When I awoke in this world with no memories, the first person I befriended was Kuroto. Back then, Kuroto was a Blue Slime, and though it’s hard to imagine from his current Status, he was no different from the common monsters that appeared around Pars. I managed to befriend him with my clumsy Summoning Magic, and after acting together for a while, Kuroto eventually evolved.
Slimes have many evolutionary paths, and Melfina herself said she didn’t know what kind of species they would become. Kuroto, who evolved from a Blue Slime to his current species, Slime Gratonia, and gained a Unique Skill, grew into an even more dependable ally. Even now, I still don’t know why Kuroto became this species.
Kuroto was the first to become my ally and the first to evolve. However, he hasn’t evolved since then. He primarily strengthened himself through leveling up and increased his stats through gluttony, even while Gerard and Alex evolved multiple times. At one point, I wondered if Kuroto’s evolution had reached its limit. Despite evolving so early into a Slime Gratonia, he showed no signs of further evolution, no matter how much I leveled him up or fed him strong enemies. But I quickly decided to abandon that line of thought.
There’s no point in me worrying about something even the goddess Melfina doesn’t know. Humans don’t evolve until they surpass Level 100, and for the dragon family like Dahak, victory over the Dragon King was an extremely special condition. It’s impossible to predict what triggers evolution without any precedent. But the path is by no means completely blocked. What we need to do is to fulfill our current responsibilities to the best of our ability. If that leads to evolution, then it’s a bonus; that’s the extent of my understanding.
However, the possibility of evolution often lies in unexpected places, and we encounter such a possibility unintentionally. This happened while I was inspecting the items, equipment, and other miscellaneous things stored within Kuroto’s storage. In the spacious underground training ground of my mansion, which was hidden from outside eyes, I was repeatedly checking the items Kuroto took out one by one and putting them back – checking and returning – when–
“Hmm? This, I think I got it in Gaun…”
A fist-sized, golden, magic gem rolled onto the floor. I had pried it from the mask of the Divine Beast Diamante in the Grotto of the Divine Beast in Gaun. At the time, I intended to use it for something, but I ended up putting it away without ever using it.
“It’s been a while, but it’s still magnificent, isn’t it? Kuroto, you probably haven’t seen a magic gem of this quality before, have you?”
Kuroto made a gesture that seemed like a vigorous nod. At the same time, perhaps wanting a closer look, he extended a hand from his slime body.
“Here you go, take a good look. Still, I wonder if I can use this to make some kind of equipment. It feels too fragile to use for Gerard’s shield, and Efil is already using her keepsake gem. Hmm… Hmm? Kuroto?”
Suddenly, I looked at Kuroto, who had received the magic gem. For some reason, I felt a slight sense of unease. His slime-like body trembled, and he didn’t respond to my call. Through our mental connection, I could feel emotions swirling within Kuroto. Ah, I know this phenomenon, and I’ve seen it before.
“Could it be, you’re in the middle of evolving…?”
I remembered the scene of Kuroto’s first evolution. At that time, I was in a magical state, but Melfina was by my side, calming me down. Stay calm, stay calm. …I was so anxious.
I paced around Kuroto, watching him, and as he was about to enter his eighth rotation, the change occurred. Kuroto’s entire body suddenly began to glow. It was so blinding that I almost shielded my eyes with my hands. But I managed to refrain from doing so. I wanted to burn the current image of Kuroto into my eyes. Kuroto, who had been my companion for so long as a Slime Gratonia.
“…Kuroto?”
The light gradually subsided, and Kuroto, who had likely finished evolving, revealed a new silhouette.
“Kuroto, you—”
~~
The reborn Kuroto had dyed his body a blue hue instead of black. It was a change that made him seem like he had returned to his original species, the Blue Slime. The only visual difference from a Blue Slime would be in the core, the nucleus of the slime. The magic gem I gave him seemed to have transformed into the core itself, and Kuroto’s heart had transformed into a softly glowing, beautiful object.
Looking at him like this, the change in his appearance might not seem impactful. However, the most significant change was in his inner self. His abilities were incomparable to before, and this is what brought the look of surprise to Kuromel’s face.
“—What is that?”
“A rather cold remark. Don’t you know? It’s Kuroto.”
Kuromel’s barrage of attacks followed, but all of them were blocked by Kuroto, who had sprung from my pocket. Kuroto’s protruding slime-like body met Kuromel’s fists, nullifying the power before it could reach me. Come to think of it, the strike nullification is a powerful Skill. I wish I could learn it too, but it wasn’t on the list of learnable skills. None of my other allies could learn it either, so it’s probably a slime-specific ability. What a shame.
“I see, strike nullification. However, you’re being a little careless. My ‘Manifestation of Mortal Wounds’ weakens even resistances, you know? No matter how much you evolve and raise your stats, all your efforts will be in vain.”
“Is that so? Rather than being in vain, I’m fully motivated!”
Even now, Kuroto is taking Kuromel’s punches, but his strength shows no signs of waning. On the contrary, through our mental connection, he’s amplifying his resolve, saying “I’ll do it!” He’s also activated ‘Absorption’ incidentally.
“Hmm…?”
Kuromel seemed suspicious at this, she shook her captured fist free and distanced herself. Then, she glanced down at her own limbs. She seemed completely unable to understand why her weakening power wasn’t working. Rest assured. Kuromel’s weakening power is functioning normally, and it hasn’t been deactivated. It’s just that it doesn’t affect Kuroto.
“…Is that Kuroto’s power?”
“Who knows? I just revealed one trick. I have no intention of giving you any more hints or answers.”
“I see, that was a foolish question. My apologies.”
Two Sacred Spears, which I had confined, descended from above. It seemed the prison I had escaped into the sky had been breached. Kuromel’s true power would likely emerge from here. But you know, my profession is Summoner. From now on, I’ll fight alongside my dependable partner.
Kuroto | 0 years old | Genderless | Dyumare
Level: 198
Title: Eternal Darkness
HP: 8496/8496 (+100)
MP: 9044/9044 (+100)
Strength: 7304 (+100)
Durability: 6702 (+100)
Agility: 6318 (+100)
Magic: 5839 (+100)
Luck: 5330 (+100)
Skills: Gluttony (Unique Skill)
Absolute Immutability (Unique Skill)
Armor (S-Rank)
Natural Healing (S-Rank)
Metalization (S-Rank)
Absorption (S-Rank)
Flexibility (S-Rank)
Split (S-Rank)
Dismantle (S-Rank)
Storage (S-Rank)
Big Eater (S-Rank)
Digestion (S-Rank)
Strike Nullification
All Attribute Resistance
Support Effects: Summoning Magic / Magic Supply (S-Rank)
Concealment (S-Rank)
