The Foolish Intruder
Tap. Tap. Tap. Droplets of blood trickled down the raised white skin. Yet there was no pain. Only the sensation of the creature’s fangs piercing through remained. I stared at the sight, eyes wide. “This… blood?”
Red blood—the kind any human body should have—was flowing from mine. I had expected slime, the natural extension of my form, and couldn’t hide my shock. On a sudden impulse I sat up and examined the stain on my arm, only to have my suspicion confirmed. That metallic scent and texture were unmistakably blood.
“Feeling it now? This body I created with your power is perfectly human—bones, organs, even blood. No matter how sharp someone’s senses are, they can’t see through it unless you deliberately reveal the truth.”
The presence spoke and leapt off the bed. At the same moment the bite mark vanished without a trace, and the spilled blood reverted to slime before being reabsorbed into my skin. While I watched in wonder, the creature smiled slyly.
“Still, it seems they’ve noticed something odd about your condition. They just haven’t figured out that you alone caused that massacre.”
“That’s… pretty dangerous, isn’t it? Shouldn’t we get out of here right now…?”
At the chilling explanation I edged toward the entrance, but it was useless. The creature now stood firmly in front of the flap, as if it had never moved. Even seeing my unease, it didn’t budge an inch.
“Why the sudden panic? Escaping right now isn’t part of the plan. Even if you left, what would you do afterward?”
“Urk…!”
The creature’s point was valid. Running away now would only land me in a mountain of new problems. Without a place to stay or proper identification, using public facilities would be impossible. Employment was out of the question, so earning money was equally hopeless. And with this completely changed appearance, I couldn’t even ask old acquaintances for help. If I bolted, I’d truly become an orphan and a vagrant overnight.
“Even so, it’s still better than being dragged off for experiments…”
“Calm down! All I’m saying is that they’ve noticed something suspicious. With current human technology, uncovering your true nature is impossible no matter how hard they try. Besides, you didn’t leave any solid evidence, did you? Circumstantially, the chance of you being labeled the culprit is almost zero.”
The creature bounced around while explaining. Only then did I regain my composure—or rather, resign myself. Panicking now wouldn’t change anything. With no clear alternative, I had no choice but to trust its words for the time being.
At the same time, despair over my situation crept into my mind. Just days ago I had been an ordinary human. How had I ended up like this? Looking back, it was utterly absurd. I had hit an incredible jackpot, been betrayed, revived in a grotesque form, and now sought revenge. The whole sequence felt unreal. Yet the sights and sensations before me forced that cruel reality upon me.
Seeing me trapped in despair, the creature sighed softly and approached.
“Well, you were an ordinary human until recently, so this situation must be overwhelming. But that doesn’t excuse you from your end of the bargain. I paid the price by bringing you back, so now it’s your turn to fulfill the contract.”
The creature met my gaze and whispered in a cold voice. It felt less like comfort and more like a warning. Instinctively, I recalled one fact: the creature hadn’t saved me out of pure mercy. This was a transaction, a contract with clear give-and-take. I had momentarily forgotten, but that was the nature of our relationship.
The atmosphere inside the tent grew icy. Ironically, the same creature broke the frozen tension.
“That said… we still need to get through this crisis first. Just act like an ordinary, cute little girl. That’s not such a difficult request, is it?”
“Even that’s hard enough…”
I muttered the complaint, then reluctantly turned away. Arguing further with the creature was pointless. Besides, in a clear superior-subordinate dynamic, my protests wouldn’t change anything. Taking my reaction as understanding, the creature’s eyes sparkled. I had no desire to keep staring at that irritating face, so I switched off the lights and flopped onto the cot, deliberately turning my back on it. In a way, it resembled a sulking child of that age.
Deep darkness settled inside the tent as night deepened. Exhaustion from the day’s events made my eyes close quickly. The creature stayed silent, leaving the space around the tent filled with stillness. Listening to the occasional chirp of insects, I soon drifted into a deep sleep. If things had continued that way, I might have slept soundly until sunrise.
Unfortunately, my peaceful rest didn’t last.
“?……”
A subtle sensation prickled my nerves, and I slowly opened my eyes. Outside the tent remained cloaked in darkness. I didn’t know how much time had passed since falling asleep, but it clearly wasn’t morning yet. Thinking it might be my imagination, I shifted, yet the irritating feeling persisted—growing stronger, impossible to ignore. Unable to bear it, I sat up.
As if waiting for that moment, the creature’s voice echoed from somewhere.
“Why are you awake? Did you have a nightmare?”
Still half-asleep, the voice jolted me awake. I scanned the tent but couldn’t spot the creature in the darkness. One thing was certain, though: the source of this unpleasant sensation wasn’t the creature.
Rubbing my eyes with a heavy feeling, I spoke in a still-sleepy voice.
“…How should I describe it? Some kind of strange sensation? No… I can feel someone’s presence. And it definitely doesn’t feel good…”
Defining it was difficult; I had never experienced anything like this in my entire life. At my troubled groan, the creature expressed surprise.
“Oh? I wondered if it might happen, but to think synchronization progressed this far in such a short time… Looks like I didn’t even need to wake you myself.”
“What… do you mean by that?”
Unable to let the remark slide, I focused intently. Instead of a direct explanation, the creature answered differently.
“It’s hard to explain with words. Instead, I’ll help you sense it properly. Do as I say: close your eyes, take a slow deep breath, and focus your awareness in the direction of that sensation.”
I didn’t know its intentions, but I followed the instructions. Maintaining as much calm as possible, I concentrated on the location of the feeling. Information I would never have detected in my old body began to surface one by one—faint footsteps, breathing, the tremor of tense muscles, the flow of air. When all these elements combined, a clear image formed in my mind: the figure of a sturdy adult man.
I knew it without seeing. The man lurking nearby, holding his breath, was undoubtedly the source of the unpleasant presence I had felt since earlier.
In that alien yet mystical sensation, I spoke in a trembling voice.
“…What is this? I can’t see anything, but… something’s there.”
“No need to panic. This is your natural ability—more precisely, an instinctive power unique to slimes.”
Despite the explanation, I still wore an expression of disbelief as I savored the sensation. The creature continued, as if it had expected this reaction.
“Slimes have no eyes to see ahead. To avoid predators, they had to develop other senses. One of them is the ability to detect presences nearby… Honestly, I didn’t expect you to awaken this trait so quickly. It’s rather surprising.”
The creature spoke with interest. No matter how I thought about it, this wasn’t a sense an ordinary human could possess. At the same time, it reinforced the unsettling certainty that I was no longer human.
More importantly, the presence belonged to a single adult man. For a moment I wondered if it might be one of the people the woman had mentioned earlier, but something felt off. His movements were far too cautious, and his gait was nothing like normal walking. If he had nothing to hide, there would be no reason for such behavior. It resembled the stealth of a petty thief. Moreover, the way he thoroughly searched the tents around us only confirmed my suspicions.
“Heh, looks like he doesn’t have good intentions either. He’ll reach us soon. What will you do?”
“……”
The creature asked in an expectant tone, clearly enjoying the situation. I remained silent instead of answering immediately. Time passed quickly, and before long the man stood right outside my tent. He carefully lifted the flap. Moonlight streamed in, faintly illuminating the interior.
“…What? Why’s a kid here?”
The man scanned the inside and easily spotted me. While he examined me, I studied him in turn. A menacing face, a dragon tattoo on his neck and lower jaw—his identity was obvious. He was clearly a member of the local gang; that dragon tattoo was their signature. I had been extorted by them enough times to recognize it instantly.
Why he had sneaked in alone was a mystery—they usually moved in groups. But his intentions were clearly not good. Proof of that lay in the growing greed in his eyes as he looked down at me.
“I was disappointed there was no harvest, but this is quite the windfall. That unusual hair color means you’re an Awakener, right? I can sell you for a higher price… Hey, kid? Don’t bother screaming or resisting. Let’s not make this troublesome for each other.”
He pulled a pistol from his coat. The deadly glint of the gun was unmistakably real. I had heard rumors of gangsters carrying illegal firearms, but seeing one in person was a first. It drove home just how dangerous the world had become.
He was completely off guard, convinced I was just a helpless child. If I truly were an ordinary kid, I would have frozen in terror. But I had no intention of playing that role in this situation.
“Mister, you’re planning to kidnap me, aren’t you?”
My voice was steady and composed, completely mismatched with the circumstances. The man’s face went blank for a moment. I continued with an innocent, childlike smile.
“You don’t want to just walk away and pretend you saw nothing? Like you said, I don’t want to get tired over something like this at dawn either.”
I added the finishing touch to his confusion. For a while he couldn’t comprehend my advice—which bordered on a warning—then his expression twisted in rage.
“You insolent brat… You think you can mock an adult? Fine… Because you’re an Awakener, you think the world is easy? Okay, if you want to get hurt that badly, I’ll grant your wish.”
Face flushed, he stormed toward me, his expression revealing clear inferiority. I let out a deep sigh. I had even given him a warning, but there was no helping it now.
…If he wanted to see blood, I would oblige.
In the tense standoff, his steps slowed. When he reached the center of the tent, he stopped completely. The reason was simple: he had witnessed something that defied all common sense.
The girl sitting on the bed began to distort, transforming into an indescribable shape. Even the most vicious gangster was ultimately just an ordinary person who had never entered a dungeon. The man, lacking any immunity to such sights, turned deathly pale in an instant. Paralyzed by fear, he couldn’t even flee and simply froze in place. The only instinctive action left was to raise his gun.
Bang!——
The gunshot echoed around the gate where the tents were pitched.