Its Dream or Reality?

Chapter 1–4: The Manhole, the Slime, and the Truth I was just an ordinary office worker—living the same routine every day. Until one afternoon… I saw it. A manhole cover, left open in the middle of the street. Before I could step back, I slipped. Darkness. And then... a voice. > "Why are you here?" I wasn’t sure. Maybe this was a dream. Or death. A glowing white figure hovered in the void, then whispered: > "You shouldn’t be here. Let me send you somewhere else." A blinding light, and my body vanished. --- I woke up. But something felt… wrong. My arms, my legs—they were gone. > “What… am I?” I tried to scream, but all that came out were strange, garbled sounds—like a broken radio signal. Then memories—maybe someone else’s?—flashed through my mind. > "Don't leave me… please…" Panicking, I leapt toward a nearby mirror. My reflection? A blob. Yellow. Slime. I was no longer human. Outside the ruined building I’d woken in, I saw something horrifying: A massive zombie, rotting and growling. And beside it… a glowing scythe. The pain in my head grew unbearable—then I blacked out again. --- > "Yo! Finally awake?" A mysterious man, cool-looking, stood beside me—holding the same scythe. I wanted to ask where I was, but my voice was still all noise. A man in a white coat walked over: > “Fascinating… this one isn’t just any slime. Could be one of his creations.” > “You mean him?” > “Yes. But its purpose? Unclear. According to its growth rate, it should already be dead.” Dead? But I was still moving—still thinking! > “I’ll take him to the Slime Research Facility.” And just like that, I was handed over like some experiment. --- The "Reaper" (that’s what they called the scythe guy) took me to a strange city. Tall walls separated it from the wasteland outside. Here, humans and slimes lived together—some working, some just… existing. As we passed by, a golden-colored slime with a chef’s hat suddenly approached: > "Why are you following the Reaper? Shouldn't you be cooking or something?" I responded with my usual radio-sound mess. But strangely… the chef slime nodded. > "Oh, I see. If that’s the case, no problem… but you’re lucky he didn’t slice you in half."