Syl: Chapter 11 - 20 (Patreon)

Chapter 11: Hunting Patrol

I woke up feeling pretty miserable after having a string of easy successes, but against a real monster like that giant frog, I couldn't do anything but be its meal. Grabbing two of the mightiest-looking tusks, I decided to head towards the pond again and patrol the perimeter amongst the trees, picking off any wildlife heading for a drink so that I could replenish my reserve slime mass.

For the first day, I used my usual tree ambush, which proved its recurring success by effortlessly taking out multiple deer. I left their bones in a pile with a few bits of meat, hoping to attract animals with levels.

<Deer LV 0 defeated. Reduced experience gained.> x3

While safely amongst the trees, I tried to scout the pond but could not spot the frog monster. For my final task, I created a second tree hole that was an appropriate distance from the bone pile and not directly at the pond border. I constructed my second home shockingly fast, thanks to all the trait levels I had gained since the original - not to mention having full-sized tusks.

With the extra time before sleep, I tried practicing my [Shape Slime] by focusing on creating new constructs for that bonus experience. At first, I tried to copy things from my memory, starting with making the shape of a tusk, and then I moved on to the complex antler horns the jackalope had. I stared intensely at a neighboring tree, hoping to sculpt it, starting at the base of the trunk and working my way up. I molded the trunk first and then worked on the branches, which was tricky as I had never split a single pseudopod into so many mini-tendrils - it was like rapidly growing a small slime tree on my Pseudopod. For leaves, I could only add childish blobs at the ends of the branches, as my current [Shape Slime] level could not make fine details like that yet.

The next day, after cleaning my slime of impurities by watering my new tree home, I headed towards the bone pile. There were no animals yet, but it had attracted plenty of ants, so I resumed patrolling the perimeter. Today was looking to be a bust on the hunting front until the bulkiest boar I had ever seen started to meander toward the pond.

I followed cautiously, hiding my presence as I grappled from branch to branch. I was directly above the mighty boar, and it appeared none the wiser. The boar had a nearly black hide instead of the various shades of brown I was used to, and its two massive tusks were jaw-droppingly impressive.

<Proficiency gained. [Stealth LV 1] improved to [Stealth LV 2].>

Gramps even told me what a good job I was doing being a sneaky slime, but I had a terrible premonition the more I looked at the sheer girth of this boar.

'I don't think I can lift this thing...'

I felt horrible as I desperately wanted to defeat this thing and grow stronger - strong enough to beat that damn frog.

'But if I jumped onto its back, I don't think it could hit me, and then I could suffocate it.'

Feeling committed to the risk, I shot a grappling tendril toward the back of the boar, and moments before it made contact, I flung my core to follow. A terrifying squeal of pure fury and rage flooded the quiet forest. The boar went ballistic when my heavy, wet slime smacked across its back, and it started to charge around in circles in an attempt to dislodge me - but I had grappled on tight with a tendril under its belly and spreading out my surface area along it's back. Feeling secure, I snaked my remaining two tendrils towards its head as the boar rammed into a tree and nearly uprooted it.

'Holy shit! This thing is strong!'

Initial attempts to get into its throat were unsuccessful, as it had enough strength to bite through my tendrils. I focused a tendril on protecting the other by flooding it with maximum-density slime from my [Core Storage] and wedged it between the teeth. With the created gap, my second tendril dived into the mouth and down the throat, where I promptly expanded the tip into a seal by sending it a generous dosage of slime mass.

The boar became even wilder as it thrashed frantically and slammed into tree after tree. It tried to let out its wail but couldn't because of its blocked throat - I swear I could feel bubbles in my slime from the attempted scream. I could feel its jaw trying, with all its might, to crunch through my wedge, and I desperately focused my effort on sending slime and density to reinforce it.

I watched as life in this fearsome beast was draining, and its movements slowed. As if in defiance, I felt it try to roar again while its skin started to take on a red tint, and in a burst of sudden speed, it gave one last mighty charge. It slammed against a tree, uprooting it entirely, collapsing under its own weight, and a few moments later - I got my notification.

<Rage Boar LV 1 defeated. Experience gained.>

<Racial Experience threshold reached. Slime (Blue) is now LV 5>

<1 Trait Point is now available>

'Rage Boar!? And it was only level 1, but I still leveled up? I really wish Gramps would explain non-trait things to me.'

I was shocked but eager to dig into my meal as I prepared my usual harvest procedure. I felt my [Dissection] skill screaming at me to take those tusks, so I focused on grabbing them as soon as possible. I extracted the first tusk successfully and was about to proceed with the next, but I was interrupted when I saw a green shape approaching.

I took a defensive position on top of the boar, which was still too large to carry even though I had managed to dissolve some of its insides. I ensured the tusk was safe inside a slime pocket and produced my three pseudopods in anticipation. As it approached, I recognized what it was.

'It's a green slime! Is it like a cousin or distant relative?'

The slime was a lime-green, and its core was honey-yellow. I was surprised to see a slime out here and not on the human farm, but even stranger was the path of dirt devoid of any grass trailing behind where the slime moved. I waved a tendril, but the green slime ignored me, and I knew it wanted to steal my food just like my blue brethren.

I extended a tendril to slap the slime away, but as my tendril came into contact with the green slime, it dissolved completely. I stared in horror, as I had never seen any of the blue slimes so effortlessly melt something. I grabbed a branch and a rock and threw both at the green slime - they instantly melted away. I didn't know what to do, as I couldn't stop this green menace, and I grappled to a tree branch when it reached the boar.

'That's my food, you bastard! I worked hard to defeat that thing!' I mentally shouted as I shook a tentacle at it.

Then I witnessed the most absurd sight ever: the green slime simply 'walked' through the boar as if wading through water. With each movement forward, the green slime swelled in size, and the boar disappeared rapidly. I thought of stabbing its core with my prized tusk to stop it, then watched as it ate the remaining tusk without any trouble.

There was no boar left, not even a single bone. It was gone in mere moments, and an oversized green slime was the only thing remaining. I could swear it was staring at me next.

'What the hell. How is that fair?'

Chapter 12: Green vs. Blue

I glared at the green thief, still shaking a tendril. I couldn't think of a way to deal with this creature with the tools I had available; this green slime felt like the apex of our species. I let my thoughts wander in an attempt to figure out a solution while the green blob continued our staring contest.

The green slime had a small ripple in its body, and a tiny glob shot out of it and toward me. I panicked when I failed to dodge in time, but the glob missed me and instead hit the branch, which melted away rapidly and sent both it and me plummeting to the forest floor.

'What the hell? It can shoot slime! As if its super-dissolving power wasn't bad enough, now it can fire projectiles as well—why don't I have that?' I complained mentally.

<Would you like to spend 1 Trait Point to purchase [Slime Shot]? Trait Points remaining 1.>

I wanted to read the trait description but was worried about my situation. I prepared to dodge, but the green slime baffled me and advanced toward me rather than firing another projectile. I leaped backward a considerable distance using my slime slinky twice consecutively. The green slime continued chasing me and fired another slime glob at me, and I had to dodge to the side, but my slow reaction caused it to go straight through a portion of my slime - melting along it as it traveled until the exit wound.

Once again, I readied for another dodge, but the green slime again didn't fire a second projectile. I was slightly faster than the green slime, even without using my slinky movement, so it made keeping it away from me simple. I kept careful watch, anticipating another deadly shot, but it seemed happy to chase me.

'Does it only shoot at prey if they are too far away? Despite its notably better ability, its mind is equal to my blue brethren's. I pondered while the green slime still showed no sign of shooting again, so I decided to take a risk: 'Show me that slime shot trait, please.'

<[Slime Shot]

Allows the firing of slime mass as an expendable projectile.

Objects and contents within slime mass may also be used as a substitute.

Projectile size, maximum distance, and velocity all scale with trait level.

Compatible with other slime traits.>

I was grateful that the green slime didn't shoot at me while I read, proving my theory. [Slime Shot] sounded full of potential, and I could even fire my tusks like arrows. I instantly bought it.

<Trait [Slime Shot LV 1] obtained. Trait Points remaining 0.>

Once again, the immediate knowledge and understanding of my new trait filled my core - a wondrously pleasant feeling. I fired a tiny amount of slime mass at the green slime, which hit it and dissolved instantly. The green slime didn't react to my provocation and just mindlessly resumed its chase. This time, I fired a tiny blob of maximum-density slime, which hit the green slime and penetrated an inch before vanishing.

I picked up a few nearby rocks with my Pseudopod, depositing them inside myself, and then fired them uselessly one after another into the green blob of acid. While my new ability was impressive, it wouldn't save me from this strange situation. I looked around in thought, and when my focus drifted toward the pond - I spied the frog bully who stole my lunch.

'The enemy of my enemy is my friend?' I thought with a chuckle as I started to move towards the pond, making sure not to increase the distance between me and the trigger-happy green blob.

As we approached the pond, I noticed the frog was not fully awake and lying lazily in the sun. I consciously lowered my body, trying to stealth, as the last thing I wanted was for them to make a green monster alliance and both target me. Thankfully, my fears were soon unfounded as when the green slime spotted the more sizable meal, it directly shot acid at the frog and started heading towards it.

The oversized frog let out a terrifying croak of rage that rippled through the air - if I had eardrums, I think they would have burst. The frog monster searched for its attacker and spotted the green slime, which fired another projectile that sizzled as it hit the frog's skin. I was surprised the acid wasn't as effective as I had witnessed earlier; the frog must have an incredible hide that would make my [Dissection] skill drool.

Not wanting to be outdone, the frog launched its oversized tongue towards the green slime, but upon making contact, there was a loud sizzling noise. The frog let out a wail while it rapidly retracted its tongue and actually vomited when the tongue returned - it then made small hops to turn around and face the pond. While the frog was turning to retreat, the green slime fired two more shots off, sizzling on the back of the frog before it did a massive physics-defying leap and splashed into the center of the pond.

'What the hell, you frog bastard!? You can't eat it, so you run away! You gave me such hell, and then you just disappear into the pond!' I scream in anger, but my complaints will have to be on hold as the green slime is now moving towards me again as the only remaining meal.

Remembering that I could float, I started decompressing the slime, except around my core, and moving towards the water. When I made contact with the water's edge, I poked it a few times cautiously before doing a short hop in—thankfully, I did float. I slowly drifted away from the bank, the green slime still chasing me, and I wondered if it could also float.

I stared in anticipation as the green slime showed no sign of stopping as it mindlessly chased me. When it made contact with the water, it didn't sink, but something was clearly wrong as it started to lose its' shape. The green slime immediately stopped chasing me and backed up a little, reforming into a more solid shape once it wasn't directly in the water.

'Ha! It can't handle water!' I mocked, glad to finally have an advantage over the green menace. Although my mocking was short, my mind went into overdrive to think of how to utilize this because I knew it would start shooting me when it realized I was out of reach.

I thought of buckets and flinging water, or I could make a spade and hurl the green slime into the pond. Then my mind clicked into place as I remembered my new trait [Slime Shot] would allow me to fire contents instead of slime, and my morning routine fully proved that I could contain water.

I thrust all three of my tendrils into the lake, trying to suck up as much water as I could, then immediately activated my trait. A large burst of water fired at the green slime, which washed away some of its slime. The green slime slowly started reforming its shape, but I couldn't let it recover, so I kept activating [Slime Shot] continuously, expelling a deluge of pond water.

The green slime struggled helplessly as its mass washed away until all that remained on the pond bank was a copious amount of mud and a single honey-yellow core shining in the sun. I flung a tendril of slime towards the core to finish the job - there was no melting slime to save it now. My tendril engulfed it greedily, and I heard a familiar crunch as I ate the core.

<Slime (Green) LV 4 defeated. Experience gained.>

<Racial Experience threshold reached. Slime (Blue) is now LV 6>

<1 Trait Point is now available>

<Compatible core detected. Integrate new core at a penalty?>

'Yes!' I answered immediately.

<Slime (Green) Core absorbed. Trait [Acid Slime] gained. Trait [Slime Shot] gained.>

<Trait [Acid Slime LV 5] reduced to [Acid Slime LV 2] for integration penalty.>

<Existing Trait [Slime Shot LV 1] improved to [Slime Shot LV 2].>

Chapter 13: Substantial Improvements

I was astonished when I received a brand new trait [Acid Slime], and my newly acquired [Slime Shot] even gained a level. I wanted desperately to examine the trait, but I wanted to escape the pond before that froggy bastard showed up for round three. I grabbed the bank with some tendrils and pulled myself to shore.

I was about to journey to my tree home when I noticed my tusks lying in the dirt. This startled me since I nearly lost my prize from that monstrosity of a boar. I assumed that when I rapidly decompressed to jump into the water, I had forgotten about them in my dense pockets of slime, and they fell out.

'Hopefully, I can unlock the non-slime option for [Core Storage] soon. I could try forcing it to store and withdraw repeatedly, ' I mused to myself while I grabbed my tusks and headed to my pond tree home. Upon arriving, I threw my tusks into the hole and pulled up the trait details.

<[Acid Slime LV 2]

This slime contains a powerful acid that helps it defend itself and consume prey.

The base potency of the acid scales with trait level but can also be affected by outside factors such as dilution or concentration.

This trait also adds acid resistance to the slime core and slime mass, which scales with trait level until eventual immunity at max level.

This trait enhances the normal dissolving ability inherent to all slime and maintains the same degree of control.

Compatible with other slime traits.>

'Wow, this is just a pure upgrade in every way... My own [Mana Slime] feels like a joke in comparison. I'm also glad I won't suddenly be uncontrollably melting everything.' I thought to myself, a complicated feeling of happiness and jealousy.

'Could I get other traits from different-colored slimes? If so, how many other slimes are there? There are so many questions, but that could be my first real goal in this world, other than surviving.'

After the crazy day, I didn't feel like venturing from my tree and opted to continue my trait training. But before that, I had to complete my shopping list.

<Trait [Sub-Core LV 1] obtained. Trait Points remaining 0.>

A large quantity of slime mass suddenly began to swirl and compress down, far beyond my capabilities, until a small crimson-red orb was left floating in the slime. It was a fraction of the size of my original core, but I was glad it didn't diverge into a different color. Speaking of color, I was relieved that [Acid Slime] did not change the color of my magnificent bright-azure blue goop.

The sub-core followed my mental commands, able to move it around freely, and I watched it zip around in my slime mass. I headed into my tree hole, sent a pseudopod outside, and then moved the sub-core to the tip. I then mentally focused and felt my perspective shift to the sub-core. It was a strangely exhilarating experience, and I raised my tendril higher like a periscope until it eventually breached the tree canopy. I took in the sights of the late afternoon sun glimmering across the endless horizon of leaves - all while my actual core was safe in my tree hole.

I returned my perspective, exited the tree, and recalled the tendril and sub-core. Needless to say, I was delighted with this purchase. I then gave my sub-core its first function, which was to repeat - deposit and withdraw slime mass. From my perspective, I saw the tiny core suck in slime, then expel it moments later. I wondered if it would continue while I slept, something my primary core could not do. Up until bedtime, I continued my [Shape Slime] practice drills. Which finally paid off.

<Proficiency gained. [Shape Slime LV 2] improved to [Shape Slime LV 3].>

I went to bed a very happy slime, and when I awoke, I had another surprise as it looked like my [Sub-Core] worked hard throughout the night.

<Proficiency gained. [Core Storage LV 1] improved to [Core Storage LV 2].>

Giddy to try out the improved version, I immediately tried to store my tusks, which all magically vanished except for the rage boar tusk. I was a little sour that my greatest treasure was too large, but it soon faded as I saw how I could rapidly withdraw my stored items. I also tried storing my morning water, which rapidly vanished into the magical item space. I decided to keep the water since it proved helpful as ammunition for [Slime Shot], although I was curious as to why I could store the water, which was more significant in total quantity than my single rage boar tusk. I left the giant tusk in the tree, preparing to travel, but quickly pulled up my status menu beforehand.

Name: -

Race: Slime (Blue) LV 6

Class: -

Status: Healthy

Emblems:

[Experiment]

Traits:

[Mana Slime LV MAX]

[Acid Slime LV 2]

[Pseudopod LV 3]

[Slime Density LV 3]

[Shape Slime LV 3]

[Slime Shot LV 2]

[Core Refinement LV 3]

[Core Storage LV 2]

[Sub-Core LV 1]

Trait Points remaining 0

Skills:

[Dissection LV 2]

[Stealth LV 2]

[Mapping LV 1]

[??? LV 0]

[??? LV 0]

Skill Points remaining 0

I felt a sense of pride in what I had achieved so far, and I was nearing two more skills through my actions. Those would surely be a pleasant surprise. My next goal was getting revenge on that oversized frog, which I could get by leveraging [Acid Slime]. But first, I wanted to get my remaining tusks from my first home and stock up on some extra slime mass - I'd need a lot of it for my plan.

On the trip home, I kept a lookout for potential breakfast and spotted a deer grazing. I went for my old reliable pseudopod hunting trick of grabbing the rear legs and hoisting it up, then I engulfed its head to suffocate it and turned on the dissolve. It was not a pretty sight.

<Deer LV 0 defeated. Reduced experience gained.>

Before the deer could even suffocate, its flesh melted away, leaving only a skull—which was rapidly following. I expected my [Acid Slime] to be less effective since it was only level 2 compared to the green slime's level 5, but then I recalled the description mentioning dilution and concentration.

'I usually keep my pseudopods very dense by default, especially when grabbing things... Which is powering up [Acid Slime]... Good to know, if a little horrific.'

I quickly ate my meal and continued, glad to know I no longer had to sit around for long periods of dissolving. Weirdly, I was struggling to find my tree home, even though I knew I was heading in the right direction thanks to my skill. After over an hour of circling around, I still hadn't found it but did a grayish-black wolf snacking on a jackalope. I wanted to test my [Slime Shot], so I compressed a blob and aimed for the wolf's head. Pew. The slime shot missed the head and hit the throat, which it clung to and rapidly ate away. The wolf tried to howl in pain, but with the partially missing throat, it let out a gurgle before it collapsed.

<Wolf LV 1 defeated. Experience gained.>

I dropped down on the wolf's corpse and was about to eat away when [Dissection] told me to save the fangs and front claws. I directed my slime to avoid those and eat the rest, which it did with shocking precision - I didn't even need to pull to remove things anymore, as my slime just ate anything unnecessary. I also harvested the jackalope antlers and ate the wolf's leftovers. My [Core Storage] readily accepted the fangs, claws, and tiny antlers.

Honestly, I felt shell-shocked at this new trait; it felt far more powerful than anything I had gained previously. I continued searching for my tree, and after approximately another hour, I finally found it.

<Proficiency gained. [Mapping LV 1] improved to [Mapping LV 2].>

And the reason it took so long to find my tree? All of my pelts were missing.

Chapter 14: Investigator Slime

'Thieves! Scoundrels! How dare they?' I raged mentally at the indignation.

I couldn't believe someone had stolen my pelt collection, which had grown daily and showed my progression in the forest. I extended a tendril into the tree hole, worried that my tusks were gone too, but thankfully, they were still there. I looked around the tree for any signs pointing to the culprit. If I had tracking or investigation skills, the system would help me, although I still had not received a single skill point. After several dozen minutes of poking around the tree like an amateur detective, I discovered two bootprints imprinted into the soil, possibly from someone jumping down from the branch.

'Human, male, approximately 20 years of age, has a slight limp and favors his left leg...' I remarked internally, while I prodded the boot prints with a tendril, 'Haha, who am I kidding? All I can tell is these are some pretty big boots. However, I bet I could do stuff like that if I did acquire investigation skills. But at least I know it wasn't an animal.'

I thought of possibly going and stealing some blue slimes as revenge for the humans taking my pelts, but I didn't need the pelts.

'Perhaps I should just consider the stolen pelts as payment for the slimes I ate before I left. Sure, let's go with that. I want to deal with the frog first anyway.'

I gave the tree some water from my storage and said farewell, as I would likely not return now that it was compromised, and I took the scenic route back towards the pond. My new rank of [Mapping], which I assume I got for finding my home despite losing the visible markings, was quite handy - it was almost like a vague voice in the back of your mind telling you, "Try going left at the next bush.".

I saw two wolves stalking a grazing deer in a pincer formation and entered stealth mode. I wondered why wolves were suddenly appearing in the area, as I had only seen boars and the occasional deer or jackalope for days now. Ignoring my curiosity, I moved from branch to branch until I was above one of the wolves, then dropped and withdrew slime to expand myself - I landed directly on the wolf with a soft splat and engulfed it. The poor wolf did not see it coming and could not howl for aid as it drowned in slime, at least until I turned on the acid.

<Wolf LV 1 defeated. Experience gained.>

<Skill [??? LV 0] has become [Sneak Attack LV 1].>

I cheered mentally but then noticed growling and snarling as the remaining wolf spotted me, and the deer was bolting away. The wolf was cautiously approaching, but I didn't feel fear, as it would seal its fate if it lunged at my deadly acid slime. I withdrew some tusks and used [Slime Shot] to fire them at the legs; the first two missed, but the third found its target, and the wolf let out a yelp. I wanted to practice shooting some more, but the wolf was now enraged and let out a howl before it jumped directly at me with its snarling maw.

I retreated my core to my rear end to be safe and welcomed the wolf with wide-open tendrils. As the wolf made contact with my slime, my tendrils wrapped around it, and with a wet plop, I engulfed the wolf. It tried to struggle and free itself, but as I compressed the slime surrounding it, it simply melted away faster.

<Wolf LV 1 defeated. Experience gained.>

Happy with the free slime mass, I noticed my core still held my previous instructions to avoid melting the fangs or claws, which were easily harvested and came out pristine.

<Proficiency gained. [Dissection LV 2] improved to [Dissection LV 3].>

'Okay, [Dissection] seems to be leveling up far faster than my other skills or traits... The other night, I had the theory that trying new things gave more experience than mindless repetition, so I assume I got a bonus for the very first wolf I harvested... Or perhaps it's even per new part?'

I wanted to figure this out because if I could puzzle together faster ways to get skills and traits, I could target those methods and work towards powering myself up more directly. I twirled the wolf fangs and claws in my slime as I stared at them in thought.

'I feel like that still wouldn't justify it leveling this fast... I wonder if I'm getting bonus experience for perfect extractions? Considering my nature as a slime, it's almost like cheating. However, I am also not using half the skill... Since I'm ignoring the whole accuracy and speed boost part and only using the valuable part identification.'

It felt like a sound theory, although I couldn't think of how to use a perfection bonus with any of my traits or skills except maybe [Slime Shape], perhaps if I ever got a crafting skill. I deposited my goods, stored away my excess slime mass, and grappled up to the branches to resume my trip to the pond.

'The tusks were good ammunition and easily recoverable. I want to practice shooting more—my accuracy is not great. Perhaps I could use trees as target practice? Anyway, let's look at that new skill: Status menu... No new surprises... Skills... [Sneak Attack].'

<[Sneak Attack LV 1]

Adds bonus damage to attacks on unaware or defenseless targets, scaling with skill level.

This bonus damage partially ignores most forms of mitigation and resistance if executed from stealth.>

'What the heck? Am I becoming some sort of assassin? Although I have avoided direct confrontation with almost everything I've bumped into, that's not entirely inaccurate.'

I reached my tree near the pond without any issue and was relieved when I noticed my few remaining pelts still hanging on this tree. I had gained a considerable amount of slime mass from the unexpected encounters today, so I planned to spend the rest of my afternoon and evening trying to gain some trait and skill experience.

I withdrew all my tusks and began firing them at a nearby tree, trying to aim for particular knots and blemishes in the wood. My success rate left much to be desired, but it was plenty of fun. When I ran out of tusks, I recollected them by slapping a pseudopod against the tree and melting away the bark. I repeated this process just under a dozen times, and the remains of the tree near the end of my training looked dreadful, so I decided to try eating it.

It took a while to dissolve the entire tree, and despite eating a literal tree's worth of material, it provided less slime mass than even a single jackalope. I ignored the horrible exchange rate because my true hope was that I was gaining valuable experience towards [Acid Slime]. I melted a few other things entirely: a few rocks, a bush or two, and then headed to my tree to spend the evening practicing [Slime Shape] as was tradition.

My slime tree model was beginning to look great, with my leaves no longer simple blobs and instead looking like fuzz sprouting from the branches. I went to bed, a very happy slime.

Tomorrow, I wanted to deal with that pesky frog.

Chapter 15: Croaked

I woke up feeling refreshed and ready for the day when I'd finally get my revenge on that menacing frog. I stored away my morning water and replenished the diminished slime mass from my surplus savings. I exited my home and perched on a branch, relaxing while I settled my thoughts. I had a plan to deal with the frog, although it was slightly risky, and I wish I had more options available, but I lacked the physical strength to deal with something so massive.

'I really want a strength trait...'

<Trait [Enhanced Strength] is incompatible with your race.>

That wasn't the message I wanted to hear, even though it made sense since I lacked muscle, bone, or anything solid. I assumed humans couldn't buy traits like [Pseudopods], so I swallowed the bitter truth pill and started moving to the pond.

When I arrived at the pond, there was no sign of the giant frog, so I proceeded with some fishing to pass the time. Despite gaining [Acid Slime], I could still touch and drop tendrils into the water without detriment. While snacking on a few fish, I saw the familiar shadow from the pond depths approaching, and I hastily retreated from the shoreline.

The repulsive frog emerged and belched a croak, looking around to see what was disturbing the water, and when its eyes fell upon me, I could swear it chuckled with glee. My slime was compressed and spread out for maximum traction, and I mentally turned off all dissolving - I was ready.

The toad wasted no time, and its massive tongue was launched towards me, latching itself to my slime once more. The frog pulled and tugged at its tongue, trying to rip off some of my tasty blue goop, but I held firm this time. It must have recalled our previous tug of war and changed strategy to start moving towards me, hoping to scare me like our past encounter, so I'll release my slime to escape. I held my ground, not budging, as I wanted the frog away from the pond if it tried to escape.

'This frog thinks it's got me, but it can't see the noose tightening around its throat.' I chuckled to myself, trying to cover the small doubt growing inside me as its hulking form got closer and closer. 'This thing is just way too big.'

Eventually, the frog was right next to me, with what I could only describe as a big goofy grin as its tongue tightly held onto me. I knew from the green slime that its hide was too resistant for the acid to melt, but that didn't apply to its internals judging by how fast it retreated its tongue and even quickly vomited up the tiny amount of green slime.

So when the frog widened its mouth in an attempt to start taking bites out of me, I released my grip on the ground and dove straight into its maw. The tension from the tight grip on its tongue helped propel me towards my target. The entire time, I was madly trying to compress the slime around my core beyond its maximum in case something went wrong.

The frog seemed shocked at the slime flying towards its mouth, but even if it had the reaction time to close it, I doubted it would, probably thinking it was getting an express meal delivery. Once inside the greedy monster's gut, I could tell its digestive juices were trying to eat away at my slime, and I thanked the resistance portion of my trait.

To spring my trap, I did two things simultaneously that I was sure would claim me victory: I started to rapidly expel all my stored slime mass, which kept its density, and I also turned on my [Acid Slime].

'I got you now, you bastard. You tried to eat me, and now I'll eat you from the inside out!'

The frog's gut suddenly swelled in size, and the slime started pushing out of its throat and leaking out of its mouth - I had been storing a ton of slime! Its eyes bulged in horror, not knowing what to do, and when the acid kicked in, it wanted to wail in pain. It frantically hopped around and tried to start heading towards the pond, maybe hoping to flush the slime out of its stomach with pond water, but it was far too late.

If that tree had an unfavorable exchange rate for slime mass, then frog meat was far into the positive, as new slime accumulated rapidly. I felt the frog struggling and trying desperately to move around - I wanted to laugh at how well this was going. I wondered if this counted as a [Sneak Attack].

<Proficiency gained. [Acid Slime LV 2] improved to [Acid Slime LV 3].>

The metaphorical floodgates opened on that notification, and suddenly, slime was melting through the frog's last resistances with ease. I quickly set an order on my core not to melt through the skin, just in case; I didn't want to upset my [Dissection] skill, which screamed at how valuable that skin was. All struggling soon stopped after that, and I felt a surge of power throughout my core when the notification appeared.

<Gigatoad LV 4 defeated. Experience gained.>

<Racial Experience threshold reached. Slime (Blue) is now LV 7>

<Racial Experience threshold reached. Slime (Blue) is now LV 8>

<2 Trait Points are now available>

'Wow, two whole levels! Even though its level was lower than mine, I really don't understand that. And now I have two trait points to spend... Hey Gramps, I'll trade you two trait points for [Enhanced Strength]?'

<Trait [Enhanced Strength] is incompatible with your race.>

'That's not fair, Gramps. Am I going to be a wimp my entire life? I get the feeling that even if I raised [Slime Density] to the max - it would not be enough for me to actually lift things properly.'

<Trait [Enhanced Strength] is incompatible with your race.>

'There has to be some way for me to gain strength... I know I don't have muscles... If I raised my [Slime Density] and [Shape Slime] high enough, I could maybe make some fake muscles. But that seems needlessly complicated...'

. . .

'Where's the trait guidance [Experiment] promised me? There has to be something else, right?'

<Stop. Wait.>

I stared at the message with both surprise and some concern. I know I was jokingly calling the system Gramps, but was he actually hearing my internal monolog? The thought did worry me, but I was losing this feature when I evolved - whatever and whenever that was.

<Would you like to spend 2 Trait Points to purchase [Mana Circulation] and [Mana Reinforcement]? Trait Points remaining 2.>

<[Mana Circulation]

This trait allows control over the raw mana flowing throughout your being.

Mana Regeneration is increased scaling with trait level.

Unlocks Mana and further Mana-related Traits and Skills.>

<[Mana Reinforcement]

Harness the raw mana flowing throughout your being to enhance yourself.

Reinforcing body parts with mana raises your physical durability and strength at the cost of mana.

Maximum reinforcement and mana efficiency scale with trait level.

Having control over the flow of your raw mana is a prerequisite to acquiring this trait.

Unlocks further Traits and Skills related to Mana Reinforcement.>

I felt a headache pulse through my core at the information overload rapidly flooding my mind. I wondered if Gramps was upset at me for pestering him repeatedly about [Enhanced Strength]. When the pain subsided, I took a moment to sift through the information and puzzle together the solution Gramps gave me.

'Okay, so [Mana Reinforcement] was the real goal to get something like [Enhanced Strength], but I have to spend mana to do so. I can't enhance myself without being able to control my mana, which needs [Mana Circulation]. Both hint at unlocking more things down the line as well, so I don't see why not. Please purchase both, and thanks for the help, Gramps.'

<Trait [Mana Circulation LV 1] obtained. Trait Points remaining 1.>

<Trait [Mana Reinforcement LV 1] obtained. Trait Points remaining 0.>

Chapter 16: Mana is Fun

Leveling up, gaining new traits and skills, or progressing their levels was always accompanied by a pleasant feeling or new knowledge filling my mind, and it was honestly a rather addictive sensation. Well, except for the first time I got [Core Refinement], but let's ignore that. Gaining these two mana traits felt significantly different than the rest; I suddenly felt a mystical force flowing throughout my entire being, except it had always been there and was patiently waiting with an extended hand for me to reach out and grab it, and only now I grabbed it and embraced its comforting presence.

I desperately wanted to try it out, but before I got further lost in my thoughts, I finally realized that I was still sitting inside the corpse of the gigatoad. I pushed through the mouth and exited the creature, which was almost entirely hollow now as my slime had done a thorough job. I double-checked the corpse for anything else worth keeping, but [Dissection] only pointed to its hide, so I ate the rest while I compressed and stored away my excess slime.

While expelling my entire reserve of slime mass was a valuable trump card for my arsenal, I would need to be careful with its usage as I noticed that my control over the slime diminished at large enough quantities. This abundance penalty made the slime react slower to my thoughts, and I could not give it complex instructions, and against the frog, I could only tell it to burst outwards and eat. I would probably gain superior control through levels of [Core Refinement] or possibly even higher levels of my Slime race, or perhaps I could get more [Sub-Core] traits and allocate them each to a portion of the slime. Regardless, for now, it would be my unrefined and brutish emergency solution to problems.

The gigatoad was like a buffet, and I gained so much slime mass from this that I actually reached a point where I couldn't store anymore, reaching my apparent maximum. I started ejecting water and replacing it with slime, and near the end of the last bits of frog, I received a notification.

<Proficiency gained. [Core Storage LV 2] improved to [Core Storage 3].>

'Maybe now I can finally store that tusk and possibly this gigatoad hide - I don't want either stolen. I wonder why the frog turned into so much slime mass, though. It might have been because of its level, and I haven't eaten anything higher than level 4 yet, so that could explain it. [Mana Circulation] hints at all of us having mana flowing throughout, so maybe the gigatoad has lots of mana, which gave me more slime?'

It was scarily easy for me to get lost in thought while my slime did the tasks I assigned, but thankfully, the job was complete, and there was no more frog. I tried to store the hide, and despite my gut instincts telling me it could, my [Core Storage] refused. Puzzled, I folded the hide once each, vertically and horizontally, then tried again, and this time it magically vanished inside. I decided not to question it and went home.

Upon reaching home, I immediately tried to store the tusk, which magically vanished and joined my collection. I moved to a nearby tree because I didn't want to vandalize my home and amputated its branches with some creative use of [Acid Slime]. Finally, it was time to play with my mana.

I created a tendril and started by lifting the smallest branch, then moved on to bigger and bigger branches until I couldn't lift it. I mentally reached out to the flow of mana coursing through me and started to guide it towards my tendril. As the mana pooled in the limb, I could feel its strength begin to swell, and when I tried lifting the branch - it was an effortless attempt. Further wrapping around the branch and constricting caused it to crack and splinter into pieces.

'What the hell, mana is crazy good! Where have you been all my life?' I cheered and gave my mana-infused tendril a happy wiggle.

Inspiration struck me, and I recreated one of my oldest companions—the slime rapier. It looked magnificent, having never experienced the higher levels of [Slime Shape], and I made sure its tip was of the highest density slime available. First, doing a quick mental double-check that mana was still flowing to my tendril and the rapier, I promptly thrust it into a branch—it glided through.

I squealed with joy as my rapier pierced through the branch, and I started a bit of a stabbing spree with my new toy. At some point in my branch murder, I had the idea of adding [Acid Slime], and then, not only was I piercing the helpless branches with greater ease, but their insides were also being melted. The poor trees were not ready for what came next.

I recreated the slime mace and slammed it into a trunk with a loud crack, then added spikes to the ball and swung again, leading to a much more devastating impact, which sent splintered wood flying. Then, I created a slime greatsword and swung at the tree - it definitely couldn't cut, so it was more like slamming a large, thin, and blunt object of pure mass. I continued this for too long, but trying out different slime weapons and creations each time was so much fun. When I eventually stopped, I had toppled at least half a dozen trees, which I cleaned up by dissolving them entirely.

Having had fun creating numerous weapons, I spent the rest of the afternoon practicing [Slime Shot] and then a quiet evening working on [Shape Slime]. Before using my tusk ammo, I tried shooting a bit of slime imbued with mana, and the result was quite devastating, penetrating pretty deep into the trunk.

It was good to know it was effective, but I wasn't fond of spending two of my limited resources. If there were real danger, I'd not be frugal, but for now, I'd stick to tusks and rocks. I tried seeing if I could put mana into a tusk, and it seemed to work a little bit, but as soon as I stopped trying to force it, the mana instantly leaked out. I assumed putting mana in things other than my body was a trait or skill I could get later, and I was probably cheating by creating weapons out of my body, so I resumed my regular shooting practice.

Before settling down for a calm evening of [Shape Slime] practice, I decided to pull up my status menu to see if there were any hidden surprises.

Name: -

Race: Slime (Blue) LV 8

Class: -

Status: Healthy

Mana: Ebbing

Emblems:

[Experiment]

Traits:

[Mana Slime LV MAX]

[Acid Slime LV 3]

[Pseudopod LV 3]

[Slime Density LV 3]

[Shape Slime LV 3]

[Slime Shot LV 2]

[Core Refinement LV 3]

[Core Storage LV 3]

[Sub-Core LV 1]

[Mana Circulation LV 1]

[Mana Reinforcement LV 1]

Trait Points remaining 0

Skills:

[Dissection LV 3]

[Mapping LV 2]

[Stealth LV 2]

[Sneak Attack LV 1]

[??? LV 0]

Skill Points remaining 0

Glancing over my skills and traits, I couldn't spot anything new; I could only see one unknown skill still in progress.

'I should probably get my [Sub-Core] to start training another trait. I can't see me needing a higher level of [Core Storage] anytime soon. Maybe I could get it to cycle through [Pseudopod] creation?'

Deciding that was a good idea, I set my [Sub-Core] on to that task, reusing the bicep curls idea I had for its routine. I was about to close the status menu when I spotted something new in the portion I usually skip over.

Name: -

Race: Slime (Blue) LV 8

Class: -

Status: Healthy

Mana: Ebbing

'I now have a mana section in my status... What does ebbing mean?' Obviously, I didn't get any answers, as Gramps only helped when it involved traits.

I decided to periodically pull up my status menu while I did my evening practice to see if there were any changes. My practice was going very well, and I felt I was on the verge of a breakthrough with my little slime tree model. I also tried seeing if I could make something like a hand, but splitting my tendrils like that was still a challenge, and at my current trait levels, I only managed to upgrade my slime claw from bi-pincers to tri-pincers. Finally, there was a change in my status menu.

Mana: Flooding

'Is that good or bad? My mana must be regenerating from the description on [Mana Circulation], so it went from ebbing to flooding... A flood is normally bad, but my mana did feel like a flowing stream, so in that case, more liquid is better, I think? Ugh, so many more questions! I wish I had someone to talk to.'

It didn't change again throughout the rest of the night, so I'd look in the morning. Settling down in my tree hole, I listened to the pleasant sounds of the forest and the occasional howls in the distance. Torpor soon took me.

Chapter 17: Target Practice

Waking up, the first thing on my mind was my mana condition, so I pulled up my status menu.

Name: -

Race: Slime (Blue) LV 8

Class: -

Status: Healthy

Mana: Overflowing

'So now it's overflowing? I wish I had looked at my status when I first unlocked mana, but after a full night's rest, I want to assume this is the highest it'll go...' I mumbled to myself as I did my usual morning routine.

Having conquered the guardian of the pond, I didn't have any immediate goals, so I just wanted to do some fishing and continue my training practice. My first plan was to use [Mana Reinforcement] until my status changed, and then I'd go fishing and see if it changed back. Also, my [Sub-Core] was still going at it, making a tendril, flexing it, then reabsorbing it and repeating. It must have looked bizarre and was reserving one of my precious few tendrils, but I felt it was worth it.

Heading towards the previous day's training area, I began swinging slime weapons infused with mana at trees again. Smack. Crash. Slam. Crack. I kept checking, but it didn't seem to be changing. I then dual-wielded rapiers and infused both, then went on my stabbing frenzy again. Finally, after committing far too much tree genocide, my status finally changed.

Mana: Flooding

'Great, let's go fishing now and see if this changes back.' I then looked around at the tree carnage surrounding me, 'Well... Let's clean this up first...' and started dissolving the fallen trees one by one.

The pond was pretty quiet today, with only a few deer drinking water and the giant bugs dipping into the water. I wanted to start trying to shoot at the bugs for target practice, and I was curious if they gave good experience and slime mass. However, I was worried about losing concentration on checking my mana status, so I'd fish for now and maybe [Slime Shot] some bugs later.

Fishing was quite soothing, and it was nice to have easy meals coming towards me rather than needing to chase after things myself. Using various slime shapes, each with quirks and benefits when trying to catch fish, was also entertaining. It was, however, a little concerning how everything seemed to find my slime tasty: humans, frogs, wolves, and even fish.

Thinking back to that wolf I killed by pulling it inside my slime, I had an idea to create my most fantastic fishing tool yet, but I would need to borrow my [Sub-Core]. I dangled a large tendril deep into the pond, then sent my [Sub-Core] into it and transferred vision, and suddenly I was experiencing being underwater. Now, with vision, I would send out tiny slime spears to hook into the fish and drag them inside whenever they took a nibble.

<Proficiency gained. [Sub-Core LV 1] improved to [Sub-Core LV 2].>

I even finally pushed my [Sub-Core] to the next level. The only issue was this was maybe too effective, and I'd soon depopulate the entire pond. I recalled my [Sub-Core] and [Pseudopod] and checked my status.

Mana: Overflowing

I was happy with the results and set my [Sub-Core] to operate and maintain [Mana Reinforcement] on my core. This way, I could see if the cost outweighed my regeneration while keeping my core reinforced for more defense. If [Mana Circulation] gained experience by expending and regaining mana, I'd be training three traits simultaneously!

Now, I wanted to try shooting the bugs. At first, I tried shooting some pond water, but it couldn't reach a reasonable distance. I didn't want to risk losing my tusks, so I spent some time gathering rocks. My first few shots were terrible; the bugs were fast, my accuracy was pathetic, and the worst part was they weren't actively trying to dodge my shots.

After much trial and error, I eventually hit one, which buzzed loudly and flew towards the direction the rock came from - towards me. It spotted me when it got close enough and proceeded to divebomb with its proboscis forward like a lance. I withdrew some slime mass, retreated my core to my rear, and actively turned on my [Acid Slime]. I tried firing my remaining rocks at it, but now it was actively dodging, and when my rock ammo ran out, I switched to water. The bug penetrated my slime with a wet plopping noise and promptly melted headfirst.

<Blood Bug LV 1 defeated. Experience gained.>

'Well... Not quite what I expected. I guess I can continue shooting at the rest without worry.'

I spent time gathering more rocks, and my mana status remained the same, which gave me the theory that reinforcing for defense used less mana. When I started shooting at the second bug, it caused a bad case of déjà vu by being a near-perfect replication of the previous scene.

<Blood Bug LV 1 defeated. Experience gained.>

But the third bug I hit on the first try, and while it was flying at me, I landed another rock, which didn't do much to stop its charge, and it died like the rest by melting in the slime. But when that second rock hit it, I received a surprise notification moments before the death notification.

<Skill [??? LV 0] has become [Improved Accuracy (Lesser) LV 1].>

<Blood Bug LV 1 defeated. Experience gained.>

I hurried through my status menu to pull up the new skill.

<[Improved Accuracy (Lesser) LV 1]

This skill adds minor accuracy corrections to attacks scaling with level.

This skill also assists in attempting to overcome the [Evasion] skill.>

'I like that. My shooting is pathetically bad, so I appreciate any assistance. Also, it's good to know there's a skill for dodging... I really could use that too...' I thought to myself while memories of trying and failing to dodge the green slime's shots and the frog's tongue mocked me.

Before I called it a day, I decided to shoot at one more bug, and it was a noticeable improvement as I hit it first try and then two more times while it was charging to its doom.

<Blood Bug LV 1 defeated. Experience gained.>

They were good for shooting practice but mediocre in the slime mass department, falling somewhere between a jackalope and a deer. While heading home, my mana status still hadn't changed, and I considered leaving it on while I slept.

I continued my evening practice with [Slime Shape] while checking my mana status, and eventually, it finally changed again.

Mana: Flooding

I decided it was worth the risk to leave it on overnight. I eventually stopped my practice and went to bed, disappointed it didn't reach the breakthrough I felt was so close. I settled down again for a peaceful sleep, listening to the rustling wind and distant howls.

Chapter 17.5: Boar Hides and Goblins

The twilight hours of the Adventurers Guild were usually pretty quiet, as most people had already turned in their quests or monster spoils and spent their earnings at a restaurant, pub, or inn. But there were always exceptions, especially if adventurers traveled far to and from their objective, so the guild usually kept a small roster of night staff.

Tabitha was unfortunately stuck on the graveyard shift tonight and desperately wished she could head home to take a hot bath and collapse into her bed. There was a bonus quest recently posted to slay goblins that had everyone in a fever, hoping to get the extra payout rate, but it seemed people were struggling to find the nasty creatures, and there had been fighting over the spawns.

Tabitha was struggling to stay awake until the entryway suddenly slammed open, revealing Kurt, who had the smuggest grin on his face. She cursed under her breath and straightened up, attempting to don her professional persona. There was a side bet with the guild staff on whether anyone could complete the goblin bonus quest within a week, and Tabitha had bet two silver against it - fully believing there just weren't enough goblins in the forest. Kurt's expression really made her worry that he'd completed the quest and she'd lost her silver.

"Welcome back to the Adventurers Guild, Kurt. Don't tell me you actually found the goblins?" Tabitha asked, failing slightly to remain professional.

"Nope, even better than goblins," Kurt responded. Tabitha desperately wanted to celebrate her bet being safe but managed to restrain herself. He reached into his storage pouch and started pulling out rolled-up hides and placing them on the table.

"Hey! Don't drop raw materials on the reception desk - you'll get blood everywhere!" Tabitha screamed in protest, only making Kurt's face upgrade to a shit-eating grin.

"There is no blood here. These boar hides have been expertly prepared," Kurt responded, patting one proudly.

Tabitha blinked in confusion, then examined the hide, and true to his word, there was no blood or any excess as if prepared by a master tanner. Kurt's current class was a combo of Fighter and Scout, and he had hopes of getting an advanced job with dual-wield skills, so Tabitha knew this wasn't his work.

"I know you don't even have the [Dissection] skill, Kurt. Did you hire someone?"

"Something like that... I got quite a few of them, and man, I am so glad the guild convinced me to buy a storage pouch. I thought you were trying to scam me." He chuckled and started pulling a few more from the small storage pouch.

It was the cheapest option, but it held a small extradimensional pocket, and it was a staple of any aspiring adventurer to prevent being weighed down by equipment, treasure, or monster parts.

Tabitha frowned as Kurt kept pulling out masterpiece after masterpiece; even the guild staff that could be hired to dismantle monsters couldn't match this level of quality - at least in a small city like this one.

'What level of [Dissection] would be needed for this quality? Something crazy like seven or higher?' Tabitha wondered to herself.

What bugged her the most was that while boar hide had its uses, most likely making exquisite beginner light armor, boars were barely considered monsters and only used by beginners attempting to unlock [Dissection] without spending valuable skill points. Why would a master waste their time and effort on boars when they could earn a fortune dismantling something like a dragon?

"Did you go and rob the Crafters Guild or something?" Tabitha questioned.

"Nope, I got these in the forest," Kurt replied.

Kurt wasn't lying, but Tabitha felt he was hiding something. Sighing, Tabitha reached for the enchanted lockbox only registered staff could access.

"We will buy them at double the normal rate, but remember you will be accountable if someone comes looking for them," Tabitha warned.

Kurt whistled with satisfaction, "Wow, double rate. I knew they were good quality, but I didn't expect that much, and I didn't have to pay that stupid guild fee to harvest the corpse... Maybe I should finally get [Dissection]."

Tabitha frowned but held her tongue. If Kurt was serious about trying to unlock the skill, he would learn a harsh lesson and soon be begging the guild staff - it was messy, time-consuming, and generally unpleasant.

"We will pay you half now, and you can collect the other half tomorrow after we confirm with the Crafters Guild."

"Sure, no problem. We're going to have a big celebration with drinks tonight! Why don't you come with Tabby?"

Tabitha frowned and shook her head- she hated that nickname the adventurers gave her. Even if she wanted to go, she couldn't leave the guild unattended, not to mention her bed was still calling her.

"Sorry, I can't, I have to finish my shift." She responded and handed Kurt his payment, "Besides, what if someone comes in late from goblin hunting?"

"I don't know why they put out that bonus quest. I didn't spot a single goblin out there, just lots of wolves. I'd almost say it was some scam to make newbies waste their time." Kurt responded with a slight scowl, which disappeared the second he started pocketing his payment.

"To be honest, I'm not sure either. You'd need to go deep to where the forest meets the mountain to find any goblins since they like to hide in caves."

"That's like over two days of travel. Even with the bonus quest payout, it's not worth it. I'd rather head into the dungeon, grind levels, and hope for a lucky rare drop."

Tabitha snapped her fingers and pointed to Kurt, "Exactly. Even if our dungeon has the reputation of being super stingy."

"True that. A basic undead dungeon is terrible for loot, although it's great for grinding skills and levels."

"Sometimes I think the slime farm is the only thing keeping the economy afloat here. As stupid as that sounds..."

"Hey, don't mock slime farming; that's how I saved money to buy my first real sword."

"Sorry, sorry. I just can't stand the things ever since I found out they roam our sewer system..."

Kurt laughed and said goodbye, wanting to get to the pub before the last call. Right at the exit, he turned around with another stupid grin erupting on his face.

"Next time you drink a potion, you better hope it's from the farm and not the sewer!" He shouted with a laugh and promptly exited.

"You bastard! I did not need that image in my mind!" Tabitha screamed at the closed door. She was definitely going to have horrible dreams tonight... Stupid slimes and stupid Kurt.

Chapter 18: Interrogating Gramps

<Proficiency gained. [Mana Reinforcement LV 1] improved to [Mana Reinforcement LV 2].>

A notification occurred while I slept; my [Sub-Core] had been diligently working throughout the night. This morning, I noticed I felt a little less refreshed and a bit sluggish, so I rushed to pull up my status menu.

Mana: Draining

'Okay, that definitely doesn't sound good... Let's stop the reinforcement for now and let my mana regenerate.'

I set my [Sub-Core] back to doing tendril curls, stored away my newly created water, and left my home - ready for a new day. Despite the ominous-sounding status, I could still use my mana, so it wasn't completely empty yet, although I'd refrain from touching it until it regenerated.

The pond was very tranquil today, and all I did was do a little fishing and then some more target practice at the bugs for the entire morning. I kept checking my status, but it wasn't until early afternoon that it finally changed.

Mana: Ebbing

I was relieved that it didn't take too long to recover and that it was only a degree worse than when I went overboard with my training the first time I unlocked mana.

'[Mana Circulation] increases my regeneration, but I wonder if there is another trait that can further increase it or maybe one that can work on my capacity.'

<Insufficient Trait Points to purchase [Mana Well]. Trait Points remaining 0.>

Obviously, I asked for an explanation of the trait.

<[Mana Well]

Mana Reserve is increased scaling with trait level.

In addition, a minor mana regeneration effect is added based on total mana capacity.>

Once again, any trait Gramps recommended to me always sounded terrific. The small bonus to mana regeneration on top only sweetened the deal, as it would grow for free with my mana capacity. I had to add this to my shopping list, which I now realized was empty.

'I really should explore this helper function more, list traits I want, and stop grabbing traits in the heat of combat. My gut tells me I won't have this help for much longer...'

I moved away from the pond and positioned myself safely on a tree branch. I set my primary core to join my two remaining [pseudopods] in doing tendril curls. I then started asking leading questions, hoping to get some juicy traits to target.

I crossed off quite a few easy traits, asking questions about general improvements such as [Enhanced Strength] and found out about the following: [Enhanced Willpower], [Enhanced Intellect], [Enhanced Vitality], [Enhanced Dexterity], [Enhanced Stamina], [Enhanced Charisma]. Dexterity and Stamina were incompatible with my race, requiring a body or some nonsense like Strength, but Vitality was allowed - which I assumed would make my core harder to kill.

Willpower and Intellect sounded useful; the former increased my resistance to mental effects, while the latter increased memory and cognitive performance. Charisma sounded useless—why would I need to improve my social presence?

I then moved on to trying to ask questions about a trait to reduce or overcome my biggest weakness, which Gramps seemed very reluctant to answer - possibly because I didn't know what my weakness was. After much poking and prodding, I did eventually get a trait shown to me.

<[Magic Resistance (Lesser)]

Adds a minor amount of passive magic resistance to offensive spells and spell effects, scaling with trait level.

Resistance can be temporarily disabled to allow effects to pass.

Beneficial spells from oneself automatically overcome resistance.>

Apparently, I was weak against spells, but isn't that true for everyone? That was like saying my greatest weakness was being stabbed in the heart. Or maybe it was because any spellcaster would find me absolutely delicious with my tasty mana slime, and they would be my greatest foes. It was promptly added to the shopping list as I shuddered with thoughts of being harvested again. My tasty mana slime got me curious enough to ask about tasting food myself, and surprisingly, there was a trait for that.

<[Olfactory Sense]

Artificially adds both a sense of taste and smell.

This trait can be voluntarily disabled and has no trait levels.

Unlocks traits and skills that require these senses.>

I wouldn't mind being able to taste or smell things, and being able to turn off the effect sounded useful. The no trait levels part also somewhat answered an old question of mine - it seemed not all traits reached level ten. I added it to the list and started asking for ways to improve my slime, which took a while, but I eventually got an answer.

<[Adhesive Slime]

Allows increasing or reducing the adhesion of slime mass.

This trait has no levels.

Compatible with other slime traits.>

It sounded useful but not something I'd grab urgently, although I could probably imitate the frog's tongue by making a super sticky tendril. I could also probably use this to climb any surface by increasing my adhesion or slide around by reducing it - that last one sounded like a fun way to travel. Interestingly, this trait did not have multiple trait levels, giving me the full effect upfront.

While pondering my next question, I noticed a wolf approaching the pond. Since I had seen nothing but deer lately, I was eager to try using my [Mana Reinforcement]. I dropped to the ground and started to sneak towards the wolf.

My mana flowed into a tendril and then grabbed it from behind while it drank from the pond, lifting it high up into the air. I was surprised by how light it felt, and it tried to squirm and struggle out of my grasp, but the dense mana-strengthened slime was far beyond it. It let out a howl moments before my slimy rapier mana edition, which I had just created, stabbed into its neck.

<Wolf LV 2 defeated. Experience gained.>

'Again, I'm shocked at how good mana is... Seriously, I wish I had this ages ago.'

I devoured the wolf except for the fangs and claws, which I stored away, and then trekked to my home. Reaching my familiar tree, I perched up on its branch and resumed trying to find more traits. Midway through my random questioning, trying to dig out a trait, I was interrupted by a notification.

<Proficiency gained. [Mana Circulation LV 1] improved to [Mana Circulation LV 2].>

I was pleased about the improvement of this vital resource, and perhaps I could even leave on reinforcement now without it draining so fast, which reminded me to check my status.

Mana: Flooding

Near the end, I struggled to think of questions to justify Gramps's giving me an answer, and the final one I got before bed came from the stray thought of seeing better at night.

<[Dark Vision]

Enhances vision to perceive in conditions with either little or no light.

Vision distance is 20% per trait level.>

This could be useful if I decided to become nocturnal or move underground. Also, the description made it sound like it would only have five trait levels, further answering my old question.

Before sleep, I set my [Sub-Core] to use [Mana Reinforcement]; I had big hopes to overcome its consumption with passive regeneration.

'Goodnight Gramps, thanks for all the answers.'

Chapter 19: Slimy Stalker

When I woke up and checked my status, my mana only dropped to Ebbing this time instead of Draining. I was glad that my idea of overcoming the mana drain was feasible, possibly even as soon as the next trait level. I swapped my [Sub-Core] back to doing tendril curls to give my mana a chance to regenerate unimpeded, stored away my morning water, and headed to the pond.

The pond was abuzz with activity, with two wolves sniffing around as if searching for something. The many wolves suddenly appearing struck me as odd, and I wondered what happened to all the boars. My curiosity faded away, replaced by a hunger to replace the slime I had lost overnight—odd that no matter how much slime I had stored away, my instincts asked me to feed regularly.

The wolves were distant enough from one another that I felt confident in doing a little cloak-and-dagger. I flattened myself out and slowly lurched towards one of the wolves. When I got close enough, I formed my rapier, and instead of going for the neck, I went for the back of the skull. I wanted to test out [Sneak Attack] since it mentioned ignoring defense from stealth. When my rapier made contact, there was a minuscule black flash on the blade tip before it pierced straight through.

<Wolf LV 2 defeated. Experience gained.>

I wondered if that was the skill activating while I pulled the corpse in to be consumed. I was sneaking towards the other wolf when it started sniffing wildly, seemingly catching a scent and turned around.

'Did it really smell such a small amount of blood? I don't even have a nose, and I'm jealous.'

The wolf snarled and howled with spittle flying, and I expected it to lunge toward me in mere moments, but then it turned and began to flee. Not wanting to lose experience and a good meal, I started shooting tusks and wolf fangs at it with [Slime Shot]. Two landed before it realized it needed to try dodging while it fled. I told my [Sub-Core] to join me and commence firing, and soon, there was double the amount of tusks and fangs flying towards the wolf.

<Wolf LV 2 defeated. Experience gained.>

The wolf looked like a pincushion when I collected it, and the nearby ground was no pretty sight either, with tusks, fangs, and blood scattered about. While digesting the wolves and recollecting my projectiles, I had a question burning in my mind - why did I gain traits from eating slimes but nothing from other monsters?

<[Consuming Osmosis]

Gain insight and understanding from anything consumed.

Information is gained partially and supplemented by additional consumption.

Trait level determines the starting point of the consumed information and the amount gained from each supplementary consumption.>

I wondered if Gramps was tired of the back and forth, as he just shoved an answer to my question into my mind, which I appreciated as it sounded delicious. Now, I just needed to level up and get some trait points. My mana level was back to Flooding, so I set my [Sub-Core] back to reinforcing, and then it was time to head out.

Feeling confident in my [Mapping] skill, I decided to explore an unknown portion of the forest, heading out for what felt like a very long time since I discovered this pond. I could sleep somewhere else tonight with how quickly I could create a new tree home, thanks to [Acid Slime].

I grappled from branch to branch, rapidly traversing through the forest. I caught a few small critters during my trip, but nothing that gave me experience, so I eventually started to ignore them. Eventually, I heard voices and slowed my travel to stealthily approach. I saw two humans walking and talking: a woman with a stupidly large axe and a man with a big fancy hat and a stick. I made a mental note to try making a giant slime axe in the future.

This being my first time seeing humans in the forest, I was curious about their objectives and intentions, so I cautiously observed. I felt safe in the trees, and they showed no sign of noticing my presence. They talked to each other a lot, with the woman occasionally pulling out a piece of paper and pointing, and then they would adjust their direction.

I wish I could understand them, but there didn't seem to be a trait for language no matter how I tried to phrase my questions, or at least Gramps was dead silent. They suddenly stopped, with the woman grabbing her axe, and I was worried they had noticed me when a large wolf leaped out from the bushes.

She swung her axe in response and effortlessly decapitated the wolf in a single blow - I couldn't believe it. The man pulled out a small knife and cut off the right ear of the wolf, then held the head out to her. She reached into its mouth and, with some effort, brutally ripped out some fangs, then tossed the head aside. She then walked over to the headless body and, with two swift swings of her axe, removed the front paws and somehow put them and the fangs into a tiny pouch on her waist.

'Is that pouch like my [Core Storage]? I don't see how else they would have fit.' I wondered to myself while the humans resumed their trip, 'Are they just leaving the rest of the corpse? So wasteful.' 

I waited until they were safe and slowly lowered a tendril to grab the head and body.

<Proficiency gained. [Stealth LV 2] improved to [Stealth LV 3].>

Being a sneaky slime was paying off, so I quickly ate the wolf and resumed following. I continued stalking them for what felt like hours until it finally appeared. I stared in shock as what appeared to block their path was one of the apex predators of the forest - a green slime!

These foolish humans were about to die, but perhaps I could take out the slime afterward with my stored water. I desperately wanted its core, which could enhance my traits even further.

I watched in anticipation and curiosity. The woman pointed to the slime, possibly cursing her fate. The man stood forward. Was he going to sacrifice himself for her? He raised his stick—utterly futile, that stick would melt away in nanoseconds.

The green slime was creeping towards them, hungry for its next meal. The stick glowed with a greyish light, and he swung it downwards. A blade of greyish wind emanated from the stick and flew towards the slime. The wind blade pierced effortlessly through the green slime mass and hit the core, instantly splitting it in half. Once the core split, there was a popping noise, and the green slime mass collapsed to the ground harmlessly. The man laughed, and both started to walk around the green puddle seeping into the soil.

'Was that magic? And is he laughing at it? What the hell!?'

I couldn't believe it—what I thought was the apex of slimes was so effortlessly killed. Humans were scary, and magic was scary. I felt my core shudder in fear. I was frozen as I watched the humans continue their journey, no longer wanting to follow them. When they were long gone, I dropped to the floor and picked up the two pieces of the broken green slime core.

<Slime (Green) Fractured Core partially absorbed. Trait [Acid Slime] gained.>

<Existing Trait [Acid Slime LV 3] improved to [Acid Slime LV 4].>

The fractured core part was new, but I was still too shocked to think about it, so I started heading home. I ignored everything else until I was back to my tree, and it was very late and dark when I finally reached it. I practically jumped into my hole and then finally sighed, feeling safe. The silver lining was that I gained a level in both [Stealth] and [Acid Slime], the latter being one of my best traits.

'So I think I need that magic resistance trait...' I thought to myself before drifting to sleep.

Chapter 20: The Howling

This morning, I felt miserable, as yesterday's events had left their mark. I was sluggish about exiting the tree and finally realized my error - I had left my [Mana Reinforcement] on all night. I immediately told my [Sub-Core] to stop and pulled up my status.

Mana: Draining

I expected worse when I realized I had left my [Sub-Core] to work on it since the wolves I fought, so I felt relieved it was at least a familiar status and not something potentially worse. I headed to the pond to do some fishing and get breakfast.

The pond was eerily quiet, with no deer or wolves, but I was moody, so I ignored it, plopped down next to the water, and started to fish. My thoughts were a mess, recalling how easily that slime had died.

'Would I have survived that blade of wind?' It was a good question; I had traits that other slimes did not, from what I could tell, like [Slime Density], [Core Refinement], and [Mana Reinforcement]. I could hope that my slime would be too dense to penetrate or that the defense of my mana enhancement and upgraded core would be able to tank the hit.

I was so deep in thought and idly fishing that I didn't notice anything until I heard a growling noise that surrounded me. Snapping back to reality, I took in my surroundings and noticed four wolves bigger than the ones I killed yesterday glaring at me with hunger and hatred.

I probably should have felt some level of concern, but after what I had witnessed yesterday, these wolves just felt pathetic - could they even hurt me without melting themselves? I swelled in size by withdrawing slime mass and formed a slime greatsword overhead.

My threatening display seemed to have the opposite effect as three wolves lunged toward me while the fourth let out an ear-piercing howl like a feral battle cry. I swung the greatsword down on the fourth wolf to stop the unpleasant sound that showed no sign of stopping. During the downswing, I added mana to the blade to enhance its strength, and it collided with the beast, which had severely underestimated my reach or my lack of care for its attacking companions.

<Wolf LV 4 defeated. Experience gained.>

The wolf died near-instantly as the dense combination of acid and mana proved far beyond its simple animal fur protection and bisected it. At the same time, the other wolves took bites at my slimy mass, only for their toothy maws to get a mouth full of burning and melting acid.

The three wolves leaped backward in pain, but only one withdrew as two tendrils emerged from where their mouths had previously bitten, engulfing their heads in return. Dumping acidic slime forcefully down their gullets, they didn't even have the time to suffocate.

<Wolf LV 2 defeated. Experience gained.>

<Wolf LV 3 defeated. Experience gained.>

<Racial Experience threshold reached. Slime (Blue) is now LV 9>

<1 Trait Point is now available>

I felt that exhilarating rush of leveling up and wanted to spend the trait point, but there was one last wolf to clean up. I could have let it go, but these creatures had tried to ambush me and take my life. The wolf was mid-pivot to retreat when it caught the backswing of the greatsword.

<Wolf LV 3 defeated. Experience gained.>

I was about to harvest and eat when I remembered the trait yesterday. I considered taking [Magic Resistance], the fear of that wind blade spell still present, but logic won in the end - I could continue to avoid humans and get it later. I made my purchase.

<Trait [Consuming Osmosis LV 1] obtained. Trait Points remaining 0.>

As I devoured the four wolves, minus their fangs and claws, I received a notification when I ate enough of each corpse.

<Profile [Wolf] 20% analyzed.>

<Profile [Wolf] 40% analyzed.>

<Profile [Wolf] 60% analyzed.>

<Profile [Wolf] 80% analyzed.>

It was fascinating as I randomly gained jumbled bits and pieces of information, but the puzzle pieces fell together with fewer gaps each time I finished consuming a wolf. It was like I had a detailed model of a wolf in my mind; I had information on their vital points (heart and brain), any resistances they might have had (minor cold resistance), some of their traits ([Enhanced Claws], [Enhanced Fangs], [Enhanced Nose]), and even some of their skills ([Tracking], [Pack Tactics], [Evasion], [Stealth]).

I could use this information to discover traits and skills without needing that orb-thingy. I only needed to consume another wolf to complete the profile. Even with the small information gaps, I felt I could probably build a replica of a wolf. My overthinking was interrupted by an even louder ear-piercing howl when it appeared.

A massive black wolf with silverish fur tips, despite its body surpassing the size of any wolf I had seen previously, it seemed trimmed down, relatively speaking, and refined. Its tail was likely longer than its actual body, entirely covered in that silvery fur, and most strange of all, was flat like a blade and jagged in shape like a lightning bolt.

It wasn't alone as another six wolves followed after it - thankfully, they were ordinary and smaller than the ones who had ambushed me. One of the wolves suddenly charged at me, snarling with savage and burning hatred. When it leaped, I reflexively grabbed it out of the air with all my tendrils, engulfing and killing it in seconds. Its corpse rapidly dissolving away - [Acid Slime LV 4] combined with [Slime Density LV 3] was no joke.

<Wolf LV 1 defeated. Experience gained.>

<Profile [Wolf] complete.>

The giant wolf let out a massive howl that even shamed the gigatoad's mighty croak - the other wolves immediately cowered before it. I expected it to charge at me, but instead, it slowly approached and looked back at the other wolves as if telling them not to get involved before looking at me again. It swished its tail twice, and I swear I could hear it cutting through the air.

'Is this wolf challenging me to a duel or something? Not like I expected we could talk things out...'

I checked my mana level, which was back up to Ebbing, so I quickly used [Mana Reinforcement] on my core while turning off the cycling auto-compression around it and ensuring nothing but maximum-density slime surrounded it. Doing these both with my primary core used less than half its mental processing and thoroughly freed up my [Sub-Core] to support me. While I wasn't afraid of this wolf, I didn't want to take any chances.

For my [Pseudopods], I created a greatsword, rapier, and tri-claw. Upon completing my three weapons, the wolf leaned down as if ready to pounce. It barked as if to signal the start of the duel and then blurred.

I struggled to keep track of the fast-moving creature as it was darting around with blinding speed, and I swung at it with my greatsword. The wolf somersaulted mid-air, bringing its bizarre tail to the front, and parried my slime greatsword! It then flung itself into the air into another spin and sliced through the tendril, which dropped a large portion of slime mass, including the greatsword, to splatter against the ground.

A combination of shock and anger ran through me from the strange fighting style and losing so much slime mass. I immediately started withdrawing tusks and fangs and set my [Sub-Core] to handle supporting fire as we rapidly utilized [Slime Shot] at the wolf. The wolf dodged to and fro - I couldn't land a single shot. When I tried to bring the rapier in to stab at the wolf while it dodged, its tail seemed to shine momentarily before slicing through my rapier and causing the entire [Pseudopod] to fall with a wet splat to the floor. The slight delay in its dodging to attack caused a few shots to hit it but only caused superficial damage at best.

<Proficiency gained. [Improved Accuracy (Lesser) LV 1] improved to [Improved Accuracy (Lesser) LV 2].>

I tried to chase after it with the claw tendril to grab hold of it, but it did a backflip, and that accursed tail once again sliced through and destroyed my precious slime mass. I started withdrawing reserve slime mass to replenish my stock when suddenly the wolf blurred again and was suddenly directly in front of me while spinning violently.

'Shit!' I cursed and retreated my core deeper, 'If I put enough slime mass between me and it, it won't be able to penetrate to my core unless its tail were longer.'

While the wolf spun towards me, I hoped to envelop it in a tidal wave of slime when it failed to penetrate deep enough to hit my core, but the wolf had other plans. Its tail flickered wildly with bright light, and when it reached its maximum spin, it performed a massive overhead strike that sliced cleanly through my body and sent a projected force of slashing energy toward my core! I screamed when the ghostly slash approached rapidly and struck my core. There was a cracking sound, and unimaginable pain assaulted me. My vision began to waver and blacken.

Pain. It hurts! Pain. Don't want! Pain. To die! Pain. Save me! Pain. Pain. Pain. Must kill! Pain. Kill! Pain. Pain. Pain...