Chapter 41: Appearing Weak to the Enemy
The sudden attack plunged the once peaceful Slime group into chaos!
"Poof poof!"
"Poof poof!"
The Slimes, frightened and in a state of panic from the sudden death of their companions, began to exhibit aggression, crazily bouncing around in the mud.
As they landed, their gelatinous bodies splatted into the muddy water, constantly emitting "poof poof" squishing noises.
For a moment, the entire murky mud field seemed to boil.
The Slimes, influenced by each other’s emotions, became restless and uneasy.
They continuously used the two round black eyes on either side of their bodies to search for enemies.
Gauss had no intention of hiding. Instead, he watched the Slimes with interest, recalling his knowledge about them.
It is said that even basic monsters like Slimes can give rise to stronger individuals, some capable of mastering Magic Perception, allowing them to lock onto enemies from afar without relying on sight.
Besides Magic Perception, rumors have it that some advanced Slimes can even master Casting, Shape Mimicry, Energy Absorption, Gigantification, Fusion, and other powerful abilities.
Some Adventurers even claimed to have seen Slimes stronger than a Giant Dragon!
But is it really possible for a Slime’s species potential to surpass that of a Giant Dragon? Most people dismiss such barroom tales as jokes.
Back to the present, this group of Slimes was just the weakest ordinary Slime.
After constant observation with the naked eye, one of the frenzied Slimes locked onto the location of Gauss and his two companions.
It’s unclear how they communicated, but soon almost all the Slimes were looking at them.
Perhaps realizing the enemy’s small numbers, the naturally cowardly Slime group quickly moved after a brief "communication."
"Poof poof!" "Poof poof!"
All the Slimes eagerly bounced toward the three, with 20 Slimes causing a huge commotion.
Seeing this, Gauss and his companions calmly prepared for the second wave of attacks.
They drew their bows, pulled their triggers, and swung their staffs.
A new round of ranged attacks was launched.
However, this time, the arrows shot by Oliver and Medvedeva didn’t successfully kill the Slimes.
The arrows only pierced the outer gelatinous body of the Slimes, missing the core.
Though the sudden intrusion made the two Slimes twitch, it didn’t cause harm, and after a brief spasm, the Slimes rejoined the main group.
It was Gauss, who, after patiently aiming, once again utilized the slow-motion ability, successfully piercing the core of two more Slimes.
"Bang!!"
The Magic Missile flying close to the ground pierced both cores, exploding into the muddy field and splashing a large muddy water plume.
There is no denying that Gauss’s casting had become much smoother since acquiring the staff.
At least previously, casting empty-handed could not be this precise and efficient.
"Slimes killed *2"
"Total monsters killed: 28!"
Missing the Slime core wasn’t because Oliver and Medvedeva lacked archery skills; it’s just that the Slimes’ jumping trajectories were unpredictable, making it hard to anticipate, and their cores were always erratically moving within their bodies.
Gauss was able to do it only by relying on a low-tier bullet-time slow effect, the White Bone Staff’s enhancements, the faster Magic Missile speed, and its broader attack range compared to arrows, all coming together.
Not far away, Medvedeva quietly glanced at Gauss, realizing that her earlier perception of his faster Magic Flight was no illusion.
This guy got stronger again!
Perhaps bolstered by their many companions, the Slimes were undeterred by the second round of attack.
Instead, they sped up, bouncing out of the mud and onto the solid ground in an instant.
It was then that Levin and his three companions revealed themselves.
Shield Master Levin and Swordsman Doyle stood up from their hiding places in the bushes.
Priest Daphne also stepped out from behind a tree, ready to provide healing for the group.
The team formation quickly took shape!
Seeing the sudden increase in number from 3 to 6 people.
The originally aggressive Slime group was like being hit in the head, and their charging momentum weakened immediately.
Because of the arrows stuck in them, hindering their movement, the two Slimes trailing at the end stopped bouncing altogether.
Uneasily trembling as they paused in place.
This was precisely why only Gauss and his two companions showed up at first, to appear weak, enticing the Slime group to "bully" them out of the mud voluntarily.
The mud was obviously not suitable as the ground for the team’s formal battle.
"Doyle, advance with me!"
Without giving the Slimes much time to react, Levin shouted out, worried that the lead Slime might escape, causing the group to scatter.
Once these nearly 20 Slimes dispersed like birds, it would be challenging to capture them all in the forest with just a six-member team.
"Thud thud thud!"
Levin charged forward with a few large strides, simultaneously activating his skills.
"Large Shield Charge!"
With a loud shout, the flushed Levin lifted the Oak Great Shield in front of him and charged fearlessly towards the Slime horde with heavy steps.
Holding a small Wooden Shield, Doyle followed closely behind, joining the charge.
Their "fearless" front line advance seemed to have angered the lead Slime.
"Thud thud thud!"
It suddenly leaped forward, taking point.
A mouthful of dark green, thick slime was spat out.
A large glob of slime arced through the air.
"Splat!"
It landed heavily on Levin’s Oak Great Shield.
Fortunately, Levin’s wooden shield had a large enough protection area and during the charge, he maintained his body within the shield’s protective range rather than going all out.
Thus, the thick slime only splashed on the Oak Shield, evaporating into a faint white smoke on the shield’s surface, but not causing him any harm.
Levin kept moving, barreling forward with the slime still on the shield.
One step!
Two steps!
His enormous shield finally collided with the lead Slime.
Although the Slime was over 50 centimeters and advanced rapidly, it was far weaker in strength compared to Levin.
"Boom!!"
The 50-centimeter diameter Slime slammed against the shield with a "boom," and under the pressure of the mutual forces, it was compressed instantly by the immense impact.
The two forces clashed and held briefly!
Ultimately, Levin, who had activated his skill, prevailed.
"Hraaah!!!"
He launched a Double Charge against the leader Slime weighing dozens of kilograms!
"Thud!!"
With his shield in tow, Levin forged a path right through the Slime "army" with his ferocious charge.
The Slimes along the way were sent flying by his tremendous force.
Doyle, following the charge, also drew his Longsword to engage the Slimes.
The ranged group was not idle, stealthily moving to the battlefield’s flank, aiming to snipe lone Slimes from afar.
Gauss was supposed to be part of the ranged group, but having used two Magic Missiles, he only had enough Magic Power left for one last shot.
Moreover, with team members at the front line, he couldn’t recklessly initiate a Magic Attack.
So he chose to follow Levin and Doyle’s lead, holding a small Wooden Shield half-covering his face with one hand and cautiously following with a Rapier in the other.
"Smack!"
Doyle was evidently not killing Slimes for the first time.
After swatting away the small glob of slime spat by the enemy with his shield, he swung his tightly gripped Longsword down with the other hand.
"Cross Slash!"
"Swish! Swish!"
The Longsword traced a white light, delivering two rapid intersecting slashes, striking precisely at the core mass of the Slime.
"Splat splat!"
With the core split into four, the Slime melted away again!
"Use the small wooden shield to block the slime; Slimes can’t consistently spray slime, block it and seize the moment to attack."
"But be wary of attacks from other Slimes too!"
"Don’t get surrounded by them!"
"Oliver, Medvedeva, provide ranged support as needed!"
Levin bellowed loudly in reminder.
In fact, his first charge had already sent nearly half the Slimes flying, scattering their attack formation.
Thus the most perilous initial assault had been successfully mitigated.
Now was the opportune moment to kill the Slimes.
Gauss naturally heard Levin’s voice.
He imitated Doyle, seeking out a Slime.
A 30-40 centimeter blob, emitting a strong, rotten stench of slime.
It must have borne the brunt of Levin’s strongest impact.
Now it was wobbling dizzily, its core trembling violently within, moving unpredictably left and right.
This was their instinctive response to protect themselves, avoiding having their core easily hit by enemies while in a dizzy state.