How does that one phrase go again?

My current situation is awfully similar to that.

Oh, right. I remember now.

Out of the frying pan, into the fire!

Seriously, this is messed up.

Through my singular working eye, I'm met with quite the terrifying scene.

The ground is pretty much just mud. It looks like if I took a step onto it, I would sink right through. Then, there's the ominous purple water in large puddles pretty much everywhere. There are trees, sure, but they're completely without leaves or pines. To be honest, they look dead to me.

The water looks pretty deep in some parts too, but I can't really see that far right now so I can't be sure.

There are also some structures that seem man-made, but they're destroyed. Completely in pieces! Well, some are relatively big pieces, but that's not the point.

Also, I can hear these weird noises. Gurgles and stuff, and some stuff that almost sounds like birds chirping. It's all pretty far away, but it's pretty damn ominous.

Oh, and don't even get me started on the smell.

Isn't this like the worse possible place for me to end up after that fight?

Like, come on! I would have even rathered some volcano area! I might have been able to mend my wounds with the heat, then...

And here, I'm pretty much open to bacterial attack!

On that note, I don't think I can stay in this body much longer.

Not because the time limit is running low, but because it's on the verge of death.

If I remember correctly, when this body dies, 50% of the damage will be sent back to my usual form. You might have forgotten, but I am, in fact, a slime. A slime in the form of a giant lizard as it is, but still a slime!

So, since I really don't want to take even more damage, it's time to switch back.

Geez, imagine if I really was that lizard. Things could have really gotten bad. I mean, I was definitely almost done for. I'm really lucky I can switch back and forth, huh?

Well, ignoring that scary fact, I finally switch back.

Oh, that feels much better.

I should have done this much sooner! The pain is completely gone now.

Well, there are a few more things that are gone. I can't actually see anymore. I can't hear either.

I can't smell either, but honestly, that's a good thing right about now.

I can actually use Vibration Detection as a replacement for hearing and sight, though! It's always on so that means it's basically levelling up all the time. That's why it's my highest levelled skill. I could turn it off if I for some reason wanted to, but it's not like it's doing anything bad to me, so there's no reason for that. In fact, it might be one of my most useful skills when in my base form, along with Body Manipulation. We're ignoring Gluttony and System because they're too different to even be considered skills to me.

Still, though, this is such a pain...

Okay! No need to be so pessimistic! What should I do first?

I mean, of course, I should be trying to get out of here to somewhere safer.

That might be difficult though. From what I saw, this place seemed to stretch on for quite a while. Still, it's better than being in that dungeon. At least here I'm not on some messed-up time limit.

There are some pressing issues about this place, though.

For one, it's obviously poisonous.

I mean, just look at the name! The Plagued Swamp? Really? I wouldn't have been able to guess from the purple water! Thank you for this enlightening information!

Another of my pressing issues is the monsters here.

I'm not completely sure what the monsters here are going to really be, but I have a few ideas considering what the system told me when I got here.

Undead creatures and poisonous stuff.

Uh, yeah, I don't like that.

Guess it makes sense why the wolf was in this area, though.

But, this could be really bad!

It was already super hard to beat that one undead monster! Now I have to deal with even more! Come on, zombies are going to become traumatic to me! Even more so than they already were...

I never mentioned it before because of the whole, me almost dying thing, but honestly, zombies and that kinda stuff have always been super scary to me.

When I was young, I saw a super... let's say visually detailed film featuring them.

Really messed me up back then, I had nightmares about it for days!

I might not be totally over it honestly, even though it was so long ago.

I guess it also happened in a totally different world than this one...

Hey, that brings me back to that thought I had a while ago! I sorta hoped this world could have been a futuristic one mixed with fantasy, rather than full-on medieval...

Seeing this area now, that might not be possible anymore... eh, I can still hold onto hope there's some technology. It just doesn't seem that likely.

Oh, by the way, I haven't just been standing here doing nothing while rambling on. I've started moving forward, wherever forward is.

The ground is a bit less slippery than I would have thought, but maybe that's because I'm moving differently than I usually would. It's pretty hard to actually slip when you yourself are just a ball of liquid holding itself together! I mean, I don't even have a front side! The only thing that's keeping me from rolling out of the control is the fact I'm sorta sticky when I choose to be.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Body Manipulation is actually a much more handy skill than I gave it credit for. Yeah, it was already one of my most important skill as it's what let me move... but it can do a lot more than just move me! As you might have guessed, it can change how my body reacts with stuff. For one, I can become sticky, as I said before! Turns out I was actually doing that subconsciously since the beginning. If I use it right, it might help in some other ways too...

Oh, that gives me a great idea. I'll have to try it out later.

You know, I was stressed out about this place before, but things seem to be going pretty well! Yeah, this is much better than the dungeon.

... eh?

Look at that, I jumped straight into water.

I'm not sinking, though! Looks like I'm buoyant. That's pretty convenient, huh? If I just sunk right through, we could be in a bit of a difficult situation right now.

I can't help but feel like I'm forgetting about something right now, though...

You have been afflicted with status condition: Poisoned (Lesser)

You have lost 1 HP

... uh oh.

Right, this water is bad and stuff. Or, that's what I was guessing from its colour. Guess I was right, haha!

I shouldn't be laughing right now.

See, the problem is, I'm currently sucking in all this water. I mean, even a slime needs to breathe.

Not really great.

So, I need to stop breathing! Like, right now!

Er, how do I do that?

Okay, okay. From the looks of it, I've figured out that I'm probably semi-permeable. Meaning, I should be able to pick and choose what can pass through me and what can't. I can use that, yeah! I just need to categorize water as something that can't go through me!

Again... how do I do that?

I know I sound incompetent right now, but come on! I'm new to this! I've been here for what, three days? I guess maybe four... Still! You can't blame me for not being able to do everything!

Some help now would be nice... helloooo?

No response.

Ugh, fine! I'll do it myself! I've got Body Manipulation! Surely I can just stop breathing for a moment so I don't die of poisoning.

Then there's the problem of getting out of here in the first place...

Oh. Because Water is entering me so quickly, I'm sinking. Yeah, I guess if I got heavier all of a sudden, that would happen.

Wait, this is really bad!

You have lost 1 HP.

That's not helping how stressed out I am right now either!

I need to do something right now!

Okay, here goes nothing. I activate Body Manipulation. Hoping it would work out, I tried to close myself from anything entering!

... I think it actually worked! That's surprising, I really didn't think that would actually work.

Oh, yeah, we still have a small problem. I'm sinking still. Well, that's what happens when gravity is stronger than buoyancy, huh?

I should be freaking out about this, shouldn't I?

No, no. No need to panic, I just need to expel the water from me!

With Body Manipulation, I should be able to do it easily!

At the moment, due to the excessive amount of water in me, my body has a lot of pressure built up. Kinda like a balloon filled to the breaking point with water, in a similar way. Well, if I was a balloon, I probably would be floating right now... Not the point.

So, I just need to make a small exit hole for the water.

See? I'm fine! I'm not gonna drown or anything.

I might be a bit close to suffocating, though, so I better get this done quick.

I make a somewhat small hole in my outer membrane, and just like that, the poison water flowed out of me. Oh, by the way, I didn't place the hole directly above me, that'd be stupid. The water would just go right back onto me! The hole was a little to the side, so it was pouring back into the body of water I'm in after flying through the air a bit.

Or, that's what I'm assuming is happening. Remember? I can't see.

Oh, look at that, I'm floating again! You'll have to throw more than that at me to sink this slime! Not even an iceberg would be enough! Then again, I might just freeze considering I'm mostly liquid. Let's stay away from any ice for now.

Anyway, it's time to get out of here. And, it just so happens I have the perfect idea for doing so.

Once again using Body Manipulation, I extend parts of my body outwards on my two opposite sides. Then, at the ends, I flatten myself out to the best of my ability.

Can you guess what I'm doing? Yep, I'm using my own body as oars. So, now all I have to do is paddle a bit...

There I go! I'm moving forward finally! Hah, who would have guessed it'd be this easy to move in water? It's even easier than moving on land.

Body Manipulation has levelled up!

Well, how kind of you! With this level, it's becoming even easier to paddle myself.

You have lost 1 HP.

Huh?

Oh, wait, I get it. Just because I got rid of the source of the poison, doesn't mean the lingering effects are going to go away. I guess status conditions work like that. I mean, they did in games too.

Eh, it'll be gone in no time at all! I... uh, hope, at least. Otherwise, things could get worse.

You have obtained skill: Poison Resistance >LV 1<

Hey, look at that! I just got a resistance skill! This poison really will be gone soon.

Looks like everything is going well. You know, falling into this poison lake was a good thing. I got a new skill, and one levelled up!

And, now I've reached land!

All I've gotta do is squirm up on... and there, I'm out of the water.

I'm safe!

Or, well, I mean, not really, but I'm safe from whatever could be in the water... hey, I didn't even think about that. Maybe there was some monster down there about to kill me...

No need to think about scary stuff like that.

Let's think about something else. Like, for example, how what I'm currently standing on is seemingly made of stone.

That's a bit weird for where we currently are, yeah? Right, I guess there were broken down buildings from what I saw.

Well, either way, let's just continue on. It's not like I'll get anything from waiting around here.

... oh? Another change of sensation, huh?

Weird. It's hard to pin down.

You know, it almost feels like... bone. Yeah, it's definitely bone with some flesh still sticking to it.

Gross, huh?

Uh, you know how I said I haven't eaten in a while?

You know, since my first moments as a slime I haven't eaten a thing.

To tell you the truth, I'm on the brink of starvation.

To add onto that, my stomach is killing me. Or, my entire body is, since my I'm the stomach.

You understand what I'm getting at, right?

Maybe... I should eat this stuff.

Yeah, sure, it's the probably the leftovers from some other monster, but I'll have you know bone marrow is incredibly nutritious! Hell, it's a superfood!

... Don't judge me, alright? I wanted my first meal to be something better, but I'm not going to get that chance.

Ugh, I've always hated raw meat, let's hope bones taste decent.

So, my first meal since my death! Some sparse pieces of raw meat and bones. Not extravagant, I know, but let's just get into this.

There's not going to be a lot of preparation for this dish, or cooking for that matter. I don't have any access to fire either since I'm still on my cooldown for transforming into the Demon Lizard.

I'm seriously starving, it's time to eat.

Here goes nothing. I move over my food, enveloping in my body.

There's that raw meat taste. Although, since I'm not actually biting it, just dissolving it as I taste, the texture doesn't matter. So, none of that overly firm texture that makes it so unbearable.

Then, there's the bones. They... taste like nothing. Eh, I was expecting a bit more, to be honest. It's kinda like gum that you've been chewing for a couple hours...

Oh? Once I get to the inside, though, it's a different story altogether!

Of course, it's the bone marrow. Compared to the meat and bone, it's delicious! It's got this... how to describe it? That's it, it's got a bit of an umami flavour to it! It's got a bit of dullness to it, but that's probably just because it's not cooked.

Sadly, though, there's not much of the bone marrow comparatively. Either way, there's still the whole rest of the body to go.

You know, thinking of it, maybe I should just stay in this little area for a while. You know, to rest! It might be a bit dangerous, but from what I'm going off, this little building is enclosed. Or, as enclosed a collapsed structure can get.

Yeah, I'll stay here for a little bit even after I've digested all this food.

Looks like things are going pretty well after all.