Following Sven's order, the hunters unleashed their attacks with unerring timing.

Having fought against various gimmicks and various illusions, the Treasure Hunters were highly adaptable.
Even in the face of sudden events and unexpected opponents, their nature was properly demonstrated.

In the darkness, a glittering light flew at tremendous speed.

The Fire Arrow, the most basic attack magic, was fired from a distance of several meters, making a muffled sound and landing on the slime's head, arms, and body. It didn't even show any sign of evasion.

The slime's strange voice echoed through the air, as if it wanted to cover its ears.
Dust rose from the impact, covering the slime's huge body.

The Flaming Arrow is a low-grade spell that most mages can use. It is easy to control, consumes little magic power, and activates quickly, making it an offensive spell used by both experienced and novice mages.
Its power is on the low side among attack spells, but it is powerful enough to penetrate thin sheet metal armor.

In addition, the opponent this time was a slime whose weakness was fire.
It's no surprise that if you were to receive all of the attacks from more than ten mages, you could be completely vaporized.

Without confirming the opponent's disappearance, the flaming arrows are released again into the dust. The flames burned the air, and the tremendous heat was transmitted to Sven, who was nearly ten meters away.

The excessive series of attacks ended, and silence returned to the scene.
The brown-haired hunter, who had retreated while lying on the ground, opened his eyes to the limit.

'......, did you do it?

'Don't let your guard down! Get back! This is the Trial of a Thousand!

Sven yells as he draws his arrows wide and aims them right at the slime in the smoke.
After the attack, the air, which had been on the verge of relaxation, tightened again.

The slime's appearance was too bizarre. It wasn't the first time that a party belonging to the Footprints had encountered something like this, but no matter how many times you encounter it, you never get used to it.

It was too risky to approach an unknown opponent. Slowly, I move away from the smoke that has not yet subsided.
Still poised to shoot at any moment, Sven checked with the brown-haired hunter who had finally stood up.

'Hey, what's that guy?

'I don't know. I ran into him on my way back from taking a piss. ...... He was coming towards the main camp.'

Sven clicked his tongue at that.

He was lucky he hadn't been taken by surprise.

The brown-haired hunter was clearly out of action. A mage is useless, but a swordsman with a missing arm is useless.
Henrik's powerful healing magic can heal even the most serious wounds in seconds, but it can't bring back the lost part.

The brown-haired hunter's appearance was distorted. An expression like that of a demon.
As if to bite down on an impulse that could be fear or anger, he clenched his teeth and said.

'They hadn't noticed me yet. There was a lot of room. I slashed him from behind! d*mn it! My ...... arm--'

The dust settled. One of the mages who had attacked me opened his eyes in horror as it appeared from within.

The slime was still alive and well. Not a single mark was left on its mucus dripping body.

The slime moved its arm-like part upward as if it were stretching. There was no sign of anger at being attacked in this movement.

Marietta, a party member who was participating in the attack next to Sven, widened her eyes at the ugly sight.

'What ......? With that many attacks, ...... no ...... wounds?'

Is she resistant to fire? Or maybe the magic itself is ineffective.
All possibilities crossed Sven's mind.

The slime took a slow step forward. At that moment, Sven shoots an arrow.

'Ah!

Concentration stretched. The jet-black arrow, filled with energy incomparable to that of the Arrow of Fire, was aimed right at the slime's head, right between its eyes.

It was a deadly arrow that could shoot through even a dragon's scales. The blow that had made Sven the "Storm Strike" pierced the slime between the eyes, and the next moment, it was flung wide into the air.

There was a bang, as if something had popped.

'......'.

Sven's brow wrinkles at the unexpected sight.

The arrow flew into the air and landed behind the trees.

The brown-haired hunter's eyes widened and his mouth quirked up at the sight that was so unnatural. Henrik, who was standing beside him, was at a loss for words.

With the investigators behind him, Gark growled in a low voice.

Sven was calm. He had experienced many times since he joined the clan that arrows did not work on him.

It wasn't that they didn't stick. It's not that they evaded. They got hit. And the slime did not take any defensive action.

I didn't give it my all, but I didn't relax.

He quickly placed a new arrow in his bow from the quiver on his back without getting upset.
The slime moves forward with unsteady steps.

Marietta shouted in front of her friends who froze at the unusual situation.

'Another spell! Don't let them get close! 'Thunderstorm'.

A golden ball of light clad in purple electricity appears in front of the wand held high.
It is an attack magic that lays waste to a medium range with lightning strikes. It is not originally intended to be used against a single demon.

The lightning ball, which was rapidly generated in exchange for a huge amount of magic power, dispersed its energy toward the slime.
The flash of lightning, comparable to real lightning, cut through the darkness, and a tremendous roar echoed throughout the area. However, the slime only paused for a moment as it was struck by the lethal blow.

Marietta gasped as her magic was drained.
As if nothing had happened, it resumed its invasion, and a beat later, attack magic was released from all directions.

A blade of wind and a spear of earth. The wind with flames enveloped the slime. The grass burns and the ground gouges.
Each blow is an attack spell that has slaughtered many illusions. Sven knows its power well.

But the crimson slime took it without a fight. It took a step back, perhaps from the shock, but that was all.

'...... Stupid ......, isn't it working?

The mages distorted their faces in despair.


You can use more powerful attack spells if you take your time, but the attack you unleashed this time should have been powerful enough to kill a single slime.

It would be understandable if it had been blocked by a strong armor. But the deformity in front of me is very soft.
I can understand if you used your arms and legs to hit it. But the slime in front of me just took it defenselessly.

Leaving the upset mage behind, Sven shoots an arrow with a short burst of energy. The arrows shot out with uncanny speed and hit the slime like a storm.
Face. Neck. Arms. Legs. Torso. Every arrow that comes at you, no matter where you are, will fly away and show no sign of piercing.

Invincible. That's the word that comes to mind.
The opponent is not moving fast. But if their attacks don't penetrate, they can't be defeated.

As if unable to bear the situation, one of the hunters shouts in anger. At the same time, he swung his huge metal hammer down on the slime.

There was no time to stop him. The heavy blow from the high level hunter's physical strength struck the slime from above.

Just as the spiked metal hammer was about to smash the slime's head, Sven saw a strange sight.
A large crack appeared on the metal mallet. It spun and distorted as if it had been forcibly twisted.

And the force was transmitted to the arms of the hunter who was holding the mallet.

'Gaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!

A voice of pain, like the roar of a beast.
The fact that he had grasped the huge weapon so tightly to support it worked in the wrong direction.

The sound of bones crushing and flesh cracking. The arm that had been protected by muscle and armor was twisted haphazardly.
The sight reminded me of a brown-haired hunter who had lost both his arms.

Could this be the cause of that uncanny scar?

'Get your hands off me!

Gark shouts. The shattered hammer blew off almost simultaneously.
He must have let go just in time, because his arm is still intact. It snapped in the wrong direction and is hanging weakly, but it is still connected.

The man hunter stops moving for a moment due to the intense pain, and the slime swings its body up as if it were on top of him.

It's a monster. The slime seemed emotionless, but it certainly recognized Sven and the others as enemies.

I quickly drew my bow. Before you can even aim, it shoots an arrow.

The arrow, which had slaughtered all of the phantoms that had appeared so far, pierced the ground, causing the slime to lose its footing and its stance. Taking advantage of the opening, he fires a series of arrows.
The aim is not at the slime itself but at its feet.

The man staggered away from the slime.
Gark roars. Breathing hard. His eyes glare at the slime with a glint of wariness.

''A force field. This guy is wearing some kind of force field. ...... That's why the magic doesn't work!

I stare at his words. I'm not sure what to make of it.
The space around it was distorted. I thought it was the remains of the flaming arrow - the residue of heat, but it was not.

'Force field ...... magic power ...... barrier ......?'

It's one of the most common techniques used by mages.
It is a magic that can not be called magic, in which the magic power inside the body is let out without taking the form of magic, and a barrier is deployed around the body.
It's a sign of a top-notch mage that it prevents all energy attacks, but because of its inefficiency, it's only practical for a mage with an enormous amount of magical power.

If anything, it was known to be used by powerful demons such as dragons, who are born with powerful magic power, rather than human mages.

I can't imagine a slime using it. However, if that estimation is correct, it would be extremely difficult to attack the slime in front of me.

I think of a new policy.
Either give it enough energy to overcome the barrier, or wait for it to wear off.

'd*mn it, Cry. ...... So, Ark--'

Ark's power as a single rider is one of the strongest. He might have been able to force his way through the defenses with that power.
However, Sven's attack power alone was far inferior to Ark's. From Sven's point of view, Ark and his team's abilities were just too much, but there was nothing he could do if he complained now.

Should we buy some time and try to break through with a higher level attack spell?

But the power of an attack spell is proportional to the skill of the magician. There are no outstanding attack spell users here now.
Marietta, one of Sven's party members, is an excellent mage, but it is doubtful that she can break through the barrier that can easily repel Sven's arrows.
And if that fails, Marietta will be stuck with an excess of magic power.

We don't have enough people. It would have been a different story if the strongest mage party in the Footprints, the Starlight, had been present.
Or if there had been a "Thousand Changes" who had foreseen everything, they would have done whatever they could.

As if by design, the necessary things are lacking. The smile of Krai, who had sent the Black Gold Cross here, suddenly appeared in my mind, and I shook my head to get rid of it.

Thalia, the alchemist, came running up to me. In her hand, she holds a thin glass bottle.

'Mr. Sven. We're screwed. ...... Let's use it.'

Killing Slime Potion. Our trump card this time.

The slime that had been held back by the arrows is slowly resuming its actions.

The magic barrier is powerful. But it doesn't mean it can block everything around it. If it did, it would not even be able to walk.
The barrier will only repel attacks with a certain amount of energy. For example, a toxic fog cannot be blocked.
Most creatures that have barriers can't be poisoned, so they are not a weakness, but this is a different story.

'If it touches even a drop, it should destroy itself from there.

'Okay. ...... I'll do it.'

I take the potion from Talia. It's a potion in a fragile throwing bottle.
If it is protected by a magical barrier, it will be repelled even if you hit it.

Both of the slime's eyes are looking at Sven. His massive frame compresses as if he were bending over.

Sven's lips twist into a smile.


A monster, indeed. A hell of a monster. But this thing doesn't see Sven and the others as enemies.
No, it's hostile, but what it sees in us is its prey. At least it's not wary of us.
We don't even know if it's intelligent. There's an opening.

The flesh-and-blood slime shrank back and jumped up like a repellent.
The speed was incomparable to what it had been before. Sven snickered at the slime as it closed the distance and attacked him as if it were covering the sky.

'Don't be fooled, it's a thousand changes.

I've been reading. The Black and Gold Cross was a top-notch party.
The party members on either side of him took Thalia and moved away as if they had read Sven's intentions.

Fast. Yes, they were fast, but that was only compared to their previous movements.
Compared to the phantoms he fights all the time, it's easy to see through.

The slime descends as if it were trying to crush him with its body. Sven bent down, kicked the ground, and placed the bottle he was holding on the ground.

Sven's target disappears, and the slime's limbs cut through the air. By this time, Sven was far away from the slime's falling range.

The slime landed on the ground in a mess.

On top of the slime killers Sven had dropped.

Sven's ears definitely caught the small sound of glass breaking.
Barriers are not invincible. Even the Safe Ring, which is famous for its powerful warding, has its weaknesses.

The slime that had been hit by the slime killing agent stopped moving for a moment.

'Die, ......!

Talia, Marietta, Lyle, the brown-haired hunter, and Gark stare at its movements.

Then, Sven took a step back and avoided the slime's arm that suddenly reached out from the side, with plenty of time to spare.
The slime begins to move without a hitch. The slime is still melted, but its movements are much smoother than when it first appeared.

Talia, the one who provided the slime killer, collapses, her lips quivering.
Sven screamed as he stomped on the ground.


'...... d*mn it! It's not a slime after all!

The scream echoed through the night.

I knew it. Sven had known Kry for a long time.
The creature in front of me clearly deviated from the category of slime. It's clearly a subspecies of wolfknight.

Lyle, who had heard the advice, said with a pale face, as if remembering it now.

'Well, come to think of it, not the Cry............ slime, but the slime-like thing--'

'That man, that's enough! You've got to get your information right! I'm not a fan of this kind of thing. How many times are you going to try to kill us?

The slime's footwork is light as it leans on me.

As the others are shocked by this shocking revelation, Sven lowers himself and just barely avoids it.
He doesn't know what will happen when he's attacked, but he's sure it won't end well.

A cold sweat breaks out from the tension. You hear the sound of something wet hitting the ground against your back.

'd*mn it, what am I supposed to do with this, cry! Die!

'But, but Kry says he's halfway to .......'

'f*ck you! I'll kill you! Do it yourself!

As Sven evades with dexterity while shouting in anger, the magic attack resumes as if in a panic.
The slime's movement stops with the impact, and it succeeds in keeping its distance.

Some of the spells were advanced attack spells that took a long time to fire, but all of them deviated from the body surface.

I can't find a clue to the solution.
What was wrong with it, or was it growing? The slime thing was moving faster and faster. It seemed to have shifted its target from Sven and attacked the surrounding hunters indiscriminately.

It was a hell of screaming and snarling. The hunters desperately kept their distance from the attacking slime.

They didn't attack in any unusual way, but the mages were severely depleted due to the continuous casting of magic. If they continue to lose their magic power and fall, it will be difficult to protect them.

I thought desperately as I checked their movements with my arrows, but there were only a few arrows left.

'Sven, retreat to .......'

One of the hunters shouts.
But there are still a few of us left in the treasure house. If we retreat, those who are left behind will be in danger. In the first place, even if we retreat, we can't drag this slime monster to the town.

The hunter who is attacked by the slime monster with his shield will be blown away.
Perhaps he had originally intended to let go of it, but it doesn't seem to do any damage, and he gets up immediately.

The attack power is not that high. But that defense is too hard.
Limbs. Head. No matter where you attack, front or back, it will be rejected. It's more like a counter than a defense.
And even if you could get your attack through, it's doubtful that you could defeat it. .......

At that time, Sven noticed that the body of the slime in front of him had become a little smaller.

The figure of the slime jumped up. It was hard to tell because the body was almost irregularly shaped, but its volume had certainly decreased to a point where it could be seen.

The surface of the slime's body was liquefied and smoking, but there was nothing left on the ground.
It was as if it had been vaporized.

If you buy enough time,......, will it destroy itself?

The slime has moved around a lot, but the size of the slime has not changed that much. I can't even predict how long it will take for this to go to zero.

But right now, I need a little hope. This is an ordeal. It takes will to overcome trials.

Kry is an unfathomable man, but he's not going to throw his clan members into a hopeless board.
If he said he could do it in half a minute, it meant that the man who had read everything had made that decision.

'Give it time! Look closely, you're getting smaller! The mages should conserve their magic and strength! We'll take turns stopping them as a party!

Everyone's expression changed as Sven raised his voice. Hope arises in the midst of despair.



Run around and collect the arrows that have been shot off. The total number of hunters is close to a hundred, and although the slime's movements are random at the moment, you might be able to buy some time by taking turns to distract it and guide it to a target.

A single blow would not be a problem even if they were attacked.
Sven and the other members of the Black Metal Cross can all use recovery magic. They can't heal your strength, but they can heal your wounds.
As long as you don't get your arm caught, you can manage.

And this is Kry's test. The members of the Footprints will all have brought more supplies than usual.
If we can't win, we can't win, but if we have a chance, we can do anything.

Under Sven's direction, everyone's expression returned to calm.

That's when it happened. The slime thing changed its target from the bandit hunter it had been chasing.
The target was the two investigators who were farthest from the camp. The golden eyes turned on them as they stood up and hid behind a tree.

The slime-like creature sprinted, dragging its body. On the way, another hunter intervenes and tries to guide it, but it doesn't even look at him and bounces along.
The investigator screams and rushes out as it approaches at a speed fast enough for an ordinary person.

'Stop it!

Sven took a deep breath and fired an arrow.
The arrow flew with a roar and pierced the slime's foot. He continued to fire arrows in the direction of the slime monster, blocking its progress as it slumped.

It had been a long time since he had fired a rapid-fire shot, and his fingertips were aching. His arrows were empty in a flash.

But even at that speed, he could only delay the invasion of the slime monster a little.

The slime monster jumps up and down. As if it was trying to prey on them, it tried to cover the two investigators.

--In front of it, a huge shadow stands in the way.
The huge body in crimson armor intervenes with the huge blade of the halberd held in its right arm.

The slime that had jumped at him slammed into the belly of the huge black-blue blade.

The arm that was holding the halberd trembled in shock. But the hand never lets go of the weapon.

'Ah! Branch Chief!

'Hey, you guys, run towards Sven and the others.

A tattoo on the left half of his head, and a deep scar on his cheek.
The man who was once known as 'The Demon of War' laughed. His armor clanked as he stood in front of the slime.

The slime that had been knocked to the ground slowly raised itself up and turned its eyes to Gark.