Suddenly, I Became a Slime

[ Message from TL - Do those who are reading prefer each sentence In its own line, similar to how alot of other TLs do it, or do you prefer it as I have been, with paragraphs? ​You can comment here or message me in the discord channel @whiteztl discord.gg/QAaKS8EBhj ]

Hwangbo Yul, who had seen off the Jelly Girl, went to retrieve equipment from a distance and began setting up a temporary camp. Feeling at a loss, Kim Cheonsu hurriedly approached her and asked if there was anything he could help with. Hwangbo Yul, who looked at him with slightly skeptical eyes, gave him simple tasks to do with an expression that suggested she wasn’t entirely pleased.

“Understood.”

Recalling his recent clumsy behavior, Kim Cheonsu thought that unless he redeemed himself now, he’d continue to receive those disapproving glances until they returned to where Han Seori was. Determined, he put all his effort into the tasks Hwangbo Yul assigned him.

In the first place, Kim Cheonsu had been handling all sorts of odd jobs at “the lab,” so he easily completed the tasks Hwangbo Yul requested. Not just easily — almost perfectly.

A tent that was set up sturdy and firm.

Small tasks like preparing cooking gear and tidying up the surroundings were done while Hwangbo Yul, installing some kind of mechanical device, voiced mild admiration.

“…You seem quite familiar with this sort of work.”

“It ended up that way somehow.”

Seeing Hwangbo Yul’s expression soften slightly, Kim Cheonsu thought he had achieved his goal. However, he soon realized the downside of earning that acknowledgment.

“Then, could you come over here and help me?”

“Ah, o-of course.”

What awaited Kim Cheonsu, who thought it would be no big deal, was the task of holding and lifting objects so heavy they seemed capable of breaking his back.

“I was debating whether to call the others, but this saves me the trouble. That’s fortunate.”

“Is… is that so?”

“Yes. Judging from that scene earlier, if I were to call them out here now… While it’s unlikely, there’s still a chance they might jump into that swamp, don’t you think?”

Kim Cheonsu was slightly impressed. He realized she wasn’t acting tyrannically for no reason.

‘…She sent them back because she was worried about their safety.’

Nodding in admiration, Kim Cheonsu suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

Wait a minute.

…Doesn’t that mean I’m in danger too?

On reflection, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that he was currently in the most danger. He hadn’t consumed more retort packs, but he had lived closest to the Jelly Girl and responded to her various calls for assistance so far. Those calls didn’t seem coercive, but remembering the scene he’d witnessed upon arriving here left him with an unsettling feeling.

…Am I really okay?

Kim Cheonsu thought back to the Jelly Girl confidently walking into the swamp. Though her frequent calls annoyed him, thinking about it carefully, she had woken him from a dream when he was on the verge of freezing to death. She had even lured away the Steel Snake during that incident.

So… he realized that during genuinely dangerous moments, she had actually protected him.

…Though, since gaining that weird telepathic ability, there hadn’t been any crises, so he couldn’t be sure.

‘Maybe I underestimated her because of her appearance.’

Kim Cheonsu felt a tinge of bitterness. It was strange to think of himself as being protected by someone much smaller than him. Yet when he considered her as an anomaly. it wasn’t that unusual. Which only made his feelings more conflicted.

Up until now, she was unlike any anomaly he had tried hard to ignore.

Unlike typical anomalies, she acted more like a willful, lazy girl in her daily life.

He had brought the Jelly Girl here without much thought.

Resolving an anomaly with another anomaly… though experimental, it wasn’t something they would lose from.

Kim Cheonsu stifled a sigh inwardly. His actions so far felt entirely invalidated.

‘…Maybe she’s just special.’

But

Thinking that way, he felt a lump in his throat. If she really was a special anomaly…

…If she truly thought like a human…

Was it right to make her do this kind of work?

Normally, he would have dismissed the thought, attributing it to a decision from higher-ups. But his thoughts continued to spiral.

What snapped him out of his thoughts was Hwangbo Yul, who was installing something.

“What are you zoning out for?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Just got lost in some thoughts.”

“Right.”

Kim Cheonsu put down the heavy item he was holding with a thud. Hwangbo Yul fiddled with it for a moment before the connected screen displayed an image.

[Splash, splash.]

The screen showed the swamp area where the Jelly Girl had entered. Perhaps because it was attached to her neck, the camera angle was low, making the damp trees in the surroundings appear enormous.

The swamp, slowly dyed in hues of twilight, felt perilous… as if something could leap out of those massive trees at any moment.

Regardless.

The Jelly Girl splashed forward confidently as if she knew exactly where she was going.

“…She doesn’t seem hesitant at all,” Hwangbo Yul murmured.

Kim Cheonsu nodded silently but didn’t feel entirely comfortable. The Jelly Girl’s bold movement suggested she was likely heading toward the answer. While that meant they might return sooner…

Kim Cheonsu felt differently.

…For a lazy girl who loved idling around to be moving like this.

What could she possibly be thinking as she wandered through that place?

As Kim Cheonsu stared at the large trees displayed on the screen, a bitter feeling arose. He was too caught up in his emotions to notice the peculiar look Hwangbo Yul was giving him.

Then, suddenly…

Splash!

“Hm?”

“Huh?”

The sound of water splashing loudly. The screen turned murky, as if submerged in water. The muddy water made it impossible to see what the Jelly Girl was doing.

The screen didn’t recover immediately, suggesting she hadn’t just stumbled.

Watching this, Hwangbo Yul pressed her temples and sighed deeply. This was how the others who hadn’t returned had disappeared.

Finding the Jelly Girl unreliable, Hwangbo Yul muttered quietly, “So the setup is useless now.”

“…Why?”

“Because….”

Because it seems she failed as well.

Just as Hwangbo Yul was about to voice this thought, she froze, her gaze landing on Kim Cheonsu’s face. His expression was full of belief that the Jelly Girl would succeed.

‘Looks like the mental contamination is severe.’

The moment Hwangbo Yul shook her head inwardly…

Splooosh!

The screen, previously submerged in muddy water, was now tinted red by twilight. Despite the camera being covered in mud, it was clear she had emerged from the water.

Splosh… splosh.

The camera resumed its journey through the swamp as if nothing had happened.

Witnessing this, Hwangbo Yul exclaimed in awe.

“…Looks like I underestimated her.”

“….”

Although Hwangbo Yul expressed admiration, Kim Cheonsu’s expression didn’t look any better.

Leaving the two in their contrasting moods, the sun, high in the sky, began retreating beyond the horizon.

Ah, damn. So embarrassing.

I was ambling along when suddenly, the ground seemed to give way beneath me. In my confusion over this first-time experience, I lost my balance and plunged into the water.

That’s when the taste of water I’d tried so hard to forget filled me. It wasn’t clean water but a foul, smelly, trash-like flavor that you wouldn’t touch even if someone paid you.

If you gave it to someone thirsty, they’d probably curse you instead.

…Not that it matters to me, since I can drink it without any issues.

Anyways.

I thought I had just tripped over something, but for some reason, my foot kept sinking deeper and deeper into the ground.

That realization left me with a strange feeling.

If even my footprints, which barely leave a trace in the snow, sink this deeply…

What would happen if a human foot touched this spot?

They’d probably be swallowed up without any chance to react.

Maybe, if I went deeper inside, I’d encounter those missing people.

Though by then, it’d likely be too late to help them.

Thinking that made me feel awful. Even with my current body, my thoughts were still very human.

Feeling bitter, I moved my body and adjusted the necklace around my neck.

Having boldly claimed I could handle it, only to end up in this mess…

It was obvious Han Seori would mock me later. This wasn’t just embarrassing; it was downright humiliating.

I flailed my light body, pulling out the leg that had sunk into something sticky and squishy. If I were still human, I might have drowned after swallowing a mouthful of muddy water. Standing upright again, I saw the surroundings dyed entirely in red.

I thought it might be some sort of strange event, but on closer inspection, it was just the setting sun.

Though I’d been flailing in the mud earlier, the swamp bathed in twilight… was quite a spectacle.

I never imagined I’d see such a view in the Korean Peninsula.

It felt like being in a place like the Amazon.

…It might sound odd, but it almost felt like I was sightseeing overseas.

Ugh.

Focus.

I’m not here for sightseeing but for work.

Sosik will be waiting in front of the TV back home!

Squeezing the muddy water out of my Knowledge Pouch, I continued onward.

As I made my way through the swamp, the sun set.

The swamp, beautiful in the twilight, turned eerie under the moonlight and darkness. The atmosphere made it feel like a hand might suddenly reach out from the ground.

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