Infinite Adaptation: Starting As A Level 1 Slime-Chapter 11: An Exit

He had heard of Fenrir before. But a Moonlight one? That was new.

The rest of her skills were impressive.

Guardian’s Instinct was probably why she had sensed that illusory wall before he did.

But there was one thing that gave him pause.

The intrinsic skill.

Heir of the Eternal Moon.

Eternal Moon.

Was that someone’s name? Was that her mother’s name?

With such an imposing title, she couldn’t have been an ordinary wolf. A being strong enough to be called the "Eternal Moon"...

Then how did she die?

Yeah. This place was definitely not safe.

He also noticed something missing. Luna didn’t have a unique skill listed. It seemed unique skills were quite rare - even among geniuses like her.

That reminded him.

He hadn’t analyzed himself in a while.

He activated Analysis on his own form. The information came almost instantly. With Thought Acceleration active and four threads running in parallel, there was no way it would take as long as last time.

...

[ Analysis Complete ]

Subject: Self

Race: Slime

Rank: E

Blessing: Eternal Moon’s Grace

Innate Skills: Absorption, Self-Regeneration, Physical Attack Resistance, Shape Flexibility

Basic Skills: Mana Sense

Extra Skills: Mana Manipulation

Unique Skill: Mathematician (Appraisal, Analysis, Thought Acceleration, Parallel Processing)

Intrinsic Skill: Infinite Adaptation

...

He stared at the information.

Blessing?

His gaze locked onto the new line.

Eternal Moon’s Grace.

There it was again. That name.

Eternal Moon.

The same title from Luna’s intrinsic skill. The same entity - presumably - that Luna was the heir of.

And now he had its blessing?

When did that happen? How did that happen?

"What is going on here..." he muttered.

...

He was deep in thought as Luna continued walking.

The blessing.

When had he received it?

He replayed the events in his mind. The wolf. Its overwhelming presence. The way it had approached him, lowered its snout, and...

Tapped him.

That was it.

It hadn’t been trying to eat him. That gentle tap against his membrane... that must have been when the blessing was given.

But why?

He didn’t understand the reasoning. A dying creature, using its final moments to bless a random slime? What had he done to deserve that?

Unless...

The cub.

Maybe the mother had sensed that he wasn’t a threat. Maybe she had seen him as a potential protector for her child.

As for what the blessing actually did - his Analysis wasn’t giving him anything concrete. Maybe it didn’t do much. Some kind of passive aura, perhaps. A mark of recognition.

Now that he thought about it, maybe that was why Luna listened to him so readily. Not just because he had saved her, but because he carried her mother’s blessing.

He smelled like family. 𝕗𝐫𝐞𝕖𝕨𝐞𝗯𝚗𝕠𝘃𝐞𝚕.𝐜𝗼𝚖

Luna stopped moving.

"What is it? Did something happen?"

She was staring at a wall.

He focused his attention on it and realized immediately.

Another fake wall.

The mana here was distorted in the same way as before.

He became serious.

Could it be...

But Luna didn’t seem as agitated as she had been last time.

Maybe it wasn’t like that time.

He jumped off her back and landed next to the wall. This time, he approached slowly, carefully extending his mana sense forward.

Then he walked through.

Just as he’d thought. The illusion parted around him without resistance.

Luna followed, stepping through the false stone as if it were mist.

He stared at what lay before them.

A barrier.

Just like the one from before.

But this time, the other side wasn’t filled with dark miasma.

Instead, there was...

A gate?

Massive stone doors, ancient and weathered, stood beyond the barrier. Faint light leaked through the cracks between them.

Natural light. Sunlight. This was it.

An exit.

"No way..."

He turned to Luna, his form practically vibrating with excitement.

"Luna, are you seeing this? We found a way out!"

She just looked at him.

He cleared his throat.

Ahem.

Getting a little too excited there.

He turned back to the barrier, composing himself.

Well, the problem was obvious.

Unlike the earlier barrier that had been cracked and failing, this one was completely intact.

He extended his mana toward it, trying to feel its structure.

The moment his energy touched the surface, he understood.

This barrier was far stronger than anything he could break through force. The mana woven into it was dense, intricate, layered upon itself countless times. It would take something far more powerful than him to punch through this.

His form deflated.

These barriers seemed quite intricate. Just what were they locking up in here?

He remembered the cracked barrier on the other side of the cave. The dark miasma pressing against it. The tendrils seeping through the fractures.

Definitely not anything good.

He looked at the barrier before him again.

Breaking it wasn’t going to be easy.

But he wasn’t one to just lie down and do nothing.

He remembered the state of the other barrier. Something much stronger than him was on that side, actively trying to break free. And it was almost halfway there.

If he couldn’t find a way to break this barrier before that thing escaped...

He would be toast.

Luna let out a low sound.

He turned to her.

"You also think so, Luna?"

She made another noise, softer this time.

He looked at the barrier once more.

Then determination filled him.

There was no way they were going to die here.

He concentrated inward, gathering his mana. Then he drew it out, letting it swirl around his membrane.

He leaped toward the barrier.

His form expanded mid-air, stretching and flattening. When he made contact, he splattered against the surface like paste, spreading himself thin to cover as much area as possible.

Luna let out a startled sound.

"Don’t worry," he said, his voice slightly muffled. "I’m okay. Just looking for a way out."

He concentrated deeper into himself. Into his Absorption trait.

This ability allowed him to absorb anything. On the surface, it seemed quite weak - just a slime eating things. But when enhanced with mana...

He didn’t think he couldn’t absorb this barrier.

After all, it was essentially just made up of mana particles. Condensed and woven together, yes, but still mana at its core.

And if he managed to absorb even just a tiny speck...

If he could analyze that speck...

He should be able to figure out how the whole thing worked.

And if he understood how it worked...

He could find a way to break it.