80. Phase 2: The 10-Meter-Tall Slime
Just the height alone was 10 meters. Given the slime's unique shape, its diameter easily exceeded 20 meters.
A size that overwhelmed the monsters explorers had faced before. Even if it was "just" a slime, no one could picture hunting something like that.
Of course, if asked whether taking down a monster that size was impossible...
It wasn't.
There were 500 mid-lower to mid-layer explorers gathered here, plus mages capable of wide-area damage. They had the firepower to bring down the Giant Slime.
But they all knew. Even with enough firepower, if that colossal slime started bouncing around and slamming into them, formations meant nothing.
The idea of a creature with that much mass jumping was something no mid-layer or lower explorer could even imagine.
If that monster went berserk, could the mages buy enough time to whittle it down?
A mid-layer mage's spell could one-shot a massive Owl Bear, but against that behemoth, how many shots would it take?
Bram, the raid leader, sized up the Giant Slime and ran the numbers.
'Considering the density and mass of regular slimes, the fact that it holds its shape without sagging means its jelly body's cohesion and elasticity are on another level.'
Probably hundreds... no, thousands of times denser than a regular slime.
'And from that regen earlier, the fall impact... it's not light for its size.'
Assuming a spell powerful enough to one-shot an Owl Bear, to incinerate that entire jelly mass...
"...Gonna need 10,000 Fireballs, huh?"
Of course, total incineration was ridiculous. Targeting the slime's weak point—the core—could drop it in a few hundred shots.
But even a few hundred was unrealistic in Bram's mind.
Mages made up less than 10% of the gathered explorers.
'Impossible to raid...'
Not just him—everyone here couldn't think of a way to beat the Giant Slime.
Slicing away that massive jelly body with swords and spears? Absurd.
So everyone froze in panic, trembling...
Until someone pointed at the slime.
"Hey... it's not moving?"
"?"
The Giant Slime didn't twitch. Like it had no movement function at all.
The explorers' faces lit up with hopeful speculation.
"Of course! No way something that huge could jump!!"
"Haha... what, it's just a punching bag?"
"...Maybe it's not an aggressive monster...!! Don't let your guard down!"
The raid members looked to Bram, waiting for orders.
Bram broke into a cold sweat.
'Damn... broadcast is live, and we can't bail with the employer's request...'
He knew it couldn't be that simple. Probably, like someone guessed, it'd activate once attacked—a passive-aggressive monster.
Monsters had survival strategies, and these bizarre variant slimes in the ticket dungeons had evolved to fit their environments.
So the Giant Slime must have some combat method suited to it.
'Jumping looks tough... maybe it rolls?'
Either way, threatening... but if they spread out...
After a brief deliberation—with no real choices—he decided to attack.
"It's stationary, so reform the formation! Hit it with our max firepower to seize momentum!!!"
*
The raid reformed and opened the battle with maximum firepower.
BOOOOM-!!
A barrage of spells slammed into the slime's bulk, kicking up dust clouds.
Goseongji, broadcasting it, let out a small gasp of admiration.
"Impressive. The firepower from dozens of mages looks solid. Formation split into three groups to avoid getting wiped by a mass attack."
The dust from the explosions cleared, revealing the slime. One side of its bulk was gouged out—but it regenerated instantly.
"...Regen? Did the attack not land?"
"No, it hit clean! Size shrank a bit!!"
"W-Wait, that thing!!"
As if reacting to the attack, the colossal slime began to move.
It writhed slowly, inching forward.
"It's moving!!!"
"Crawling means no jumps!!"
"Then we got this!!"
With new intel, Bram judged quickly.
'Speed's meh, no jumps...? Then...'
"Arrows won't pierce that bulk—archers, shields up protecting mages! Melee, spread out and chip it!! Just buy time for next cast—no heroics!!!"
Full battle underway. Slower than expected, but still human-running speed.
Melee buys time, mages land solid hits—solid plan.
But it fell apart when melee closed in and a new pattern triggered.
Whip-
SMASH-!!
"Gaaahhh!!"
A tentacle burst from the slime, lashing the warriors.
The hit warrior flew meters away, knocked out cold. A normal person would've burst on impact.
"Nooo-!!! Merkkoooo!!!"
"Insane... tentacle attack?"
"Retreat!!! Warriors fall back!!!"
Bram ordered retreat.
'Damn, mistake!! Only considered standard slime attacks...!!'
Never dreamed a slime could morph parts into whips.
Years fighting the same monsters left explorers weak to variables.
Still manageable. Key was protecting mages—the raid's core.
Maintain distance, take longer but win...
"Everyone retreat!!! Melee's too risky!!! Keep range, ranged attacks only!!!"
*
"Raid's pulling back. We should too, bit by bit."
Raid shifts to hit-and-run, lobbing spells a few times.
Once the body was ~15% whittled...
The slime stopped. Then it started inflating.
"What now...!! What the hell's it doing!!!"
"It's... still growing...?"
Like its prior size was compressed—it ballooned over three times bigger.
At its limit, jelly chunks peeled off the Giant Slime's body.
The chunks writhed into slimes.
Soon, jelly exploded off at high speed, spawning an army of slimes.
"No way... fission?"
"...Thousands easy?"
"Fine!! Thousands of small slimes are way easier!!!"
Giant Slime shrugged off non-magic, but normal size? Different story.
"Those slimes are from its own body!!! Can't fission infinitely!!! It'll shrink post-fission!!!"
As he said, the bloated body shrank rapidly with each split.
"W-Wait, that's no normal slime!!! Fast!!!"
But the split slimes weren't normal.
Speed like...
"Red Comet...?"
"No inner core...!! Just specs way beyond normal slimes!!!"
"Form up-!!!!"
Stronger than normal, but still slimes—smaller size.
Archers' arrows pierced cores from afar; slimes collapsed.
"Tougher than average, but no issue!!"
Shield warriors formed phalanxes, slicing incoming slimes. Flankers carved through.
Thousands? No match for vets.
"Now we're fighting!!!"
"Haha-!! Tricky start, but smooth sailing now!"
*
"Fission... Raid's got the edge now. Giant form was trickier."
*
Melee spotted the anomaly first in the melee.
"What the...?"
"That's a slime...?"
Far off, a slime over 3 meters—way bigger than normal—emerged.
But its body wasn't jelly; it was covered in shell-like armor.
Bouncing through the slime wave, closing on the raid.
Boing-
Boing-boing-
The armored slime accelerated with each bounce.
"Wtf insane-!!!!"
Sensing danger, Bram barked orders.
"Mages and archers, prioritize it!!!! Shields, tight phalanx protect them!!!!"
Boing-boing-boing-!
Spells and arrows pelted it—no slowdown.
Ting- ting-
BOOM- CRASH-
"I-It’s here!!! Shields, focus auras!!! Mages, mana barriers NOW!!!"
Layered shields tripled up.
Max-speed armored slime vs. max-defense raid—collision.
KABOOOOOM-!!!!!!!!
Shields and phalanx shattered; shieldmen flew like bowling pins.
"Gaaaaahhh-!!!"
"Guhakkk!!!"
Phalanx wrecked, armored slime halted mid-raid formation.
Shell seams opened, venting heat from momentum.
SHHHHHHHHH-
Sizzle-
*
That unreal sight... Goseongji and viewers watched.
"Hah... insane..."
Goseongji's jaw dropped.
Watching it all...
"Uh... sorry about that."
The Giant Slime's patterns? All my doing.
Didn't expect this.