Transmigrated as the Cuck.... WTF!!!-Chapter 131. Slime protagonist?

The holographic display flickered once before the information printed itself onto a sleek, square black card.

Neon blue edges pulsed along its surface like faint circuit veins, and as the light dimmed, the employee plucked it from the air and handed it over to me with the most monotonous bow I’d ever seen.

"Please come back later," he droned, already halfway back to his seat, probably planning to re-enter his phone-induced coma.

I tucked the card into my palm, but before I could even get a proper look, Kaelira elbowed me in the side.

"Hey," she said, grinning with a mischievous glint in her eye. "Let me see your stats. You just got registered, so it should all be N/A or zero—but I still wanna check."

I shrugged and tossed the card over to her. "Knock yourself out."

To be honest, the card didn’t look all that special—just matte black with sharp corners, highlighted with glowing cyan trim that pulsed faintly with mana or whatever sci-fi magic powered this place.

It looked cool, sure, but not nearly as impressive as the way Kaelira’s expression changed the second she read it.

Her pupils dilated in real time. Her body jolted back like she’d just been slapped. Then—

"What the hell!!" she shrieked.

I winced, flinching at the sudden auditory assault, and turned to her with a slow blink. "What happened? Why are you yelling?" I asked, voice dripping with mild annoyance.

She stomped over and slammed her hand against my back hard enough to make me stagger forward. "You’re a rank above me!" she exclaimed, pointing at the card as if it had just committed a crime. "I didn’t know you were this strong! And you’re only twenty-two!"

I raised a brow and rubbed my shoulder. "You’re telling me you recruited me without gauging my abilities first? That’s some real tactical genius right there."

She groaned dramatically, shoving the card back into my hands. "I assumed you’d be at my level. At best. I mean, sure, you had potential, and the chaos in the arena proved you were bold—but surpassing me? That’s just..." she paused, exhaling hard. "I’m embarrassed. And a little envious, not gonna lie. It hurts my fucking pride."

That last line made me pause.

My eyes widened slightly, then I laughed under my breath. Her expression was so genuine—lips twisted, brows furrowed, like she’d just swallowed her pride with a side of salt. "Wow," I said, cocking my head. "Not many people can admit that kind of thing so easily. You’re shameless."

She rolled her eyes and flicked my forehead. "I’m only shameless when I choose to be. Accepting someone’s better qualities isn’t shameless—it’s honest. Don’t read too much into it."

I smirked. "Sounds like something a shameless person would say."

She groaned and brushed past me. "You need to socialize more. Like, with real people."

"I try," I muttered, trailing behind her. "They keep dying or trying to kill me. Not the best odds for small talk."

Kaelira huffed a short laugh. "C’mon. Let’s hit the arcade. We’ll start earning some RHB, then rest up. After that, we focus on monitoring Vaylin."

I nodded, slipping the ID card into a hidden pocket. "Fine by me. I’ve also got some meetings lined up—personal stuff. I need to meet the Dukes soon."

She slowed for a moment and glanced over her shoulder, eyes narrowing just slightly. "Anything I should know about?"

I met her gaze with a lazy smile. "Probably. But I’m not gonna tell you."

She stared, then sighed and shook her head. "Just don’t stab me in the back."

That pulled a low chuckle from me. "What if I did?"

Kaelira didn’t even look at me when she replied. Her voice was soft, barely audible over the buzz of passing hover-bikes. "Then I’d kill myself."

I stopped walking.

She didn’t.

"I’m not doing this again," she said quietly. "Not after what happened to my sister. I’d rather disappear."

My brows twitched slightly. I clicked my tongue and looked away. "Tch. Don’t start getting sentimental. It’s annoying."

She finally looked back, half-smiling like it hurt. "Then don’t give me a reason to."

I said nothing. Just kept walking beside her in silence.

It wasn’t long before we reached the arcade.

A tall, rectangular building bathed in neon light, it looked like something pulled straight from a retro-futuristic fever dream.

Animated graffiti flickered across the outer walls—colorful monsters, dancing avatars, pixelated fighters locked in combat.

The glass doors hissed open automatically as we approached, inviting us inside.

The scent of ozone, sweat, and junk food hit instantly.

Rows upon rows of machines lined the walls and floor—claw games, racing pods, battle simulators, VR platforms, card dueling arenas, and things I couldn’t even begin to name.

Giant leaderboard displays hovered above us, cycling through top earners and their respective ranks.

The noise was insane—electronic beeps, battle cries, crowd cheers, and synthesized background music that made my ears vibrate.

And the people. So many of them. Gamers of every kind. Some laughing, some screaming, some crying, and others glaring death at the screens like their entire family was being held hostage by a boss battle.

I stepped forward and stretched, rolling my shoulders and neck with a low exhale. It had been a while.

My fingers twitched slightly.

My skills might’ve rusted a little since the last time I sat down with a proper controller or simulator—but it wouldn’t take long to get back into it.

I eyed the nearest station, a PvP duel machine where two players wore gauntlets and used gestures to summon avatars and battle.

’Yeah,’ I thought, grinning. ’This was going to be fun.’

Kaelira waved lazily at me from behind as she stepped into the arcade, her voice trailing as she called out over the noise, "We’ve got two hours! Play whatever you want. After that, mission time!"

I gave a simple nod and turned my gaze toward the sprawling sea of glowing machines and screaming players.

’Two hours, huh?’

’Should be enough.’

I slipped my hands into my coat pockets and wandered through the dense crowd, eyes scanning the various games available.

There was a weird charm to this place—old school meets hyper-futuristic. The chaos was electric, filled with the sharp beeps and melodic chimes of people chasing dopamine through screens.

The selection was surprisingly diverse.

There were high-score games like Tappy Bird, and weird remakes like Kirket—a messed-up cricket-meets-hockey simulator that made zero sense.

Then there was BallBase, Ultimate Candy Thrust, snake variants, and even a few virtual chess arenas for the intellectual masochists.

Further in, there were the flashy ones—the FPS games with full-body haptic suits and sensory feedback, battle royales that used real-time neural sync to immerse the players, and classic turn-based RPGs with storylines deeper than most novels.

But then I saw it.

In the far corner, a dull blue light pulsed around a console station. Not flashy, not loud. Just... there. Waiting. As if challenging me.

A Souls-like game.

My eyes lit up.

The controller resting on the platform looked familiar. Twin sticks, shoulder triggers, slightly worn-down buttons. Not far from the kind I used to hold in my past life. Something about it sparked a distant part of me awake.

I moved toward it without thinking.

Someone was already playing on the connected console beside mine—a skinny guy in a brown hoodie with bloodshot eyes and twitchy fingers. I watched, silently, as he died for the fourth time in the span of two minutes.

Brutal.

He sat there seething, vibrating with quiet rage. His fingers clenched around the controller so hard the plastic creaked.

He looked like he was one failed dodge away from turning the thing into scrap metal. Still... somehow, by sheer force of will, he restrained himself.

I gave him a small, acknowledging glance. Commendable restraint.

Then I sat down at my own station.

I pulled out my ID card and slid it into the scanner on the right of the console. A soft beep sounded, followed by a flicker across the screen.

[ID Verified.]

[Initializing session...]

The game booted up in a quiet flare of light and sound.

Title: Chronicles of The Slime

I blinked.

’...What?’

A Souls-like with a slime protagonist?

I tilted my head, curiosity piqued.

The opening cinematic was dramatic—dark lands, shattered kingdoms, undead kings, and monsters born of chaos. And right in the center of it all... a little blue slime with googly eyes that jiggled when it moved.

It was absurd.

I grinned. ’Absurd was good.’

The gameplay looked sharp. Open world, high-stakes exploration, methodical combat.

A stamina bar, a dodge roll, light and heavy attacks. Just like old times. Only now, I was a damn slime with a sword embedded inside its gelatinous body.

Adrenaline started to creep in.

It had been a while.

Instead of diving straight into the main questline, I took my time. Got a feel for the controller.

Let my fingers run across the buttons. I ran circles around the tutorial zone, dodged without prompts, timed perfect parries against test dummies. My movement felt natural—fluid even.

Maybe my enhanced physical state from this world bled into my reflexes. Either way, I adapted fast.

After a few minutes of warm-up, I finally initiated the story path and stepped into the first zone: a moss-covered glade filled with twisted trees and snarling creatures.

My first enemies were malformed hounds—low-level beasts with quick rush attacks and annoying lunges. Their AI was decent, aggressive but predictable.

I tore through them without a scratch.

The real test came next.

Boss Encounter: Alpha Hound – "Crimson Howler"

The moment the fog gate faded, the ground trembled. A creature twice the size of the others burst forward—a massive beast covered in patchy brown fur, saliva and some thick, black lava-like sludge oozing from its mouth.

Its claws were almost half the size of my slime body.

Rush attacks, flailing slashes, and a signature howl that stunned the player for a full second—just long enough to get mauled if you weren’t careful.

I wasn’t reckless.

Took a few hits, sure. The stun got me once. But my dodging was tight, my parries clean. I learned its attack pattern by the second rotation and baited its rush to counter-strike each time.

And after three minutes of slow, punishing attrition—

Boss Defeated!

Congratulations!

Reward: 100 EXP and 200 RHB

Time Taken: 00:03:57

Bonus: +40 EXP | +80 RHB for Clean Execution

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