From the nearby bushes, a small, dark creature bounced into view. It was a dark slime, no larger than a fist, with two glowing dots that served as its eyes.
It moved with energy, bouncing until it reached Andrew's unconscious body. The slime glanced at the deer beside Lila, who was still sitting on the ground, dazed.
The slime then turned its attention back to Andrew, extending a long, stretchy arm-like appendage toward his cheek. As it touched him, Andrew's body began to tremble, and his shadow started to get sucked into the dark slime.
But before it could finish, the slime's senses sharpened—it quickly leaped into the air, dodging a dark fireball that came out of nowhere.
The slime clung to a nearby tree, glancing at the man who had appeared. It tried to attack again, shooting out a squid-like ink, but the man's barrier easily blocked it. Calmly, the man walked forward, his eyes locked on the slime.
The slime was in shock, unable to believe how sturdy the man's barrier was. It froze in place as the man stood directly in front of it. Without hesitation, he grabbed the slime with both hands and said, "Oh, it's you."
The slime, recognizing the voice, began to shake excitedly. It wiggled and chirped, "Kyung! Kyung!"
Seojun smiled, realizing who this little creature was. "So, it's you," he said as the slime bounced around him in excitement, shouting, "Kyung! Kyung! Kyuuu!"
This was the very first monster Seojun had encountered in the Abyss—a small slime that had somehow survived and found its way here. Seojun crouched down as the slime happily bounced in front of him, showing how glad and excited it was to see him again.
"How did you get here?" Seojun asked, curious. The slime only responded with more chirps, "Kyuu! Kyungg kyuu!" as it pointed in a certain direction.
Seojun stood up, glancing at where the slime was pointing. But before he left, he turned back to Andrew and Lila. With a quick motion of his hand, he healed them both, restoring their strength, before turning to follow the slime.
"Kyuu kyuu!" the slime called out, as if saying, "Follow me!" It bounced ahead, and Seojun followed, curious to see where it would lead. They walked through the forest until they reached the entrance of a dark cave.
Seojun looked around the cave, feeling the dark energy lingering within its walls. His system chimed in, providing him with an update.
[Based on the Dark Slime's story, Host, it became the Lord of the Shadowed Ravine. It lived peacefully but decided to search for you, leaving its son as the new lord. It found the hole that Lady Serineth unintentionally made leading here to Earth.]
"The hole must've closed, so it couldn't return to the Abyss," Seojun muttered as he gently picked up the dark slime.
"Do you want to go back?" he asked. The slime shook vigorously, bouncing in his hands as it chirped, "Kyuu! Kyuu! Kyung!"
[It wants to follow you, Host,] the system confirmed.
Just then, a notification popped up: [Congratulations! You have entered the first phase of forming a contract! You have gained the Dark Slime trust.]
Another notification followed: [Congratulations! You can now form a contract with the Dark Slime as it's decided to follow you!]
Seojun smiled. "Looks like you're gonna be my familiar now," he said as he sat down on a rock.
The dark slime bounced away happily, gathering a pile of fruits with a large leaf as a tray. It returned to Seojun, offering the fruit to him.
"Thanks," Seojun said, accepting the gesture.
At the same time, a new window appeared in front of him, granting him access to the Information Board. The first entry was about the phases of forming a contract:
First Phase: Calming the creature and gaining its trust.
Second Phase: Making it willingly follow you.
Third Phase: Completing the contract and sealing the bond.
"Hmm, now what next?" Seojun muttered, glancing around the cave.
His system responded promptly.
[The global system is giving tasks to each participant, Host. Yours isn't sending notifications because you don't originally have the global system. You need to check it manually.]
As if on cue, a white screen appeared in front of Seojun, displaying his task. Task 1 was marked as complete: Form a contract with first and second phases. Now, the next step was clear: Complete the third phase and fully form a contract. After that, a new task will appear.
[I've done something to tweak the system, Host. Once you finish this, a new task will appear,]
Seojun nodded, grabbing the dark slime and placing it in front of him. It bounced excitedly, sensing the significance of the moment. "Alright, let's get this done."
He closed his eyes for a moment, focusing on the ritual of forming a contract. The first step was to ask the creature for its agreement, an essential part of the bond.
"Dark slime, do you accept becoming my familiar?" Seojun asked clearly, his voice steady and calm.
The dark slime bounced happily in response, its small voice chirping, "Kyuu! Kyung!" It glowed faintly, signaling its agreement.
"Good," Seojun smiled. Now it was time to give it a name. "From now on, I'll call you Sui."
The moment he said the name, a surge of energy flowed between them, connecting Seojun and the dark slime. A bright glow enveloped them, sealing their bond.
[Congratulations! You have successfully formed a contract with Sui, the Dark Slime!]
Seojun grinned as the light faded, and Sui bounced happily in front of him, excitedly chirping, "Kyuu! Master!"
A loud ding echoed through the cave. His eyes narrowed as he turned toward the entrance. Walking out, he glanced up and saw a large notification hovering in the sky.
[Announcement: 30 participants have successfully formed a contract with a beast in just an Hour.]
The message glowed brightly, visible to everyone participating in the exam. Seojun smirked, watching as the numbers of those who completed the task scrolled across the sky.