Lime was hiding in a hole, checking his skills and mutations, but something seemed weird. Due to his mixed DNA, he had gained access to skills from various monster types, like honey-making, silk weaving, cocoon-making, and even some skills that seemed unique to humans, like sword and shield techniques.
For now, he had reached the maximum level, so he would need to evolve soon to gain more skill points. The Cocoon Creation skill intrigued him—it said it would create a protective shell. What if he leveled it up? Would he be able to evolve safely?
Could he risk spending skill points when he only had two?
And then there was the weird orb inside him. From what he knew from novels, it was probably a magic core, providing the mana he needed.
"If I want to survive, I need to take some risks..."
Deciding it was worth it, he bought the skill and trained it. Since he lacked the proper organs for it, the cocoon was made entirely from his body, which meant he couldn't train it properly unless he got bigger. That meant hunting and eating more monsters.
As he set off, he spotted a new type of monster—a Flame Crocodile.
"That thing looks tough... I better run away."
At that moment, the crocodile dashed toward Lime at incredible speed.
"FAST!"
Lime tried to escape, but the monster was too quick. It lunged, jaws snapping.
Lime barely dodged, but a chunk of his body was bitten off.
"Taste my fireball!"
A small ball of fire struck the crocodile's nose, doing little damage but angering it even more.
The beast charged again, faster than before.
"Damn it, you big armored idiot! Why are you targeting me?!"
Lime used Air Control to push himself away, but the crocodile was relentless.
"He's too fast, my fire does nothing, and he's too big to be choked like the monkeys... I don't want to be anywhere near that mouth!"
The crocodile glowed with brilliant light—then suddenly appeared right in front of him, jaws wide open.
SLAM.
Lime was swallowed whole.
"NO! DAMN IT, I WON'T DIE THIS EASILY!"
Inside the burning, acidic stomach, pain overwhelmed him.
"I said NO! EXPANSION!"
[Expansion has reached level 10.]
[Evolution available: Expansion → Mass Expansion.]
Lime swelled in size, his mass and density increasing dramatically. The stomach stretched far beyond its limit—
[You have slain a level 25 Flame Crocodile.]
Darkness overtook him.
Aftermath
When he woke up, he had shrunk back down.
"Damn... that fight nearly destroyed me... Wait—I'm alive?! I killed it?!"
He looked around.
"Where am I? Oh right... inside him."
Wasting no time, Lime devoured the entire corpse, absorbing every last bit of biomass.
Only one thing remained—a glowing core.
"Whoa... a monster core. I wonder..."
As soon as he touched it, the core dispersed into energy and merged with his own.
"That felt... amazing."
But the fight had shown him how weak he truly was. He needed to evolve.
Finding a well-hidden place, he buried himself in a pile of debris and spun a cocoon around himself.
[You have reached the maximum level for this tier.]
[You have consumed a special core.]
"That crocodile was really strong, huh? I got lucky."
[Please choose an evolution.]
A long list of options appeared—mostly insects and animals, both physical and elemental.
"I can become a normal monster... but I'd lose my most powerful ability—the ability to choose skills and mutations from any and all of them. Let's keep looking..."
Then he saw it.
Mana-Dense Chimera Slime Bug (Special).
[Although the experiment failed, being infused with mana and a special core has granted it incredible control over both mana and its own body. The more mana it has, the stronger it will become.]
+8 Strength
+10 Endurance
+4 Dexterity
+20 Intelligence
"Perfect! This will strengthen both my magic and my body... and it's a special evolution. Those must be rare!"
Choose!
[Please choose mutations.]
"Oh? This is different... These aren't normal mutations. These are... new organs?"
[Skill Points: 0]
[Biomass: 200]
"Damn! That crocodile was dense."
Mana Gland – "Even when your core runs out, you'll still have mana to use."
"Perfect... and it's the cheapest organ."
"For the rest, let's put some into intelligence which increases my mana and the rest into Endurance
Choose!
[Your evolution has begun.]
_________________________________
Name: Lime
Class: None
Species: Mana-Dense Chimera Slime Bug (Special)
Level: 1 (Tier 2)
Stats:
Strength: 10
Endurance: 24
Dexterity: 10
Intelligence: 32
Skills:
Mass Expansion (Lv. 1)
Dash (Lv. 9)
Dodge (Lv. 6)
Minor Mana Control (Lv. 3)
Minor Fire Casting (Lv. 2)
Minor Air Casting (Lv. 2)
Mutations:
Condensed Slime Body (+5)
Mana Pumping Heart (+5)
Mana Gland
Resources
Skill Points: 0
Biomass : 200
---
"Nice! I feel so much stronger now!" Lime exclaimed, stretching his newly enhanced body.
Increasing his Intelligence had been costly, eating up 50% of his remaining evolutionary energy. Even so, reaching 32 Intelligence was a huge step up from before.
"Let's test it out."
He climbed out of his cocoon and onto the surface. "Alright, fireball!"
A searing, red-hot ball of fire formed in front of him—larger and brighter than before. It shot forward, hitting the ground with a small explosion.
"Oof... I feel sorry for whoever gets hit with this now."
Looking up, Lime spotted the top of the hole he had been trapped in since his transformation.
"I need to get out of here. There aren't many monsters left, and if I stay, I'll run out of prey. But how do I climb out?"
Just then, a bee buzzed down from above, flying around as if searching for food.
"I really don't wanna fight a flying target... unless..."
Lime lowered himself, following the bee at a distance. Soon, it found its prey—a huge rat. The rat was fast, dodging the bee's fiery stinger attacks.
"Two birds with one stone. The bee seems tougher... Alright, I need a devastating spell. Which one should I use?"
Since evolving, Lime had gained new spells in his mind. His Fire and Air abilities had both reached Tier 2, giving him a wider selection.
"Okay... Hellfire should do the job!"
Lime leaped forward, unleashing a powerful stream of dark-red flames.
"HELLFIRE!"
The fire engulfed both the bee and the rat in an instant.
[You have slain a Level 7 Bee.]
[You have slain a Level 9 Rat.]
[You have leveled up.]
"WHAT?! I didn't expect my fire to be this strong… or maybe these two were just weak?"
Then, he spotted something familiar—a core.
Instead of absorbing it right away, Lime picked it up. "I wanna test some things first."
He returned to the area where he had evolved, feeling that it was still the safest place for now.
---
Core Analysis:
Species: Worker Bee
Tier: 1
Stats:
Strength: 12
Endurance: 9
Dexterity: 17
Intelligence: 4
---
"What the hell?! What are these stats?!" Lime yelled in shock.
"A Tier 1 monster has stats this busted?! So unfair! Slimes need a serious buff!"
After messing around with the core, a new prompt appeared:
[Would you like to make Worker Bee your pet?]
"Uhm... yes?"
A blinding light engulfed the core, and in a moment, a bee stood before him—alive once more.
"Whoa... Hey, do you understand me?"
The bee floated around excitedly.
"I'll take that as a yes... Can you take me up there?"
He extended a tendril of his body, pointing towards the top of the hole.
Without hesitation, the bee lifted him into the air, carrying him upward.
"Whoa! I'm flying?! This is so cool!"
Moments later, they reached the surface. Towering trees stretched in every direction, their thick canopies blocking out the sky.
"Finally... After days stuck in that dumb hole!"
Lime glanced at the bee. "You need a name... How about Stinger? No, that sucks. Hmm... Asil!"
It was the Arabic word for honey, and it fit perfectly.
Although Asil couldn't talk, Lime felt that she liked the name.
"Alright, let's train you up and get you evolved! If I want you to help me survive, you need to be stronger!"