Play it safe and just look for residual mana sources

...Yeah no, I am not risking my neck just to get some quick mana from her. She's probably drained anyway, not just physically but also magically, what with all the alchemical and spell stuff she just did. I looked at the discarded mortars and pestles with bits of residue on them. Even from here, I can sense their weak mana. Now that, is some perfectly fine mana just lying there for the picking.

Glancing at the witch one more time to ensure she's properly asleep, I hopped my way onto the mortars. Now that there's no longer any commotion, I just realized just how quiet I was when hopping from place to place. I would've expected more sloshing and slime matter coming off of me but no, my body holds firm and cushioned. I'd expect normal slimes to just bounce around and easily keep their momentum though, instead of expending actual energy trying to move around like I do.

I finally reached the mana-infused mortars, and they really are thrumming with mana. Even just being near them I can feel the mana being absorbed into my slime body. If I didn't know any better, I would've thought these to be radioactive and give me cancer or something, but instead they fill me with a cool warmth that energizes me.

So this is how mana feels like, huh? I wrapped myself around one of the mortars, and the cool warmth from before intensified. The sensation burns, akin to holding something that is too cold, but I feel myself getting stronger and more energized so I press on. However, just as quickly as it intensified, it dissipates into nothing. I feel myself empty and dejected.

Aww, that didn't take long. I proceed onto the next mortar, and the sensation repeats itself, intensifying for a second and dissipating the next. I repeated this process until I've absorbed every semblance of mana from the mortars and pestles lying on the floor as well as some of the residue just splattered nearby. Once again, I feel empty and dejected after all of it.

No wonder slimes love mana, it's like a drug to them.

I tried to shake off of my slump by testing out if I did get stronger from absorbing all the mana stuff. I tried invoking God's Eye on myself.

God's Eye! ...Yep, not doing that again. Still, it got the job done, as a stats sheet appeared in front of me.

Slimey.

Race: Slime

Classes: Slime LVL 5, Sorcerer LVL 1, Assassin LVL 1, ??? LVL 1, ??? LVL 1

Stats:

HP: B MP: A AGI: C

ATK: C INT: B LCK: B

DEF: B RES: A COR: C

Did it really keep the stupid name? I swear Ariel's going to get it someday. Where the hell is he anyway? Isn't he supposed to be my Guardian Angel or something? And what are these '???' classes I have? I mean, can't really complain but- wait, there isn't any negative classes, is there?

I remembered rolling my "eyes" slid another page onto the God's Eye screen, so I tried that, counterclockwise this time, and sure enough it slid towards the second page which is apparently my Classes screen.

Classes:

* Slime (LVL 5) - You belong to the special Slime class, which is different to the Slime race with all the racial bonus you've received. The slime class increases general stats as it levels up, which can be done by absorbing mana sources or being near massive wells of mana. It will also act as both a buffer and a limiter to your ----- abilities.

* Sorcerer (LVL 1) - You belong to the Sorcerer class, a class of magic-wielding fighters capable of casting both offensive (most of the time) and defensive (less so) spells on the battlefield. They are also adept at making alchemical potions to buff themselves or to create reactions on the fly such as explosives.

* ERROR - CONFLICT WITH OTHER CLASSES: ELEMENTAL SPELLS HAVE BEEN REMOVED TEMPORARILY

* Current Usable Spells: Magic Bolt LVL 1 (Arcane), Arcane Spear LVL 1 (Arcane), Heal LVL 1, Cure LVL 1, Alchemize LVL 1

* Assassin (LVL 1) - You belong to the Assassin class, a class of stealthy fighters employing the mix of physical, magical and even alchemical forces to incapacitate their enemies without being detected. Their skills are focused on stealth and quick kills, with both close-range and long-range options, in addition to poisons that they can concoct for use in their weapons.

* ERROR - CONFLICT WITH OTHER CLASSES: ACTIVE ABILITY "Camouflage" and "Assassinate" HAVE BEEN REMOVED TEMPORARILY

* Current Usable Skills: Firm-Formed LVL 1 (Passive, Slime), Eavesdrop LVL 1 (Passive), Sticky (Passive, Slime), Sense LVL 1

* ??? (LVL 1) - Not enough information about this class

* ??? (LVL 1) - Not enough information about this class

Damn, that's a lot of information. Firstly, What the hell?! Conflict with other classes? I jokingly thought about there being negative classes but I'm seriously considering them existing now. Clearly I've been saddled by extra classes that just serves to limit the potential of my chosen ones. Either the twins or Ariel did this, and I can't confirm definitively since I only got God's Eye near Ariel's end of the bargain. And secondly, Slime as a class? Interesting. Also, I didn't know God's Eye can redact information about classes. Seriously? Even my own powers are hiding things from me. Great. Apparently it's just general stats boosts, so it's still nice either way, assuming it's true.

I scrolled again and sure enough, there is a third page in this. There must be an easier way of scrolling this thing. Apparently this one is for race skills.

Race(s):

* Slime - You are part of the Slime race of monsters, which gives you an innate defense of 300% against enemy spells and magic attacks. You also gain the special Slime class, which gives out general stats boosts as it levels up. Slimes also have the innate ability to absorb mana from their environment and surroundings, even mana inside the bodies of magic users that they touch. Conversely, they are also affected by the type of mana that they absorb in their surroundings, which gives rise to the different colors and types of slimes present in the world.

Race skills: Firm-formed LVL 1 (Passive, Slime), Absorb Mana LVL 1 (Passive, Slime), Consume LVL 1 (Slime), Morph LVL 1 (Slime, NEW), Sticky (Passive, Slime)

Well, this one's a bit shorter at least. The description has nothing I don't already know, and the race skills are pretty self-explanatory. Still, those two skills, Morph and Consume, sound pretty interesting. And they are also the only 'active' skills I have as a slime, so might as well give them a shot.

Now, how do we do this 'Morph' thingy...? I felt around in my slime body for something, an epiphany or some sort. As I do so, I feel my connection to my slime body becoming closer, and more intimate, which also means more sensitive. I'm feeling things I've never noticed before, like the constant crackling feeling of the ward all around the house, the cool breeze emanating from the summoning table, and even the presence of the witch lying on the bed leaking out mana. The slime part of my brain is salivating at the thought of all these mana sources, but the human part reined themselves in.

As I refocused my attention to myself, I've sorta got the epiphany I wanted. I feel the slime body follow my every whim and reform itself into various shapes, from the flattest puddle on the ground to the longest noodle. 'Morph' only seems to be limited to my slime mass, which my gut tells me is related to my Slime class. Maybe if I level it up I can get bigger and therefore have more mass? More incentive to consume mana, I guess. Speaking of 'Consume', I tried to consume one of the mortars that fell down.

Ughh, why does it taste like sour dark chocolate? These things are tough as well, and I can't chew in lieu of being an amorphous slime with no teeth. There's a little bit of mana left on the crevices, but I don't really have the time nor the patience to lick every single mortar here clean. I spat out the mortar immediately, as I do the slime equivalent of rubbing the taste off of my tongue. Still, I can't really keep these things lying around like this. My human part of the brain is apparently really bothered by the clutter. The slime part of the brain is not helping either, having learned that there are in fact mana in those crevices and is eager to get to them whatever it takes.

Maybe if I just ignore it, it'll eventually go away...? I looked around the room once more. It's definitely still a mess, which does not help with my current mental state. The books are now at least on the study table and not on the floor, though I wouldn't complain if they are. At least her bed is relatively neat, and she's a peaceful sleeper as well. Still, my vision always gravitate towards the clutter near the alchemical station, how each mortar and pestle is strewn about not even near each other, and even the burner is slightly too off-center and is now about to fall down. I know that even if it does, the cushioning magic on the floor will prevent it from breaking, but it still bothers me.

Ugghh... Fine, fine. Let's get this all sorted. I stomped towards the clutter. Thankfully my skill 'Firm-Formed' functions similar to Light-Footed and, in addition to the "cushioned" floor, my tantrums are limited to myself. I 'consumed' one of the mortars and let it sit inside me. Ughh, it tastes so bad. I can't just keep it in my mouth as well since apparently every cell of my slime body is also a taste bud. This is the worst... After which, I hopped towards one of the cabinets, when the tingling sensation from before intensifies again.

Ah, right. Warded. Where the hell do I *oop... blugh...* put this, then? I can't stop myself from gagging at the awful taste. T-the alchemical station. That will have to do. I proceed to ascend the alchemical station with the mortar in tow, the firm texture of my slime body mostly keeping it in place. Mostly being the operative word, as even the slightest jerky movement sends a surge of awful sour making me gag a couple times. Finally, I spat out the mortar after reaching the top of the table. I even double-checked to see if the mortar is placed properly or I accidentally spat it out too forcefully. After which, I repeated this ordeal five more times, the taste mercifully being numbed as time goes on, until I have two stacks of mortars and the pestles neatly arranged in a pile on the topmost ones. Using my 'Morph', I extended a little tentacle to wrap around one of the burners' legs, and very slightly nudge it towards the center so that it won't fall anymore.

Finally, after what feels like hours, I've finally tidied up the alchemical station. Exhausted, I opted to just jump from the station straight to the floor, hoping the splat would knock me out. It didn't, and instead I bounced and rolled and rolled until I-

*ZZZTTT

-hit the ward straight on...

Feeling slightly energized but still mentally drained, I lazily looked towards the bed. Nope, she's still sleeping soundly. Righting myself up, I once again poked at the ward.

*ZZZTTT

The charge doesn't hurt as much anymore, but I feel this is a different sort of mana from the ones I've been scrounging from the alchemical residues. It's proper hot, like touching a metal or rising steam hot. The amount of mana I feel is similar to what I gained from the residue, but the sensation is definitely way more intense.

Hmm, a constant source of mana, but also a constant source of pain and chance of the witch waking up. What a conundrum this is.

I poked the ward again, more intense this time, and the mana and pain definitely increased. I poked it again, constantly pushing my slime tentacle against it until it's practically lying across the whole ward surface until I can't take it anymore and removed it. The witch stirs for a little bit, but otherwise she's sleeping like a log.

I inspected the tentacle that I used to poke the ward. Oww ow ow ow, that stings. There's definitely charred parts at the pointy bit and some at the arm part. Strangely enough, the pain seems to be diminishing the longer I go, while the mana output just goes constantly. Maybe this isn't as bad as I thought...

I tried to 'hug' the ward by expanding myself as thin as possible and sticking to the most surface area in the ward, only to be met by the most searing sensation I've ever felt. I saw myself unravel at first contact with the ward, starting with the center and spreading across all my body. Simultaneously, I feel a surge of mana coming from the sides inwards. I immediately pull back and reformed my stringified body back together.

That was a little too bold of me... Still, the mana I got from that is not insubstantial. I'm just risking dying in the process every time. I chuckled to myself.

But no, I've committed myself to being slow and safe. It's already an infinite amount of mana at my perusal, I just have to be patient and keep slowly pushing the boundaries until either I can't take it anymore or the witch stirs in her sleep. Simple.

Resolved, I once again tried the tentacle approach, slowly feeling out the ward's mana and possibly looking for a spot with the least pushback. This went on all throughout midnight, and unfortunately the ward is too uniform and good at self-repairing that everywhere I check the pushback feels the same. At least the mana is nice to have. Now the sun has pierced the curtains and the witch is stirring in her sleep. I need to hide again. Wait-

I just tidied up my hiding spot! W-why did I do this?! Shit, I have to hide under the bed again!

I hopped as fast as my slime body can take me back under the bed, behind one of the legs.

"Nnnh... Uwaagh~" I can hear one of the bed's legs slightly creak.

"Huh? I thought... I didn't clean up last night. But they are neatly stacked on the table... Did-" The witch suddenly jumps up from her bed and onto the floor.

"Did Master really come? H-how did I not notice? Oh god oh god how do I explain myself to him?" The witch is now pacing in the center of the room, just like before. "Wait... Why didn't he wake me up though...? Maybe he... Hmm..."

"If so..." I took a peek from under the bed. The witch is now clasping her cheeks with her hands, as if delighted. "Aww... I knew it! Master is always so kind!" I felt slightly offended at not being acknowledged for my hard work.

The witch suddenly pumps up her fist, with the fires of determination burning in her eyes. "Alright! Master believes in me, despite all my failures. I can't give up now!"

She suddenly turns towards the bed. I feel my core jump in surprise as I quickly hid back behind one of the bed legs. She seems to be tidying up her bed, humming joyfully all the while. After which she proceeded to prepare for another summoning, taking the alchemical ingredients and engraving the runes once again. Despite her being very busy, I don't risk leaving the bed to search for another exit besides the door. I've spotted some holes along the hidden crevices of the walls, but I haven't tested if they are already warded.

Tsk, they probably are, else the slimes presumably outside would easily find their way in.

With nothing to do, I tried to touch the ward from under the bed. Whew, thank goodness the bed is against the wall. It feels the same as any other parts of the ward, but the mana here seems slightly more concentrated. Good news for me, but I can't help but wonder why that is. Maybe the witch's mana is being absorbed by the ward? Nevertheless, I laid my slime self against it. I immediately feel the sparks from the ward prickling me. But, lacking the mental fortitude to prop myself up into a more comfortable position, I just bear with the pain. Eventually, the pain subsided from annoying to somewhat relaxing. I would've dozed off right there were it not for a small explosion rocking the entire house and the witch screeching in excitement.

"Aaiiee! You're so cute!"

Well, that was fast. I didn't even notice the summoning starting. I grumbled to myself and dragged myself out of my ward sauna to see what's going on. I saw the witch holding a small, lime green blob in her hands, very close to her face. The slime follows the movement of her eyes and face, leaning left, right and even up and down. She starts squishing the little thing, almost like a stress ball of sorts, and it reforms itself every time as a slime should. I can't really know if a normal slime can or should have feelings, but I swear I saw that little thing slightly shaking.

As for the room itself, surprisingly it's still intact, albeit a bit dusty. It must've been a very uneventful summoning, judging by the slime the witch's currently holding.

"A-and so soft too! Aww, I want to cuddle you so bad when you grow big..." She suddenly looks downcast.

"But, I can't really keep you, or else my Master's gonna be very mad at me."

Suddenly, she shakes her head. "Aww, but I really don't want to kill you either... Ohh, what do I do?"

She scrunches up her face in deep contemplation. "M-maybe I can release you, to be with your slime friends... Yeah, that could work."

She gives the slime another couple of squishes. "You look similar to your slime friends outside, and you probably have the same diet as they do. It's brilliant!" She holds the slime closer to her chest, in a weird gesture of triumph. I myself was apprehensive of the idea, but it doesn't really concern me.

She transferred the slime onto her one hand and used the other to 'headpat' it. She stares at it longingly, and strangely enough the slime slightly leans towards her as well. "I'm sorry little one. You're the first successful summoning I had, and I'm so glad that you turned out to be really cute and cuddly." Again, a bit offended by the lack of acknowledgement I am getting, this time entirely my fault. "But I have to let you go, to be free to roam the fields and with your slime friends." She patted the slime again, only this time the slime coils around her fingers lightly. She giggles.

She opens the door slightly to allow the slime to pass. Looking around, I also felt the ward weakened around the whole house. I see, it's a more physical barrier than I thought. No one is allowed to pass through while it is active, whether in or out.

"Here you go, little one." She headpat it one last time, before putting down the slime in front of the door. "Hmm, my first successful summoning..." I saw her smile to herself. "Onto the next one!"

The witch starts busying herself with the preparations for another summoning. I turned to the slime at the doorway, which is apparently having trouble with actually passing through the barrier. Even weakened, the ward can still repel small slimes like it.

Risking detection, I hopped towards it. It turns towards me and leans away. I deflated a little bit at the understandable lack of trust between us as I approached the gap in the doorway. It is definitely weakened, but as I poked around I still feel a bit of resistance. I pushed a little further and, surprisingly enough, I managed to pass a tentacle through. I proceed to lean my whole slime body towards the gap, and with enough force I passed through.

What I saw before me is a vast meadow, filled with all sorts of critters such as field mice, snakes, grasshoppers, and even a couple rabbits hopping about. And sure enough, a lot of green slimes hopping about minding their own business. It's a serene place, with no signs of human settlement in sight. Well, except for the one I was on. I hopped a little further outwards, looking around the area and I was surprised to see that the house I was in before has simply vanished, save for a small sliver of distortion that shows the interior. The gap that the witch has opened. In it is the slime from before, simply sat there, trembling, probably at the sight of betrayal. I feel a pang of guilt. This chance is meant for it, huh. And I'm the one benefiting.

Still, this chance might not come again. I still need to find Ariel, after all.

But, as I stare back at the distortion, the human side of me feels immense guilt. I can't just leave it there, can I?

Suddenly, the distortion starts closing. Seriously?! I have to make a decision, stat!