"Huu…"
With a stable heartbeat, yet steady excitement, Rey held the Dyubbuk forward and stared at the Symbiote Slime.
"Let's make a binding vow, friend." He managed to leak out a trustworthy smile as he watched the sludge do its best to escape, to no avail.
The slime ignored him, as it continued trying to run, so Rey chose to repeat himself.
Nothing changed.
'Damn. How exactly am I supposed to communicate with this thing?' Rey thought to himself.
Then, a certain thought came to him.
Within the vast surrounding that they found themselves in—with the aged walls and dreary atmosphere—he chuckled, stretching his hand out to the slime.
~WHUSH!~
In an instant, the Zone of the Slime instantly shifted, and it became much closer to Rey. Once this happened, Rey reached out his hand and neared the ooze.
'Ater isn't saying anything, but since he isn't disapproving then this can't be a bad idea…' Something Rey noticed about his Familiar was that he preferred letting the former figure out certain things himself.
He only intervened when Rey was grossly wrong, or if he wanted to reveal something unknown—something Rey couldn't have found out himself.
'Right now, he's letting me figure out how to communicate with the Slime. Well, here goes…'
The moment Rey touched the tip of the jelly-like creature, some sort of spark rushed through his body, sending every aspect of himself into some kind of overdrive.
It was like being pricked by a needle in a finger, yet feeling the sensation throughout the body. This didn't feel like pain, though.
It was something different…
'It feels like power.'
~Hello. What do you want from me?~
The sudden voice that echoed in Rey's head would have caused anyone to jump in surprise—perhaps even scream—but the lad maintained his cool.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})He calmly gazed at the slime, which was still touching the tip of his fingers, and it seemed like time had completely stopped for the two of them. Their physical bodies were suspended, leaving the mind as their only means of contact.
'Let's make a contract. You and me… we'll make a binding vow.'
~Binding vow? Is there any real need for that?~
'What?'
~I'm a Symbiotic Slime. As long as I can find a suitable host, I'll simply latch on to them and the both of us can enjoy the benefits. There is no need for a binding contract.~
'Well… I mean…'
~Join with me. Bond with me. You and I can become one. It's not a bad deal…~
Rey felt a smile tugging on his face, but he suppressed it. After all, Ater had predicted the occurrence of this very scenario.
Symbiote Slimes weren't inherently evil or good. They were generally neutral about most things, and all they desired was a suitable host.
But, therein lay the problem.
'You're fickle. If a host you consider to be more compatible appears, you are going to ditch me, aren't you?'
~Heyy… don't put it like that…~
Rey knew this wasn't inherently a bad thing. After all, it was the same with human beings in almost every facet of their lives.
It only took a certain period of time for people to move on from one thing to the other. A man's favorite wear could change if he found something better. Weapons were forsaken for a much more powerful item.
Heck, even Rey's Skills were sometimes tossed aside for something better.
~It seems you understand how it is. Let's just keep our relationship… casual. There's no need to sweat the small details. You won't regret this, don't worry…~
Somehow, the voice that echoed in Rey's head sounded seductive. All he needed to do was subconsciously accept the Symbiote Slime's offer, and he would let the thing in.
They would bond, but only on a shallow level.
'So, it'll be like friends with benefits… or a situationship?' Rey narrowed his gaze as he considered the Slime's offer.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})~I don't know what those terms mean, but… yeah. I guess that sounds right.~
It seemed its kind, while sticking to a single host, was polyamorous in nature. They didn't mind leaving one partner for another if they considered the latter to be a more attractive choice.
'Now I see why Ater went to fetch the Dyubbuk.' Rey's thoughts echoed within him. 'There's no way I could trust this one to stick with me forever without it.'
~So… what do you say? Deal?~
As the Slime transmitted this, more portions of itself began to wrap around Rey, turning darker in color as if to blend with the attire the boy currently had on.
Rey couldn't help but wonder what would happen if he was a much weaker person. Would the Slime need permission from any host regardless, or could it bind itself with less resistant vessels?
Also, since the Slime was able to break its contract at any time, did that mean the Host could also do the same?
'That's probably the case, but… if a Host did that despite the Slime's intentions to remain, wouldn't that make the Slime upset? If that happens, then…' Rey remembered the warning of the System concerning making the creature an enemy.
'So, it's in the best interests of a Host to maintain the relationship, while the Slime can just jump to another Host once its tired of its current vessel.'
The power imbalance reminded him of marriage—at least, the ones he happened to hear talked about back on Earth.
His family was no different when it came to this as well.
~What are you waiting for? Let us become one…~
Rey shook off the seductive voice in his head and gave the Slime a cold stare. "Sorry… but I want an exclusive relationship with you."
~W-what are you talking about now? Come on, don't be like that!~
Rey could feel the Slime getting more and more flustered. It even pulled back, but didn't completely get away.
That told him something.
'I know you want me. I want you too. But, I don't like having competition. You will be mine, and mine alone.'
~And if I refuse?~
Rey knew this was him just bluffing, but his instincts told him he wasn't wrong. He just had to go with his gut on this.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})'Then the deal is off.'
~Are you sure about that? You won't meet anyone else like me, though.~
'I think you have it mistaken. You're the one who won't see any other host like me.' Rey smiled, slightly pulling his hand away.
The Slime, however, held it back.
~W-wait… let's talk about this first.~
'What is left to talk about? You clearly can't see value even when he's standing right in front of you.' To win over the Slime, he chose to employ a manipulative strategy that made it seem like he was the best option.
~W-who do you think you are? I'll have many people pining over me, just you wait and see!~
Rey wasn't intending on letting the slime meet anyone, so this bluff was wasted on him. Still, he decided to play along.
'Search as high and low as you want. I doubt you'll find someone who has an SSS-Tier Skill and an S-Tier Class… who still has the potential to grow.'
Upon hearing this, the slime's body trembled exponentially. It reached out to Rey's finger, wrapping itself around it while drawing closer of its own accord.
~F-fine… you win.~
Rey's smile grew broader as he stared at the shivering creature who was now at his mercy.
~Let's make a binding vow…~
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Thanks for reading!
The new change to my Authors Note will be that I'll stop placing them on every chapter like this, but instead on the dedicated WN place.
I had my reasons for choosing this method, but with many of you complaining about it, I figured this change was necessary.
