]

[Inventory]

There were also some blurred options. I suppose those would eventually unlock too. Various icons I wasn't familiar with, and various stuff that looked like ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Pretty elaborate. I'd played my fair share of games, so I wasn't surprised. However, this body was really starting to make me uncomfortable.

[!!!]

[Abnormal Presence detected. Initiating tutorial mode]

[Tutorial Quest: Examine the abnormality issued!]

A window popped up before me, informing me about the quest. I also got a mental explanation of what I needed to do. Just outside this room there was some sort of anomaly and I was required to examine it.

I tried reaching for the exit only to bounce forward. I couldn't see my body. I couldn't really see anything but I could still understand where I was and what was around me, yet I couldn't do that for my own body, assuming I had one. Like I had a radar built inside me or something. Before dying I could have sworn there were at least 5 slimes on me, but they were gone now. Maybe I'm a specter? Didn't seem like the case. But then there was only one other explanation I could think of. I'd been reborn as some sort of monster. Slime system, so there's a chance I'm a slime.

Then this would be a dungeon, not a cave.

And that would also explain the whole system thing and game like menus. Yet, I didn't feel the least excited. I didn't feel anything for that matter. No fear, no hunger, no horny thoughts. Just… normal. But that wasn't normal, was it?

Bounce! Bounce! I bounced ahead, crossing the exit. My logical self was screaming at me to be careful yet, I didn't feel that was necessary anymore. After all, I felt no presence whatsoever near me. Just something out of place outside. And my curiosity got the best of me. Right now, I had no feelings other than mere curiosity. So-

I ventured out. Just outside there was a ball. A black ball, and it was oozing out some sort of mysterious smoke. I could feel the very essence of that smoke, dangerous.

This is pretty convenient. Even though I couldn't see, I could still see in a way that was new to me. Like the world had lost some of its colors but instead gained new ones. I could basically see 360 degrees without any limit and I could hear nearly everything without really focusing. It was hard though, really hard to keep up. Normally the human brain filtered out useless information but for some reason my brain didn't (Do I even have a brain though?) I was getting way too much sensory overload ever since I left the damn room and I hadn't even gone that far!

Groaning inwardly, I tried reaching for the orb.

[Corruption detected. Caution Advised.]

A pop up appeared. It didn't have a voice accompanying it. Normally the system spoke in a robotic male voice but this time it was mute.

[Tutorial Quest: Examine the abnormality complete!]

[Received 1 Mana Elixir!]

[New Tutorial Quest: Absorb the Abnormality Issued!]

Absorb? But the system itself warned me about it and yet now it wanted me to absorb it? Also, absorb how?

Corruption sounds pretty bad though. Gave me the geo stigma feeling from FF7 AC. Was this going to arbitrarily screw my stats? First of all, did I even have stats?

Shouldn't I have checked that first thing?

And normally I would have. Any gamer would have. Yet, I didn't. I'm really not human anymore….

Menu!

Status!

A transparent window surfaced with various blurred out lines. But some of them were visible.

Level: 0

Strength: 2

Speed: 2

Mana: 1

HP: 5

That was about it. Didn't people usually start out with at least level 1? At the very bottom there were two specific lines.

Race: Slime

Racial Ability: Dissolve, absorb.

Slime?

SLIME!?

Yeah, not that surprising. But of all the monsters in the world, I had to become the very fucking thing that killed me? Argh… why couldn't I be a skeleton or a dragon or some super powerful monster… sigh. Wait, wasn't there a slime manga? No, there were probably more than a few. I never liked the slimy bit, so I never read those but… maybe I should have.

Anyway, I had a better idea of what I was but I still didn't know how this happened. And frankly, I wasn't interested. I'd been given a third shot, and even if I wasn't human, I could at least try to live a thrilling life. Even if that thrill came from a robotic system.

I'd fucked up more than enough times in my life. Even if everything went to shit, I didn't really care. This time though let's live a good satisfying life.

It made sense I no longer had appendages but I could still reach for the orb. This body was very malleable. Means I have a core and that's my weak point, right?

There were no mirrors here, so I had no idea what I actually looked like.

I touched the orb before me and in that instant pain shot through as it burned my flesh black; it wasn't as strong as what I felt when I was being dissolved alive but it still stung. "ARGHH!!" Sounds leaked. It wasn't anything coherent. Just animalistic groans. Kind of like a dying cat.

[Absorb Orb of Corruption?]

[Warning, inflicted with corruption.]

Again, mute windows.

Absorb!

[Absorbing…. Absorbed orb of corruption!]

[Corruption resistance acquired.]

[Core attributes upgraded.]

[You have leveled up X3]

The pain was gone. But at the same time how is this body feeling pain of all things?

No, the better question was, how was I feeling anything?

[Tutorial Quest: Absorb the Abnormality complete!]

[Received 1 Revival Elixir!]

[Bestiary unlocked!]

I saw the elixirs in my inventory where there were exactly ten slots. The two items had taken up two slots. My stats had also increased slightly.

Revival elixir?

Bestiary: Revival elixir, the sacred concoction of the fallen Alven empire. Said to be equivalent with the elixir of life when used in isolation. Can revive near dead individuals and in rare cases dead ones. Cannot be used to revive a corpse which had been dead for longer than 1 minute.

Even if it was just a minute, damn that was useful as hell. And wait, this bestiary thing was just giving me answers.

What are you?

Bestiary: I'm part of the slime system and here to guide you throughout your journey.

Journey to what?

Bestiary: Anything your heart desires. I'm but a part of you.

Didn't you say you're part of the system?

Bestiary: The slime system is part of you, thus, so am I.

I guess? Where am I and what is happening to me?

Bestiary: You are in the central plains of Abraska. It is unclear from my data sheet where you are but I should be able to provide accurate location info if you could explore this area more.

You only answered one question. So, I was in another world. And boy did this thing sound human.

It was silent. What is happening to me? Again, silence.

What is the slime system?

Silence.

Bestiary, are you there?

Bestiary: Yes?

So, it was intentionally avoiding the topic. Didn't seem malicious but did annoy me a little. How do I get out of this place?

Bestiary: You will have to explore and find out. My capabilities are fairly limited.

How can I expand your limits.

Bestiary: By increasing your level and continuing the tutorial.

Speaking of the tutorial, it was yet to give me another quest.

How does the quests work? And why am I receiving these? Why me?

Bestiary: It is unclear what triggers the deployment of systems; however, it is widely believed most deployments are a blessing from the gods be they good or evil. Usually, every deployed system comes with a main quest, 'Save the world', 'Destroy this city', 'Enslave this nation' and such. The system provides adequate rewards and growth opportunities via tutorial and supplementary quests.

I checked my quest menu but it was pretty much empty. Maybe I was going to get a quest when I got out of here or completed the tutorial but so far, I didn't see anything that could bind me. No main quest whatsoever.

Thanks.

My senses seemed a little sharp and the sensory overload had more or less quieted down. I had to focus intently to filter out the noise but it wasn't that big of a deal. Perks of leveling up.

I had three routes in front of me, all three leading into darkness. Was there any light here though? Probably not. I didn't feel any luminance, but I did feel where what was. Which was good.

All three routes looked the same, so I went with the middle one. One step forward, or was it bounce forward?

[Tutorial quest: Kill and Absorb the goblin issued.]

Goblin? What goblin?

WOAH!

An arrow pierced through me and struck the rock behind.

[HP -1]

The fuck? It almost hit my core too!

It definitely came from the front but I didn't see anything. No, it wasn't in my range. I'd just taken a shot yet I was still calm. And I barely felt any pain. Very different from the earlier corruption pain.

I jumped and avoided some incoming arrows. If I could see them coming, I could just jump away, and avoid. I'm definitely not fast enough. Maybe I should have run, maybe I should have tried to attack only after confirming I could take them on. But I still marched forward. Because I had a feeling. A very nostalgic feeling.

 If I back out now, I'll never move forward.