Chapter 152: Chapter 152 - Life
To be precise... it was about his divine energy core.
Now, he could feel that it was brimming with life.
In that instant... Lucien stepped inside.
And he saw it...
The once barren land was no longer empty. Grass swayed gently in a phantom breeze.
Trees were taking root. Their outlines formed and solidified as though life itself was sketching them into existence.
He realized then...
He could create life... but only in exchange for other things. Whether he was capable of shaping anything greater, he didn’t yet know.
His gaze shifted to the distance.
There it was...
The fragment of the Origin Core. It pulsed, feeding his very being with vitality.
Soon, another change caught his eye.
The Gargoyle Dungeon within his divine energy core stirred.
Lucien frowned.
The castle-themed dungeon had long since finished its expansion.
The third floor was also the last floor. It was already complete.
Yet... it had remained desolate.
No monsters. No signs of life. Only the dungeon core buried deep within.
But now, with the presence of the Origin Core fragment, something was happening. The empty floor trembled as if the first breath of creation had been drawn there. Life was being born within it.
Lucien stood in silence.
’Whatever this is... it feels like it will be a great help.’
He didn’t know what to expect.
Suddenly...
A ripple spread through the air.
And then it happened.
Two blobs materialized out of nowhere.
The Life Slime and the Death Slime.
Lucien froze.
"H-how?!"
It was as though icy water had been poured over him.
"Living beings can... enter my divine energy core? But then again... How did these two even got inside without my permission?!"
The slimes wriggled innocently. They bounced excitedly, acting cute as they looked at him.
Then a sound chimed in his mind.
[Ting!]
[The Life Slime wants to follow you.]
[Accept / Decline]
[Ting!]
[The Death Slime wants to follow you.]
[Accept / Decline]
Lucien’s eyes widened.
If that was the case, then of course... he would welcome them.
"Hell yes! I accept."
Another prompt followed.
[Please assign a name to the creatures.]
Lucien groaned.
"Ugh, names again? Damn it. Not now. I’m too busy to think of names. I don’t want to call you two Bloomie and Gloomie, so just bear with it. I’ll name you properly later."
Shaking his head, he tried to sort his thoughts.
...
More than a hundred small worlds. And then... that big world.
It was hard to believe. He had been inside just one small world all along. And now, monsters have found a way to invade it.
He couldn’t allow the black mass to expand. If it did, everything would be consumed.
He had to act. He had to plan.
Soon... his consciousness drifted back to his real body.
The echoes of the lives he had lived returned to their murals.
And the last rift in the once broken world... The one where the 100th piece should have been... It shifted.
It became... a portal.
"Does this lead to the Boss Floor?" he wondered.
But now wasn’t the time. He already had what he came for. The solution to his current problem.
The black mass he saw here... It was the same. The same as the one in the Big World. The very same that divided monsters from the other races.
Lucien clutched his chest.
Inside him, the fragment of the Origin Core pulsed.
With it, he could enter that black mass.
Lucien’s eyes gleamed.
Schemes already took root in his mind.
But he knew better than to rush. Rushing would only ruin everything. And besides, whatever enemy lay inside might be far stronger than he imagined.
Still, because this small world had incomplete laws, their strength would be limited. That gave him an edge.
"The monsters... they might be aiming for the inheritance of the Primordial Slime," Lucien muttered.
And that, he could never allow.
If they succeeded, it would be a disaster for both this world and the Big World.
Fortunately, without an Origin Core fragment, they couldn’t come out of that Black Mass too.
"They wouldn’t be bringing something as important as a fragment of the Origin Core in this small world, would they?"
Lucien hardened his resolve.
Sooner or later, peace would reign again.
And he would make sure of it.
•••
When Lucien returned to the surface, he discovered something new.
The Life and Death Slimes could freely slip in and out of his divine energy core as though it were their home.
He frowned. He still didn’t understand what his divine energy core truly was. None of the lives he had lived through the murals had revealed it.
The only clue... was that it might be tied to the Primordial Slime itself.
As he walked back to his territory, the two slimes bounced happily at his side.
Then... something blurred in from the distance at lightning speed.
Lucien flinched.
It was Skittles.
The rainbow slime leapt high into the air. It crashed down and without hesitation... body-slammed the two newcomers.
With a single plop, the Life and Death Slimes burst.
Dead.
Then their drops shimmered in their place.
"Bloomie! Gloomie! No!!! Skittles, what the hell have you done?!"
Lucien’s chest ached.
"I didn’t even get to give them proper names..."
But then, a strange shift occurred.
The scattered blobs of Life and Death slowly drew together... reshaping into their original forms.
Alive.
Lucien’s expression flipped instantly. His grief gave way to astonishment and joy.
"What? They resurrected? They didn’t lose that ability? Wait! Does that mean... infinite drops?"
He laughed out loud as if he had discovered the greatest treasure in the world.
Meanwhile, the Life and Death Slimes began tackling Skittles playfully as if scolding him.
But the rainbow slime only bounced lazily around them as though saying it had merely been a greeting.
Soon, the other slimes joined in.
Lucien sighed.
There was a reason why statues had been built for Skittles and not the others.
The Rainbow Slime species had once been a force equal to Monster Emperors during the Warring Era. They were unique and able to split into countless bodies. And each one... was difficult to face.
Now though, they were only shadows of that former power.
Lucien looked at them, conflicted.
’Should I bring them into the coming battle?’ he wondered. ’What if the monsters grow too aggressive when they realize the Primordial Slime’s kin still live?’
Then again, he had already revealed himself when he used Slime Beast Mode. It was too late to worry.
Another sigh.
He turned to a passing subject.
"Please call Grandpa and the others for me," he ordered. "It’s time to plan the destruction of this world’s tumor."
•••
Lucien called Cielius and the others together. Supreme Chief Leo of the Beast Tribes also came.
"I’ve found a way to enter the black mass," he declared. "But once we step into it, hesitation will mean death. We’ll need a plan. One that covers every worst case scenari."
The room fell into heavy silence. His words alone were enough to send unease rippling through the gathered leaders.
They didn’t know what was inside. But based on Lucien’s tone... entering the black mass was no small matter.
Lucien kept the rest to himself. The murals and he Origin Core fragment.
Those truths were his alone to bear. For now, they needed direction... not revelations that would only fracture their resolve.
’But can they even follow me inside?’ he thought. ’The fragment recognizes me but... it might bar anyone else.’
The doubt gnawed at him but then he remembered.
His divine energy core. The grass, the trees, the slimes. The life he could now harbor within himself.
’If I can house living beings... then I can carry them. Soldiers and allies. An army hidden within me! The moment I step across, I can release them!’
Lucien knocked his head suddenly.
’Damn. Why does this shit even excite me.’
But still...
The realization struck him. He felt the tides shifting in their favor.
"Preparation comes first," Lucien continued.
With the help of the gathered people, they brainstorm things that could help in the battle.
Weapons attuned for resistance against miasma.
Potions and artifacts to extend stamina.
Relics to counter corruption.
"Every angle must be covered. We’ll adapt fast, strike harder and never linger."
The group stirred with determination. They discussed resources and divided tasks. Plans began forming.
Lucien remained silent amidst the noise.
’If it works... then we won’t just enter the black mass. We’ll conquer it.’
With that thought, Lucien’s lips curled into a grin.
Of course, he also needed to sharpen himself. His arsenal of skills had grown vast. Each one was powerful in its own right yet wielding them together often left him stumbling.
Power without order was chaos.
"I need Parallel Thoughts... and Photographic Memory," he muttered. "With those two, maybe I can be better at skill management."
His eyes burned with determination.
’Whatever monsters await... I’ll make sure they taste shit.’