Slime Immortal.

Chapter 152 is as ruthless as its competitors.

noon.

After a good rest, the mercenary squads began to assemble, and deep commands broke the silence of the swamp.

They quickly formed a standard pioneering formation—the outermost layer consisted of warriors wielding tower shields and greatswords, while the center of the formation was made up of mages under tight protection.

Assassins and rangers, like ghosts, were scattered around the formation and its flanks, vigilantly scanning for any suspicious movements.

At the front of the procession, Calvin rode on a strangely shaped mount.

Swamp salamanders are amphibious monsters with thick limbs and wide webbed feet, allowing them to easily walk in wet environments such as swamps. They are also gentle in nature and suitable as mounts.

He rode his swamp salamander back and forth in front of the formation, his gaze sweeping over each captain and mercenary. The invisible pressure made several of the formal professional squad leaders unconsciously straighten their backs, their palms slightly sweaty.

After the formation was fully in place, Galvin reined in his horse, faced all the mercenaries, and his calm voice reached everyone's ears.

"I know why you're standing here."

His opening statement was very direct: "I am also very clear about what I am doing this for: gold coins, a generous bounty, enough to tempt anyone and enough to make us take the necessary risks."

Calvin paused, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, noticing the glint of approval and greed in the eyes of many mercenaries.

He knew that their encampment and activities could not be completely kept secret from the owners of this place.

What awaits them ahead is not just natural swampy treacherous terrain.

Therefore, in order to eliminate this target, he needs to organize a group with higher cohesion.

"Since the goal is clear, and it's all about money, then it's simple: to get this money, we have to stay alive and complete the mission."

"So from this moment on, cast aside all wishful thinking, complacency, and unnecessary personal thoughts. Remember your responsibilities, obey orders, cooperate with one another, and do everything in your power to deal with whatever we are about to face."

"I don't need you to fight for honor, I only need you to fight for the bounty and get it alive, understand?"

"Understood, for the bounty!"

The mercenaries' voices merged together, and although they weren't perfectly coordinated, their desire for wealth was exceptionally strong.

Calvin nodded slightly, and with a clang, drew his knight's longsword from his waist. The blade flashed coldly in the gray mist, pointing straight towards the depths of the swamp.

"Let's go, for the bounty!"

"For the bounty!!" The mercenary group roared even more fervently, their momentum overwhelming.

Everyone pulled out expensive antidotes, uncorked them, and drank them down in one gulp. The slight warmth from the medicine dispelled the numbness and nausea caused by inhaling the poisonous fog.

The heavily armored warriors were the first to step into the mud, their heavy boots sinking into the silt, but they pulled them out resolutely and steadily advanced.

Further ahead, several thieves and assassins silently disappeared into the mist-shrouded forest, scrutinizing every inch of the woods with their shrewd and experienced eyes, searching for possible traps or ambush points.

A group of fifty people might not seem like much in open areas, but when they travel through dense forests and swamps, they form a rather large and impressive force.

As they advanced, the warriors in front would occasionally swing their swords to cut down the vines and bushes blocking their path, and also clear away some poisonous insects lurking among them.

When they encounter long stretches of deep swamps that are difficult to traverse, the mages in the center will tacitly wave their staffs and chant incantations together.

【Clay Sculpting Technique】

The earthen-yellow magical light gathered, and the muddy swamp ahead seemed to be kneaded by an invisible hand. The water in the silt was briefly drained, and the hard soil and rocks surged up, quickly forming a temporary and solid dirt road that could allow several people to walk side by side.

Although the duration is limited, it is enough for the entire team to pass through quickly.

Thus, the regiment marched at an unexpectedly fast pace, gradually penetrating deeper into the heart of the swamp.

The surrounding fog thickened, becoming mixed with toxins, but the antidote was highly effective; the mercenaries felt nothing except for obstructed vision.

At the front of the group, Calvin took out a map marked with safe routes and kept comparing it with the marks left by the mercenaries who had previously scouted the swamp, trying to figure out the direction.

In reality, this seemingly rough map is actually expensive route intelligence that the Black Fang Mercenary Group acquired in the early stages by investing hundreds of gold coins and several lives.

Derek's mercenary squad was only able to find the location of the fortress by sheer luck; before him, many outlaws had already gotten lost in the swamp and never made it out again.

If it weren't for the antidote and the map, almost no one would want to come into this godforsaken place.

Even for an elite professional like him, it's the same.

It's no exaggeration to say that if you lose your way here, you're doomed.

Calvin's voice rang out again, with a warning, "Follow the markings, don't stray, watch out for any movement in the woodlands ahead and on either side, beware of ambushes."

Upon hearing this, the mages chanted softly and cast auxiliary spells once more.

[Detect Magic]

Several of them had their eyes covered by a faint blue light as they scanned their surroundings, observing any unusual magical fluctuations in an attempt to find traces of magical traps.

The others lightly tapped their foreheads with their fingers.

[Sharp Ear Technique]

Eagle Eye Technique

Their hearing and vision were temporarily enhanced, allowing them to catch subtle sounds and signs of movement in the distance.

The magic, combined with the professional reconnaissance of the thieves ahead, almost wove together an invisible early warning network.

Just then, one of the thieves responsible for flank reconnaissance suddenly emitted a low bird-like warning sound.

Soon, squad leader Rex picked a rather strange-looking beetle from a branch of a nearby tree.

The beetle remained motionless, seemingly possessing some ability to minimize its presence, but its most peculiar feature was the small gel cap on its head.

"Commander, look at this..."

Rex handed the beetle to Calvin, who was riding over on his mount.

Calvin took the beetle, glanced at it briefly, and his expression darkened.

"Don't forget, our enemy is not humans, but a group of monsters. These are not ordinary beetles; they are most likely reconnaissance units sent out by them."

As if to confirm his words, soon, scouts from other directions also discovered several more beetles with gel caps on their heads.

"Damn, these beetles are really scouts."

In an instant, all the mercenaries who heard the news broke out in a cold sweat and felt a chill in their hearts.

Their march, which they thought was sufficiently secretive, was actually under enemy surveillance from beginning to end.

This is too incredible.

Calvin's expression remained cold and hard, but his eyes held a hint of vigilance as he gave the order without hesitation.

"The entire regiment should increase vigilance and expand the frequency and scope of reconnaissance. Any creature here—even a seemingly harmless slime, an ordinary frog, or even a flying insect—could be an enemy spy. We must not overlook any suspicious activity."

"Yes!"

All the mercenaries tensed up and responded in unison.

The already cautious group became even more tense, their eyes scanning for any potential threats in the fog, and their marching speed slowed down.

.........

Intelligence that the beetle scouts were being discovered and captured one by one was quickly relayed back to the fortress.

The atmosphere on the city wall was somber.

The metal slime gunners stood still beside the cannon array, their smooth silver surfaces reflecting the dim light of the sky. Their faces were serious, and they were ready for battle.

Arthur sat in the shadows beneath the crenellations of the city wall, meticulously polishing his knight's lance in preparation for the upcoming battle.

At the city wall's edge, Chen Yu and several elves, including Iselin, were gazing southwest into the forest, reviewing the last intelligence relayed by the beetles.

Chen Yu was somewhat surprised.

The mercenaries quickly discovered the beetle scouts he had sent out; this regiment was indeed much more troublesome than the previous enemies.

He immediately issued orders through the military slime, instructing all remaining beetle scouts to retreat in order to avoid further losses.

Meanwhile, the assassin bee soldiers had already arrived at the route the regiment was bound to take, lurking in the gaps between the branches and leaves high up, completely still, and peering into the dark forest.

These creatures are smaller than beetles and have a higher level of "stealth," meaning they make a buzzing sound when flying, making them unsuitable for close-range infiltration and easy for enemies to detect. Therefore, they need to be ambushed in advance along the planned route.

After receiving the intelligence, Iserline fell into deep thought.

"Calvin, as expected of a knight, is even more cautious than I imagined."

Chen Yu swayed up and down.

“It’s alright. They rely on traditional maps and markers and know nothing about the ‘new changes’ in this swamp.”

"We can prepare some small gifts in advance to welcome them."

small gift?
Before Iselin could ask, news came from afar that the troupe had fallen into a trap.

……

In the swampy forest shrouded in poisonous fog, the mercenaries cautiously advanced for a short while before the fog suddenly became unusually thick.

The fog not only obscured their vision, but also caused the thieves who entered to instantly lose their sense of direction. They struggled for a while before returning to their original positions, their faces filled with confusion and fear.

"What's going on?" Rex hissed.

The mage in the group immediately stepped forward, raised his staff, and chanted a spell.

【Whirlwind Technique】

A strong gust of air blew out, temporarily dispersing the thick fog ahead.

However, as soon as the spell's effect wore off, the eerie mist seemed to come alive, gathering from all directions once more and blocking the road again.

"It's a magic circle!" the mage declared gravely. "Someone has set up a deceptive magic circle!"

Rex's heart sank: "The intelligence didn't mention that these monsters could set up magic circles. This is too much of a discrepancy."

He simply couldn't imagine how a group of monsters could master such skills that required precise knowledge and magical manipulation.

Could there be undiscovered human mages or other intelligent beings hiding behind this force?

Anxiety began to spread among the mercenaries.

Just then, Calvin spurred the swamp salamander forward.

His gaze swept across the foggy area in front of him as he calmly explained.

"Quiet."

"The structure of the exposed magic circle inside is quite crude and primitive, like it was set up by a beginner. It's not surprising that the monsters could imitate it."

"Now, mages, focus on detecting magical anomalies in this area, locate the core of the magic circle, and destroy it. The rest of you, carefully explore the surrounding area to see if there are any traps."

With clear instructions, the mercenaries immediately sprang into action.

Soon, a mage pointed to a certain direction deep within the fog.

“There’s something glowing over there.”

The spell ray hit its mark precisely, and sure enough, the surrounding fog began to thin and dissipate at a visible speed, quickly returning to normal.

"Success!"

"It turns out it's that simple."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, and their fear of the unknown magic circle dissipated considerably. Some even felt that the demonic forces were nothing special.

But Calvin's intuition, honed by years of battlefield experience, told him that danger still lingered. Instead of immediately ordering the entire army to advance, he instructed the thieves to more carefully examine the seemingly normal land ahead.

Upon investigation, a problem was indeed discovered!
A thief gently inserted a probe into the soft mud and touched a soft, bouncy object.

He carefully dug away the topsoil, revealing several clumps of gel that were disguised very well.

Before anyone around could react to what it was, Calvin's pupils contracted, and he instantly tore open two prepared protective scrolls.

Bloodthorn Shield

A crimson magical light instantly enveloped the thieves at the forefront.

The clumps of gel suddenly glowed with a blinding red light and expanded rapidly.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Violent explosions rang out one after another, sending dirt and decaying leaves flying everywhere. Powerful shockwaves slammed into the magical shield, creating violent ripples.

Although they escaped unharmed, the force of the explosion still turned the thieves pale. They collapsed to the ground, staring at the small crater where they had dug the hole, still shaken and seemingly paralyzed with fear.

The other mercenaries also gasped, their faces extremely grave.

"This stuff is slime gel, right... how could it explode?!" Rex's voice even changed.

"The intelligence is true; the slimes here are far more terrifying than we imagined."

Calvin glanced at them. “Keep going, watch your step and anything suspicious.”

"Yes." This time, no one dared to be careless.

The team resumed its advance, but the atmosphere became even more oppressive and tense. Before they had gone far, a second, similar area of ​​confusing fog appeared.

"Oh, damn it, this is never going to end," the mercenaries muttered under their breath.

This demonic force may not be the strongest they've ever seen, but it's definitely the most insidious and annoying.

That's so disgusting.

This time they were more cautious.

After the mage quickly located and destroyed the magic circle nodes, the thieves, clutching their protective scrolls, cautiously approached and probed inch by inch as if facing a formidable enemy.

This time, it seems that there was no explosive gel buried around the magic circle.

Even Calvin, after careful observation, relaxed his guard slightly.

However, after the three thieves crossed the magic circle and walked more than ten meters,

"boom!!"

A violent explosion erupted beneath their feet.

The three thieves only had time to let out a short scream before they were blasted away and crashed heavily to the ground, their legs covered in blood and gore.

"Warning! There are traps ahead!" Calvin's expression changed, and he immediately shouted.

The group stirred, and the mercenaries quickly stepped forward to give the wounded thieves healing potions and treat their wounds, thus saving their lives.

After this ordeal, all the mercenaries looked extremely grim.

They once again redefined their understanding of just how "insidious and cunning" this demonic force was.

"Damn it... If I didn't know that the other side was a group of demons, I would have thought they were some even more ruthless competitors than us."

"That's so unruly!"

The mercenaries muttered curses under their breath, their resentment building up and their nerves stretched to the limit. Now, the slightest disturbance could trigger an overreaction from them.

However, their nightmare was not over yet. Not long after they advanced, a third maze suddenly appeared in front of them.

"..."

I'm numb, completely numb.

Fortunately, after this thorough search, the mercenaries did not trigger any new traps in the vicinity.

It's probably because Chen Yu didn't actually set it up here.

On the distant fortress walls, Iserline heard the information transmitted back by the gel ring and felt somewhat curious.

"Lord Slime, just how many of these 'welcome ceremonies' have you prepared?"

"Hmm... not many, maybe a dozen or so."

As for the explosive gel, it was placed by his clone, and the placement was purely based on his mood; he would put it wherever it felt appropriate.

Upon hearing this, Iserline was speechless.

She could already imagine the interesting expressions on the faces of those mercenaries, knowing what awaited them.

Chen Yu calmly replied, "These are just appetizers."

"It's just a matter of delaying their advance, exhausting their energy, scrolls, and patience. The real battle hasn't even begun yet."

As Chen Yu said, the formation advanced all the way, but after encountering a series of magic circles and traps, their mentality collapsed and they also consumed a lot of protective scrolls.

Before they even reached their destination, the mercenaries' resentment was already overflowing.

Calvin remained expressionless, only issuing repeated orders to intensify reconnaissance and steadily advance the operation.

Finally, after passing through the thirteenth maze, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

The dense forest thinned out, and the long-awaited sunlight dappled down.

At the edge of the woods, the outline of a fortress came into view.

"Here we are, we're here!"

"Damn it, we're finally here!"

At this moment, the mercenaries were almost overjoyed and wept. At the same time, all the frustration, anger and exhaustion they had accumulated along the way instantly transformed into raging fury and greed.

"Damn monster, how dare you play us like this."

"Break through it, loot everything, and teach them a lesson they won't forget!"

(End of this chapter)