Let's go on an adventure

Toma groaned, stretching as consciousness crept in like a nosy neighbor.

His hand moved automatically, ritualistically, to the side. It expected to meet the cold, plastic edge of his ever-so-irritating alarm clock.

Instead… it met something soft.

Something warm.

Something... jiggly.

His eyes flew open.

Two mountains. Inches from his face. Covered in silk. Rising and falling softly with every breath.

Toma froze. His hand still rested against one of them like a terrified traveler at the base of Mt. Fuji.

“…oh no.”

He yanked it back like it was on fire. “SORRY! That was—! I didn’t mean—! I thought—!”

Shizuka jerked away, clearly just as flustered, cheeks now glowing a bright crimson. “It’s… it’s alright, Young Master! I-I understand. Boys your age are full of… impulses!”

“No no no no—It was muscle memory! I thought this was still my bed! My real bed!”

She stood up in a rush, fists balled at her sides, head bowed so low her bangs covered everything. “I-I’ll be waiting outside! Please dress quickly!”

She practically sprinted from the room, the door clicking shut behind her like punctuation on a crime.

Toma sat there, jaw slack, blanket tangled around his legs.

Then it hit him.

Wait.

He had just woken up.

He had slept.

Like, actually slept inside a dream.

That wasn’t normal. Nobody dreams of sleeping.

“…Okay,” he muttered. “That’s a new one.”

He slid out of bed with a sigh, limbs sore. Which was dumb. Dreams didn’t give you sore muscles.

Still rubbing his shoulder, he shuffled over to the small wooden basin in the corner and splashed his face. Then he looked up at the mirror above it.

His reflection blinked back.

Sharp jaw. Perfectly tousled hair. Anime protagonist glow-up still in full effect.

“Still handsome,” Toma mumbled.

He narrowed his eyes.

“Alright. Time for a little reality check.”

He waved at the mirror. It waved back.

“Okay. So far so good.”

He concentrated. *Change my face.Give me green hair. Or a scar. Or fox ears. Something cool.*

Nothing.

He tried again—squinting like he was doing a psychic challenge.

Still nothing.

The mirror version just stared at him. A little too still.

“C’mon, I’m lucid,” he muttered. “I’ve done this before. I just need to concentrate.”

He furrowed his brow, focused harder, even did a little spin for dramatic effect.

Nothing. No change. No magic.

Just that same stupidly flawless face staring back at him like it was the real one and he was the reflection.

“…Whatever,” he said, backing off. “Probably just lag. Or bad dream signal. Happens.”

...

..

.

Toma stepped out into the hallway, Shizuka stood a few paces down, posture straight but tense—like someone trying really hard to pretend nothing happened five minutes ago. Her eyes flicked to him for a second, then immediately looked away.

Kaien was waiting near the inn's door, arms crossed, already armed and polished like he'd been standing there since dawn.

“Morning,” Toma offered, voice cracking slightly.

“Good morning, Young Master,” Shizuka said quickly, her voice a bit too high-pitched to sound natural.

Kaien gave a slow nod. “ Morning Young master.”

“Morning. So, Guild?”

“We should register for a proper quest,” Shizuka said. 

Kaien added, “I suggest slime extermination. Statistically safe. Low lethality. High visibility.”

The guild was already buzzing with activity when they arrived.

Dozens of adventurers lounged around scarred wooden tables, laughing, shouting, sharpening weapons. The air smelled like sweat, firewood, and slightly burnt meat. Along the far wall were two massive bulletin boards—one cluttered with handwritten job postings, the other filled with wanted posters and monster silhouettes marked with red stamps.

Toma’s gamer brain lit up. *Yup. Classic adventurer guild vibes.*

Behind a sturdy stone counter stood a guild receptionist: a woman in her thirties with sleeves rolled up and hair tied in a practical bun. She had the tired look of someone who’d processed too many idiots this morning already.

"New applicats?" She asked.

“Not new,” Shizuka replied smoothly. “Just looking to pick up a beginner quest. We are all C-ranks.”

*C-rank?*

Toma raised an eyebrow but didn’t say anything. He hadn’t really asked about how the guild ranked people yet—but that didn’t stop his inner gamer brain from immediately connecting the dots.

*Okay. Letter ranks. Classic.*

If this world worked like any RPG he’d ever played, then it probably went something like:

F-rank – tutorial trash mob tier.

E-rank – barely a step up.

D-rank – local guard patrol material.

C-rank – mid-tier adventurer.

B-rank – elite squads, flashy magic, some actual plot relevance.

A-rank – main character energy.

S-rank – Fight dragons. Destroy kingdoms in one night. Date princesses.

*Yeah. That sounds about right.*

He glanced at Shizuka, who looked like she could kill a bear blindfolded, and Kaien, who probably had a move named “Heaven-Splitting Blade” or something.

*Tch. No way these two are mid-tier. They’re just babysitting me.*

The woman pulled out a book and flipped to a dog-eared page. “Let’s see… Ah. Slime activity’s up again west of the village. Low-risk assignment, mostly nuisance work. One bronze mark per kill, plus bonus for clearing any nests.”

“Perfect,” Toma said. “Let’s go squish some jelly.”

The receptionist handed them a parchment slip stamped with a wax seal. “Bring back at least five cores as proof. And remember—don’t die. We don’t do corpse retrieval outside town walls.”

Toma laughed nervously. “Ha. Right. Totally not dying. Love that.”

The receptionist was already looking at the next group behind them.

...

..

.

The three of them made their way through the outer edge of Mikazuki, passing by crooked fences and small farmlands that flanked the village’s walls. The gates were open, guarded by two sleepy-looking men in leather armor who barely looked up as they passed.

The dirt road ahead turned into patchy grassland, with the forest looming not far beyond—tall, spindly trees clustered like gossiping shadows.

Toma walked between Kaien and Shizuka, spinning the quest slip in his fingers like a fidget toy.

“So,” he said casually, “are we really all C-ranks?”

Shizuka blinked. Then looked at Kaien.

Kaien looked at her.

They both looked back at him with matching expressions—like parents humoring a toddler who just asked where the sun goes at night.

“Master,” Shizuka said gently, “have you already forgotten? We cannot measure your rank. This was the whole point of this journey.”

Kaien nodded. “Indeed. You insisted this expedition would help you test your limits. A controlled wilderness environment with low-threat targets and minimal civilian exposure.”

Toma blinked.

Then blinked again.

*What.*

He almost tripped on his own foot. “Oh. Right. Of course. That.”

He straightened up and nodded like he’d known that the whole time.

*What the hell is this dream trying to pull now? I don’t remember saying any of that!*

But his companions looked completely convinced. Like this had always been the plan.

Like he had always been some kind of mysterious OP protagonist with an unreadable power level and a quest for self-discovery.

*Okay. Now this dream is just showing off.

Still…*

As they stepped off the dirt path into the sun-dappled edge of the woods, the warm breeze brushing against his face, the weight of the wooden sword on his back, and the low hum of insects buzzing through the grass—

Toma smiled.

*...Yeah. This is still more fun than the real world. I’ll play along for now.*

...

..

.

They didn't get far before the first slime appeared.

A pale blue blob the size of a beach ball flopped into view between two rocks, wobbling like a gelatin soufflé with legs. It bounced once. Twice.

Then made a weird squelch that Toma chose to interpret as a battle cry.

Kaien didn’t even draw his sword—he just tapped it with the side of his scabbard. The slime popped like an overripe melon.

Shizuka sliced the next one in half before it even finished bouncing.

Toma stared. “...That was kind of brutal.”

“They multiply quickly,” Kaien said, already wiping off his scabbard. “Efficiency is important.”

A third slime tried to sneak up from behind. Toma spotted it and swung his wooden sword with all the dramatic flair of a shounen anime character.

“HYAAH—!”

The sword bounced harmlessly off the slime’s jiggly surface and flopped to the ground.

The slime wobbled in confusion.

Toma stared at it. The slime stared back.

Then Shizuka gently pushed him aside and bisected it in one clean stroke.

“…thanks,” he muttered.

They continued on, deeper into the woods, picking off slimes here and there, some hiding in logs, others emerging from muddy puddles. The sun climbed higher overhead, the shadows shifting as the forest thinned into a glade.

Then the birds went quiet.

The air changed.

Kaien’s hand moved to his sword hilt.

Toma felt it before he saw it, a thud through the ground, soft at first, then stronger.

Another thud. Closer. Wet. Heavy.

Something moved at the top of the ridge, above the glade.

Then it came into view.

A slime.

No. The slime.

Easily five meters tall. A pulsating mass of purple goo, rippling with unnatural energy. Its surface shimmered like oil in the sun, and at its core—floating deep within its gelatinous body—was a glowing red nucleus.

A Slime King.

It didn’t bounce.

It crawled, and every inch it moved pressed down on the earth like a growing god of ooze and death.

Toma took one step back.

“…Okay,” he said. “That’s not beginner level.”

...

..

.

The Slime King launched.

It crashed down like a living tsunami, the ground shuddering beneath its mass. Toma barely rolled away as a crushing wave of slime and muck slammed where he’d just stood.

Shizuka charged, blade gleaming, slicing deep into the shimmering gelatinous hide.

The wound sealed instantly with a wet squelch, like cutting into wet jelly that immediately closed up behind the blade.

Without missing a beat, the Slime King whipped out a massive pseudopod and smashed Shizuka mid-stride.

She flew through the air, crashing into the dirt with a sickening crack, blood spraying in an arc from her mouth. Limbs sprawled, she lay still, unmoving.

“Shizuka!” Toma screamed, panic choking his voice.

Kaien leapt forward, sword drawn, eyes sharp and cold.

He struck with all his might, but the slime’s surface rippled like water, the blade passing through before the wound vanished.

The Slime King retaliated with terrifying speed, slamming Kaien into a nearby tree. The bark splintered and cracked beneath the impact.

Kaien collapsed to the ground, blood pooling beneath him.

Toma’s knees shook. His hands trembled. Blood stained the earth around his fallen friends.

*This. This is a nightmare!*

The Slime King loomed over him, the crimson core pulsing like a dark heartbeat.

Fear screamed in Toma’s chest, his breath ragged.

The Slime King struck.

A massive tendril whipped out, faster than Toma could react. It slammed into his chest like a freight train made of tar.

CRACK.

Toma flew through the air.

He hit a tree, hard.

Wood splintered. Something in his ribs did too. He collapsed into a heap at the base of the trunk, gasping for air. His vision swam. His ears rang. The edges of his world fuzzed out.

The Slime King reared up, blocking the sun like a living eclipse. The red core pulsed brighter, hungrier.

Toma’s body wouldn’t move.

Pain burned through every nerve.

*This is a nightmare…* he thought. *This is just a stupid dream…*

Then..Memories.

Like someone had ripped open the floodgates of his brain.

His father’s voice: “Stop wasting time with games. You’ll never make anything of yourself.”

A teacher’s smirk: “Some people just aren’t cut out for success.”

His classmates. The way they looked through him. Laughed behind his back.

The silence at lunch. The fake friends. The lonely walks home.

Every cruel word. Every disappointment. Every moment that whispered: "You’re nothing. You’ll never matter."

*Is this it?* Toma thought. *Even in my own dream… my own fantasy… I’m still a loser? Still weak? Still helpless?*

*No.*

His hand twitched.

Then closed into a fist.

*No.*

He gritted his teeth, forcing himself up, blood dripping from his lip. His legs shook. His body screamed. But he moved.

He stepped forward.

He grabbed the wooden sword from the dirt.

And raised it.

The Slime King paused.

Everything paused.

The wind died.

The birds went silent.

The world… held its breath.

Toma pointed the sword at the monster towering over him.

His voice rang clear—not loud, but absolute.

“This is my dream.”

Time stopped.

Even the Slime King froze, mid-slither.

“So I cannot lose.”

A burst of energy exploded from his body, cracking the ground beneath him.

The wooden sword ignited with blinding white light, humming with raw, untamed power.

The pressure knocked leaves from trees. The sky shimmered.

Toma’s eyes glowed—no, burned—with the light of someone who had decided.

And before the Slime King could even move—

Toma was already past him.

The slime’s body trembled.

Split.

And fell apart.

Cleanly sliced down the middle, from top to core, like a divine judgment passed.

...

..

.

They stepped out of the guild into the fading afternoon light.

The sky was streaked with orange and gold, like it had been brushed on with a lazy painter’s hand. Toma flipped a gold coin into the air, catching it on reflex. It made a satisfying clink as it landed in his palm.

“Extra pay,” he muttered, “for slaying an enemy that.. was uncalled for."

The receptionist had looked very concerned when they’d reported the Slime King. The words “That shouldn’t be possible” had come up more than once. But gold was gold.

Beside him, Shizuka adjusted her sheath, face calm as ever. Not a scratch on her. Kaien stood tall too, pristine as if he hadn’t been ragdolled into a tree less than two hours ago.

Toma glanced at them both. “So, uh… how exactly are you two perfectly fine?”

Shizuka smiled gently. “Young Master, you activated your power. Your energy must’ve restored us.”

“Or perhaps it was divine intervention,” Kaien added.

But even as he joked, a chill crawled up Toma’s spine.

He looked down at the coin again. Let it spin on his thumb.

Everything was too real.

The soreness in his arms. The warmth of the sun. The weight of the sword at his side. Shizuka’s awkward blush. Kaien’s dry sarcasm.

Dreams didn’t last this long. They didn’t have this much...continuity. And no matter how vivid, no dream had ever made his heart race like it did when he saw Shizuka bleeding out in the dirt.

*Maybe… maybe I’m in a coma,* he thought. *Some kind of long-term, deep sleep scenario. Medical drama stuff.*

*Or maybe I died, and this is the afterlife.

Either way… it’s not like I can do anything about it.*

He sighed, pocketed the coin, and turned to Kaien.

“Hey,” he said. “You said earlier that I wanted to test my limits, right?”

Kaien nodded slowly. “Yes, Young Master.”

Toma's expression sharpened. “Then I want to fight a demon lord.”

Both Kaien and Shizuka visibly stiffened.

Kaien hesitated only a moment, then bowed his head. “Although I strongly advise against it, if you must… perhaps we start with one of the five. Immortal Dragon.”

“Immortal Dragon?” Toma echoed, eyes lighting up like a kid hearing about his first boss fight.

Kaien continued: “He oppresses his people, wages unnecessary wars, and rules through fear and flame. Of all the demon lords, he is the most vile. If we are to begin this crusade… it makes sense to start with him.”

Toma grinned. *Sounds like an endgame raid boss to me.*

“Alright. Immortal Dragon it is.”

The wind picked up slightly, rustling through the banners above the guild, lifting his hair. He looked up at the horizon, firelight from the sunset glinting in his eyes.

*I don’t know why this dream feels so real.

I don’t know why I seem to be losing control of it.

But one thing’s for sure…*

He clenched his fist.

*This is going to be one heck of a ride.*