new plane

Lime's gelatinous form shuddered as he plummeted through the crumbling dirt, the tunnel giving way beneath him. He tried to brace himself, but it was useless—his body bounced and twisted through the narrow passage before finally crashing into a damp, rocky floor.

Thud.

"…Ow."

He groaned, his form slightly rippling as he adjusted himself. "Okay. Ow. That sucked."

Asil buzzed down from above, wings flickering rapidly. "Master! Are you okay?"

Lime pulled himself upright, shaking off the lingering disorientation. "Yeah, yeah, just… give me a second."

His eyes darted around, taking in his surroundings. The tunnel he had fallen through was gone, completely collapsed. And now? He was in a cave—one far larger than he had expected. Jagged rock formations jutted from the walls, faint glimmers of mineral deposits catching what little light there was. The air was damp, carrying the distant drip, drip, drip of water falling from stalactites above.

"…Huh." Lime narrowed his eyes. It was dark. Not just regular dark—cave dark. Even with his enhanced vision, it wasn't enough.

"I can't see shit."

Asil hovered closer. "What do we do?"

Lime exhaled through his slime-like body. "Tch. Should've thought of this sooner." He brought up his status screen, eyes flicking through his available skill points. "I need to see, and if skills work the way I think they do, I just have to learn how to see in the dark."

His tendrils tapped against the stone. "Alright, let's do this."

[You have acquired darkness Adaptation (Lv. 1).]

Almost instantly, something shifted within him. A weird pressure built up in his vision, like his eyes were adjusting on their own. The dim cave started to sharpen slightly, details coming into focus where before there had only been shadows. It wasn't perfect, but it was better—his eyes now absorbed every tiny glimmer, every trace of faint light bouncing off the walls.

Lime grinned. "Now we're talking."

Asil tilted her head. "Master… your eyes look different."

"Do I look cooler?"

"…A little."

Lime chuckled. "Good enough."

With his new vision helping, he scanned his surroundings. That's when he noticed it—a faint glow in the distance, almost like moonlight but… wrong. It wasn't coming from the ceiling or any opening—it was coming from the ground.

A lake.

A lake of faintly glowing liquid.

Lime frowned. "…That's suspicious as hell."

Asil flapped her wings. "Should we check it out?"

Lime hesitated. On one hand, glowing unknown substances were usually a bad sign. On the other… curiosity was practically his middle name.

"…Alright. But if I die, you eat my core, okay?"

Asil gasped. "I would never!"

Lime laughed. "I'm kidding. Mostly."

With that, they made their way toward the lake. As they got closer, Lime's senses tingled. His mana reacted. The liquid wasn't just glowing—it was pulsing with mana.

Lime crouched near the edge, tendrils hovering just above the surface. "Could it be… mana liquid?"

His instincts screamed at him to touch it. So he did.

The moment he made contact, a rush of energy flooded through him.

Lime's body vibrated as raw mana surged into him, spreading through his core like wildfire. It wasn't painful, but it was… overwhelming.

He yanked his tendrils back, gasping. "Holy shit."

His mana was full. No—more than full. His core felt charged, as if it had been empowered just from that brief contact.

"Okay, this stuff is insane."

He glanced at Asil. "I think I can drink it."

Asil blinked. "Is that safe?"

"Only one way to find out."

Before Asil could protest, Lime scooped up a small amount of the glowing mana liquid and gulped it down.

The effect was instant.

A rush of pure energy tore through him, amplifying his mana circuits, strengthening his core. It felt good—but at the same time, his body rejected drinking too much at once. A sharp pulse of pain flared in his core, forcing him to stop.

Lime grunted. "Okay, okay, lesson learned—no chugging."

Asil watched him nervously. "Are you okay?"

Lime exhaled. "Yeah. And I think I just found the best damn mana source ever."

But he wasn't done yet. He stared at his skill list.

"…I need to get stronger."

Drinking the mana had given him an idea. If he wanted to survive in this cave, he needed more versatility.

He flicked through his available options.

First up—Earth Magic.

If he could use fire and air, then earth was the natural next step. It would help him tunnel, defend, and manipulate his surroundings.

[You have acquired Minor Earth Casting (Lv. 1).]

Lime grinned as he felt the new energy course through him. Perfect.

But he wasn't done. He needed awareness. This cave was massive, and getting lost would be a death sentence.

[You have acquired Mana Sensing (Lv. 1).]

Immediately, his perception widened. It was weak for now, just vague pulses, but he could feel the natural mana flowing around him. The mana lake, the air, the faint lingering trails of creatures that had passed through.

And finally—Cave Adaptation.

A skill that helped him navigate underground, tracking paths, recognizing tunnel formations, and preventing himself from getting lost.

[You have acquired Cave Explorer (Lv. 1).]

Lime stretched, feeling stronger. "Alright, now we're talking."

With his new skills in place, he turned to the tunnel walls, activating Mana Sensing.

Immediately, something caught his attention.

A faint, distant pulse of mana, embedded in the rock.

Lime's body tensed.

"…There's something there."

His tendrils flexed. "Time to dig."

With renewed determination, Lime tunneled forward, chasing the unknown mana source.

After a while, he broke through the final layer and found himself in a small dug-out hole. As he adjusted, his senses locked onto the mana signal.

Centipedes.

"EW EW EW EW EW EW DIE DIE DIE DIE DIE!"

Lime shifted into his giant form, jumping on them while empowering himself with earth magic. After a few stomps, notifications filled his vision.

[You have slain a Level 12 Swift Centipede.]

[You have slain a Level 14 Swift Centipede.]

[You have slain a Level 18 Demonic Centipede.]

[You have slain a Level 11 Swift Centipede.]

"Whoa… four at once."

Lime grimaced at the remains. "I really don't wanna eat them, but… Demonic Centipede? That sounds cool as hell."

They seemed weak. He hadn't even sweated to kill them. Now for the spoils.

"Okay, two cores. Perfect. Asil, looks like you'll get to empower yourself today. As for the legs… just keep them for now."

He stored the cores inside his body and continued to dig. As he did, his skills leveled up—Digging, Mana Control, Earth Magic, Mana Sense, Cave Exploration, and finally, Adaptive Eyes.

Lime cackled. "Mwehehehehe… I'm gonna be unstoppable—"

BOOM.

His senses flared. A massive mana reservoir was rushing toward him at incredible speed—faster than anything he had ever faced before.

And if he didn't find an open space now, it was going to flatten him like a bug.

"ASIL, GO BACK! AN ENEMY IS APPROACHING!"

"YES, MASTER!"

Before Lime could react, Asil grabbed him and bolted back to the cave at full speed. Her flight had improved drastically—probably thanks to her recent mutations.

But even then, the damn thing was still getting closer.

And then, the wall exploded.

A giant centipede burst through, letting out an inhuman roar.

Lime gawked. "How the hell are you even roaring?! YOU HAVE TOO MANY DAMN LEGS!"

"AND WHY DO I KEEP FIGHTING THESE CRACKED UP MONSTERS"