Re:Zero - Starting Life in Another World as a Skeleton

Chapter 284 284: Extraction

The sapphire vortex completely devoured the final remains of the "Mama" Anomaly.

The structural integrity of the room gave way, emitting a long, agonizing groan

as the dimension began to unravel. The walls liquefied like melting wax, and the

ceiling spiderwebbed with a thousand fissures, allowing the cold radiance of the

blood moon to spill through the cracks.

Sora slumped to the concrete, gasping for air. Her clothes were a ruin of sweat

and grime, her hair matted against her face, and her throat bore the dark,

blossoming bruises of the Entity's grip.

But she was breathing. She had achieved survival.

Ping! Ping!

The chime of her phone shattered the silence. With a trembling hand, Sora pulled

the device from her pocket. The screen ignited, displaying rows of shimmering

golden text.

[CONGRATULATIONS. YOU HAVE CLEARED THE ANOMALY GAME: MAMA'S LULLABY]

[EVALUATION: PERFECT] [REWARD DISTRIBUTION IN PROGRESS...]

In the next heartbeat, a golden radiance erupted from the screen, enveloping

Sora's frame. The light was warm, carrying a temperature that felt like a hearth

in the dead of winter.

Sora felt a surge of pure energy flood her meridians, circulating through her

limbs. Internally, her skeleton emitted a series of rapid, staccato pops. Muscle

fibers were methodically dismantled and rewoven; every cell in her body vibrated

with a manic, joyous resonance.

She could feel the structural shift in her own biology. Strength was scaling.

Velocity was being optimized. Her sensory receptors sharpened until she could

hear the dust settling in the far corner.

It was a transformative high—going from a terminal patient to a high-tier

athlete in the span of seconds. Sora clenched her fist, her knuckles emitting a

sharp, clean clack. She estimated her physical output had at least doubled.

Against a High-Tier Anomaly, she was still statistical fodder, but against a

mundane human male? Sora possessed the absolute confidence that a single strike

would terminate the engagement.

[LOGISTICS COMPLETE] [BASE PARAMETER BOOST: STRENGTH +3, AGILITY +2,

CONSTITUTION +3, SPIRIT +5] [SPECIAL COMMENDATION: RULE RESISTANCE +10%]

[CURRENT SECTOR SURVIVAL RATE: 0.7%]

Sora stared at the final line, her breath catching.

0.7%?

That meant out of a hundred "Participants" who entered this instance, not even

one was statistically expected to walk out. She was the anomaly within the

Anomaly.

A jagged laugh bubbled up her throat. She laughed until her lungs burned, her

voice echoing through the collapsing apartment. But as she laughed, the tears

began to fall.

Less than one percent. Vivi... Rin... none of them had a chance.

"Hey, human."

Bochi's voice terminated her spiral. Sora looked up to see the "girl" standing a

few paces away, tilting her head with a look of detached curiosity.

Actually, she wasn't standing anymore.

Bochi's avatar was melting. The human "skin-suit" dissolved into a puddle of

translucent blue liquid. The mass undulated, contracted, and snapped back into

its primary form: a palm-sized, perfectly round slime. It looked like a stray

piece of candy, soft and harmless.

If Sora hadn't witnessed the casual liquidation of a Tier 4 horror, she would

have called it "cute."

"You..." Sora rasped, unsure of the correct protocol for addressing a gelatinous

god.

The slime performed a nimble hop, closing the distance, before launching itself

into the air. It landed squarely atop Sora's head. Two tiny tentacles reached

down, anchoring themselves into her hair with a soft, rubbery grip. The cool,

moist touch against her scalp was oddly grounding.

Sora instinctively raised a hand to remove the creature, then stalled.

Whatever. My life-saver has earned the right to perch where he pleases.

"Your glowing brick is making noise again," Bochi murmured from its perch, its

tone lazy and bored.

Sora looked down. A new prompt had manifested.

[TRANSIT COMMENCING IN: 60 SECONDS] [PLEASE PREPARE FOR EXTRACTION]

"Wait." Sora realized a critical logic error. She tilted her head back,

addressing the ceiling. "Where is your 'Brick'? Did you not clear the game? Why

is there no prompt for your extraction?"

"Brick?" Bochi's voice carried a note of confusion. "If you refer to the

light-emitting stone in your hand, I do not possess such a tool. Why would I

need one?"

"A noisy vibration echoed in my sensory nodes moments ago, muttering about

'Reward Calculations' and symbols I didn't recognize. I simply ignored the

signal until it ceased."

Sora was struck dumb. The Game System... couldn't identify him? It couldn't even

process his reward distribution? What manner of existence is this?

"You are experiencing high levels of curiosity regarding my origin, yes? And

that of my Master?"

Bochi seemed to have analyzed her bio-rhythms correctly. Sora offered a slow,

honest nod.

"I suppose I can provide a few data points," Bochi chirped, its tone carrying a

flicker of arrogance. "The Master is a man who prizes stability and a low

profile. He is quite 'Robust' in his planning."

"Some call him the Sovereign of Evernight. Others call him the Dominator of All

Races. The titles are quite chaotic and, frankly, redundant."

"The Master finds such labels to be 'Ostentatious' and 'Lacking in Operational

Security.' Therefore, we simply address him as 'Lord Kaito' or 'The Master'."

Sora's mind reeled. Sovereign of Evernight? God? Those aren't human titles.

Those are the designations of an Apex Predator.

"As for me..." Bochi continued, its gelatinous form puffing up with pride. "I am

the First Slime of the Evernight Empire!"

"Currently, I am merely an 'Exceptional Variant,' but my long-term objective is

to achieve the Vocation of Slime God!"

"Once I ascend, every slime in the Multiverse shall fall under my command! I

shall organize them into a global sanitation legion to clean the sewers of every

Empire!"

Bochi paused, its tone turning slightly dejected. "I came here for an adventure

to accelerate my evolution, but this world is... disappointing. The 'Miracles'

described in the novels were nowhere to be found. It's just full of flavorless

pests."

Sora's mouth twitched. So... my survival was purely the byproduct of a bored pet

taking a walk?

My 'miracle' was a statistical accident?

[TRANSIT IN: 10 SECONDS]

The phone hummed again. Sora took a sharp breath, centering her Od. Now was not

the time for an existential crisis. The extraction was the only variable that

mattered.

"Bochi."

"Mmh?"

"Thank you," Sora said, her voice turning quiet and sincere as she stared at the

screen. "If you hadn't intervened... I would have been processed."

Bochi remained silent for several seconds, his tentacles tightening slightly in

her hair.

"Gratitude is unnecessary," the slime finally replied. "I merely projected that

a human of your quality might be a variable the Master would find

'Interesting'."

"Besides..." Bochi's tone turned uncharacteristically shy. "...the speech you

delivered to that pest was quite compelling. I think I'll plagiarize a few lines

for my next essay at the Academy."

The second hit zero.

A blinding flare of white light erupted from the phone. Sora's form turned

translucent, dissolving into a cloud of shimmering motes.

The collapsing room, the blood-red moon, and the stench of the sewer were

violently pulled away, shrinking into the distance as the Multiverse reclaimed

its participant.

☆☆☆

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