Chapter 31: Nightmare Slime

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It was still eight o'clock in the morning.
After a night of rain, the morning in the village was veiled in a hazy mist.
Dim shapes of early risers could be seen moving through the fog.
Some were industrious local villagers, while others were visiting adventurers.
Before long, the energetic players would join them as well.
"Hmm?"
Qin Yuan noticed something.
A new change had appeared on his interface.
[Time remaining until this return: 47:59:12.]
[The main quest "Banquet of the Twisted Forest" will begin at midnight tonight. You may choose whether to enter the dream world, the "Twisted Forest," at that time.]
"Midnight, huh..." Qin Yuan muttered.
He decided to spend the remaining time heading to the Floating Island to reach level five, taking the fruit he had bought along with him.
With that, the light of the teleportation crystal flashed.
He arrived back on the island.
Although it was only eight in the morning, the weather here was clear—or rather, there was no climate change here at all; it remained the same regardless of what time one arrived.
Following his memory, Qin Yuan made his way to the waterfall entrance where the Slime had led him last time.
After entering and traveling for a distance, then making an effort to cross the underground river, he arrived once again at the Slime village.
As soon as he stopped, he saw many Slimes gathering in the plaza.
According to the information provided by the Eye of Revelation, these Slimes were still in a state of hunger.
Qin Yuan took out his storage pouch, opened it, and poured a portion of the apples onto the plaza floor.
The fruit instantly piled into a small mountain.
And this was only a fraction of what he had.
He had bought 3,000 catties in one go the day before yesterday, enough to last these Slimes for quite some time.
Many of the previously listless Slimes caught the fresh scent of the apples and immediately crowded around.
Looking at the food laid out before them, they began to drool uncontrollably.
However, they still seemed to harbor some fear of the stranger, appearing hesitant and cautious.
"Eat," Qin Yuan instructed the Grimoire of Whispers to translate for the Slimes.
The Slimes, having no guile, did not hesitate further upon hearing this, stepping forward to devour the fruit on the ground in large bites.
Perhaps it was because they had rarely encountered other creatures, having lived in the village their entire lives...
Qin Yuan watched this scene with great interest.
After a while, the Slime elder, leaning on his cane, slowly approached.
Behind him, a large group of Slimes, having apparently heard the news, came bouncing over to join the crowd in the plaza.

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The elder watched the ravenously eating Slimes with a peaceful expression, much like a father looking at his children.
"Sir, on behalf of all the villagers, I extend to you our highest respects," the old man said with great solemnity.
Though he was somewhat puzzled by this variety of fruit he had never seen before, he couldn't be bothered with that now.
Once the Slimes had eaten their fill, Qin Yuan suddenly thought of something. Pointing to the small black tower not far away, he asked with curiosity, "Come to think of it, what is that building used for? It looks quite different from the others."
"Oh, you mean that place..." The old man paused for a while, seeming to sink into some memory, before sighing. "A special Slime is kept there."
"A special Slime?" Qin Yuan looked intrigued.
"Since you are curious about it, sir, why don't I take you to see it? We can talk on the way."
Seeing Qin Yuan's interest, the old man offered.
"No problem."
The two immediately headed toward the black tower.
On the way, the old man adjusted his previously melancholy mood and began to explain the origin of the matter.
The story involved the previous Slime elder, who had also been a very good friend of the old man.
When the Abyss creatures first invaded, the Slimes on the Floating Island had fought a war against these monsters to defend their home.
But because they were not skilled at combat, the situation was essentially a one-sided slaughter.
The only silver lining was that the Slime patriarch underwent some kind of mutation during that battle, killing several Abyss monsters in one go and leading the remaining clansmen to retreat to this underground village.
Months later, after birthing an offspring, the patriarch's life came to an end.
The elder had intended to raise this descendant of his old friend.
After all, as hermaphroditic creatures, the birth rate of Slimes was actually quite concerning; they often produced only one or two offspring in their entire lives, making them naturally precious.
However, the elder soon discovered something was wrong.
This Slime, perhaps due to the circumstances of the previous patriarch, had also mutated—and it appeared the mutation was not heading in a positive direction.
Normal Slimes would naturally learn the Slime language a few months after birth; it was a talent inscribed in their bloodline.
But this one did not. At the very least, it never spoke from the time it was small.
Furthermore, its temper was unusually violent, often attacking other Slimes for no reason.
Even more bizarrely, this Slime never ate...
It would not eat any food at all!
Yet, the energy within its body continued to function.
This incredible phenomenon left the elder, who lacked deep knowledge, unable to find a solution.

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As time passed, the situation did not improve; it only grew worse.
A bump first grew on its head, then it grew longer and longer until it became a huge, sharp horn.
Considering that it still could not communicate with other Slimes, and for the sake of the other Slimes' safety, the elder eventually imprisoned it in that tower.
He would visit it from time to time.
But even after several years, there were no signs of improvement in this Slime.
As they spoke, the two arrived at the exterior of the black tower.
Pushing open the wooden door, Qin Yuan saw the interior.
Although it looked somewhat crude, it certainly resembled a prison...
Before him was a set of iron bars.
Through the bars, he saw the special Slime confined inside for the first time.
Its appearance was indeed vastly different from an ordinary Slime.
The color of its body was as deep and bottomless as ink; just by looking at it, one felt as though they were peering into a black hole.
This was a trait completely unseen in other Slimes.
Most eye-catching, of course, was the jet-black horn growing from its head.
This sharp-looking horn was astonishingly long, measuring over a meter in length.
The black Slime also noticed the commotion, and a pair of dark eyes looked over.
When it saw Qin Yuan and the old man, the previously calm expression suddenly became agitated.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
It then began to slam frantically against the iron bars like a madman, producing dull thuds, though, being young, its strength was too small to shake the sturdy iron bars.
The old man sighed, "I hope you don't mind, sir. It’s always like this; it gets very agitated whenever I come by."
The Grimoire of Whispers also remarked, "What a strange Slime... I can only tell that it has undergone a complete mutation; one could say it belongs to an entirely different species now."
It then noticed that Qin Yuan had been staring blankly since entering.
"Did your Eye of Revelation ability see anything?"
"Yes." Qin Yuan nodded.
As he stared at the Slime, new text appeared in his vision.
...
[Nightmare Slime (LV1): The initial stage of the legendary creature, the Nightmare Unicorn. Its unique, massive sharp horn is its primary identifier. It feeds on dreams and possesses various powerful and bizarre abilities.]
[Drop: Heart of the Nightmare ★★★★ (100%).]