Chương 16: Acid Reflux and Bad Decisions

Recap: You retreated to Floor 2. You found an adventurer's backpack guarded by a Yellow Slime. Your Mana Buff is expiring. You voted to EAT THE SLIME. Wood vs. Acid. It's like bringing a cardboard shield to a flamethower fight. Stupid. Suicidal. But I was out of time. The Mana Buff timer was blinking in my head. Five minutes. Once that expired, Tremorsense would start draining my mana again. And I wasn't about to fight a Level 2 slime while blind. Okay, Alex, I thought. Quick bite. Pull back. Don't let it splash.

I coiled my muscles. The slime pulsed, oblivious. It was dissolving the leather strap of the backpack, happy as a clam. Or happy as a slime. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Bite Cost: 2 Stamina Current SP: 14/20 I lunged. My teeth sank into the yellow gelatinous mass. It felt like biting into warm jelly. There was no resistance. No bone. Just… goo. The slime reacted instantly. It didn't scream. It splashed. A glob of acidic ooze flew off the main body and landed on my lid.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Taken: 4 HP (Acid Burn) Defense Bypassed (Chemical Damage) Current HP: 7/15 Ow. Ow. Ow. It felt like someone poured lemon juice into a paper cut. My wood hissed. Smoke curled up from the spot where the slime hit. I couldn't panic. Panic means movement. Movement means more splashing. I clamped down. My tongue wrapped around the remaining slime mass. I pulled it into my stomach.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Target Consumed: Yellow Slime (Level 2) This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. XP Gained: 15 XPCurrent XP: 40/50 (Level 2) HP Regeneration: +5 HP (Meal Consumed) Current HP: 12/15 (Over time) Status Effect: Acid Neutralized (Stomach Acid > Slime Acid) The burning on my lid stopped. The smoke faded. My stomach gurgled happily. Apparently, mimic stomach acid is stronger than slime acid. Good to know.

But I was still at low health. And the Mana Buff was dying. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Status Effect: Mana Infused Time Remaining: 0 Minutes Status: EXPIRED The hum in my veins vanished. I was back to normal. 10 Mana. 12 HP (tickling up). 14 SP. The backpack lay open where the slime had been eating. The leather was ruined, but the contents were spilled on the dirt. I slid closer. Tremorsense (now costing MP again) scanned the items. Potion Vial (Red): Liquid intact. Dried Rations: Moldy. Metal Canteen: Intact.

Broken Sword Hilt: Iron. Rusted. Silver Ring: Intact. Iron, I thought. That's item number two. I needed three metal items for the Ironband evolution. I had the dagger (1). The canteen counts (2). The sword hilt counts (3). I could evolve now. But evolving takes one hour of immobility. I was on Floor 2. Adventurers patrol here. Goblins wander here. If I froze in place to evolve, I was a sitting duck. Plus, my HP was still recovering. I needed safety. I heard a sound in the distance. Howl. Not a goblin. Not a rat.

A wolf. Hell Hounds live on Floor 5, but their cousins roam Floor 2. I had the loot. I had the XP. I had the evolution path. But I didn't have time. Current Stats: HP: 12/15 (Regenerating from meal) Mana: 10/10 (Buff expired) Stamina: 14/20 (Bite cost) Inventory: 3 Pebbles, Rusted Iron Dagger (Undigested). Slime (Digesting). Loot Available: Metal Canteen, Broken Sword Hilt, Silver Ring, Potion. Status: Low HP, Evolution Ready (2/3 Metal), Wolf Howl Nearby. What do you do?

A) EAT THE METAL (EVOLUTION PREP) Swallow the Canteen and Sword Hilt now. You'll have 3/3 items. You can evolve later when safe. (Cost: 2 SP. Gain: Evolution Ready. Risk: Weight increase, slower movement.) B) LOOT THE POTION (HEAL) Use your tongue to grab the Red Potion. Drink it (absorb it). Heal HP instantly. Leave the metal for later. (Cost: 0 SP. Gain: Full HP. Risk: Potion might be cursed/expired.) C) HIDE & EVOLVE NOW Find a crevice. Wedge yourself in.

Eat the metal and start the evolution process immediately. Risk the wolf finding you. (Cost: 1 Hour Time Skip. Gain: Tier 2 Form. Risk: Vulnerable during transformation.) D) FLEE TO FLOOR 1 Leave the metal. Take the Potion. Run for the exit. Survive first, evolve later. (Cost: 5 SP. Gain: Safety. Risk: Lose evolution progress, stay weak.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins. [Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 15! Option A (Eat Slime) was risky!

You took acid damage but won the fight. You're close to Level 2 and have enough metal for evolution, but safety is an issue.