[OP: ]
With a swift motion, El accessed her personal storage, retrieving a collection of unique monster remains obtained from their previous meeting with Raz.
Carefully, she released the bunch of creature bodies, causing them to descend into the giant crater before them. Patiently, the trio watched, their gazes fixed upon the ordinary slime-like entity with its unmistakable red core, as it inched closer in response to the enticing scent of the monster's remains.
As the slime wriggled with anticipation, a stirring commenced beneath the surface of the crater. And after a brief moment, the entire expanse of the crater began to tremble violently, signaling the emergence of an entity from the depths below.
-Zaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!
Everyone must have heard about the creatures that use some part of their bodies as bait to lure the prey towards them and when they are close, the creature leaps forward with its mouth wide open and devour them whole. This slime was the same.
-Trrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
-Khaaaaaaaa!
A red slime-like creature came out of the ground and devoured the monster's bodies. It was a slime-like creature and could have been called a slime but, there was only one thing that made this red slime not much slimy.
"Why did you make it like this, El?" Lucy couldn't help but ask as he looked at the gruesome figure in front of him in reality for the first time.
In the VR, this particular entity was nothing more than a simulated life form, existing solely within the confines of virtual reality. However, in the tangible world, its physical manifestation was a repulsive amalgamation of animal entrails, with a grotesque medley of eyes, hearts, and various other unidentifiable components. The sight of it must have elicited a visceral reaction, invoking a sense of disgust and revulsion in those who beheld its unsettling composition, but thankfully the two of them had their crown skills, while after going through so much, Eva's mentality had evolved further.
Still, this horrifying creature was a squishy lump of disgusting materials that looked just too unrealistic.
Just think about it…
There's this big slimy creature and it's made of monster insides and bones. The visible parts of its intestine, some still beating hearts, lungs, many brain-like areas, and lastly, that one slimy purple body they saw before as an eye and the red core as its pupils glare down at the two people intruding in its place.
Not just the creature looked disgusting, it was also far stronger than the ones they had fought until now.
"Well, I was just thinking how a slime would look if one was made from human insides. And this one does look good… anyway, here."
Saying it like it was a trivial matter, she shared the status window of the creature with him and, he was really surprised this time.
===Status===
Name: Cannibal slime chief
Strength: 146
Agility: 147
Stamina: 144
Intelligence: 12
Mana: 140
Level: 81
{Skills: Fluidity (Lv.3), Solidification (Lv.3), Absorption stomach (Lv.3), Physical-magic attack resistance (Lv.3), High regeneration (Lv.4), Perception (Lv.3), Energy beam (Lv.3), Digging (Lv.4), Red fog (Lv.4), Molding (Lv.3). }
—-> A disgusting-looking creature. One might throw up just while looking at those wiggling parts.
—-> Has strong resistance against both magic and physical attacks but the magic of higher attributes and physical attacks using Aura could work.
—-> There's a possibility of the slime core staying intact even after great force due to unique evolution but it is constantly circulating inside the creature's body.
—-> The creature could use a dangerous hallucinating fog and mold in a certain form to increase certain stats thus practice caution.
★(Outer surface is weak to ice magic. Can stop the circulation of the core inside its body if the base is frozen.)
============
"This skill really is good…" Lucy had an astonished reaction as he looked at the information about its core and its weakness. Not many skills could tell such details.
He was also shocked by the stats of this creature, and its skills shocked him even further.
It was a strong creature and they had to fight it.
It was the last one but this fight wasn't going to be anything easy.
Just the size of this monster was too big and they had to protect Eva if the slime went after her.
Things were going to be difficult but they knew one thing as they looked at this slime…
"Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
[ "It's possible." ]
[ "Yup. And even easier if we pinpoint the core before it uses the last skill." ]
-Shweeeesh!
-Booooooom!
The slime made its move, forming a squishy hand and slamming it towards the defenseless pair, who appeared to it like no more than a tasty treat brimming with Mana.
But the duo wasn't going down without a fight.
They swiftly dodged the attack and drew their weapons. El began casting an ice elemental spell, while Lucy guarded her with his sword covered in a protective red Aura.
The battle was on, with the slime's hunger pitted against the resilience and determination of the two.
"Khaaaaaa!"
But the slime was a glutton and they were sweet food so it was even more hungry for them when it witnessed them fighting back.
It made multiple hands and solidified them with its skill, making it no less than something with the hardness of the refined metal, and these solid hands attacked the boy with a glowing sword as their next volley.
Lucy knew this was coming long ago so he was prepared as he took some shallow breaths, got into the position, placed his hand on his sheath while the other one was ready on the handle, and…
{Horizontal slash}
-Click.
A red horizontal line appeared before him and those countless hands disappeared as the slime cried in anger and resentment towards his Mana meatballs.
"Khaaaaaaaaaa!"
It was angry so this time, it created many tentacles with a pointed end like that of a spear.
They looked sharp like a blade too. And the number of these spears made with its disgusting body wasn't going to get cut by just one attack like last time.
"Khakhakahkhakha!"
The slime laughed in a weird way as the red core-like eye on its head glowed redder. It wasn't the real core but they will soon know its location.
[ "Almost ready! Just get that one, Lucy!" ]
[ "Alright!" ]
The spears shot towards them and Lucy was already prepared.
His blue eyes were already glowing as the crown skill was in effect. His feats also had a unique glow beneath them so he was going to use his footwork skill too. And he was holding his sword backward so he was going to cut the upcoming attacks… and he did cut the upcoming attacks.
-Swish. Swish. Swish!
-Clank! Clank! Clank!
The rigid spear-like tentacles clashed with the blade of his sword, creating a flurry of crimson-red slashing arcs that materialized in the air above El.
Lucy was cutting the tentacles so fast that he almost became invisible and the slime monster was confused about what was happening so it continued creating more of the spears and shooting it towards them.
But Lucy continued cutting the tentacles relentlessly and the dense Mana around El had finally taken the form of a big, blue, icy magic circle.
[ "Now!" ]
El shouted in his mind and Lucy smiled as he stepped on the tentacles, avoided the following attacks, and moved to the other side of the slime.
-Swish!
At the same time, El vanished from her place, reappeared around the place where Lucy was, and, a blizzard of frosty winds shot from the big magic circle that was so chilly it started freezing the slime from its base...!
The smile and the two of them were still in the crater and as the slime started freezing, Lucy took a different stance and prepared for stabbing.
"Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
The disgusting creature shouted as it felt this unfamiliar chill and a blood-red fog instinctively started coming out of its body.
The nearby creatures that inhaled this strange red gas literally went (poof!), as in their heads blasted off. But the two of them were alright.
Lucy was even totally fine as he breathed in this red fog that attacked one's very mind and was ready as he started gathering Aura on his sword and when her freezing spell had frozen all of this slime's lower body…
-Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!
He started stabbing the frozen parts of the squishy, bloody slime body.
-Boooooom!
And, these stabs were so powerful that they obliterated the icy layer as well as the whole point of impact part from the slime's body, leaving it with big holes.
"Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
It was a slime and the concept of pain shouldn't apply to it like the normal creatures of its kind, but this one was screaming in pain. Maybe the whole body made of animal organs was much more sensitive than a normal slime body but… this reaction was making its attacks more powerful.
The slime was getting angry, they were finding the core, El was freezing the slime's body, and Eva continued praying for the two of their safety...
Their way of finding the core wasn't the best but El's eyes weren't strong enough to see through the organ body of the slime and find the core's location just yet. Maybe things would be different if Raz was here but they didn't need him for a 'small slime' like this one.
-Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank! Clank!
"Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Lucy continued using the powerful stabs and the unsightly slime monster continued using a different kind of weapon tentacles as the two were intertwined in a beautiful moment of attack, defense, and thrusting.
Lucy stabbed, stabbed, and stabbed the frozen outer body of the disgusting slime until…
[ "Right there!" ]
Lucy's blade collided with something and an element resembling a unique core become visible inside him.
"Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
The slime saw its end so it hurriedly started gathering a murky red light on its red eye and both of them backed off using their movement skills.
This was going to be dangerous… but their goal was visible now that they knew the location of this slime's core.
Now, it was just a race of time and resources.