The sudden ambush shattered the peace of the slime colony in an instant.
The startled, panicked slimes erupted into chaos, bouncing wildly around the muddy clearing. Every time their gelatinous bodies slammed into the ground, it made a squelching "blorp"—like someone squeezing wet rubber.
The whole area looked like a boiling swamp, the slimes agitated and feeding off each other’s panic. Round, glossy black eyes scanned frantically for the attackers.
Gauss, meanwhile, didn’t even try to hide. He stood calmly, observing them with curiosity while digging through his memory.
According to what he’d read, even weak monsters like slimes could occasionally produce more powerful variants—some capable of sensing mana, allowing them to detect enemies without relying on sight. Others could reportedly cast spells, change shape, absorb energy, even merge with each other and grow to monstrous sizes.
There were even wild stories about slimes stronger than dragons—but most people chalked those up to drunken nonsense.
Back to reality: this group was clearly just basic, entry-level slimes.
As the creatures whipped around in a panic, one of them finally spotted Gauss and his teammates.
No one knew exactly how slimes communicated, but within seconds, the entire group had locked onto their position. Perhaps sensing that there were only three enemies, the naturally cowardly—but opportunistic—slimes collectively decided to go on the offensive.
A tide of twenty goo monsters surged forward, bounding through the mud like angry jellyfish.
Gauss and the others didn’t flinch.
They calmly prepared for a second volley.
Arrows were nocked, triggers cocked, staff raised.
The next wave of long-range attacks launched.
This time, though, Oliver and Meva’s arrows only embedded themselves in the slimes' outer gel. No kill shots. The cores inside—about the size of ostrich eggs—were constantly shifting, and the arrows had missed by a hair.
Still, the shock made the creatures twitch violently before continuing the charge.
Gauss, however, took his time. He focused, once again activating his “bullet-time” mental state, and nailed two slimes dead-center.
The blasts punched through both cores and exploded into the ground, spraying mud everywhere.
Casting with a wand really was on another level. Gauss couldn’t have pulled this off barehanded.
[Total Monster Kills: 28]
It wasn’t that Oliver and Meva lacked skill—their target was just too erratic. Gauss’s edge came from a combination of his bullet-time focus, wand bonuses, and the sheer speed and range of Magic Missile over arrows.
Nearby, Meva side-eyed him. Yeah, she wasn’t imagining it—his spell speed had clearly improved.
He’s gotten stronger again...
And yet, despite the casualties, the slimes didn’t retreat. Surrounded by their kind, they seemed emboldened. In fact, they sped up, launching themselves out of the mud and onto solid ground.
Right on cue, the rest of the team emerged.
Laevin and Doyle burst from cover, shields raised, while Daphne stepped out from behind a tree, ready to provide support.
The full squad formation snapped into place.
Seeing their enemy count double from three to six, the slime horde hesitated. Their boldness evaporated. The two in the back—already wounded and slowed—flat-out stopped moving and began to tremble.
That was the plan all along. Gauss and the others had been bait. The real team waited until the slimes were fully committed and on unfavorable terrain.
Without wasting a second, Laevin charged, worried the lead slime might retreat and scatter the group. If the slimes fled into the forest, it’d be a nightmare to chase down twenty of them with just six people.
Laevin exploded forward, skill activated.
With a shout, he raised his oak tower shield and barreled toward the slimes like a tank, feet pounding the ground.
Doyle followed close behind, shield up and sword ready.
The lead slime—massive and angry—bounced up to meet them.
It launched a glob of thick, green acidic goo, which splattered hard across Laevin’s shield. Steam hissed from the impact, but the shield held. Laevin kept going without missing a beat.
Step by step, he closed the distance, until—
The shield slammed into the lead slime. Even though the monster had been charging too, it didn’t stand a chance. It flattened under the sheer force.
Then, Laevin roared and slammed forward again.
He bulldozed through the slime line like a freight train, scattering them left and right.
Doyle moved in immediately after, sword flashing.
Meanwhile, the ranged team shifted to the side, quietly flanking the field for sniping opportunities.
Gauss, low on mana after firing two Magic Missiles, only had one shot left. He couldn’t afford to waste it—not with teammates in the fray.
So instead of launching his final spell, he drew his rapier and moved up behind Laevin, small wooden shield raised.
Doyle, clearly experienced, swatted away an incoming blob of slime goo with his shield and brought his sword down.
The sword lit with silver light, slashing through a slime core in two clean arcs. The creature instantly melted into a puddle.
“Use your small shields to block their acid! They can’t spit again right away—when they do, strike fast!”
“But stay alert—don’t get surrounded!”
“Oliver, Meva! Provide cover if anyone gets overwhelmed!”
Laevin shouted out orders while continuing to press forward.
Gauss nodded and spotted a lone slime—about 35 centimeters wide, trailing behind and wobbling badly. Probably one of the ones that had taken a direct hit from Laevin earlier.
Its core twitched wildly inside its jelly body, shifting erratically to avoid being targeted.
But Gauss didn’t hesitate. He moved in—rapier ready.