Suddenly, I Became a Slime

Stuffing jelly into my body, I rushed to the door and fumbled with the handle, yanking it open with a loud click!

Even as the door swung open, unease lingered in my heart. If that were the case, I wouldn’t be able to leave unless whatever escaped willingly returned. If I wasn’t meant to pass through, the door wouldn’t have opened at all. Calming my trembling jelly, I cautiously stepped through the open door. Or would I be stopped? As ridiculous thoughts raced through my mind, I tightly shut my eyes. The fears that had plagued me suddenly felt pointless. Not that I wanted to be trapped, but still… What do I even call this feeling? Clearing my mind, I saw the knowledge pouch rise sharply, pointing upward. That confirmed it. With a resolve to tie up loose ends, I followed the knowledge pouch’s guidance and began to run. With a resounding slam! the door shut behind me as I moved through the passageway and stepped outside. The dim area revealed stairs leading both upward and downward. ‘How far does this cursed staircase extend?’ ‘Oh, right, I'm inside an anomaly. Fine, go ahead and stretch forever. I don’t care anymore.’ As I climbed, I noticed something black and sticky coating the steps. Using my keen intellect, I deduced this and felt my jelly tense up. I had already taken down creatures far larger than myself to get this far. In any case. Memories of being crushed by overwhelming mass resurfaced, making me more uneasy than I cared to admit. ‘...Why does that make it sound like I’ve gained weight?’ Suddenly, a commotion echoed from above. Screams mingled with crying, and in between, there was an unidentifiable language, or perhaps just meaningless wailing. Shortly after realizing this, a massive, pitch-black form appeared in my field of vision. In the dim light, I couldn’t make out much, but just looking at it made me feel queasy. Perhaps it was because the writhing mass resembled clumps of humans. ‘What even is that thing?’ They sounded as if they were in trouble, undoubtedly due to this monstrous entity. Now then... “Damn it… I trusted you.”Bang! Bang! As the sturdy lock was gradually pried open, revealing a pitch-black entity glaring at them, who could maintain their sanity?Bang! Thud! The black substance caused those holding weapons to recoil in fear. “I’ve got to get out of here! Wait, no way…” The agents, now a chaotic mess, flailed about. The beam of light struck the entity trying to emerge through the cracks. Though the sight was chilling, the agents felt a sliver of hope, as if heaven itself had reached out to them. With trembling hands, they fumbled for their own flashlights, clinging to this newfound hope. “Yes, yes, yes!” Gasping for breath, they shone their lights into the cracks. The black mass hissed and retreated further, its movements accompanied by unsettling sounds. Though momentarily safe, the agents couldn’t shake a lingering unease. But as they wrestled with this thought, they realized the true source of their unease. The black mass returned, prying open the cracks once more. It was as if it had merely taken time to adapt. “What the hell!? That’s cheating! I thought light was its weakness!” Even so, the agents couldn’t suppress their anger.Rat-a-tat-tat! Seeing the dark liquid splatter, the agents felt emboldened and emptied their magazines. Perhaps, just maybe, the bullets would be enough to kill it. When their ammo ran dry, the black mass emerged from the mangled door, slithering toward them. Just as they prepared for the worst... A sound like flesh being pierced came from the direction of the black mass. A bright blue spike pierced through the black mass, twisting before retracting. The agents swallowed hard, contemplating what had just happened. Or was it merely another predator, competing for its meal?