I watch with my mouth agape as I just stand there.

‘Note to self: Do not EVER piss off Phoenix.’ I shivered as those words repeated in my mind.

After Phoenix had told me we could gather the materials I was told to lay back and put my both my hands on its large roots sticking out near the base of the trunk. The following few minutes were a sight to see. Phoenix spread its tentacles across from my palms and directly attached itself to the roots and dug in. Then the scary part started.

I watched as the roots and trunk slowly shriveled at a perceivable rate which had me shocked. Phoenix was not joking when it said it could absorb materials, I only thought we had to collect a branch and use different methods to ingest the contents but Phoenix cut all the extra steps and just absorbed what was needed directly. The tree looked like it had experienced a drought once all that was needed was absorbed.

Nudging me out of my thoughts was Phoenix chirping happily “I’m done, we should head back so we can spend some time absorbing what I got.”

I nod as I walk back home dazed at how powerful this slime overlord truly was. No wonder they were considered as evolution aids. They fucking cut all the messy details into a three step process. Gather, Ingest and Enjoy. I can see why it was so unconcerned at never finding a suitable host for growing itself. Damn thing would cause countries to war and societies to fall. Luckily, we were far away enough that nobody really noticed anything odd.

Back at home sitting on the floor I quizzically ponder about what this will feel like while waiting for Phoenix to give some instructions.

“Jupiter, we’re all set. Just close your eyes and regulate your breathing while I start injecting you with the gathered nutrients. It should feel a little odd at first but don’t worry and just focus on breathing and staying calm.”

‘Just like meditation. Not that bad really if meditation meant staying calm while sci-fi legend slime injects you with stuff it literally drained from a hundred year old willow tree from the park. Easy…’ I thought with some cold sweat on my back. Little nervous at my first step on this road I just jumped aboard abruptly at the discretion of an unknown slime from space but willing nonetheless.

I close my eyes and start taking deeper breaths at a more stable and relaxed pace while trying to keep all my attention focused on my breathing. Little something I learned from a couple dozen novels on cultivation heroes who soared the earth and set asunder the heavens. With each passing breath I slowly calm down as my body begins to relax more and more. I feel Phoenix making small movements but I try and stay focused on my breath.

As the meditation continues I begin to feel as if something is beginning to spread about my body. Starting with my head, flowing down my neck, then my shoulders, chest, arms, back, and finally towards my legs and feet. It felt as if a small slightly prickly sensation was moving down my body from my head to my toes. It was hard to describe but it felt similar to when you take some hard liquor and it burns as it flows down to your stomach minus the burning and replaced with a slight pricking.

I continue breathing and trying to stay relax. I slowly lose track of time while I enjoy the feeling of all these prickly sensations over my body which didn’t hurt but grabbed my attention. With each breath in, the prickling seemed to draw deeper into my body and with every breath out it would settle there for a moment.

It felt new. Something I haven’t experienced. It was a wonderful feeling, experiencing something so novel.

“Okay! We’re done. You should probably get some food and a nap and should feel better when you wake up!” Phoenix suggested.

“Sure.” Still feeling a little giddy from the experience I take its suggestion as Phoenix was the expert and I was looking forward to finding out what new changes I discover.

Lying down in my bed after having a nice little meal of rice and chicken curry, I drift into my thoughts. ‘If evolution would always be so simple, I could get used to this. I wonder if I gather enough materials whether I could gain special abilities like flight or blades growing out of hands like wolverine. That would be epic. Though materials seem to be the issue especially with such low percentage gains, the tree was interesting because of growth rate but it was only a fraction of 1%... Sigh… I should maybe ask Phoenix if it has ways for us to gather better materials. Well, I can always do it later. Time for a nap, it’s been a rough two days.’

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My musings leading me into a gentle and calm sleep as the feelings all over my body settle and embrace me in slight warmth.

…..

Nudge awake by pokes from what can only be considered slightly hardened gel. I open my eyes to seeing a green tentacle in front of me sending small pokes at my cheeks.

A few seconds of confusion before I sigh ‘I really don’t think I will ever get used to the fact that there is a slime with tentacles capable of poking out of my face…’

“Morning Phoenix” I greet as I get off my bed and do some slight stretching to wake up my body.

“It’s evening Jupiter. I don’t believe you say morning when it’s slightly past 6.” Phoenix seemed confused.

Should I explain? Would Phoenix even care? Ah, whatever. “We usually say good morning whenever someone wakes up from sleep regardless of time. It’s just a habit I guess.

“Oh. Okay, well good morning.” Still seemingly confused at the weird custom but Phoenix took it alright.

“Say, what kind of changes should I expect and what did you gain from yesterday’s ‘session’? Session being the only thing I could say without seeming crazy by saying evolution as I don’t really think we evolved maybe just improved.

“Oh, well nothing really for both of us. Like I said the stuff on your planet is really low level stuff. Though we have slightly improved senses and an ever so slightly increase to our improvement rate. It will take more gathering to see noticeable results.”

‘Right, 0.29% really doesn’t do shit to anybody. Well at least we got a little bump to help.’ I muse as I walk to get some water.

“Oh right! Phoenix, isn’t there anyway for us to get better materials or something? I know the materials are pretty bad in your eyes but shouldn’t there be something we can do?” I ask not really expectant of much as Phoenix would have probably given a solution yesterday but couldn’t hurt to ask.

“Well not really here on Earth. This planet is really on the lower end for materials for evolutionary requirements and I don’t really have much expectation here so we should probably leave at some point.”

And Phoenix drops another bomb on me. ‘ Does it take pleasure from shocking me with all this information?’ I seriously start to wonder if it’s just fucking with me.

“Phoenix, you do know that we don’t have any way to leave Earth right? I mean I can’t exactly fit in your ball nor do we have spaceships capable of that kind of flight in space…”

“u..s…..e..”

‘Okay! I know for a fact, Phoenix just mumbled curses about Earth being useless… I mean it’s not that fucking bad. We still found some stuff right? Come on Phoenix you can’t be a hateful little slime like that. I feel bad for my people.’ I plead internally for my race and home.

“Well Jupiter, there is one other way but it’s a little risky.”

Now I don’t know by what standards the words ‘ a little risky’ stand against when it comes from intergalactic slime but my interest was still piqued.

“Care to explain what this plan is and especially details about this so called little ‘risk’?” I ask with expectation.

“Well… it goes like this…”

Twenty minutes of Phoenix going off about her plan before I snap.

“NO WAY IN HELL AM I DOING THAT!” I completely rejected the idea.

This slime is a crazy S.O.B., its fucking plan towards us being able to gather materials is borderline sci-fi with the borders surrounding the sci-fi being filled with death, dead lost in space, dead crying in the void of space, dead on space rock, dead by space monster, dead by space hostiles, dead by space death himself and probably a couple hundred more possible dead scenarios…

“Jupiter! You really shouldn’t react so negatively. We have a high success rate and it’s not like we can just rot away on this planet.”

I don’t know when Phoenix got so chummy with me but I don’t like any of the reasons behind it.

“Phoenix, that’s a fucking insane plan. You can’t just thrust us out into the unknown and expect us to just ‘be alright’!” I retort.

“First of all, my plan isn’t just throwing us out into the middle of nowhere. We will use my eggs directional system with enough power to safely land somewhere good. Second of all, why are you so scared? I’ve been here two days, no one else seems to really contact you and you seem to be by yourself without much else going on so why not just choose my plan?”

‘Damn… do I really just exude loneliness with two days being enough to determine my lifestyle?’ I was slightly hurt at the thought of having been seen through by space slime. I still wouldn’t relent though.

“No! It just sounds so risky that I don’t want to end up lost god knows where and end up dying. Didn’t you say it’s a onetime thing? Meaning we can’t even escape if something goes wrong?”

“Jupiter, you don’t even understand how the thing works; it won’t just send us to our doom. It was created with the purpose of finding a safe zone for us in the first place! Don’t underestimate a rank 4 civilization with thousands upon thousands of years of evolution. We will be completely fine.”

Phoenix wouldn’t budge either and actually had a lot more valid points compared to mine that were based purely off fear.

Phoenix didn’t just stop there either. It went on for close to an hour with tons of different points about how I am uselessly stupid probably from my useless planet to how Phoenix is legendary god slime.

To which I finally had to relent as I also did have an adventurous spirit though fear of death in space was still danger number 1 on my things to worry about from space slimes idea.