The Slime Plain and a Brewing Storm

The first issue was the persistent, hysterical screams and cries of a woman breaking down, emanating from the adjacent room since moments ago.

This was not particularly surprising, as the entire school was currently filled with shrieks.

The sole anomaly, however, was that this was a male dormitory.

From where, then, had a girl appeared next door?

Nonetheless, the noise was undeniably vexing, and Lim, understanding Lin Ran’s frustration, pressed against the wall, infiltrating the opposite side with some slime.

Presumably, this was a type of slime carrying a ‘cease aggression’ message, as the slimes on the other side immediately stopped their assault.

The girl next door quickly quieted her screams.

****

The second issue concerned the teleportation gate.

He had, in fact, attempted an experiment: since the commissary was more than 100 meters away, he had placed a teleportation gate at its entrance to test for an invisible wall outside.

Yet, the results were far from optimistic; when he shoved his spare toothpaste into the gate, it was instantly crushed into a flat, indistinct mass upon teleportation, the toothpaste itself squeezed up to the height of three stories.

‘It’s a good thing I was clever enough not to go in myself…’

Lin Ran secretly shuddered, a wave of post-fear washing over him.

‘If it had been me who teleported, I would be an unspeakable blob right now…’

It appeared this invisible wall now permeated the entire world, meaning the teleportation gate to the commissary would require another upgrade.

Since that was the case, and with nothing else to do, Lin Ran prepared drinking water for the slimes while opening the freshman group chat, hoping to receive new messages.

As expected, a new message had arrived just as he was dealing with the slimes.

[If you have time to open your phone and see this message, then congratulations, you have likely successfully passed the first wave of attacks.]

[What follows is a short rest period. Please attempt to leave your room.]

[Please note, the world outside your room is matched based on proximity. Be cautious of neighbors with whom you have conflicts.]

‘Rest period? Leave the room?’ Lin Ran murmured to himself, his gaze unconsciously drifting towards the dormitory door.

But outside the door, there was clearly the distinct sensation of an invisible wall…

He turned off his phone screen and looked towards the door.

It seemed… something was indeed amiss.

A breeze, carrying the scent of fresh grass, wafted in through the wooden door.

The dormitory door swayed gently in the wind, emitting a faint creaking sound.

Had the scene truly changed?

Lin Ran’s heart stirred, and he quickly addressed the slimes, who were neatly lined up, waiting for their water:

“Everyone, don’t drink yet! It looks like we can go outside! Let’s check things out!”

To avoid potential enemies outside, Lin Ran intended to bring the slimes with him; an extra bit of combat power was always beneficial.

He carefully picked up Lim, who was still trying to understand the situation.

Taking a deep breath, he gently pushed open the dormitory door.

The sight beyond the door froze him.

It was no longer the familiar dormitory corridor.

Instead, it was an endless, verdant plain, carpeted with lush green grass!

A gentle breeze swept across, filling his nostrils with the fragrance of earth and fresh grass.

And, scattered across the plain, were colorful slimes, happily bouncing about!

He tentatively took a step, confirming there was no invisible wall.

[Your resting place is – Slime Plain (LV.0~3)]

[Please attempt a simple exploration and return to your dwelling within 30 minutes to prepare for the second wave of enemies.]

Indeed! There was a rest period!

The slimes at his feet were clearly excited as well; upon seeing their kin on the plain, they immediately bounced and rushed towards them.

After the two groups of slimes merged, they began to collide with one another, communicating in their unique way.

Finally, they all turned towards Lin Ran.

All the slimes compressed their rotund bodies downwards, tilting their upper halves forward, mimicking a clumsy yet sincere human-like bow!

“Uh… hello, everyone?”

In response, the slimes bounced up and down in place.

Lin Ran stroked Lim, who was still clinging to his shoulder.

He could roughly guess that the tale of him feeding them ham sausages must have spread.

Lim, on his shoulder, proudly puffed out her non-existent chest.

However, this did pose a slight problem.

The slimes could understand his words, but lacking vocal organs, they couldn’t communicate with him.

‘I’d better find a way to turn Lim into a slime girl (TL Note: A common trope in Japanese media, referring to a human-like female character who is also a slime, often with shapeshifting abilities or a gooey body.) or something…’

Lin Ran stroked his chin, embarking on a dangerous fantasy.

‘Yes, there are no impure thoughts here! How can love and communication exist without the most basic ability to converse!’

Lin Ran, whose thoughts were prone to wandering, quickly pinched his temples, forcing his mind back to the plain before him.

He now had a rough idea why the slimes were so grateful for a single ham sausage.

After being forced by the Literary Club Senior Sister to eat vegetarian meals for three days, Lin Ran was nearly moved to tears when he finally bit into a chicken drumstick on the fourth.

These slimes were likely in a similar situation.

The Slime Plain only had weeds and nothing else; having tasted human-made processed meat for the first time, they were now overflowing with gratitude towards him.

But… this resting place, with only slimes and grass, wasn’t very useful.

This world outside the door, ostensibly a ‘rest area,’ was actually for them to find resources.

Lin Ran clearly saw this, and others probably understood it too.

In a completely enclosed world, every excursion required utilizing everything available in the local environment.

Others might pull up some weeds to fill their stomachs, or even simply catch and eat a few slimes.

But Lin Ran was different.

He had a loyal workforce at his disposal.

“Lim.”

He attempted to give an instruction, accompanying it with gestures.

“Can you guys… find a way to carry some things?”

He pointed to the dirt and weeds on the ground.

Lim followed his finger, contemplating adorably for several seconds.

Then, as if suddenly understanding something, she excitedly jumped off Lin Ran’s shoulder, bouncing several times on the ground.

Her demeanor was exactly like a child thrilled to be sent on an errand by their parents.

Lin Ran nodded and dug into the ground.

A large handful of soil mixed with weeds was brought out.

“Take this pile of dirt back to my dorm, come on!”

Lim took the lead, bravely wriggling to cover a small patch of soil with weeds.

Then, her body slightly contracted, and she actually balanced that small patch of dirt steadily on her round head!

It looked adorable, like she was wearing a grass hat.

She then wiggled her way towards the dormitory door, looking both diligent and clumsy.

Once this was over, Lin Ran would definitely have to give this little cutie a good squeeze!

The other slimes, seeing their little princess personally joining in, immediately became energized, imitating her.

The smaller ones balanced it on their heads like Lim, while the slightly larger ones enveloped a small clump of soil and transported it within their bodies.

The strongest few cooperatively lifted a large patch of sod and carried it together towards the dorm.

Some particularly clever ones, displeased that Lin Ran was merely watching without contributing, even actively wrapped a few weeds with their tentacles and placed them at his feet.

Then they nudged his leg, signaling him not to just watch, but to join in the work!

Lin Ran’s reason for doing this was also simple.

Indeed, this land… had triggered a certain instinct deep within him.

—Farming!

His farming soul was already burning fiercely!!

The soil of these plains looked incredibly fertile; these weeds might not taste great, but they were plentiful and filling!

Bringing them back and cultivating them could completely solve the slimes’ food problem!

Furthermore, obtaining seeds later to grow some vegetables and fruits—that was the long-term solution!

“Perfect! Once we take over the commissary downstairs, it’ll be two meals of grass and one of ham sausage a day, ensuring a proper balance of greens and meat!”

The slimes, hearing Lin Ran’s plan, bounced up and down, expressing their excitement.

Seeing the slimes’ joy, Lin Ran finally joined the carrying team.

Thirty minutes quickly drew to a close, and the slimes had transported a great deal of soil.

However, amidst this adorable atmosphere of labor.

A sharp, shrill voice came from nearby.

“Tsk… disgusting. What kind of ‘rest’ is this? Slimes are everywhere… damn it!”

With that, she stomped her foot down.

She crushed a small slime that was closest to her, a slime that had spotted a tiny flower and wanted to bring it to Lin Ran.

This slime had not attacked her; she had done this merely to vent her frustration.

Lin Ran, who had just carried a pile of dirt back to the dorm, had not witnessed this scene.

But upon his return, seeing that most of the slimes on the ground had turned black.

Recalling that Lim would turn pink when happy, this black color…

Lin Ran’s heart sank, sensing trouble.

When he looked at the woman, Lin Ran recognized her immediately.

It was the extraordinary junior, Xia Li, who had been pregnant with a ‘little black tot’ and still chased him for three months.

Lin Ran wasn’t particularly angry about this matter; after all, she was just one of the extraordinary people he’d encountered, and he had long grown accustomed to it.

But he quickly noticed the dissipating puddle of slime beneath the woman’s foot.

That struggling puddle of slime, half-extended, still clutching a trampled little flower, laboriously crawling towards him.

Lin Ran, who had been a good-natured person for three years, unleashed a killing intent for the very first time in that moment.

…