The light blinded me as it pulled me along what I assumed was a tunnel. Maybe this was expected, maybe it was special treatment from my new ‘friend’. Either way, I didn’t like it in the slightest.

The scariest part was that I couldn’t feel my body at all. It was as though my brain had been an orange, pressed and squeezed until my mind and soul leaked out like juice. Maybe the tunnel was like a straw that had pulled my thoughts away the moment my body had been destroyed. I tried to avoid imagining the scene I had left behind. Whilst this was a scary situation, for some reason my mind focused on the small details to avoid thinking about what had just happened to me.

Hopefully, the others wouldn’t have to deal with the aftermath of my body's destruction.

Think positive. This has to be what she planned, right?

That's when it hit me. The goddess had mentioned how difficult it was to travel to a new world, so much so it taxed even her skills. How was I meant to handle it by myself? It wasn’t like I had any control anyway, so maybe it was on autopilot?

The light vanished as though a switch had been flicked and left me in darkness for several moments. Before I could figure out what was going on a new light appeared, cooler and more gentle than the pure white glare I had been pulled through.

Above me was a clear blue sky. Not a single cloud marred its surface from edge to edge, which allowed the bright sunlight to beam down without any obstruction. Despite that, I still felt comfortable and cool as I glanced to the side. To my right, I saw a huge forest which stretched off into the distance before it met a range of mountains, to the left I could see… a town.

My heartbeat quickened as I spotted the first signs of civilization. This would be my goal, a destination, a target. After everything that had happened up to now, this one thing gave me a focus. I smiled and twisted my head to look down. Far below me I could see a field, spotted with occasional trees and vegetation.

Far… below… me…

Before I could connect the dots and truly panic the threads of light, which had previously held me aloft, broke apart in the cool breeze. My body spun around as I flailed my arms. Try as I might, it was impossible for me to grab on to the tendrils of light before they faded away. The ground rushed up to meet me.

I’m going to die!

At least I had been placed above a bush. Maybe it could break my fall. It was unlikely, but the only hope I had was that this world’s physics didn’t match my own. It was better to cling on to that prospect than it was to just give up. They had sent me here for a reason, so there must be some way that I could survive this fall. Maybe this was just a dream, and I would wake up moments before I hit the ground.

As my speed increased with each second, the bush trembled below me. A large mass popped out of the vegetation, though it wasn’t possible for me to make out what it was as my eyes squinted against the wind. All I could see was a blue smear.

Oh god, is that a person?

I tried to shout, to warn the thing below me, but not a sound came out. It was possible that they would have some insane power and be able to catch me, but if I landed squarely on their head it would be a different matter entirely. The wind rushed into my mouth and blasted the words by down my throat. The thing turned to face me as though it had heard me anyway. I held out my hands towards the figure to wave at it, but as I did so a thin, white layer of light came into view around my arms.

I landed with a huge splat. An expected noise from someone who fell from the sky, but it wasn’t accompanied by the pain I had expected. Something undulated under me as it rocked me back and forth.

I rolled to the side and tumbled off the mass without hesitation. My instinctive response had rewarded me with a short fall to the ground. That was more painful than the initial impact, but at least the fall hadn’t killed me. It took me a few seconds to collect my bearings before I turned to face my saviour.

The bush had vanished, replaced by a heap of blue… jelly? Its surface vibrated softly as I stared at it, not sure how to respond to this new creature. It had saved my life. Accidentally or not, the fact remained I would be dead if it hadn’t cushioned my fall.

The mass had a huge gouge dug out from what would be its head, if it had any features to speak of. The damage was an obvious sign of the force of my fall. Several long stretches of its body had been burned away, which had cut the monster in half almost to its base. The memory of the white light that surrounded me after the transfer sent a shot of guilt into my brain.

Though I hadn’t done it on purpose, it was clear my fall and the white energy had done immense damage to the poor creature.

“Uh, thanks.” I muttered. Though I wasn’t sure if this thing understood my words, it was still worth a try. “Sorry-”

Unfortunately, my well-intentioned words were met with an unexpected response.

The slime bubbled up like a wave and crashed towards me. Luckily, I had backed away a few steps, so a quick jump brought me away from the main impact. The floor beneath my feet became slick with goo as its form collapsed. Maybe the damage I had done was enough to break its shell, though at that point I didn’t much care. I tried to take another step back.

But I couldn’t move my foot.

The residue beneath my feet rose up and glommed on to my boots. The whole mess pulled inward with me as the centre. The thing had used its own body as a trap. It reminded me of a spider, though that comparison was a bit off as the spider didn’t use its own body to absorb its prey.

The slime crept up my leg as it locked down my movement even further. I raised the staff above my head as I searched for a way out of my predicament, though not much came into view that would help. The nearest thing I could have used was a tree around twenty feet away. As the main body of the slime rose up once more a circular object span to face me like an eye within its body.

Would I be crushed or drowned? Either way, I didn’t want to find out.

Before it could launch the final attack its form drooped down once more. Though I couldn’t escape from the bind on my legs, a new target presented itself as the blob melted before me. The large orb broke through the surface, outside of my reach as I tried to grab at it.

But it was close enough for something else.

I raised the staff above my head, closed my eyes and swung it down with all my might. My blow was rewarded with heavy crack as my staff crashed into the unprotected orb.

A wave of slimy goo hit me in the face. The bind around my legs failed as I was pushed out along the field. I coughed out a mouthful of blue slime and lifted myself out of the muck. A large portion of the field had been dyed a dull blue hue as the slime lost its integrity and spread out across the area. It didn’t taste of anything really, which made it worse in a weird way.

As I looked into the puddle I saw the large orb that had acted as its core. My blow left a crack in one side, though luckily for my sanity I couldn’t see anything leaking out from inside. That would have been a little too on the nose for me, especially for the first murder I had committed.

I… killed it.

A small pang of guilt shot up within me before it was stifled by a logical conclusion. It had wanted to kill me, to absorb me… or something along those lines.

It wasn’t like it left me much choice.

That mantra bounced around my brain as I picked up its core and shook off the gooey remnants from its surface. Maybe if it was left it here, the creature would be able to reform itself? At first, I wanted to let nature take its course, but what if it ended up attacking someone else? What if it went after my friends when they arrived?

I couldn’t take the chance. They might not be as lucky as me when they met this monster.

**Collected Slime Queen Core.**

“Wait, what-” I glanced at the core. It had vanished from my grasp the moment the voice echoed out. If I hadn’t held it with my own hand moments ago it would have been easy to believe it had never existed at all. The blue slime had sunk into the ground as the grass revealed itself once more.

Wait... if it was collected, I should still have it, right?

"Inventory! Show items! Items! Gear screen!"

My shouts echoed through the fields as I ran through every combination of words I could think of. Not a single one of them gave me a list, or the option to bring back what had been stolen. A quick glance confirmed that no one had appeared to question my odd outburst, but that only partially resolved my irritation.

I'll have to figure it out later. It isn't voice activated, so maybe I need to learn something to get access to it?

No sign remained of the battle that had just taken place. Only a faint layer of blue muck remained on the leaves of the bush nearby. It was as if the slime queen had never existed.

Other than the fact I was covered in a thin layer of blue goo, of course.

I glanced at myself and took in my outfit. My body seemed the same as my old one, though my clothes were much more outlandish then I remembered. My shirt and jeans had vanished, replaced by a pale blue set of armour made of tough yet pliable material. When I gripped my arm with all my strength, no sense of pain or pressure rose up.

It did flex under my hand, however. It was like a rubber based leather jacket, soft to the touch as my fingers sunk into it. Several key areas had been layered with light grey protective plates, like the centre of my chest, my hands and my elbows. I didn’t have much faith in it to stand up against a giant slime monster, but it was better than nothing.

The odd design gave the outfit a peculiar, mix and matched look. I could only hope that other people’s clothes would be more bizarre than mine.

It wasn’t what I would have chosen, but at least it was something. After a full check to make sure there weren’t any more oddities, I managed to calm myself. The slime had been absorbed into the ground, which I found ironic. Other than the tattered bush in the distance, no other sign remained of the fierce battle.

No use staying here anymore…

**Congratulations. You have levelled up.**