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Prestige Title: Slime Warrior
Acquisition Requirement: In the presence of a Beetle Knight, a being that represents decay and finality, a Slime must exhibit extraordinary courage that transcends its primal instincts. It must directly confront and overcome a profound fear capable of forcing its entire species into an instinctual state of cowering (typically a trial related to a powerful natural predator or a destructive force).
Title Effects:
1. Brand of Fame: The name "Slime Warrior" is now known to the monsters around the Twisted Oak Tree, inspiring either awe or hostility.
2. Fearless Heart: Grants an advantage on saves against the fear effects of higher-tier monsters.
Note: This is courage witnessed by the Black Knight, a tearing of instinctual shackles, an unorthodox glory born in a land of corruption.
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His instinctual fear dissipated. The once terrifying and abominable Death Knight was, in Chen Yu's eyes, nothing more than a slightly larger Beetle.
Not only was it not scary, but it actually looked rather clumsy.
It even looked a little... tasty...
After a quick glance at the prestige title that had appeared out of nowhere, Chen Yu could no longer hold back and unleashed the Poisonous Sting sword hidden within his Gel.
[Artifact Manipulation Skill]
The Poisonous Sting sword trembled violently. Its tip flared with a sharp, cold light as it stabbed precisely and decisively toward the Beetle Knight.
DONG!
The Poisonous Sting sword struck the Digging Beetle's thick carapace, leaving only a white mark. It failed to even break through the surface layer of the shell.
'What astonishing defense.'
Chen Yu was secretly alarmed, but he noticed that the impact of the Poisonous Sting sword had nearly flipped the Beetle Knight over. 'Perhaps I can use that to my advantage and knock it on its back?'
Across from him, the Digging Beetle had also witnessed Chen Yu's terrifying power. Not a trace of ferocity remained in its eyes—only confusion and fright.
Its pitifully small brain couldn't comprehend how a soft, weak little Slime had suddenly become so formidable. Under the sudden mental pressure, fear took root. It panicked and tried to turn tail, wanting to retreat back into the burrow it had dug.
But how could Chen Yu let his soon-to-be-captured prey escape so easily?
He immediately shot out three more Poisonous Sting swords. DING DING DING! From an exceptionally cunning and tricky angle, they slipped under the Beetle Knight's abdomen and flipped it onto its back.
The Digging Beetle panicked. Its six legs, covered in hard shells, flailed desperately in the air. Its hook-like claws scrabbled about unconsciously, getting stuck in the crevices of the thick, gnarled tree roots nearby.
This made it struggle even more frantically. But rather than an effort to right itself, it looked more like a pathetic struggle, getting more and more entangled in the roots. It let out terrified and helpless "HISS HISS" sounds from its mouth.
SQUISH, SQUISH...
Chen Yu hopped over, coming to a steady stop beside the Beetle Knight's massive, thrashing body. Like a hunter poised to strike, he didn't hesitate for a moment. His internal stomach sac churned and compressed violently.
"PFFT—!"
A thick, dark green glob of acid with a pungent smell shot out like a high-pressure water jet, splashing viciously onto the Beetle Knight's pride and joy—its jet-black carapace.
"TSSSSSS!"
A violent corroding sound erupted instantly. Pungent white smoke rose with a sound that made one's scalp tingle. Where the acid landed, the surface of the carapace reacted and boiled violently, like cold water on a red-hot block of iron.
But surprisingly, the strong acid, which could easily melt through rock and bone, only left a murky, eroded mark on the jet-black carapace.
The surface of the shell, once smooth as a mirror and reflecting a dark luster, now looked as if it had been scoured with coarse sand. It had lost some of its intimidating sheen but still provided indestructible protection for the body beneath.
'This Beetle's shell is *that* tough?'
Chen Yu's interest was piqued. If he could cover his own soft, tender Gel body with this indestructible black heavy armor, the annoying attacks from the Poisonous Sting Bees probably wouldn't even leave a scratch.
It was hard to imagine how much safer he would feel wearing it.
'So this Beetle Knight was just a delivery service for my new equipment!'
His small, round eyes lit up slightly as he stared intently at the struggling Beetle Knight, trying to find a chink in its thick, black armor.
Whenever the Beetle Knight exerted force with its six limbs and was on the verge of flipping over, Chen Yu would precisely stab with a Poisonous Sting sword. He would aim viciously at its joints or points of leverage, instantly disrupting its rhythm and causing it to fall back futilely.
After pondering for a while, Chen Yu had planned to test an attack on the Beetle Knight's constantly writhing tail. But then he noticed that as it flapped its carapace violently, trying to open its wings and struggle, several rows of tiny holes were exposed on its sides.
The piercing, fear-filled "HISS HISS" sounds were erupting forcefully from these very holes.
These were vital respiratory organs, and also the Beetle Knight's fatal weakness.
Chen Yu seized the opportunity and shot out a Poisonous Sting sword.
WHAP!
The Poisonous Sting sword was batted away by the flapping carapace. A miss.
Undeterred, Chen Yu retrieved a few Poisonous Sting swords and fired them in volleys again.
Finally, amidst a pained shriek from the Beetle Knight, a Poisonous Sting sword accurately pierced one of the breathing holes, causing it to struggle even more violently.
The Poisonous Sting got stuck, preventing the carapace from closing. Chen Yu pressed his advantage, sending more Flying Swords stabbing one after another.
"PFFT!"
Another Poisonous Sting pierced a breathing hole and entered the Beetle Knight's body. What was worse, it was coated with the Slime Acid that Chen Yu had secreted.
Now the Beetle Knight's struggles grew even more intense. Its limbs flailed wildly, and its shrieks were accompanied by a hoarse, congested sound. One could even hear the TSSS of the acid corroding its soft internal tissues.
Chen Yu waited a long time before the Beetle Knight's six limbs finally stiffened completely and its corpse grew cold.
The little ones, who had been cowering and trembling in the grass nest, suddenly felt the deep-seated fear in their bloodlines begin to fade with the Beetle Knight's death. They blinked their tiny, pea-sized eyes in confusion.
Then they stared up at the heroic figure above them. After a moment of confirmation, they began to cheer and jump, their gazes now filled with deep admiration and worship.
After confirming that the Beetle wasn't about to play dead and suddenly revive, Chen Yu squished his way over and began working to swallow the massive Beetle corpse into his belly.
By the time the Digging Beetle was completely enveloped in his Gel, Chen Yu's body had swollen to twice its original size, almost as large as the Slime mother.
He managed to wriggle back into the grass nest and began to patiently digest the Beetle in his belly.
As the acid permeated the Beetle's body, digested juices seeped out and were gradually absorbed by his Gel.
Chen Yu, who had been growing drowsy, suddenly trembled. His pea-sized eyes snapped open, filled with an incredible light.
This Digging Beetle... was even more delicious than he had imagined!
The acid inside him was efficiently breaking down the Beetle's tough muscles and organs. When the potent acid corroded through the final barrier and touched the creature's choicest core flesh, a torrent of intensely concentrated, savory flavor instantly washed through his body.
That taste... it was as rich as the glistening, golden-yellow roe and tomalley that flows out of a freshly cracked crab shell. It was viscous and mellow, carrying a profound and dominant umami unique to the deep earth, instantly overwhelming all his senses.
Immediately following that, a strange, fungal aroma spread out. It was just like the rich, fragrant scent of top-grade matsutake mushrooms pan-fried in butter—a complex perfume mixing earth, forest, and nuts. It perfectly balanced the richness of the crab tomalley, adding an indescribable layer of complexity.
This wasn't an insect; it was a flavor bomb made of piping-hot crab tomalley and pan-fried matsutake!
'Holy crap, Brother Beetle, did you have any idea how delicious you were?'