Banished from the herd, I was actually a member of a very rare species. ~With the unique skills that only I can use, I can grow and evolve quickly. I will become an unrivaled monster~ - Episode 14: {Evolution} 2

Episode 14: {Evolution} 2

“Slaa…”

Boom!

I was thrown by the giant bear and landed on a rock. Thanks to the Jewel Slime’s |Toughness|, I wasn’t injured, but the rock shattered into pieces.

“(That bear threw me around so easily, now I’ve got a bump on my head…)”

I rubbed the sore spots from being hit and descended from the rock. The bear’s strike seemed to bypass my hardness. Although the impact was smaller than the stray attacks from the giant magical beasts, the pain and reduction in |Life| from the bear’s attack were worse.

Maybe the bear has a [Skill] that ignores a certain percentage of material strength.

“(Ugh, my body’s melting away, just my luck.)”

Determined to run away if I encounter the bear again, I focused on my physical condition. About 20% of my body had melted into a gooey substance. When a slime receives a powerful attack—one that reduces its |Life|—the cells in the affected area die off. And the dead tissue starts to dissolve like this. When |Life| drops by 20%, about 10% of the body becomes necrotic. If necrosis reaches half of the body, the slime dies.

“(—Oh, there it is.)”

While contemplating such grim thoughts, I found the familiar corpse of a magical beast. Thanks to my [Sense of Direction], I had already known that the direction I was thrown in was where I had fought the crayfish. Since the bear’s strike was stronger, I needed to walk back. I was relieved that no other magical beasts had scavenged it. Strong magical beasts are full of nutrients, and eating them helps in growing stronger.

As I consumed the crayfish with [Dissolution Liquid], I directed my focus to my |Status|. Actually, I had been feeling an increase in power since defeating the crayfish.

“(It seems I can {Evolve} after all.)”

{Evolution} is the quickest way to become stronger. With no enemies around, I decided to complete the evolution process now. I quickly looked at the evolution options.

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Possible Evolutions

{Ruby Slime} – Beast Rank: Greater Beast

{Large Jewel Slime} – Beast Rank: Greater Beast

{Jewel Weapon Slime} – Beast Rank: Greater Beast

{Brilliant Slime} – Beast Rank: Greater Beast

{Jewel Meteor Slime} – Beast Rank: Greater Beast

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　The number of evolution paths has increased dramatically, with five this time. There’s plenty to choose from.

　To get an overview of each race, I focus on their names.

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Possible Evolutions

{Ruby Slime}  – Beast Rank: Greater Beast  

• • A rare slime species.  

• • Its body glimmers red, resisting most attacks.  

• • Excellent at escaping, with ordinary magical beasts only able to catch a red afterimage.  

• • Also possesses the [Skill] to control flames.

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Hmm, this looks like a straightforward evolution. Being able to control flames is cool and high points. Depending on other options, this seems like a good evolution choice. Next—

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Possible Evolutions

{Large Jewel Slime} – Beast Rank: Greater Beast  

• • A rare type of large slime with high |Life|.  

• • Large body, with very high |Toughness| and |Resist|.  

• • Despite its size, it excels at escaping.

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A large type. It’s the same category as Sla-ta. Having high |Life| is attractive. I could stand up to opponents that penetrate |Toughness| like the bear. However, it seems to lack other notable abilities. It doesn’t seem very good at direct combat. Well, I’ll put it as a second choice.

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Possible Evolutions

{Jewel Weapon Slime}  – Beast Rank: Greater Beast  

• • A rare weapon slime that masters [Weapon Skills].  

• • Can transform its body into various weapons and fight using [Skills].  

• • Has high |Power| compared to normal slimes, but its true strength is in |Toughness|. Its body, with hardness far beyond iron, becomes a weapon for both offense and defense.

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This one seems pretty good. The axe I took from the goblin broke during the battle with the crayfish, but if I can turn my body into blades, I won’t waste [Slash]. I’ve learned many [Weapon Skills] due to the [Unique Skill] and will continue to do so. This species, which can transform into various weapons, seems to suit me well.

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Possible Evolutions

{Brilliant Slime} – Beast Rank: Greater Beast  

• • A rare slime species. One of the most beautiful slimes.  

• • Slightly inferior in flexibility, but unmatched in |Toughness| and |Resist|.  

• • Uses an illusion [Skill] to deceive adversaries.

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This next one seems to be defense-focused. It also looks like |Resist| will be as high as |Toughness|. I’m curious about the illusion [Skill] too. However, aiming to be the strongest, a low offensive capability is a bit of a drawback… I’ll place it as a third option.

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Possible Evolutions

{Jewel Meteor Slime} – Beast Rank: Greater Beast  

• • A rare slime species.  

• • Uses exceptional |Toughness| to hunt prey with falling attacks.  

• • Possesses a unique falling [Skill] and has high jumping ability.

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And finally, there’s this one. It seems like this evolution option appeared because I was thrown around so much. But a meteor… a meteorite meteor, huh… I always thought of it more like a soccer ball or a home run ball, but it’s dressed up quite stylishly. It makes me a bit tempted to choose it. 

High jumping ability means I can perform falling attacks without having to wait in ambush in the trees, right? It seems like a pretty good evolution option. The only concern is the potential for openings. Up until now, when using [Crushing], I’ve kept enemies in place with [Provocation] or [Enchanting Radiance], but it’s uncertain if those tactics will still work. Strong magical beasts have high |Resist| and are less affected by mental [Skills]. If they have any semblance of rationality, they’ll dodge falling attacks and counterattack. 

“(Hmm…)”

I’m indecisive. Each evolution option has its own unique appeal, and narrowing it down to just one is tough. But I can’t keep wavering forever. I decided to stop eating for now and make a decisive choice.

“(Alright, I’ve decided on you! {Evolution} start!)”

In response to my decision, my body began to heat up. The heat intensified, my liquid body started to tremble as if boiling, and gradually, its volume increased. Then—

―――Non-Notification Information Recording Zone―――――――――――――

～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～

>> Fuwa Katsu {Jewel Slime} has begun {Evolution}.

>> The Species has changed to {Jewel Weapon Slime}.

>> |Stats| have changed due to {Evolution}.

>> New [Skills] have been added.

～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～～

The heat subsides. The {Evolution} is complete. The color of my body hasn’t changed; it remains the transparent blue. However, the size has increased significantly—about twice as large. Compared to the surrounding trees, I now seem to be the size of a small balance ball. Well, that’s enough about appearance. Let’s check the |Status| now.