The next day, when Neo finally woke up, he saw Elena sobbing at the edge of the branch.

​He went forward and asked, "Why are you still crying, Elena? I told you I wouldn’t hand you over to the authorities, right?"

​She turned around with a tear-stained face, saying through her sobs, "Mother Parrot hasn’t returned since last night. Maybe she is dead. She used to take care of me like a baby! Sob!"

​Neo couldn’t bring himself to smile. "Maybe she is somewhere far away and forgot her way back. Don’t worry, she’ll be back," he replied, though he didn’t believe his own statement. The law of the jungle still applied here; the parrot was likely someone’s lunch by now.

​Nevertheless, Elena, Neo, and Atlas started their journey. As they moved, Atlas had to take cover under the trees to avoid being burned by the bright sunlight. Being an unholy creature, light was naturally a severe weakness for him.

​Elena had many questions and doubts about Neo, but for now, she chose to believe him. After all, what other choice did she have?

​"Where are we going, Neo?" she asked.

​"To find my crewmates. They have the spaceship we need to get off this planet and begin the next phases of my plan."

​Elena cast a worried glance his way. "No, I’m not going there. What if they sell me out?"

​Neo smiled. "No worries. I have a friend who might help us out of this predicament. We just need to find her."

​As he spoke, his gaze dropped to the communication wristband, which still showed no messages. "Alas, I think this thing stopped working."

​Elena’s eyebrows lifted. "Give me that. I might be able to fix it."

​"Oh, I almost forgot about your capabilities. Here, take it."

​Neo handed her the wristband and continued walking toward the east, following the sun.

"Atlas, keep following in the shadows."

Atlas bounced in response.

Fortunately, the jungle provided enough shadows for Atlas to travel safely; otherwise, the journey would have been a real drag.

After an hour of continuous trekking, they spotted a group of red slimes. Neo and his companions immediately became alert.

​"We’re in the danger zone now, Neo," Elena whispered. "These red slimes are incredibly hostile."

​"Is that so?" Neo smirked, glancing at Atlas. "Go, Atlas. Teach them the consequences of violence."

​Atlas bounced and surged into the air using a murky water jet, then dove toward the four red slimes like a comet.

​Bam!

​Two of the red slimes popped like fireballs upon impact. The other two scattered like sandbags.

​"Cough! Motherfuckers! Who are you?" one asked angrily.

​The other looked tense. "Wait... you’re not a water slime or a fire slime. Just what are you?"

​Atlas didn’t respond. He answered with another pressurized hydro jet from his water core, which was as murky and black as a curse.

The two slimes tried to unleash searing fire from their own cores to fight back; however, upon contact with the corrupted hydro jet, their flames were extinguished before they could make an impact.

​Atlas was no longer a common monster. He was now at the rank of a Type-9 Beyonder. Regular red slimes were nothing more than air to him.

​Neo stepped forward and gathered the dead gelatinous mass of the red slimes, realizing their value for synthesis.

Even though they were weak individually, they could be used to make himself or his allies much stronger.

"Neo, why are you storing those ugly things?" Elena asked, looking disgusted.

​"Sorry, I cannot tell you. Personal reasons," he replied while stuffing them into a cloth bag, which he later slung over his back for convenience.

​If he had a storage space gadget, he wouldn’t have to work so hard. Unfortunately, he had no access to one. However, he now possessed the knowledge and experience to create one; all he needed were the right materials.

​They walked for hours after that. Along the way, whenever they encountered red slimes, they killed them and stored the remains.

Soon, there was no space left in the cloth bag, so Neo decided to use the materials before they started decomposing.

​It was noon by then, and Neo told Elena they should take a rest.

Elena agreed. "Great. I will fix your watch in the meantime," she said, settling down by a solid bedrock.

​Neo signaled for Atlas to follow him.

Once they reached a more secluded spot, Neo took out the dead gelatinous masses, which were now emitting a rotten odor. He first decided to synthesize two of the corpses with Atlas, being careful to ensure the process didn’t go wrong or cause Atlas any harm.

​Placing them side by side, Neo raised his palm toward them and activated [Universal Synthesis].

Soon, a radiant light burst forth, beginning to melt Atlas and the two corpses together like honey.

​The process, as usual, was magical and fascinating. Neo could never grow tired of it. 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

​[ Synthesis Initiated: Fire Slime x2 + Undead Mountain Slime ]

​[ Progress: 5%... 11%... 23%... 56%... ]

​Already two minutes had passed. From the looks of it, the synthesis was becoming intense.

​"Hang tight, little one," he whispered.

Buzz!

The radiant light intensified, shifting from a pure glow to a volatile swirl of crimson, murky blue, and abyssal black. The ground beneath Atlas cracked as the energy reached its peak.

​[ Synthesis Progress: 88%... 94%... 100%! ]

​[ Congratulations! Universal Synthesis Successful. ]

​[ Your Subjects Evolved To A New Species: Triple-Elemental Cursed Slime ]

​The light shattered like glass, revealing the new and improved Atlas. The slime was larger now, its body a swirling vortex of deep violet and volcanic red.

From its surface, wisps of dark smoke curled outward and a faint ember glowed at its center, thumping like a heartbeat within the murky depths of its core.

​Neo pulled up the new status screen.

​[ Status ]

​[ Name: Atlas ]

​[ Species: Triple-Elemental Cursed Slime ]

​[ Power Rank: Type-9 (Peak) ]

​[ Abilities: Cursed Hydro Jet: High-pressure necrotic water that decays organic matter.

​Hellfire Burst: It creates a localized explosion of black-red flames that cannot be easily extinguished by normal water.

​Abyssal Steam: It allows to create thick, toxic fog created by mixing his elements, obscuring vision and draining the stamina of enemies.

​Undead Regeneration (Enhanced): Rapidly recovers from physical damage using ambient mana. ]

​Neo watched as Atlas tested its new form.

The slime vibrated, and for a brief second, his surface ignited in a controlled burst of dark fire before instantly cooling back into a liquid state.

The transformation was unholy for others, but breathtaking for Meo.

​"You’ve certainly leveled up," he said in a voice filled with pride. "Three elements in one body... if we keep this up, you might become a calamity-class monster before we even leave this planet."

The slime didn’t reply. But loyalty was absolute from every ripple of its surface.

Neo then looked at remaining corpses of slime, smiling faintly.

"Now... It’s my turn."