A Successful Taming
“…Do I have to fight it?”
I wasn’t sure what kind of system there was for this dream… But slimes were classically used as early enemies in games.
In some games, they had a resistance to physical attacks, and were quite powerful…
But the slime in front of me didn’t really give off that vibe…
And I didn’t sense any hostility… Well, most likely it was placed here to be the first enemy I would fight.
I didn’t have any weapons, but I could pick up a stick from somewhere and fight it… It was as I was thinking this, that a sudden idea flashed in my brain.
…What if I let it defeat me? Would that mean I could wake up?
If I woke up now, I would be able to finish the work in two nights instead of three.
“Alright…come at me!”
I quickly resolved to be defeated and rolled down in front of the slime.
I doubted the slime had very high attack power, but my own HP was merely at 10 points.
It would surely chip away at it if I waited long enough.
As I waited, the slime came closer and enveloped my hand.
It was a strange sensation. It was neither solid nor liquid.
Not only that, but the sensation was oddly realistic for a dream…
As I thought about it, a bell rang in my head.
At the same time, a window that looked just like the status window popped up in front of me.
——————-
‘Monster You have tamed a Slime’
——————-
…Why did it recognize my lack of action as ‘taming the slime’?
I was only trying to get myself killed.
Apparently, this slime wasn’t going to do me any favors.
“Hmm…should I try hanging myself?”
There was really no need to depend on this slime.
It could be anything, really. I just needed to bring my HP to 0 and then I would be able to wake up.
Luckily, my boss had given me vivid instructions on how to effectively hang myself. It was when I had messed up at work.
While I was thinking this, the tamed slime began to poke at me with its hands(?)
Slimes didn’t have hands, but it extended a part of its body just like a hand.
It seemed like it was leading me somewhere.
“Are you going to lead me to a place with a rope then?”
Well, it didn’t have to be a rope. As long as it would help me wake up from this dream.
I had no idea if it understood me…but the slime began to lead me very slowly through the forest.
◇
After some time, the slime appeared to have arrived at its destination.
What I found there, was a single building.
It did not look like it was occupied, but it was full of books.
The slime looked like it was brimming with a sense of accomplishment after having led me here.
Of course, I couldn’t exactly read its expression, but somehow I could feel the emotion.
“Now. Rope, rope.”
I quickly entered the building and began to search for something that could be used as a rope. But I was unsuccessful.
On the other hand, I did find a giant bookshelf that was stuffed with an immense volume of old books.
Maybe I could bring my HP to a 0 if I were to be squashed by it.
With that thought in mind, I immediately began to put it into action when—I suddenly had a horrible feeling.
It was telling me that ending my life in this world was something I should avoid.
I just started to feel as if I shouldn’t die.
I don’t know why, but that’s what I now felt. An intuition perhaps.
And my intuition was often right.
…In any case, I started to think that I would not kill myself.
I would wait quietly until I woke up. And then stay up for three nights and work.
Well then, I had some time to kill until that happened.
Thankfully, I was surrounded by books.
I could read some of them and wait until I woke up.
◇
“Alright, let’s pick a random…oh…”
The covers on the books were all so old that I couldn’t read them.
And so I chose a random book and opened it…
I was very disappointed when I saw the first page.
‘Magic Book on the Annihilation of the Soul.’
That was the title on the first page.
Whoever wrote this book was a heavyweight chunibyo…
No, wait.
Since this is my own dream, does that mean it’s me who is chunibyo…
No, let’s not go down that path.
How about trying to pinch arm before hanging yourself?