Syl-Chapter IV - I - R

<Evolution options are now available.>

I can evolve already? What?

I awoke from an unexplained darkness only to see this message front and center in my vision. I had no idea what was going on and in a desperate effort to gain some clarity, I looked to see if there were any prior notifications. To my relief, there were and I scrolled through them.

<Blade Wolf LV 6 defeated. Experience gained.>

<Racial Experience threshold reached. Slime (Blue) is now LV 10 (MAX).>

I found myself staring in surprise at the strange notifications before me. They were familiar, and yet at the same time they were utterly shocking to me.

Only level ten? Blue slime? Where were all my mutations? Where was my prismatic slime? Is this a bad dream!?

I looked around in panic, confirming my surroundings as the forest where I'd fought the blade wolf, and nearly died in the process. Back then I hadn't taken advantage of my slime nature to its proper extent and had failed to live up to Gramps expectations before he had to step in and save me.

I felt horribly weak, and I nervously opened my profile to see if it was true. Sadly, it was.

Name: - [Apex Hunter]

Race: Slime (Blue) LV 10 (MAX)

Class: -

Mana: Ebbing

Emblems:

[Experiment]

[Apex Hunter] *

Traits:

[Mana Slime LV MAX]

[Acid Slime LV 4]

[Pseudopod LV 4]

[Slime Density LV 3]

[Slime Shot LV 3]

[Shape Slime LV 3]

[Consuming Osmosis LV 1]

[Core Refinement LV 4]

[Core Storage LV 3]

[Sub-Core LV 2]

[Mana Circulation LV 2]

[Mana Reinforcement LV 2]

Trait Points remaining: 1

Skills:

[Dissection LV 4]

[Mapping LV 2]

[Stealth LV 3]

[Sneak Attack LV 1]

[Improved Accuracy (Lesser) LV 2]

Skill Points remaining: 1

<[Evolution Available].>

No way…

This was bad. I had somehow gone back in time to the forest, when I was just a helpless little blue slime struggling to fight wolves and frogs. Before I'd even evolved. Before I'd gained a class. Before I'd even received my name!

My name is Syl, damn you!

<Confirm profile name: "Syl"?

Warning: This cannot be modified again without system privileges.>

Yes!

That was one problem resolved, although I still felt terrible. I'd lost so much of my abilities, so much of my efforts, my friends, my goals, my treasures, all gone!

Vee… She must just be a normal spider right now…

More and more thoughts dawned on me. How had I gone back in time, was this something Llewel had done to me? He was the only Chronomancer I knew. Also, if I had gone back in time, why had I kept my memories but not my abilities?

This means Sylthaeryn is still alive… Did Llewel send me back to save her? Can Chronomancers really do that?

I genuinely had no idea and his class had always been a big mystery with him keeping a lot of his cards hidden, even after I became the [Branch Head].

I sighed. I was feeling hopeless, as even if I had the knowledge, what difference could I make in my current state? Even if I evolved right now into my mimic slime, just like before, there was no way I could win against Keaton Stanton and his goons by myself.

Even if I tried now, wouldn't Sylthaeryn just think I was a monster? She'd probably kill me!

I sighed again, feeling like it was my only option. I didn't know what to do, or how to proceed, so I looked at my evolution options hoping it would provide some glimmer of hope.

Well, I'm instantly writing off Green and Purple Slime. If I had Orange I might have a chance, but just like before there's no point in evolving my species until Prismatic. That only leaves mutations… Gluttonous, Parasitic, Aquatic, Mimic, Predation and Queen…

Mimic had been my original choice and it had served me well. I almost instinctively wanted to pick it up again, knowing how it had faithfully served me up until now, but I still gave the others a look over again, just in case.

<Predation Slime (Blue)

A mutation of an existing slime species, this slime targets and hunts prey like a veteran assassin.

This mutation gains unique traits to blend into the environment and eliminate its own sounds and smells, in combination to make it nearly undetectable.

Advanced cases of this species are said to be able to detect lifeforce and conceal their lifeforce and mana signature.>

I nearly picked this back then… It might give me a chance to assassinate Keaton, but I know that in the future it's actually a pretty crap choice.

Once again Mimic Slime was looking like the obvious best choice, but I couldn't help but wonder if my bias was talking. With Aquatic Slime I could try to control the pond and use it as a weapon, and it might even give me [Water Magic] as a skill.

Magic… I really could use some magic right now…

I suddenly paused. I had kept all my memories, other than how I ended up here, didn't that mean I had my knowledge of magic? Or, better yet, my blueprints from [Skill Deconstruct]?

I made an attempt to make a basic spell construct, just a simple [Water Orb], and to my surprise and joy it almost succeeded straight off the bat. I had magic!

Alpha is currently destroyed thanks to that damn wolf… If I had a helper I could probably handle some spells. My current core isn't capable enough on its own without [Core Collective] or even just a higher level of [Core Refinement]. I also don't have [Mana Weaving]... No, wait, it was [Mana Manipulation] first, right? Ugh…

Despite having the memories of the skills, I couldn't summon them forth from the system. At best I could try to seek them out, or perhaps try brute forcing them and gaining them through discovery.

Well, one thing is for sure, if I have magic then Aquatic Slime is somewhat useless.

Queen would have been a big buff of stats, but I'd be shooting myself in the foot by immediately grabbing a final evolution. Gluttonous could have been useful, especially being able to effortlessly control vast amounts of slime mass but part of me was extremely reluctant to do so.

Vee would tease me nonstop if I actually picked it.

Finally there was Parasitic, something that sounded interesting but I had previously quickly written off.

<Parasitic Slime (Blue)

A mutation of an existing slime species, this slime finds itself a host body to consume and replace from the inside.

Lacking its own capability, it uses its host traits and skills to compensate for its own.

Rare cases exist where this mutation has lived symbiotically with its host, but most involve a hostile takeover.>

If I had a decent body, this could let me kill Keaton…

I glanced over to where the blade wolf should have been, only to find I'd already fed it to [Dissection]. If only I was sent back a few moments earlier, this would have been a perfect strategy.

Ugh… What other monsters are there… There was the bear matriarch, but I'd need to find it and I'm not sure if I could even control it at my level. I could take over a goblin… But Keaton is stronger than a goblin. Those badgers were strong, but it's probably the same issue as the bear—can I even control it?

I had genuinely considered this might have been my option, and to be honest I was vaguely interested in where this evolution might've led me. From my memories, this had only ever been an option at my first evolution and I'd never seen it again. Why?

It's probably incompatible with Mimic, if I had to guess. Or maybe it was to tempt me away from picking Mimic, which I assume Gramps wanted me to pick? And after that, the person gave up?

I wasn't sure. Truthfully now it was bugging me and I wanted to pick it, even though I knew it wouldn't be enough to kill Keaton. After returning to the safety of my tree, I began to ponder, hoping to brainstorm an idea or solution. I was drawing blanks until, once again, I found myself inexplicably drawn to the Parasitic Slime mutation.

Shit… Am I fixating on this again because I'm curious? I need to think of a way to save the damn elf princess!

It suddenly struck me like a bolt of lightning. I only needed to prevent her death, I didn't need to kill Keaton, not immediately anyway.

Rare cases exist where this mutation has lived symbiotically with its host… What if I join forces with her after she is attacked? Would I be able to heal her as a Parasitic Slime?

I was tempted. Truthfully I had no idea if this crazy plan would work, but it felt like the best chance I had, baring somehow finding myself a pink slime.

I'd even considered purple slime as an option, as if I was lucky and got a powerful poison at the start, then I could theoretically kill Keaton. Sadly, as far as I knew, it was random what poison a purple slime started with and I could end up something equally useless. I knew one of the purple slime cores the badger was sucking on had Bloodrot, but I didn't know if I could fetch it in time, or if I was even capable of grabbing it.

Back then I had pretended to be a badger, so I'd need to pick Mimic and level it up enough to fool it. But Sylthaeryn would probably be dead already by the time I accomplished all of that…

I wasn't sure if I'd talked myself into a corner, but it really felt like Parasitic was the only solution with a chance. Sighing for the umpteenth time, I moved deeper into my hidden home inside the tree and opened up the menu to confirm my choice.

<Confirm Parasitic Slime (Blue) evolution?

Warning: Evolution will cause the body to torpor until complete.>

I was about to confirm it when I had a sudden feeling of dread inside me, and no it wasn't because of my selection, it was more like I was forgetting something that I'd regret. I wasn't sure where this feeling came from, but it felt genuine so I took the time to properly think about it.

Something that can't be done after I evolve… Wait, is it that thing?

To help us survive through the first stage of the [Experiment] we were all given a system helper that could recommend traits based on our needs. I had previously thought I had done a good job milking it for some future purchases down the line, but with my future knowledge, I now knew I had barely scratched the surface.

I only have one trait point, so I'll definitely be stocking up on things for the future. Let's see… Can I ask for unique slime traits? I mean I even know the name! Show me [Heal Slime]!

To my surprise the system actually listened to me, but despite showing me all these traits I frustratingly couldn't make a single purchase for any of them due to "lacking the base core structure necessary for compatibility," according to the system.

However, I didn't end my trait recalling spree there and started going through the list of all the generic slime traits I could remember. If I gathered enough of them, I could probably fuse [Slime Mastery] for myself. I did try going straight to [Slime Mastery], but the system told me I needed to obtain it through trait fusion.

So Gramps had already created [Slime Mastery] back then already. I wonder if he always planned for me to go that route, or if he was just on an inventing spree with the slime stuff. If it's the latter, I can certainly relate getting lost in the sauce.

When I ran out of slime traits to call out, I moved on to some of the generic traits I had picked up in the future. I had plenty of vision, sight and sense traits that I was missing so it was like a window shopping spree. There were a few resistance traits, but I didn't think I'd be spending my valuable trait points on them anytime soon.

Finally I tried to see if I could uncover any generic traits I hadn't gained in the past, but either the trait helper was sick of me, or I wasn't providing the information it needed. One thing I had discovered was that while [Chimeric Mimicry] seemed out of reach for me, [Shapeshifting Mimicry] might not be as its error message claimed I lacked the transformation ability required.

If I improve my [Shape Slime], or better yet, get [Slime Mastery] again, can I just grab [Shapeshifting Mimicry] without needing to evolve? Although I suppose I need to get [Morph Slime] before I can even consider all of that…

I had experienced all of this, I doubted there was anyone in the world more familiar with slime and controlling it than me, even if my current profile didn't reflect that. If I could use my future knowledge to shore up my past self, wouldn't I rapidly gain progress?

Well, it's all hopeful wishes at this point. I don't even know what I want to buy first, honestly I think an additional [Sub-Core] would help me the most. It's not like buying [Chroma Shift] will help me right now. Anyway, I think it's finally time to evolve!

I was about to confirm it when again something was itching in the back of my head. I sighed and thought what it could be, and after perusing my current lackluster profile I finally felt what was missing.

[Prodigy]! Where's my [Prodigy] trait! Hey, system helper, give me my [Prodigy] trait! I know I have it!

<Slime species is incompatible with the human trait [Prodigy].>

Not true, I had it before. Also don't lie to me, the human trait is [Untapped Potential], [Prodigy] is from Reincarnation Points! In fact, I should have it now, or maybe a remnant of it that wasn't cleaned out properly. Please restore it for me!

<...>

At least have a look for me. Humor me, if you don't find anything I won't mention it again. In fact, I'll evolve right now and then it'll be impossible for me to contact you again, right?

<Very well. Scanning subject Syl for traces of [Prodigy].>

That better be a real scan, or I'm going to complain to Gramps!

<Previous purchase of [Prodigy] found… Restoring purchase.>

<Trait [Prodigy] restored.>

Thanks! You're the best. Now to keep my promise.

I quickly confirmed my evolution. Part of it was keeping my promise, but the other was in case the helper decided to take my sole remaining trait point as the price of restoration. I needed to be extremely frugal whenever possible in these trying times.

<Evolution in progress.>

I was swallowed by the all too familiar darkness, wondering how Gramps was going to react to all of this.

***

***

Well… That was less than I hoped for.

I had hoped that my conversation with Gramps would have given me some answers, but it was the direct opposite of the case. Worst of all, I couldn't even blame Gramps this time as it was actually my fault.

Our conversation had gone almost exactly the same as previously, with him lamenting the fact that I had needed help to defeat the wolf. It then moved on to him being intrigued by my choice of evolution as he was sure I would've picked Mimic based on all the weapons I had kept trying to shape my slime into. Strangely, he didn't seem disappointed by my choice, and if I wasn't mistaken, he actually appeared intrigued by it.

Then when the floor was briefly opened to me, I tried to tell Gramps what had happened, that I was from the future and somehow sent back in time. Only… I couldn't. It was as if some unknown force had prevented me from speaking or even thinking about it while in the presence of Gramps and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why.

I had tried my best, and nothing had come out. Gramps eventually grew tired of my silence and sent me on my way and I had woken from my torpor state.

Why couldn't I tell him…?

If that was strange enough, he also didn't call out my spree of abuse to the trait helper. Did he not notice? Did he not find my actions strange? Or did something hide it from him?

So many questions, so little answers. Well… Let's see what my new evolution has offered me!

<Race Slime (Blue) LV 10 evolved into Parasitic Slime (Blue) LV 1.>

<Trait [Parasitic Core] obtained.>

<Trait [Adaptive Host Bond LV 1] obtained.>

<[Parasitic Core]

Your slime core has become parasitic in nature and once inside a host body, can siphon portions of their power depending on the degree of takeover and fully witness the world through them. Not only that, but you can communicate with the host if you wish, regardless of their species or even intelligence.

Gain access to the hosts abilities, including but not limited to: traits, skills, Emblems and even classes. The host's natural affinities and attributes are treated as your own, but are lost when the body is discarded.

Assuming the host remains alive, you are considered in a hidden permanent party with them, and are capable of influencing the degree of experience distribution directly.

Finally, you can fully consume your host to gain a random assortment of abilities or to simply improve upon your parasitic nature. The host must be devoured entirely after achieving full parasitism for this to take affect.>

Oh wow, this sounds rather… Evil? Not only can I use them, but when I'm done I can simply consume them and move on. That's not even mentioning the ability to invoke the greatest sin: stealing experience points!

I examined my core a bit, considering it was now directly changed by a trait which other than [Core Collective] had never happened before. It seemed like my core now had the option to become somewhat squishy, perhaps allowing me to better infiltrate a body that a solid and hard core otherwise couldn't. Not only that but my core now had its own tiny little tendrils growing off it like hair and almost invisible to the naked eye.

I suppose this is how I connect up with a host? I guess I'll need to find a wolf, or something, to test it out first. Anyway, let's look at the final trait.

<[Adaptive Host Bond LV 1]

A rare parasitic mutation that allows the user to determine the nature of its relationship with a host organism. Upon successful infiltration, the user may choose between Symbiotic Integration or Dominant Assimilation, altering the outcome of the bond according to circumstance, compatibility, or intent.

When Symbiotic Integration is selected, a cooperative merger is established. The user weaves itself through the host's nervous and circulatory systems without immediately overwriting cognition, forming a shared biological network rather than a hostile invasion.

Attributes are enhanced in proportion to compatibility, with the slime reinforcing musculature, stabilizing bone structure, and even regulating Mana flow as examples. Damaged organs may be repaired, strengthened, or entirely replaced with slime constructs that have the potential to outperform their biological equivalents at higher trait levels.

When Dominant Assimilation is chosen, the process shifts from cooperation to control. The host's consciousness is gradually suppressed and ultimately replaced, granting the user primary command of the vessel.

With enough trait levels internal anatomy may be fully restructured: organs dissolved and replicated, weaknesses corrected, inefficiencies removed, and critical systems substituted with optimized slime analogues.

While this path grants superior control, structural reinforcement, and body modification, it may accelerate vessel degradation without consistent slime mass intake or if insufficiently suppressed.

Regardless of the chosen approach, the user retains the ability to temporarily augment the body at the cost of internal reserves, and regenerate tissue through slime-nutrient conversion, all of which scales with trait level.

The slime also retains all of its natural abilities and once fully connected, willingly or otherwise, can produce its slime through the host's pores or other substitutes.

Compatible with other slime traits, which may or may not allow other bodily enhancements depending on the type or user proficiency.>

I think I need to borrow a Vee-ism for this. Holy crap! Did this just take the spot of the longest trait description ever? If I had known this was in store, I might genuinely have taken it the first time around. Oh boy, to think I had skipped over this.

I was genuinely shocked and my initial impression was that Parasitic Slime completely overwhelmed Mimic Slime. It almost seemed unfair to compare them, and I wondered if there was some bias involved, but then I really thought about it and I wondered if the difference actually wasn't that much?

Yes, initially Mimic Slime was far simpler, but it also had effectively infinite growth with each profile I collected and this only escalated once I evolved it further into [Chimeric Mimicry]. Of course, it looked like [Adaptive Host Bond] had its own path to growth and I could only imagine what it would unlock with additional slime traits or even another mutation on top of that.

I read through the traits again, trying to further my initial understanding of them while also tapping into the innate information the system had instilled for me. One thing was for sure, it seemed like I was now capable of keeping Sylthaeryn alive if I merged with her.

But it will probably cost me a lot of slime to do so. Also I'm not sure if I can remove the poison in her, I'd probably need [Poison Slime] or [Heal Slime] to do that. But, if we cooperated, perhaps we could get that purple slime core and then properly fix her?

At the moment I felt comfortable upgrading my initial wishful thinking into cautious optimism. I had the tools, now it was just about gathering resources and arriving at the right time.

But, first things first, I need to familiarize myself with my new abilities. If I need to replace her spleen, I don't think I can do that with only a first level trait!

I had a skill point and a trait point to spend. I couldn't think of any skills I wanted right now, although I recalled my previous self had bought [Evasion] from the wolf.

I could probably learn it by just parasiting a wolf now. Let's save the point now, maybe I can use it to buy some of my magic skills?

My trait point on the other hand was an easy choice to make. I immediately bought another [Sub-Core] and both traits became the familiar [Sub-Core Alpha] and [Sub-Core Beta]. Unfortunately Alpha was still recovering, as my evolution time wasn't long enough, nor did it count as rest.

Welcome back to the team, Beta! Hopefully I'll add your fellow cores soon enough.

With Beta's help I felt confident in being able to replicate my previous slime abilities without needing to purchase them. Going back to having [Slime Density] as its own individual trait was almost barbaric compared to my future self, as if I was armed with only sticks and stones.

I set off to find the first creature I could, eager to try out my new parasitic abilities. Unlike before, I moved around purely with slime and with far greater proficiency. The previous me had turned into a wolf to get around, but who needed that when you could whip around with slime?

I bounced around and swung from trees, and while at first it was a bit of a hindrance I soon fell into familiar rhythms. Beta seemed to catch on quickly and soon was aiding me in my rapid exploration of the forest. Along the way not only did I gain a level in [Shape Slime] but I also officially unlocked [Adhesive Slime] and [Elastic Slime].

It looks like I was sub-consciously using my old slime traits to get around. I don't have the trait, so the system wasn't helping me, but I remember using them like the back of my hand. Also it looks like [Prodigy] is already putting in the work!

I was delighted that I'd already found a great method of cost-saving so early on, and I owed all of this thanks to my slimy nature. While a human would have lost the muscles he or she developed by going back in time, that didn't exactly apply to me. My core was me, and manipulating slime was effectively purely based on brain power.

Unfortunately willpower alone wasn't enough to create sensory traits, so it had taken me more time than I wanted to admit to find a wolf for me to claim. Now that I found one though, I found myself pausing on how exactly to go about this.

Do I just jump down its mouth? Or should I kill it and try controlling a corpse first?

While I could probably achieve the first one with a little bit of risk, the second option sounded far more probable. I'd never used these abilities before and even if I had Beta to help me, I wasn't exactly sure. I played it safe and ambushed the wolf recreating my glorious jellyfish impression and dragging it up with tendrils of slime. From there, I drowned it in slime since I didn't want to excessively damage my very first host body.

When the wolf died I placed it carefully on the ground. Then, after taking a metaphorical deep breath, I dived inside with my slime and cores. At first I noticed hardly anything, but then I realized it was my core that was parasitic, not my slime, and so I retracted it and exposed myself to the innards of the monster.

From there my core seemed almost driven by an innate instinct, with both of my new traits starting to interact. My thousands of tiny little tendrils around my core began fusing with the flesh of the creature, in fact it stitched itself so well that it almost looked like an organ that was supposed to be there.

The process was clean and simple, probably owing to the fact that I didn't need to fight this dead body for control. In the blink of an eye I soon found that I had assumed control of the wolf, and made it stand up and look around.

Well… This is certainly an experience.

I genuinely felt like I was now the wolf, and all of its abilities were now mine. I had thought I'd need a learning experience to act and behave like it, but apparently that was baked into my trait. As for my slime, it had already started to incorporate itself into the creature's body and with it being dead, was slowly replacing its blood.

I can try improving the body a little bit. I'll need to do quite a bit of hunting to get more slime mass, so that I'll have enough to keep Sylthaeryn alive.

At my current level there weren't too many improvements I could give the wolf. I tried my best to augment its muscles and bones, but it was a slower process than I liked. Also I needed a way to expel my slime, but to my relief I found that my slime was already pooling beneath the layer of skin, ready and waiting.

I gave Beta an order to try improving our host body, hoping the vague order would work and then set out to begin hunting. Food and experience was required and now I could track using the wolf's abilities.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

The way that worked was that I could effectively see the creature's current profile, including its traits and skills and their corresponding levels. The wolf had the [Enhanced Nose] trait and the [Tracking] skill, which meant that I could now use them. It didn't take me too long and soon I found some rabbits that I caught and devoured on the spot.

The first thing I noticed was that because the wolf was dead, I was gaining all the experience. While this was a good thing, it also pointed out something I hadn't considered: the dead body would never progress. Levels were one thing, but its traits and skills were another, as I couldn't upgrade them without the host.

It's definitely a trade off. Once I reach level two I'll try controlling a living monster, and hopefully with [Prodigy] I can get to level three or four before I need to save Sylthaeryn.

From memory I had spent a day wolfing around and tomorrow I would've encountered Sylthaeryn and Keaton. The day after that I went to eat some blue slimes and upon returning, I had accidentally encountered the dying elf.

So I have… Two and a half days? I wish it was a bit more, but I think I can manage it.

I continued hunting late into the night, gaining quite a significant amount of food to convert into slime, and even reached level two in my race. Unfortunately my trait was still level one, and I wasn't sure when it would level up.

Maybe it's because it's a dead body? So I'm gaining reduced experience?

Risk and difficulty would affect gains considerably, as I'd learnt in my past-future life, so there was a good chance I was hindering myself piloting this corpse around. Sighing I was too tired to continue, and after returning to my tree retired for the evening. It felt a little weird sleeping as a wolf, rather than a slime, but I was too tired to care and soon passed out.

Tomorrow, I needed to do a lot more hunting and training…

***

This is awful! What a crap body!

I was raging and fuming, this was a terrible way to start the day. The reason for my outrage? The host I was wearing had spent more than double my usual slime nightly slime mass as upkeep. I knew the act of "keeping it alive" would cost something, but I hadn't expected it to be this much more.

Screw it, eat it, I don't want anything to do with it anymore!

I regretted not eating it last night, but unless I went back in time again it was too late. I activated the final ability of my [Parasitic Core] and watched as the body was devoured from the inside out. When it was done, I was surprisingly given an option: one random minor ability or improving myself.

Is it only one because the wolf was a corpse? Would I get more if it was alive, or stronger?

I didn't want anything the wolf had to offer me, so I picked the later option and was immediately delighted.

<Proficiency gained. [Adaptive Host Bond LV 1] improved to [Adaptive Host Bond LV 2].>

Great! At least that's useful!

I only had a day and a half left before my deadline, and now I needed even more slime mass. Despite consuming my host, it hadn't actually refunded me all too much slime. My disappointment was immeasurable, but on the plus side I had also regained Alpha over night.

I'd even taken into account the cost of regrowing Alpha, but who knew the damn corpse would consume so much? Ugh! I should have taken the traits description more seriously…

I quickly set off to find a new host, and now armed with two [Sub-Cores] the power of controlling my slime was once again improved. It appeared that both Alpha and Beta were learning from me, and considering I had four evolutions of slime under my belt while traveling across the world, I had much to teach.

I found some small monsters, but nothing I wanted as a host so I just ate them to regain some slime and also level up my [Consuming Osmosis]. After some time, while I didn't manage to find a wolf, I did manage to find a boar.

Right… That makes sense. I had kind of destroyed the wolf eco-system by killing their alpha. Which only grew to such a state because I had been killing too many boars. I really caused quite a mess back here.

Ignoring all of that, I successfully captured the boar and after settling my mind, I jumped inside it. Part of me didn't want to expose my naked core to the insides of a live monster, but apparently this was what my kind was supposed to do as I took no damage at all and eventually settled in place to begin parasiting.

On the outside I still trapped the boar, as I didn't want it struggling and potentially damaging or even killing itself before I assumed control. My tiny core tendrils were extending endlessly and spreading out through the monster like microscopic roots, and eventually I had found my second host.

I could instantly tell it was different, with the boar trying its best to fight against the invasion of its mind and body, but to no avail. It was only a simpleminded monster, and I had two helpers to assist me.

That process was interesting, as I noted my [Sub-Cores] did not have the parasitic tentacles like I did. Instead, we would touch cores and my tendrils would wrap around them and once we were joined they could help me with both [Parasitic Core] and [Adaptive Host Bond].

[Core Collective] was what upgraded my [Sub-Cores] to prime core equivalents. If I got that again, then they too could find their own hosts, or at the very least they could find a different spot to set up shop inside the body.

Eventually we gained enough control over the boar for me to release the slime I had covered it with, returning all of it to hide within. Unlike the dead wolf, I could feel the boar trying to fight me, to resist me walking, but to no avail.

I found the boar a little lackluster compared to the wolf, it lacked [Tracking] and only made up for this with a tougher body. It's [Rage] ability also seemed like a double-edged sword and I had seen one of its kind kill itself as a result of improper use.

But… I'm the one in control. Can't I force it to use [Rage], and then keep it reined in?

As I explored for more monsters to fight and consume I began tinkering with my new host, who I noted was gradually fighting less and less. [Adaptive Host Bond] was only level two, so my options were sadly rather limited and replacing organs with superior ones was out of my reach. Instead, I focused on trying to reinforce where I could, injecting its muscles and coating its bones with slime mass.

My slime definitely behaves differently than normal, thanks to the mutation. Never could it integrate with organic tissue like this before…

When I found another boar I immediately attacked it, and forced my host to use [Rage]. Its muscles surged and its weakened mind went into a frenzy, but I was the one calling the shots and controlled it to fight in a more coordinated fashion. When the opposing boar also used [Rage], it was easy to exploit and we quickly claimed victory with minimal wounds.

Okay, let's try patching up the boar while we eat.

If anyone saw this they would probably be horrified, as a boar was leaning over one of its own while slime extruded from its skin and feasted. I paid little attention to the optics and instead commanded Alpha to assist me in trying to repair our host, while Beta and [Dissection] had their fun.

With a little bit of trial and error we quickly found it, and it seemed to involve the almost microscopic tentacles I could produce. We performed a stitching over the wounds, and it seemed to stimulate the process remarkably. We also discovered that I could "feed" my slime to the host which would accelerate it even further, but at the cost of precious slime. We didn't do that, not for a mere boar, but it would probably be something we needed to do to save Sylthaeryn.

I spent the entire day hunting whatever I could and learning more about my new form and how to interact with a host. Since the boar was disposable we took a lot of risks and I even attempted permanently replacing and enhancing some of its parts.

What was interesting was that the longer I stuck with this boar, the more I learnt about it. [Consuming Osmosis] was only level two now, but the incomplete profile was slowly filling in the blanks. This was great news as it meant I had more information to work with, and thus replacement or patching up my host would be easier the longer I stuck with it.

Although… Will I have that problem with Sylthaeryn? I think I might know more about her body than she does.

I wasn't just boasting; that was my primary form I had taken for so long that I would even revert to it subconsciously on occasion. I was also hoping that my previous memories would help me fix her, or at the very least keep her alive, as I wouldn't have the system provided elf profile to reference tomorrow.

The boar eventually leveled up thanks to my repeated hunting, and I got to experience what that was like. It was mildly interesting and my parasitic connection provided some information about how its body changed as a result. After that I allocated effectively all of the experience towards me; [Parasitic Core] allowed me to set the minimum for my host to a mere one percent, far beyond even what the scheming goblin chief could achieve.

It might have to do with the hosts remaining willpower. If it was still fighting back, I doubt I'd be able to redistribute so much.

I ended up leveling up again, reaching level three and now having a total of two unspent trait points. I was tempted to buy more [Sub-Cores] for immediate power, but I held off for now as I might need them to regain some of my slime traits.

On that end I was actually also making some progress. I could extrude slime mass from my host to cover it, or provide my own attacks. The best part was it effectively felt like my body, so I was a natural in incorporating slime into my offensives. A slightly stronger boar was good and all, but giving it a bunch of acidic tentacles that can whip around was a notable improvement.

I ended off my final day returning to my home. I had to lift the boar up into the tree, as it couldn't jump or climb like the wolf, but my tendrils were more than enough. I was genuinely surprised and rather impressed by how quickly I had adapted to piloting its body around, and then later incorporating more slimy shenanigans. I had hope for tomorrow.

Okay, now that we are resting, let's take stock of the situation.

Name: Syl [Apex Hunter]

Race: Parasitic Slime (Blue) LV 3

Class: -

Status: Healthy

Mana: Overflowing

Emblems:

[Experiment]

[Apex Hunter] *

Traits:

[Mana Slime LV MAX]

[Mana Reinforcement LV 2]

Trait Points remaining: 2

Skills:

[Dissection LV 4]

[Mapping LV 2]

[Stealth LV 3]

[Sneak Attack LV 2]

[Improved Accuracy (Lesser) LV 2]

Skill Points remaining: 1

Looks like I've made some good progress. My slime traits especially are remarkably easy to level up, since I'm pushing them beyond what they should be able to do right now. Having experienced [Slime Mastery] firsthand, combined with my memories and [Prodigy] is a broken combination!

I'd also managed to get the important [Adaptive Host Bond] to three, which was above my expectations. Experimenting on my living boar host was far better than the wolf corpse, and the system was rewarding me for that.

Speaking of living… The wolf had no Mana when it was dead, but this boar does.

I began manipulating the body, or more specifically its Mana flow and watching as it responded to my will. This was also an ability my [Adaptive Host Bond] had, although I had to admit it seemed a bit out of the ordinary.

Is it because I'm a blue slime?

It wasn't a strange question to ask, as the trait itself had mentioned it was compatible with other slime traits and would bring about different effects for the host when applied. [Mana Slime] was arguably one of my strongest traits and why I could ultimately accomplish so many absurd feats when I finally stepped into the world of magic.

However, despite my plethora of experience and the power of two traits, there was no saving this boar. Its magical aptitude was non-existent, and the tiny bit of natural Mana it had was likely only so it could trigger its [Rage] skill. Unless it mutated, it would never cast a single spell, even with my help.

Well… Maybe that's not entirely true? If I spent days nurturing its Mana, accelerating its flow, and infusing it with [Mana Slime], perhaps that would change. But… Well, after tomorrow you will no longer have to worry about such things.

The boar could understand my words, or more accurately the intent behind them, however at this point it had given up on life. It was just a mindless spawned monster and it only knew how to kill and eat, so it didn't have much prospects for its life. I had tried communicating with it a few times, just to experience it for myself, but all I got from it was the beast asking for food or mates.

I shuddered and stopped trying to communicate with the monster. This thing was almost as bad as that alicorn prince and his broodmares.

Huh… I wonder if I can convince Sylthaeryn to go to the floating island to free Trixie and get my yellow slime core.

I wasn't exactly sure what was going to happen after I saved her, honestly it depended on the extent of the damage. If I had to permanently replace any of her vital organs, then she would literally be unable to live without me.

This was something I had realized when experimenting on the boar. Anything I replaced would be lost if I left it, as without a slime core, it would turn to goop. Arguably this was one way to force cooperation with a host if you couldn't mentally defeat them, but would cooperation under duress even be worth it?

I suppose I'll get some answers tomorrow…

***

Waking up the first thing I noticed was that the alive boar did not drain me dry of precious slime mass, much to my delight. At the same time I discovered that I had apparently been running the creature to the brink of total exhaustion by running around the forest endlessly. Yes, it was a living creature and thus had a finite supply of energy, unlike my glorious slimy self.

Since I was the one in charge, I could force it and it had no say in the matter. It might have tried to complain to me, but after it revealed its devious desires I had blocked all forms of communication between us. I wasn't going to let it pollute my mind with such forms of debauchery.

Still, this was a problem and probably something I could hopefully solve with more levels in [Adaptive Host Bond], or perhaps some new slime traits. In theory I should be able to supplement my host's stamina, if not outright remove the requirement entirely.

This unstoppable engine runs on slime mass and Mana!

With that I headed out, as I wanted to make a stop to the slime farm before I convened with the elf princess. Previously I had messed around quite a bit before stumbling into her but if I went there without distraction, I would have plenty of time, potentially even arriving before she stumbled into that small clearing.

When I reached the farm, I realized a glaring issue with my plan as the damn boar wasn't subtle in the slightest. Even with me at the helm, it was far too oafish for such a sneaky infiltration. Thus, our time had ended, and once again I consumed my host. There was a bit of a struggle from the monster, but it was powerless before the all-consuming slime.

Once again I had the option to take something from the boar, but I opted to upgrade my parasitism again. I wanted literally nothing that stinky thing had to offer. Sadly I didn't gain a level in [Adaptive Host Bond] this time, but with a meal of blue slimes right in front of me, I wasn't going to complain.

I was in and out with none the wiser, and I'd scored quite a collection of slimes. [Mana Slime] was already maxed out, but I knew it was subtly adding to the accumulated experience for whenever I uncapped it.

As for my other gains, I regained a long forgotten trait that Gramps had previously removed: [Slime Conversion]. Thankfully I got it for free thanks to fully absorbing the core of the slime that owned it, which was a very lucky find.

This didn't happen originally, I discovered it from the profile and eventually bought it. To think I overlooked a slime that had actually spawned with a super rare trait, right off the bat.

My future self probably didn't care as the trait was ultimately deleted, but right now I couldn't have been happier. I instantly activated it to the daily maximum, as I needed to start grinding it away and I had no good use for my Mana right now, other than [Mana Reinforcement].

With my task completed and my spiritual belly full of fresh slime, I made haste to the site where my original slime life was turned upside down. I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to explain myself to her, as I wasn't going to let her do a [Companion Bond] like last time. Then again, she probably wouldn't even try as everyone thought slimes were mindless creatures incapable of accepting the prompt.

Well, things will be changing from now on!

I arrived on the scene, but somehow I felt something was different… My past self had caught the scent of blood and wondered here, but now I was seeing a literal trail of blood heading into the forest.

Shit, what the hell, I'm early.

It hadn't even crossed my mind that events could have changed and maybe I was even to blame for meddling with the previous routine. I rushed after the trail, and what I saw was not pretty. Once again, the black cat-like creature was completely dead, but rather than sorrowfully stroking it Sylthaeryn was entirely unconscious.

Ooooh boy, that's a lot of blood. I don't remember it being this bad at all! Sure she was stabbed, but it was the poison that was ultimately killing her. What the heck is happening!?

I had no time left to ponder and I rushed up to her. To my relief, she was still breathing although it was haggard. On the plus side, this took out me trying to get her to cooperate out of the equation, but on the negative side, she was quite literally fading away before me.

Well, here goes nothing!

While I didn't want to live inside her stomach I didn't have the luxury to be choosy right now. Once she was stabilized I could think about relocating my core to a better location, perhaps next to her heart.

I had no issue getting her to swallow Alpha and Beta, but my own core was an issue even with its squishy attribute. I still tried however, and actually found that it could squish down far more than I realized, perhaps due to the action of trying to actively parasitize something.

I quickly attached my exposed core to her tissue and began the process of merging. The more I connected with her, the more I realized that this was not a good situation.

Oh gods, that certainly shouldn't have a hole in it. What the hell did they do to you? This is way more than just a stab, it looks like they dropped a bolder on your organs!

Even though I was mentally complaining I was still proceeding with the work. I could have moved her body as in her unconscious state she offered no resistance, but I dared not risk aggravating her injuries. In fact, I made sure to lock her body down, just in case she stirred for whatever reason.

Where's a pink slime when you need it. I was practically giving away the stuff.

I was starting to panic as I tried my best to remove any foreign objects from her while also closing up the holes. I was spending slime mass left and right, trying to accelerate the healing process as much as possible. Thankfully I had gained extra from my earlier meal and conversion, otherwise I could have run out before making a difference.

Ugh, okay, sure a pink slime is probably asking for too much. If only I had some healing magic to work with… Where's Evan when you need him? Or, heck, my future-self. I had it, even though I barely touched it…

It genuinely wasn't looking good. I now needed to replace a lot of her lost blood with slime, which my core automatically calibrated to match her perfectly. But, this meant my previously robust slime supply was rapidly depleting which I also needed to patch her up or partially rejuvenate her.

This wasn't me just being a neurotic ball of slime, I knew this body and where everything was supposed to go, and simply too much of it was outright missing or damaged beyond my meager ability to repair. I blindly gave Alpha and Beta orders to save her, but even my usually infallible cores seemed confounded by this predicament. Alpha continued to assist me where it could, but Beta began to consume the body of the dead animal companion, trying to replenish some of our stock.

Llewel I don't know if you actually sent me back or not, but damn it you should have sent me with a pink slime, or a potion, or something!

Things were extremely touch-and-go, her life was teetering on a razor's edge. I felt the gaze of Alpha and Beta drilling into me, as if they were silently saying I was the only one capable of saving her. At first I thought they were abandoning me or perhaps throwing the blame entirely on me, but that sounded beyond reason.

Something only I can do…? Do you want me to buy more [Sub-Cores]? No, we would lose even more slime mass we can't afford… Me… What can only I do, that they can't…? Wait a second! My [Parasitic Core]!

I was the only one with this, not my [Sub-Cores]. Yes they could join with me and help, but evidently there were still restrictions. I read through the trait description and almost instantly realized what I'd overlooked.

I can use her abilities! Gods, Sylthaeryn I hope you have something for me to work with, or this is the end of the road I'm afraid. Please be like your mother…

I scrutinized her, no, our profile but saw nothing usable. She had some of the basic Mana skills like [Mana Manipulation] and had all of the traits that boosted Mana and spell proficiency, but there wasn't a single magical skill to be seen.

Oh gods, am I dealing with another Vee!? You have the talent but don't want to use it!?

I dove in even further. Now I was searching her body for answers, her very existence. I didn't think this was possible, but perhaps because of how close I was to the original body, it being a core component of my future-self, I had access to areas I probably shouldn't have, at least not at this low-amount of proficiency.

Or is this because of my previous research into pseudo-affinities?

Regardless I found what I was looking for. The magical affinities that belonged to Sylthaeryn Feirelle, daughter of Loreleia Feirelle, [Branch Head] of the Feirelle elves!

Goddammit girl, you have Water, Earth, Nature, Holy, Healing and Verdant. Why the hell are you an archer? I swear this must be exactly how Mother feels about Vee.

Even though I was raging up a storm, I continued working. I used her skills as my own and started manipulating Mana as fast as I could, and thankfully I had plenty to go around. Unfortunately for the dying elf, my previous-self had not invested a lot of time into [Healing Magic].

I mean, why would I? I only gained it after getting [Heal Slime]...

Still, even though I hadn't scrutinized it, [Vital Surge] was a very basic spell and I felt like I could piece it together. Even if I couldn't replicate the spell, I could just make a weave of healing-aligned Mana and apply it directly to her. Sure, it would be stupidly ineffective, but at this point I needed every tiny bit of help to tip the scales.

Thanks to [Parasitic Core], her affinity was treated like my own. The same for her magical skills, as neglected as they were. Perhaps because of the utter insanity of what I was doing, combined with my future-self's proficiency, [Prodigy] and [Elven Legacy] all thrown into the mix, but her neglected [Mana Manipulation LV 2] went straight to level four in no time at all.

Still, this wasn't time for celebration and I wasn't successfully creating [Vital Surge] from scratch. At this point I was hoping to unlock [Healing Magic] by throwing around raw healing-aligned Mana and officially get the spell.

Thankfully with each failed healing construct, things were slowly looking a little better. I could feel her vitals directly thanks to being hooked up and things were gradually turning into our favor. Moments before things looked like they were out of the woods, we unlocked [Healing Magic].

I swiftly began casting [Vital Surge], making sure to overload it with as much Mana as I could while also glaring at the pieces of the spell construct I was missing in my failed replications. The overburdened spell went off and enveloped her in the soothing glow, and I finally took a breath of relief.

I was not prepared for this… But somehow I've saved her, if you can even call it that. Shit, so many of her organs are held together by slime if I'm gone for even a second I think she would immediately perish.

Keaton and his goons had gone to much greater lengths this time, and yes, she was also poisoned. I had tried my best to remove it, but it was soaked into most of her few remaining good organs. Unless I devoured them entirely and replaced them with slime-replicas, there was nothing I could do right now.

Thankfully the poison wasn't something as crazy as Bloodrot, and while it was still trying to kill her, it was being kept at bay with my slime and [Vital Surge].

I'm not sure if [Detox] would be enough to get rid of it, but if we could get our hands on a purple slime, I could maybe just make her immune to it.

Now that I'd seized her from death's door, I could only wait and watch as she slowly recovered. Again, I dared not move her, and just continued to apply another healing spell whenever the previous one expired. And, since I had nothing better to do, I began poking around with her rather lackluster magical skills. I hoped to regain them for myself, but I wasn't against improving them for her as well.

You're certainly going to be in for a surprise when you wake up…

***

I lost track of time as I continued slowly nursing my patient while playing around with magic, as I always tended to do. I was too hesitant to attempt playing around with my slime, as it was vital for keeping her alive now, but Mana was still available in ample supply, especially after Sylthaeryn became my new host and I got access to all those glorious elven traits, and her legacy Emblem.

For the most part we were rather fortunate that nothing extreme came to investigate the stench of blood that the area no doubt still held, although there was a curious wolf or two that did breach the perimeter. Sylthaeryn still showed no sign of waking anytime soon so it was up for me to defend us.

Hello old friend.

As the wolves neared I unleashed what I had prepared: [Water Orb]! Yes, thanks to finally having access to proper magical skills I was able to recreate it and used it to scare off the wolves. Or at least, that was my intention, but the wolves were slain by the basic water spell, leaving me rather perplexed.

I was about to begin brainstorming why that was more effective, but we had received [Water Magic LV 1] and the official version of [Water Orb]. That gave me the answer and I could only sigh.

I was trying to create an upgraded [Water Orb] this entire time… No wonder I couldn't cast it without, at a minimum, [Mana Manipulation].

It turns out I was my own worst enemy, the memories I had of my spells were all enhanced versions, modified after I had begun exploring the world of magic. The worst part was I couldn't even blame my future-self, as how was I supposed to know I'd be returned to a basic slime in the forest and need such simple spells. Etching the upgraded versions into my core was clearly the right idea.

While I was both cursing and defending my future-self, Sylthaeryn finally began to stir. I went silent, not wanting to have her freak out the very moment she woke up. It was a painfully slow process, with her waking up groggy and somewhat in pain, although this seemed to confuse her.

"Am I dead…?" she whispered, her hand unconsciously going to where her entrails were previously leaking from.

Not feeling the wound shocked her and she seemed to regain a bit more clarity. She slowly shifted, as if she knew she was in a fragile state, and took a closer look at what had become of her injuries. The confusion on her face was evident as she studied her sealed stomach, as other than it being of a blueish tint, it was sealed up. She poked it, causing it to squish slightly.

"What the…"

Sylthaeryn poked it again, a bit harder. I panicked as I was very concerned she was going to rupture a hole straight into my hard work.

{Hey! Stop, stop, stop! Do you want your organs to leak out again!?}

Sylthaeryn froze, looking around frantically for the source of the voice, but there was nothing. "Who are you!? Where are you?"

{Sheesh… This is the thanks I get for saving you?}

"You… Saved me?" she stammered.

{Well duh, did you really think you survived being stabbed, bashed and poisoned all on your own? Elves don't have [Regeneration] last I checked, although maybe we can solve that later.}

Sylthaeryn frowned, still looking around. Since I was part of her I could tell she was using her perception skills and sensory traits to try to find me, but I was closer than she could imagine.

"Thank you… But why did you do it?"

{Would you believe me if I said Llewel sent me?}

"Llewel…?" she murmured as if trying to remember the name. "Did my mom send you?"

{Uh… Maybe? I'm not actually sure. I just thought it must be Llewel since he's the only Chronomancer I know of.}

"Chronomancer…" she whispered and then it seemed the puzzle clicked into pace. "Him? So my mom did send you…"

{Again, I'm not sure, it might have been Llewel following Paeris' orders for all I know.}

Sylthaeryn's body began to tremble a little. "Paeris…"

{Oh, not a fan?} 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

"I didn't say that."

{You certainly felt it.}

She went silent, glaring around at the forest. "Who are you?"

{Would you believe me if I said I was from the future?}

"No."

{Well, that's blunt.}

"Chronomancer's can't go back in time more than a few minutes at most," Sylthaeryn confidently declared.

Well… That would've been nice to know. Me and Vee kept fearing he was capable of far more than that. Anyway, better not leave her hanging.

{Regardless of whether you believe it or not, I came back and I saved you. How else could I know so much about you?}

"Paeris would have trained you on me."

{Damn, that's a good point, he does go overboard with his training. I still have dreams about the different elf families and their stupid fashion choices…}

"Why do you know all of that?"

{Well I was… Actually, nevermind, that's probably a bit too much information for a first meeting. We will have plenty of time to get to know each other.}

"I don't want to sound ungrateful for you saving me, but I'm not going back."

{Hm? Sure, I never said we had to go back.}

Sylthaeryn blinked in confusion. "You… Aren't you here to take me back?"

{No…? I just came to save you. If I'm totally honest with you I'm not even sure if that's why I'm here, but I do kind of owe Loreleia a favor. Technically I owe you one too, as you helped me a lot, even if it came with so much extra baggage.}

Sylthaeryn was now looking very confused. I couldn't blame her, I'd thrown around a lot of things I probably shouldn't have, but I was trying to keep her distracted before she ruined all my hard work.

"You shouldn't call her by name; Paeris will cut your tongue out."

{Jokes on him, he can try his best, but he won't get very far.}

"You…"

{You, yourself. Frankly you're nothing like I imagined. What happened to the noble elf beseeching a mere wolf to aid her as her final wish? Was that all fake?}

"What? No… What are you showing me?"

{Wait, what?}

Sylthaeryn was looking distressed as she was beginning to panic and look around. "Was that me? An illusion? What was that for?"

{Did I accidentally sneak you a peak into my memories? Wow, that's unexpected, I was just reminiscing.}

"You're lying!" she said and tried to get up.

{Hey! You're in no condition right now to get up. Do you know the amount of resources I spent to patch you up, you ungrateful brat!}

"I'm not a brat, I'm—"

{Oh yes you are definitely a brat. A royal snobby brat who snuck away from home to go on an adventure, only to get stabbed in the back by an even snobbier human!}

"I—"

{And Keaton of all people? How could you fall for that? He has 'bad guy' written all over his face. Not to mention his two goons, they were clearly hired thugs, did you really think they were adventurers?}

"He said they lost their gear in a fight with a dragon…"

{A dragon!? Oh gods, you really believed him when he said those wretched souls fought a dragon?}

"It was a lesser dragon…"

{The word lesser doesn't exist for dragons! They would be burnt to cinders, no survivors! Oh Gramps, save me, this girl really is ignorant of the world…}

"That's why I ran away… I was tired of being locked up. I wanted to explore the world, learn about it and experience life for once."

{Look… I get it, I wanted to gauge my eyes out when I was forced to endure the whole Princess treatment, but you chose literally the worst way to go about it along with the worst people.}

"I…" she sniffed.

{Oh gods, don't cry… I'm sorry…}

Ugh… Is this what dealing with a moody teenager is like? I didn't sign up for this.

After a brief bit of time she calmed down, and I gave her permission to get up and do some light movement. Things were looking pretty good from my perspective, although I was still worried all my slime stitching would come undone if she even breathed wrong.

"So… What now?"

{Well I'd like to get the poison removed from your body so I can attempt a better patch job.}

"I should have a potion in my bag…" she said and reached to her side, only to find nothing. "It's gone!?"

{Hm? That's different… Do you mean the golden oak bag?}

"Yes! Oh gods, please tell me you took it."

{No, that bag is far more trouble than its worth. If I ever see it again, it's too soon.}

"I have to get it back!" she cried.

{Unfortunately I agree with you… Knowing what they are plotting to do with it, we can't leave it in their hands. But, again, you're in no condition to do anything.}

"I have to try anyway! That bastard deserves to be gutted."

{Oh, I definitely agree with you there. I want nothing more than to kill him again, but we have to go about this smartly. I'm far too low-level right now, and you're still poisoned.}

"You'll help me?" she asked with relief.

{Haven't I been helping you this entire time? I swear, you're making me reconsider dumping you with the elves.}

"No, please don't. We can work together, we can kill that bastard and then go on an adventure!"

I wanted to roll my eyes. She really was nothing like the elf I had imagined. Was this why everyone was so surprised by me when I took her place? Princess Failure had come back and was now extraordinarily competent.

Maybe I'm being too harsh on her? Well, whatever, let's move on.

I instructed her to start moving, guiding her to the pond as I figured it was the safest place right now. The entire time I was watching her condition, making subtle improvements and fixes where I could with the slime mass that those two wolves had gratefully donated.

Conversation was light, since Sylthaeryn was being stealthy and I hadn't broken the news to her yet that we could converse telepathically. Honestly, I wasn't sure how she was going to take it, that she had a slime currently living inside her and keeping her organs together with glue.

When we arrived and she checked the surroundings were safe, she finally broke the silence.

"Are you really at a low level? I can't sense you at all…"

{I'm level thirteen if you add it together, I think.}

"That can't be right. Or do you mean you're level thirteen in an advanced class? Are you an assassin, or maybe a shadowblade?"

I'm actually classless… But let's not go there.

{No… I'm not.}

"Then where are you? How are we going to work together if you won't show yourself? I don't even know your name…"

{You're right, and I think you're in an okay enough condition to know the truth. Just… Be open-minded, okay? I did save your life.}

Sylthaeryn nodded.

{I'm a slime.}

"Please don't joke around."

{No. I'm really not joking. I'm a slime. I was a human, I think, and I was turned into a slime by one of the gods.}

"That's absurd… Do you think I'm a child?"

{Oh a bunch of ruffians surviving a dragon is fine, but me being turned into a slime is where you draw the line?}

"Well, slimes are… You know…"

Unfortunately I do know…

{Hold up your hand…}

"I don't see how that is supposed to help—" she said, stopping mid-sentence and letting out a scream.

Her hand was currently coated in blue slime that I had released from her pores. I gave it a bit of a friendly wiggle, but it didn't seem to ease her concern as she was trying desperately to remove it from her hand by shaking and gripping at it.

{See? I'm a slime.}

"Okay I believe you, but get off my hand!"

{Um… Unfortunately it's a lot more than your hand.}

"Wha—what do you mean?" she stammered.

There was no sugarcoating it now, and I felt like it was better to drop the truthbomb.

{Well. I'm currently inside you, healing you and keeping your body together.}

"No… You can't be serious," she pleaded.

{Sorry, I am… I'm a Parasitic Slime, and this was the only way I could save you.}

To my horror she appeared to faint, but I caught her body before she fell down and caused any damage. That recovered her and then she then realized that her body was not entirely under her own control. She instantly fought back for control, and I quickly gave it back, not wanting to hurt her.

{Sorry, sorry, I didn't want you to fall and hurt yourself.}

"Get out!"

{I can't!}

"Get out!"

{You'll literally die!}

"You're lying!"

{I'm not! Do you have any idea what I had to go through to try to hold you together? Did you not wonder why your stomach is blueish? That's slime turned into flesh tissue! I'm not very good at changing colors right now, but that's besides the point. Your left lung is collapsed and only being inflated by me, your healthy organs are swimming in poison, your pancreas is gone entirely, your spine has multiple fractures, and I could go on and on with countless other issues!}

Sylthaeryn opened her mouth to say something. I closed it.

{No! You listen to me. I'm not lying, I can swear an oath to the gods if you need it, but I went through far too much effort to keep you alive at this point. I'm literally trying my best here, I even learnt [Healing Magic] just to try save you. Go look at your profile! You now have the skill thanks to me!}

To my surprise she actually listened to me, and I watched her eyes go wide as saucers. Thankfully this seemed to be the final nail in the coffin and she finally realized that, yes, I was on her side. After calming myself down, because honestly I was about to snap myself after all the mental work I'd been doing, I released the control I had over her jaw.

She opened and closed her mouth a few times, as if testing that it worked. Then she went silent again. I didn't say anything, I just kept silently working in the background as I had been this entire time, trying to keep this ungrateful elf alive.

"Sorry…" she whispered.

I didn't reply.

"I'm sorry."

Nope.

"Please say something…"

Still nope.

"I didn't know… I'm sorry… And… Thank you for saving me."

Well at least she finally thanked me, I sighed.

{You're welcome. Now, are you finally ready to work together?}

She sniffled and then nodded.

This was off to a very rocky start, but at least now, things were starting to look up.

Now, where do we start…?

***

To be continued...?

(Please check the post-chapter author note)