"Your name will be… Nilou." Gray said confidently, without hesitation.
The system responded immediately.
[You lost 150,000 mana.]
[Estimated passive recovery: 132 hours.]
Gray blinked. "...Ouch."
Before he could complain, another notification appeared.
[You named the Slime "Nilou".]
The next instant, the slime's body began to tremble.
It wasn't pain—it was excitement.
The translucent blue mass glowed from within, as if a small sun had been lit in its core. Waves of mana spread across the gelatinous surface, making the lake water vibrate slightly.
Then—
BOING!
Nilou jumped high, fell, jumped again, clearly too excited to contain herself.
[Nilou – Level 1]
[Abilities:]
• Advanced Regeneration (Rank-C)
• Initial Water Manipulation (Rank-E)
Gray read attentively.
"...Hm." He crossed his arms, analyzing. "Water manipulation from the start..."
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly. "That ability has an absurd scaling if you survive long enough."
Nilou made a satisfied sound.
"Bong~!"
Gray bent down and touched the top of her little body. The texture was cold, soft, almost comforting. The slime stretched slightly under the touch, clearly proud.
"Good girl." He murmured.
Then he frowned.
"But..." He looked up at the interface. "What was that light?"
The answer came without hesitation.
[Naming monsters is a fundamental act of power and connection.]
[Granting a name results in evolution, skill enhancement, and the establishment of a bond.]
[Due to the passive ability: Latent Monstrous Bond, the bond was defined as: Husband–Wife.]
"…"
Gray fell silent.
For exactly three seconds. "...What's that all about?"
Nilou jumped once. Then again. "Bong! Bong!"
She seemed absurdly happy.
Gray brought his hand to his face, running his fingers across his forehead. "This... definitely wasn't what I had in mind."
Nilou moved closer and leaned against him, as if hugging his leg.
The gelatinous body vibrated slightly, anxiously.
Gray sighed—not in frustration, but in surrender.
"...Okay." He gave a crooked half-smile. "Okay. Since it was like this."
He bent down again and stroked Nilou more gently.
"I'll take responsibility."
The slime responded with its highest jump yet. BOING!
Gray watched the small blue creature, then looked around: water, earth, natural light filtering through the cracks in the cave.
He was closer to the surface... Closer to the real world... And now, apparently… he wasn't alone anymore.
"...Okay." He murmured. "Let's get out of here together, Nilou."
Gray watched Nilou for a few seconds, hands on his hips.
"...Okay." He pointed upwards, then to one of the side tunnels. "Do you know if there's an exit this way?"
Nilou leaned forward.
"Bong?"
She jumped once to the left.
Then twice forward.
Then she spun in the air and landed in the lake with an excited plop.
"..." Gray blinked. "Okay. That clarified absolutely nothing."
Nilou emerged from the water and made another, longer sound. "Booong~"
Gray sighed. "I swear if that's 'trust me,' I'm going to be worried."
He crossed his arms and looked at the interface.
"...System."
[Yes.]
"Is there any way I can understand what she's saying?" He pointed to the slime, which was now jumping in circles. "Because there's clearly communication here. Just not in my language."
There was a brief pause.
[Due to the bond established with the monster named "Nilou," additional racial data was recorded.]
A new window opened.
[Acquired Race: Slime]
[Condition: Available only for transformation.]
[Note: Slimes communicate through magical impulses, vibration, and intention.]
Gray's eyes widened slightly.
"...Wait." He tilted his head. "You're telling me that—"
[You can understand Nilou if you assume a compatible form.]
[Temporary racial transformation: Slime – available.]
Silence.
Gray looked at Nilou.
Nilou looked at him.
"Bong!"
"...So the easiest way to talk to my slime..." He rubbed his chin. "...is to become a slime too."
Nilou jumped excitedly, as if she had understood perfectly.
Gray let out a short, incredulous laugh. "This world definitely doesn't respect dignity."
He took a deep breath, feeling the mana flow beneath his misty skin.
"...But information is information." His gaze became determined. "And getting out is a priority."
Gray opened the interface again. "System." Short pause. "...Activate racial transformation. Slime. Temporary."
Nilou made the biggest BOING yet. The lake rippled slightly, as if anticipating what was about to happen.
The mana around Gray moved... It didn't explode... It didn't burn.
It melted.
The humanoid body lost rigidity first at the feet. The legs dissolved into dark liquid, spreading across the ground like living ink. The torso came next, dripping without pain, without panic—just a strange sensation of letting go of something that had never truly been fixed.
Gray tried to inhale reflexively. He didn't need to. The entire body dissolved into dense, viscous water, until it reunited into a single mass.
A slime.
Blackish-gray, translucent at the edges, with the darker core pulsing slowly in the center.
"...Wow." The voice didn't come out. But the thought came clearly.
Perception changed instantly.
He no longer saw with his eyes.
The world emerged as volumes, echoes, densities. Every vibration in the ground, every ripple of the lake water, every current of air was translated into form and distance. A kind of magical, three-dimensional, precise sonar.
He tried to look down.
There was no down.
There was no face.
"...I don't have a mouth." Neutral realization. Slightly uncomfortable.
Gray tried to take a step.
His body responded with a jump.
—BOING!
He jumped higher than he intended and landed too close to the lake, splashing water.
"...Ah." Pause. "That explains a lot."
Nilou jumped beside him, clearly excited. "Bong! Bong!"
Gray tried to walk again.
He jumped.
He tried more carefully.
He jumped lower.
"...System."
[Yes.]
"Turning into slime and jumping around like a living bubble is part of the package or am I doing it wrong?"
There was a short, almost didactic pause.
[Normal.]
[Your body will always adapt to your intention.]
Gray processed.
[If you think about walking, the movement will occur.]
[The execution method depends on the active race.]
[Motor control is automatically translated based on your main body.]
"...My main body being...?"
[Primordial Demonic Human without Bloodline.]
Silence.
Gray absorbed the information.
"...So basically." He focused his thoughts. Walking.
The slime moved forward in a fluid sequence of small, steady, almost natural jumps.
"...I'll always move as if I were in my standard body."
"It's just the way the world interprets it that changes."
[Correction correct.]
Gray jumped again, now with complete control.
"...Okay." If he were smiling, he would be smiling. "This is strange."
Nilou jumped alongside him, synchronized.
Two slimes side by side, advancing through the cave towards the wind. "...But it's workable."
[Adapting language for understanding]
[Success!]
"Hm?" Gray thought and looked at the slime beside him, "Can you understand me?"
"HUSBAND!" she shouted, jumping on top of him.
"...Okay." If he were smiling, he would be smiling. "This is strange."
Nilou jumped beside him, perfectly synchronized.
Two slimes—one blackish-gray, the other blue—moved through the cave towards the wind.
"...But it's workable."
A notification appeared, too discreet for something too important.
[Adapting language for understanding.]
[Bond synchronization in progress...]
[Success.]
Gray felt something click into place.
It wasn't a voice entering his head.
It was intention taking shape. Emotion becoming meaning.
"Hm?" He turned his gelatinous body slightly towards Nilou. "You... can you understand me now?"
There was a microsecond of silence.
Then Nilou vibrated with emotion.
"DARLING!"
She leaped at him with full force.
BOOOONG.
The two slimes merged for a split second before separating again, Gray's surface rippling in pure reflex of surprise.
"...—Whoa—!"
He quickly stabilized, reforming the mass.
"...Understand."
Pause.
"Understands too well."
Nilou jumped in circles, emitting animated vibrations that now came with meaning too clear for his liking.
"—Happy."
"—Safe."
"—Mine."
Gray was silent for a few seconds.
"...Okay." If he had eyebrows, he would have raised one.
"Let's settle a few things calmly."
Nilou responded by jumping higher.
"HUSBAND HUSBAND!"
Gray sighed—mentally.
"...Definitely workable."
Gray let his own mass stabilize, lessening the ripples. "Okay, calm down." He projected the intention along with the word. Calm down. The vibration came out firm, but gentle. "One jump at a time."
Nilou jumped two more times.
Then she stopped.
The blue surface calmed down, forming small, curious ripples, like someone tilting their head.
Gray tried again, more slowly.
"...Do you understand me correctly?"
Nilou swayed her body from side to side.
"Uh-huh!" The word came out somewhat crooked, mixed with too much emotion and too little vocabulary. "I understand! Husband speaks, Nilou listens!"
"...Okay." Gray accepted. "This is already better than I expected." He moved a little closer to her.
"But do you understand the world? Like... do you know what 'exit,' 'up,' 'outside' means?"
Nilou froze.
Literally.
The slime remained motionless for two full seconds, its inner core blinking as she thought hard. "...Hmmmm..."
She jumped forward once.
Then backward once.
Then spun around in place, confused.
"Nilou... doesn't know many things." The tone wasn't sad. Just simple. Kind of airy. "Nilou was born here. Good lake. Good pebbles."
Gray nodded mentally. "I figured."
He pointed upwards, following the wind. "But have you been up there? Where the air is stronger?" he asked, pointing upwards with a jump.
Nilou reacted immediately.
"Yes!" She jumped excitedly, almost hitting him. "Up there!" She pointed with two awkward jumps in the right direction. "After the strange thing."
"...What thing?" Gray paid attention.
Nilou stretched, searching for words.
"Big thing."
"Not slime."
"Not rock."
"Bad smell."
She made a sound of disgust. "It makes a sssccchhh sound."
Gray understood. "...Keep the path."
Nilou confirmed with a short jump. "Yes!"
"Then there's light."
"Strong air."
"Out!"
Gray absorbed everything.
Exit. Something dangerous before. And he, still in slime form.
"...Okay." His intention became firm. "Then we go up."
Nilou vibrated with excitement. "Together!"
Gray answered without hesitation. "...Together."
Gray let his own mass decelerate.
"...Great." The intention changed. Human form.
The transformation was quick now. The dark water receded, condensed, gained contour. In a few seconds, he was back in humanoid form—dark skin, firm body, stable existence.
Nilou stood still for half a second.
"...Eh?"
Before she could jump, Gray carefully caught her and settled her in his arms, as if it were perfectly natural to carry a slime in his lap.
"Hold on."
Nilou molded herself to his chest without difficulty.
"Yes!" The tone was cheerful, confident.
A discreet notification appeared.
[Slime Language – integrated.]
[Vibration and intention communication now automatically translated.]
[Slime form is no longer required for understanding.]
Gray blinked.
"...Seriously?" He let out a short laugh. "Okay, that makes my life a lot easier."
Nilou vibrated with satisfaction, as if she had helped with something important.
Gray started walking, now attentive to the walls, cracks, and protrusions. He looked for natural paths to climb, spots where the rock seemed less worn, where the wind passed more freely.
As he advanced, he spoke casually:
"Hey, Nilou. Do you... mind if I'm not a slime now?"
She took a moment to answer. She thought about her simple way.
"Nilou... doesn't know much about these things." Short pause. "But Nilou likes her husband."
Gray smiled slightly.
"Even though I'm of another race?"
"Uh-huh." She shifted slightly in his arms. "A husband is different."
"...Different how?"
Nilou searched for the right words—or almost the right ones.
"When you're close... it gets warm."
"Safe."
"Nilou feels good just being close."
Gray was silent for a moment.
"...I understand."
He adjusted her position on his lap and continued climbing.
"Then let's get out of here."
"There's something strange up there, but nothing we can't handle."
Nilou cheered happily. "Together!"