After communicating with the slime for a while, System discovered that, in addition to moving and jumping, he could also give the slime a third command—splitting. He could use mental messages to make the slime split on its own initiative.

  System remembered how he'd worked hard to lure his old slime friend to the ant nest, then collected the fallen bits of goo after the slime was injured during its fight the ants. Now, all it would take to accomplish that same goal was a few words.

  Whenever System commanded the slime to split, it would follow his instructions and split into two individuals of the same size.

  As long as System commanded the slime to split several times in a row, he'd eventually end up with many small pieces of slime that he could easily manipute and eat. Any remaining smaller slimes that System didn't eat would soon attract each other and gather together according to their instincts.

  ...

  System was only a few meters away from the twenty-centimeter-round slime, which was currently gathering back the small pieces of slime formed by the splits. This dark green slime still tasted like rich yogurt, but it had a better fvor than the brown slime that System had eaten previously.

  The improvement to his [Molting and Growth] was also more obvious. As long as he feasted on these small bits of slime another ten or so times, System believed that his [Molting and Growth] might break through its limit of level 13 and reach level 14.

  After each metamorphosis, System would get information regarding the next one. When he metamorphosed the second time, he found out about the third.

  Now, after his third metamorphosis, he also sensed some information about the fourth, though it was very vague. He had a slight notion that when [Molting and Growth] reached level 17 or 18, he'd learn the specific conditions for his fourth metamorphosis.

  System's [Intuition] gave him a strange feeling. The fourth metamorphosis seemed like it would make his body undergo greater changes, but he had no way of knowing exactly what he'd change into.

  'Perhaps becoming a magical life form depends on this fourth metamorphosis?' System thought to himself as he ate more slime.

  As he continued swallowing the tiny slimes, his abdomen gradually swelled up. It wasn't difficult to swallow so many small slimes, but it would take him half a day to completely digest and absorb them.

  Based on System's previous observations of the brown slime, he wouldn't be able to catch up with the slime's self-growth and recovery speed even if he ate three or four times faster.

  In other words, as long as winter hadn't yet arrived, System could farm more food from the slime each day than he could eat.

  After he finished swallowing the slimes, he mentally sent another order for the slime to split, then commanded one of the resulting slime balls to hop onto a wide leaf. He pnned to pack up some slime to take back to the nest.

  He used his tentacles to wrap the leaf around the small slime. This nutritious slime that was capable of rapidly promoting [Molting and Growth] was the best kind of food for Shava and the ant rvae.

  As System wrapped his tentacles around the leaf and got ready to return to the nest, he recalled the way that Shava had selflessly protected him. System had responded without thinking due to feeling deeply moved at the time, but he couldn't help feeling a little embarrassed over his words.

  "As long as I'm here, I'll be your king."

  At that time, he'd said those words in a rush. Thinking about it now, he still felt a little embarrassed and regretful. However, now that things had reached this point, he didn't intend to deny it.

  Although Shava wouldn't say anything if he truly denied it, he still wouldn't. System's character was like that. Once he made a promise, he would never take it back.

  Since he'd procimed himself king, he was the king. Therefore, he must act like a king and do something for his people.

  ...

  When System returned to his temporary nest carrying the slime, Shava had just woken up. She seemed to have smelled the blood from the mouse corpse and was hungrily feasting on its flesh.

  Her mandibles were very sharp; System's mandibles were no match for them even after his third metamorphosis. She used them to easily tear through the mouse's fur and bite into its flesh.

  It seemed like Shava's spirits had recovered a little, but System didn't know if she was aware that this exact mouse was the culprit that had harmed her.

  After seeing System, Shava's attitude toward him was as friendly as usual, and it was obvious that she hadn't alienated him because of what happened with his tentacles.

  It seemed like Shava had discovered the slime package that was wrapped up in System's tentacles. She sent a puzzled mental message to System, "King, what is that?"

  System replied, "It's a slime wrapped in a leaf, a type of gel-like creature. It tastes good. Do you want to eat some?"

  However, System soon discovered that Shava wasn't asking about the leaf-wrapped package, but the tentacles he was holding it with.

  "King, what is this...?" Shava sent a mental message again. This time she moved to System's side and pressed against his tentacles with her one remaining limb.

  He found that Shava's mental message seemed to contain a hint of strangeness.

  "It's called a tentacle. It's like a finger, and it can be used to grasp objects," System replied.

  Shava seemed to be very interested in his tentacles and gently rubbed up against them with her head.

  After a while, Shava seemed to have made up her mind, and she suddenly asked System, "King, can you use your...tentacles to wrap around...me again?"

  "...Huh?"

  System, who was busy commanding the slime he'd brought back to split itself, was slightly stunned. He finally figured out what that inexplicable feeling in Shava's earlier mental message was.

  Shava seemed to have enjoyed the special effects of his tentacles and wanted to continue pying the binding game with him.

  "No way!"

  System rejected Shava's request without even thinking. It wasn't like he had any weird tastes for such things. He was able to evolve tentacles because he wanted flexible fingers to work with, not because he wanted to py any special games.

  Hearing System's decisive refusal, Shava felt lost.

  However, although she was born with wisdom, her emotions were very simple and she wouldn't cling to her idea.

  After slurping down a tiny slime ball, Shava transmitted a happy emotion. Obviously, this getinous food greatly suited her tastes.

  She soon forgot all about the special functions of System's tentacles.

  As he watched Shava eat the slime, System nodded. He controlled the smaller slime balls to continue splitting, then distributed these slimes that were still slightly active to the numerous ant rvae.

  Except for a few rvae that didn't like eating slime very much, most of them greatly enjoyed the nutritious, getinous food.

  As he watched the rvae hungrily eat the slime, System noticed that the eating speed of one of the two rvae he was paying special attention to, either the male or the complete female, was a bit unusual. In terms of body size, this rva was much rger than the other ant rvae that had hatched at the same time.

  This one obviously had a digestive ability that the others didn't possess.

  And seeing the fast digestion speed of this ant rva undoubtedly provided System with a new idea.

  As the saying goes, sharpening your axe does not dey the chopping of wood. If he wanted to grow quickly, compared to other miscelneous abilities, the first thing he needed to improve was his digestive ability!