I was a little annoyed that I hadn’t gained another Level after the fight, but it really seemed like monsters weaker than you didn’t provide much experience. But at the very least, I felt a thrill of pleasure at a job well done. I hadn’t even touched the clockwork within me; I grew more accustomed how to utilize this form for violence. And now…

I looked at the bodies around me. My pride says no, but my curiosity says yes… let’s see what you’ve been hiding from me, crayfish.

Would you like to integrate the antenna of Prideful Crayfish Lvl 6?

Integration requires 6 Anima. Continue?

Your Skill (Species) Integrate Body Part has grown to Level 8.

You have integrated the antenna of Prideful Crayfish Lvl 6! Antenna of Prideful Crayfish Lvl 6 provides Poise +1 and Perception +2.

With the two little antennae flicking back and forth from the top of my slime body, my vision sharpened to its previous heights. In addition, the extra point in Poise was a wonderful surprise. Filled with zeal for butchery, I cut off the antenna of the other Crayfish Snapper. Unfortunately, this one had been mildly impacted by my claw, but it should still be fine.

Would you like to integrate the mildly broken antenna of the Sluggish Crayfish Lvl 6?

Integration requires 5 Anima. Continue?

After I selected yes, a new notification popped up in front of me.

Please note, Chimera Core has already integrated similar body parts. As such, effects of the additional parts will be drastically reduced.

You have integrated the mildly broken antenna of Sluggish Crayfish Snapper Lvl 6! Mildly Broken Antenna of Sluggish Crayfish Snapper Lvl 6 provides Perception +1.

I can understand this rule… otherwise, I could just be an ooze of a thousand eyes… ah, wait a moment. My body froze. Doesn’t this mean… Green and Indigo are even dumber than I had assumed…? They get diminished Stat bonus for their multiple tails and heads?

Ah, truly, the rose-colored glasses of companionship are a scary thing…

Still, I moved through the other corpses and carved away pieces I wanted. I still disdained their claws, but I wanted to check about what other Stats I could acquire with this wondrous jelly body. I took my bloody limbs and harvested myself some legs.

La, la la, butcher on the beach, butcher on the beach~ Life’s just a peach when you ‘butchin on the beach~

Would you like to integrate the four back legs of Prideful Crayfish Snapper Lvl 6?

Integration requires 12 Anima. Continue?

Your Skill (Species) Integrate Body Part has grown to Level 9.

You have integrated the four back legs of the Prideful Crayfish Snapper Lvl 6! You have unlocked the (Temp) Stat Agility. Four Back Legs of the Prideful Crayfish Snapper Lvl 6 provides Agility +2.

Even after absorbing those body parts, I still had 72 Anima. Truly, I transitioned on this bloody beach into my next, more monstrous form. While the ooze was great for mud, nothing could rival legs for more solid ground. So for my next addition, I decided to go for a much more ambitious addition.

Would you like to integrate the headless exoskeleton of Sluggish Crayfish Snapper Lvl 6?

Integration requires 17 Anima. Continue?

Your Skill (Species) Integrate Body Part has grown to Level 10.

You have integrated the headless exoskeleton of the Sluggish Crayfish Snapper Lvl 6! You have unlocked the (Temp) Stat Defense. Headless Exoskeleton of the Sluggish Crayfish Snapper Lvl 6 provides Defense +4.

I watched in wonder as the shell of the crayfish adjusted its size slightly to accommodate my bulk. I created some tentacles for arms and legs, my humanoid form, and was shocked to find that the exoskeleton shifted slightly. Perhaps more strangely, the color of the shell shifted from red to lavender to match my ooze body.

Practically cackling, I sliced open the belly of the other crayfish. Definitely, I was a fool to wait so long to grab new body parts! Fufufu… let me peruse your valuable organs. Today is the beginning of my dark ascension-

Wait a moment. Uh, let’s not too overboard. If I demonstrate villainy, even ironically, isn’t it possible the religious groups will hear about it and launch a crusade?

Doo-da-doo, no monstrous developments here. Just a normal crayfish, with an off-color exoskeleton…

Would you like to integrate the two-chamber heart of Prideful Crayfish Snapper Lvl 6?

Integration requires 8 Anima. Continue?

Please note, you already have integrated ten body parts! As a Chimera Core, you are unable to support additional body parts. If you integrate another, please also select a body part to lose.

Cheh, so there is a limit like this?

Hah, System. When did you grow so cold? Where did all these rules come from?

Further raging against the petty dictates of the System was interrupted by Green’s dramatic arrival.

She cannonballed into the middle of the mutilated crayfish corpses, sending arms and mushed organs and mud exploding in every direction in a wave of gooey muck. Obviously, I was soaked. As I wiggled my body to rid myself of all the dirt, Green hopped closer and stretched out her two new additions to her body: two more frog legs, bringing her total to four.

Yes yes, very majestic. I could only sigh and allow Green to pat me down with her tentacles. Because over the past few days, another unfortunate fact demanded my acknowledgment. My two companions… were more powerful than me.

Much more powerful.

My decision to train harder and raise my Level… might not have been entirely because all of my farms were invaded.

Green literally dragged me out of my own thoughts, pulling me until I followed her back to our stump. I set aside the meticulous organ harvesting (and also my self-examination with the ten body part limit in mind) I planned to do and allowed it to happen. See above, her being overwhelmingly more powerful than me. All this, even with redundant body parts. Besides, the rest of my materials had been demolished by her arrival. I would need to harvest another batch of crayfish tomorrow when they washed ashore like so much discarded trash.

Ick, it started as a joke, but maybe I’m starting to internalize this anti-crustacean rhetoric…

Indigo waited for us back at the stump cottage. Or at least, a creature that was probably Indigo waited there because two rat skulls, a Venom Mantis head, and a snake head stuck up from the top of the body and completely screened his indigo ooze. I leaned forward and peered more closely at Indigo. Something had changed with his body. A rat tail and a serpent’s tail stretched out behind him, likely additions forced on him by Green. Then I noticed the difference.

It wasn’t just his heads screening his Indigo, simply less of his jello body showed. In the connecting portions that usually you could see his ooze, now he had developed grey muscles. My left eyes bulged as Indigo flexed at me.

Without any shame, Green hopped forward and jabbed tentacles against the muscles. Shy ole Indigo hunched over, trying to avoid Green’s prodding tentacles. He seemed ticklish. However, Green was not someone who ever left her curiosity unsatisfied. I found the whole Green/Indigo dynamic someone interesting until she whipped her own serpent's tail around and penetrated it deeply into the grey flesh.

Uwaahh, well, there goes the Anima and Stats from all those muscles. But, Indigo, what the hell! I had no idea you were a secret meathead-

My thoughts skidded to a halt as I watched Green rip away great strips of flesh, revealing Indigo’s gooey core… and then a few seconds later, the edges of those wounds began to slowly heal. Muscles reformed, coming back…

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

Yes, a little stronger and bulkier than before.

Green jabbed excitedly, very clearly having brought me back to show me this phenomenon. My mind raced. My first feeling, honestly, was jealousy. Where did Indigo find this body part that would heal after being damaged? But then a few other small details became obvious. First, Indigo was slightly larger than Green or I, who both probably had over the 50 Anima size-cap. Second, I ignored my eyes and looked with my energy sonar. Indigo burned about twice as brightly as we did. The label floating above his head had changed, becoming an Incomplete Chimera Core.

And finally…

When did this fellow get so expressive with his heads? I wondered. The rat heads especially looked at me with faces of misery as Green poked and prodded. There was even a pleading note to his expression, as though he wished I would stop Green from so casually ripping off his new muscles.

I wish I could, buddy. I commiserated. If I had tried to actually stick to the activity I wanted for the day, she would have just picked me up and carried me back to watch her torture you.

Soldier on, Indigo. But fear not! With my human intelligence, I will quickly find the way to min-max the System. Green’s reign of overwhelming power will soon come to an end. Besides… an increase in size, this strange muscle shift…

I left Green to this fun game and returned to the mud beach. My body buzzed with excitement at the implications. That… there is only one explanation for how Indigo shifted. Based on the notifications about transitional Skills… Indigo likely reached Level 10. Once there, not only did his ability to contain energy increase, but he also developed the grey flesh. Perhaps a new Species Skill for Chimera Cores?

Uh, its a bit alarming that Green can still overpower him at a lower Level… but she is inherently unreasonable…

Turns out all that chasing tail pays dividends…

Just one more reason to develop my Level.

I began planning my own ascent. My earlier rampage had eliminated most of the crayfish on the Southern stretch of the beach, but a few more Muckers wandered around at the far end where the mud hardened. I could at least use their innards to test some of my theories. But first, I organized my absorbed body parts in order of importance.

[Slightly Mushed Left Eye of the Vindictive Static Mongoose- Perception +5]

[Headless Exoskeleton of the Sluggish Crayfish Snapper- Defense +4]

[Serrated Foreleg of the Patient Venom Mantis- Poise +4 and Attack +3]

[Antenna of Prideful Crayfish- Poise +1 and Perception +2]

[Corroded and Severed Claw of the Vindictive Static Mongoose- Attack +1 and Strength +1]

[Four Back Legs of the Prideful Crayfish Snapper- Agility +2]

[Left Lung of the Lazy Rat- Recovery +2]

[Flawed Monster Core of the Domesticated Hex Spider- Mana +1]

[Mildly Broken Antenna of Sluggish Crayfish- Perception +1]

[Slightly Damaged Cochlea of the Chubby Rat- Perception +1]

Obviously, the mongoose’s eye, my new exoskeleton, and the foreleg were indispensable to the current me. The damaged mongoose paw, undamaged crayfish antenna, and the back legs of the crayfish were at least useful.

My thoughts on the lung and the flawed monster core were more complex. I wanted to replace both, but I hadn’t seen any monster cores. I would try other organs, to see if I could do better than the Recovery +2. Meanwhile, the broken antenna and the damaged cochlea were the slots I could use to experiment.

My unfortunate victims, please go quietly into that endless night… I scuttled closer, having passed up my humanoid tentacle legs for the four legs I had taken from the crayfish. I had assumed it would feel unnatural, but the limbs appeared to come with the instincts of how to use them. The 2 Agility had me speeding across the mud like I was born in scummy pools.

Your Skill (Temp) Detect Danger has grown to Level 10(+4).

Eh? My legs stopped moving at the unexpected notification. And good thing I had, because a spot of concentrated water erupted out of the nearby ground. It was so close I could only twist and flail. But despite my movements, the gnarled mongoose paw got caught in the edge of the attack.

Warning! Your Corroded and Severed Claw of the Vindictive Static Mongoose has been severely damaged! Access to (Temp) Strength (+1) and (Temp) Attack (+1) has been lost. Integrated body part has been destroyed.

Even more ominously, the exoskeleton covering that arm cracked slightly and I lost three Health. As I stumbled back, the mud in the area shifted. A gaunt and long-limbed crayfish forced itself up out of its mud-hiding place. It had two pairs of elaborately lengthened claws from its torso, and six more pairs of legs along its back. It clicked its mouth at me.

When it shot the next blast of water, I rolled sideways.

Your Skill (Earned) Inferior Body Manipulation has grown to Level 7.

This bastard is using Mana, My jelly undulated, slightly nervous. And the name floating above this thing's head didn’t alleviate that feeling. Uwah, is this world really this predictable? I clear out all the mobs and a boss appears…

Crayfish Egg-Guardian Lvl 12

It was weaker than the Four-horned toads and the five-horned monster waiting on the North side of the beach, but it also explained why frogs didn’t casually wander down here.

Discretion is the my-side of valor… I waved my serrated foreleg to threaten it… while having my legs carry me directly away. It shot off a few more water blasts at me, but didn’t chase very far. When I had moved a satisfying distance away from the location of the buried crayfish eggs, it settled back down into the mud.

Tsk… well, jokes on you and your delicious Monster Core you likely possess, I fumed as I returned to the stump. I am not alone-

Green and Indigo were surrounded by a widening pile of withered grey flesh. Indigo raised his tentacles, beginning for a break, but Green waggled a tail in consternation. Seeing this scene, I could only shiver. Could she know… if it really is a species Skill, he will likely improve his Skill Level quickly if she continues to push his body to the limits. Does it require Anima to activate? So miserable…

You have my condolences… but Indigo, you DO follow Green around a lot…

Still, I knew violence was a distraction both of my monster companions would accept. Sometimes simplicity in friends was desirable.

I intervened in the torture scene, grabbing their tails and leading them away. Indigo practically sobbed in relief. Green just seemed excited about the new adventure. When we reached the South end of the mud beach, I stopped them both and formed a ball of mud. When I tossed the ball of mud forward, the familiar water blast shot out to intercept-

Your Skill (Temp) Lesser Mana Detection has grown to Level 10(+10)

An Interesting achievement: For reaching (+10) in a transition Skill, you have received the Skill (Earned) Basic Wisdom Lvl 1

Basic Wisdom: A general Skill that provides minuscule boosts to several aspects. Efficacy of Recovery is slightly boosted. [Some of Skill’s utility is locked, due to user lacking the requisite Stats or Skills]. Mana is marginally more effective. Skills Level Up minutely faster. An extremely improbable chance of earning new Skills is granted.

For a full second, I sat still, transfixed by the sudden and unexpected benefit. Then the reality of my situation struck me and I snapped back to attention. Following up the water blast, the Crayfish Egg-Guardian erupted out of the mud and waved its four claws. I turned around to direct my companions-

Ah, they are already gone.

Green bounded away first on her four frog legs. The combination appeared very potent. She very obviously feinted left as she landed in the mud, drawing out a second blast of water. But then she skipped forward to the right, landing next to the Crayfish and kicking a joint. One of the Egg-Defender’s legs cracked and shook, close to breaking. But she jumped away just in time to avoid a claw slamming into the ground.

Meanwhile, Indigo marched forward. Some of the grey flesh of his body quivered and opened up. From inside, two snake heads slithered out of his jelly. A little bit of their sinuous neck remained, so they functioned as arms. Suddenly, Indigo had six heads, including three from serpents. I wondered if he would clear out my strawberry patch for me.

Actually, considering the fact that he is so obsessed with heads, but still burns so brightly in my energy sonar… huh, I wonder if the System responds to the choices you make. Could have also earned some sort of hydra-like species Skill, that makes stacking body parts more effective? Or even if its just related to heads-

Your Skill (Earned) Basic Wisdom has grown to Level 2.

Can I trust this notification as confirmation of my theory? This System…

Your Skill (Earned) Basic Wisdom has grown to Level 3.

Ah, whatever. Continue your elaborate mind games, System. I have a crayfish to slay.

I hurried forward, catching up to Indigo and then rushing to Green’s aid. I suspected Indigo’s heads would be powerful, but he still wasn’t very mobile. Green executed a series of small hops, drawing out two more water blasts and pulling its attention away from the front. But unfortunately, the Egg-Guardian whipped its body around to follow her and its tail caught and flung a massive amount of mud directly toward me.

For the second time today, I was about to be soaked and dirtied. As I watched it approach I couldn’t help but think that quite a lot of the mud in the area… was probably crayfish shit…

Your Skill (Earned) Basic Wisdom has grown to Level 4.

!!! A Skill Level with this timing… L-l-leisurely… need to… relax… A second death by aneurysm must be avoided at all costs…

I pushed forward into the wave, using the brief screening of the Crayfish visions to get closer. When I cleared the muck, I faced a twitching Crayfish tail. I hopped up onto its back and slashed with my serrated foreleg. The limb skidded off the hard shell and made the Egg-Guardian stiffen. Its lanky torso twisted around so the head could look at me with malicious eyes.

Green bounded straight upward and used her immaculate frog legs to execute an excellent approximation of a spinning heel kick to its distracted face.

The Egg Guardian roared in pain and unleashed a few more water blasts, one clipping my shoulder and taking 4 Health, but my new exoskeleton dispersed most of the force. Indigo finally arrived, its two snakehead arms shooting forward and chomping down on the crayfish's legs. I steadied myself by wrapping tentacles down around its body and began stabbing at a better angle.

The foreleg sank through its shell and blood welled up through the opening.

You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +12.

Your Skill (Species) Absorb Anima has grown to Level 11.

Holy shit, you are a big boy, aintcha? Thanks for the meal~

You have successfully Absorbed Anima! Anima +10.