-----

[Experience Points have reached the required level!] ​​

[Individual 'Rank' has increased from level 65 to level 100!]

[Furthermore, the Individual's 'Job' has increased from level 65 to level 100!]

[The Levels of the [Coordination; Level 2], and [Armor Rearrangement; Level 2] Skills have increased!]

Veronica felt as the Experience Points that she had gained through this rushed and desperate battle flowed through her body and entered her soul.

She felt inside of her mind as she had moved through several stairs, and was now ahead of a wall. Each time she would reach the max level in either her Rank or her Job, she would experience this feeling.

This wall was 'the wall of progression'. Each time someone reached a max level, they would not be able to progress anymore, unless they were to change jobs or rank up.

Ranking up and Changing Jobs would make this wall disappear and open a new set of 'stairs' or 'levels' for someone to walk through by using Experience Points.

Alongside opening towards a path for more progression, ranking up or changing jobs would give the user a small 'head start', often in the form of skill level-ups, the acquisition of new skills, or bonus stats.

Usually, Jobs would have a special 'effect' on the users of these, even if they did not grant a Skill, a Job 'special effect' would remain on the user forever, even if they were to change jobs. It was something similar to a passive skill.

Veronica sat down on the floor… her body was not that of flesh and bones anymore, so she could not feel 'tired' physically. But her soul could feel tiredness, and a small burden in her mind, mental fatigue.

She needed to 'take a break' and relax her mind at the very least.

"Phew… it was all so fast… I really rushed through things" said Veronica.

"It was the only way. If it were not for your quick-thinking, you would have most likely died. Rushing before the monsters was a good idea. Taking the offensive instead of them made them get bewildered and frightened, which gave you the opening to quickly finish most of them… though the Metal Slimes were quite problematic" analyzed Shade.

"Yes, it was a hit of bad luck that the Mimic sent us both to a Secret Room… Anyways, time to continue… Hm, I should absorb one Armored Cricket and the Metal Slimes first…" muttered Veronica.

However, just at that moment, Aqua jumped to the ground as she began to shine brightly once again!

"Oh? She's evolved again…" muttered Shade.

"Well, the Metal Slimes were both Rank 4… and the crickets alongside the Wall Mimic were Rank 3, so it was enough shared Experience Points for her to reach max level… She just evolved a few hours ago though, this is too fast" said Veronica, getting worried that she might get surpassed by her tamed slime.

"Are you concerned about her surpassing you?" laughed Shade.

"No… it's not like that! If she were to, it would be very convenient, so she can do all the work and I can finally take a break" said Veronica.

"You talk as if you want a break, but you have several goals already put in your mind to accomplish before even that," said Shade.

"Hey… I know that… But perhaps a little rest after that would not be so bad… I seriously need some carefree life for once" said Veronica.

"I will help you to accomplish that goal of yours," said Shade.

"Oh? You got way braver now, didn't you? Are you trying to conquer me with your flattery and nice words? Let me tell you that I am too old already to fall for that!" said Veronica.

"…No. I didn't mean that…" muttered Shade.

"Haha! Do not be shy, do not be shy! This old woman still appreciates your try!" said Veronica, getting a bit flustered while chuckling.

"Haah…" sighed Shade.

As the two talked for a bit, Aqua finished evolving, her size had increased a few more centimeters now, being as tall as an adult dog. Her body did not gain a new core, but it had become shinier, alongside gaining a clear blue tone.

"She became a… 'River Water Slime' said Veronica, inspecting Aqua through 'Appraisal'.

"A River Water Slime? Will she rank up to Lake Water Slime afterward? And then Ocean Water Slime as you had predicted?" asked Shade.

"I… maybe? I never expected her to follow what I said… perhaps what I intended affected her evolution choices because I am her master?" wondered Veronica… Aqua might really end up evolving into an Ocean Water Slime! …in the future.

"Gubo, gubo!" said Aqua, emitting cute noises while bouncing with her gelatinous body.

Aqua then hurriedly rushed towards the corpses of the crickets, beginning to digest two in one go, after evolving she was rather hungry.

"Ah, wait there! Leave one to me!" said Veronica, rushing towards Aqua and touching one of the Armored Cricket's corpses.

"Absorption Healing," she said.

The Cricket's exoskeleton turned into liquid and merged itself with Veronica��s living armor body.

[The Level of the [Armory; Level 1] Skill has increased!]

"Hm?! Finally,"

[Armored Jumping Cricket Silver Soldier Exoskeleton] Material Successfully Absorbed; Health Points Restored]

[Please choose equipment slot to save in or synthesize into]

"Hmm… what if I save it as it is? A new armor that I can switch into?" wondered Veronica, saving the exoskeleton as an 'Armory' Slot. After the skill leveled up, she gained two extra slots to save up 'equipment' that she could create by absorbing fitting materials.

Veronica glanced at her system window and saw the material at the third loss of the 'Armory' skill… then, she selected it with her mind.

Flash!

Her armor suddenly changed its form. As if completely replaced by something else, she felt a strange and refreshing new feeling.

She wasn't in the form of cricket as she had thought, but it seemed that her 'new' armor was cricket-themed, with strong legs, lightweight armor, and several decorations in the design of the silvery-white armor that could increase her speed even further.

When she grabbed her helmet, she discovered that it had cricket-like eyes engraved in the armor as decorations, alongside two long antennae.

"It feels like I am cosplaying as some kind of Power Ranger" muttered Veronica.

"Power… Ranger? What's that?" asked Shade.

"It is… never mind…" muttered Veronica, not wanting to share Earth's media with other world people.

Veronica glanced at her stat, but it seems that they have not changed. But there were clearly some differences between armors that the system did not clarify to her. Such as the Cricket Armor being lighter and capable of jumping higher, while the other one had a higher mana capacity due to having been merged with Slime Cores.

"Should I just merge it all into one armor for now…? Well, having different armor designs might be beneficial if I want to enter a human, elf, or dwarf city though"

With Veronica's previous armor, she resembled an evil Death Knight that came straight out of the most terrible and evil of Demon Nations, ready to harvest human souls…

But she did not want to make humans and other races are afraid of her like this, so having a second armor, that wasn't as intimidating was a necessity if she wanted to get by in such places without awakening suspiciousness from everyone.

Veronica decided to leave the cricket armor as it was… although it was very weird-looking, it was more ridiculous than intimidating, so she could have a higher chance of not making people suspicious. They would instead laugh at her fashion sense… she was not concerned about this, thankfully.

Changing back to her original dark knight-like armor, she moved towards the two Metal Slime Corpses and grabbed on the core and then the slime… it seems that both were classified as different materials and needed to be taken separately.

[Metal Slime Silver Core] Material Successfully Absorbed; Health Points Restored]

[Please choose equipment to discard or synthesize into]

Veronica wondered what would have happened if she would have made the core equipment… would it become an armor entirely made out of a core? Or a weapon? Or a portable mana storage sphere?

She just wondered and did not give it much thought, deciding to merge this core with her cricket armor, so it could possess some Mana Storage.

[The material [Metal Slime Silver Core] and the [Armored Jumping Cricket Silver Soldier Exoskeleton] equipment have been synthesized into the [Silver Metallic Slime Soldier Exoskeleton Living Armor] equipment!]

"What a long name… and slime?" wondered Veronica, changing to the other armor, and trying it out…

"Hm?!"

Veronica tried to move around as she felt that her arms were capable of extending themselves a bit… just like a metallic slime.

It was as if her armor had suddenly become something made out of liquid metal. She was capable of easily creating a hole in her hand (glove) and then closing it. She was just as sturdy as always… but she now had similar capacities than the Metal Slimes, albeit not as strong or easy to manipulate.

She felt a bit overwhelmed by it, it was harder than she thought to manipulate a semi-liquid body. But if she willed it, it could stay solid until she gave it the command to become 'semi-liquid'.

She wondered if the same could be done for her dark knight-like armor by synthesizing it with the Metal Slime 'corpse', it was probably obviously the case…

"Perhaps Aqua will become my teacher now" wondered Veronica, thinking to abut Aqua teaching her how to mold her semi-liquid armor body…

"Even I did not expect that to happen. But it may prove to be useful for the future, so it's a welcomed change" said Shade.

-----

[Name: Aqua

[Race: River Water Slime

[Titles: Tamed Monster

[Type: Slime/Water

[Rank: 4

[Level: 001/100

[Health Points: 110/110 > 180/180

[Mana Points: 83/83 > 143/143

[Strength: 64 > 94

[Defense: 71 > 101

[Magic: 82 > 130

[Resistance: 98 > 138

[Agility: 121 > 166

[Passive Skills]

[Special Five Senses; Level 3]

[Dark Vision; Level 3]

[Abnormal Status Resistance; Level 2]

[Strengthened Flexibility; Level 3]

[Physical Damage Resistance: Level 3]

[Body Form Manipulation: Level 3]

[Starvation Resistance; Level 1]

[Self-Enhancement; Tamer (Veronica): Level 3]

[Water Attribute Resistance; Level 3]

[Liquid Manipulation; Level 3]

[Active Skills]

[Charge; Level 3]

[Projectile Fire; Level 3]

[Absorption Healing; Materials; Level 2]

[Stealth; Level 2]

[Unarmed Fighting Technique; Level 2]

[Shield Technique; Level 1] (New!)

[Mutualism; Tamer (Veronica) Level 1] (New!)

[Unique Skill]

[Camouflage; Level 2]