Slime Immortal.

Chapter 165 Green Nightmare
Cracked Stone Pass.

The ruins of the collapsed mine, like a huge scar, lie deep in the pass. The slaves still toil numbly under the whistling of the overseer's whip, hunching over as they carry heavy stones.

At the edge of the camp, the curtain of a tent was suddenly flung open, and several human mercenaries staggered backward, their faces filled with fear. They quickly disappeared along the path leading outside, cursing all the while.

Hammerbone's tall figure emerged from the tent, his thick arms crossed over his chest. He stared in the direction the mercenaries had fled, letting out a deep snort from his nose.

"They swallowed the legion's bounty, messed things up, and still have the nerve to ask for more? Humans have skin thicker than the walls of a fortress."

A goblin sar dressed in a dirty robe hurriedly stepped forward, rubbing his hands together and chuckling, "You're right, these humans are completely unreliable."

"I think they just embezzled money and made up some nonsense about undead lords and wyverns to report back. What decent stuff could they possibly have in that wretched place, the Eastern Swamp? Just some low-level slimes."

Before he could finish speaking, Hammerbone's rough, large hand reached out and lifted him up in front of him like a chick.

Hammerbone snorted and glared at him: "What do you mean by that? Are you doubting that I can't even beat a few slimes?"

"I told you, those aren't ordinary slimes!"

Just thinking about those slippery green figures brings a surge of inexplicable irritation and headache.

For the past few nights, he has been dreaming that he is being played with in all sorts of ridiculous ways by those slimes, and then being pointed at and laughed at by everyone.

He started to find fault with everything, especially these green-skinned goblins, which always gave him unpleasant associations, making him feel that each of them was gossiping behind his back.

For someone as naturally proud as him, this frustration and anger were more painful than failure.

The shaman hovered in mid-air, flailing his arms and legs, and said in a panic, "Lord Hammerbone, you misunderstand. What I mean is... there must be something strange about those slimes, otherwise why would they deserve your personal attention?"

Hammerbone seemed satisfied then, casually tossing him down, clapping his hands, and making a buzzing sound:

"That's more like it. I have to admit, those slippery things are indeed not simple."

"It seems there is indeed something hidden in that swamp, posing a great threat to the legion... However, once the legion commander completes his trial, their good days will be over."

In short, the powerful Lord Hammerbone would never admit that he was defeated by a lowly monster.

Therefore, there is only one truth—the opponent must be some kind of powerful monster disguised as a slime.

Thinking about it this way, he immediately felt much better.

The goblin shaman crawled back and asked cautiously, "Then... Lord Hammerbone, are we just going to wait and let them run rampant in the east?"

It would have been better if he hadn't brought it up, because the mention of it made Hammerbone feel aggrieved and embarrassed.

He kicked an empty wooden box next to him, and the box shattered.

"You can't possibly fathom the legion's strategy; the legion commander has surely already made arrangements."

He brandished his mace, trying to regain his momentum, "But if any of those guys who dare to disguise themselves as slimes step into the Western Swamp, I guarantee I'll smash them one by one and expose their true forms."

The shaman immediately chimed in, "Lord Hammerbone is mighty! With you here, they certainly won't dare to come over."

Hammerbone raised his head, nodded in satisfaction, and was about to say something more.

"Not good! Not good!"

Several goblin scouts returned riding frightened giant lizards. They rushed into the camp and scrambled towards Hammerbone.

Hammerbone frowned unhappily and grabbed the leader: "What's the panic? Can't you see I'm standing here?"

The scout was so frightened he stammered, "It's...it's those slimes. They...they've come to the Western Swamp!"

"Oh?" Hammer Bone paused in his movements.

"And they're building a fortress there; the walls are already up, and lots of beetles and slimes are working on it!"

Upon hearing the word "slime," Hammerbone felt a surge of anger and let out an annoyed snort.

Why is it always these sticky things that I can't shake off?

The mere thought of it made him itch all over.

Faced with the gazes of numerous goblins, he could only suppress his urge to smash every green thing in front of him, and firmly stated in his voice, "They're just some slimes, watch how I..."

Before he could finish speaking, a slow, deliberate voice, tinged with sarcasm, rang out from the shadows in a corner of the camp.

"Oh my, look who this is? Our invincible Hammerbone General, why is he so flustered and on high alert when facing a few slimes? This is damaging the Legion's reputation."

Hammerbone's expression darkened, and he slowly turned his head.

A tall figure wearing a tattered cloak was seen leaning against a pile of clutter, his eyes peering out from the shadow of the hood.

"Grumger".

Hammerbone's voice deepened, "You scoundrel, didn't you roll back to Golden Radiance Valley? Now you're sneaking back like a gopher, aren't you afraid the Legion Commander will find out?"

The figure known as Grumg let out a low, hoarse laugh, pulled back his hood to reveal a purple ogre face, but his eyes betrayed a sinister intent that did not match his rugged appearance.

"Heh heh... The great Kassarik sees all things, and his will is as fiery as a furnace, unlike some mere muscle-bound guys who can be toyed with by mere slimes and end up having to have others clean up the mess."

"I've heard about your deeds in the valley. That's why I came back specifically to help you. Shouldn't I say thank you?"

Hammerbone gripped the nail-headed hammer tightly in his hand and let out a muffled groan.

He and Grumger have a long-standing feud.

It's obvious to everyone that this guy is mocking him.

In his view, cannibals were inferior creatures who couldn't control their appetites. A few months ago, one of his subordinates had been eaten. If the legion commander hadn't stopped him, he would have smashed his head in.

Seemingly sensing his thoughts, two taller bear goblin guards, clad in Legion-standard armor, silently appeared behind Grumger, their cold gazes sweeping over Hammerbone.

One of them spoke in a low voice: "Hammerbone, Mage Grumg was invited back by the Legion Commander to assist with the defense and repair work. You should use your energy on the real enemy and deal with the troubles in the Western Swamp as soon as possible."

Hammerbone looked at the legion commander's personal guard, loosened his fist, turned his face to the side, and panted heavily.

Grumger chuckled smugly, straightening his tattered robe, which didn't really need straightening: "Brute force can't solve all problems, Hammerbone."

"It seems that in the end, we still have to rely on real wisdom to clean up the trash. You stay here and take good care of the house."

Hammerbone was brooding when suddenly, his usually slow-thinking mind had a flash of inspiration.

Those slimes are quite strange; perhaps he can use their power to teach this arrogant ogre a lesson.

Let him also experience what it's like to be plagued by nightmares.

Hmm...on closer inspection, it actually works.

Hahaha!
Hammerbone had never admired his own wisdom as much as he did now, that he could come up with such a perfect idea.

He turned his head, sized up Grumger, and attacked mercilessly: "You? You look like you could be blown away by the wind, as skinny as a kobold who hasn't eaten for three months. What makes you look like an ogre warrior?"

"Don't get beaten up by slimes halfway there and start crying for help, Master Hammerbone. Don't expect me to come to your rescue then."

Grumger's eyes narrowed dangerously.

He saw through Hammerbone's inferior provocation at a glance, but his contempt for the barbarians and absolute confidence in his own wisdom made him unable to tolerate such questioning.

"Hmph, what a foolish attempt to provoke me."

He grabbed the twisted wooden staff beside him, his voice turning cold, "Lead the way, General Hammerbone. Hopefully, by the time we arrive, your 'prestige' won't have scared those snotty monsters away."

……

Construction site of the Lieshi Fortress.

In this land, located in the buffer zone between the swamp and the goblin territory, the dark brown soil carries the muddy texture characteristic of the swamp, and tall swamp ferns grow tenaciously around it, along with large patches of withered yellow and dark green reeds.

At this moment, this once desolate land, where only the sounds of wind and insects could be heard, is now bustling with activity like never before.

Under the protection of the Stinger Bee Legion, the Slime Engineering Team immediately began construction work upon arrival.

A group of metallic slimes, their bodies shimmering with a silvery-gray metallic luster, spun rapidly like round, living drills, easily severing the twisted shrubs and low trees that blocked their view and sunlight, emitting a rhythmic "buzzing" sound.

They are extremely efficient, and obstacles are quickly cleared away wherever they go.

Immediately afterwards, rows of slime engineers hopped and skipped across the cleared muddy ground.

They pattered past, seeping the magic of the gel into the soil. [Soil Hardening]

The originally damp and sticky ground became firm and flat at a visible speed under the effect of magic, as if it had been repeatedly tamped down by an invisible hammer.

Soon, a sufficiently large and sturdy construction site was cleared out.

To guard against possible goblin attacks, the construction team prioritized building the city walls.

Using boulders and hardwoods common in swamps, mixed with a special adhesive secreted by slimes, they built an outpost at an astonishing speed.

Although it is not large in scale and is not as impregnable as a real fortress, it can barely accommodate all the slimes on the construction site at critical moments, so that they are not harmed.

Next, it was the turn of the Metal Slime Gunners and the Beetle Engineers to take the field.

The beetle engineers carefully unloaded the "Goblin Ripper" parts that had been transported.

The metal slime gunners, like experienced engineers, use their flexible and adaptable bodies to precisely install these components into the pre-set firing positions on the city wall.

With a soft snap and a buzzing sound as the crystal talisman and the talisman circuits were connected, the four cannon arrays were quickly set up on the wall.

The spirit stones at the base of the array lit up one by one, shining brightly against the dim backdrop of the swamp, like constellations illuminated, mysterious and deadly.

Meanwhile, logistical support troops were steadily arriving on the makeshift road carved out of the eastern swamp.

More slime workers, building materials, and a squad of stinging bees guarding the site made the construction site even more bustling with activity.

Of the three new fortresses planned, the Rockbreaker Fortress will be the most heavily fortified, as it will directly face the goblin army. Nearly half of the territory's stinging bees have been deployed here to patrol and guard the area.

Currently, the one temporarily in charge of the fortress's defense is the metal slime brother who came out of the underground city.

After being strengthened by Chen Yu multiple times, its strength is now vastly different from what it used to be.

Its metallic shell has a deeper, heavier dark silver luster, and it is also larger than a regular metal slime.

More importantly, it is equipped with Lv.4 "Life Drain", Lv.4 "Fire Resistance" and Lv.4 "Tough Shell".

While enhancing endurance, it also compensates for the metal slime's weakness to fire, further improves physical defense, and effectively reduces the magical damage it receives.

It is now comparable to a mini-elite monster, and without a mage's sneak attack, it is difficult for ordinary elite melee units to defeat it.

Bearing the heavy responsibility of protecting his companions and the construction site, the Metal Slime dared not slack off in the slightest.

It was leading a squad of similarly reinforced metal slime guards, meticulously patrolling along the outer perimeter of the newly built low wall.

Their round bodies rolled slowly across the hardened ground, their metallic shells reflecting the gray light of the swamp, their wary eyes scanning every inch of suspicious grass and shadow.

"Slap...slap slap..."

Several small slime engineers carrying stones hopped happily past them, hurrying off to help raise the city wall.

Looking at this bustling and vibrant scene before me, and seeing my compatriots no longer hiding, but building their homes with hope.

A strong sense of pride welled up within the simple mind of the Metal Slime Brother.

Who would have thought that these slimes, who once could only hide in dark corners and were regarded as the lowest of beings by all creatures, would one day swagger in the sunlight and even build fortresses and kingdoms with their own hands!
All of this is thanks to their great king, who led them to where they are today.

Brother Slime thought with deep respect, but his patrol pace did not slow down in the slightest.

Just as a patrol was about to end, it thought the goblins wouldn't bother it that day.

Swish!
Suddenly, an unusual commotion arose from the depths of the desolate field ahead, overgrown with waist-high reeds.

The dense grass stalks shook violently, as if something was moving rapidly through them.

Immediately afterwards, one after another, short, ugly, green figures darted out from among the grass stalks.

Armed with crude knives, axes, and clubs, and with greedy and ferocious expressions on their faces, they swarmed out of the bushes like locusts.

It's a goblin!

“Buzz——!!!”

The metal slime brother instantly emitted a sharp buzzing alarm, its round body tensing up abruptly as it crashed heavily into the alarm bell hanging on the nearby wooden post.

when!when!when!
The piercing alarm bell instantly resounded throughout the busy construction site.

All the working slimes stopped at the same time, their eyes filled with panic, and under the guidance of the metal slime guards, they hurriedly and scurried into the outpost.

No one expected that war would break out so suddenly.

On the barren fields, the reeds, a mix of withered yellow and deep green, rustled softly in the breeze, and more and more goblins emerged from them.

Behind them, the dense grass stalks were roughly torn apart by a thick arm, revealing the tall and imposing figure of Hammerbone.

He carried the huge mace and looked suspiciously into the field ahead. When he saw what was there, his eyes instantly filled with astonishment and uncertainty.

A rough but well-structured stone and wood outpost stood out abruptly in the open space not far ahead, as if it had grown out of the ground.

Although not large in scale, the stacked walls and the gleaming metal on the top of the walls clearly indicated that this was a defensive fortification.

A sentry post?
When did this happen...?

His gaze moved upwards and quickly settled on the rows of solemnly standing metal slimes on the wall.

It's those damn slimes again.

Damn it, how did they manage to build this outpost so quietly in a single day?

As he pondered, Grumg pushed aside the last reeds and slowly strolled to his side. "General Hammerbone, it seems your defenses at the Rock Crack Pass aren't very good. You actually allowed these lowly gelatinous creatures to build an outpost right under your nose, and it wasn't discovered until they were finished."

Hammer Bone instinctively wanted to refute him, telling him that this damn thing had only appeared today.

But as soon as he got the words out, the thought of betraying his teammates suddenly cleared his mind, which had been blocked for years, making it incredibly smooth and even boosting his IQ.

So Hammerbone swallowed his words back, only letting out a muffled groan from his nose, without telling him the truth.

Seeing his reaction, Grumger was even more certain of his guess that he hadn't seen through his disguise this time.

That brainless idiot wouldn't even realize someone had sneaked up to his doorstep.

He could already imagine how Hammerbone's status in the legion would plummet after he returned and reported the situation to the legion commander with a slightly exaggerated account.

The two burly men, each with their own ulterior motives, reached a strange agreement and began to approach the outpost together.

Before Hammerbone could figure out how to start, Grumger had already taken the lead and stepped forward.

He straightened his tattered mage robe, raised his head, and slowly spoke in ogre language to the slimes on the city wall:

"How dare you! Do you know that the Western Swamp is the territory of our Goblin Legion? Some snot-nosed people dare to occupy our land."

Despite saying that, he still cautiously hid behind a few stunned goblins.

He knew Hammerbone's strength very well; how could he possibly be defeated by some low-level monsters?

The slime's ability to organize and mobilize seemed to this veteran mage more like it was being controlled by some powerful monster.

We must be vigilant.

On the city wall, after listening to the babbling of the big purple guy below, the slimes seemed to collectively freeze for a second.

They hopped around, turning left and right, looking at each other with their tiny eyes filled with great confusion.

"Weird guy."

"Are they speaking goblin language? I can't understand it."

"Looks like they're accomplices of the goblins?"

"Beat him up?"

"beat him!"

After a brief exchange, the slimes quickly reached a consensus.

(End of this chapter)