"Evolution…” I repeated the word. I recalled my sister telling me about that a long time ago during one of her routine visits to the village from the capital. What had it been that she said? “‘I guess you could say it’s the development of something into a more complex form. For example, humans evolved from simple primates into what we are now.’”
Back then, I’d been more interested in spending time with my sister to bother about the things she babbled about, which sounded like noble nonsense, anyway. Thanks, Sis. Who knew your elite education would actually help me?
“So monsters have the option to evolve…makes sense. I guess the apex monster is the peak evolution of the Gelatinous Cube?” I fancied the thought of reaching that level of power. It would make escaping the dungeon and ripping apart those bastards much easier. Simultaneously, I remembered the last time I picked ‘Yes’ in a ‘Yes or No’ that the System had asked me. If the experience of evolving was anything remotely akin to that of forming a party, it would be an understatement to say I was wary of it.
My Health Points ticked down, and I cursed. It wasn’t like I had a lot of options left. I’d exhausted them all during the battle against Scorpious. Fine, fine, at least tell me more about Evolution. What will it entail?
What was intended to be a tiny rant triggered the System regardless.
Ding!
Evolution is the state of transitioning from one stage of life to the next. Evolution is a necessary part of monster survival, and drives the struggle to survive by killing other monsters. This vengeful cycle of birth, murder, and death acts as a conduit to fulfill the energy quota needed by the Abraxas Program to carry out its primary initiative. Thank you for your role as a cog in a larger machine. You may be irrelevant, but you mean a lot to us!
Warning:
Undergoing an evolution requires a synthesis with the System which will shut down your body. During this period, you will be completely split from the outside world and vulnerable.
You will next be able to undertake evolution at Level 20.
Optio—
Hold on! I reeled from the massive dump load of information. There were definitely some things I needed to unpack that I missed because the System was moving too fast. I rewinded my memory, shuffling through the various pieces of text. The diction the System used sounded wrong. I may not have the superior education a noble was privileged to, but I had more access to knowledge than the average commoner through the market and my sister. Even so, some of the words the System used flew over my head.
Machine? Cog? That’s the terminology for architects, right? Sis never really focused on that field of expertise. But ‘vengeful cycle’ is definitely something bad. It sounds like the System is just using us as fuel. Every fight I take a part in, every time I kill a monster, am I providing energy to a higher power? I wasn’t certain how to feel about that. On the one hand, it didn’t directly affect me or alter my motives. Whatever unknown power was pulling the strings didn’t seem interested in one monster out of thousands, and I was content to leave it like that.
But at the same time, I was uneasy knowing that I was being played and allowing it to proceed without fighting back. Whatever this ‘primary initiative’ was, I doubted it had any direct correlations to me, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was an underlying danger. Although it may seem better to comply with the System and allow it to siphon what data it wanted from me in exchange for access to Skills, at what point was it too much? What line would I not let it cross?
I may not be intending on living for long, but I wasn’t nearly selfish and short-sighted enough to pretend like there wasn’t a dark conspiracy in the shadows. By indirectly contributing to the conspiracy by supplying it with the data, would I be dooming people down the road? I didn’t know how far this conspiracy stretched; was it centered in the dungeon, or did it encompass the entire kingdom? I couldn’t imagine it being a global-wide conspiracy, but I couldn’t rule it out of the realm of possibility either.
On a whim, I checked my stats and pulled the slime impersonation of choking. My Health Points had dropped to a devastating 2 and my Magic Points were running out quickly. Fine, fine! Show me the options!
Options:
* Provocateur Slime:
* Attributes: Enhanced hostility, very aggressive. Focuses heavily on offense and strength, sacrificing agility in exchange for durability. Next stages: 3
* Apex Slime Larva:
* Attributes: Command over all lower-leveled slimes, status as ruler, increased stats, extreme regeneration, elemental manipulation, high-tier intelligence. Next stages: 7
* Eviscerator Slime:
* Attributes: Oriented towards total annihilation, little to no agility, maxed out stats, extremely high Magic Points, weaker defense, wide range attack. Next stages: 3
* Trans-Phase Cubic Beast:
* Attributes: Jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none, in flux. Natural connection with the world. Fluid existence, maximum scope. Top-tier intelligence, mimic. Exchange stats for possibilities. Next stages: ???
* Slime Sentinel:
* Attributes: Heavy defense, piercing attacks. Manipulation of stats, territory/boundary control. Strongest connection with the World. Next stages: 5
* Carrier Slime:
* Attributes: No strength, endurance, agility. Highest health and magic points. Prioritizes raw destructive capabilities. Gathers magic energy throughout the body until released in one burst. Next stages: 0
That’s…a lot of options. And it was a more serious decision with far-stretching consequences than I’d anticipated. It sounded like the choice I made now was going to be irreversible and something that’ll affect me for the rest of my life. I scanned the different attributes several times, picking apart the most minute details and trying to think ahead.
What would be the best for escaping this dungeon the quickest? Carrier Slime seems to be the strongest from the get-go but doesn’t sound convenient at all. Slime Sentinel has a lot of potential, but I don’t want to be tethered to the dungeon. Eviscerater and Provocateur are kinda similar. They’re also very straightforward and would probably be the most helpful in escaping the dungeon. Apex Slime Larva…I doubt I’ll live long enough to reach the size of the apex monster, and being a larva might make me weaker than I already am. And Trans-Phase Cubic Beast is riddled with holes and vagueness.
It seemed like a straightforward tie between the Eviscerater and Provocateur, but my subconscious was leaning more towards the Trans-Phase Cubic Beast. Perhaps it was because of the possibilities that choice opened up for me. Maybe it was the ??? in lieu of the standard number.
I struggled against the urge, reminding myself that I wasn’t intending on living past the bandits. It didn’t matter which Class had the higher threshold to meet. I didn’t care about the future, I cared about the now. And in that regard, Eviscerater and Provocateur were the clear winners.
Swallowing down the voice that insisted I was making a mistake, I resolutely ignored the tempting Trans-Phase Cubic Beast text and glanced between the Eviscerater and the Provocateur. Both of them were lacking in agility, but quite frankly, it didn’t seem like speed was an inherent part of slimes regardless of the Class. However, the Eviscerater eked out the edge with its Magic Points.
I choose the Eviscerator Slime. Nausea washed over me in waves as I made my final choice. All my struggles to survive may be for nothing if I made a stupid mistake now. I told myself this was the right decision, but the nagging voice resolutely stated that the Trans-Phase Cubic Beast was the one to pick.
The overwhelming stress, the pain that was rippling through what remained of my body, the exhaustion from fighting a higher-level monster…these factors came together and culminated in a crippling amount of self-doubt. At the last second, I cracked and yelled, Fine, the Trans-Phase Cubic Beast!
Ding!
You have selected to evolve into the Trans-Phase Cubic Beast! Synthesis has now begun.
I sighed. Immediately after selecting Trans-Phase Cubic Beast, the sense that something was wrong had dissipated. The relief only lasted a couple of seconds before I realized what I’d just done.
Shit.
Fuck, what was that? Why was I so set on getting Trans-Phase Cubic Beast? Is this my slime physiology acting up again? Or is it the System messing with my emotions? If so, what part does Trans-Phase Cubic Beast play in its plan, and what does it need me for? Damn it, I walked right into its trap!
It would have been nice to have some time to ruminate on the consequences of my moment of weakness, but time was a luxury I couldn’t afford. Synthesis had activated, and I didn’t have long before my body shut down. Seeing how the Scorpious had found my shell, I couldn’t discount the chances of another monster finding my body.
A warm sensation originated from the center of my body and started pulsating, mimicking the beating of a heart. The gentle heat circulated throughout me, tending to my wounds. The venom ceased their movement and although the gaping wounds didn’t close, I automatically knew my health had stopped dropping. A quick check confirmed it: all my stats were frozen for an undisclosed amount of time.
This might be helpful in a battle if I can end it quickly. I mused. Ah, but that’s not important right now. Eying the cavern, I located a convenient nook to rest. Nestled into the corner of the cave with a pair of slabs tilted over it, I merely needed to add a couple of exterior walls and cover up the opening.
I inched closer and upon reaching it, I didn’t waste a second before getting to work. Latching onto a comparatively small rock—the same size as me—I used [Body Manipulation] to make my slime more adhesive. Dragging the rock behind me, I moved until I could place it next to the slabs. One down, a dozen more to go.
Fully aware that I was racing against the clock, I pushed my dissolving body to the max in a bid to complete my shelter in time. I’d gotten halfway through filling the opening with a teal glow cast a light over my back.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.
…What doing?
“I’m making a shelter.” I bit off, not willing to exchange pleasantries with the Wisp after it spent the whole fight examining my shell. Frankly, I didn’t expect it to stick around while I was evolving.
…Why?
“For protection, so I don’t get fucking eaten while—well, I guess you don’t have that problem. You are a protection mechanism,” I realized. Intangibility wasn’t something you could easily find a way across. “Er, how best to describe it? It’s someplace you feel safe and content, a place you look forward to coming to every day—ah, what am I doing, explaining it to you?”
The Wisp didn’t talk for a while, but I still felt its glow. Figuring that it had zoned out again, I resolved to ignore its presence and continued stacking the rocks.
I soon ran out with just a couple more needed and I shuffled to the side to retrieve some. On my way back, I looked up and discovered the Wisp hovering above my makeshift home, several rocks floating in the air around it with blue outlines.
I lunged forward, ripping off the rocks I’d gathered and landing in front of the Will-O’-Wisp. “Woah, what the hell do you think you’re doing?!”
…Curious.
“Huh?” Glancing back, I noticed that the rocks weren’t positioned to destroy my hard work like I’d feared, but were being carefully slid into the remaining holes. I scooted to the side, allowing the Wisp to continue with a subdued sense of shame. Didn’t think it would do that. ‘Curious,’ huh? I guess even something like you can have such a human emotion.
The Wisp placed another rock before moving towards the last hole. I quickly intervened, bobbing sideways. “No, I need that hole to get in. You can fill it out once I’m inside, though.”
The hazy blue outlines around the levitating rock dissipated, and the rock fell victim to gravity, hitting the ground with a thud.
…Disappointing.
The Wisp turned and fled to the other side of the cavern. “Fine, whatever.” What little progress I felt like I made with the Will-O’-Wisp popped. Of course, it was foolish to assume I could forge connections with an entity like that.
Facing my temporary home, I was surprised by how proud I was. It looked hideous and Tami would probably laugh her head off if she saw this, but it was the first thing I’d constructed after becoming a slime. The first thing resembling my life as a human that I made myself.
The warmth was now filling me up from the inside out, like a blazing hearth was contained within me. Surprisingly, not once did I feel even the tiniest bit of pain. Only a relaxing sensation that reached every particle and lulled me into a gentle rest.
I fought against the call to sleep, but it was like fighting against a force of nature. With the last of my reserves, I squeezed through the last hole and lazily stretched out a tendril. I grabbed onto the final rock and dragged it towards the opening, but before I could confirm whether I’d enclosed myself from the world, sleep overtook me.
I opened my eyes.
Stretching for as far as my slime vision enabled me to see was a prism-like landscape composed entirely of water. The ground was perfectly level—not an imperfection or bump to be found—and the water was as clear as a mirror. The sky was a tentative blue, but no birds flew in the air. The sun wasn’t visible, but an ethereal light radiated and bounced off the water, granting it the effect that there was a source of glow hidden beneath the pristine liquid.
Ripples spread outward from where I was located, generating a beautiful crescendo effect. On the outskirts of what I could feasibly see were a set of heavy white clouds, gathering at the edge. But for now, the sky was clear.
“Hello.”
The voice didn’t inspire any shock or trigger any fight-flight instincts. How could I? I’d heard the same voice a million times before coming from my mouth.
“Hello.” I replied, staring at the figure that had just materialized. Heavy shadows shrouded him and obscured any distinct features. Honestly, it was a stretch to assume he was even human, rather than red energy composed into the general model of a human. But at the same time, there was a kinship bridging us together. I felt like I knew him better than I had any right to, as if I’d been privy to every detail of his life, as if I’d lived through him. “It’s been a while.”
“Yep!” my human form chirped.
I studied my reflection in the water. A perfectly molded cube stared back, with clean-cut edges and an immaculate green finish. I guess in this dream world, I was restored to my former glory; perhaps my shape was determined by my imagination? But then why wasn’t I in my human form? And why couldn’t I see myself?
“Why—“
“Ah, sorry. I haven’t completely commingled with you yet, so our connection is still a little fragile. I don’t have a lot of time to talk to you.” My doppelgänger mistook my question. Well, it was interesting anyway.
“No, but why am I not human here?” I asked, eying the doppelgänger with no small amounts of envy. What I would give to have fingers and legs again!
The doppelgänger cocked his head to the side. “Does it matter? I mean, you’re Alex, whether you’re human or slime.”
I didn’t understand the sudden rush of anger that boiled to life at the statement but it took me everything I had not to smack him for it. He was me, wasn’t he? Out of all people, he should understand my emotions.
“Of course it matters! Half the things that happened to me are because I’m a slime! I’m feeling urges I never felt as a human! Everything about me is different: the way I travel, how I function, even the way I heal! Can I really call myself Alex anymore when such a critical part of me has changed!?”
“But not all change is bad, right? Your slime form has some advantages unique to it. You don’t require sleep, for one.” My doppelgänger tried to calm me down. Its futile attempts simply stoked the flame to roar higher.
“That’s part of the problem! Other than the evolution, I haven’t felt sleepy at all! I used to love to sleep! There’s such a disconnect between Human Me and Slime Me, and it feels like the more I learn about myself, the larger the gulf is!” I panted after my outburst, surprising myself with the intensity of my rage.
It almost felt wrong to tarnish such a peaceful place with an emotion like anger and guilt crept in. My doppelgänger shook his head, cradling his face. “I see. I’m sorry, I didn’t consider your feelings. I didn’t know you felt this passionately about your new body. But I assure you this: you are a human mind inside a slime body.”
“For how much longer?” was the question on both our minds. I was the first to voice it out loud, and the doppelgänger lowered his face.
“Does it matter?” I swelled in righteous rage, but the doppelgänger bowled over the protests forming, not letting me speak. “Think! At some point, you won’t be able to differentiate yourself from what you were before and what you will become. You’ll look back on this period of time and think, how foolish I was, worrying about something so trivial? What you have is a blessing, a gift.”
I growled. What made the words sting even more was that it was possibly true. There may come a day in the future where I believe that this existential crisis was a waste of time. No. I’ll die before that happens.
“You may be right, but the day that happens, is the day that Alex, the human, the son of Monica and Ronald, the brother of Alice, the best friend of Amara, and a proud member of the Oakweed village—the one with the mission to strike down the bandits that destroyed my home—perishes.”
My doppelgänger sighed, conveying a sense of great disappointment. For a split second, he was the splitting image of my grandfather and I almost cracked; then I affirmed myself. I would not allow myself to buckle under the weight, letting it ripple over me. I will not compromise on this!
I paused when a thought struck me. I would never act like this, not even on my worst days. The way this thing talks…it reminds me of the System. A chill ran through me. Oh, fuck.
“You disappoint me, Slime. I thought you were mature enough to see that this is the only way to survive past the end. I have high hopes for you, so try your best not to die. I’ll see you soon.”
“My name is Alex. And don’t worry; the next time I see you, you’ll be going down. At the hands of a human, not a monster. I swear this, System.” I declared, daring the doppelgänger to move, studying every minuscule action.
The lack of features made it difficult to discern, but I saw it tense every so slightly. That was all the answer I needed to confirm my thoughts. “You’re the System, huh? What are you doing, mingling with my evolution like this?”
Out of the peripheral of my sight, I noticed the clouds at the edges quickly approaching. Focusing on the doppelgänger, I saw that he was already partially obscured by some fog. He began turning around, the clouds pouring in more intensely. Before his back faced me, he paused and glanced into my soul.
His eye had changed into a violent crimson light, overshadowing any sclera or pupils. Any resemblance it bore to my human force was obliterated at the sight of the demonic eye, glimmering darkly. This wasn’t the eye of a monster, or any living being.
It was the eye of a machine.
“Don’t make the same mistake again.” he shot a final foreboding message before completing his turn. The rest of the clouds poured in, consuming the doppelgänger and the entire world. I stood resolutely still, even as the fog filled my vision and everything went black.
I opened my eyes and scanned the area harshly, not letting a single pebble go unturned. The cozy nook I’d made was devastated. One slab was gone completely and the mound of rocks had been torn down, letting light shine in. I poked the second slab, and it toppled over, splintering into a dozen pieces the moment it hit the ground.
What the fuck happened?
I moved over the collapsed pile of rocks and into the rest of the cavern. If plausible, the damage was worse outside. Large gashes dug deep into the stone and cracks decorated the walls. Rocks laid scattered haphazardly over the cave, some looking like they’d been crushed into a fine paste. It was possible some of the damage was because of my fight with the Scoripius, but damage done was too much to be just that.
I revolved my vision and spotted a glint of teal. No way. Sliding forward, I went around a particularly tall pile of boulders and laid eyes on the Will-O’-Wisp. It gave off the impression that it had been hiding from whatever disaster, but it was as flippant as ever when I uncovered it.
“You didn’t run away,” I muttered, no small amount of awe leaking into my voice. My gaze hardened. “What the hell happened here?”
The Wisp rotated around me, emanating vibes that were almost playful. Before I could snap at it to knock it off, it stuttered to a halt. I remained tense and alert. Honestly, I was slightly more unnerved by the change in the usual demeanor of the Wisp than by the System-Doppelgänger. At least the doppelgänger couldn’t reach me in the physical world; the Will-O’-Wisp had already shown the vast gap between our abilities and combat capabilities.
If a day when the Will-O’-Wisp became my enemy once again was predestined, today was not that day. The Wisp glowed brightly once before fading to a dim.
…Monsters. 5.
I glowered. It had been wise on my end to secure a safe haven for me. Still, I was pissed. First the System, now this? I may not be able to take my anger out on the System, but the rage needed to go somewhere before it led to me making a poor decision. Besides, I wanted to see what the Evolution bestowed upon me.
“Where the hell did they go?”