Lime, who had been making squelching footsteps, suddenly stopped.
There was no particular something discovered.
What made Lime stop wasn’t an external factor, but something more internal.
Lime looked around and then focused their gaze on their own body. A smooth, naked blue body came into view.
Lime didn’t like the way it looked.
Maybe it was because before falling here, they had watched a similar movie with the Jellies. Lime thought their current attire—or lack thereof—didn’t really fit the situation here.
After a moment of thought, Lime absentmindedly stroked their soft chin with their hand, deep in thought.
If teeth could be simulated, maybe they could roughly mimic clothing too, though it might be a bit of a stretch.
Putting on real clothes was bothersome since it might obstruct their vision, but changing part of their body to look like clothing wouldn’t obstruct anything.
Why not enjoy this while being dropped in an unknown place?
They say people who smile during tough times are top-notch, right?
Ah, but since Lime wasn’t a person anymore, does that make them a top-notch singularity?
With a cheerful laugh and a bit of bubbling, Lime gently put Daesik down on the ground.
Daesik, perplexed by the sudden change in the environment, finally straightened up, as if coming to his senses, twitching his puppet-like body.
Eventually, Daesik saw Lime’s body start to bubble and shift.
Startled by this sudden transformation, Daesik watched as Lime’s body started to morph bit by bit, leaving him frozen with a mix of awe.
He felt a pang of envy.
After all, this puppet he now inhabited couldn’t transform like that.
While Daesik silently longed for change inside the puppet, Lime finished their small transformation with a soft bubbling sound.
Upon completion of this so-called transformation, Lime moved their body around to check how it looked, while Daesik observed attentively.
When Lime tilted their head, a wide-brimmed hat—the kind that explorers wore in the movie Lime had seen earlier—swayed slightly.
While the hat wasn’t exactly like a real one, it still gave off that general vibe.
…Though the knowledge pouch, or rather the “balloon” on their head, still swung around, but let’s not linger on that.
Frankly, the body transformation didn’t make much of a difference.
Even though Lime tried to add detail, fundamentally, they were still the same color, and since it was just a physical transformation, it only looked slightly better than before.
Still, Lime was satisfied as they gave themselves a quick once-over.
Among the changes, a whip-like curl of their tentacles, wrapped neatly around their waist, seemed to be their favorite addition.
However…
Using it would make them look a little silly and comical, so Lime hoped they wouldn’t have to resort to it.
Is there a real whip around here somewhere?
…While their tentacles were certainly stronger and more versatile, there’s a certain romance to having an actual whip.
Though somewhat disappointed, Lime decided to be content with what they had.
Adjusting the broad-brimmed hat with a quick tug, Lime struck a confident pose.
Alright. So, Daesik, let’s resume our adventure.
With a bubbly sound, Lime felt the weight of their words turning into a playful “boogaloo.”
After noticing Daesik looking up at them from the ground, Lime scooped him back into their arms.
With Daesik on their shoulder, Lime resumed their squelching steps along the path.
Though Lime’s feet now had the shape of sturdy boots, they still made a squelching, squishy sound against the barren ground.
Walking further, Lime initially thought they were in a wasteland, but it wasn’t as desolate as they first thought.
Occasionally, large rocks that seemed like perfect hiding spots for someone emerged, and most importantly, there was a path leading somewhere.
Though faint due to being partially covered by dirt and sand, the path had a clear, inviting aura, so Lime moved forward with eager squelching steps.
This kind of open environment was a new sensation for Lime, who had always been inside buildings, bags, or clothes.
Even without honor, treasure, or glory, just being outside was an immense joy for Lime.
One could even say this moment itself was a treasure.
Eventually, Lime even found a perfectly dry stick, making them feel nearly invincible.
How long had they been walking?
Lime noticed something strange.
Following the path, a puff of smoke came into view.
It wasn’t a village, but it looked like someone was lighting a fire outside.
A smell of burning protein drifted by—likely something being grilled.
What is it?
Is this finally the beginning of something?
Lime approached the source of the smoke with a bubbling heart.
The sudden carefulness stemmed from a simple realization: they weren’t entirely sure if they were in an unknown singularity or somehow back on Earth.
Lime believed identifying the source of the smoke could clear this up—and that caution was necessary until then.
Moving quietly, hidden among the surroundings, Lime began to observe an unusual sight.
…A person?
A person had entered Lime’s field of vision.
Not many.
An older-looking middle-aged individual and presumably their attendants—a man and a woman.
Hiding behind a rock, Lime watched them carefully with an intense, sticky gaze.
They needed to determine if these individuals were Earth natives or NPCs from an unknown singularity.
The group seemed to have been stationed in the middle of the road for some time, with what appeared to be sleeping bags visible behind them.
Despite the romantic scene, Lime remained vigilant.
Something cooked over a lively campfire, releasing a tantalizing aroma, and a kettle hung from the highest point as if boiling water.
Lime sniffed and squirmed with the delightful smells wafting toward them.
The group eventually began their meal.
Lime assumed they would eat something grilled, but instead, they poured water into containers lying on the ground and began eating whatever was inside.
Then what are they cooking over there?
Why are they cooking it if they’re already eating?
…Should I go ask for some?
If they’re not eating it, why don’t they just give it to me?
Lime suddenly felt hungry. While they didn’t physically feel hunger, the tempting aroma made it feel like their stomach would rumble.
Though, of course, they lacked organs that could actually rumble—it was just a mental echo.
Despite that, something felt off.
Their actions seemed far too ordinary to be NPCs in a board game, leading Lime to suspect they might be normal people.
But thinking this was somewhere on Earth seemed equally implausible—there were too many suspicious signs.
Now noticing something:
Lime looked to the sky as the group ate.
The clouds appeared to move in a fixed direction, but…
As far as Lime remembered, the sun hanging in the sky hadn’t moved an inch from its position.
This would be impossible on a normal Earth—unless they were at the poles.
But that climate didn’t exist here.
It followed that this wasn’t Earth but an unknown singularity.
…And yet.
What were these people?
Using objects from Earth yet existing inside a singularity?
It would be foolish not to find that strange.
With a troubled expression, Lime observed the group.
Based on the information gathered, they seemed like people from Earth. The faces looked familiar—likely native Koreans.
But their surroundings confirmed this was not Earth but an unknown singularity.
…What should I do?
Lime was thoroughly bewildered by this unexpected situation.
What should I call this feeling?
It’s as if I bought an adventure game with that tagline, but the content is actually a thriller mystery.
Cover fraud… no, tag fraud?
And this was worse.
If this were a game, they could seek a refund if they played it for less than two hours. But now, there was no going back.
Ugh… It’d be nice to have someone to ask right now.
Han Seori or Hwang Bo-yul… or even Kim Cheon-soo would be fine.
Lime bubbled and thought deeply for a long while but couldn’t decide what to do next.
Finally, Lime’s chosen course of action was:
Alright.
Let’s avoid them.
Adults always tell kids not to follow strange people for good reasons, right?
And these people were way too suspicious.
Shaking their head, Lime began to slowly move and started making a wide detour around them.
By the time they were far enough that the group could no longer sense them, Lime was safely out of range.
The chance of these diligent eaters noticing Lime was infinitesimally small.
Once safely past them, Lime re-emerged on the road.
Because a brilliant deduction told them that following this road would surely lead to something.
…But now I’m just hungry.
Is there nothing to eat?
With the enticing smoke left behind, Lime began walking again, Daesik in tow.
