Our Dharma Masters are like this.

Chapter 21 Engaging the Enemy
After counting the trail of slime for a while, Vales stood up.

"There are probably more than twenty slimes in this group. No wonder the water source is polluted."

Slimes constantly secrete a poisonous liquid and like to gather in damp places, especially rivers.

There have been many cases of people who went swimming in the river and were attacked and killed by slimes.

One or two slimes are fine, but once the number increases, quantitative change leads to qualitative change, which will seriously damage the local ecological environment and water resources.

Drinking contaminated water can cause diarrhea and dehydration in mild cases, and even endanger life in severe cases.

Twenty-odd slimes are manageable, but you need to pay attention to your formation.

We must control their attack positions in front of us; if they surround us from all sides, it will be quite troublesome.

Therefore, positioning becomes especially important.

“I’ll lead the way, Vales in the middle, and provide the light with torches, and Zellir, you’ll bring up the rear.”

Marcus began to deploy tactics, "When I advance, you advance; when I retreat, you retreat, but don't go beyond my position."

"clear."

Vales nodded, and he took out a resin torch, more than half a meter long, from his backpack, ready for Zell to light it.

“No need for torches, I can provide the lighting,” Zellier said.

He focused his mind slightly, and after a brief casting time, a bright ball of light appeared at the tip of the ash wood.

Zellier tossed the ash wood upwards, and the ball of light hovered above the three of them.

It illuminates a very wide area, far surpassing a torch, and can also automatically follow Zellir.

"You've learned new magic?" Marcus looked up at him.

“Of course I need to expand my skills,” Zellier chuckled.

Vales was also somewhat surprised.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Last time, everyone got four gold coins, so it's normal to buy some magic scrolls.

Moreover, not having to carry a torch frees up one hand, making it easier to enter combat mode at any time and improving safety.

The team began entering the abandoned cave.

At the entrance, the uneven ground formed small pits, and several thin streams of water seeped out from the cracks in the rocks and gathered in the pits.

The water in the puddle was noticeably thicker and had a sour, rotten smell typical of slime, indicating that it had been contaminated.

Numerous vines and unidentified ferns hung down from the top, partially obscuring the darkness ahead, while the orbs of light followed the procession slowly, illuminating the path.

Marcus, with a shield in one hand and a knife in the other, maintained a normal pace of movement, while Vales took his bow off his back, ready to fight.

The deeper you go into the cave, the louder the sound of the underground river becomes. The sound of waves crashing against the rocks echoes repeatedly, creating a rumbling noise.

"Wait a minute, did you hear that?" Vales suddenly spoke up.

Marcus stopped in his tracks upon hearing this, and he and Zellier began to listen carefully.

"despair……"

"Ta-ta..."

"despair……"

It sounded like jelly hitting the ground; it was very faint, but it was definitely there.

"That's the sound of slimes moving; they're just ahead."

Marcus gave a concise order: "Prepare for battle, proceed according to the previous plan."

After passing a giant stalactite, the view suddenly opened up before us.

It was a cavern like a plaza, where underground rivers converged to form a pool.

Around the pool, countless gray-green, translucent gels—slime—writhed in dense clusters!

Adventurers' Guild General Monster Encyclopedia

Sequence 2: Slime

Individual Threat Rating: [Simple] Physical Characteristics:

A translucent, gel-like creature, with a faint magical crystal at its core, which is the source of its life and instincts.

The color of slimes can change depending on their living environment, ranging from the gray-green commonly found in caves to the dark brown of swampy areas.

Lifestyle habits:
They prefer dark and damp places and are among the lowest-level monsters. They have virtually no intelligence and act solely on instinct.

special power:

Because of its gel-like body structure, it possesses a certain degree of physical resistance. The mucus it secretes can cause corrosive damage to the human body, but it is ineffective against iron.

Core weakness:

Attacking the magic core at the center of the slime's body will kill it instantly.

Alternatively, flames are also a good option; under continuous burning, the slime's body will quickly melt.

Association Notes:

These slimy, low-level monsters don't pose much of a threat to humans.

They move slowly, and their only attack method is to jump onto your face, suffocating you while corroding your skin with mucus. Just be careful to avoid them.

Additionally, if you are resting in a swamp or damp area, be sure to carefully check your surroundings, as slimes may crawl onto your face while you are sleeping.

Marcus glanced back at the two of them, then slowly nodded.

These guys are the targets of this mission.

No need for further words, the battle has begun!
Vales' arrow is always the first to leave the bowstring; he chose the slime closest to the group.

"Pfft!"

The arrow pierced the gel-like body, hitting its core precisely. The slime instantly exploded, scattering its viscous semi-solid substance everywhere.

This arrow also caused the slime swarm to riot. They realized the presence of the enemy, so more than twenty slimes jumped up and down and moved quickly toward the team.

"bring it on!"

Marcus took the lead, stepping forward a few paces and decisively taking the lead.

A slime leaped forward, trying to pounce on Marcus's face.

Marcus deflected it with his shield and then followed up with a slash!

When the battle sword made contact with the slime's body, some of the force was clearly deflected.

But Marcus was too strong; the blade still managed to cut in and then strike its core, killing it.

Marcus then swung his sword backhand at another slime.

However, this time he missed and failed to hit the key area.

The blade cut several tens of centimeters into the slime's body but could not penetrate any further; it only pushed the slime back a distance, and the slime still retained its ability to move.

Meanwhile, Vales continued to fire arrows.

However, his accuracy clearly decreased significantly when the slime was jumping around.

Most of the arrows only pierced the slime's body, failing to hit its core and kill it.

Zellier observed the situation.

In this situation, the fireball spell doesn't seem to be very effective.

After all, the fireball spell only explodes for a moment, and the slime has no accelerant, so it cannot continue to burn.

Water polo is even more of a concern; it's purely a side effect.

Using Flame Breath... seems like a bit too wasteful.

This spell consumes a lot of mana, and the slimes are quite spread out, making it impossible to catch them all at once.

After a brief moment of thought, Zellir decided on a plan. He picked up the ash wood and began to outline the spell.

(End of this chapter)