Chapter 3

Summary up to the previous chapter:

The incident where I was brutally beaten in a different world and became distrustful of humans.

3

"…Right, humans are nothing but trash."

I woke up to the sound of my own voice. I was in a dark place. It looked like a small cave.

I couldn't remember what I was doing before I fell asleep. What was I doing?

Holding my heavy head, I sat up. Only then did I notice another presence.

"Uwah!"

Next to me was a monster that we call a slime.

"…!?"

Then I remembered everything.

I let out a scream and crouched, covering my head. Of course, such a reflex was meaningless.

I waited for the inevitable destruction—then I tilted my head in confusion.

"…?"

The slime showed no signs of attacking me. It shouldn't be like this.

The slime just stood there. It must have noticed me.

"Why…?"

As I lowered my hands from my head, I noticed something important.

"Huh? I have my arms?"

If my memory serves me right, before I lost consciousness, the slime in front of me had digested one of my arms.

I should have at least been severely injured, if not missing an arm entirely.

However, my hands were still there. My fingers moved freely at my will.

Not only that, but even the small injuries were gone.

It wasn't just my arms. The pain from the wounds all over my body, which had been aching, was completely gone.

"Why…?"

As if to answer my question, the slime approached me.

I somehow knew it had no hostility. …Why, I wonder.

I was certain.

If the slime in front of me had intended to harm me, it would have melted my entire body while I was unconscious. I thought of this, but it wasn't the fundamental reason for my judgment that the slime had no hostility. On a more instinctual level, I was certain that "this is not an enemy."

"Huh?"

While I was puzzled by this inexplicable certainty, the slime extended several tentacles toward me.

The tentacles touched my knee. They felt smoother than I expected, and a slight pain ran through me. I must have scraped my knee when I hastily crouched and covered my head. There was a small abrasion on my knee.

A small white light appeared at the tip of the tentacle that was caressing my knee.

"!?"

The light drew a complex geometric pattern. I knew from my one-month life in this different world that this was called a magic circle. It was something the cheaters used.

The light of magic represents attributes. White is light, which is good at exorcism and healing.

When the tentacle retracted, my injuries were completely healed. Now, I could understand the situation.

"Could it be… you saved me?"

I asked, but there was no response. Of course not. The other party is a monster. However, it was clear that this thing was on my side.

There was an unfounded certainty that it was my ally. With all these hints, my rational mind was finally grasping the situation.

"…Ah, I see."

A whisper escaped my lips like a sigh.

"Is this my cheater ability?"

Out of the thousand people who were transported to this different world, three hundred awakened to cheater abilities. I had been thinking about the difference between those who have them and those who don't. Now, I realize how off the mark my thoughts were.

Probably, the seven hundred students just hadn't noticed their own abilities, like me.

There's no way to notice an ability like 'making monsters your followers' while hiding in a safe place.

"…Isn't this great?"

In this world, where I was suddenly thrown into, I had been injured and nearly died. I realized that I needed power to survive.

I needed my own independent power.

Because humans can't be trusted. They betray. I know this. Even my classmates, who sat next to me, broke my ribs and laughed at me.

Surviving alone.

This power was for that.

I can't trust human companions… but for some reason, I could accept the monster as my follower. My instincts told me it was okay.

It's a strange story, but to me, it felt natural.

"Please take care of me from now on."

I stroked the slime's body. The smooth surface felt good.

"Um… you need a name."

Looking at its jelly-like appearance, I named it on the spot.

"You are Lily."

I gave it a female name for no particular reason.

If I think about it normally, it's impossible to give a name that suggests a gender to a creature that doesn't have one. So, maybe this thing is really female, and my cheater ability sensed its gender.

In any case.

"Please take care of me from now on. I need your help to survive."

Even though I can't trust humans, it seems like something in me as a human is broken to be saying this to a monster.

But it's fine. If it helps me survive, anything is fine.

And so, I obtained my power.

◆Thank you for reading up to this point.

Your feedback would be greatly appreciated.

◆I'm not quite sure how to post. I'll figure it out as I go.

◆The next update is scheduled for tomorrow, December 15th (Sunday).