Thud!

​The mountain bear immediately dropped dead in a pool of red blood after Neo unleashed his Spirit Blades. Afterward, the blades returned to his side, spinning in a deadly circle above his head.

​His gaze then fell upon the limp little slime. Sitting beside it, he immediately checked its life signals, noticing it had fallen unconscious. The vibrations of its life force were getting weaker, and its body was slowly dissolving into a gooey matter.

​It was clearly dying, all because it had tried to save Neo from the bear, even though it had no obligation to do so.

Even if it wasn’t his fault, Neo felt a deep sense of guilt toward the innocent creature.

​"Don’t die, little one. I will save you."

​He immediately thought of a plan. A desperate one.

He went back to the mountain bear’s side and drove one of the Spirit Blades straight into its chest, right where the heart should be.

The blade cut through the tough hide like butter, and soon it touched something solid.

​Neo reached inside with his bare hand and pulled out the object.

Resting on his trembling, bloody palm was a peanut-sized, dull green crystal.

It was pulsating with a faint green light.

​[ Target Identified: Mountain Bear’s Core ]

[ Grade: E ]

[ Estimated Value: 0.05 UC ]

​With the core in hand, Neo realized he can use his Synthesis ability to fuse the bear’s vitality with the slime’s fading life force to save it.

There is no solid assurance, but it’s the best chance he had.

Neo didn’t hesitate any longer. He knelt beside the dissolving little slime, and placed the Mountain Bear’s Core beside it.

​"Synthesis, begin!" he commanded.

As soon as he did, the air around them began to vibrate violently.

[ Synthesis Initiated: Water Slime (F) + Mountain Bear’s Core (E) ]

Soon, brilliant emerald light erupted from his palm, bridging the gap between the two life forms.

[ Progress: 1%.. 3%..12%... 34%.. ]

​The little slime’s body, which had been turning into a liquid mess, suddenly snapped back into a more solid sphere. The green light was absorbed into its blue gelatinous mass, and for a moment, its translucent skin gained a metallic fur-like texture before settling back into a deep, glossy sapphire.

​[ Synthesis Successful! ]

[ Target Evolved to: Mountain Slime (Water/Earth Variant) ]

[ Condition: Stable ]

[ Power Rank: E (Cellular structure has been reinforced. It can now withstand physical impacts that would normally burst a standard Water Slime) ]

[ Special Abilities: Heavy Hydro Jet.

> Can fire high-pressure water shots infused with earth elements, making it more lethal.

​Not long after, the little fella let out a loud, healthy "Boink!" and bounced high into the air, landing firmly on Neo’s shoulder.

It felt much heavier now as its body was no longer just soft water, but felt like dense, reinforced muscle.

"Thank you, boink. You saved me!"

Neo let out a long sigh of relief, leaning back against the rock.

"You really scared me, little fella. But look at you now... you’re a little tank."

​The slime nuzzled against Neo’s cheek, and this time, the "cuddle" nearly bruised his jaw. It was incredibly strong.

"Mister Neo! I suddenly feel so heavy! And strong! Boink, what happened to me?" it asked naively.

​"Oh, nothing. Maybe that devil blessed you, just like it did the Red Slimes," Neo replied, smiling faintly.

​The little slime looked frightened. "Ah, that’s bad! I don’t want that. He will take my soul in return!"

​"Relax, relax. I was just joking."

​"Ah, boink! You’re so mean, Mister." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

​"Haha, how about I give you a name as an apology?" Neo suggested.

​He expected the little slime to be happy, but contrary to his expectations, the little slime shook its head frantically.

​"No, don’t, Mister! They say named slimes are cursed. They will be God-forsaken in the afterlife."

​Neo found it ridiculous. "And who are ’they’? The Red Slimes?"

​The little slime nodded.

​Neo started climbing again as he explained patiently, "Have you ever thought that maybe those Red Slimes are lying to you? Maybe they don’t want you to know the secret to their power? What if they are all named and powerful because of that?"

​The little slime, with its low IQ, had never considered this before.

​"Boink! You might be right, Mister. Please, give me a name so I can find out the truth!" it said, suddenly becoming excited.

Neo thought hard, as naming someone was the most difficult task of all. Soon, a name from a bedtime story surfaced in his mind.

​"Alright. I’ve decided. You will be called ’Atlas’ from now on."

​The name alone carried a destiny that overshadowed titans. Neo had picked it from a myth—Atlas, the Titan who held up the sky. Since he was now a Mountain Slime, it fit his newfound strength perfectly.

​After receiving the name, the little slime began to glow for a few moments. Neo couldn’t see exactly what changes the name brought, and neither could "Atlas," but the little one was very happy.

​"Atlas... it’s a wonderful name, Mister. Boink, thank you!"

​Neo shrugged it off. "Don’t mention it. Let’s focus on finding that ’golden-haired monkey’ now."

​They continued climbing through the difficult terrain until they reached a large crevice in the Rainbow Mountain that stood out like a jagged knife scar.

From within that crevice, several water slimes suddenly jumped forth excitedly.

Boink, boink, boink.

From their body language alone, it was clear that they knew Atlas.

​"They’re my friends, Mister. Let me ask them about the monkey."

​"Ah, okay. But tell them it was a big, golden-haired female monkey with huge butt," Neo replied.

​Soon, the group of slimes began chattering in their own way. Neo laughed, thinking of how innocent and short their lives were. Slimes were thought to be the weakest monsters of all time, but this unity and resonance made him feel they were capable of far more.

​Soon, Atlas returned, delivering the good news.

​"Mister, that golden-haired female monkey with the huge butt headed to the northern peak. They said more monkeys were seen nearby. We should be careful."

​"Got it."