The crater still smoldered from his outburst against the ash-lions. Blackened stone cracked under the heat, ash clung in sheets to the ground, and Zeke lingered at its heart, trembling. The battle had left him shaken—not only because he had survived, but because of how. He had not fought with intent. He had exploded. He had been weapon and victim at once.
That was not enough. If he was to survive here, he needed more than unstable bursts. He needed precision. He needed a weapon.
The thought gnawed at him as he dragged himself back toward his shelter. Inside the chamber, he settled into the dim warmth, letting moisture trickle into his body. The fire and light within him pulsed faintly, but neither offered what he needed now. He looked inward, into his jellylike mass. What could he make of this body? What could he shape?
He spread himself thin across the floor, then pulled inward, trying to extend one part of his body further than the rest. A bulge formed, stretching outward like a crude limb. Excitement flared—until it collapsed instantly, the mass slapping uselessly back against the ground.
Again. He tried to harden it with mana, pushing his will into the extension. The bulge rose higher this time, a wobbling stalk of slime. It trembled, elongated—then tore free, splattering across the stone. The loss of mass left him weaker, and he recoiled, shuddering.
Failure. But progress.
Zeke pulsed, steadying himself. This was no different than learning to crawl, or to pulse light. Every failure was data. Every collapse a lesson.
He tried again. This time, he split his awareness—half to the bulk of his body, half to the extension. The stalk thickened, stretched longer, and though it wobbled, it held. For the first time, he lifted part of himself into the air, an appendage separated from his bulk.
It trembled, quivering, barely more than a rope of jelly. But it was something.
[New Skill Acquired: Pseudopod (Lv.1)]
The System's whisper crystallized the effort into truth. Zeke shivered, a thrill running through him. A limb. A weapon. A tool. He flexed it clumsily, slapping it weakly against the chamber wall. The blow was pitiful, barely stronger than his main body pressing forward. But the idea—that he could strike without moving his whole form—that was everything.
He practiced through the long silence of the chamber. Stretch. Collapse. Stretch again. Every failure refined his control. Every repetition taught him how to balance mana flow into the extension. At first the pseudopod bent awkwardly, flopping more than striking. Then he tried lashing it harder, only for it to tear off again, a useless glob of slime splattering against the wall. The pain of losing mass left him sluggish, but he recovered, trying once more.
The stalk curled this time, wrapping awkwardly around a protruding rock. It held for a moment—before sagging and slipping free. But the fact that it had gripped at all filled him with fierce satisfaction. Each attempt added to his understanding.
The System acknowledged his efforts.
[CTL +1]
His awareness sharpened further. Threads of mana within him moved like strands of silk, tugged with increasing precision. The pseudopod no longer collapsed instantly. It sustained itself, wobbly but true.
But practice alone was not enough. He needed to test it.
The opportunity came sooner than expected. While patrolling near the fissure, he sensed vibrations through the ash—small, erratic. A creature nosed through the soot nearby, its heat signature faint but present. An ember-lizard, its scales glowing faintly with stored fire. Not a great predator, but dangerous enough if ignored.
Zeke quivered with anticipation. This would be his trial.
He extended the pseudopod, the stalk of slime rippling outward. It wavered, nearly collapsing, but he forced mana through it, stabilizing the reach. The lizard paused, its tongue flicking in the ash. Then it darted forward, eyes glimmering.
Zeke struck.
The pseudopod lashed down, slapping hard against the lizard's back. The blow lacked finesse, but it stunned the creature, knocking it sideways. Zeke surged forward, wrapping his body around it. The lizard writhed, scales heating. Its body glowed faintly as stored fire flared across its hide.
Zeke quivered, his edges sizzling. If the lizard released that heat all at once, it could scald him badly. He whipped the pseudopod again, slamming the lizard against the stone. The glow dimmed, its body cracking against the wall. He pressed tighter, forcing his will.
[Skill Activated: Assimilate]
Heat and essence poured into him. The lizard thrashed once more, tail lashing sparks into the ash, but his pull was relentless. The glow faded from its scales as it dissolved within his mass. Mana rippled through him, filling his core with fresh strength.
[Level Up: 6 → 7]
The System's declaration pulsed within him. Energy coursed through his form, expanding his mass, hardening his edges. Strengthened. Larger. The prey had given him more than sustenance—it had given him progress.
Zeke pulsed faintly, exhilarated. This was not explosion, not uncontrolled destruction. This had been choice. He had struck, and he had killed, by his own will.
He withdrew into his chamber, the pseudopod trembling beside him. It was still crude, still unstable. But it was his first weapon. His first limb. The first step toward shaping his body not as prey, but as predator.
He pulsed in the quiet, fire and light flickering faintly within, and now joined by the promise of something new. If he could master this, if he could refine it, he would no longer need to rely on reckless bursts. He would wield his body with purpose. He would fight.
System Update
Status
Name: Ezekiel Ashbourne
Race: Prime Slime (Unevolved)
Level: 6 → 7
Affinity: Fire (Basic), Light (Basic)
Stats
STR: 3 → 4
AGI: 3 → 4
VIT: 6 → 7
WIL: 3
RES: 8
MNA: 18 → 21
CTL: 2 → 3
Skills
Active Skills:
Split (Lv.1): Divide body into fragments; fragments are weaker and drain stamina.
Assimilate (Lv.4): Absorb weak matter or energy to recover energy; chance to retain minor traits. Stronger pull, refined capacity for elemental energy.
Pseudopod (Lv.1): Extend body into a tentacle-like appendage. Clumsy, unstable, and limited to one pseudopod.
Passive Skills:
Amorphous Body (Lv.2): Immune to blunt trauma, flexible morphology. Adapts efficiently to tight spaces and reshaping. Movements flow with less strain.