Gate (2): My Obedient Slimes
Dozens of slimes swarmed me in an instant. They enveloped me like a flood, an overwhelming mass I couldn't handle. My breath caught in my throat. It was just sheer numbers crushing me down. On top of that, my body was bound tight, making it hard to move. One wrong move, and I could die right here from their assault.
I swung my knife to fight back as hard as I could. Or at least, I tried to.
"...Huh?"
Right before the swing, the slimes did something totally out of left field. My arm froze mid-motion. They weren't attacking—they were just sticking to me. What the hell was going on? I couldn't make sense of it, and my grip on the knife slackened.
That's when it hit.
"Hey, wait—pfft! Stop, that tickles, it fucking tickles!"
What was this, some new attack? The slimes wriggled over me like puppies licking my face. Their slimy goo and soft bodies amplified the itch tenfold—I couldn't move a muscle. And they kept closing in, slowly burying me alive.
"W-wait, seriously, that tickles—back off a bit!"
At this rate, I'd get smothered inside a slime pile for real. Amid the weight and unbearable tickling, I thrashed desperately and yelled.
Then... peeng...
"What the—?"
The slimes surrounding me slowly peeled away. Did they look kinda pitiful doing it? Nah, probably my imagination. A bit flustered, I pushed myself up anyway.
"Ugh... so sticky..."
My whole body was coated in slime goo. Even after they all backed off, I still felt like I was trapped in that mound. Super gross.
"...So what the hell just happened."
I shook off the slime from my clothes. Once some of the sticky crap flaked away, my brain finally started working again. I replayed the last few minutes: the gate, the forest, the lake. The slimes... and the message.
......Message?
"Oh yeah, the message."
That's right—it finally clicked. I scanned around and soon spotted a blue window hovering above my head.
King's Path and Lord's Crown confirmed.
The gate and slimes are now yours.
"An individual owning a gate?"
The message was no joke. Because of that King's Path crap from the tower and the crown I was wearing, this gate was suddenly mine? Slimes included?
"What the fuck is this, otaku bullshit?"
No way that made sense. A gate belonging to one person? Monsters obeying humans? I'd never heard such nonsense—zero trust.
"Bullshit. So if I call 'em over like a dog, they'll come?"
Ridiculous. Monsters weren't pets you could just summon—
"Whoa—! W-wait a sec!"
I'd only gestured jokingly, but the slimes reacted instantly. They piled up and smothered me again.
Fuck... kill me now...
I had to escape that hell once more.
* * *
A little later, I clawed my way out of the slime heap again, shaking off goo while staring down at the ones below me.
"They really obey?"
Did slimes actually listen? From what just happened, yeah—but they hadn't attacked or killed me, just hung around quietly. Still, not 100% sure.
"You there, come here?"
I called over one straggler a bit away from the pack.
Plop. Plop. Plop.
The chosen one hopped over slowly.
"Up you go—"
I scooped it up as it reached me.
"No resistance at all, obeys perfectly."
No fight, no fuss—it just let me hold it. I poked and prodded the slime in my arms.
Squish.
"Oh..."
Squish. Squish.
"Not bad... fuck, this is awesome...!"
I kept squishing it. It sank right in with no pushback, and that soft texture was weirdly addictive.
"Should I start doing ASMR squish vids and spill the tea?"
The more I touched it, the dumber my brain felt. After dozens of squeezes...
Plop—
The slime bounced lightly, like "enough already." Watching it, I couldn't help but chuckle.
"Ahem, anyway—looks like they're really mine."
The gate message checked out.
"Follow me."
Plop. Plop. Plop.
They followed when told.
"Stop."
Plop—
Stopped on command. A few tests like that confirmed it.
That's when the blue window popped up again.
Gate ownership and management rights transferred to user.
"Management rights?"
With that, a new window appeared—one I'd never seen.
"Holy shit, it's the real deal."
Up until now, it felt like "oh, cool, gate owner." But seeing this legit interface? My chest swelled with excitement. No one had ever owned a gate—hell, no one even dreamed of it. Gates were for extermination, after all.
But more importantly...
"This alone would blow up the gallery, right?"
Just imagining it made my head spin. Dopamine surged picturing the reactions and futures with this gate. A hunter controlling monsters? Like the world's top necromancer. Stupid grin crept on my face.
"Nah, focus up."
I reined in the grin and cooled my hype. Hadn't figured out gate management yet—too early to celebrate.
"Let's see, Gate Open and..."
I scanned the menu slowly. Then my hand paused. Monster Generate and Slime Generate—what was the difference? Gate Open made sense, but those two?
"Just tap it?"
Sometimes you gotta commit. I hit Slime Generate.
Slime Generate
Remaining Time: 05:59:59
Sploosh—
The lake rippled.
Rumble rumble—
"Uh... hi?"
A fresh wave of slimes poured out. Looked like it added to the gate's forces—they eyed me calmly, no hostility. Obeyed fine too.
"Alright, everyone—to the field and play."
Plop. Plop. Plop.
Rumble rumble—
Whoa, still freaky watching them roll like balls. Never gets old. I herded them all to the field when...
Plop! Plop!
"What're you two?"
Two slimes blatantly ignoring orders right in front of me.
"You guys look different?"
Unlike the others, these had deep navy-black and dull white hues.
"You little individualists. Only care about yourselves."
Special or not, disobedience was a no-go.
"Go to the field already! Ditch your team?!"
I gestured frantically. Listen up, slime scum—don't ignore your master. Too cocky.
But...
Plop! Plop!
They wouldn't budge.
"Aish, fine, whatever—what's the problem?"
They spread out like "deal with it," leaving me no choice but to throw up my hands.
Plop! Plop!
What did they want? Bouncing and whining at me. Seemed like they wanted something, so I stepped closer.
Thump.
Heart racing harder with each step? Imagination. I crouched in front of them.
Peeng—!
"Whoa!"
Both jumped at me. Caught off-guard, I toppled over.
"What the hell, you guys!"
Not an attack—no pain, no force, just light hops. But why lunge suddenly? What did they want?
As I panicked, they snuggled right into my fallen arms.
Then...
Fwaaah—!
My crown glowed, swallowing the surroundings in light. I shielded my eyes.
A moment later...
Plop? Plop? Plop?
"Ugh, my eyes—what the fuck?"
The light faded, vision cleared, and I saw the scene. Slimes circled me worriedly.
Poke. Poke.
Contrasting them: humanoid shapes—exactly like me. Black and white jelly poking my cheeks nonstop.
"This is... me?"