Chapter 21: Chapter 21: Engaging the Enemy
After following the slime trails for a while, Valles stood up.
"There must be over twenty of these Slimes. No wonder the water source is contaminated."
Slimes continuously secrete a toxic fluid and love to gather in damp places, especially near rivers.
There have been many cases of people swimming in rivers who were swarmed and killed by Slimes.
One or two Slimes are manageable, but in large numbers, they can cause severe damage to the local water supply.
Drinking the contaminated water can cause diarrhea and dehydration in mild cases, and can be life-threatening in severe ones.
’We can handle twenty-odd Slimes, but we need to be careful with our formation.’
’We have to keep them attacking from the front. It’ll be trouble if they surround us.’
’That’s why our positioning is so important.’
"I’ll take point. Valles, you’ll be in the middle and can also use a torch for light. Zelir, you take the rear."
Marcus began to lay out their strategy. "When I move up, you move up. When I fall back, you fall back. Don’t get ahead of me."
"Understood."
Valles nodded and pulled a pine-resin torch, over half a meter long, from his pack, preparing to have Zelir light it.
"We don’t need a torch. I can handle the lighting," said Zelir.
He focused his mind, and after a brief moment of Casting, a bright ball of light appeared at the tip of his white wax wood staff.
Zelir waved his white wax wood staff and flicked it upward, sending the ball of light to hover above the trio’s heads.
It illuminated a wide area, far more than a torch could, and it even followed Zelir automatically.
"Learned some new Magic, have you?" Marcus asked, looking up.
"You always have to expand your repertoire of Skills," Zelir said with a smile.
Valles was also a bit surprised.
’Then again,’ he thought, ’we all got four Gold Coins from the last mission. It’s only natural he’d buy a few Magic Scrolls.’
Besides, not having to hold a torch freed up a hand, making it easier to get ready for combat and increasing their overall safety.
The party began to enter the abandoned cave.
At the entrance, the uneven ground was dotted with small pits where thin streams of water, seeping from cracks in the rock, had collected.
The water in the pits was noticeably viscous and carried the distinctive, acrid stench of Slimes. It was clearly contaminated.
Thick vines and nameless ferns hung from the ceiling, partially obscuring the darkness ahead. The ball of light followed the party as they advanced slowly, illuminating the path.
Marcus held his Shield in one hand and his Battle Saber in the other, maintaining a steady pace. Valles had also taken his bow from his back, holding it at the ready.
The deeper they ventured into the cave, the louder the sound of the subterranean river grew. The sound of water crashing against rocks echoed around them, creating a deafening rumble.
"Hold on. Did you guys hear that?" Valles suddenly spoke up.
Marcus stopped in his tracks. He and Zelir listened intently.
"PLOP..."
"PLOP... PLOP..."
"PLOP..."
It sounded like jelly hitting the floor—faint, but definitely there.
"That’s the sound of Slimes moving. They’re just ahead."
Marcus gave a concise order. "Prepare for battle. Stick to the plan."
After they rounded a massive stalagmite, the view before them opened up.
They were in a plaza-like cavern where the subterranean river pooled.
Surrounding the pool, countless grayish-green, translucent Gels were squirming about—Slimes!
Adventurer’s Association Universal Monster Atlas
[Tier Two]: Slime
Individual Threat Rating: [Simple]
Appearance:
A translucent, Gel-like creature. At its core is typically a faint Magic Crystal, the source of its life and instincts.
A Slime’s coloration changes based on its environment, ranging from the common grayish-green of caves to the dark brown of swampland.
Habits:
Favors dark, damp places. It is one of the most low-level Demons and possesses virtually no intelligence, acting purely on instinct.
Special Abilities:
Due to its Gel-like body, it possesses some resistance to physical attacks. The slime it secretes is corrosive to human skin but is ineffective against iron.
Core Weakness:
Attacking the Demon Core at the center of the Slime’s body will kill it instantly.
Alternatively, Flame is an effective option. A Slime’s body will melt quickly under sustained burning.
Association Notes:
This gooey Low Level Demon does not pose a significant threat to humans.
They move slowly. Their only method of attack is to leap onto a person’s face, suffocating them while its slime corrodes their skin. One need only be careful to dodge them.
Additionally, if resting in a swamp or other damp area, be sure to carefully check your surroundings. It is highly likely that a Slime will crawl onto your face as you sleep.
Marcus glanced back at his two companions, then nodded slowly.
’So these things are our targets.’
Without another word, the battle began!
Valles’s Arrow was always the first to fly. He picked off a Slime close to the party.
SQUELCH!
The arrowhead plunged into the Gel body, striking its core with pinpoint accuracy. The Slime instantly burst, splattering viscous semi-solids everywhere.
This one arrow sent the entire Slime colony into a frenzy. Realizing an enemy was present, the twenty-odd Slimes began bouncing and leaping, rapidly closing in on the party.
"Bring it on!"
Marcus charged to the fore, taking several steps forward to resolutely hold the front line.
A Slime gathered its strength and leaped, trying to pounce on Marcus’s face.
Marcus simply bashed it back with his Shield, then followed up with a slash of his blade!
As the Battle Saber made contact with the Slime’s body, a portion of its force was clearly absorbed.
But Marcus’s Power was immense. The blade still bit deep, striking the core and killing it.
Marcus followed with a backhanded slash at another Slime.
But his swing was off this time, failing to hit the core.
The blade sank a good foot into the Slime’s body before losing momentum. It only knocked the creature back a short distance, and the Slime was still able to move.
Meanwhile, Valles let fly a continuous stream of Arrows.
But with the Slimes bouncing and leaping about, his accuracy had clearly dropped.
Most of his Arrows only lodged in the Slimes’ bodies without hitting their cores and killing them.
Zelir observed the situation.
’In this situation, the Fireball Skill doesn’t seem very effective.’
’After all, the Fireball Skill is just a momentary explosion, and there’s nothing on the Slimes to act as an accelerant for a sustained burn.’
’The Water Ball Skill is even more out of the question; it would just be counterproductive.’
’As for the Flame Breath Skill... that seems like a waste.’
’That Magic has extremely high Mana Consumption, and the Slimes are too spread out to wipe them all out at once.’
After a moment of thought, Zelir settled on a strategy. Raising his white wax wood staff, he began to sketch out the Technique.
