Infinite Hunter

The lead bullets sealed their fate—the two chimeras were struck, the lead bullets piercing their feathers, scales, and muscles, transferring kinetic energy, and plummeting from the sky. They weren't dead yet, their snake bodies still stirring. The remaining chimera coiled, probably unsure of what to do.

Cheng Yijiu quickly caught up, beheading them one by one with his sword. With a push of his thumb, the musket opened, spilling the remaining charred paper shells. Cheng Yijiu fished out two new bullets and loaded them. The last chimera escaped, and Cheng Yijiu, curious, took out his knife and pretended to scratch it a few times. Before long, the corpses had been transformed into props—"Chimera feathers? Chimera magic cores?" It wasn't much, after all, since he only killed two.

The commentary revealed that the Chimera's feathers could actually be used directly, removing paralysis for oneself and paralyzing enemies. The magic cores could still be used for crafting and forging, as well as powering magic items. Tonight's harvest was quite good, and Cheng Yijiu felt he should go back to bed early.

Then he heard cries for help and strange laughter. He followed the sound and found that it was the rare night goblins - these green-skinned dwarfs seemed to be much stronger than those who appeared during the day. They had bald heads and pointed ears, and their bodies were as square and strong as small safes. The things they carried in their hands looked much more sophisticated and heavier than those skinny trash during the day.

The weak voices calling for help came from a female knight who was clearly on the verge of collapse, and a nun slumped on the ground, seemingly drained of energy, holding a scepter. Cracks were already appearing in the female knight's armor. "How can she wear such plate armor and still fight? This girl's physical strength is truly formidable." As a simple swordsman, Cheng Yijiu admired the female knight's strength.

The female knight held a greatsword, and her armor was quite form-fitting. It was the skirt, leg armor, and breastplate that Cheng Yijiu thought looked more like ceremonial armor. Surrounded by goblins, Cheng Yijiu prioritized saving lives. So he leaped in, the moonlight shining on him making his form seem almost ethereal.

Cheng Yijiu immediately launched a spinning slash, a powerful strike within his broadsword technique. His body naturally sank, and the sword's light flashed like a full moon, slicing through the two goblins standing close together with one strike. Under Cheng Yijiu's power, especially the first strike he launched after rushing into the arena, the Demon-Breaking Sword sliced ​​through the two muscular goblins as smoothly as a hot knife through butter.

The muscular goblin lying on the ground could still move its lower body. This thing still has strong vitality. The remaining goblins reacted very quickly and launched a siege on Cheng Yijiu. The two women had almost lost their fighting ability. They had to kill this man who suddenly appeared first.

So, Cheng Yijiu's swordsmanship came into play, his swordsmanship of slashing and slashing was in use. This was the swordsmanship he needed to quickly finish off the enemy. The sword gleamed in the moonlight, and the only sound was the whirring sound of the blade piercing flesh and the sound of blood spurting out like flowing water. The female knight hadn't lost her mind yet, and all she could see was the flash, a flash that lingered on her retina.

The light suddenly shrank, and Cheng Yijiu stood on the ground, surrounded by the scattered remains of goblins. In just less than a minute, all the goblins were killed after the intense battle, and the price Cheng Yijiu paid was just that his already tattered clothes became even more tattered, and he also had a few more scratches on his body.

"Hey! Can you still move? Help me clean the wound and apply some medicine," Cheng Yijiu called to the stunned female knight. Only then did the female knight awaken, running over and frantically washing the wound with the water Cheng Yijiu had given her, applying the ointment Cheng Yijiu had given her, and bandaging it with gauze. Cheng Yijiu himself pretended to be a goblin with a knife, and soon the goblin's body had also become a prop.

This time, there were quite a few weapons and equipment—from wooden clubs to daggers and leather armor. Each goblin dropped at least one weapon, and of course, each goblin also dropped its own magic core, and even a fair amount of copper coins. "These are the most common items," the female knight said as she helped. "There are no rare items." The nun finally recovered and tried to cast a healing spell, but Cheng Yijiu declined.

If this girl used her magic again, she would definitely be carried back. Cheng Yijiu thought it was better not to go to such trouble. "Thank you, my name is Christina, this is Gina, thank you for saving us." The female knight was still shaking unconsciously as she said this. It seemed that if she fell into the hands of these goblins, it might be worse than death.

Cheng Yijiu took them back to the city. The two girls had a fixed residence. After separating from them, Cheng Yijiu also returned to the inn he rented to rest. The next morning, Cheng Yijiu saw the two girls while eating breakfast in the lobby. "Thank you, Mr. Capone." What Cheng Yijiu saw were two young girls full of youth. After washing off the blood stains on their bodies and changing into daily clean clothes, they were really two beautiful girls.

Christina was full of energy, while Gina was gentle and shy. Seeing them, Cheng Yijiu's mood brightened considerably. He was currently dressed in the common garb of adventurers in this world: a pullover, jacket, pants, and leather boots. His own demon hunter suit was hanging in his room, cleaned, and undergoing self-repair. "Have you eaten yet? If not, why not sit down and have something to eat together?" Cheng Yijiu invited.

Christina pulled Gina to sit down. During their conversation, Cheng Yijiu also deliberately asked about the news of the golden slime. They did have their own news, saying that the golden slime had appeared in a certain dungeon. Of course, it was just hearsay. "Let's go to the guild. The information there is more reliable," Gina said.

chapter eight

Two girls accompanied Cheng Yijiu, who called himself Capone, to the Adventurer's Guild. "Hey, Miss Receptionist, how's the Golden Slime?" Capone Cheng Yijiu asked. The two girls, who seemed more familiar with the receptionist, chattered away. The receptionist looked a bit troubled. "I'm sorry, the Guild's information doesn't necessarily mention the location of the Golden Slime—at least not in the area under our jurisdiction."

Indeed, the monster levels here were roughly between 10 and 30, which didn't seem like a place where golden slimes would be more common. Cheng Yijiu, a veteran gamer, was well aware of this, and he actually quite liked this style of game. This was a more convenient, cleaner, and less sleazy European atmosphere. Normally, this would be covered in feces and urine.

If there were no missions, it would be fine to play around, but Cheng Yijiu didn't want to turn into a slime to complete the punishment mission! Although this thing could be considered a monster, the thought of himself rolling and squirming on the ground made Cheng Yijiu lose all interest in participating in this punishment mission. The real thing was to quickly find the golden slime and kill it.

So, Cheng Yijiu had to continue heading north, but could he change his equipment? He only had a sword and a spear, which were pretty good. His clothes were actually a bit outdated as equipment—these were about level 15 equipment. Although Cheng Yijiu didn't benefit from equipment bonuses, these things couldn't withstand the monsters' attacks.

Changing armor? Cheng Yijiu still found the demon hunter look pretty cool. He actually missed the lion skin more; it would probably last him until he met the Demon King. Since they wouldn't give it to him, Cheng Yijiu would have no choice but to sell his gear and get new armor. It would be nice if it really became a game. He should be able to find the golden slime if he went north sooner.

The price of clothes as armor is not high. After adding the price of the spoils, the only armor set you can buy is a chain mail, and some parts are reinforced with steel plates. The defense of this thing is not very scientific. It seems quite high from the panel, but Cheng Yijiu tried it briefly and said, "The panel is not reliable."

The defense of unprotected areas remained unchanged, so the numbers on the panel were just for show. Cheng Yijiu also needed arm guards and a helmet. He chose what he could afford and bought them, preparing to continue north when he saw Christina and the other two girls running over, fully armed. "Wait for us, let's go together."

Cheng Yijiu was surprised. "Ah? Why do you want to go with me?"

"Yes, we want to go to a better place for adventure and fight evil monsters." Christina said this, and Cheng Yijiu didn't want to say that you were almost killed by goblins before. Is it really okay to go to a high-level place with such a level? Cheng Yijiu himself had no interest in upgrading his level - he really mastered his body and strength skills, and he could definitely use his current all.

The numbers on the panel were just for show, not Cheng Yijiu's true combat prowess. He'd had some fun before, exchanging a few moves with the Great Wild Boar King, but now he had to get serious. Decapitating the Great Wild Boar King with a single sword strike was the real deal—hence the need for applying ointment. Furthermore, the less clothing Cifu wore, the greater his combat prowess.

So if Cheng Yijiu only wore a pair of shorts, then his strength would theoretically reach the highest level blessed by Apollo, which is a bit embarrassing.

Since the two girls wanted to go with him, then they could go together and form a team. Along the way, Cheng Yijiu also asked Christina, "Aren't you tired of wearing this armor all day? Isn't this armor supposed to be worn only in battle?"

"Ah, it won't affect anything within the load range," Christina said, and Cheng Yijiu tapped her arm armor. "Although it's very hard, it's actually very thin. Is this really not ceremonial armor?" Forget it, this is just defensive equipment in the game, so it's better not to delve into it. They were also driving a carriage this time. Gina had paid for the carriage, carrying their supplies. Cheng Yijiu sat in the front, steering the horse along the road.

Their target is the big city of adventurers - Sekti, which is a city built purely for adventurers. There are several dungeons next to the city - from the "Great Abyss" to the "Palace of the Dead", several high-level dungeons are nearby, and there is a low-level dungeon "underground sewer" in the city, so this place can meet the needs of adventurers from intermediate to advanced.

The monsters they encountered along the way were mostly undead, mostly skeletons, with the occasional zombie. These skeletons were all intact, slightly higher-level soldiers armed with weapons, but unfortunately, under Miss Gina's white magic, they were quickly reduced to powder like boiling water on a snowdrift.

This is perfectly normal, as the path leads first through the outer reaches of the dungeon, the Palace of the Dead, before reaching the adventure city of Sekti. As you walk, you'll see endless cemeteries, deep within a dark, twisted forest. Above the forest rises a majestic, Gothic-style building, enormous. This is the Palace of the Dead—a paradise for the undead.

The outer areas are filled with monsters like skeletons and zombies. Once you enter the Black Forest, you'll encounter undead monsters like mummified monkeys, skeleton warriors, and zombie warriors. Ghosts will also appear, and higher-level undead monsters will linger in the houses, awaiting adventurers. "First, go to Sekti, gather information from the guild, and then choose a suitable dungeon to adventure in. And will golden slimes appear in the Palace of the Dead?" Cheng Yijiu was also curious.

Slimes were a very common monster, and he couldn't imagine what an undead slime looked like—it couldn't be a mummified slime wrapped in linen. He'd probably seen that in Dragon Quest—Akira Toriyama had a bit of a wicked sense of humor, but slimes probably wouldn't appear in a real dungeon of the dead.

Following the outer roads, past the danger zone, monsters vanished, and before us lay a magnificent city. The main roads intersecting the city were lined with various item shops, weapon stores, secondhand shops, magic shops, and inns. The largest building in the center housed the local Adventurer's Guild.

After Cheng Yijiu arrived here, the first thing he did was to go to the Adventurer's Guild and register with his card, so that he could enjoy the various "discount services" provided by the guild.

Chapter nine

The offensive shifted, and Cheng Yijiu immediately charged at the slime that looked like a ball of mercury. Real mercury didn't have such strong surface tension, yet it could maintain a semicircular shape and wriggle on the ground, almost the size of three footballs. Cheng Yijiu's sword couldn't penetrate it immediately; the monster was incredibly hard and resilient. As it rolled, the slime also felt heavy, making a rumbling sound.

If this thing had the same attack method as the slimes in the sewers, an ordinary adventurer would likely be killed in one blow—this thing looked like it weighed at least several hundred kilograms, and then it suddenly sprang up. Isn't that a battering ram several hundred kilograms in weight, and it expanded? It could easily reduce any human body it came into contact with to a pulp. "The enchanted sword couldn't penetrate it?" Cheng Yijiu was also surprised.

Although he was somewhat careless, the force of this strike was definitely not light, and the blade's strength was well controlled - these are the basics of sword fighting practice. "Maybe I need to be more serious." Cheng Yijiu, who had switched to the mace, decisively stepped back to avoid being killed by the damn metal slime's attack. Of course, he also grabbed Christina and said, "Don't rush in. This thing should be a very powerful monster."

Gina swung her scepter, sending a beam of light plummeting from the sky to strike the slime. The beam made the slime transparent, then shimmered slightly. "Not very effective. This thing has both high physical and magical defenses." Cheng Yijiu quickly approached, hammering down on it, his wrist still aching. However, the slime was completely deformed, with a small, strange protrusion on its surface.

Without hesitation, Cheng Yijiu swung his sword in his left hand. The sharpest point of the blade accurately broke through the metal layer on the small protrusion, shattering the olive-pit-sized magic core underneath. As the abstract facial features began to spin wildly, bubbles continuously formed on the slime's mercury surface. After a dozen seconds, like a deflated ball, it plopped onto the ground, transforming into a pool of boiling silver liquid.

It continued to shrink in size, becoming increasingly viscous and solidified, until it finally became a pool of irregularly raised metal flakes. Cheng Yijiu pried it from the ground. "Is this silver?" His alchemy couldn't be activated in this world, so Christina examined it carefully and knocked on it. "No, it's pure iron."

"Well, bad luck. I didn't get the expensive metal slime. There are other loot here, the metal slime skin? This soft and tough metal film is a good thing." Cheng Yijiu looked at the generated loot, and of course there was some money - almost all that was left this time were silver coins, and a magic core as big as a walnut.

Metal slimes were already relatively rare, and Cheng Yijiu was quite happy to see them appear this time. He thought he would probably encounter gold slimes soon. After leaving the Palace of the Dead, Cheng Yijiu returned to the guild to complete his quest. He planned to go to Dragon Mountain later, hoping he might encounter gold slimes there—though he couldn't go deep.

On the night of that day, demonic energy suddenly erupted from the Great Northern Void, and the six armies of the Demon King's army appeared simultaneously and launched an offensive against various countries...

The first to bear the brunt of the attack was the Adventurer City, facing a legion of super dragons—dragon-attributed monsters that began attacking the city in droves. These were monsters of the highest rank, with hydras and wyverns serving as the pawns, while demon dragons formed the core. Furthermore, powerful dragon riders launched direct attacks. In just ten minutes, the barrier protecting the city was broken, allowing dozens of dragons to charge in.

Then let's run away. A fully unleashed dragon is unmatched. Raging flames burned the entire city, and Cheng Yijiu frowned, feeling this was outrageous. "Where can I find the golden slime?" he wondered. Before him appeared a half-dragon, with a dragon's head, wings, and a tail, standing upright like a human. These half-dragons, clad in armor and armed with weapons, stood over three meters tall. They were the soldiers of the Super Dragon Legion.

These monsters' physiques and strength far surpassed those of humans, as did their agility. Ordinary adventurers would have difficulty surviving more than a few rounds against them—they possessed dragon-like defenses, both physical and magical. "We need to fight our way through first," Cheng Yijiu gestured for Christina and Gina, who had rushed out of the next room, to follow him. They hadn't even had time to fully equip themselves.

Cheng Yijiu, for example, wore only a pair of shorts, a piece of cloth wrapped around his body, and a pair of buckled sandals—the kind of attire you'd wear in a hotel. He only had time to pack a broadsword, a shotgun, and a bullet pouch, but he was facing a fully armed half-dragon. Christina and Gina were similar, though less revealing. They were both in pajamas and had only hastily grabbed their weapons.

The attack power may not have changed much, but the defense power has definitely become super fragile. On the contrary, Cheng Yijiu was quite stable against the half-dragon man. In his current state, he might be really strong. Throwing away the cloth on his body, Cheng Yijiu attacked the half-dragon man almost half-naked. The half-dragon man also used a sword and shield style, but the shield they used was similar to the heavy shield of the infantry, and the one-handed sword was a large sword that the infantry had to use with two hands.

Anyway, the half-dragon's face also revealed a twisted, mocking expression. He thought that a single strike would kill the half-naked adventurer—forget the shield, the half-dragon was even wearing armor. Both sides attacked simultaneously, and Cheng Yijiu's arms and muscles bulged, his skin reflecting the light as if coated with oil. He used the strong blade of his sword to slide away the opponent's blade, and with a single strike, he cut through the half-dragon's chain mail and scales.

This force was like a massive beast. The moment the half-dragon's sword slid open, he knew things were bad. His shield, which had been protecting half his body, had relaxed upon seeing the half-naked adventurer, and his movements hadn't been executed properly. His body went cold as the sword slashed open from his left chest to his right waist. His scales, chain mail, and even his solid ribs couldn't stop the blow...

This sword almost cut the half-dragon in half. The wound was huge and deep, and its internal organs were broken. Unless there was some kind of recovery magic, it would be beyond saving.

chapter Ten

After killing the half-dragon, Cheng Yijiu and the two girls fled quickly, using buildings as a cover as they fled out of the city. The Super Dragon Legion had no interest in hunting down those who escaped, and they were solely focused on destroying the town. The dragon beasts had taken over the entire adventurer's city, and of course, they also swept through the surrounding dungeons, turning them into dragon hunting grounds.

The Palace of the Dead remained untouched; it was probably used as a stronghold by the Undead Knights. In short, they had managed to escape. Cheng Yijiu sat dejectedly on the grass, barefoot and wearing only a pair of trousers. He casually wore a piece of cloth draped around his waist, a belt with a small box of ointment hanging from it, and a greatsword at his side. He sighed as he looked at the blazing Adventure City in the distance.

There was probably no chance. With the six armies on the verge of sweeping the world, Cheng Yijiu felt he might not have a chance. Would the Golden Slime appear again? Where would it appear? These were all questions. As for engaging the Demon King's army over this, it was simply pointless—no matter how he thought about it, it seemed unlikely that the Golden Slime would appear on the front lines.

Especially since the Super Dragon Army they were facing now definitely didn't have any slimes. It was unheard of that slimes could have dragon blood. "According to ancient legends, a Dragon Warrior should have appeared by now," Gina said. She and Christina were both wearing very thin, close-fitting clothes that couldn't cover their thighs or chests at all, so they could only curl up.

In contrast, Christina was more relaxed. Miss Knight stood there a bit carelessly, her clothes couldn't even hide her coolness. She held the knight's sword in her hand and looked at the burning city. "Ah, there's no hope." The girl turned to look at Cheng Yijiu, "What should we do?"

What to do? There is no way, unless the golden slime falls directly in front of him, there is no way.

The next moment, perhaps because Cheng Yijiu admitted defeat, he returned directly to the cabin. Putting everything away, the hunter lamented, "This damn mission!" Perhaps he really missed the most important situation in this mission, so that there was no way out later.

Well, now it's time to be punished. When he thought about what kind of monster he would turn into, his heart sank - if he really turned into a slime, it would probably be a huge tragedy, because not only human heroes would start by fighting slimes, but many monsters also feed on slimes.

He had passed the previous punishment missions thanks to his good character, but now he might be in real trouble.

After a nap in the cabin, he sorted himself out and had a nice breakfast. "If I had known this would happen, I should have found a woman." Cheng Yijiu muttered, but he still decisively opened the door...

A mass of gelatinous matter, roughly the size of a large backpack, wriggled. Its nearly transparent form gave it considerable concealment—it could use the background to conceal itself. However, unlike typical slimes, this mass of gelatinous matter unexpectedly contained a walnut-sized brain...

There was no other way around it; otherwise, Cheng Yijiu wouldn't have been able to accept this mission. He could only be given a brain. With a brain the size of a walnut, Cheng Yijiu had lost a lot of memory, so it was good enough to maintain a certain level of intelligence. Slime doesn't move very fast; it moves by flowing liquid, allowing its somewhat sticky outer membrane to bulge out.

So this is a monster, because it can control the flow of fluids without muscles—slimes don't have muscles, just an outer membrane and a core. The fluids in their bodies are actually a combination of digestive juices and buffer fluids. And slimes don't seem to have a sense of smell or vision? Anyway, Cheng Yijiu can only sense heat, so this thing is an omnivore.

Slimes eat any organic matter they come into contact with, releasing various salts and water as they decompose, making them nature's cleaners. Cheng Yijiu was trying to figure out how to survive. As the lowest-level monsters, slimes rely on massive fragmentation and reproduction, as well as eating garbage, to maintain their population. Most monsters wouldn't eat them, and their corrosive fluids weren't tasty, so they could only eat their outer membranes. However, these membranes were mostly water, making them, like jellyfish, devoid of much nutritional value.

As for the magic core, it is too tiny and is not worth swallowing.

Slimes are actually quite resilient. As a lowly creature, they're not afraid of either acid or alkali, and can eat anything. Being cut by a knife is no problem, and hitting them with blunt objects will only cause them to break apart, unless they hit their tiny magic core. However, they can't withstand high or low temperatures. It's easy to kill them if you're determined to.

Cheng Yijiu didn't want to die. His size was considered large among slimes, and creatures like slimes were either extremely large or extremely small, making him the least likely to survive. "Use your brain!" However, his walnut-sized brain provided too little intelligence. By the time Cheng Yijiu finally thought of hiding, most of the day had already passed.

In a sense, slimes are immortal creatures...completely insensitive to time. And after splitting, can you say the original slime is "dead"? Cheng Yijiu didn't dare to gamble. He squirmed his body at a speed of about half a meter per minute, trying to squeeze himself into the crevice of the rock.

There's no need to worry about how the slime "identifies" its own body; its existence is a matter of course. Forget about predation; just understand the situation and survive first.

The little brain was thinking about the problem, but the body moved silently and faithfully, gradually approaching the top of a mouse - then suddenly dropped, directly trapping the mouse inside its body. The mouse struggled desperately, but unfortunately the slime's body fluids were as sticky as glue, so the mouse suffocated quickly.

From the outside, it looked like a horror movie—first the hair and skin began to fester, then the muscles… After about an hour, bones were visible in many places on the rat's body. Three hours later, the indigestible long bones and skull were excreted. Only then did Cheng Yijiu realize, "I ate a rat..."

This task is quite difficult. I wonder if it can evolve eyes, at least to allow Cheng Yijiu to distinguish the surrounding environment. "That seems possible. This slime's body has many possibilities. It should have mimicry ability."

Chapter 11

Slime holds infinite possibilities. Cheng Yijiu struggled to wriggle, and finally, he found a few pieces of quartz. "I hope this is pure quartz," he thought, momentarily forgetting to consider the slime's brain. "Trying to verify everything will only hurt you!" Cheng Yijiu finally focused on corroding and polishing the quartz with his bodily fluids. It took several days to polish it into two transparent spheres.

He strained to see, and after polishing the sphere, he finally saw it—it was indeed an invincible, universal slime, good in every way except for its inability to fight. Cheng Yijiu had been stealthily attacking a few monster rabbits these days to prevent himself from starving to death. Now that he could see, he had a better idea of ​​his situation. He was currently in an abandoned palace—or so it seemed. Ruins lay everywhere, but the remaining mosaic tiles and fragments of the patchwork revealed a once-thriving area.

Moreover, this place is a large pool. Although it has dried up, it is conceivable that when it was intact, hundreds of people would bathe and exercise here. The slime Cheng Yijiu was clinging to the corner of the roof of this dilapidated large bathroom. He could see it now, but his fighting ability was poor and he didn't dare to show up. This place is full of monsters, always emerging from the depths and underground. But there are also a lot of adventurers - that's what they should be called. After all, they are dressed in strange clothes, holding weapons and casting spells, so they should be adventurers.

Numerous teams of adventurers would form here to battle monsters. Dead monsters would leave behind items, and the dead adventurers would join the monsters' ranks... unless they were dragged back and resurrected. "Resurrection is really possible," Cheng Yijiu hid in a corner, watching someone die at least twice. Each time he reappeared, his equipment would drop a level, as if he had sold it to pay for his resurrection.

Slimes were born in droves, then killed en masse. They were no match for the adventurers, something Cheng Yijiu had witnessed firsthand. For his own safety, he had to find a way to hide constantly. There were weaklings among the adventurers, and they would seek out lone slimes or goblins to kill for their own experience. Cheng Yijiu couldn't retreat—if a slime like him retreated to a certain point, the monsters would take the initiative to kill him.

"Looks like there are tiered areas, and low-level monsters aren't allowed into higher-level areas. Is this really a game?" Cheng Yijiu complained, his mind racing to figure out a solution. "Even if I don't want to, I have to fight this," the slime decided.

Having decided to fight, he had to carefully select his targets. Cheng Yijiu's idea was to wrap the corpse, using its joints and the adventurers' weapons for self-protection. Therefore, his target had to be a healthy adventurer, preferably one with a longsword. His current combat power was low, so picking up corpses was his best option... So, the slime sneaked along the wall, watching the other monsters and the adventurers clash.

High-level adventurers generally don't come here. The ones who appear here are mostly mid- and low-level characters. Cheng Yijiu finally chose a young man wearing half-leather armor and holding a long sword. "Half-sword, that's great! Let's see when he dies." Although it's not good, Cheng Yijiu still prayed that the other party would be killed quickly. This person is a low-level adventurer, and new adventurers are all like this. He wears standard half-leather armor and the weapon in his hand doesn't have any cool and arrogant style.

Generally, these people don't die easily because they tend to stick together, starting with low-level goblins and slimes. Cheng Yijiu pinned his hopes on the upcoming monster uprising—as a monster, he could also sense the surge of magic power, which would arrive at irregular intervals. This was his advantage: at that time, the monsters' power would increase, and many monsters would suddenly rush out, with monsters in high-level areas rushing into low-level areas.

Enduring wave after wave of magical shockwaves, Cheng Yijiu cowered in a corner, feigning death, while his companions frantically attacked the group of adventurers. The low-level adventurers screamed in fear and, under the command of the mid-level and high-level adventurers, began to retreat. Slime Cheng Yijiu's sneak attack arrived, but he chose the right moment to extend his body, tripping the unfortunate creature...

The man lying on the ground was stabbed furiously by the goblins, soon dying from excessive blood loss amidst a scream. At that moment, the slime Cheng Yijiu suddenly sprang out and completely enveloped the man. He struggled to drag him into a corner amidst the swarm of monsters. "Sorry, brother, I don't want to, but digestion has to begin." Cheng Yijiu still had to learn how to be a muscle bundle...

The poor man's leather armor and clothing were corroded, as were his exposed skin. "Wow, brother, your rotten face is scary." Although Cheng Yijiu had been a man-eating beast many times, he had little experience in such activities with a clear mind, so he had to resort to dirty talk to mask his discomfort.

The man's skin was gone, followed by his muscles. Slime's digestive ability wasn't very strong, so the man was being digested while decaying. If the slime hadn't had a nose, Cheng Yijiu would have been suffocated to death. His internal organs first turned into a putrid fluid. With a disgusting attempt to forget, Cheng Yijiu struggled to expel the fluid, and the young man was finally reduced to a skeleton.

Slime, Cheng Yijiu's slime decomposed corpses using enzymes and weak acids. Because the young man's belt hooks and buttons hadn't been corroded, they were expelled and fell to the ground. Cheng Yijiu had also learned how to attach to bones and connect them to each other, also acting as a "muscle" substitute, using his own body to move the bones instead of relying on the magic of the monsters in the maze.

He can't let this one turn into a skeleton soldier, otherwise all his efforts will be wasted.

The skeleton's movements were strange. It had taken Cheng Yijiu a month to get it to stand upright, a feat he'd been practicing since the corpse was wrapped and decomposed. Using the skeleton as a framework to smoothly execute swordplay would likely be a long process. The two quartz stones had already been embedded in the skull's eye sockets, giving Cheng Yijiu a more familiar visual experience.

The bony hand grasped the half-sword...

Chapter 12

Using the support of his half-hand sword, the limp slime Cheng Yijiu struggled to stand upright. After that, Cheng Yijiu would have to use his own body to replace the ligaments and muscles, allowing this skeleton to move like a real person. This skill required practice. If it couldn't be practiced until it became instinctive, this ability would be useless and would only lead to unilateral slaughter.

So Cheng Yijiu hid once more and began practicing walking by moving his joints. It was unknown how strong the tendons constructed from a single bundle of slime were; the damage would have to be judged by the marks left behind. "It's still a bit weaker than a real human—especially in terms of strength. It's not lacking in speed, but its strength is probably only two-thirds of what this person had when he was alive. Luckily, killing someone doesn't require much strength..."

What Cheng Yijiu needed was to protect himself until he could leave, so this speed and strength were enough for him. He could completely take advantage of the adventurers' carelessness to solve the problem - when people thought he was a skeleton soldier and cast light magic or expelling magic or even spells to control the undead... When the faceless slime thought of this situation, he wanted to smile.

If possible, he still wanted to pass this time in peace, but if he got dragged into a fight, there was nothing he could do. You couldn't just hide in a deserted little room and get away with it—the terrain in this damn place was constantly changing, and there was even this damned "regular refresh" mechanism. Cheng Yijiu personally witnessed several slimes and skeletons that hadn't fought in three monster refreshes, only to be killed directly on the fourth refresh.

Of course, Cheng Yijiu couldn't bet on whether this refresh would also wipe him out, so he could only look for an opportunity to fight the adventurers. Adventurers were like locusts, plundering any hole, not leaving a single copper coin untouched. Just as he was walking with his one-handed sword, he heard footsteps—even after stretching his body thinly, Cheng Yijiu could sense the vibrations in the air. This was his hearing.

Cheng Yijiu looked around. The only monsters around him were two slimes and a single skeleton soldier besides him, along with some larger insects with even weaker combat capabilities. "Can we really fight with cockroaches?" He was also quite curious. The sword in his hand was rusted, and even if Cheng Yijiu wanted to maintain it, he couldn't do it - there were too many tools missing, and the slime's body fluids would slowly corrode metal. He couldn't keep the area around him completely dry.

It was indeed a novice adventurer group, a group of six, led by an experienced middle-aged warrior, followed by a group of young men, ranging from warriors to monks. The slime was almost instantly killed, and Cheng Yijiu had already begun retreating when he heard footsteps and was already running when he saw the approaching men. He had to be mentally ill to fight so many people. Anyway, he only needed to find an opportunity to launch a sneak attack, and he should be able to avoid the spawn.

The magic and the light of the special attack instantly engulfed the hapless slimes and skeletons, even the giant cockroaches. Only Cheng Yijiu passed the test. His body controlled the joints and muscles, contracting and relaxing them very well, and the skeleton ran quite fast. As they turned the corner, the roars of the monsters behind them had faded, and the footsteps of the monsters ahead arrived. Cheng Yijiu still had to run a little distance, waiting to reunite with the monsters before turning back for a sneak attack.

The sword master who was once known as the Lion King is going to launch a sneak attack this time.

This time, there were dozens of skeletons, including melee sword and shield soldiers and spearmen, as well as ranged archers. Could these skeletons take down a six-man squad, even if they were novices? Cheng Yijiu felt it was dangerous, as there were monks among them, who could directly use divine magic to strike the undead. He was now mixed in with the sword and shield soldiers. "Also, can these weapons kill? Tetanus is more likely, right?" The weapons in the hands of these skeleton soldiers were nothing more than rusty iron bars.

If someone really died from this thing, it would probably be more likely to be an acute wound infection, which eventually led to sepsis, right?

This time, the battle was chaotic. The skeleton soldiers had no leadership, little intelligence, and were a complete mob—their only advantage being their fearlessness and lack of morale. They rushed forward in close combat, successfully blocking the range of their ranged units. The ranged skeleton archers, in turn, foolishly fired at the adventurers, completely oblivious to the fact that these arrows were more likely to hit the melee skeleton soldiers.

These bows and arrows weren't very powerful, and since they were single-strike bows with bone arrowheads, their power was limited. If the combat range wasn't over ten meters, these bows and arrows would be completely useless. Cheng Yijiu hid aside and didn't take action, watching the skeleton soldiers fight with very simple techniques—just slashing, stabbing, and blocking with their shield-breaking weapons. The movements were simple, and the rhythm was hard to grasp. Once you got used to them, they were easy to deal with.

The two adventurers easily held off the attack of five or six skeleton soldiers head-on. They created a slight gap, widening the front line so the skeleton soldiers couldn't get around them. The archers behind them didn't do much either. The real attackers were the mage and the monk, with a barbarian standing behind the two warriors, ready to fill in the gaps.

The mage threw a fireball, and the exploding fireball easily reduced three skeleton soldiers to dust. The monk's effect was even greater—he emitted a ball of light that rippled outward upon landing, literally "melting" the skeleton soldiers in his path. This single blow instantly cleared out the dozen or so skeleton soldiers blocking his path. Cheng Yijiu even thought the monk might even get a level-up notification above his head, and his experience bar would surely skyrocket.

It was almost his turn to launch a surprise attack. There were only six skeletons ahead, pinning down two warriors. Seeing the enemy about to crush the six skeletons into bone powder, Cheng Yijiu quickly stepped forward, ready to launch a helicopter attack. He aimed at the more experienced middle-aged warrior—a swordsman with a shield in his right hand and a round shield in his left. His swordsmanship was standard.

They probably thought Cheng Yijiu was a weaker kind of skeleton soldier—because he didn't have a shield, and he wasn't a spearman. Cheng Yijiu's timing was spot on, as he seized the moment when the warrior smashed a skeleton with his shield and struck down with his sword...