I Am Not Goblin Slayer
Chapter 41: Showing Weakness to the Enemy

The sudden attack instantly threw the once peaceful Slime clan into chaos!  

“Puff puff!”  

“Puff puff!”  

Frightened by the sudden death of their companions, the panicked Slimes began to show aggression, wildly bouncing around in the muddy ground.  

When landing, their gelatinous bodies thudded into the muddy water, continuously emitting “puff puff” squeezing sounds.  

For a moment, the entire murky mud pit seemed to be boiling.  

The Slimes, infected by each other’s emotions, grew restless and agitated.  

Using the two round black pupils located on either side of their bodies, they continuously searched for enemies.  

Gauss had no intention of hiding; instead, he watched the Slimes with great interest, recalling memories about Slimes in his mind.  

It was said that even low-level monsters like Slimes could spawn stronger individuals, some capable of sensing magic power, allowing them to lock onto enemies from afar without relying on sight.  

Besides magic sensing, rumors claimed some advanced Slimes could even master spellcasting, shape-shifting, energy absorption, gigantism, fusion, and other powerful abilities.  

Some adventurers even said they had seen Slimes stronger than Dragons!  

However, could the Slime species’ potential really surpass Dragons? The vast majority would not take such drunken boasts seriously.  

Returning to the present, this group of Slimes were just the weakest ordinary Mucus Slimes.  

After observing with the naked eye, one rebellious Slime locked onto the position of Gauss and his two companions.  

No one knew how they transmitted information to each other, but soon almost all the Slimes turned to look at them.  

Perhaps realizing the enemy’s small number, the inherently “bully the weak” Slime clan, after brief “communication,” immediately moved.  

“Puff puff!” “Puff puff!”  

All the Slimes eagerly jumped toward the trio, with twenty Mucus monsters creating a loud and imposing scene.  

Seeing this, Gauss and the other two remained calm and prepared for the second wave of attacks.  

They drew bows, pulled triggers, and wielded staffs.  

Another round of ranged attacks launched.  

However, this time, the arrows shot by Oliver and Meva did not successfully kill the Slimes.  

The arrows only pierced the outer gelatinous layer of the Slimes but missed the core.  

Although the sudden intrusion caused two Slimes to tremble, it did not cause damage. After brief convulsions, the Slimes still kept up with the main group.  

Only Gauss, who patiently aimed last, once again used the slowed-down world effect to successfully pierce the cores of two other Slimes.  

“Pa!!”  

The magic missiles flew close to the ground, pierced the two cores, then exploded into the mud, splashing huge muddy water.  

It must be said that after obtaining the staff, Gauss’s spellcasting became much smoother.  

At least before, casting spells empty-handed could not be so precise and efficient.  

“Slime kills *2”  

“Total monster kills: 28!”  

The failure to hit the Slime cores was not due to Oliver and Meva’s poor archery but because the Slimes’ jumping trajectories were unpredictable and the cores constantly shifted within their bodies.  

Gauss’s success was due to a combination of the low-grade bullet time slow effect, the Bone Staff’s bonus, and the Magic Missile’s faster flight speed and wider impact range compared to arrows.  

Not far away, Meva glanced subtly at Gauss, realizing that her previous observation of his magic flying faster was not an illusion.  

This guy had gotten stronger again!  

Perhaps bolstered by the courage of their numerous companions nearby, the Slimes were not intimidated by the trio’s second round of attacks.  

Instead, they accelerated, quickly bouncing out of the mud and landing on solid ground.  

At that moment, Levin and the others appeared.  

The shield bearer Levin and swordsman Doyle, who had been hiding in the bushes, stood up.  

Priest Daphne also stepped out from behind a tree, shielding everyone and ready to provide healing at any moment.  

The squad formation immediately took shape!  

Seeing the number suddenly surge from three to six, the once fierce Slime clan seemed to be hit by a blow, and their momentum instantly weakened.  

The last two Slimes, hindered by arrows stuck in their bodies, stopped bouncing altogether.  

They trembled nervously, frozen in place.  

This was also why only Gauss and the other two were shown at first—to show weakness and lure the Slime clan to “bully the weak” and leave the muddy ground voluntarily.  

The mud was clearly not suitable as a battlefield for the squad’s formal fight.  

“Doyle, cover me up front!”  

Levin shouted loudly, leaving the Slimes little time to react. He worried the lead Slime would escape, causing the clan to scatter.  

If nearly twenty Slimes scattered and fled, it would be very difficult for the six-man squad to catch all of them in the forest by splitting up.  

“Boom boom boom!”  

Levin took several large strides forward and activated his skill.  

“Oaken Greatshield Charge!”  

With a shout, a flushed Levin raised the oaken greatshield, standing firm as he marched fearlessly toward the Slime group with heavy steps.  

Doyle, holding a small wooden shield, followed behind him, also launching a charge.  

Their “fearless” frontal assault seemed to anger the lead Slime.  

“Da da da!”  

It suddenly jumped forward, taking the lead.  

A mouthful of thick dark green mucus spat out.  

The large glob of slime arced through the air.  

“Plop!”  

It slammed heavily onto Levin’s oaken greatshield.  

Fortunately, Levin’s shield had a large protective area, and during his charge, he did not exert full strength but kept his body within the shield’s coverage.  

So the thick mucus only splattered on the oaken shield, evaporating faint white smoke on its surface without causing him harm.  

Levin kept moving forward, pushing through the slime while keeping his head down.  

One step!  

Two steps!  

His huge shield finally collided with the lead Slime.  

Although the over-50-centimeter Slime pressed forward rapidly, it was significantly weaker than Levin in strength.  

“Dong!!”  

The 50-centimeter-diameter Slime slammed into the shield with a heavy sound. Under the pressure of opposing forces, it was instantly flattened.  

The two forces clashed and held for a brief moment!  

In the end, Levin, who activated his skill, had the upper hand.  

“Haah!!!”  

He charged a second time, pushing against the dozens-of-kilograms lead Slime!  

“Boom!!”  

Levin, carrying the greatshield and charging headfirst, carved out a path through the “army” of Slimes.  

The Slimes along the way were knocked flying by his tremendous strength.  

Doyle, following closely behind, drew his long sword and engaged the Slimes.  

The ranged group was also busy, quietly moving to the battlefield’s flank to aim and try to snipe isolated Slimes from a distance.  

Gauss should have been part of the ranged group, but having used two Magic Missiles already, he had only one charge of magic left.  

Plus, with teammates at the front, he was reluctant to recklessly cast spells.  

So he chose to follow Levin and Doyle’s steps cautiously, holding a small wooden shield in his left hand half in front of his face, and wielding his rapier carefully with the other.  

“Pa!”  

Doyle was clearly no stranger to killing Slimes.  

After using his shield to bat away a small glob of spit slime from the enemy, he swung his long sword down with his other hand.  

“Cross Slash!”  

“Swish! Swish!”  

The long sword traced white light, delivering two quick slashes—one horizontal, one vertical—precisely overlapping to cut at the Slime’s central core.  

“Shatter!”  

With the core cleaved into four, the Slime melted away again!  

“Use the small wooden shield to block the mucus. Slimes cannot continuously spray mucus, so blocking it allows for counterattack.”  

“But watch out for attacks from other Slimes!”  

“Don’t get surrounded by their swarming!”  

“Oliver, Meva, provide ranged support as needed!”  

Levin shouted a warning at the top of his lungs.  

In fact, his first charge had already knocked back nearly half the Slimes, scattering their attack formation.  

So the most dangerous initial assault had been neutralized.  

Now was a good opportunity to kill the Slimes.  

Gauss naturally heard Levin’s voice.  

He imitated Doyle and targeted one Slime.  

It was only 30 to 40 centimeters big, emitting a strong rotten stench.  

This Slime had likely directly absorbed the strongest impact from Levin’s charge.  

It was now dazedly wriggling, while its core inside trembled violently, moving irregularly left and right.  

This was their instinctive self-protection, avoiding easy core hits while dizzy.