Syl: Chapter 295

Chapter 295 : New Choices

"Okay… this is a big list, and yet I almost thought it might be bigger," I said to Vee.

"I can't see it, so you're going to have to read it for me. I want to hear all about this!"

"Right… but I'm thinking of skipping over the ones I've already rejected in the past. Unless none of the new ones are any good."

"Boo! That's no fun. I want to hear all of them," Vee whined.

"Okay… new ones first and then maybe I'll read the old ones to you?"

"Sure. I'm curious to see what didn't make your cut."

I nodded and began reading the heading of the very first new one: Chimeric Cluster Slime (Prismatic).

"Wait, stop right there!" Vee exclaimed.

I frowned. "Why?"

"That's got to be your super species evolution, right? Let's save that for last, because I'm willing to bet it's going to be your pick and you'll finally shed your blueness."

"Fine… whatever," I grumbled and moved on to the mutations.

<Sleet Chimeric Cluster Slime (Blue)
A mutation of an existing slime species, this slime gains the ability to command the icy tundra of snow and sleet that its slime core is submerged within.
This mutation can freely traverse through frozen entities and gain greater control as it grows.
Extremely destructive and a common cause of unexpected avalanches, it can be difficult to kill due to the challenge of locating its core within the mass of ice and snow. They are more akin to a natural disaster than a monster, and are dealt with by overwhelming firepower.
Commonly mutated from white slimes, they have an extreme weakness to Fire magic.>

"Wait, so you'd become a snow slime?" Vee inquired.

"Pretty much. It's kind of like how elementals function, except I'd be sort of treating it like I do my slime."

"Well, we are going to the beach next, so I'd say this one is an automatic rejection!" Vee declared. "Hopefully the next one is a sand slime, that'd be thematically appropriate."

"I don't think that would be possible unless I max out my Derived Element (Dust)."

"Well, that's a bummer. Anyway, let's move on."

I nodded and read out the next one.

<Swamp Chimeric Cluster Slime (Blue)
A mutation of an existing slime species, this slime gains the ability to command the swampy water and muddy ground that its slime core is submerged within. It also has a nickname of "mud slime."
This mutation can traverse through the boggy water and muddy sludge without issue, slowly accumulating it into its own personal swamp that it can control.
Often seen as a rather passive slime species that does more harm than good, as it tends to prey on swamp creatures that most would prefer not to have around. As long as you don't go trudging through its domain, you will never be threatened by one.
Commonly mutated from brown slimes, they have a weakness to fire magic, which can dry up their bog and prevent them from manipulating it further, turning their own domain into a prison.>

"Ew," Vee hissed in disgust.

"What's wrong with this one? I'd get to control mud and water with this one, probably algae too?"

"I'm not sitting on the shoulder of a bog monster, rejected!"

I chuckled and shook my head, moving on to the next one.

<Ferrous Chimeric Cluster Slime (Blue)
A sporadic mutation of an existing slime species, this slime gains the ability to turn its metallic slime into powerful magnets that it will use to accumulate further and further ferromagnetic metals and ores into its mangled form of junk.
Despite the assumption, this mutation actually cannot traverse through metals or ores, an oddity among other elemental slime mutations. However, it can propel itself at extreme speeds by pulling itself towards large ferromagnetic bodies.
Loathed by adventurers who wield arms and armor of metal, this mutation is known to rob passersby before they know it. However, this can usually be resolved through the application of Fire, which, at high enough temperatures, completely negates its magnetic ability. Lightning also works wonders, although, unlike its original silver form, it is not an instant kill, as it seems to be somewhat resistant to it.
A rare mutation of silver slime that is often likened to a mix of silver and yellow slimes has left many puzzled as to how their existence even came to be.>

"Okay, this one sounds really cool," Vee chirped.

"I honestly didn't expect this type of mutation from silver slime. Although I don't know how good being magnetic would be?"

"It's a real supervillain power, I think it has a lot of potential. This is definitely the winner so far, in my opinion. Think of all the cool things you could do with magnets?"

"Such as?"

"Umm… shoot swords, steal coins, crush someone wearing armor… stuff like that."

"I can do most of that already. I could shoot a sword that stabs into my enemy and then explodes!"

"You and your damned explosions… okay, okay, we'll file this one under maybe."

"I thought you wanted me to pick a species' evolution?"

"Shit, you're right…" Vee muttered. "I let the allure of magnetism lure me in. Next!"

<Crystalline Chimeric Cluster Slime (Blue)
A mutation of an existing slime species, this slime gains the ability to grow crystals from its slime that it can fire as projectiles or use as impromptu weapons.
The crystals grown can be either sturdy or fragile, although the latter can prove deadly in its own right, as deadly fractured shards can burst and cause extreme lacerations. Differentiating between the two types of crystals can be nearly impossible in the heat of the moment, causing these slimes to be quite tricky to deal with.
While commonly a mutation of silver slime, this species has been observed in other slime colors, albeit rarely. They gain no additional weaknesses or resistances and can otherwise be treated as their base color species.
One case even occurred in a blue slime that could produce valuable Mana crystals, serving as magical catalysts or an alternative to Mana potions.>

"Nope, rejected!" I cried out before Vee could say anything.

"What? I sorta liked this one," Vee replied. "And you could probably make a fortune."

"I can make a fortune in other ways, and that's precisely why I don't want to take it."

"Is this your whole trauma of being harvested by the kid with the bucket?"

"...maybe," I admitted.

"You gotta get over that. Maybe take revenge on him or something?"

I scowled. "I'm not attacking a kid for harvesting my slime."

Vee did her best spider shrug. "Then forgive him already. Anyway, I think the crystal powers are kinda cool, especially the splintered shards kind."

"Noted… but I still don't like it. I'd rather pick the magnet one so far, personally."

"Magnets are pretty damn cool, so that's a given. Anyway, moving on!"

<Chimeric Cluster Slime (Prismatic)>

"Stop!" Vee cried out again. "Why are you skipping to the best one again?"

"Uhh… I wasn't," I replied honestly. "It looks like I've got the same evolution listed twice, once under Species and the other under Mutations."

"That's weird. I wonder why?"

"Maybe Gramps is trying to send me a hint on what to pick."

"Well, that's no fun. I almost want you to not pick that just to prove him wrong."

"I think I'd get another slap, the spider quest if I did that."

Vee shuddered. "I rescind my previous remark… although I will still say I think he's being a spoilsport."

"I'll tell him when I see him. Anyway, let's move on…"

<Sanguine Chimeric Cluster Slime (Blue)
An extremely rare and deadly mutation of slime that is often likened to vampires and ghouls. This mutation grants the ability to feed and, to a lesser extent, even control blood.
Rather than eating their prey whole, they will latch on and either form a proboscis or drain the blood from any open wounds, leaving only a husk behind.
The blood-to-slime conversion appears to be extremely efficient and accelerated; however, this does not come without a cost, as attempts to feed these slimes on anything except blood have led to them nearly starving to death.
Like Vampires, they seem to share a weakness to Fire, Light, and Holy magic, giving even more validity to the comparison. In addition, they still remain highly conductive despite their bloodlike slime mass, so Lightning magic is still a sure-fire way for victory.
Some very minor research has been conducted on these creatures, and it has even been theorized that the blood slime could be used as a universal blood replacement in small quantities. However, due to alchemical and magic advancements, it's much more feasible to simply regenerate the lost blood than allow such an atrocity to continue living.>

"Holy shit, blood slime sounds cool in that edgy sorta way," Vee commented.

"How did I even qualify for this? I beat a troll blood mage before, but that doesn't seem like it would be enough."

"Maybe it's from all the blood drinking you've done?" Vee suggested.

"I don't drink it."

"Well then, from all the blood eating you do," Vee corrected snarkily. "You don't exactly leave behind any remains when you do your monster consuming, so maybe you met some threshold of blood consumed?"

"I guess… Anyway, I like the powers and it sounds strong, but I don't like the drawbacks."

"Yeah, being weak to holy and light sounds like a pain," Vee agreed.

"I mean, only being able to use blood to make slime mass. I mean, I just got my [Mulch Slime] ability."

Vee sighed. "I guess vampire slime is just not in the cards for us. Moving on…"

<Mycelial Chimeric Cluster Slime (Blue)
A rare mutation that is both puzzling and peculiar, from a certain perspective, this could be seen as a devolution from monster to fungus.
This slime mutation forsakes its maneuverability and instead plants its "roots" in soil and in some cases, rock. From there, it slowly spreads its slime, creating a thin coating over surfaces while exploratory tendrils beneath the surface reach out.
This creates a fungal haven for itself and can at times be extremely massive in scope, far beyond the size and reach of any other known slime type.
Entirely docile, that you'd likely never even know you came across one, as they've fully embraced their new life as a fungus. Some argue that the slimes were already mindless, but many agree that this somehow even goes further, since many plant monsters do not display this level of degradation.
This bizarre mutation has only been observed in brown slime, likely due to its connection with natural environments.>

"Okay, this would be pretty hilarious," Vee giggled.

"I'd be kinda worried about taking this one. What if it actually dumbs me down?"

"That's why it's kind of funny," Vee continued to giggle.

"Aside from that risk… I don't like the idea of planting my roots."

"I have to agree. How could we go on our vacation if you've planted your mushroom butt in some cave or forest or who knows where?"

"It would probably be good for my dungeon project idea. Although then I guess it would be a fungal dungeon, rather than a slime dungeon."

"Eww… who wants to explore a fungus-infested dungeon? Pass!"

"Okay, looks like Special Evolutions are next," I informed Vee.

"Isn't that just your Queen Slime? That's usually where my Broodmother evolution is."

"I've got others now…" I grumbled as I spotted what they were.

"Oh?" Vee replied, sounding very interested. "That seems odd."

"I think Mother is trying to tempt me again."

"Well then, automatically reject them! Nothing that woman has suggested has ever been good, and she's the reason I'm in this mess in the first place."

"Should we at least read them?" I asked.

Vee sighed. "Yeah… probably. Who knows, maybe she is actually being helpful for once in her life?"

"Well, I don't know… she keeps wanting me to abandon being a slime and instead be a spirit."

"Wait, you can do that?" Vee asked.

"I was technically a [Spirit Candidate] at one point. Although I thought it was removed after my last evolution…"

"I guess she's still trying to pull the strings. Anyway, there's no harm in just reading them, so let's see?"

I nodded and read the first one.

<Storm Spirit
A spirit embodying the concepts and destructive power of storms, be they lightning, hurricanes, blizzards, or even firestorms.
Storm Spirits are extremely temperamental and known to attack at the slightest offense, and in the worst case, take out their anger on anyone unlucky enough to be caught in the vicinity of their rampage.
Capable of wielding powerful magic of Fire, Water, Wind, Lightning, and Ice, they are a difficult threat to deal with due to the variety of options available.
Storm Spirits are in charge of natural disasters, while delegating lesser weather work to spirits beneath them.
This is a final choice, as spirits do not evolve.>

"Well, shit, it sounds cool, but I don't like the idea of you going around spreading disaster," Vee said.

"I don't like the idea of never evolving again. Also, last time I sort of found out that I'd lose my other affinities if I picked this option, or at least that's what I assumed Unc implied."

"After all the work you did to finally get [Dimension Magic]? Isn't that just a big slap in the face?"

I nodded. "Feels like it. Rejected, let's move on…"

<Mana Spirit
A rare spirit of pure Mana, unaligned to a particular domain, and that is what makes them quite terrifying by having dominion over raw Mana, the fundamental resource for any spell.
A hostile Mana spirit can seize the Mana around them, creating a deadzone, where beings will have their natural Mana begin to plummet rapidly, and their spells will often fizzle out before casting.
Mana Spirits help with the upkeep of the world's natural Mana ley lines and purifying corrupted essence.
This is a final choice, as spirits do not evolve.>

"So you'd upgrade from Mana Slime to Mana Spirit. It sounds cool, although I wouldn't want to be anywhere near you if you created a deadzone—I like my Mana at a perfectly healthy level, thank you very much."

"You weren't too happy when I had cast [Mana Burn] on you."

"Gods, don't remind me… Anyway, next?"

We moved on to the last one.

<Rift Spirit
An extremely rare spirit that can hop between dimensional boundaries at will. It is a strange being that is only ever halfway in our world, which allows it to traverse freely and unimpeded by even the strongest of barriers.
They are seldom hostile, which is a good thing, as their strange nature causes most attacks against them to simply phase through them. The damage that they do take is also halved, which is a serious problem considering the nature of spirits only dying when their Mana is entirely depleted, making them nigh impossible to defeat.
However, while they are usually peaceful, they are notorious tricksters with a tendency for kleptomania, often leading to unsuspecting victims having their dimensional storage spaces pilfered.
The duty of Rift Spirits is unknown.
This is a final choice, as spirits do not evolve.>

"Shit… I like this one," I admitted.

"You're stealing my lines now," Vee teased. "But yeah, this sounds legitimately amazing. You'd probably be the master of [Dimension Magic], and only ever taking half damage sounds great for not dying, which I'm a big fan of, by the way."

I chuckled. "It's tempting. Very tempting. But… I like being a slime, and there's a chance I'd lose all my elemental magic and everything else. I like [Dimension Magic] and I'm looking forward to eventually unlocking Riftmancer."

"Right… so just the grand finale left?" Vee asked.

I nodded. "Just one left, unless you want me to read my previous rejections."

"Maybe after this one?" Vee suggested. "I kind of want to see what the fuss was about that Gramps felt the need to list it twice."

"That's certainly got me curious."

"Not to mention, I've got a vested interest in you admitting I was right that species evolutions are amazing."

"Sure, sure… okay, let's see what we have here," I said and pulled up the final entry for the new ones.

<Chimeric Cluster Slime (Prismatic)
A slime that was thought to only be theoretically possible, an amalgamation of every base slime type that came before it. The prismatic slime is the ultimate step of the slime's ability to assimilate its own kind and grow to become more.
Another theory suggests that the prismatic slime is actually the original species of the multitude of slimes, and the single-colored slimes are failed recreations of the true slime, shadows of their true power.
A prismatic slime is said to have the full capabilities of every slime it has merged with prior, while fully integrating new ones as if they were already tailor-made for it.
The prismatic slime has untold mastery over its slime, and it can wield the full compatibility of its traits in ways never thought possible with limitless imagination, assuming they are intelligent enough to do so.
There are no known locations of the prismatic slime, as it was either lost to time or never existed in the first place. The uses for its cores are entirely unknown.>

"Well shit…" Vee said. "I think that's an obvious winner?"

I had to agree, I'd never seen something that sounded so beautiful and so tempting before. Even the regret over the Rift Spirit had entirely vanished, and I wondered what having "mastery" over my slime would feel like.

"I'd even argue it was likely bespoke for me."

"It must be nice having such a friendly one. Mine gave me an amazing magic and no instruction manual on how to even use it, and then complained that I couldn't magically figure it out on my own!"

I winced; it was hard to deny her arguments.

"So… Do you still want to hear the others?" I asked.

"Oh yeah, lay it on me. I want to see what led up to the Syl of today."