Chapter 6: The Seven-Leaf Clover

The Slime had just become friendly after eating a Clover when Yang Yu launched another attack. Continuous assaults were effective, but they would also increase Clover consumption over time.

The gentle sunlight gradually turned scorching, and the Slime's HP was slowly dwindling.

Throwing out a Clover, the Slime squirmed and swallowed it down, when suddenly its body emitted a soft green glow.

[Slime uses Basic Regeneration, restoring 50 HP]

Seeing the message that popped up on his screen, Yang Yu chuckled, with everything completely under his control.

High-level Slimes all have certain regenerative abilities, since this is a super challenging game, slimes with regenerative powers appearing by the village entrance was within expectations.

He hadn't brought a whole sack of Clovers out of boredom but to be prepared for a war of attrition.

[Slime Level: LV7 HP: 155/230 MP: 45/70

Attributes: Strength 45, Defense 178, Intelligence 36, Special Defense 201, Agility 27, Endurance 30

Resistance: Physical 50%

]

Basic Regeneration costs 25 MP. Considering MP recovery, it should be able to be used about two more times.

Continued combat would cause Physical Strength to steadily decline. When Physical Strength hit zero, every action would consume HP, an outcome he definitely wanted to avoid.

Yang Yu wasn't panicking, though. He had invested a lot in Endurance which would more than see him through to the end of the fight. If push came to shove, he still could take a potion!

The Slime's movements were never very fast, and Yang Yu had no trouble responding, using the Clovers to drain the last of the blue from the Slime's magic bar.

The closer the Slime got to being critically injured, the more Clovers were needed to pacify it. This Slime's blood volume was already nearing the danger zone, and it had no magic left for recovery.

He emptied the sack in one go, an unprecedented smile spreading across his face. Victory was unquestionably lifting her skirt and beckoning to Yang Yu.

But this time, faced with a pile of Clovers, He Meng didn't dive in for a feast but instead slowly wriggled towards the bushes.

Truth be told, it wasn't that it didn't want to eat; it was simply too full to eat anymore. Even for a Slime, there was a limit to what it could digest in one day.

"Not coming to eat? Has it sensed my intent?"

After such a long fight, he couldn't let the duck at hand fly away. Yang Yu's Sword Dao movements shifted constantly, his continuous attacks blocking the Slime's escape routes.

While this carried the risk of significant retaliation from the Slime, he had barely taken any damage, making the risk worth taking!

Weighing the pros and cons, Yang Yu's sword danced in the air, He Meng reacted immediately, its jelly-like body tumbling and transforming in midair, dodging most of the attacks.

Even when not a single attack hit, Yang Yu didn't retreat an inch. The feeling of facing a formidable enemy made his mood incredibly serene, the corners of his mouth curling into a sinister arch.

It had been so long since he had taken anything seriously.

His gaze sharpened, and it seemed as though time slowed down, with each second in his eyes split into 60 frames.

Finding and exploiting weaknesses in those 60 frames was a piece of cake for him; the only downside was that his hands couldn't keep up with his brain. But against a Slime of comparable speed, it was more than enough.

His attacks were unstoppable, and in the blink of an eye, He Meng's blood volume plummeted to an extremely dangerous level.

At the moment of life and death, holding back would be foolish.

[Royal Bloodline: Defense Super Enhancement]

A strong pale blue light flickered, and He Meng seemed to be surrounded by an invisible Copper Wall Iron Curtain, its defensive power skyrocketing from 178 to an unbelievable 1780, a tenfold increase. As a cost, He Meng's level had decreased by one.

It no longer dodged Yang Yu's attacks, letting the sword blade strikes rain down on it like a thunderstorm, the HP-0 figures instantly filling up Yang Yu's view.

Trading a level for a short-term explosive increase in defensive power?

This is bad! Absolutely bad! Royal Bloodline? So this is a Royal Slime... Isn't this a race that only appears in the late stage of the game?

A player's instinct told Yang Yu that such a powerful enhancement skill wouldn't last very long. If he could just maintain distance from the Slime, he was certain to win.

However, He Meng didn't give him the chance; numerous water balls separated from its gel body, and in the blink of an eye, turned into Long Spears.

[Royal Bloodline: Slime King's Spear]

This skill was also activated at the expense of levels.

One long spear after another seemed to be wielded by numerous elite troops, sharp and lethal, and the unremarkable slime before them was the king guiding their massacre, issuing the command for slaughter.

With such a wide range of skill coverage, even if he could see every long spear's trajectory, Yang Yu's speed was definitely not enough to dodge them all. With no other choice, he had to put up a defense.

The silver long spears whistled through the air, as if mocking his helplessness, easily piercing through his shoulders and legs, pinning him against the tree.

The intense pain stimulated his nerves as he gritted his teeth and looked toward the panel.

[HP 1/150 MP 60/60 Physical Strength: 2 Status: Severely Injured]

In a severely injured state, all attributes would drop by eighty percent, and his physical strength was nearly depleted. Attempting to move forcefully would only invite death.

He Meng turned around, the separated long spears transforming back into an orb and returning to its body.

Yang Yu slid down the tree trunk to the ground, his face blank, the end he had imagined not coming to pass.

Why not deliver the coup de grâce? No, the slime's attack just now could have killed me in an instant, but in the end, it left me a little HP. Moreover, my vital bones are largely unharmed.

Frowning slightly, Yang Yu realized that the situation was not simple and immediately began rapidly scouring his mind for strategy knowledge.

This could be a guardian-like role, similar to "This path is blocked," or an NPC for a hidden task that requires meeting certain conditions before taking on the quest. Forcing the challenge would surely result in being beaten down to a sliver of HP.

So that's it, my approach to the strategy was flawed.

It's all because Farming was too enjoyable. As soon as I saw the slime's level rise, I should have thought of this possibility. But I farmed too much and it made me foolish.

Thinking it over, this is an open world, and I'm currently in a forest, so the likelihood of this little guy being a guardian is rather low.

Then, how do I take on the hidden task?

The simplest strategy is to give something. A clover might be a lead, starting from which I could find a clue, that's right!

Yang Yu, on his last breath, fumbled for something in his bosom.

He Meng, hearing the noise and unguarded, the enhancement effect still had a while to last, more than enough to allow it to leave.

"To think that I had to resort to those two taboo moves; I must admit he has some skills. This time, I'll spare him for the sake of all the clovers he offered me, in hopes that he will learn his lesson for next time. With so many low-level slimes around, why did he choose me as his opponent?"

The more He Meng thought about it, the more irritated it became, and its squirming motions grew more aggressive.

"Wait... a moment! Can you... accept this?"

Yang Yu's feeble breath reached He Meng's ear.

"At this point, I can't be bought off by a clover again, nearly turning into the last..."

He Meng's movement came to an abrupt halt. Being a slime, it had an odd way of perceiving the world; even with its back to Yang Yu, it could sense what he had produced.

It was a seven-leaf clover, unsoiled by blood.

The odds of finding a seven-leaf clover amidst the clovers was approximately one in ten million. Each leaf had individual significance, with the seventh leaf representing the chance of surviving a deadly situation.

In slime society, the seven-leaf clover also held its own special meaning—it signified the hope to never be parted from a dear friend.

"Could it be that he collected all those clovers to become friends with me? In the fight just now, did he only seek to train himself? And I misunderstood him?" He Meng panicked, "....But that was unavoidable; he was beyond measure. Even if one is a slime, being treated like that continuously would be unsustainable. Alright, for the sake of you bringing out a seven-leaf clover, I'll forgive you this time."

He Meng bounced up, swallowed the seven-leaf clover into its body, encased it in mucus, and like an ornament, dangled it atop its head.

Since they were now friends, the slime would definitely not ignore a friend's injuries.

Apart from enhancing defense and attack skills, the royal bloodline of the slime also possessed a third skill.

[Royal Bloodline: Miracle Regeneration], which instantly restored itself to the optimal condition and could also be used to heal others, recovering half of their injuries.

Powerful skills all came with certain limitations, and just like the previous two skills, this skill also required levels as a cost and could only be used once a day.

To use this skill to heal another required some form of connection between them.

There wouldn't be an issue between the Royal Slime and normal slimes since they are of the same species, but establishing a bridge to heal other species was essential.

The most straightforward and effective way to form a bridge with a human...

Without hesitation, He Meng stretched its body and drew an array in the air—a magic array representing an equal contract.