I’ve never experienced anything like it, but the sensation felt akin to an earthquake, though it quickly subsided.
The massive pressure trembling through my transformed body likely caused the earthquake-like feeling.
Given that the space didn’t shake, it seemed unlikely that it was actually an earthquake.
So then… what was it?
It was utterly impossible to guess its identity with the common sense of an ordinary modern person.
Even if I attempted to speculate using things I usually liked, it felt unrealistic—
As I was contemplating this, I noticed stickiness on my hand within my line of sight.
Already being in this slime-like body, questioning its unreal nature seemed ridiculous.
At that moment,
Splish, splish, slap!
Slap!
Slap! Slap! Slap!
I heard a sound like something hard being kicked.
That small sound gradually grew louder, getting closer to me.
It was a creepy sound coming from beyond the small bulb in the dark space.
My squishy body shivered.
As I heard the noise approaching, I glanced around.
There was nowhere to hide. Whether I hadn’t seen it or it simply wasn’t there, it just didn’t exist.
The only thing I could do now was escape in the opposite direction of the noise.
After organizing my thoughts, I quickly moved.
It would be best to evade for now.
Slurp, slurp, slurp.
The sticky sound of my body pushing against the hard floor echoed softly.
For some reason, it felt less sticky than before.
So… Is it easier to run now?
Compared to before, the sensation of a life-threatening danger made me feel this way?
I don’t know. Even though this is my body, it didn’t feel like it, so I couldn’t understand what had happened.
But since it’s more advantageous to escape now, I wasn’t particularly dissatisfied. If anything, I should be grateful.
Avoiding the pursuing tapping sounds, I entered a dark corridor without any bulbs.
It seemed like being in the dark would be safer from anything that might chase me.
Crouching low in the darkness—as if lying down—I focused on the sounds getting closer.
The footsteps were getting nearer.
Soon enough, the identity of the things that had been tormenting my mind was revealed.
“Huff, huff, huff…”
A group of beasts passed by the corridor where I was hiding.
They looked like a mix between dogs and wolves.
They were moving incredibly fast through the corridor, as if they had some urgent business.
Relieved that they weren’t chasing me, I still felt an unsettling chill seeing them flee from something.
If they were indeed being chased, it meant there was something here capable of scaring them off—and their bodies were larger than mine, which wasn’t good news.
This gave me more reasons to escape this place.
Although it seemed like they weren’t looking for me, I stayed flattened against the floor for a while longer, keeping an eye on the corridor they had passed through.
As I gradually heard their footsteps fading, a sudden bark echoed through the area.
It was hard to tell if it was a wolf or a dog, but it sounded more like a dog.
Even though distinguishing between these similar beings seemed meaningless in this environment, I did so anyway.
After lying still for what felt like an eternity, just as I thought it was safe, something appeared right before my eyes.
Gluggg!
“Chik!”
Before I could even name it, with a bubbling sound, it transformed into a friend.
I felt strangely bittersweet as I noticed something dropping onto my body.
And there was a faint warmth sensation.
I could hear the thump-thump sound, like my heart was starting to beat again after regaining warmth.
Do I even have a heart?
As I wondered if this precious internal sensation within me was my heart, and moved my body—
“Ruff! Arf!”
A loud cry came from above.
Looking up in my crouched position, I saw something resembling the creatures that had passed earlier, looming above me.
Before I could react, its paw descended onto me.
Squish!
The sensation accompanied by a deep pressing feeling spread through my body.
Without any ability to resist, the creature’s paw entered my body after penetrating the surface.
Still in shock at this bizarre feeling, I remained motionless, witnessing the surreal scene.
Sometimes, a person becomes unusually quiet when startled, and I experienced this firsthand.
At that moment,
Bubble.
The sound that had occurred when my “friends” entered my body echoed again.
“Ruff! Arooo!”
The creature whose paw had pierced me started to howl and fiercely thrash around.
Its playful punches turned into sharp claw attacks, unlike its previous soft attacks.
Splash!
A jelly-like part of my body was cut by its claws.
It was only then that I felt the sense of danger.
Maybe I was too complacent.
The creature seemed to realize the attacks were having an effect and started attacking me recklessly.
I wasn’t idle either. To escape its claws, I thrashed around, moving my body with the most vigor since I’d awakened in this form.
I stood up from my crouched position and sprinted toward the corridor where the creatures had passed.
Every ‘splat, splat’ sound was followed by a ‘whoosh’ and the sensation of something being sliced off.
It sent shivers down my spine.
Fortunately, I didn’t feel pain. If I had been in my human form, I’d likely be writhing in agony on the ground.
Even though I endured the sensation of my body being cut off bit by bit while fleeing,
Evading a large creature with my small frame was a far-fetched hope.
Every few steps I took, the creature would leap and hack off parts of my body.
“Ruff! Arooo!”
The creature’s howl resounded strongly.
My already small body grew even smaller.
The pale blue lumps sliced off from my body fell with a ‘plop’ around me.
Even though I didn’t feel pain, the threat of death was vivid.
It seemed inevitable that I’d end up like a jelly falling off the table.
Perhaps I’d end up crushed underfoot like jelly scattered on the floor.
“Grrr…”
Despite this, my mind remained surprisingly calm.
Although this state was helpful in the moment, the strange feeling of it lingering in the background was undeniable.
My contemplation was brief.
The creature seemed to believe it had weakened me enough.
With a massive open mouth, it lunged to bite me.
I could see its finger-sized teeth.
Due to my calm state, the creature’s actions were clearly visible to me.
At that moment, I had a plan to turn the situation around.
Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t have noticed, but my tranquil, peaceful mind found the solution.
With a “Agk!” I evaded its teeth, thinking ‘I’ve got nothing to lose’ and hugged its face tightly.
Fortunately, I had just enough mass left to cover its face completely.
Bubble.
Bubblebubblebubblebubble!
Just like my “friends” bubbled inside me and provided nourishment,
I intended to bubble this creature’s face.
Alternatively, it would drown in my jelly-like interior.
One of these had to happen, right?
However,
It wasn’t that simple. I realized just how gentle my friends had been when approaching me.
Bum, bwooong!
The creature frantically shook its head in my interior, making ‘bubblebubblebubble’ sounds.
To avoid being shaken off, I clung tightly to its face, recalling the way one clutches a pillow tightly.
Bubblebubblebubble!
Whether it was effective or not, the creature’s mouth emitted a harsh bubbly sound.
Pfft! Pwaaah!
Unsatisfied with just shaking me off, the creature began slamming its face against the walls.
Small lumps of me rained down on the floor.
But it seemed to have little effect. Thanks to my desperate effort to cling on, only a minimal portion broke off.
Bubble, bubble.
The creature’s initially rough breathing gradually grew faint.
Unlike my friends, the fading life force was starkly evident, yet I forced myself to ignore it.
If I didn’t, I’d be the one to die.
Bubble… bubble.
The creature’s movement slowed down.
Perhaps all the shaking and collisions had caused some damage.
A metallic smell lingered in the air.
Just as I thought the end had come, the creature’s teeth grazed something I regarded as precious and significant.
An indescribable feeling surged through my mind.
Though I couldn’t pinpoint it, at the very end,
There was death.
Thud!
After what seemed like its final movement, the creature finally collapsed, losing all its strength.
… Did I defeat it?
I knew I shouldn’t say it, but the words came to mind naturally.
I understood the mindset of those who utter such words.
While the situation could be called a victory,
I didn’t feel any refreshing sense of triumph or achievement.
Just a plain feeling of having survived. In fact, it made me feel rather hollow.
Even though I wasn’t the type to feel guilt over killing an animal, the sensation of life fading away within my body in front of my eyes was…
Far from pleasant.
Contrary to these thoughts, my body thoroughly enjoyed the victory, beginning to devour the creature I had defeated.
It tasted slightly better than the mice but was quite similar in flavor.
The difference was the sheer overwhelming amount, enough to ponder about the disparity.
Inside my head… do I even have a brain right now?
Am I… even myself anymore?
A chilling thought suddenly struck me, but to push it away, I focused on devouring the creature.
The taste of tainted fur and skin.
The dried, weak taste of fresh meat.
The organs and blood.
Bones, claws, and teeth.
Everything.
After painstakingly eating all of the creature,
A bubbling sound could be heard emanating from my body.
