The Slime Doesn't Die from Mana Transfer

Rozelite felt certain she was having a nightmare.

Just a moment ago, she had been walking with her elder brother in the back garden, full of anticipation for the birthday celebration the next day.

Then, all of a sudden, her head had grown heavy.

And she had fainted.

What followed was an endless series of nightmares—dreams of being kidnapped by human traffickers, of them quarreling loudly about how to deal with her, occasionally forcing strange potions down her throat. Her head had remained foggy, she could never fully wake, and her body had no strength at all.

Later, she was loaded onto a carriage.

She had no idea how long the jolting ride lasted—she could never regain consciousness.

Sometimes, it even felt as though something was squirming around inside her belly.

A dream?

It must be a dream.

It has to be a dream.

Because if it wasn’t… why hadn’t Father sent someone to rescue her yet?

And besides, she had been walking with her elder brother at the time. If she had been taken, was her brother safe?

Such questions swirled endlessly in Rozelite’s chaotic mind until she finally summoned the courage to open her eyes and face reality—

Only to see a pale-blue tentacle tipped with an eyeball sticking out of her mouth, swaying in front of her face.

“Wuuuuuuuuuuuhh—!”

Rozelite’s eyes went wide.

She instinctively grabbed the tentacle, trying to yank it out of her mouth.

The sudden movement startled Russell.

“Hey! You little brat, don’t just yank things around!”

But Rozelite ignored him. She only wanted one thing—to immediately, right this instant, rip this disgusting thing out of her mouth!

Yet the moment she pulled with even a little strength—

Agonizing pain shot through her body, as though her internal organs were convulsing all at once, and she collapsed to the ground.

“Uhh… uuhhh…”

The pain made Rozelite want to cry.

But with a tentacle stuffed in her mouth, she couldn’t.

Watching her roll on the ground in agony, Russell could only feel helpless.

Honestly, he had gone through great effort to save her life, and yet here she was acting like he was some heinous villain.

Anyway, best to try talking first.

He retracted the tentacle, then scrolled through his skill list until he found [Mental Integration], a pitiful Lv. 3 skill… It was something he had obtained from tribal leaders on various dungeon floors. It wasn’t nearly enough for full-on mental domination, but for simple communication with his parasitic host—it was sufficient.

“Alright, calm down and listen to me carefully!”

And why didn’t Russell just speak with a mouth?

Because he was a slime.

And slimes didn’t have mouths.

Strangely enough, his words seemed to work. Rozelite’s thrashing body went rigid and froze in place.

Huh. She was surprisingly obedient.

Russell hadn’t realized that Rozelite was simply scared out of her wits.

“What is happening? A tentacle monster in my belly… and it’s talking inside my head? Could it be…”

Her mind conjured the terrifying image of dozens of twisting tendrils wrapping around her brain, their ends burrowing deep into her mind.

“Alright, child, listen to me.”

Russell straightened his thoughts and said seriously.

“Your injuries are very severe. Without timely treatment, I’d give you ten minutes at best. But don’t worry—I’ve already used my body to stabilize your wounds for now.”

“Eh?”

Rozelite blinked in confusion.

“What, is it that hard to understand? Didn’t you realize you were badly injured?”

“Uh, Mister Tentacle Monster… are you saying you saved me?”

Rozelite asked hesitantly.

“…?”

Tentacle monster? What kind of nonsense title was that?

“First of all, let’s be clear—I’m not a tentacle monster. I’m a slime. Secondly, yes, I did save you. Otherwise, you’d already be dead.”

“I see. Then… thank you, Mister Ten—uh, Mister Slime.”

Rozelite gave a small bow to the empty air in front of her, though it wasn’t clear whom exactly she was thanking.

“….”

Forget it. At least communication seemed possible now.

Just as Russell was thinking of what to say next, Rozelite timidly spoke up.

“Um… Mister Slime, could you please come out of my belly?”

“No.”

Russell rejected the request without hesitation.

“Your injuries are really that severe. All I’ve done is patch up your broken organs with my body. To be blunt—if I leave now, you won’t survive ten minutes.”

“Ah…?”

Rozelite’s little face turned deathly pale.

To make sure she believed him, Russell partially withdrew the [Parasitism] skill, pulling back the tiny tendrils threaded throughout her body. The result was immediate—excruciating pain coursed through her every limb and organ, draining what little color remained in her face.

“Now you understand, right?”

Russell wasn’t exaggerating. Half her internal organs were shattered, a third of her bones broken. By all rights, she should’ve been a corpse already.

At this point, he was only keeping her alive—a sort of “low HP lock buff,” so to speak.

“I… I understand…”

Sweat beaded on Rozelite’s forehead as she trembled.

“M-Mister Slime, p-please come back in…”

“….”

Why did that sound so wrong?

Whatever.

[Parasitism Lv. 5]

As the skill activated once more, Russell resumed control over the girl’s body.

This time, she finally stayed obedient.

“Good. Now, look to your right,” Russell spoke through [Mental Integration].

Rozelite turned her head. Nothing special was there—just a passage. At its bend, a faint glow seemed to shine.

“Mister Slime, there’s nothing there,” Rozelite said softly.

“I know there’s nothing there,” Russell replied.

“That’s the dungeon’s exit.”

“Listen closely. There are many monsters in this labyrinth. If they find you, you—this scrawny bean sprout—wouldn’t even be enough to fill the gap between their teeth. On top of that, your injuries need real treatment quickly. So your top priority is leaving the labyrinth.”

“I-I understand.”

Rozelite drew a deep breath.

She tried standing, finding that while her body still ached, she could move well enough. She began walking down the passage.

And as Russell had said, at the end of it lay the labyrinth’s exit.

It wasn’t long before she could already see the world outside.

“It’s here!” 

Russell’s nerves tightened. His previous attempt to leave had failed—likely because he had been the dominant consciousness at the time. The labyrinth had classified him as a monster, triggering its mechanisms.

Now, with Rozelite as the one in control, surely this would work.

But things did not go as Russell imagined.

Just as Rozelite neared the exit, violet lightning once again crackled into existence from the void.

Rozelite froze in shock.

“Oh, shit!”

Russell’s voice boomed inside her mind.

“You unlucky kid, why are you standing there?! Run!”