Infinite Adaptation: Starting As A Level 1 Slime-Chapter 14: Princess

The beastmen walked excitedly on both sides of the road, their ears twitching and tails swaying with barely contained enthusiasm. Luna strode through the middle, the small slime resting atop her head.

He sighed.

It had ended up like this.

Somehow, they had confused him for their goddess and were now inviting him to their village. He had tried to refuse, but they were too enthusiastic. He felt bad turning them down.

Well, it wasn’t all bad.

Maybe he could use this chance to gather some information about this world. Besides, these people didn’t seem all that intelligent. Perhaps if he met with their leader, he could explain that he wasn’t their goddess and they could come to some sort of agreement.

As they moved, another thought occurred to him.

Maybe I could use this chance to figure out a solution for my Mana Sense problem.

Going around blasting his location to everyone wasn’t his style.

He instantly pulled back his Mana Sense and Mana Manipulation.

Everything went dark.

Completely blind.

Well, he could still hear. There were mana particles in the air that vibrated when sound passed through them, so it wasn’t like before when he was trapped in complete darkness and silence.

After pulling back his senses, he focused internally. Into his storage.

He had carried Luna’s mother’s body there. He didn’t want to leave her out in that place. The good thing about storage was that since it was a part of him, he could use Analysis through it without having to instantly dissolve everything into his mass.

This meant he could preserve her body.

He began his analysis.

Unlike him, she was an actual creature with natural eyes. Maybe if he analyzed her structure, he could figure out how eyes worked. Then he could get a pair or two for himself.

...

The village came into view.

It was a little run-down. Just a few houses that didn’t seem all that well made. Wooden frames leaned at odd angles. Roofs sagged in places. The paths between buildings were packed dirt, worn smooth by years of use.

Beastmen and children watched as the group returned. The moment they noticed Luna, whispers broke out among them. Fingers pointed. Eyes widened. Mothers pulled their children close.

The group walked up to one building that was slightly larger than the others. Though it still didn’t look all that well made - the walls were uneven and the door hung slightly crooked on its hinges.

The beastmen knelt at the entrance.

"We greet the Princess!"

A soft voice came from within.

"Come in."

The leader of the group glanced back at the others, then stepped forward. He turned to Luna.

"Please, follow me."

They went inside.

...

The interior was dim, lit only by a few candles placed around the room. At the far end stood an altar - it was a simple one, made of stacked stones with various offerings placed before it. Dried flowers, small carved figures and a bowl of water.

Before the altar knelt a figure.

The Princess.

She rose as they entered, her movements graceful despite the humble surroundings. She had pink hair and fur and her ears were longer than the others. Her tail swayed gently behind her as she turned.

"I am glad you have returned safely," she said, her voice soft but carrying easily through the small space. "Did you discover the source of that intense magic?"

The leader hesitated. "Ah, about that..."

He scratched his cheek awkwardly.

The Princess turned fully to face them.

Then she saw Luna.

And the slime perched atop her head.

She froze.

Her eyes widened.

For a long moment, she simply stared. Her breath caught in her throat. Her hands trembled at her sides.

Then, she dropped to her knees. Her forehead pressed against the ground.

"This lowly one greets the Eternal Moon and the Young Moon!"

...

Unaware of what was happening in the outside world, the slime focused entirely on analyzing the Eternal Moon’s body.

Before, he could hear what was happening around him. The excited chatter of the beastmen. The sounds of the village. Luna’s footsteps beneath him.

But it had become too distracting.

So he shut it all out.

All his attention turned inward, concentrated solely on the task before him.

He had discovered that the body was quite difficult to analyze.

Well, it was the Eternal Moon’s body after all.

So he decided to split up the process. Make it more manageable.

First, he absorbed all the residual mana into himself. This would help weaken the body’s resistance to analysis and make the analysis much easier. Absorption was simple enough - he had already isolated the corruption energy, so the pure mana flowed into him without issue.

The mana was overwhelming.

And refreshing.

It surged through his form like a cool river, filling every part of him with energy. And the best part - not only did it weaken her body for analysis, it also strengthened his Analysis ability when he used it to enhance the process.

Another thing he did differently this time.

He didn’t focus on analyzing the Eternal Moon as a complete entity. He believed her complexity as such a powerful individual was making it harder to process. The sheer depth of information was too vast.

Instead, he decided to do the bare minimum.

A surface-level analysis of just the body.

This should be much easier to deal with.