Chương 21: Engagement

After following the slime trails and counting for a while, Vaelis finally stood up.

"There should be a little over twenty of them. No wonder the water source got contaminated." Slimes constantly secreted a poisonous fluid, and they preferred damp environments, especially areas near rivers. There had been many cases in the past where people swimming in rivers were surrounded and killed by Slimes. One or two Slimes weren't a problem. But once their numbers increased, quantity became quality, and they could cause severe damage to the local ecosystem and water sources.

Drinking contaminated water could result in anything from mild diarrhea and dehydration to life-threatening consequences. Over twenty Slimes were manageable, but they had to pay attention to their formation. They needed to keep all enemy attacks coming from the front. If they allowed themselves to be surrounded from all directions, things could become troublesome. That made positioning especially important.

"I'll take the front. Vaelis, stay in the middle and handle illumination. Zelier, you cover the rear." Marcus began assigning roles.

"When I advance, you advance. When I retreat, you retreat. Don't move ahead of my position."

"Understood." Vaelis nodded. He reached into his backpack and pulled out a pine resin torch over half a meter long, preparing to have Zelier light it.

"No need for the torch. I can handle the lighting." Zelier spoke up. He focused his mind, and after a brief casting period, a bright orb of light appeared at the tip of his ashwood wand. With a flick of his wrist, Zelier tossed the orb upward. It floated above the three of them, illuminating the darkness. Its range was far greater than a torch, and it could even automatically follow Zelier's movements.

"You learned a new spell?" Marcus looked up at the glowing orb.

"Of course. I need to expand my skill set." Zelier smiled. Vaelis was surprised as well. But after thinking about it, it made sense. Everyone had received four gold coins from their previous mission. Buying a few spell scrolls was completely normal. Besides, not needing to hold a torch freed up one hand, allowing them to enter combat at any moment and improving their overall safety. The team entered the abandoned cave. Near the entrance, the uneven ground formed countless shallow pits.

Thin streams of water seeped through cracks in the stone and gathered inside them. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it The water was noticeably thicker than normal, carrying the distinct acidic stench of Slime secretions. The source had clearly been contaminated. A large number of vines and unknown ferns hung down from the ceiling, partially concealing the darkness ahead. Zelier's floating light orb followed the team deeper into the cave, revealing their path.

Marcus held his shield in one hand and his battle-blade in the other, maintaining a steady pace. Vaelis removed his bow from his back and kept it ready. The deeper they went, the louder the underground river became. The sound of waves crashing against stone echoed repeatedly through the cavern, creating a constant rumbling roar.

"Wait." Vaelis suddenly spoke.

"Did you hear that?" Marcus stopped immediately. He and Zelier turned their attention toward the sound, listening carefully.

"Plop…"

"Plop plop…"

"Plop…" It sounded like jelly hitting the ground. The noise was faint, but unmistakably there.

"That's the sound of Slimes moving. They're right ahead." Marcus gave a short command.

"Prepare for combat. Same formation as planned." After they moved around a massive stalagmite, the view ahead suddenly opened up. A huge cavern stretched before them, resembling a natural underground plaza. The underground river gathered here, forming a deep pool. Around the water, countless gray-green translucent blobs squirmed and crawled. Slimes. 《The Adventurer's Association Universal Bestiary》 【Sequence 2: Slime】 Individual Threat Rating: [Easy] Appearance: A semi-transparent gelatinous creature.

At its core lies a faint magical crystal, which serves as the source of its life force and instincts. A Slime's coloration changes depending on its environment. Common cave Slimes are usually gray-green, while swamp variants may appear dark brown or black. Habits: Slimes prefer dark, damp environments. They are among the lowest-ranking magical creatures and possess almost no intelligence, acting purely on instinct. Special Abilities: Due to their gelatinous bodies, Slimes possess a degree of physical resistance.

The mucus they secrete can cause corrosive damage to human flesh, but has no effect on iron weapons. Core Weakness: Attacking the magical core located at the center of a Slime's body will kill it instantly. Fire is also an effective option. Under continuous burning, a Slime's body will quickly melt. Association Note: These sticky low-level monsters pose little threat to humans.

They move slowly, and their only method of attack is leaping onto a person's face, suffocating them while using their corrosive mucus to burn through skin. Avoid their jumps and you'll be fine. Additionally, when resting in swamps or other damp environments, always inspect your surroundings carefully. Slimes have been known to crawl onto sleeping adventurers' faces. Marcus glanced back at the other two, then slowly nodded. These creatures were their targets. No further words were needed. The battle began.

Vaelis's arrows were always the first to leave the bowstring. He selected the Slime closest to the team. Thwip! The arrowhead pierced into the gelatinous body, striking the core with perfect accuracy. The Slime instantly burst apart, spraying thick semi-solid slime in every direction. The attack sent the entire Slime cluster into a frenzy. They had detected the presence of enemies. More than twenty Slimes began bouncing wildly, rushing toward the adventurer team.

"Come on!" Marcus charged forward without hesitation. After several heavy steps, he planted himself firmly at the front line. A Slime compressed its body and launched itself upward, attempting to land directly on Marcus's face. Marcus slammed his shield upward, knocking it back. Then he followed with a sweeping slash. The moment his battle-blade struck the Slime's body, the impact was partially absorbed by its gelatinous form. But Marcus's strength was overwhelming.

The blade still carved deep into the creature, striking its core and killing it instantly. Without slowing down, Marcus reversed his grip and slashed toward another Slime. This time, his angle was slightly off. The blade missed the core. It sliced several dozen centimeters into the Slime's body before losing momentum, merely knocking the creature backward. The Slime remained alive and continued moving. At the same time, Vaelis's arrows continued flying.

However, with the Slimes constantly bouncing and changing direction, his accuracy had clearly dropped. Most arrows only buried themselves inside the gelatinous bodies without hitting the cores. Zelier watched the battlefield carefully. In this situation, Fireball didn't seem particularly useful. After all, Fireball only exploded at the moment of impact. Since Slimes had no flammable material on their bodies, there was no way to maintain the flames. Water Orb was even worse.

It would probably only create more problems. As for Flame Breath… That felt like overkill. The spell consumed a tremendous amount of mana, and the Slimes were spread too far apart to be eliminated all at once. After a brief moment of consideration, Zelier decided on his approach. He raised his ashwood wand and began constructing a spell matrix.