Chapter 32: Battle in the Cave
Gon
“(Ughhh… I feel sick…)”
I tumbled down a slope in the cave, and after spinning for a while, I finally stopped by hitting a wall.
I shifted from a sphere back to a cube. Slimes aren’t supposed to have a sense of balance, but I feel a little dizzy…
“(R-Lightning Strike – Weak)”
I pulled myself together and reactivated my Unique Skill, which I had deactivated while rolling. Lightning shot up from my head to the ceiling.
This should give me a good view of my surroundings.
“(This is… a large hall, huh?)”
There was an entrance right next to the slope I had crashed into. And it seemed that beyond that was a large space.
As I entered, I increased the output of my Lightning Strike to illuminate the entire hall.
““Gobuu!?””
“(There’s a ton of them.)”
Hobgoblins, their arms raised to shield their eyes, were illuminated by the lightning.
At a glance, there were about thirty of them. Among them, two were emitting a particularly strong Mana, seemingly equivalent to Dire Beasts.
“(So this is the boss room, huh?)”
I took a quick look around, and it seemed like the cave ended at this hall.
Of course, there’s a chance that the real leader is out, but…
“Gegyo, Gigugee! (Go, you guys!)”
““Gugyagya!””
At the command of one of the Dire Beasts, the hobgoblins charged at me all at once.
“(Hmm, maybe I should weaken it a bit… ?)”
As I approached them, I adjusted the power of my Lightning Strike.
I reduced the intensity of the lightning to the minimum necessary to maintain visibility.
“(Alright, that’s perfect.)”
Just as I finished adjusting, the leading hobgoblin thrust at me with a spear.
When I took the blow without doing anything, the iron spear was deflected by my body’s surface.
“(Compact Slash)”
In return, I decapitated him.
He was wearing a helmet, but at this distance, it was easy to aim for the gap between his shoulder and helmet.
Probably because the helmet didn’t fit him as well as a human’s would.
““Gyagyagyaaah!””
The hobgoblins behind him charged forward, undeterred by the gruesome fate of the first one.
There were a few among them who were heavily armored, but it didn’t matter. I used my Weapon Skills in rapid succession to take their lives.
Whip swords and whip spears danced, and blood splattered everywhere.
Thanks to Flowing Weapon Arts, I could unleash Weapon Skills without interruption.
After this hellish scene had been going on for a while, the Dire Beast tag team finally began to move.
“Gyaku Gwaa Gu, Gyogu! (You useless lot, [Brute Force]!)”
The first to move was the larger goblin.
This exceptionally large giant, who must have been three meters tall, flexed all his muscles as he charged forward.
His armor groaned as it was pushed out of shape.
“Gogugyuuii! ([Ogre Tile Split]!)”
The muscular goblin closed the distance in just two steps and delivered a chop with his log-like arm.
I took the high-speed blow, which was a blur even with Blink activated, without defending.
“Gyugii!? (That hurt!?)”
A sound like an explosion echoed, and the muscular goblin’s gauntlet shattered. He clutched his hand and took a few steps back.
He couldn’t withstand the force of his own attack.
“(So, normal attacks don’t require defense, even against Dire Beasts.)”
I knew he was using some kind of Skill through Sense Understanding.
But it seems that my Toughness makes it almost impossible for an equal to break through with brute force.
“(Is that all? [Provoke])”
“Gogu! (Don’t underestimate me!)”
The muscular goblin, as if saying that if his hand was useless, he would use his foot, unleashed a roundhouse kick.
“(Blink, Slash)”
“Gyagyaaaaaah!?”
I moved before his attack, slashing at the leg that was approaching at high speed.
I had used Provoke to guide the timing of his attack. This made it easier to land an attack even if I was slower.
“Sla-”
“Gegya!? Gego, Gogyogyagyogyo…”
I quickly enveloped the muscular goblin, who had lost his balance due to the pain in his leg.
I suppressed his struggles with Toughness, infiltrated through the gaps in his armor, and used Dissolving Liquid. At the same time, I used Bite to devour him.
“Giigegugya! (Time-wasting is hard work!)”
The other Dire Beast goblin, who had been unnaturally silent until now, began to attack.
He was also about three meters tall, but he gave a completely different impression from the muscular goblin.
That’s because his limbs were thin and his back was bent.
The slender goblin, who looked somewhat like an old man, placed both hands on the ground and released a huge amount of Mana.
“Guguge, Gugogougya! ([Steel Refinement], [Gleaming Waves]!)”
The floor in front of the slender goblin, the entire floor of the hall, began to ripple.
The waves transformed the floor material into steel, and they attacked the entire floor.
The steel took on various shapes, such as blades and spearheads, and slashed, stabbed, tore, and pierced the entire hall.
The range of the attack was so wide that it engulfed even the few remaining hobgoblins. It was too cruel… not that I’m in a position to say that.
“(Well, I guess I could manage with Air Jump.)”
I thought as I moved through the gaps between the obstructive weapons.
Since this space was a hall, the ceiling was high, so I could have evaded this attack by escaping into the air. I didn’t evade it because I wanted to save Air Jump for an emergency.
“Gu, Gugyaaaa (H-Hiii)”
Perhaps frightened by the fact that his Skill wasn’t working, the slender goblin was trembling and cowering in the corner of the hall.
Seeing that he couldn’t escape because he was by the wall, I felt a little sorry for him, but then,
“(!)”
I activated Blink and instantly moved forward.
—Gokin!
I heard the sound of a weapon piercing the floor behind me.
A steel weapon had been launched from the ceiling diagonally behind me.
It was by chance that I noticed this attack.
The steel reflected the lightning, and that’s how I noticed it.
The perfect concealment of Mana and my carelessness combined, and if I hadn’t been lucky, I would have definitely taken a hit.
Even so, I wouldn’t have been injured by an attack of this level… but if I have that kind of mindset, I might make a mistake in a fight against a strong enemy.
From here on, I’ll stay focused.
“(Lightning Strike – Maximum Output)”
“Gigagyagyagya!?”
I unleashed lightning on the slender goblin, who was trying to clad himself in steel.
Whether it was the special nature of the metal from his Skill or the special nature of my Unique Skill’s lightning,
the lightning ignored the surrounding steel and pierced straight through the slender goblin.
“(Charge!)”
I immediately charged and absorbed him into my body.
Then, I digested him in the same way I did the muscular goblin, and the battle with the goblin horde came to an end.
~Unidentified Information Recording Area~
…
Fue Toukouya’s (Jewel Armory Slime) Soul Accumulation Value (Level) has increased to 73.
…
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Today, I will post another chapter in the evening, along with a list of Skills.
Also, I plan to change the title on a trial basis. After the change, it will be “Metal Slime Strikes Back.”
I would appreciate it if you would not unfollow me even if you think, “There’s a work I don’t know about.”