The slime kept eating, driven by a hunger so deep it seemed bottomless.
Aria stayed where she was, sitting with her back against one of the crystal pillars.
The chamber wasn't large, so every sound echoed sharply. She could hear the crunch of mana ore breaking apart, and the scraping vibration of stone splitting under whatever method the slime used to dissolve it. And the wet pulse of the creature's membrane as it absorbed everything.
Aria hugged her knees loosely, forcing her mind to work even though exhaustion tugged at her thoughts.
She needed a plan. She needed something.
But she was too young and too inexperienced. She had never learned how to fight properly and never trained to capture monsters.
She had no teacher, only the bits of instinctive knowledge of how to use her healing magic. And even that was shallow, undeveloped.
She had no other skills to rely on and no clear way ahead of her to grow stronger.
So what was she supposed to do with a monster like this?
Could she just… shove it into a sack? That sounded ridiculous even in her own head.
Or maybe there was a plant somewhere in the woods outside with a natural tranquilizing effect she could use to lull it to sleep?
But even if there was, how would she administer it? The slime had no real mouth.
Its body could expand and contract freely. It could slip through cracks or flatten itself, reshape at will.
And on top of all that, it had mysterious abilities she still didn't understand.
BOOM!
BOOM!
BOOM!
More impacts rattled through the stone floors. Dust shook loose from the ceiling. Small fragments of rock began to fall around her, clattering across the crystal-studded ground.
Aria's shoulders tightened in worry. Even this chamber that looked solid as it seemed, might not be safe if the tremors kept growing.
"Argh… I'll think about this later…" she muttered to herself. Her thoughts were too tangled and too anxious.
She forced her eyes closed and let her breathing settle, focusing instead on drawing mana back into her core.
Her core was low tier and small, it took a long time to refill. She could feel the slow, almost painful trickle of mana returning to her, little by little.
The slime continued eating without pause.
About thirty minutes passed since it started devouring the ores. With Consume at level 3, its digestion was incredibly quick. It tore through ore after ore, high purity mana flooding into its body with every pulse.
And its Evolution bar climbed steadily higher… fast.
[Evolution: 998/1,000]
The slime's eagerness becomes higher. Then, eventually, it came.
[Evolution: 1,000/1,000]
The slime shuddered.
Its membrane rippled outward in slow waves as the voices faded from its mind.
[Evolution Initiating…]
A deep vibration throbbed through its core.
Aria flinched upright, eyes widening. "S-slime…?"
The creature didn't respond. Its form began to swell, then collapse inward, then stretch sideways as if its entire body had forgotten what shape it was supposed to be.
Its normally smooth surface churned like boiling green liquid.
A soft vibration filled the chamber, rising higher and higher. The mana ores around them flickered in response, glowing brighter for a moment as if reacting to the surge.
The slime's core pulsed violently. Bright, dim, bright, and dim again like a heart beating too fast.
Aria scooted back on instinct, though she couldn't look away.
Was it dying? Exploding? Or… transforming?
She didn't know, but the sound of sloshing and the shaking of the slime's jelly body sent a tremor of fear and curiosity through her.
The slime itself felt lost.
It lay limp on the crystal floor with that violent pulse, body flattening like melted wax before swelling up again with a trembling wobble.
Its core flickered with erratic green light, and for the first time, it sensed something strange moving through itself. Not hunger or just instinct.
Something… forming.
[Evolution Stage 1 Initiated]
[Please Wait…]
A clear and sharp voice rang through its being.
The slime pulsed once, and I felt confused. It only knew hunger, instinct, danger. That was its world.
But now… Thoughts began to stretch inside it like threads of light. Shapes became clearer and colors became more vivid.
The chamber no longer looked like vague brightness and darkness and shapes, it had depth, texture, and distance.
The mana ores weren't just food, they were structures. The stone wasn't just an obstacle, it was an environment.
And Aria… She wasn't just a source of mana warmth and life. She had a face and an expression. Emotions he could now recognize. The slime could recognize shock, caution, and concern.
The slime felt something twitch inside it. It was an awareness.
Aria gasps as if feeling something strange happening. "…You're… changing?"
The slime didn't answer. But its core pulsed more steadily now, as if stabilizing.
The trembling finally stopped.
The slime's body settled into a clean, round glossy shape, more defined, and faintly glowing with a richer green hue. Its core hovered perfectly centered, no longer flickering but shining with a steady light.
[Evolution Stage 1 has finished.]
[Structural evolution complete.]
[Base organism has advanced to Sentient being]
[Mana Core: refined to Tier 3 - Bright Color Core.]
[Cognitive functions increased!]
[Language comprehension is accessible.]
[Emotional pathways unlocked.]
[Autonomous decision-making, enabled.]
The slime pulsed, startled by the sudden clarity inside itself. Thoughts—actual thoughts—formed like shapes rising from deep water.
The world no longer felt like a blur of sensations. It had clear meaning and purpose now.
But it turns out the voice was not done yet. It continued:
[Physical matrix has improved.]
[Elastic density increased by 30%]
[Magic absorption heightened.]
[Innate skill acquired: Mana manipulation]
The slime bounced in quick hops, a surge of bright, uncontainable joy rushing through its newly awakened core.
It didn't know how to name the feeling, only that it warmed it from within.
Drifting toward Aria, it studied her puzzled expression.
She wasn't recoiling. She wasn't afraid. If anything, she seemed… uncertain, trying to understand. Her brows knit softly as she leaned closer.
"You look… happy," she murmured, bewildered, with a lost expression.
The slime swelled slightly in response.
—