A Dream’s Aftermath and the Second Wave’s Arrival

With considerable effort, he pried open his aching eyes, then stretched his body in a long, languid arch.

The first sight to greet him was Lim’s face, flushed with a shy demureness.

She was nestled close beside him, her cheeks burning a vibrant red.

The very eyes that had shimmered with youthful innocence and vivacity just yesterday now seemed to radiate a nascent maternal glow.

Cradled in her arms were several soft, squishy little things, and she gazed at him with an expression of eager anticipation.

These tiny creatures were entirely transparent, each encasing a brilliant blue core, and they blinked at him with wide-eyed curiosity.

They were, unmistakably, several miniature slimes.

“What is it? Are these little slimes feeling unwell?”

Lin Ran, perplexed, wondered why Lim would present these tiny slimes to him.

Upon hearing his words, Lim, however, covered her mouth and let out a soft, secretive giggle.

“Master, look, these are your little babies.”

As she spoke, she shyly nudged the slimes cradled in her arms even closer to Lin Ran.

“…”

Lin Ran’s mind reeled once more, utterly bewildered.

‘Babies?’

‘Mine?’

‘Are slimes truly creatures that can produce offspring simply by sleeping next to someone?’

‘Or did I, in my sleep, unknowingly accomplish some cross-species feat?’

‘No… I’m half-slime myself, so perhaps it’s not truly cross-species?’

‘Regardless, this is far too fantastical!’

With trembling hands, he was already prepared to open his system panel, seeking any absurd achievement notifications that might appear.

Perhaps something like [Slime Breeder], [Reproductive Isolation Invalidated], or [Pervert Who Preys on Lolis].

—Naturally, the system, at this moment, was as silent as a corpse, offering not a single peep.

“What… what is happening?”

He abruptly sat up, his gaze darting between the tiny slimes and Lim, his entire being plunged into utter confusion.

A deeper blush spread across Lim’s cheeks, and her small hand instinctively gave Lin Ran a gentle push.

“Master, last night was truly an intense one.”

Upon hearing her words, Lin Ran lost all inclination to retort, his mind already a chaotic mess.

The entire world, it seemed, began to spin wildly in sync with his reeling thoughts—

In the next moment, Lin Ran opened his eyes once more.

This time, there was no Lim to rouse him, nor any tiny babies.

The dorm room lay cloaked in shadows, only a faint sliver of sunlight piercing through the window.

Dawn was about to break.

He turned his head to see Lim still deeply asleep.

In the corner, the pile of slimes also slumbered peacefully.

“Hoo…”

Lin Ran let out a long breath, his back already drenched in cold sweat.

‘It was all a dream.’

‘Thank goodness, thank goodness. This way, the system shouldn’t label me a pervert.’

‘Still, that dream felt incredibly real…’

‘Could it be that what one thinks about by day, one dreams about by night?’

‘No, no, I’m a proper person. Why would I think about such things during the day? I must simply be too tired.’

Lin Ran shook his head, attempting to dislodge the preposterous dream from his mind.

He rose, picked up his phone, and intended to check the time.

Today marked the second day of the apocalypse.

Under the influence of the invisible barrier (TL Note: Refers to an ‘air wall’ or ‘force field’ that often appears in apocalypse settings to contain or separate areas, frequently causing resource disruption.), power and water outages were an inevitability.

While his phone was still functional, he needed to make the most of it.

The moment the screen lit up, a message from the Freshmen Group popped into view.

[Second Wave of Monsters: Dolls, ]

[Dolls will attack in endless waves, and their strength will increase exponentially. Please prepare accordingly.]

[We wish you all, once again, prosperous martial fortunes (TL Note: A traditional blessing for warriors, wishing them success and good luck in battle.).]

Indeed, the second wave of enemies had arrived.

Lin Ran’s heart immediately clenched.

‘But… dolls?’

‘These usually appear more in ghost stories. Do they really possess combat strength?’

‘And… an exponential increase? Isn’t that a bit too terrifying!’

‘The only problem is…’

‘It looks like there might be more to write after “Dolls”?’

He rolled out of bed, walked over to Lim, and gently nudged her body.

“Lim, wake up, there’s a situation.”

Lim’s body swayed slightly, and her eyes slowly fluttered open.

Yet, she didn’t immediately cling to him as she usually would, merely emitting a faint ‘gurgle’.

Rubbing her eyes, she then stood upright.

“Master, good morning.”

It was a remarkably vacant greeting, devoid of a maiden’s usual vivacity or Lim’s characteristic enthusiasm.

‘Not fully awake?’

‘Something’s not right.’

Lin Ran hurried to the corner to check on the small slimes.

Their condition was identical; each one appeared listless, completely unresponsive to his touch.

‘What on earth is going on?’

‘It seems only one method can confirm it.’

Lin Ran gently stroked Lim’s head.

There was no reaction whatsoever.

He pulled her into an embrace—

Still, she offered no response, like a doll devoid of a soul.

A sense of ominous foreboding began to creep over him.

Lin Ran’s face flushed, and facing the vibrant, beautiful girl before him, he took a deep, fortifying breath.

“If she still doesn’t react after this, then something is truly wrong.”

Then—he leaned in and kissed her.

This time, Lim’s body momentarily glowed with a faint pink hue, but it instantly reverted to its original state.

Indeed, his suspicions were confirmed.

There was something amiss with Lim’s condition.

Previously, this little creature would have likely melted into a puddle of pink slime by now.

If his guess was correct, there were two possibilities.

Either Lim had been swapped out last night.

However, considering the difficulty and necessity of such a switch, while possible, it wasn’t highly probable.

Or, it was a direct consequence of the second wave’s offensive.

‘Hypnosis? A negative status effect? Psychic damage?’

He didn’t know.

But what he did know was this—

Outside the dorm room door, a strange ‘clack-clack’ sound had already begun to echo.

‘The enemies have arrived!!’

“Lim, I don’t know what problem you’re facing right now.”

“But, come and fight with me!”

Indeed, as soon as those words were uttered, the slimes transformed into their humanoid forms, and Lim, too, adopted a combat stance.

Though their gazes remained vacant, they would still instinctively protect themselves.

‘No… not necessarily instinct. This feels more like a pre-programmed response, and the incongruity is severe.’

“Clack-clack.”

The sound grew closer, finally halting just outside his door.

Immediately afterward, a scratching sound, ‘hiss… hiss…’, began.

They were clawing at the door.

Lin Ran did not act rashly. Instead, he transformed into a slime and slipped out through the gap beneath the door.

Peeking out with one eye, he surveyed the situation outside.

At the entrance of each dorm room stood several doll-like figures, clad in dresses, their bodies moving with mechanical precision.

Their faces were devoid of expression, and they merely scratched frantically at the doors.

[Love Detection Eye], activated!

[Doll: (Very Ordinary)]

[Love Potential: 0 (She cannot develop feelings of love)]

‘Hmm, they really are dolls.’

‘The system isn’t much help right now either.’

‘But… they can’t even scratch through the door? Isn’t that a bit too weak?’

Lin Ran squeezed to the very top of the doorframe, pushing half his body through.

Then—he sprayed corrosive fluid at them.

The instant the dolls made contact with the corrosive fluid, thick black smoke billowed forth, and their clothing was instantly corroded away, leaving not a trace.

The dolls’ true forms—their wooden bodies hidden beneath the clothing—rapidly blackened under the corrosive fluid, swiftly losing all ability to move.

‘That’s it?’

The strength of the first wave of dolls was, frankly, far below what he had anticipated.

Lin Ran, still hidden in the door gap, peered left and right, uncertain when the next wave of dolls would arrive.

However, no sooner had that thought crossed his mind than the ‘clack-clack’ sound began again, emanating from directly below him.

The dolls rose from the ground in an exceedingly bizarre manner… no, it would be more accurate to say they were dragged upright.

As if puppets controlled by invisible strings, they were forcefully pulled from the floor.

Both their previously corroded bodies and the clothes draped over them reverted to their original state with visible speed.

Their wooden bodies turned a dark crimson, and in their formerly lifeless eyes, a crimson glow now flickered.

Most crucially, each of them now clutched a sharp fire axe in their hands.

Lin Ran activated his Love Detection Eye once more.

[Doll: (Enhanced Rank 1)]

[Love Potential: 0 (She does not understand what love is)]

Lin Ran glanced at the entrances of the other dorm rooms; the dolls there had also transformed into their enhanced versions at almost the exact same moment.

‘Exponential growth… indeed…’

‘It seems… this will truly be a tough battle.’

…