2: Chapter 2 The Slime's Elegant Scavenging

What lies at the end of the abyss? Another abyss, the only difference being it's a bit deeper...

Magma flowed slowly like melted brown sugar cake, filling every crack in the stone corridor. Those inverted stalactites were like toothpicks carelessly tossed by a god, poking crookedly from the ceiling. Luo Yu gently rotated his eyeballs soaking in the mucus (so convenient, he didn't even have to move his neck), taking in the falling magma debris and stone chips from above. Carcasses of various shapes lay scattered across the ground—a giant Jackal blasted in half, a Goat-headed Warrior wearing a bronze war helmet, a Magma Imp with a belly swollen like oven-baked bread... The final expressions of these demons were remarkably consistent: "Weren't the heroes supposed to be a righteous force? How are they more ruthless than us?"

"This isn't a demon-hunting squad; it's clearly a demolition crew..." Luo Yu crawled slowly like a withered sea cucumber, occasionally poking the once-arrogant demon corpses with his slime tentacles. System notifications chimed one after another:

The skill [Relic Excavation] kept popping up prompts:

[This corpse has been squeezed so dry that not even the bone marrow is left.]

[This thing only has decorative value left.]

[Dear, we suggest you switch to another target~]

Luo Yu seemed to discover some different little things. Fragments of court-style clothing with blood-stained lace, fine gauze, ruffles, ribbons, multi-layered cake cuts, high waists, princess sleeves, leg-of-mutton sleeves, and so on. They looked like Victorian-style clothing remnants.

"Wait! This... this is?" Luo Yu's slime body suddenly bubbled with excitement. Amidst the floor full of demon parts, there lay an impossibly beautiful three-meter-tall spider lady! She wore an exquisite antler crown, her delicate face more perfect than an internet celebrity filter, her six long legs clad in black stockings posed elegantly, and the opening in her abdomen was like a high-end restaurant display window, with a Shadow Dagger that even light couldn't escape stuck inside.

The system chimed in at the right time: [Epic Boss corpse discovered! Would you like to try... uh... deep communication?]

"Do I look like a pervert?" Luo Yu protested righteously, while his body had already honestly pasted itself onto her, like cheese fondue poured over a French feast.

[Relic Excavation failed. Skill level is significantly lower than the excavated corpse.]

[Relic Excavation failed. Skill level is significantly lower than the excavated corpse.]

[Use Skill 4, Infusion??]

"What kind of person do you take me for!" Luo Yu protested sternly, yet his body honestly flowed over, like melted cheese covering top-tier Wagyu beef.

[Infusion ritual beginning: 5%...]

[Warm Reminder: Your behavior has triggered the anti-pervert alarm.]

[15%... System automatically enabling Holy Light Mode...]

[30%... Strange fluid exchange detected...]

After some indescribable operations, Luo Yu finally extracted several "souvenirs" from the Queen:

[Crimson Queen's Right Eye] (Finally can watch 3D movies! Comes with a beautifying effect.)

[A Test Tube of Dark Red Blood] (Congratulations on unlocking the Strawberry Jelly skin.)

[Wisdom Crystal Fragment] (Intelligence +10%, may create the illusion of "I've become smarter.")

This was supposed to be a dungeon cleared by some legendary Adventurers before; the Boss in the dungeon had already been killed. Luo Yu the monster, or rather Luo Yu the slime, analyzed the proper usage of the newly collected items—[Crimson Queen's Right Eye], [A Test Tube of Dark Red Blood], [Wisdom Crystal Fragment], [Not-So-Bright Brain], [Passable Eye]—while sliding beneath the Queen's corpse, close to the ground. He leaned in toward that dark dagger that seemed capable of absorbing light.

The system displayed: [[Friendly Lawful Alignment Only] You chaotic evil slime should just go wash up and sleep.]

[survival maintenance system has detected that this dungeon, Crimson Hell, has concluded. Host please note, this system is about to smuggle the host into the Paradise Lost Main God Space. Please hide and cover your existence during this period, wait for the Paradise Lost Main God Space to open a new player solo dungeon to blend in, and obtain an ID (or some other proof of identity).]

[Teleportation beginning: 3, 2, 1...]

As the white light of teleportation lit up, Luo Yu looked at the shattered fragments of black stockings across the floor and swore secretly: "Next time, I must find a whole one..."

The slime dissipated like starlight, and the hellish scene of blood and sin gradually blurred, falling into darkness. When Luo Yu felt light again, he/it was in a small room. The room's style was very battle-worn, with mottled concrete walls, a thick square cabinet, and a solid wood single bed that looked quite old; that was all.

The dark red sludge of the Burrowing Slime began to churn, and a burning sensation that felt like his soul was being ignited swept through Luo Yu. A mysterious rune appeared in the sludge, looking like two simplified dragons, and also somewhat like a heart-shaped pink rune. (Heh? A species as ugly as a slime can actually turn into that kind of enchanting form? This system will wait and see.)

A whisper, extremely formal and different from the survival maintenance system's playful voice, seemed to drift into his ears.

[This is your exclusive room in Paradise Lost; others cannot enter. Equipment on your person cannot be brought back to the real world and will all be stored here. If the body is injured, it can be quickly recovered here, deducting a certain amount of points. The key to entering and exiting this room is the Paradise Lost Mark. In the Paradise Lost space, you can use the hooded cloak issued by the system to perform optional blurring of your appearance. Therefore, when communicating with others, do not reveal your identity in the real world to avoid unnecessary and serious consequences. Any needs can be queried through the Paradise Lost Mark, but all will consume a certain amount of points.]

[Proceeding with dungeon settlement...]

[Dungeon: Crimson Hell, Diablo III, Chapter 3, Penultimate Act]

[Dungeon Mission 1: Eliminate at least 10 Succubi, Unfinished]

[Dungeon Mission 2: Eliminate at least 10 Imps, Unfinished]

[Dungeon Mission 3: Eliminate at least 10 Fallen Hounds, Unfinished]

[Dungeon Mission 4: Optional Mission, Eliminate Crimson Queen, Unfinished?? Correction, Finished!]

[Dungeon Mission 5: ??, To be unlocked]

[Dungeon Completion Rating: C]

[Participated in killing ?? Crimson Queen, reward 2000 points, 5 free attribute points, 1 skill learning point]

[Obtained Special Items]

[Special Item: Crimson Queen's Right Eye. A crystalline red Crimson Queen's eye, sealing supreme magic power. Comes with skills: Charm, Painful Gaze, ???? (At least you can see the world with two eyes now, right?)]

[Special Item: Crimson Queen's Wisdom Crystal. Increases the success rate of the next Infusion by 10% (Hopefully this gives you more of a chance to become human again.)]

[Special Item: Crimson Queen's Blood. Deeply evil blood, can be used for sacrifices by certain non-mainstream cults. Increases the success rate of the next Infusion by 15% (Seems the chance has increased by more than just a little. Become human again? Are you sure it's human?)]

[Special Item: (White) Eye of the Dead (can only be the left eye now). A relic of an ordinary unlucky guy. Yes! He's already dead, so the item name has changed.]

[Special Item: (White) Brain in a Vat. A relic of an ordinary unlucky guy, preserves the host's consciousness. Description: 5 points of Intelligence proves this guy wasn't very outstanding while alive. Ah, his quality actually improved after he died?]

[Items detected on host: Eye of the Dead and Crimson Queen's Eye can be fused. Use talent skill 3, Relic Fusion?]

“Fuse!”

[Fusion obtained: Succubus's Pupil of the Dead, White? Dark Gold growth equipment, can evolve with usage.]

[Carried Skill 1: Charm. Can Charm creatures of the opposite sex to achieve unspeakable goals.]

[Carried Skill 2: Envy. Possessing the Succubus's Pupil of the Dead, Favorability -20 with Holy alignment female Adventurers.]

[Carried Skill 3: Adoration. Except for the Holy alignment, favorability with all male NPCs in the dungeon increases and can continue to increase.]

[Carried Skill 4: Gaze of the Dead. Can actively activate Gaze of the Dead to observe if there are undead or undead-like creatures nearby; perception of undead-type creatures is enhanced.]

[Innate Skill: This item is a body organ and can be carried out of Paradise Lost dungeons.]

[Comment: This thing looks fancy, but it seems to be of no use at all. Wait, maybe there is one... ah yes, attracting hatred, haha? Also, shouldn't you find a suitable place for this thing first?]

After fusing the Crimson Queen's blood, Luo Yu's slime body began to take on a pearly luster. That originally turbid earthy-yellow mucus had now turned into a high-grade red wine jelly texture, even carrying a faint rose scent—if one ignored the demon residue occasionally expelled from the body. The newly acquired Succubus's Pupil drifted up and down in the fluid, occasionally flashing with an eerie red light.

The full-length mirror in the corner of the room faithfully reflected the current state of this mass: a human eyeball and a succubus eyeball were chasing each other in the fluid, like they were playing hide-and-seek. The slime below occasionally bubbled, making "gurgle gurgle" sounds, as if complaining: "This look is way too sanity-draining, isn't it?"

At this moment, this mass of wriggling jelly was facing a spiritual choice—to become the overlord of the Paradise Lost space, or to continue being a happy professional scavenger? Let's wait and see!