“I did it… I actually beat it!”
I crawled out of the Great Bear’s mouth, filled with elation.
With this, I’ve become even stronger.
And it looks like I can 〖Evolve〗 too!
“First things first, I need to heal my wounds.”
I focused on the throbbing pain in my extremities.
These were the wounds from when the Great Bear was desperately trying to get me out of its mouth, scratching at me repeatedly.
“〖Body Restoration〗”
I used the 〖Skill〗 that I rarely use to heal the wounds on my body.
My 〖Mana〗 is quite low, so I kept the treatment to a minimum.
Then, I turned my attention to the Great Bear. I should eat it before anyone else comes.
The fur is a lost cause, but I can melt the soft meat inside.
“Let’s see… just a bite… Whoa!?”
Delicious!
Every time I melted a bit of its flesh, the flavor exploded in my mouth.
The unprecedentedly rich 〖Mana〗 completely erased the raw, bloody smell of the meat.
“Oh, right, I should check my 〖Evolution〗 candidates.”
I had been eating in a daze for a while, but then I focused on my 〖Status〗.
~Evolution Paths~
Fatty Ruby Slime Beast Rank: Dire Beast
Iolite Weapon Slime Beast Rank: Dire Beast
Larimar Tear Slime Beast Rank: Dire Beast
Jewel Armory Slime Beast Rank: Dire Beast
Jewel Smith Slime Beast Rank: Dire Beast
Tourmaline Mind Slime Beast Rank: Dire Beast
Diamond Slime Beast Rank: Dire Beast
Bloodstone Slime Beast Rank: Dire Beast
Jewel Meteor Slime Beast Rank: Dire Beast
Doom Opal Ooze Beast Rank: Dire Beast
・
・
・
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
That’s a lot!
I counted, and there were about twenty in total.
Yeah, that’s a lot!
Well, looking at the lineup, it seems that the evolution paths are determined by the 〖Skills〗 I possess and the actions I’ve taken so far. It’s only natural that the number has increased since the last 〖Evolution〗.
I’m someone who gains 〖Skills〗 easily, so this number is understandable.
“Ugh, am I really going to check all of these…?”
I understand, but I also feel overwhelmed.
The 〖Status〗 display doesn’t actually show text; it’s more like knowledge just pops into my head.
So it’s easier than actually reading, but… this number is still daunting.
“…No, no! The number of evolution paths is the number of possibilities! I’ll check them all and choose the best one!”
I scolded myself for almost slacking off and started reading the information on each evolution path.
I finished checking everything after melting about half of the Great Bear.
Then, after much deliberation, I narrowed down the candidates to three.
My head is throbbing from thinking too much, but let me introduce them one by one.
~Evolution Path~
Jewel Armory Slime Beast Rank: Dire Beast
・An Armory Slime that collects weapons and uses 〖Weapon Skills〗, a rare species.
・Characterized by exceptional 〖Toughness〗, excellent 〖Resist〗, and a reasonably high 〖Power〗.
・A strange Demon Beast that prefers weapons, skilled in 〖Weapon Skills〗 and weapon handling.
・Possesses a 〖Skill〗 for collecting weapons and can fight by mimicking the collected weapons.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
First up is this one. It’s like an evolved form of the Jewel Weapon Slime.
It seems easy to handle since it’s a direct upgrade of my current fighting style, which is why I chose it.
The difference between this and the similarly evolved Iolite Weapon Slime is that this one has a collection 〖Skill〗.
If I’m going to 〖Evolve〗, I want a new type of 〖Skill〗, so I prioritized this one.
Also, since it remains a “Jewel,” I have a feeling that the range of my next 〖Evolution〗 candidates will increase.
Once I decide on a type of gem, like ruby or diamond, I might not be able to become another.
If I remain a generic “Jewel,” I think the chances of encountering the perfect evolution path will increase.
Well, there’s a good chance I’m just overthinking it.
~Evolution Path~
Doom Opal Ooze Beast Rank: Dire Beast
・A Doom Ooze that spreads despair, a rare species.
・Its gruesome body is not as flexible as a slime, but its 〖Stats〗 surpass most slimes.
・Possesses powerful acid and curse attack 〖Skills〗.
・Its hideous yet beautiful appearance drives those who see it to madness.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
This one is a combat-specialized slime… or rather, an ooze.
According to rumors among slimes, oozes are a subspecies of slimes that have fallen into evil.
Its form is not the mochi-like shape I have now, but a ghost-like silhouette.
It’s just a rumor among slimes, so its credibility is questionable.
That said, what’s written about it sounds strong.
It’s probably the strongest in terms of combat power among the current 〖Evolution〗 candidates.
The worrying part is the phrase “drives those who see it to madness.”
Judging by the wording, it might be a forced-activation type 〖Skill〗 like 〖Alluring Radiance〗.
I don’t want to drive humans mad, and I’d feel bad if I indiscriminately harmed other creatures.
~Evolution Path~
Carnelian Revenge Slime Beast Rank: Dire Beast
・A Revenge Slime that excels in counterattack 〖Skills〗, a rare species.
・Stores the impact received with its incredibly tough body and releases it as a counterattack.
・Possesses a variety of counterattack 〖Skills〗 and can handle both close and long-range attacks.
・Its 〖Stats〗 increase as its 〖Life〗 decreases.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And finally, this one.
I think this evolution path appeared because I was using the 〖Cross Counter〗 tactic.
Counterattack 〖Skills〗 have strict activation conditions, but their power is high.
With my 〖Toughness〗, I can use them without much risk, so it’s a good match.
However, the fact that it doesn’t have any means of initiating attacks is concerning.
I want to be more aggressive, so I’d prefer to have a way to attack.
If you say that what I have now is enough, then that’s that.
After much deliberation, I finished eating the edible parts of the Great Bear, and then I pondered some more, and finally, I decided on my evolution path.
“Alright, I’ll—”
“Hey, isn’t that a Dire Beast’s corpse…? And isn’t that the Demon Beast over there!?”
“No way, a Jewel Slime beat a Dire Beast…? No, maybe it’s leftovers from another Demon Beast…”
“Doesn’t matter, let’s kill it before anyone else comes.”
Crap, humans are here.
I’ll put 〖Evolution〗 on hold for now and 〖Flee〗 from this place.