At the unfamiliar word, the slime tilted its body slightly with a kku-it! sound.
‘What’s evolution?’
The system responded to the question asked in its mind.
[Evolution is a phenomenon where you can evolve into a higher entity.]
‘?’
Since the slime still didn’t understand, the system explained in simpler terms.
[It is a phenomenon where you can become a stronger being.]
‘?’
[Adjusting explanation to match the subject’s intelligence.]
[Selecting explanation based on recent experiences of the subject.]
[You will be able to catch deer faster.]
‘Wow!’
Now, the slime was finally able to grasp roughly what evolution was.
‘Deer! Catch faster!’
Boing Boing! The excited slime bounced on the spot.
The head of the deer beneath the slime was getting buried into the ground.
The slime immediately shared its newly discovered fact in the chat.
▷Evolution! Evolution!
▶Evolution?
▶ Hmm?
[Gothic Luxury Bone] ▶ Don’t tell me… Did you get the evolution screen, Squishy?
▷I can evolve! Catch deer faster!
▶For real? You actually got the evolution screen?
▶Why so fast?
[Squishy Queen] ▶ Has the evolution screen appeared, my kin?
▶Ah! Evolution Xes!
The chat exploded with excitement over the news of the evolution screen.
Because the speed was just that fast!
Normally, after monsters developed enough intelligence to recognize the system screen, it took at least a year for them to encounter the evolution window.
By that standard, the slime’s evolution speed was near Mach-level!
However, it wasn’t unnatural for the slime to face the evolution screen so quickly.
While other monsters grow to some extent and then recognize the system, the slime had understood the system the moment it was born, so naturally, the experience required for evolution would differ.
And among the viewers, someone began to notice this fact through the growing pile of questions.
[Free Spirit] ▶ Isn’t it just because Squishy is still a slime? The first evolution is usually fast anyway.
The first to comment was Troll, of course.
Though he hadn’t evolved after becoming a lich, he spoke as if he had firsthand experience.
[Noblesse Fire] ▶ Is that so?
[Gothic Luxury Bone] ▶ We dragons were the highest-ranking species from the start, so we wouldn’t know.
[Noblesse Fire] ▶ Don’t lump me together with some pitiful pile of bones.
[Gothic Luxury Bone] ▶ What did you say?
[Squishy Queen] ▶ If you’re going to fight, take it to another room! One of our kin stands at the path of choice!
▶ (Unpopular opinion) Every time you oldies fight, it stinks of rot.
▶ 222222
▶ Lol
[Just Slam First] ▶ Squishy! What can you evolve into?
At Fenrir’s question, the slime tilted its body.
‘Into what?’
[You have three evolution options.]
[1. Poison Slime]
[2. Big Slime]
[3. Bounce Slime]
[Would you like a detailed explanation?]
‘Yes!’
[Poison Slime: You will gain toxicity in your body. You can attack by secreting poison or coating your whole body in it]
[Skill: You will acquire Poison Generation]
[Required coins: 25 coins]
[Big Slime: You will have a much larger body. You can crush opponents with your increased size and weight. You can instantly absorb enemies smaller or about the same size as you]
[Skill: You will acquire Capture]
[Required coins: 20 coins]
[Bounce Slime: You will gain a more elastic body. You can move much faster and use the terrain for easier attacks]
[Skill: You will acquire Bounce Tackle]
[Required coins: 15 coins]
‘?’
The slime listened as the system explained further.
But even after hearing the explanation, it couldn’t understand.
It had no idea which one to choose.
‘What should I do?’
To that, the system gave a firm response.
[It is up to your choice.]
This time, the slime felt like the system wouldn’t explain it any easier.
So it decided to ask the chat.
▷Evolution! Got choices! So many!
[Free Spirit] ▶ What choices do you have?
▶So many choices? How many?
▷Three!
▶You call three many? lolol
▶Three is plenty.
▶Yeah, three is actually a lot for evolution lol
[Squishy Queen] ▶ My kin! So what choices did you receive? Tell us!
‘Tell them!’
The slime was about to say the three options just as they were.
But then it paused and thought.
Wouldn’t it be better to repeat exactly what the system said rather than just naming them?
‘Everyone! Talk lots! Know lots!’
[Squishy Queen], who always worried and gave advice.
[Just Slam First], who taught it how to body slam and hunt.
And [Free Spirit], who told it to eat meat instead of just purple grass.
To the slime, the chat viewers were beings who knew more than itself.
So maybe they could understand what it didn’t.
Thinking that, the slime spoke to the system.
‘Say it again!’
Then the slime copied the system’s explanation into the chat word for word.
The explanation in the chat surprised the viewers.
▶Squishy’s become a lore-dumper!
▶That’s just a copy-paste of what the system said lololol
▶ Never seen someone explain their whole evolution before lol
▶That’s almost exactly what I got when I evolved.
▶What’s Bounce Slime, even?
***
‘So this is the evolution screen explanation the other monsters always talked about.’
In his secret workshop, the flames flickered in the hollow eye sockets of Troll.
A glow of curiosity and inquiry.
He had never seen the evolution screen himself and had always been curious about what kind of options and messages monsters received.
But if he asked about it during broadcasts, he’d get reactions like, “Why are you asking that?” or “Who remembers those explanations anyway? Just pick whatever feels right.”
So he never got a straight answer.
But now, the slime had kindly shared the evolution screen in full through the chat.
‘Not that complicated, but quite informative.’
It told you what characteristics each evolution form had and what skill you’d gain.
‘And it even costs coins to evolve.’
Coins accumulate when a monster has certain experiences.
From what Troll knew, coins were only used to buy skills at the shop.
The skills in the shop varied widely, but one rule applied.
You could only purchase skills your species could actually use.
For example, even with tons of coins, a slime couldn’t learn a dragon’s breath attack.
You couldn’t buy every skill, but buying the right ones could make you stronger.
So when monsters first gained system awareness and unlocked the shop, some would start streaming just to beg for coins.
– Please! I’m a lowly octopus who just opened the shop! Spare some precious coins!
Some would lower themselves pathetically to beg.
– You guys like this, right? Here’s me shedding skin~ I’ll shed even more next time, so coin support please~
Others mimicked provocative streamers.
– I’ll do anything if you give me coins! Go on! What should I do?!
Some even created challenge content to earn coins that way.
Monsters in a mediocre position craved coins to grow stronger.
Putting aside the joy of learning about the evolution screen, Troll now shifted to Operation Squishy Manipulation.
‘I need to steer it away from Poison Slime.’
Just like how he’d worried when the slime ate poisonous herbs, if it became a Poison Slime, it’d be harder for it to interact with Nellin.
Troll began with a casual question.
[Free Spirit] ▶ Squishy, how many coins do you have right now? Coins?
[Free Spirit] ▶ Ask the system, it’ll tell you!
▷37!
‘Enough to evolve, then.’
Troll quickly analyzed the other options besides Poison Slime and prepared to advise.
Then—
[Noblesse Fire] ▶ If you're going to evolve, bigger is better! Go Big Slime!
The fire dragon.
Noblesse Fire chimed in first.
[Gothic Luxury Bone] ▶ That’s a crude thing to say.
[Noblesse Fire] ▶ What do you mean crude! Hey! Being big means people don’t underestimate you!
[Gothic Luxury Bone] ▶ That’s exactly why it’s crude. Though I agree size does matter.
Though they usually argued, the fire dragon and bone dragon surprisingly agreed.
[Thread-Lady] Oh my, don’t you know how useful poison is? Cute little Squishy, Poison Slime would suit you~!
The arachne.
Thread-Lady, who used poison often, recommended Poison Slime.
[Just Slam First] ▶ What nonsense! Squishy learned body slamming! To body slam well, Bounce Slime is the best choice!
The fenrir.
Just Slam First recommended Bounce Slime to match his own teachings.
As the recommendations heated up, other viewers jumped into the debate for fun.
▶Bounce Slime is a no. Least coin cost.
▶You’re dissing it just because it’s cheap? lololol
▶More coins doesn’t always mean better.
▶Poison’s useless if you can’t land a hit lol
▶What’s so good about bouncing?
▶If you’re just big, you’ll get hit more easily.
▶But it does cost the least, huh.
Of course, most of them were trolls just having fun.
They enjoyed mocking the other options and stirring chaos in the chat.
‘Uuuhhh… I don’t know!’
The constant stream of conflicting opinions only deepened the slime’s confusion.
Then—
[Squishy Queen] ▶ Silence! You rabble rousers! Who cares about your opinions! What matters is what my kin wants!
▶Not my business lololol.
▶Ahaha come on, it’s fun lolol.
As the serious discussion about the evolution of their fellow slime turned half-joke, the Slime Queen was furious.
[Free Spirit] ▶ Yeah, Slime Queen is right. What Squishy wants to become is what matters most.
Troll seized that moment of rage and jumped in with a question to the slime.
[Free Spirit] ▶ Squishy! What do you want to become?
▷What?
While the chat was noisy, Troll drew on his past as a former mage to explain each evolution path in a way the slime could understand.
[Free Spirit] ▶ Poison Slime can use poison.
▷Poison?
[Free Spirit] ▶ It makes water that hurts, so you can catch deer easily.
▷Wow!
[Free Spirit] ▶ Big Slime makes your body bigger.
▷Get bigger!
[Free Spirit] ▶ You’ll get slower, but you can eat more.
▷Eat more!
[Free Spirit] ▶ Bounce Slime can move quickly.
▷Quickly?
[Free Spirit] ▶ Yeah, and you always bounce when you’re happy, right?
▷Yup!
[Free Spirit] ▶ You’ll be able to bounce even more.
▷More bounce!
Troll, doing his best to explain it simply, told the slime:
[Free Spirit] ▶ Just pick the one you want to become, Squishy.
***
‘The one I want to become…’
After listening to Troll’s explanation, the slime thought deeply.
Poison Slime.
It had a vague understanding of using poison.
It remembered the pain it felt after eating that purple herb.
It understood the concept of using that pain to attack.
But it couldn’t quite imagine itself using poison to attack.
Big Slime.
On the other hand, the idea of growing big and eating more was easy to picture.
Like the deer that were bigger than it.
If it became a Big Slime, it could eat more deer, and faster too.
And finally, Bounce Slime.
It could move faster and bounce more.
It could chase down fleeing rabbits or deer without needing to ambush.
What did it want to do more?
After thinking endlessly about that, the slime made its decision.
Something familiar to itself.
Something it had always wanted most.
‘I want to evolve!’
The system responded to the slime’s will.
[Which form would you like to evolve into?]
‘Bounce Slime!’
[You have selected Bounce Slime.]
[15 coins will be used.]
[Beginning evolution.]
Wooooooong!
‘Waaahhh…!’
The slime’s entire body was engulfed in light.