Chrysalis

[Crinis, you look wonderful!]

[R,r,r,r, really, Master?!]

[Absolutely. What a wonderful evolution! Such an incredible difference! You positively radiate power and strength! Surely you are my most potent servant]

Crinis wiggles with glee in front of me.

[D, don't praise me too much] she says, embarrassed but also delighted.

[Nonsense. I insist you come over here so I can check on your core immediately!]

Buttered up by my words, Crinis makes her way towards me shyly.

She looks pretty much completely the same.

The only difference is that she has been promoted from tennis ball of infinite death and despair, to soft-ball of infinite terror and despair! To put that in other words, she's slightly larger.

On the outside, nothing else has changed with her, the inside is a different story.

However, after reflecting on my attitude towards Crinis, I reasoned that she would be nervous after evolving, so I thought I should try and praise her a little, put her at ease.

Practically vibrating with joy, Crinis allows me to place my antennae on her spherical main body and activate the Core Surgery skill.

When I finish piecing together her information, I get this:

Name: Crinis

Level: 1 (core)

Might: 78

Toughness: 65

Cunning: 34

Will: 32

HP: 130/130

MP: 210/210

Flesh Manipulation Level 6; Advanced Grappling Level 4; Expert Shredding Level 6; Enhanced Tremor Sensing Level 1; Brutal Dismembering Level 2; Greater Fear Inspiration Level

Durable Shadow flesh+5; Disintegrating Void Maw +5; Bottomless Dimensional Stomach +5; Dividing Tentacles +5; Ripping barbs + 5; Macabre Teeth + 5; Mana Sensory Gland, Shadow

Species: Special Death Ball

Skill points: 12

Biomass: 243

Yissssss.

at the power of my

hitter but a support fighter. Tiny can smash through the walls, I want Crinis

Mana Sensory Gland and the Shadow Flesh Generator

a lack of senses. She was supposed to remain sealed off from all senses except touch for the remainder of her existence, which just seems weird. It

but the cost is actually quite high. When I thought about it a bit, it does make sense. Eyes are complex organs and require significant brain matter to process the visual signals with any sort of clarity.

works much like magical sonar, or like a permanently active version of my own mana sense skill. She'll be able to 'see' and visualise mana sources near her, which will of course include monsters, who are filled with the mana generated within their cores. Combined with her tremor sense,

and shadow flesh has its own properties. Malleable, strong, flexible, all good stuff, but it isn't that tough. Rather than try and make the shadow flesh more

into her. This gland will effectively provide a high speed regeneration option should she start to lose tentacles or have holes shot into her. It was the best healing option I could find for her after spending a heap of time mucking about looking through

of inherent magic produced in a gland and controlled magic utilising the raw MP from the core. She has a natural affinity with shadow magic anyway, so I think this is a smart