[Slimy Slime] Chapter 29: Astra is dangerous! Let's work on skills instead!

Astra. Again. It was time to further my experiments with it! Well… no, not really sadly. After much careful deliberation, lots of thinking and absolutely being dead careful, I’ve come to an amazing realization.

Astra is really dangerous to me.

I already knew that but as I’d gotten better at it, it only became more dangerous. The reason was simple. Astra was life and evolution itself. Even if I were to evolve, my past astra wouldn’t vanish necessarily or be eaten, it’s literally how long I’ve lived. But still, my max would rise and just like when I evolved to an [Acid Slime], some would disappear to fuel the growth. That was a pitiful amount now but it wouldn’t remain that way in the higher evolutions most likely.

But most of the creatures or even people that get Astra manipulation would need to be able to feel it first. Which meant they needed to be old. Hundreds, if not thousands, of years old to be able to manipulate it, after feeling it. Which would make them essentially mini oceans of Astra.

Me? I was basically a tea cup’s worth.

And it’s really easy to spill a cup of tea.

Those feelings only intensified as I ‘accidentally’ lost 10% of my lifeforce instead of 1%. I froze, watching with my senses as that green energy seeped out of me. Dangerous! Too dangerous! For now, let’s just… work on control. How about that? Yup. Control! Such a wonderful word. In fact, let’s do nothing but work on my control! This slime doesn’t want to die from youth you know?!

Still, just because I was working on my control (and only my control! Let the words seep into my slimy brain!), doesn’t mean I can’t think about other things. I have gotten better at using Astra, which is the problem. I can bring out and take out more of it from things… despite never quite focusing on that. I don’t know why. I knew this was dangerous before I nearly just killed myself. Why had I gotten bett- Ah wait!

I looked back at the four grasses.

Dead.

Alive.

Dead but Alive.

Emptied.

There was something… something there in my mind! It was almost like… a… pattern-

A bird's caw woke me up. Huh?! Hello? Your mother, never heard of her, where am I?! I looked around quickly and noticed that it was already almost dark! What on earth happened?! I was just thinking about Astra when it felt like my brain had an idea! I shook my head and ‘tried’ to go back to working on control.

My heart nearly leapt out of my chest as 5x the amount I wanted got pulled out of me. Hey! Hey! Why am I trying to kill myself?! I have so much to live for you know! I still need to finish that manga and I haven’t even taken over any worlds yet you know! At least let me actually write a last will and testament this time!

Carefully, very very very carefully, I began to pull out more and if a slime could grimace, I’d definitely be doing so. My ‘strength’ increased again but not my control! If this continues, I’ll either die or have to evolve multiple times before I can use it again! But… I think get it. I understood Astra better, not with my brain or, whatever. Not with that but through ‘feel’. It was like, all the puzzle pieces were trying to connect together. Or at least some of them!

For the next few hours, until I was feeling totally exhausted, I pulled from grass and pushed out from me. The clock was now ticking on Astra, if my control didn’t keep up with my ‘understanding’ I’d just be getting myself killed. No more looking at weird grass and losing track of time! Not until I can move one astra at time at least.

Days began to go by but Astra, despite its scary nature with me having the lifeforce of a baby, was awesome. This is what I had bet the farm on! It was a long term plan but eventually, this would be my trump card, the ‘you lose!’ button. You want to mess with me? Old age! Suck out all your lifeforce! Blow you up! You’re my ally? Free immortality for everyone! And that was just the worst examples. I could tell my ‘aura’ had expanded. And I was slightly bitter. I really wanted to explore that but… this was a rare case where the more I ‘know’ the closer I get to death. What bullshit is that!

So control. Control, control, control. It wasn’t until three days had gone by and finally, I could suck out and push out only 1 astra, that I finally took a break. I can’t have my trump card become impotent until I evolve further!

But I can do something else now. I closed my ‘eyes’ and focused.

2

4

6, oof.

8.

Eight Spirit hands. Going past six was still hard but I could now do it, even if my mind felt like it was rebelling. This was my new limit and I was pretty sure it was directly related to my stats. Which was gratifying and frustrating. Great! But that meant I needed more if I wanted even more hands. Wait. I mentally frowned at that. Was that really the case?

I summoned two more, for a total of 10. Now it felt like my mind was being superheated, a massive migraine forming. I stared at my 10 hands, feeling like I was crying. I knew for a fact I’d summoned more before. Stats might help… but who said they were the limits? There’s centipedes out there with hundreds of legs! I refuse to be beaten by them!

This time… I did something stupid.

10

20

30-

AHHH! MY BRAIN. All my hands unsummoned as I began to roll around the ground in misery. Why?! WHY! It hurts! Why did I do that?! Oh sure Slimy, it’ll be great! Let’s just fucking summon thirty hands, what’ll be the issue! Ow ow ow ow.

My headache didn’t go away, it only got worse! I checked my HP multiple times but it was just pain, not damage. Just, ow! Why?! The pain and misery finally lessened. I even waited a whole day before trying again.

But I did try again.

2

4

6

8

10, ow ow.

12.

Twelve spirit hands. I did it. I pushed past my limits and did it. But this is really too much. I quickly went back to six and relaxed. Then ‘blinked’ in surprise. Relaxed. Just yesterday, that didn’t feel relaxing at all! A smile came over my slimy face. Yessss, Yes! All I have to do is push my limits! My mind can’t keep up with stimulus. But stimulus is just that! Anyone can adapt to anything, given enough time! I’d practiced and trained my hands before but… I didn’t have enough determination! I didn’t need to just slowly adapt to limits, I had to shatter them!

Still, it would be a long process. I floated six hands in front of me and added two more. There was pressure but I’d been confident enough to fight with eight before. Gritting my teeth, I pushed to ten again. Heavy but… I’d keep my hands out all the time now. It’s just stimulus! I had to get used to it!

I suddenly felt like smacking myself. Of course! I should have been keeping my hands out all the time, that would’ve helped me get used to everything faster! Not just when I’m training or doing something, but when I’m sleeping or doing nothing too!

I looked again at my hands and my smile only grew wider. Ten hands. It was weird but at the same time… each one carried my full strength, maybe even a little more so given all the stats involved with them. It was almost freaky… but I’d adapt. I’d get more and more hands. I once imagined myself picking up a mountain as a joke. A funny little idea. But maybe I really could. Maybe I could one day summon a thousand hands and fight an army!

It was a good thought to have. I never thought of myself as the ‘power hungry’ type but it’s really cool! Slimy Slime, God of Fist! I can see it now. I’ll punch my way back to the heavens! I laughed at myself as I did my daily [True Sight] training.

“I can see in the dark. I can see in the dark. I can see in the dark.”

Honestly, the best part was that it was working. My eyesight even on a moonless night was pretty good. I’d even gone into a little hole in the cave where it was pitch black… and had started to be able to see. That sped everything up. I had proof I could do it, because my subconscious knew I could do it, so it was true. In a few more days… I’d probably need to get a new mantra. But I wonder what it should be-

“Wahh!”

My slimy little heart froze. But the crying continued. My brain short circuited but then it came back to me and horror started to numb every single sense I had. That, that, that was a child! No, not a child, I knew the sound of a crying baby! Who brought a baby to this forest?! I could hear it echoing, coming from a large distance away, just barely reaching my ears.

If a slime could have cold sweat, I’d have it. That, this, what am I suppose to do? It’s, it’s just a crying baby right? Did that mean… people? Humans? Were they traveling through this wolf infested forest? Were they strong?

The crying didn’t stop. But that only worried me more. Someone… wouldn’t have abandoned their baby out here right? Right? I knew that was a thing, people just leaving their children out to die but…

The crying continued and worry started to get the better part of me. I’d taken care of a lot of Wolves, not all Wolves. There’s no way they couldn’t hear the crying!

Damn it!

Don’t worry baby, I’m coming!

*****

“Shh, shh, it’s okay. It’s okay.”

Three people were traveling in the forest. A man, a woman, and a small baby.

“Sandra, she’s going to attract the wolves.”

Sandra sent a withering glare back that had the man looking away in fear.

“I know that Michael! But she’s hungry and tired. We need to stop.”

Michael immediately shook his head.

“You know we can’t do that. This part of the forest isn’t safe. We never should have traveled so deep.”

“Like we had a choice.” Sandra replied with sorrow.

Michael grit his teeth. He still remembered their screams…

“We’ll be safe once we get to the capital. It’s already been a week, they’ll take care of that… thing by now.”

Unknownst to them, something followed in the shadows. Yellow eyes peered at them in the darkness.