“What happened!”

Delg sprinted towards them. Not later than him,  Aldo jumped to their side. His hand reached for his swords as he followed the gaze of the party.

“That slime, it isnt normal!” Alea declared as she retrieved her bow on her back and immediately nocked an arrow. Men followed suit and brandished their weapons with their eyes glaring squarely at the slime.

Five strong excelliants ganging up against a lone slime... this would be nothing short of comical in the eyes of an outsider. But for the people involved, this wasn't the least laughable.

The slime standstill. Its usual jolly vibe was nowhere to be seen as it oozes an air that isn’t fitting for its nature. An enigmatic presence encroached and seized the adventurers. a complete turnaround from the innocent harmless creature. It might accept that it can’t fool these humans anymore so peeled away its disguise. 

Is it… probing me? Xen suspected.

The slime doesn’t have eyes so it was difficult to properly distinguish its facade. But for some reason, the tiny creature seemed to probe him the same way as he does. He felt the psychic prick -a familiar sensation that he felt earlier.

I see...

Both sides not showing any signs of movement but the atmosphere grew tense as the moment passes by.

A cold breeze fell down on this clearing gracing both of them that seemingly waiting for each other to do something.  Hostile atmosphere evident took form, like daggers piercing the adventurers. No sound echoed except the rustling of leaves, their mouth clumped shot with this tension ticking like a clock waiting to explode.

Just then, the surrounding atmosphere suddenly got heavy in an instant. the adventurer stiffened as shaken by a burst of prana that was seemingly impossible to come from the tiny creature. Slime veiled in a rainbow filament as the surrounding air seems to fluctuate like a mirage.

“……”

The adventurer watched in a daze as their common sense broke down.

As for the rule, the amount of the prana one has is directly propositional to its strength to supposed to be invisible to the naked eyes even for excelliants. but it definitely possible to sense it. But slimes as weak as they were, only have so little prana stored on its body. At least that’s how it should be. But there were looking at right now betrays everything they knew about slimes.

Dense energies of different elemental attributes rose up from its body so that it was visible to the party's eyes. None of them have that kind of amount of prana. Ironically, they looked like the slimes in comparison. 

“This amount of prana! its on par with the ancient dragons.” Delg said, eyes bulging open with sweat trickling on his forehead.

The slime fired a projectile each aimed at their head. Marveling as they were, fortunately, they still don’t forget where they were.

Xen raised both arms and joined them into a wedge shape. The projectile's trajectory bend and flew past them as it struck the large trees in the background.

A hissing sound reached his ears. As Xen look back, he saw a gaping hole on the trunk oozing with thin smoke.

It burned with fire… no it’s acid.

The way the bullet also penetrated through to the tree behind like a hot knife on butter cheese rendered Livia and Delg aghast at the prospect of getting hit.

Slime uses acid to dissolve leaves as it was its natural diet, if it’s lucky, leftover corpses that it found on the way would take quite a while to dissolve. When their push into the corner, it's capable of spitting acid bullets of a maximum of 2 meters.

With the adventurers caught unharmed with that volley that seemingly evaded them on its own, the slime swelled larger seemingly showing its rage.

It stretched a pair of tentacles at a break-neck speed impossible for normal human eyes to track.

“!”

The Xen and the adventurers jump backward, evading the hurl of tentacles shattering the ground they were standing on earlier.

However, Delg and Livia reacted a tad slowly and hurled them a great distance from the impact.

“Livia, Delg!”

Alea called out as the two struggled to prop themselves up. But that isn't the time to worry about their safety.

“!”

Another pair of tentacles immediately chased after the three people that remained standing. Xen side step, evading the tentacle in the least margin.

But With their attention preoccupied with their companions,  Aldo and Alea failed to react and were sure to be struck down. But much to their surprise, both tentacles heading toward them made a sharp turn and flew squarely at Xen.

Xen notice the pair of tentacles and cleared the way of the first one. Then dashed away to evade the second, coming overhead which dug up the ground.

These free amorphous limbs were flexible as flowing water but with the hardness of the metal as it strikes. Even if I cut it, it would probably just rejoin like it’s nothing.

It doesn’t need to speculate harder to understand its nature. He was positively sure that as an amorphous blob, it easily can join its cut part or regenerate a new one. So obviously any physical attacks will probably be ineffective. But that doesn’t mean it’s invincible.

There should be a core in the main body that controls its movement. I should hit it with disabler shots but that damn thing has a speed of a high-ranking adventurer... Let’s try the basics.

But before that, he has to deal with the previous two tentacles now resuming their pursuits and intercepting him.

The tentacles arched in the air dropping at a fast rate. However, The young man read those trajectories and dodge them with minimum movements.

Following that momentum, no sooner than he trusts his hand on a tentacle than a bolt of lightning shot through the tentacles. Since It has viscosity properties close to liquid, he assumed that it was an excellent conductor that could let electricity flow all the way to the core and electrocute the slime.

And just as he thought. It definitely did. The slime bathed in the flickering glow as electricity run through its body. But contrary to his expectation, it was far from getting paralyzed as it can still move its amorphous limbs freely as if nothing happened.

“Mana shield… of course it has that.” he sighed frustratingly.

Mana shield was an ability that heightened the defense power of a being. If ever active, it consumed the prana over time which can result to prana exhaustion. But it isn’t a problem to slime with a lot of reserves. 

The monster always uses this ability and it was a basic prana application for humans. He should know that from the beginning.
Probably he was still stuck in the mentality that he was facing slime.

The young man stopped his magic, and retreat away, barely dodging one, two, or three strikes of three tentacles.

Another one incoming, cutting the air as it approached sidewards. The young man jumped at the minimum height so he can touch the earth sooner. Then to sprinted up and stopped in sequence to evade the incoming tentacles. With him still untouched, the slime started firing off the acid projectiles intended to put him down at all costs.

Xen picked up his speed, dodging in a quick succession that his figure blurred under the rain of assault.

the slime adds another one or two tentacles sniping the young man.

The young man noticed its arrival and fired a projectile from his gun-shaped hands then jumped out of harm's way.

The bullet flew straight to the slime free of obstruction from its tentacles.

However, slime was able to perceive it and jumps at a speed that isn’t possible for its properties and easily evaded the bullet and seeped to the ground

“What!” the young man blurted out in surprise.

The slime recalled its limbs as it relegated its focus to defending. This gives him a small time to breathe. Although he himself is far from being tired.

He’s unharmed without a tore on his clothes. But the same can be said of the slime, which manipulates its tentacles from a distance and cleanly evaded the bullet that he fired.

No significant damage was dealt to each other so far, so it can be said they are back to square one.

Meanwhile, the adventurers retreated to the safety of the trees as they watched the battle unfold with stalled breath.

As the Battle came to halt, it was then words scaped unconsciously from Livia

“A-amazing…” 

“Hehe Damn, I can’t follow their movements. This isn’t battle we can partake.” Beside her, Delg can’t help to grin derisively. In contrast, Aldo narrowed his eyes and cracked a smile.

“I knew Sir Xen wasn’t your ordinary kid. But… this more than I expected.” 

“That slime only set his eyes on Sir, Xen. it wasn’t interested in us.” Livia said.

“Might be that it doesn’t see us a threat… ” Alea offered a sound explanation.

During their small exchange, it might have judged their strength when Alea and Aldo, which possessed the most agility in their party weren’t able to keep up and decided to change its attention to Xen who was faring well against its attacks. compared to harmless adventurers on the sideline, the slime would put all its effort into an entity threatening its might. 

“Well isn’t it because he the who one attacked that thing.” Delg said raising his finger.

Aldo, Livia, and Alea simultaneously swiveled their heads unto delg, with dumbfounded faces. Probably they can’t refuse his argument since Xen indeed attack first, the slime seems wasn’t planning to attack in the first place.

“You really offered sometimes a sound argument huh.” Alea said not hiding her astonishment. This time she wasn't feigning an expression.

“Oy!”

“But what if…

before the banter escalates, Adlo spoke up, seizing their attention. His eyes fell downwards with fingers cupped on his chin. 

"What if the slime was just acting all along, creating an illusion thats it was a normal slime.” Aldo gazed up at them and said with a grave tone. “Then strike us when our guards down.”

“…” One Alea's thin brow raised up. Delg and Livia cocked their head as they narrowed their eyes. Looking at their expression, Aldo gazed back at the Slime and explain.

“Think about it, why is the owner of those clothes was missing. Isn't it strange for a high ranking adventurer to just left her clothes like that.”

Alea Seemed to pick up his point as she lit up and stared at him with open eyes.

“Wait…Are you suggesting!”

“Yeah, exactly what you’re thinking. This slime must have killed the owner already... without much of a fight.”

The adventure felt a chill at that possibility. They don’t sense anything traces of fighting in this area. But the person behind those clothes was missing. this implied that she might fall for its disguise and die when her guard was the lowest.

“Sir, Xen might have figured it out and acted on his own.”

If that were the case, they would have fallen the same way as that adventurer if it wasn’t for Xen. Just how many times Xen have helped save them? 

The adventurer shifted their eyes on Xen with bated breath. They have no power to fight off against the aberrant slime, but Xen alone was keeping it at bay. They have a short interaction with Xen and had a glimpse of his strength. Indeed it is only a glimpse. But it is beginning to dawn on them what kind of excellent they had met. 

Please win sir Xen

Livia clasp his hand on her chest, as she sent a strong gaze at Xen.

 

Six tentacles hovering on its back. Slimes don’t suppose to have those tentacles and always followed a spherical shape. But this one doesn’t follow at all.

All his knowledge about slime was quickly shattered one by one by this creature.

He already had doubts that this might be a unique slime species. But a unique species of slime is impossible to raise its power with this astronomical gap. There wasn’t precedence of this kind of slime before as far as he remembered. And recalling the experience of fighting this creature, he’s completely convinced with absolute confidence.

This isn’t slimed the weakest monster the world once knew.

No… this may not be a slime, but completely a different being.

The forest is acting widely with unknown creatures sporting everywhere. that humanoid creature earlier and this orb creature is definitely part of it. And More of these creatures will soon present themselves.

Six tentacles approached him much faster than the previous speed. With adept footsteps, he dodges every coming strike, dancing in the rain of assaults that can only be described as magnificent.

At that moment, the slime raised all its tentacles and simultaneously flung them at him. Two swiping sidewards both right and left, there were two from above in a whipping stance, and the last two were fired in the middle. It seemed the slime planned of destroying his retreats completely. He’s surrounded!

But Xen easily read its intention and kick the ground so hard that it breaks as he propelled himself backward.

However, the slime is already prepared for its follow-up attack. A greenish magic circle was hovering before it.

“What the-It can also use spell!”

Bad omen embraced him in mid-air as he lacked the foothold to change his course. 

A torrent of whirlwinds was launched from the magic circle. The grass has shredded the grass along with the earth, mowing down everything in its wake before swallowing the young man.

Or that's how it looks.

In the next moment, a shadow fell over the slime. What followed was a thunderous clap. Cracks web on the earth before it exploded sending the chunks of the earth in the air with bellowing dust. The slime landed in the safety of the trees at several distances.

As the dust subsided, what greeted the slime was the gaping crater with the young man at the center, right fist dug into the ground.

“Don’t get cocky.” He said coldly. His eyes beamed a dreadful light behind the mask.