Gauss and Alia dodged fast.
The attack didn't hit them.
In that split second, Gauss had already seen their attacker's true form.
A mud golem—an elite monster.
A distant cousin to slimes and gray oozes, but tougher than common slimes or oozes. Books list their challenge level as fluctuating between 1 and 3.
They're formed of filth, soil, stones, humus, even animal remains. So long as the core isn't destroyed, they can endlessly draw matter from the ground to repair themselves—one of the opponents adventurers least want to meet.
"It's a mud golem. Elite monster—careful."
Gauss passed the intel to Alia.
Hearing "elite," her expression tightened and she focused at once.
Elite monsters are on a different tier from fodder; even seasoned adventurers have to take them seriously.
Outside, the raven Echo let out a piercing caw, answered by the mud golem's dull roar.
Clearly, the circling raven had drawn the golem's attention, buying the pair inside the building a few precious moments.
"Let's get out first," Gauss decided on the spot.
Who knew how many years this ruin had stood—its integrity was suspect. Against a mud golem, it wouldn't shelter them; it might collapse and bury them alive.
Alia swung onto the gray wolf Ulfen, and the two of them pulled back from the rear of the structure.
"Fight or flee?" Alia asked.
In theory, elite monsters are uncommon on B1.
Good thing they reacted quickly; ordinary low-level adventurers might already have died to that opening volley.
"Let's try it," Gauss said; he didn't feel an overwhelming threat from it.
Judging by the damage from its last strike, it wasn't weak either. Overall, it looked about even.
So far his elite-monster monster index had only mantisfolk and half-ogres; he still needed three more species for Stage Two of the Elite Path.
If possible, he didn't want to pass up this mud golem.
Gauss looked to the distance.
It was a hulking humanoid of dark-brown muck, visibly riddled with assorted debris: sewage-slick mud, weeds and branches, the occasional bone of who-knew-what.
Round and bloated in shape, short thick legs, perhaps four or five meters tall.
Against such a foe, the raven was already far off, giving the golem no chance to reach it.
Doesn't feel like a Level 3…
First, it didn't fit the labyrinth's distribution rules; second, it didn't feel that threatening.
Either Level 1 or 2—probably the latter—but he couldn't be sure.
In sudden encounters, pegging a monster's challenge level is often fuzzy.
Forget the scouters from films that spit out exact power numbers; even rough "level" comparisons are hard to pin down.
Monsters of the same tier vary. Their physical condition, injuries, gear, whether they can leverage their strengths against this opponent, how well they can mask their weaknesses…—all that matters.
So until you actually trade blows, it's hard to say who wins—unless there's a big gap in level.
"Be careful," Gauss told Alia.
Riding the wolf, she wasn't about to dismount—mud golems have ranged options.
Against foes that can fight up close and at range, you need extra caution; even at a distance you can get clipped.
And her mobility wasn't as nimble as Gauss's. Fortunately, while Ulfen isn't a long-distance mount, its short-burst speed and lateral movement are excellent.
The raven Echo swooped back to Alia's side.
Having lost its aerial target, the mud golem refocused on the two of them.
It rumbled low, stamping a massive foot; the ground shivered.
Gauss keenly noted soil around its ankles flowing upward like a living thing, quickly refilling what it had lost hurling that last shot.
"So hitting the body is pointless, no matter how much you carve off," Gauss muttered, pupils narrowing.
In other words, it doesn't have a body—only a core.
Unless you strip or shatter that core beneath its thick outer layers, it can "heal" from even catastrophic damage.
The moment the golem raised its arm again, Gauss triggered Enhanced Leap.
At Level 2, with Strength, Agility, and Constitution all at 8+ and a subtle boost from Reptilian Strain, dodging from nearly twenty meters out wasn't hard.
The clod-and-stone shell slammed down, gouging a crater; gravel fanned out like buckshot.
Unavoidable fragments smacked into Gauss, and a pale-blue barrier flared over his skin in rippling waves. The rıghtful source is novｅlfire.net
The Omni-Armor drank in the seemingly trivial—but truly dangerous—shrapnel.
Don't underestimate hits like that. If one catches you in the head and you've no protection, a caster or the like could die on the spot.
That's why Gauss values defensive skills so highly. They may not speed leveling, but they catch the unforeseeable.
Gauss drew his white-bone staff from the pouch.
He'd already swapped his Secondary Core Spell Slot back to Magic Missile before setting out.
Burning Hands and Magic Missile each have their place: the former clears mobs; the latter shines against tough single targets.
And this mud golem likely doesn't care about fire—its "body" is replaceable and not very flammable.
Melee wasn't promising either. Even burying his sword to the hilt—maybe a meter—might not reach that chubby lump's core.
Magic surged through him.
Since advancing from Level 1 to 2, his "mana cup" was stronger; channeling was faster—especially for Level 1 spells.
Three blue orbs spun to life before him—and screamed away!
As the golem finished its throw, Gauss answered in kind.
Magic Missiles ripped the air, dragging cerulean tails, and thudded deep into the mud golem's mass.