...It probably is. Technically.

On the other hand, I just… I don’t want to destroy this place or ruin anything too important. And considering that this place was locked behind a safe or something, they must be special, and destroying those kinds of artefacts…

I glance at the walls. Dozens upon dozens of crystals.

...Just one wouldn’t hurt, right? Since there are already so many! It’s like eating one of fifteen gold bars! Barely any difference!

My tentacles tremble. It’s probably not a good idea. But has that stopped me before? Of course not! Plus, if whatever else I find on this planet can’t help me escape, I'll need to resort to this place anyways. Might as well find out what this gives before I’m desperate enough to eat all of them in one sitting.

Crunch.

66 000 -> 116 000

...Over a hundred thousand points. Jess Christ. That is, like, a lot. What was that, 50 000 points? Shit. Crunchy texture with added softness from the metal. 6/10.

There are over a hundred of these big crystals in here. If I ate all of these, I could-,

Knowledge hits me like a truck, but even then I can barely tell what that information is about. Where even is that? Who are they? Why does everything feel so hazy? Everything hits me so massively and fast that I can't even comprehend what it means, and as a sort of mental defence, I just store it all away in a bubble of sorts. Outside my thoughts. Oh, well. Unimportant, eh?

I turn back to the crystals around me.

...No. No, I can’t.

Whoever built this temple treasured these beyond anything else, beyond the small crystals, beyond the tablets. I’ve had my fill. This was enough. No more.

I leave the room. There is much else to see, and I have no mind to destroy things that aren’t mine. Well, maybe a few things, but no more! Right. I’ve already seen this room, and as far as I can see, any other part is just abandoned. Or maybe it was never inhabited to begin with? Either way, I leave, moving through the temple with solemn, thoughtful slithers. And before I know it, I’m back outside, facing my own body, towering above me. I turn to myself and shift my consciousness.

Wassup, myself?

Not much, you?

I eat myself. Bleh. Horrible, as usual. And not just eating, either. Being ate is extremely uncomfortable. Maybe I should show more mercy to the living things I eat? Like crush their bodies first?

...I feel like I’m starting to say very morbid things. Weird.

Ah, my primary tentacle has grown out again! Now, where to go next? I’ve explored the temple (assuming there aren’t any hidden passages or whatever), so I’m not sure what else there is to d-,

There’s a faint rumble in the earth coming from the pillar of light.

Of course! Something has to be creating that thing, there has to be some tasty something in there! Right, right, perfect plan! Let’s go there!

The pillar of light seems to be shooting up from the mountain that half of the temple is situated inside, so there might be some way to go from within the temple and into the mountain or something.

...Or, alternatively… I could just climb the mountain directly and enter where the light shines out from.

But that’s cheating! Why do it the easy way when I can do it the hard way??

However, before I delve back into the temple to check for secrets passageways, I want to use my points. 50% for size, the rest I’ll distribute between Strength and Regeneration with a 3:5 ratio. Right. I’ve never even had to do this kind of budgeting before. God, that’s a lot of points.

Alright. Let’s go. Sometime in the future, I should make myself more tentacles to fit all this size, but… Eh, we’ll get there.

Increase Size? Cost: 9 500 (you have 116 000)

Increase Size? Cost: 12 000 (you have 116 000)

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

Increase Size? Cost: 15 000 (you have 116 000)

Increase Size? Cost: 21 500 (you have 116 000)

...That’s probably about half, I think. This might just be a terrible idea, but I can no longer judge that! Do it, computer!

116 000 -> 58 500

And so, I was given a very nice view of how the temple before me visibly shrunk. Whereas before I was around a fourth of the temple’s height, that quickly changes. Soon I’m a third, a half, seven-tenths… I catch up to it. Equal size. And then, I pass it. Just a little.

...I’m larger than the temple. Not in mass, not in importance, just…

Shit. One of these days I’ll be too big.

...W-, we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it!

As for the rest… I’ve miscalculated. I forgot that resistance was a skill that I had. In light of that acid-water thing, I think I’ll upgrade it as well. Right. Let’s just start by putting my points half-of-half into strength.

Upgrade Strength? Cost: 1 500 (you have 58 500)

Upgrade Strength? Cost: 1 800 (you have 58 500)

Upgrade Strength? Cost: 2 500 (you have 58 500)

Upgrade Strength? Cost: 3 750 (you have 58 500)

Upgrade Strength? Cost: 5 000 (you have 58 500)

Upgrade Strength? Cost: 6 500 (you have 58 500)

Upgrade Strength? Cost: 8 000 (you have 58 500)

That is-, more than I thought. Like, whoa, I just-, all things considered, this will probably match my current size, but even then, the sheer amount that I’m able to buy is just… Yeah. Okay, buy.

58 500 -> 29 450

Right. Now for Resistance and Regeneration… Maybe a 3:1 ratio or something?

Upgrade Regeneration? Cost: 950 (you have 29 450)

...That is so cheap I’m ashamed I haven’t upgraded it before.

Upgrade Regeneration? Cost: 1 100 (you have 29 450)

Upgrade Regeneration? Cost: 1 200 (you have 29 450)

Upgrade Regeneration? Cost: 1 400 (you have 29 450)

Upgrade Regeneration? Cost: 1 550 (you have 29 450)

Upgrade Regeneration? Cost: 1 700 (you have 29 450)

Upgrade Regeneration? Cost: 1 900 (you have 29 450)

...Yeah, let’s go.

29 450 -> 19 650

Like every other time I’ve upgraded regeneration, there’s no real physical difference.

But, if I roll the tertiary tentacles on one of my tentacles into my tertiary mouth and do the same with the secondary tentacles into the secondary mouth and the whole bundled-up thing into my primary mouth and bite it off…

The whole thing regenerates in a matter of about seven seconds.

...Okay, uh, onto Resistance!

Upgrade Resistance? Cost: 2 300 (you have 19 650)

Oh, right. This is gonna take the last of my points, huh?

Upgrade Resistance? Cost: 2 600 (you have 19 650)

Upgrade Resistance? Cost: 2 850 (you have 19 650)

Upgrade Resistance? Cost: 3 400 (you have 19 650)

Upgrade Resistance? Cost: 3 900 (you have 19 650)

Upgrade Resistance? Cost: 4 500 (you have 19 650)

Right. Yeah, yeah, go. God, this is going to be costly-,

19 650 -> 100

...And there all my points go. Geez.

And, as usual, I feel absolutely nothing. And, mind you, I’m not about to test the resistance skill, that’d be a hundred times harder than regeneration!

100

Size: 17

Cores: 29

Tentacles: 196

Eyes: 42

Mouths: 29

Carnivorous

Gastrolithic

Fungivorus

Increase

Regeneration

Immunity

Resistance

Strength