Suddenly, I Became a Slime

Chapter 5: Uncertainty

“Damn it,” the man cursed as smoke spewed from the gas mask covering his face.

The smoke, almost like a manifestation of the man’s anger, soon mixed with the dampness of the sewer and dispersed.

It mingled with the flowing, sticky odor, emitting a smell mingled with the scent of rust flakes on the floor.

Had nothing covered his face, he would have choked and twisted his dry throat.

Eventually, the rusty smell merged with the viscous puddle flowing on the floor of the vast space, creating a pungent stench.

Intense was the stench of blood, mingled with the smell of gunpowder and decaying flesh.

Meanwhile, a huge crocodile lay collapsed with holes riddling its body, oozing viscous substances.

Despite its capability to easily swallow a person, the crocodile appeared tattered, yet its huge body still writhed with tenacious vitality fitting for its size.

Nevertheless, its breath seemed on the verge of ceasing.

Though massive, it was just a crocodile.

However, the man behind the gas mask showed no sign of victory in his contorted face.

Instead, unease and restlessness emanated from him.

As he watched the crocodile take its last breath, the man shouted to the others, rummaging around the crocodile.

“Have you secured the target?”

“Not yet—”

“Damn it. Fall back!”

Wasn’t it all over now?

Puzzled by the man’s words, those searching around the crocodile immediately retreated.

*Splash.*

Simultaneously, as the crocodile finished its final struggle, its body suddenly began to melt away, resembling crumpled mud after a child’s play.

Emitting a pungent smell filling the sewer, the dissolving crocodile vanished without a trace, mixing with the sewage water.

Wasn’t it the ideal situation to search for the target that had just fled towards the crocodile?

Although puzzled by the retreat order, they did not question it. After all, that was one of the virtues the suppression team should have. Even if orders are suspicious, they had to follow. That’s how they could survive.

*Whoosh!*

Gradually growing louder, an unidentifiable noise filled the sewer, resembling a large entity swallowing sips of water at the waterfront.

*Splash!*

Soon, a massive pillar of water shot up, splattering sewage in all directions amid the mixture of various filths and foul odors.

*Ssshh….*

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Along with a sound resembling heavy rain, the crocodile rose from the previously unseen sewer floor, with something drooping from its nostril-like openings resembling mucus, a bluish substance resembling the silhouette of a young girl.

“So, it was over there.”

The target they had been searching for so desperately, the ‘merged liquid monster,’ was right there.

The man who confirmed it furrowed his brow.

“I heard it has no intelligence.”

Observing the behaviors of the ‘liquid monster’ different from what was written in the report, the man thought something was definitely wrong.

Unlike the description of just a sluggish mass of liquid, what was visible now seemed to possess will and intelligence.

That suspicion turned into certainty as it appeared tethered to the crocodile’s nose.

From the beginning, fleeing to use the crocodile as a shield raised doubts, but now it was certain.

The situation had changed.

Now, the liquid monster hanging like mucus seemed to be a completely different entity from what was reported before.

…and it was not a good sign for the man and his team.

When dealing with anomalies, small and subtle changes could cost lives.

If you didn’t know about your enemy, you were in trouble.

In some games, not knowing means failure, but within anomalies, not knowing means death.

If a moment ago, the man had not given orders, the remains of his team member would have been caught in the crocodile’s jaws like leftovers.

They wouldn’t come back to life like the crocodile.

The man was a rational person.

“Everyone retreat. We’re leaving this place immediately.”

He chose to leave before the crocodile’s interest returned to them.

If they leave from here alive, they could come back later.

Wow, what a mess this is.

I never imagined I could be more surprised than by my transformation into a slime, but boy, was I wrong.

Even when the crocodile appeared, I was a bit surprised but somehow accepted it.

Why wouldn’t it be there?

City legend says that there is a giant crocodile living in the sewers of America.

But this was not just an unsubstantiated rumor. There are records of crocodiles up to 2 meters long being discovered, and even a record of a baby crocodile being found in Korea, where I live.

…Of course, it’s quite an old story. I had thought it had become an unbelievable urban legend by now.

I thought it would be scary to have such a big crocodile living in sewers.

But my surprise didn’t end there.

As I stood there, surprised by the giant crocodile, I felt someone sneaking up behind me.

When I glanced back, someone holding a vacuum cleaner-like thing was creeping up on me.

I was startled by the sight that seemed like they were coming to grab me no matter what.

But at that moment.

The crocodile started to rampage.

And then I heard gunshots.

I made a quick decision with a chilling head, just like when I was attacked by a wild dog.

I thought I would be caught by them if I stayed like this.

My decision was swift.

I decided that they wouldn’t find me right away if I headed towards the thrashing crocodile covered in blood.

…Ultimately, there was no choice but to move forward.

Besides, a vacuum cleaner man was approaching from behind to suck me in.

So, I flattened myself near the crocodile.

Being small and squishy, my body fit perfectly under the crocodile. It was surprisingly comfortable, not having to breathe in the filthy sludge.

As I lay beneath the crocodile, enduring the stench, I seized an opportunity during the commotion.

I felt the crocodile stop its movements.

I thought that the crocodile wasn’t strong for its size.

…being killed so unceremoniously was slightly disconcerting.

While lying flat under the crocodile, bizarre helmeted figures approached closely.

I held my breath, unable to move a muscle.

There was no way to escape, but I tried desperately.

In the midst of it all.

As someone yelled, a disgustingly bitter taste flooded my senses. It was like mixing all the things I’ve ever thrown in the trash and eating it up.

I shuddered at the hellish taste.

Bam!

Amidst the sound of gushing water, I felt my body suddenly floating upward.

In the sight of a spectacle like a grenade exploding with water gushing, I instinctively clung to whatever came my way.

Regaining my composure, I realized a huge cavern-like structure appeared in front of me.

From the cavern emerged hot breath and mud.

I realized that what was in front of me was not a cave.

That means…

Looking down, I noticed teeth that seemed like they would turn me into food scraps if I were pierced by them.

It dawned on me that the gushing water and slime were from an alligator.

The alligator, presumed dead after being shot earlier, had suddenly reappeared in full strength.

It’s not even that deep here for such a large creature to emerge from underwater.

Around that time, I just gave up trying to understand. After all, I turned into a slime that had already surpassed my understanding.

Apparently, my planet was filled with secrets unknown to me.

That got me a bit excited.

I was still curious about what caused this transformation.

Despite this excitement, I was still aware of where I was.

The situation around me remained unchanged.

I was still surrounded by people aiming guns and vacuums at the huge alligator’s nostril.

Quite a surreal sight.

Yet, time seemed to be on my side.

As the man presumed to be the leader shouted, those aiming guns started to retreat without hesitation.

Even to me, an outsider in military matters, their retreat seemed highly organized.

If the alligator wasn’t there, would I have been captured in that sack hanging from the vacuum by those people?

But was being captured even an option?

I don’t know.

When the thought of being captured crossed my mind, I instinctively made a judgment and ran away.

I was afraid.

I was scared, no doubt about that.

Before becoming the slime, I had no idea such things existed.

I could speculate that someone was preventing it.

Excitement and uneasiness washed over me simultaneously.

The feeling that if caught, I wouldn’t be in for a pleasant time, right?

But ironically.

I had to follow them.

Hanging from the nostril, dripping down like a runny nose, I chased after them.

*Thump, thump, splash!*

Thanks to the alligator’s thrashing, I was able to stick to their backs.

Already exhausted, they continued through the sewer without noticing I was following.

After passing through quite a complicated route, a sight I had never seen before appeared before me.

*Bang!*

The sound of water dripping somewhere mixed with the sound of metal grates.

*Drip, drip, drip.*

I saw a ladder that the pursuers were climbing. And above it, a faint light was seeping in.

Not just the dim light of a bulb but a bright spotlight.

Yeah.

I had finally reached the exit of this damp and soggy place.