A crystalline world.

A world of endless skies.

A sun that never stops shining.

A darkness that will never cease.

Such is the world that Diana had found herself in.

She recalled everything that led up to here. Her first moments stepping into this world, her shock to find that she was a woman, her fight to leave the forest, the meeting with the dryad, the journey into the crystal caves, a fated meeting, fighting hordes of undead, meeting a certain ghoul, challenging the catacombs, entering the Tartarus, making her mistake, and her death.

Her entire life up until that point played over and over again on the monitor she had sitting in front of her, as if it served to remind her how much of an idiot she had been.

It’s not like she’s made very good life choices throughout her short life anyways.

Before she left the world for good, she never made it up with her mother. She never considered how much of a d*ck she had been to her, and what her feelings were about her.

Once she got to this world, and met that Dryad, she selfishly brought her into the crystal caves, simply because of her own curiosity.

She had learnt from Crystal that dryads are actually hostile creatures, luring unwary adventurers into their trap and pretending to be welcoming, before showing their true nature and eating them. Yeah, [Top 10 Most Shocking Anime Betrayals] much, am I right? Even then, she still caused her death.

Once she finished the Crystal Caves, she didn’t bother to think about Crystal’s or the Admin’s feelings before she forcefully dragged her out from her home.

And not learning her lesson, once she heard that there was treasure in the catacombs, she brought everyone there, and caused a chaotic mess that her friends had to clean up for her!

And now that she’s dead, she couldn’t even help them clean up over her own mistakes!

She could almost laugh as she recalled it all. She could almost go insane in this unending sorrow. Maybe she already did, who knows? She didn’t know anymore, she didn’t want to think about it anymore.

–Perhaps, this was my prison, a place she could never escape from.

This crystalline world, with an endless sea stretching below her feet. No matter how far she walked, no matter how deep she swam, no matter how high she flew, she would always end up back here, to watch her life play out.

Over, and over, and over again.

Forever, and ever, and ever.

–Perhaps, this was my personal hell.

–Perhaps, I was destined to remain here.

–To watch my life play out again and again, never being able to truly die.

How long has she been here, sitting lazily on the same blue swivel chair, watching the exact same movie play out over and over again? How many times has she tried to leave this world, only to return back here?

How many times has she spent running around aimlessly? How many times has she left herself sinking into the seas? How long has she spent counting the seconds pass by?

How many times has she wished for her to finally DIE?

–Ah, I want to die.

–I want to die so badly.

–Because, my life’s finally out, and it’s Game Over.

–Please end me.

–PLEASE END IT ALL ALREADY.

But, no matter how many times she repeated those words, no matter how many prayers she sent towards the heavens, that wish will never be granted, would it?

*Please don’t say that, mistress*

But then, she heard a soft cute voice, coming from behind her. A voice that she knew very well, but had never actually heard with her own ears.

A voice that she had longed to hear.

“S…Sli…mey…?”

Turning around, there she saw him, standing there like he would always do, staring back at her with a cheery attitude. The first companion that she found in this world, and the slimy blob that had always motivated her.

Why? Why was he here? Did he also die? What about the rest? Rei? Crystal? Nestra? How about them? There were so many questions she wanted to ask, but her mouth wouldn’t move.

*Don’t worry mistress! They’re all still alive, and so am I! Because I’ll never leave your side!*

Why? She wanted to ask. Why would Slimey still follow her, this idiotic example of a master that couldn’t even take care of her own subordinates. Why, despite all that, would he still come here?

She wanted to run over to him, to hug him, to simply say the words ‘Thank you’, but she did nothing.

Just like he would always do, he jumped up and sat on her lap. She smiled bitterly, remembering that her lap was his favourite spot to sit and sleep on.

For some reason, now, her tears wouldn’t stop. Everything she had felt up until this point, all the sorrow and hate she held towards herself, finally cracked through the glass and spilled out.

–Ah, I miss them.

She felt so. She wanted to meet them so badly, so much that it strained her heart. She wanted to meet back with them, to fight alongside them once again, to joke and laugh with them once more, and to travel the world with them, just one more time.

*Have you made up your mind, mistress? Let’s go back!*

But, even if she wanted to do so, even if she missed them dearly, she knew very well,

–That I couldn’t come back.

*What are we waiting for? Let’s help everyone out!*

–I can’t.

*Is something the matter, mistress?*

–I CAN’T. I’M DEAD.

No matter where she was, on Earth on here in fantasy, she can’t escape from death. She was nothing but a mere weak human. No number of skills and stats would ever change that fact, would it?

*Oh! Is that it, mistress? Is it because you’re ‘human’, that you can’t return?*

But then, Slimey asked such a question. The answer was, obviously, because she’s dead, she couldn’t return back to the world of the living. But, something told her that Slimey meant something else with that question.

*Mistress, when you die in Dark Souls, you don’t give up, do you?*

W-What!? Why is Slimey making references to games!?

*I don’t know how either, but, again, you don’t just give up, right mistress?*

Y-Yeah, that’s right. When she dies in Dark Souls, no matter how dumb it was or how hard the boss fights were, she would always sit back, take a quick breather, and then dive right back into the world, ready to retry the battle once more.

*When you’re playing Darkest Dungeon, you don’t just quit after one bad run, do you mistress?*

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Yeah, that’s also right. Even if I play one run into the dungeon and my entire team of high-level heroes dies, she may sulk about it for a day or two and leave the game for a while, but she’ll come back eventually, sucking up her tears and picking out some more heroes for the next run.

*Then, you can’t just quit here, can you mistress?*

She would love to, for dear god she would love to click respawn, but she was human, and this was real life. Unlike a game, she didn’t have the privilege to click on the respawn button and spawn back at her comfy bed back at home.

–It’s impossible.

*Mistress*

–Because I’m just human.

*Yes, that’s exactly right, mistress*

…What? At that comment, she was genuinely confused at him. After all, she is a human. Yeah, sure. She might joke around and say that she’s a slime because she could transform into one, but that’s because of her skill. Without it, she’s just a human, right?

*Then, mistress. What is a human?*

‘A jumble of many organs that work together to make me…alive? Maybe?’ Was what she wanted to answer to him, but she realised that was not what Slimey was asking.

See, it was a trick question. Normally, one would consider a ‘Human Being’ as a group of organs working together to create intelligent life. That is, if one is a human only in ‘Flesh’. But what is a human really?

Does that word even make sense? Because Rei and Crystal weren’t ‘Human’ in flesh per se, but they were surely ‘Human’ in nature. If so, then what is ‘Human’ nature? Does such a word even have a concrete definition?

*In my opinion, a human is someone who strives to live, someone who fights their hardest to see where this life of theirs would lead them. Rei is a ghoul. Crystal is a spirit. But, even then, I still think that they are very much ‘Human’. And so are you, mistress*

*There is no need for you to have a ‘Human Body’ to be ‘Human’. That, is what I believe in*

–But, how can I leave this place?

And to that question, the monitor that had been playing her entire life on loop suddenly shut off. Only to turn back on with a single question pasted over the white screen behind it.

[Specific attributes have been reached. Evolution from: Human to: Slime Queen is now possible. Do you wish to continue? Yes/No?]

She smiled wryly when she read that. Seriously, she could almost fall over and cry laughing from reading that! I mean, what the hell man!? Evolving from a human to a Slime Queen!? What kind of sudden development is that!?

But then, in the midst of her thoughts, she realised something.

–What will happen to Slimey then?

And to that,

*I will become one with Mistress. Once the evolution takes place, I shall become one with you*

Was that fine? Are you okay with becoming one with me? She wanted to ask, but there was no hesitation in his words. It seems, from the very beginning he stepped into this empty world to meet her, he had made up his mind to do so.

And, damn, he sure did make it work.

[Specific attributes have been reached. Evolution from: Human to: Slime Queen is now possible. Do you wish to continue? Yes/No?]

Looking back, maybe her life wasn’t so bad after all. Yeah, she’s made mistakes here and there, and that mistakes may have caused her some deep trouble, just like her latest mistake, but her life wasn’t a complete hotpot of tragic sad backstories.

One choice after another, one mistake after another, led her to new places she had never explored, and allowed her to experience new things that she could have never imagined.

Of course, she hasn’t forgotten everything that she had done. All the past mistakes she had made, will always stay with her. But, even then, she’ll head forward, no matter what lies ahead.

In a way, she was glad to have died as a human. Because of that, she could look and examine herself, see where she went wrong, and what she should never repeat.

And with a smile, she exclaimed from the bottom of her heart!

“Yeah!! I wish to continue!”

With her choice made, and her resolution rekindled, the empty crystalline world around her crumbles, as she begins her ascension!

*Good luck, mistress…I’ll shall always be by your side…forever*

……………………

“?!”

Something, had just awoken.

Rei didn’t know ‘what’ it was, whether it was an enemy or an ally, but it was strong, really strong. The density of mana that just got flung out into the atmosphere in the midst of their tense battle was so thick, that the world itself suffered under its pressure.

The ground cracked, the walls earth trembled, and the air shook. If she would compare, it was similar-, no, even thicker than the mana that giant monster had.

*Tap*

It was obvious who that mana belonged to, but at the same time, Rei couldn’t be too sure. She could feel Diana’s mana surging into the air, but there was also something else mixed in there.

*Tap*

“…Diana.”

And there she was, stepping out from the cave she had been sleeping in. A tattered and torn red cloak was tied around her, hiding her naked body underneath. There was no visible change to her body. Her height was the same, her eyes were the same, yet…What was with this overwhelming aura?

Well, despite the ‘Overwhelming’ Aura, it’s still Diana under that skin after all.

‘Uwah~, it’s a mess here…’

Well, she had been expecting to see some chaos when she awoke, but not to this extent! Hey, at least the giant monster’s dead, but what’s with this outrageous number of monsters crawling around the place!?

And, uh…Why was everyone staring at her?

Umu…All this attention she was garnering’s making her nervous! She could feel her sweat trailing down her back-…Hmm…For some reason, she’s sweating…slime? That’s odd…right?

‘…That’s completely normal. What am I thinking about?’

…Anyways, her mana’s way above her normal capacity, and her friends seems to have gotten themselves in quite the pinch. The monsters were literally giving her a chance for the first strike, and she’ll gladly take it!

“[Corrosive Slime Wave]!!”

First up, swallow the entire room and get her allies to safety!

And…Well, she did use up her entire mana reserve there, and she did get a nice Power-Up from that evolution, but she didn’t expect it to be so big it ran through the entire room!!

…Or did she? Isn’t this amount of slime normal for a slime queen such as her?

‘Ugh…What’s wrong with me suddenly…?’

To her surprise, a gigantic wave of corrosive slime appeared and swallowed up the entire room, trapping everything inside and corroding them. Of course, she wouldn’t kill her allies, so she made sure to make a small bubble of safe normal slime and pull them towards her!

*Pasha!*

The giant blob of slime splashed, and out came her allies! Rei, Crystal, Nestra, and her new golem friend!

Crystal and Nestra were unconscious, probably because they’ve been fighting for so long. The golem core was brightly shining, and Rei was just looking at her with interest and caution.

But, that didn’t matter right now, because-

“!?”

All she wanted to do right now, was to wrap her hands around her, and hug her.

She’s only been dead for about an hour or so, but to her, it felt like an eternity, spent in that lonely world, with nowhere else to go but sit down and lament her own foolishness. She just, wanted to stay like this, for a while.

Rei too was confused, but hugged her back. She too was glad to see that Diana was awake and back to her normal self.

They stayed like that for a while, before Diana broke off and wiped her tears. She couldn’t cry now! Slimey’s granted her another chance at life, and she couldn’t cry about it forever!

“Ugh…Where…?”

“C-Crystal!!”

“Huh? Oh, it’s-, h-hey! D-Don’t j-just hug me a-all of a s-sudden!!”

Well, spending some more time hugging her friends wasn’t that bad either. Although~, that flustered reaction from Crystal was quite surprising. Perhaps Crystal had been worrying to death over her too, but~, she’ll save that question after they get out of here.

Nestra was still unconscious, and it seems like she drained her mana out excessively too. She wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon, but at least she’s alive. So all’s well and good.

“H-Hey…C-Can you l-let me go a-already…?”

“…No.”

“H-Huh!? I-I mean, i-it’s not like I d-don’t like it a-and whatnot, b-but…”

“…No.”

She still wanted to hug her, so she didn’t let go. That, and she liked this shy and embarrassed side of Crystal, so she’s going to savour it as long as she can. Well, Crystal was also tightly hugging back, so there’s no problem.

After about 5 more minutes of hugging, Crystal reluctantly let go of her. Honestly~, this cutesy side of Crystal is just-! Muu~, it makes her so much cuter and endearing now! Makes her want to pinch her cheeks and stuff~!

But, all that aside,

“Rei, Crystal…I’m sorry, for everything.”

“…?”

“F-For what e-exactly…?”

Taking a deep breath, she readied herself, and began to explain everything that led up to here. Her encounter with that black orb, her skill evolution, that dungeon with the ‘sisters’, meeting with Nestra, and the deadly mistake that caused her death.

“-So, I’m…sorry. Please forgive me.”

Now that they knew her story, and that she was the cause of all that chaos they had to deal with, surely they would hate her by now. So, she could only close her eyes and wish for the best, but to her surprise,

“…It’s, fine.”

“………Huh?”

“Yeah, well…You’ve always been a bit of an idiot and all, so can’t be helped, can it? And besides! I got to test out my new staff and earn some levels thanks to you, so I guess it’s fine.”

Were what they answered back to her. There was no hate, not even a single drop of it. Instead, they took it all in stride and brushed it off, saying that it was ‘just like her’ to cause this mistake. Like hell she could just accept that!

“B-But, I-!”

“Diana, sorry, right? Then, it’s, okay.”

“Yeah. You’ve noticed your mistakes, so that’s good. Look, everyone makes mistakes from time to time, some bigger than the others, but no one’s perfect. Not you, not her, and not me either. Just make sure to not repeat that again, okay?”

“W-What’s with that…?”

Why…? Why was everyone okay with this? They all almost died because of her! Why are they just shaking it off as it was something normal!?

“W-Why!?”

“O-Oi, don’t just cry all of a sudden-“

“Why don’t you hate me after all that!? You all almost died because of me! I caused that, all of that! Then why…!? Why are you all fine with it!? I-I can’t understand! I-I…I…”

“Uh…Look, Diana, we’re jus-, H-Hya!? D-D-Don’t j-just hug me s-suddenly!!”

‘Well…This is awkward.’ Were the exact words that ran through her mind as she tried to find the best way to handle with this situation.

She never expected to see Diana suddenly burst out like that and hug her. And as a spirit, she’s never actually had any experience with dealing with these kinds of things.

All Crystal could do was hug her back and softly comfort her. Obviously, Diana was beating herself up over this mess, and while they were fine with it, she clearly was not. Diana was much more fragile than she originally expected.

‘Is this…What it feels like to be a sister…?’

Pushing aside that sudden thought, she’s glad that Diana’s calmed down a bit…Actually, she wasn’t even crying anymore…Wait, she wasn’t moving at all!

“D-Diana…?”

…Huh. It seems like Diana cried herself to sleep without realising it.

Didn’t she just wake up, like, 15 minutes ago?

“…Mana, empty.”

“Wha-, well, that spell from earlier was much bigger than normal, but, still…What an idiot, to use such a large spell after waking up…”

Well, they were okay with it, and it’s not like the monsters would be moving anytime soon. They weren’t all dead yet, but Diana’s thick slime wave easily made their movement one hell of a trial to accomplish.

And besides, she was also tired out, and Rei was most likely tired too. Her mana’s completely empty right now, and some sleep would probably be best right now.

“Hey, uh, Rei, right? Are you going to sleep?”

“…Yes.”

“…I see. Well, sleep well, I guess.”

“…Un.”