[ Analysis Complete ]
Subject: Self
Race: Slime
Rank: F
Innate Skills: Absorption, Self-Regeneration, Physical Attack Resistance, Shape Flexibility
Unique Skill: Mathematician (Analysis, Thought Acceleration, Parallel Processing)
Intrinsic Skill: Infinite Adaptation
His form deflated.
He really was a slime.
He didn't know what he had been expecting, but seeing it spelled out like that was still a little disappointing.
He looked at the rest of the information. It seemed he had skills. This really was like a game.
He focused on the innate skills first, and more details surfaced in his mind.
Absorption was straightforward. It was what allowed him to digest anything and instantly assimilate it into himself as additional mass. Exactly what he had been doing to survive.
Self-Regeneration allowed him to recover quickly from injuries. That explained why the impacts from his failed Slime Smashes never left any lasting damage.
Physical Attack Resistance was simply a product of his body structure. His surface tension and malleable form made him naturally resistant to blunt force. Impacts would spread across his membrane rather than penetrating.
Shape Flexibility was self-explanatory. His body had no fixed shape and could stretch, compress, or deform freely.
All of these were just natural traits of being a slime. Nothing surprising.
Next, he turned to the unique skill.
Mathematician.
Given the name, he had assumed it was just something that helped him make calculations easily. But it seemed he had underestimated it.
The unique skill actually consisted of three sub-skills.
Analysis was the ability he had been using all along. It allowed him to break down anything he absorbed into comprehensible information. It was also what he had just used to analyze himself and obtain all of this data.
Thought Acceleration apparently made him think faster. Though he didn't quite understand it - he seemed to be thinking at his usual pace. Nothing felt different.
Parallel Processing allowed him to split off a strand of consciousness that could work independently from his main awareness. He had no idea how to use that either.
He decided not to dwell on them for now. Perhaps he would figure them out with time.
Finally, he turned to the last skill.
Infinite Adaptation.
According to the information in his mind, this skill allowed him to easily adapt to any situation, given the right conditions.
He didn't fully understand what "right conditions" meant.
But thinking back, this skill was probably the reason he had retained his rationality. Any other person in his situation - ripped from their world, transformed into a blind, limbless blob, trapped in an unknown cave - would have lost their mind.
Yet somehow, he had managed. Whenever panic began to set in, he always found a way to calm himself. And he was getting better at it. Faster. More naturally.
His form stilled.
That sounded like a good thing.
But wasn't it also... concerning?
If Infinite Adaptation was responsible for his emotional stability, then didn't that mean the skill was actively changing him? Rewiring his existence?
His emotional regulation was improving, yes. But what if there were side effects he couldn't perceive? What if his emotions were being suppressed so thoroughly that they would eventually disappear entirely?
Would he still be him at that point?
He concentrated and forced himself to calm down.
Then he sighed internally.
He was doing it again. Subconsciously. Without even trying.
He decided to think about this rationally.
The adaptation was occurring because he kept panicking. His skill was overcorrecting in response. Since he didn't know the full consequences of that process, it was better to learn calmness and restraint on his own - without relying on the skill to do it for him.
At least until he understood what was really happening.
For now, he would be mindful. Stay calm through his own effort. Observe himself carefully.
That settled, he turned his attention back to the other skills.
Thought Acceleration and Parallel Processing.
He still didn't understand how to use them.
Let's see...
…
He sat atop the rock, deep in thought.
Thought Acceleration...
The analysis hadn't shown him how to actually use the ability. He supposed he would need to analyze for even longer to get more detailed information. But he didn't want to wait that long again.
He remembered how he had discovered Analysis in the first place. It had been an accident. He couldn't just hope to stumble upon the activation method for these other skills someday.
He decided to try something different.
Since the ability was inside him, if he concentrated deeply enough, he should be able to activate it manually. Analysis had been discovered by accident, but over time he had learned to use it instinctually. He could now trigger it at will without even thinking.
He thought of it like a hard drive without a controller.
When he first stumbled upon Analysis, it was like populating his controller - he remembered the coordinates of where that skill was located within himself. Once he knew the address, he could access it whenever he wanted.
Assuming the other skills worked the same way, he just needed to feel around inside himself and find their coordinates.
But wait.
With his entire body as the hard drive, and with how vast that internal space was, would he ever find the right location? It could take forever to search blindly.
Then he remembered something.
Ah. He was worrying for nothing.
He had already analyzed himself completely. That meant he already knew where everything was. The coordinates of every skill were already mapped out in the information he had received.
It seemed he had been overthinking this.
He concentrated, reaching inward with his awareness, and instantly found the skill.
Thought Acceleration.
He activated it.
Something strange immediately pulled at his consciousness.
Eh?
Eeeh?