I Am Not Goblin Slayer
Chapter 86: Killing the Mantis Man

The mantis man was definitely the strongest enemy this team had ever encountered in the dungeon, and possibly in their entire adventuring careers.

A few days ago, the dungeon exploration had gone too smoothly, causing the team members to unconsciously become a little careless and overconfident. Even Lawrence, despite verbally reminding them, was caught in the inertia of his thoughts and believed that this dungeon run would not have any major surprises.

That was until the appearance of the mantis man delivered a heavy blow to their confidence.

Fortunately, although everyone in the team was intimidated by the mantis man's imposing presence, they were not inexperienced rookies and quickly adjusted their mindset.

The stronger the enemy, the more important it was not to lose composure.

Adrian, the priest apprentice, supported the injured Liam and moved him to the back of the group. Using Life Sustain, he stabilized Liam’s internal injuries while pulling a small red potion bottle from his pack.

It was a basic healing potion capable of restoring life energy to injured adventurers within a short time and was one of the important loot rewards from the previous dungeon exploration.

Each small bottle sold for at least 30 silver coins.

Adrian poured the healing potion into Liam’s mouth, and before long, a flush of color slowly appeared on Liam’s pale cheeks.

Seeing this, Adrian breathed a sigh of relief and conducted a further examination.

With the combination of Life Sustain and the healing potion, Liam should not be in life-threatening danger.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield ahead,

the mantis man, sensing the threat Gauss posed, had red lights flickering in its compound eyes, locking onto Gauss from afar. Its mandibles emitted high-frequency, piercing shrieks.

It ignored everyone else.

Suddenly, it crouched deeply, charging its power on the spot. Its strong hind legs burst forth with terrifying force, then it launched itself like a cannonball directly toward Gauss, who was standing at the end of the line!

Some of the members at the front also realized who the mantis man was targeting.

"Gauss! Watch out!"

Sork, the half-orc warrior who was standing cautiously at the front, saw the mantis man speeding past him and sharply turned around, shouting angrily toward Gauss at the end of the line.

At the same time, he tried to rush forward to intercept the mantis man.

But the speed difference was just too great!

He could only watch helplessly as the mantis man’s figure raced farther and farther out of his reach.

Bianca, the ranger apprentice, took a deep breath and shot an arrow, attempting to disrupt the mantis man’s charge trajectory.

But the mantis man, moving at high speed, merely tilted its body slightly, causing the arrow to scrape past its shell, leaving only a barely noticeable faint white mark.

As for the others, they had all been on guard against the mantis man’s assault, so in those few blinks of an eye, they had no ability to intervene in its charge.

It was just too fast!

When the mantis man reached Gauss, its speed was terrifying.

Gauss's pupils suddenly contracted. Fortunately, before the mantis man arrived, he instinctively rolled to the side to dodge.

"Clack!!"

The mantis man raised its giant, sickle-like hind leg and fiercely struck the spot where Gauss had just stood.

Gauss rolled up from the ground.

Luckily, he anticipated the attack in advance.

Although he was protected by Mage Armor, under such a high-speed charge, it was best to avoid absorbing the powerful claw strike.

Mage Armor had its limits.

The mantis man’s enormous destructive power, carried by its ultra-fast impact, massive body, and exaggerated claws, was nothing like the goblins they had bullied before. The attacks from those green-skinned little fiends would probably not match this strike even after ten hits.

Gauss quickly got to his feet and stepped back several paces, drawing his weapon and raising his eyes toward the mantis man.

The mantis man, unable to hit Gauss with one blow, blinked its compound eyes, seeming a little surprised. But it immediately adjusted its stance.

Its four sharp sickle-like claws crossed in front of its body, and the next moment its hind legs gathered power slightly.

This was the sign it was about to launch a short-distance leap. Compared to long-distance leaps, this one had a smaller crouch and took less time, but the impact was far less terrifying.

The mantis man made a small jump, landing in front of Gauss and swinging its claws down again.

"Bang!!"

The mantis man’s sickle claws struck Gauss’s rapier, which he had raised in advance to block.

Gauss immediately felt a tremendous impact force transmitted through the weapon he tightly gripped. After a brief stalemate, he quickly realized he was at a disadvantage in strength.

Fortunately, his intelligence of seven allowed him to quickly notice some details during the fight.

In a brief moment where the world seemed to slow down and his awareness sped up, he caught the mantis man’s other secondary limb sneakily slashing toward his abdomen.

"Thud!"

The secondary limb struck his lower belly. Mage Armor instantly released a strong protective barrier, with rippling waves quickly spreading across its surface.

So heavy!

Using the force transmitted through his weapon, Gauss was flung out, barely stabilizing himself in midair. He rolled twice and stood up from the ground.

Thanks to the mantis man’s momentum, he avoided fully absorbing its next concealed attack.

Such a sneaky mantis man!

Before the mantis man could launch another attack on Gauss,

Sork charged over with blood-red eyes, his beastly fangs growing even thicker.

The enemy bypassing him, the warrior, to recklessly attack his teammates in the back—that was a disgrace to him!

At this moment, his already muscular upper arms seemed to swell as if filled with blood, as though awakening the bloodline power hidden within his body.

He stomped his thigh forcefully into the ground; the soles of his feet pressed like springs against the earth, and his whole body soared upward, propelled by the recoil force!

"Jump Slash!"

His spine bent backward like a fully drawn hard bow, his neck, chest, and waist formed a tight arc in midair, presenting a crescent shape.

His raised greatsword tore through the air with a ripping roar, fiercely slashing toward his target ahead.

This full-power, spectacular attack was almost a life-for-life gamble, forcing the mantis man to temporarily abandon Gauss at a distance and turn to block Sork’s slash with its secondary limbs.

"Clang!!"

After the loud clash of metal, sparks flew.

Using momentum, skill, and the gravitational potential energy from his jump slash, Sork forcibly activated the combined power of his bloodline, nearly reaching the limit of his current attack power!

However, the physical difference between Sork and the mantis man was still too vast.

The mantis man, caught off guard, only retreated half a step after turning around, unable to fully exert its strength at first.

Once it stabilized, its full body power erupted again through its upper limbs.

"Bang!!"

Sork’s weapon was knocked away, and he staggered back two steps under the huge recoil, his trembling arms propping him on the ground to avoid falling.

"Chill Touch."

Nearby, Lawrence finally landed a Cantrip on the mantis man for the first time.

The blue skeletal hand touched the mantis man’s body surface, and the cold undead energy seeped continuously into its body.

This chilling energy made it tremble slightly and fall into a brief sluggish state, unable to launch a further attack on the exposed Sork.

Gauss, rising from the ground, also seized this rare attack opportunity created by his teammates.

He tightened his grip on the Bone Staff and cast Magic Missile; light exploded from the staff!

"Magic Missile!"

Not just one, but two missiles shot out in quick succession.

"Whoosh!!"

Unfortunately, perhaps due to the mantis man’s sharp senses and agility, or its small head hit area, the first missile—Gauss’s hopeful shot aimed at its head—was deflected, barely grazing its cheek.

Fortunately, the second missile, aimed at another weak spot on its abdomen, hit successfully.

Like most shell creatures, its waist and abdomen housed breathing apertures and were the most flexible parts, so the shell there was relatively weaker.

Also, the larger waist and abdomen area made dodging more difficult.

Plus, the mantis man seemed briefly stiff again just now.

"Bang!!!"

The magic missile that struck its abdomen exploded with dazzling light.

An immense force spread from the explosion’s center, and the mantis man, over two meters tall, was knocked back.

Lawrence and Sork widened their eyes, their faces showing delight.

"Thud thud thud!"

The mantis man rushed forward a few steps, barely stabilizing. Its previously light brown waist shell was now scorched black, with faint yellow-green viscous liquid oozing out. Although it wasn’t fully pierced through, it clearly sustained considerable damage.

Gauss, who had quickly released consecutive Magic Missiles, was breathing heavily.

His mana remained, but the rapid consumption in a short time made him a little exhausted, sweat continuously dripping from his forehead.

Fortunately, it was worth it.

The consecutive Magic Missiles finally inflicted a decent injury on the mantis man.

Once there was one successful hit, there could be a second.

Moreover, Gauss had vaguely noticed a detail just now...

While Gauss silently pondered and briefly adjusted his breathing,

the mantis man, stabilizing its stance, was struck again by an arrow from Bianca, the ranger apprentice not far away.

"Thud!"

The metal arrowhead hit the mantis man’s chest armor, leaving a white mark on the impact spot.

Seeing the hit succeed, a smile appeared on Bianca’s face.

Although it didn’t pierce the enemy’s armor, causing damage meant the battle was gradually tilting in their favor.

With their numerical advantage, they would sooner or later wear down their opponent bit by bit.

Especially after Gauss’s successful, powerful Magic Missile hit that left a clear scar, their once weakening morale was reignited with hope of victory.

They could win!

The mantis man, hurt by the Magic Missile, felt persistent pain in its abdomen and grew even more agitated.

At this moment, it noticed that the pesky "mosquito" it had been ignoring had actually landed a hit and was showing what seemed like mocking delight.

The mantis man appeared humiliated.

Its attention finally shifted away from Gauss.

Its red compound eyes fixed tightly on Bianca!

"Swish!"

Although hit in the abdomen, the mantis man hadn’t lost mobility. If anything, its movement speed had only slowed somewhat.

But for most present, this speed loss probably made little difference.

"Watch out!" Gauss, who had just regained his breath, saw this and suddenly felt a bad premonition.

But before he could finish speaking,

the mantis man had already leapt in front of Bianca.

A tall shadow loomed over her body.

Before she could react,

its sharp sickle-like forelimbs tore through the air, leaving a white trail, and slashed diagonally across Bianca’s neck.

"!"

Its sharp forelimbs cut through like blades slicing tofu, encountering little resistance, carving out a smooth, bowl-sized wound. Blood splattered everywhere!

"Thud!"

Her head, still full of confusion and unaware of what had happened, dropped heavily to the ground.

Gauss’s eyes widened and his throat bobbed.

Bianca was dead?

He was no stranger to decapitation.

He had beheaded dozens of monsters before.

But this time, it was his teammate who had been decapitated.

Only the night before, they were joking and sharing food together; now her body was separated and her death was tragic. This absurd contrast flickered repeatedly before his eyes, leaving him deeply unsettled.

He did not have much affection for Bianca; a few days was not enough to cultivate friendship.

But this sudden life-and-death shock made his heart inexplicably race.

At that moment, he truly realized—

Life was so fragile.

Swallowing his saliva, he slapped his cheek, forcing himself to regain composure.

At the same time, he took out some jerky from his pocket.

Now was not the time for sorrow.

He took a deep breath.

"Everyone, be careful! The wounded one is more aggressive!"

Gauss loudly warned his teammates, and the only thing he could do was chew quickly and rely on Rapid Digestion to restore his mana and stamina.

His premonition was correct—the injured mantis man had become more aggressive.

Its next target was the rogue apprentice Edith.

Edith’s face was pale. Though shocked by her companion’s death, she quickly regained her composure.

Facing the charging mantis man, she did not give up but pulled the trigger on her crossbow, aiming an arrow at its abdomen.

The mantis man noticed and had to change its path, veering sideways like a dragonfly skimming water, then changed direction again to rush at Edith.

But this slight delay was enough for Edith to react.

She pulled a "spore bomb" from her pack at her feet.

This item was the first reward they had obtained earlier.

They had already used one for testing during exploration and still had two left.

If it hit the mantis man, its power would cause considerable damage.

As a rogue apprentice, Edith’s perception was also very sharp.

The crossbow shot forced the mantis man to alter its trajectory, and she threw the spore bomb onto its path ahead.

The plan was solid.

But she overlooked the most important point—the mantis man’s perception was equally outstanding.

Almost the moment she threw the spore bomb to the ground, its compound eyes locked onto that area and sensed a strong threat.

This time, unlike Gauss’s Magic Missile attack just now—with Sork’s jump slash in front and Chill Touch corroding it in an instant, plus the consecutive Magic Missiles—the mantis man had no effective way to evade.

As the spore bomb hit the ground in front of it, before the explosion, its hind legs immediately released powerful force, propelling its body abruptly sideways to jump several meters away.

"!!!"

The spore bomb’s strong shockwave released intense blue flames, rising black smoke.

"Did it work?"

Edith squinted her eyes.

The next moment, a huge yellow-brown silhouette stepped out of the smoke.

It wasn’t dead!

Edith’s legs went weak and she fell to the ground, but her strong will to survive made her crawl and turn to escape, using both hands and feet to fight for her last chance.

But behind her, the tall shadow already loomed over her.

Seeing the mantis man about to effortlessly kill her like it did to Bianca,

"Magic Missile!!"

Gauss ran over, squeezing out his mana. The tip of his staff flared brightly!

A condensed, high-speed azure missile shot out, aiming directly at the mantis man’s compound eyes.

The mantis man had to stop attacking and turn its head to dodge the missile.

The missile brushed past its head, and the intense light it emitted caused its compound eyes to momentarily go blind.

Yes, this was Gauss’s discovery during the battle.

Its eyes could not withstand close-range light exposure; a sudden flash caused a brief stiffening.

He had originally wanted to cast the Light Cantrip, but it required touch to amplify the light on the target.

Plus, the situation was urgent, leaving no time to think.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly.

The blinded mantis man stood dazed in place.

The second missile tore through the air and came toward the ground nearby—not the mantis man itself.

It targeted the pack where Edith had left her spore bombs.

"Shatter!!!"

The Magic Missile pierced the pack, and the spore bomb exploded instantly with a thunderous roar!

The huge blast radiated outward, like a heavy hammer striking the mantis man.

Countless tiny spores expanded instantly, releasing an ever-intensifying fiery shockwave in the air!

The eerie blue flames, like bone-maggots, quickly engulfed the tall figure covered with chitinous armor that had been knocked back.