IBHJ Chapter 874

The three of them arrived at the slime's bouncing grounds, immediately spotting the ice-blue, jelly-like slime hopping around not far away.

"Let's get started!" he said with a serious expression.

Shirou slowly approached the slime.

The bouncing slime noticed his arrival, pausing its movements as its jelly-like eyes focused on him.

Here goes nothing!

He cut his palm, letting blood drip from the wound.

Drip, drip...

The blood fell to the ground, forming a magic circle.

"In the name of the great True Ancestor, become my familiar, Slime!"

Good, the blood contract incantation wasn't as embarrassing as when Altera casts a spell.

As he finished the spell, the blood magic circle beneath his feet erupted with a dazzling blood-red light. The blood coalesced and rushed towards the slime, entering its body.

Yes!

It worked!

Illya cheered inwardly.

However...

— MISS!

[System: Contract failed! The target is immune to all negative status effects!]

Uh...?

Contract failed?

His eyes widened. Was his logical analysis wrong? Was the slime not a necessary element for clearing the Hell-level newbie quest, but just an invincible unit added by the devious game designers to mess with players?

By now, the slime had noticed him. Without hesitation, he drew two Holy Swords and slashed at the slime.

[System: Sword of Promised Victory effect activated, destructive power increased by 10000%!]

[System: Sword of Promised Victory effect activated, destructive power increased by 10000%!]

The two Holy Swords, their attacks amplified, struck the slime, inflicting massive damage!

-1

Shirou: "..."

Slime: "..."

The slime realized it was under attack again!

"Grrrooooaaarrrr!!"

It instantly transformed into a giant abyssal maw, lunging to devour him.

"Watch out, Artoria-neesan!" Illya yelled.

Altera's eyes narrowed, the star patterns on her body glowing with an eerie light.

She wanted to save Artoria, to save her friend!

But someone was faster than her!

Well, not someone, but rather, Shirou's black mud!

With a whoosh, Evil Blossom shot out from his shadow, transforming from mud into a blade, and with a slash, it pierced through the slime's body.

Even the two Holy Swords couldn't harm the slime, but Evil Blossom, having absorbed part of the Dark Vortex's power, could.

With a splat, the slime died.

The newbie killer, the invincible slime, had fallen to a single strike from Evil Blossom.

Illya stood there, stunned.

Altera stopped activating her star patterns.

The entire scene fell into an eerie silence.

[System: You killed the slime and obtained the Blood Factor... Wait, you actually killed the slime!?]

[System: Error! Error! System error!]

[System: Slime killed! Error! Error! Script error, reporting! Reporting!]

[System: Script error has been uploaded to the system core... Error uploaded to system core... Distributing kill reward... Core has not set kill reward... Script error...!]

A series of system error messages indicated just how absurd Shirou's action was.

He had used his Evil Blossom to kill the invincible slime!

"You, you actually killed the slime..." Illya couldn't quite believe her eyes.

Altera, however, had already noticed Evil Blossom lurking in his shadow, and asked, puzzled, "Isn't this Eternal King's mud? How did it end up in your shadow?"

"This?" Shirou looked at Evil Blossom with feigned surprise, then pointed at it lurking in the shadows. "This must be the king looking out for me. He secretly hid it in my shadow for protection."

He spoke smoothly and convincingly, clearly a practiced liar.

Altera didn't doubt it, nodding in agreement. "Your king is truly a considerate and caring person."

Illya nodded beside them. "Even though Shirou-niisan seems a bit unapproachable at first glance, he's actually a very kind person."

"Mm." he nodded, placing a hand over his heart with an admiring expression. "The king is a truly great and brilliant person. I've always admired him."

Neither Altera nor Illya were suspicious. While the King of Knights might have thought she had fooled everyone, in reality, her admiration and love for the Eternal King were obvious to those around her. However, if the real Artoria were here, she probably wouldn't know what expression to make.

Just then, the slime that had been impaled by Evil Blossom behind him suddenly stirred, then returned to its original state, revived.

"Guda, guda!"

The slime bounced around.

However, Shirou and the others were already on high alert.

But it didn't matter anymore.

Although the two Holy Swords, after being digitized, couldn't defeat the slime according to the game's rules, Evil Blossom was a bug that broke those rules.

With a thought, Evil Blossom burst from the shadows, wrapping around Shirou like a serpentine coil, emitting a cursed aura.

The slime was an entity beyond even the boss in this game world, its powerful attacks capable of causing injury with a touch and death with a bump.

He didn't want to end up like Miyu, reduced to a baby.

"Guda! Guda!"

The slime bounced around.

Here it comes! Shirou thought, preparing to unleash Evil Blossom again. But in the next moment, the three of them were dumbfounded.

They watched as the invincible boss, Slime-kun, bounced over to Evil Blossom, jumping up and down in what seemed like extreme excitement.

Not only that. Slime-kun occasionally rubbed its body against Evil Blossom, making a sizzling sound as it was corroded by the mud, white smoke rising from its melting, slimy body. Then it would regenerate and continue rubbing against Evil Blossom, sizzling once more.

"What... what's happening?" Illya was stunned.

"It seems like this slime is getting close to Eternal King's black mud..." Altera said, uncertain.

Affection... Shirou looked at the slime rubbing against the mud with surprise.

As the vessel of Evil Blossom, he could clearly sense the slime's affection for the mud.

What's going on? The newbie village boss of the game world is actually getting close to my mud?

Just then, perhaps due to the slime's excessive affection, Evil Blossom interpreted it as an attack. The mud suddenly lashed out, like a python's tail, striking the slime hard.

With a splat, the slime was violently knocked away!

"Oh no! It's going to attack!" Illya cried out.

Altera gripped the Sword of Mars tightly.

Although they weren't sure what was happening, since Eternal King's mud had attacked the slime, the invincible slime would likely retaliate automatically.

Not only Altera, but Shirou also made this logical deduction.

However...

"Guda! Guda! Dadadada!"

The slime stood up from the ground as if nothing had happened and continued bouncing around in front of Evil Blossom.

The mud either formed massive arms to flatten the slime, or turned into a long whip to swat it away, or morphed into sharp blades to slice it into pieces...

Yet, the slime always reverted to its original form and continued bouncing around in front of the mud.

"Dadadada!"

"What... what's going on?"

Illya's face was full of confusion. What they were witnessing was truly beyond comprehension.

Any AI or living being, when attacked, would naturally fight back. However, the slime didn't.

It was almost as if...

"It's a... bug!"

Shirou slowly uttered the words.

Only a bug could explain what was happening before their eyes.

The game designers, either intentionally or as a prank, had given the slime invincible power within the game world, but they hadn't anticipated someone or something breaking the game rules and defeating the invincible slime!