Not a single waste of energy as he moves towards this azure slime, mana revolving around his arms as he forms Mana Blade around them, prepared to deal with this one.

Still, he kept his vigilance, sensing that this slime is at the E-Tier at least, a level that no slime of the outside world can ever reach, reminding him yet again how different things are when comparing the outside world and the Evolution Domain he is currently trying his best to survive on.

What he didn’t know is that it is about to get even more different from what he expects.

’Tsk... I should’ve known...’ lips twitching as he was introduced to a new kind of pain, Novus thought to himself as he takes a look at the arm he used to try and cleave the azure slime in half, an attempt that results in sub-par result, the only thing that he can take as silver lining is the fact that he quite reached the enemy’s core as well.

A pity and a problem that he didn’t manage to fully shatter it, though, resulting in the pain that he is feeling right now.

It was the same familiar slime, the same azure color, the same way it moves, and just about the same size as well, if not a bit larger, than the slimes outside; however, completely different from the slimes that he had slain with a simple, orthodox fireball out there, this one is a threat he had never dealt with before.

[Immortal Energy: 146/200]

[Immortal Energy: 142/200]

[Immortal Energy: 138/200]

His arm, which he used to attempt to slash this creature into two, twitches in pain as it sizzles, the goo that constitutes this slime sticking closely to his skin and creating a violent reaction, making him frown as the problem of his Immortal Energy quickly draining as he attempts to resist the reaction made him realize that it is a bigger problem than he thought it was.

’There’s no other way around it then...’ hence he was forced to make a drastic decision, forcing him to grit his teeth as he lifts his other arm, enforcing it with a Mana Blade as he goes on to solve the root of this issue that is plaguing him, dealing with the acid that is gnawing at his other arm right now.

The human mind is such a fascinating thing. Under normal circumstances, it will place restrictions upon restrictions just so it prevents the body from hurting itself, one such example being the fact that while it is possible with the force of one’s bite to tear apart their own fingers, the mind completely restricts them from doing so.

This overprotective mind, however, under severe pressure of danger lurking around the body, lifts all these restrictions in earnest.

This is the same case.

To prevent further loss of Immortal Energy that he is definitely going to need more of if he wants to survive just a little bit longer in this Beast Wave, Novus was forced to make a decision that he had never acted upon before, and that is to abandon his own arms and just grow a new one.

Not by letting the opponent tear it apart, no.

[Immortal Energy: 115/200]

By cutting it off himself.

The Mana Blade swung down, severing, dissolving, and rotting flesh away from the main body as if it flops down the ground, the immediate response of True Immortal Blood paired with Immortal Energy allowed him to take back the lost limb in no time at all, now prepared to deal with this azure slime once more.

"Wha—"

’Move!’

Before he can even prepare for the next attack, though, a single blink from his eyes becomes more than enough window of opportunity for this azure slime to prepare and launch an attack, his senses going haywire as he sees a massive wall for a path of attack that threatens to approach him, a path that completely blocks any movement forward from his part.

Then, just a moment after, he saw it, the reason for that kind of wall.

A massive amount of goo coming out of the azure slime’s being, launched towards him at a tremendous speed that made him feel like it was some sort of torture water jet that would instantly take his life.

The imagery is just as valid as it can get, as all forms of hindrance in its path completely broke apart under its strength, melted into nothing but slimy liquid on the ground as the attack continues towards its intended target.

His senses warned, his instincts screamed, hence why Novus did his best to move away from this massive threat, the feeling of his arm he was forced to sever melting under the power of that acid even despite his recovery being boosted by Immortal Energy telling him just how much of a danger it will be for him if he were to be hit by that stream of slime in any way.

And that warning was spot on, only, he had to find it out the hard way as he moved a step too slow, the powerful jet stream of slime catching his right arm off guard and completely taking it away in the process, before it flies a few more meters and splattered down the ground, melting the very ground that holds it for some moments before it finally stopped.

[Immortal Energy: 100/200]

’Tsk... I was planning on saving it to prolong survival and hunt more resources but it doesn’t seem like it will be possible like that...’ looking at his Immortal Energy now falling down the halfway mark, Novus thought to himself in frustration as he locks his gaze upon the threat in front of him, his body tense and his legs prepared just in case it will send another stream of body melting acid like its previous attack.

It stops.

This then allows him to move forward yet again, Mana Blade surging on both his hands as he prepares to send the monster away, knowing that despite the threat it poses to him with all those dangerously violent and reactive acids, this creature’s own stats is on the lower side of things, as if it is not, then there should’ve been no way for him to make a clean, deep hit when he first attacked it.

Mana blade was brought down as he attacked once more, piercing the acidic flesh in an attempt to reach the core of this creature’s being.

And for what it’s worth, his assumption is correct this time, allowing him to finish off this threat before it can even consume more of his ever-so previous Immortal Energy, that swift, downwards vertical slash cleaving in two not only its own body, but also the ground that it stands on.

There’s no celebration, not even a single bit, as he promptly moves away from the azure slime just to be safe, a spot on assumption, and a great decision, as even in death, the monster refuses to go down without a huge bang.

From a distance of about a dozen meters, Novus can see it, the azure slime’s body bloating all the way to the size of an E-Tier Amber Slime before it pops.

It bursts and explodes, spreading acid all across its wake.