Plod, plod.
Following the flow of water, I took the time to examine my body while walking down the path.
Even though I couldn’t figure out why my appearance had changed, I felt it was crucial to understand this jelly-like body if I wanted to make it out of here unscathed.
It didn’t seem like a particularly wrong assumption.
When I had been attacked by the Wild Dog just moments ago, had I responded like a normal human, I might have already been splattered on the ground or boiling away in the Wild Dog’s stomach by now.
As I carefully inspected every corner of my body, imagine my surprise when I discovered something incredible!
I realized that I had the ability to not digest anything unless I wanted to.
Wow, this could be really useful!
For example, I could now store my friends inside me.
…Though, they would make that unavoidable bubbling sound, but at least we wouldn’t have to part ways just yet.
Of course, the visuals were… not ideal.
Watching my friends float around inside my body made me want to clean myself up as soon as possible.
So I did.
And… for now, that was all.
Surprisingly, that was the case.
Oh, there was one more thing.
I could turn soft and squishy.
If you ask what that even means, I couldn’t explain it either. But turning soft is just what it is.
By going soft, I could lose my shape. But since it wasn’t particularly pleasant, I didn’t want to do it very often.
If I hardened myself, I could form the silhouette of a girl I had seen earlier.
Maybe it was because I hadn’t unlocked the transformation tree like in a game, or maybe I hadn’t eaten enough, or perhaps my form was simply fixed.
I didn’t know.
Today, I understood why protagonists in stories shout out their status windows in situations like this.
Though I didn’t want to know, the situation demanded it.
I wanted to shout it out myself, but all I heard was the unpleasant squishing sound of jelly.
How could I live outside like this?
Even though I hadn’t even found a way out of this damp place yet, here I was, lost in idle worries.
The only thing keeping me going was the thought that once outside, I would be able to do something.
Thinking about what I could do outside, I moved forward through the damp passageway.
Honestly, I wondered how many days I’d been trapped here.
Even estimating on the low end, hadn’t my precious weekend completely passed by now?
…My company must have been bombarding me with calls.
Thoughts about the outside world weren’t entirely positive.
There were still credit card bills and other harsh realities that haunted me.
But even those seemed precious now.
What could I do when I realized things only after losing them?
Realizing this through losing my body was a heavy lesson.
…Isn’t that too high of a price to pay?
As I felt gloomy, my body became sticky.
When the Wild Dog had lunged at me earlier, I thought I had become so calm that I couldn’t feel any emotions, but apparently, that wasn’t true.
Just as I continued to move, leaving behind a sticky trail, I heard something unusual.
It was similar to the sound of Wild Dogs charging, but this one was strangely organized.
It was like the sound I’d heard during the third week of training at a boot camp…
This strange sense of unease triggered a faint PTSD.
It seemed something military-like might be near.
But why was I hiding?
Had I not been in this current state, I might have waited with tears streaming down my face for their arrival.
Something about it made me uneasy.
Haven’t I read some creepy internet tales, urban legends, or jokes about places that handle things like me?
…I found them fascinating at the time, but I didn’t take them seriously.
However, now that I’m like this, dismissing the possibility of such places existing feels ridiculous.
What if those groups really exist and are here now?
What should I do?
Uncertain of how to act, I submerged myself in the murky water as the footsteps approached.
Though I couldn’t breathe, I somehow appreciated it, worrying that my involuntary sounds might give me away.
Before long, a group of people appeared faintly in the dim light.
Fully armed.
That was the first thought that came to mind.
They looked more like machines than humans, with what appeared to be heavy-duty gas masks on their faces and thick, hot-looking clothing.
And…
…they were all carrying heavy guns, not just pistols, but serious-looking rifles.
Though I knew little about firearms, the word “gun” alone was intimidating enough.
Even scrap guns are treated with such obsessive management at shooting ranges that they allow violence to a certain degree.
I never thought I’d be grateful for not being able to breathe or talk.
What if I had let out a sound without realizing it?
“His temperament has completely changed—cannot be traced—”
“Sounds like—no time limit—mission.”
Eventually, as they drew closer, a very familiar language reached my ears.
Perhaps the stagnant water I swam through had mixed with a few of my tears.
Hearing a familiar language lifted my spirits.
I couldn’t make out the exact words, but that alone was enough.
…Although I should think more about whether it’s advantageous that this isn’t another world.
Anyway,
They continued forward, thoroughly scanning their surroundings as if searching for something.
For a moment, I thought they might have spotted me, but they never noticed me, now perfectly blended into the water.
Thrilled by the encounter with fellow humans, I decided to follow them.
It was a somewhat risky choice, but their objective was unclear, and it might lead me to the exit.
I’ll worry about that once I find it.
Pushing aside my melancholy, I swam through the murky water after them.
…Calling it swimming felt a bit awkward.
It was more like crawling through the dark mud.
How would I appear to normal people now?
The excitement of meeting someone from my homeland slowly faded.
Managing my increasingly sticky body, I cautiously followed them in the form of a small girl.
—
“Are we really going to find this?”
“We have to keep searching until we do.”
The male wearing the multifunctional gas mask sighed deeply at the somewhat cynical reply.
Whoosh.
The small puff of air escaping from the mask of the male added an imposing presence, but it seemed no one was startled by it.
…With everyone wearing the same thing, being surprised would seem absurd.
At that moment, someone ahead spoke softly.
“Let’s take a short rest.”
“Understood.”
With that, the male who was grumbling internally let out another deep sigh and leaned against the wall.
Though the sticky sensation against the protective gear was unpleasant, it was necessary for him to catch his breath.
Looking around, the male could only see a damp, sticky scene.
Beyond the dimly lit corridors laid a world where the eyes of creatures glimmered in the darkness, observing them.
Watching them, as if on guard, the male sighed deeply.
Noticing this, the lead man spoke up.
“We’re nearing the area where ‘it’ appears, then things will be gone.”
“…Not exactly good news.”
“Just focus on this point, and today’s search will be over soon, so bear with it a bit longer.”
“Understood.”
It was a sweet promise, sweeter than a break.
The male was already dreaming of going home after finishing the search, taking a nice long bath, and enjoying the cold beer waiting in the fridge.
Perhaps reading the male’s thoughts, the lead man clicked his tongue and muttered.
“Just keep it together until then. This is the most dangerous part of the search, so don’t let your guard down.”
“I understand.”
The male, aware of the danger, shook his head to dispel those pleasant thoughts.
Even in a supposedly low-risk area, a Singularity was still, at minimum, a Singularity.
After sufficient rest, they proceeded forward, thoroughly searching whether the ‘Liquid Monster’ they sought was anywhere around.
Dependent on the faint, flickering bulbs, this was by no means an easy task.
Plod, plod.
As they went forward,
The man leading the group raised his fist.
Those following him stopped in unison, raising their weapons.
The leader saw a vast space ahead.
A place where black water pooled.
A place where passages converged like rat holes.
And—this was also the domain of a massive creature that could rightly be called the owner of the Sewers, a lower-level Singularity.
0015 – KR – B—named as such.
It was also the sleeping space of a humongous crocodile.
Indeed, following the man’s line of sight, an impractically oversized crocodile lay sleeping.
It was the size of a house.
The scale was so fitting for such a description.
Its body was so large that their armed rifles seemed insignificant.
The best plan was to stay away, but they couldn’t leave without confirming this, the center and end of the massive Singularity.
They only planned to peek in carefully like scared mice, checking if there was anything they desired.
They had no intention of confronting the enormous crocodile.
There was no point in fighting something that would just slip back in from somewhere else, leading to a loss either way.
And then—
Plop.
The man observing the giant crocodile turned back at the sudden sound of water.
With a glare asking who dared to make noise, those watching him shook their heads.
When he turned his gaze again, he noticed something.
It wasn’t a gold jewel.
It was the eye of the massive crocodile.
“Damn it.”
The colossal crocodile, having detected the intruder, began to stir, its enormous body creaking.
The man signaled to retreat slowly.
They could escape quietly if they didn’t provoke it.
But—
Plop.
The water sound rang out again.
The crocodile’s gaze turned toward the pathway the man stood in.
Having located the source of the sound, the man turned to see something bright blue dive quickly underwater.
“…No choice.”
Realizing a confrontation was inevitable, the man sighed and sent out a signal.
A clash seemed unavoidable.
