The Chains of Despair
"It's useless," she said softly. "You'll die…"
I looked at her.
She had given up.
Her eyes were empty, void of hope.
Like she had already accepted her fate.
Something inside me snapped.
"Shut up," I said.
She blinked.
For the first time, a flicker of life returned to her expression.
"You… understand me?"
I took a deep breath. "Yes. And please, just shut up."
Her lips parted slightly, stunned.
"I'm trying to think," I continued. "So just trust me and cooperate, okay?"
For a long moment, she simply stared at me.
Then—
A single tear-like drop slid down her cheek.
"…Okay."
I knelt beside her, inspecting the chains.
"Do you know anything about these? How to remove them?"
She shook her head. "I… I don't know. I was just sleeping peacefully… and then I woke up here." Her voice trembled. "They did… painful things to me."
Her translucent body shook, and for the first time, I saw her truly crying.
My fists clenched.
Those bastards.
Before I could respond—
The door creaked open.
The two figures returned.
They froze at the sight of me.
Then, one of them grinned.
"Oh? It seems we have a new guest."
The second one chuckled. "I just acquired a new power… and I was looking for a test subject. How amusing."
The next moment, he vanished.
Before I could react—
BAM!
A sharp kick slammed into my stomach, launching me across the room.
CRASH!
I collided with the wall, blood spurting from my mouth.
"Cough… cough…" My vision blurred.
The second figure grabbed my collar, lifting me up.
"Not dead yet?" He smirked.
Then—
WHAM!
He threw me again like a ragdoll.
I crashed near the Slime Girl, groaning in pain.
"STOP! PLEASE LEAVE HIM ALONE!" she screamed.
She struggled against her chains, her body shaking violently, but they held her tight.
"Let him go!" she pleaded. "He's weak! He can't do anything!"
The two figures laughed.
"Awww, the monster cares for the human. How adorable."
My blood boiled.
I had to do something.
If I didn't, I was dead.
I scanned the room, searching for anything that could help me.
Nothing.
Damn it.
Then—
I noticed something.
A rock.
At the edge of the chains.
It was barely visible, hidden within the shadows.
But when I had been thrown across the room, I had seen a faint glow coming from it.
Could it be…?
I gritted my teeth.
It was a gamble.
But I had no choice.
I turned to the Slime Girl.
"Hey!" I gasped out.
She looked at me, eyes wide with fear.
"If you get free, can you kill them?"
She flinched. "What?"
The two figures snorted.
"Look at him, talking to a monster like she can understand him."
"Even after experimenting on hundreds of them, we've never understood a single word. And this weakling thinks he can?"
They laughed.
That was their biggest mistake.
The Slime Girl's eyes widened in shock.
Then, she whispered, "Yes. If only these chains were removed… I could kill them."
A smirk tugged at my lips.
"Perfect."
The first figure sighed. "Enough games. Let's kill him and be done with it."
"Bored, huh?" I rasped.
I dashed forward.
They weren't expecting it.
I lunged toward the chains, reaching for the glowing rock.
The moment my fingers touched it—
AGGGGHHHHH!!!
It felt like a thousand knives stabbing into my flesh.
I screamed.
My body convulsed in pure agony.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!" one of the figures roared.
I didn't stop.
I squeezed the rock with everything I had.
"SLIME GIRL… NOW!!!"
The chains shattered.
A shockwave erupted from the Slime Girl's body.
The figures staggered back in horror.
"YOU IDIOT!" one of them shrieked. "DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU'VE DONE?!"
I barely heard them.
My vision faded.
The last thing I saw—
Was the Slime Girl.
Her golden eyes burned with rage.
Her body trembled as her translucent form expanded, her power unleashed.
And her furious gaze locked onto the two figures.
Then—everything went dark.