Chapter Four: Jelly Creatures (Slime)

I opened my eyes and found myself in the cottage…

Gara was the first thing that came to my mind, I have to go back to him.

I don't know how I died or what happened, everything I know is that Gara is in danger…

Without having any weapon, I ran with all my strength to get back and when I arrived I saw the ground was radiating with blood that formed a dashed straight line, which meant that Gara have made this trace for me to follow. Did Gara really beat him? Why didn't I received any points?

Fear and panic became greater. I followed the trace and took some gear; once again, it wasn't in a good shape but that was better than nothing. While I was walking, I saw another cottage…

When I came in, I found Gara waiting for me…

"You are late…" he said it with a sad and doubtful face…

"Once again I thought that you have vanished" I didn't explain anything

I asked him "then why I came to you so quickly? How did you went all this distant all alone without waiting for me…"

"I have waited you and I have defeated three monsters from the same kind… I have waited you for a full hour…"

An hour… how it was an hour and I was so hurry in my way back. I pointed to the sweat and exhaustion "don't you see that I came to the same place with all the strength I have and I didn't find you"

Perhaps what he said was right, it is impossible that death here goes without punishment.

"Any way…you should rest so we can proceed. In fact, I don't know what is happening here, all we have to do is to believe what we see even if it isn't convincing or real".

"You are really…enjoying in here" maybe he has entered the gate for this.

He wasn't wrong, boredom was killing us in the woods. We do the same process and repeat it forever. We can't make any further progress out of fear for the current generation and the future, they haven't lived the period of poverty and toil that we made somehow.

"Don't get angry if I told you that I am really enjoying here. I know what you are thinking about and I know your feelings and that you want to get back… and you must know that I really want to be done with here and go back to make sure that I'm not dreaming or delusional" he said that with sarcastic unserious tone.

Gara never show this personality in front of people but he always know what I am thinking about and do everything right. Actually, he is better than me at everything except in controlling his emotions.

I know that till now I have died twice, and this is a strong evidence about that.

"Indeed, we should go back. I am furious because we entered the gate unprepared, if I had to choose, I will choose to enter it prepared"

"George, I don't regret the bad luck that brought us in here. Think about it. When we get out of here, we will have new power and knowledge and we could prove ourselves to the outer world that we live so miserably and serve a city ungrateful to what we do because of it" Gara's angry feelings against the city started to show up.

I know that he hates them because they don't appreciate what we do, and they collapse for the silliest reasons just like when we lost three adventurers in the woods. All they repeated was if we are going to the poverty period…they didn't respect the dead.

This incident made Gara hates the city and not dealing with them.

Everything that Gara does is for me as a friend.

I must treat him likewise and listen to his advice.

"So, when we get out of here you must promise me that you will find a wife…and live happily"

Again, things went back to normal since this was the only joke for Gara.

He and I programmed ourselves that when I told him this joke, we forget whatever happened and all the negative feelings and go ahead, in other words, change the subject and concentrate on the thing at hand.

At the middle of our rest, the voice spoke "what are you waiting for?"

"We want a break" he raised his hands and pointed to his left wrist, it was swollen.

The voice: "Ah…didn't I explain the cottage task for you?"

"In this house at the gate, there is a box you put your hand in and it will heal you completely, and you can have extra points of experience at some circumstances".

Gara stood up and I saw how much injuries he received and hid. His back was totally shredded and his left ankle was swollen too.

"What happened to you Gara?"

"The enemies' weak points were to let them start the attack, then you attack them back simply…however, I couldn't avoid the chain perfectly sometimes…and this is what happened".

He got close to the box and put his hand. At first, his hand didn't get in because of his swollen wrist, but then the size of the hole changed.

When he put his hand in, the voice said "now, you will be healed. Next time you die, come to this house not the previous one".

"Wow…wow" Gara moved excitedly "this place is very interesting"

Fortunately, Gara was healed and he told me to do the same although I wasn't injured but I felt a little fatigue.

Indeed, when I did it, I felt lively and my full health is back.

The voice: "kasjhjfhg uidshbuish lhgsf ghsdhv ksdjhfr skdhfhh kjsdhf dskgf fdggjfh kjhsdgfhj fjhggyr ygyy"

Ha? I didn't understand a word… what was he saying.

"Gara, did you understand what he said?"

Gara looked at my confused face "yes, what's wrong with you? He said that right now we have passed the experimental place and it is the true face of the gate".

The voice: "ertrttyu oiu nhg jhdfdfkdkjdf oioupp uyuio xcxzz pofooii"

Again, I didn't understand.

"Aha…so that's it, this place is really fun"

What is happening, I grabbed Gara and insisted to tell me "Gara"

"Shortly, the points of experience is everything here…the more you get deeper, the more you need a certain points of experience to understand or to continue. The more we progress, the voice will tell us more information that will help us if we have enough points of experience"

I have 0, that's why I couldn't understand…I don't know how much Gara has now.

"Don't worry, I'm here and I will tell you everything. Let's go"

I decided to trust him…and go

Once again, just like the environment, it was dark, black soil, surrounding forest, a very dim light, and a shiny place at the end of the passage. I don't know how it will be different, so I decided to be more careful…

Then, Gara took something out of his bag.

Two bones and skin from the corpses, then he laid soil between it and took out the holster he had and it was full of the previous monster's blood.

When he poured some of the blood, the soil became radiant and he could direct it with a spyglass so we could see clearly.

In fact, we are used to do something simple like this at the woods, but the difference is that my mind was still distracted unlike Gara's, who was always better than me at everything but he don't like to show that.

"It should be easier right now to access" Gara said as he was ready.

"All we have to do is to do the same thing and get to the far away light"

Or as I thought it wasn't easy. We followed the road till it finished and we had in front of us a big circle of soil surrounded by the dark forest.

Gara said calmly "we should go to the light through this forest?"

Before we could continue our discussion, the circle turned to moving sands. I don't know what was happening, all we could do to survive is to enter the forest.

I took Gara's hand and jumped inside.

We fell down on our faces, and the blood bottle has spilled and made a radiant path which let us see what was happening around us.

I shouted to Gara "get up Gara, there are so many enemies"

"I know but they seemed petrified for some reason…"

Our gear didn't allow us to fight, and reaching the house was our priority.

I wanted to go forward slowly but Gara pulled me back "look to what the circle of soil has become". When I turned, I found the circle has become a huge hole contains so many corpses, and there were a lot of tempting gear and it looked new.

But the matter wasn't easy, so I decided to not mention that.

"So, this is considered as a secret place and there is a reward?"

Actually, this is the second time Gara was sure about something as if someone is informing him. "Actually, I don't know". Luckily, the enemies behind us were petrified for some reason…

I paused for a second, have the enemies changed their places? Their shape was like jelly and their color became petrified yellow due to the light.

The light was straight forward and all of them were on the left and on the right. I think that they stepped away from the light right now.

"George, I will get down now. Take this, I made you a lamp"

Before I could say anything, Gara jumped…I don't know how he could be so confident that it was a right step, maybe he became like this because the element of death doesn't exist in this place.

I heard the swish of the leaves behind me, I used the lamp to see what was there.

I found out that the forest was full of petrified jelly creatures, and I have noticed that if I pointed the lamp to the left, I would hear the sound from the right and vise versa.

I didn't get what was happening and I couldn't distinguish the distance because I wasn't adjusted to the darkness.

Then, I heard a very powerful sound behind me as if it was a continuous iron hammering, then Gara started to toss everything he saw good out of the hole without being careful that he may hit me with it.

Gara kept going on and I kept watching the place, within 20 minutes the sand started to seal the hole.

"Gara _____" before I could say anything, I heard a swift sound behind me.

I turned with my lamp to find the jelly monsters were right in front of me. I know that there was a hole behind and if I went back I would fall, but in spite of everything I was overwhelmed with fear. I was surrounded by them, their size is about half of my body size and there was a great number of them. It was safer to get down to Gara, when I stepped back I felt something behind, it was Gara's hand "don't be afraid, those don't move if the light is directed on them and they turn to stone"

He spread around us a big circle of the blood he collected down there, and he put the lights to get surrounded with radiant eye-hurting yet safe light.

⾨

Till this moment, I don't know how Gara gained all this experience and information.

He was selecting from the weapons and armors and told me to choose as well, I want to ask him but something deep inside told me to wait.

I'm still hearing the swish sound, but Gara was speaking to himself whisperingly.

"Who are you talking to?"

"Ah…you don't hear him? For some reason the voice is talking to me so much and telling me lots of information"

"Ah…" I must acquire points of experience to be able to hear him.

"Come on George, let's move"

After taking from the gear Gara's brought out from the hole, I looked at my arm and I was shocked with the quality of the gear.

George

Attack: 300 (★ 30)

Defense: 500 (★ 50)

Special advantage: fire proof but slower the movement

Points of experience: 0

Price: 2

Gara

Attack: 900 (★ 70)

Defense: 300 (★ 20)

Special advantage: every time exposed to fire, the attack will increase to triple

Points of experience: 4000

Price: 0

"It seems that there are items, and the special advantage changes each time with the gear?"

"Yes, it looks like this Gara, but don't you see that it is weird to have powerful gear and information…"

He wasn't listening to me, rather the question was asked to the voice that I can't hear or understand.

Gara continued "so that's it…"

Suddenly, Gara turned off all the lights around us and the swishing sound becomes louder. The jelly creature are moving everywhere and approaching.

"RUN!!!"

It was insane to run in a dark place that we can't see anything before us, but Gara's confident tone forced me to run, or it was the fear from the unknown.

"Don't stop only if I told you, and keep the light behind you"

At first, it was easy but we felt that they didn't move randomly. The road which Gara took was totally clear from any creatures.

Gara's light gear made him move quickly and swiftly which forced me to put all my effort to follow his straight line with my head down.

Gara was 4 meters away from me.

Suddenly, I heard swishing sound, then I raised my head and didn't find him.

Before asking any question, I get my answer. Indeed, the creatures were not moving randomly, because right now we are trapped and the trap was the hole…

⾨

The place is dark we can't see anything only through the lamp at our hands.

My natural reaction of fearing from the unknown was raising my lamp up after standing and Gara was shouting at me "don't put light on me…"

Out of curiosity, my hand stopped and I looked upward, the Slime above were petrified. I don't know how much they weigh but the damage they cause will be enormous. I don't know, maybe if they weren't petrified, they would be harmful with their liquid or jelly like form.

Before they touched me, I was able to lower my lamp… and I closed my eyes, I felt something sticky with a disgusting smell has stained me.

I wiped my eyes thoroughly and was able to see a little bit.

"Gara, where …" a sea of monsters which is a sea of Slime interrupted me.

I can't breathe, I am drowning… there is a very disgusting smell and a bad taste that made me want to vomit. The gear were so heavy I didn't feel that I was throwing up.

I started to feel hopeless, fortunately the house was near.

I have to run fast over there but the gear we have gained are so important.

Maybe this time Gara will die and come back with me.

Or maybe…he decided to give up.

⾨

I felt that my feet are hardening…then the stiffing started to go up, there was no pain. I recalled the feeling of the hard tight armors, then I sensed a hand pulling me upwards.

Suddenly, I started to feel the air so I took a deep breath then it was followed with a feeling of nausea and coughing. The sticky thing was all over my body and I couldn't get rid of it no matter what. I opened my eyes to see Gara in front of me

"Are you Ok? This stuff doesn't go away whatever you do! It is annoying, I know that" why is he smiling as he talks?

"God, I didn't feel this excitement for years"

"How did you get out?" I couldn't hold my anger.

"I put the lamp on you so the Slime get petrified and climbed quickly then I saved you. Luckily, nothing happened to you, or you would come back from the house without your gear?"

He wasn't sure, and he was still mocking death.

"Why didn't you try it on yourself first?"

"I know you are mad and I know that you want to say many things"

He gave me his hand to help me standing.

I accept it of course "… answer me so I can feel at ease"

"At the beginning I thought the Slime were dangerous or deadly so I waited our fate, then I noticed that they were harmless and at the deep moment of despair, I decided to look at my arm. Here I knew that they just wanted to stain us with this stuff so we could proceed, and as you can see they haven't done anything since they stained us"

"Looking at your arm made you decide to risk my life? Why are you underestimating death? We don't even know why there is a counter for death called price"

"No, you didn't get me. Look at your arm"

"Do you think it is easy to lose the gear and start from zero?"

"Listen" he shook my shoulder and shouted "at first I have tried the hardening on my left arm…and when I was sure that it wasn't harmful, I needed a way to get up there. When I looked at you and you were hopeless and wanted to die and get back to the house, I used you to go up there. Then, I tied the rope hurriedly and came back to save you…I know that you are mad because of the gate and that you are worry about the city…but now we have to get out of here as best as we could"

"I …" before I speak, he continued "that's why I should never die and have something legendary at the end of this gate…actually, the voice that speaks to me always telling me about things that could help me…but vaguely, I don't trust him of course"

He grabbed my hand strongly and made me see, he put the light on my entire body to stiffen.

George

Attack: 300 (★ 30)

Defense: 1000 (★ 100)

Special advantage: Attack x2 depending on the light spread around the body

(Fire causes double damage for defense)

Points of experience: 0

Price: 2

Right there I got his point, all my abilities have doubled but how?

"I don't know why we thought that they wanted to hurt us".

"It is normal to think like that Gara; this place is full of things that we don't know"

We were able to make it to the light, and there were a cottage of course. We healed ourselves but didn't gain any experience points. Rather, our gear became better thanks to Gara who could make all our clothes radiant with lights by mixing the blood with soil. Fortunately, the Slime that covered our armor has hardened so it will be always radiant, and it was the reason behind reaching the house.

"George, the radiant armors will not stand for long, we should renew the soil and blood every two minutes"

He explained the way of doing that for me, it wasn't hard because it was only about sprinkle the blood and wiping it with soil.

We have lots of Slime liquids, blood and soil.

Our gear are perfect now.

George

Attack: 300 (★ 30)

Defense: 1000 (★ 100)

Special advantage: Attack x2 depending on the light spread around the body

(Fire causes double damage for defense)

Points of experience: 0

Price: 2

Gara

Attack: 900 (★ 70)

Defense: 600 (★ 40)

Special advantage: Attack x2 depending on the light spread around the body

(Fire causes double damage for defense)

Points of experience: 4000

Price: 0