The Slime and the Caravan

“Faster! Faster!”

A carriage pulled by a Land Dragon sped through the forest paths.

The halfling driver guiding the Land Dragon desperately cracked the reins as if trying to shake off some mortal danger.

Inside the carriage, a smartly dressed young man leaned his head out.

“If we keep following the road, those bandits will catch us!”

“Change direction! Rush into the forest to the north!”

Hearing the young man's words, the halfling driver shook his head in terror.

“All the hired adventurer guards are dead! Rushing into the Great Hera Forest right now is just seeking death!”

“Dying at the hands of monsters is much better than being caught by bandits!”

As the young man spoke, he reached out to snatch the reins from the halfling.

“If we die, I'm never going to forgive you!”

The halfling gritted his teeth and steered into the Great Hera Forest.

However, the bandits behind them still gave chase, pursuing on horseback.

The paths within the Great Hera Forest were extremely bumpy, and the carriage felt as if it would shake to pieces at any moment.

The young man gritted his teeth.

He didn't know what was going on this year. Previously, orderly tribes of intelligent monsters lived along the southern edge of the Great Hera Forest, but now, not a single one could be seen.

Not only was there no way to trade with the monsters for cheap, high-quality materials, but the bandits were also far more rampant than before.

Forget making a profit on this trip; his entire family fortune was about to be wiped out.

With a piercing sound, a sharp arrow tore through the forest and embedded itself in the carriage.

The fletching vibrated violently from the immense force with which the arrow penetrated the wooden plank.

“Stop right there! If we catch you, we'll skin you alive!”

The bandits behind them shouted threats.

After all, all kinds of monsters lived in the Great Hera Forest, making it extremely dangerous for the bandits as well.

The young man ignored them.

Meanwhile, the halfling driver was trembling with fear.

Right at that moment, a wolf's howl echoed through the forest.

That sound... It was the monster killer hiding in the shadows of Hera—the Hera shadow wolf!

Hera shadow wolves hunted in packs. Not only were they individually powerful, but they were also incredibly elusive.

Once you heard a single howl, it meant a pack of shadow wolves had already surrounded you.

It was a howl that symbolized death.

They were one of the most dangerous monsters in the Great Hera Forest.

“We're doomed! We're dead! We're definitely dead this time!”

Overwhelmed by intense terror, the halfling involuntarily broke out in tears and snot.

The faces of the trailing bandits also changed dramatically. They spat out endless vile curses, but they immediately halted their horses and prepared to turn around and flee.

A sharp attack shot out from the shadows, instantly slicing one of the mounted bandits in half. His upper body flew into the air, while his lower half remained seated in the saddle.

Blood sprayed from the severed lower half like a fountain.

This horrifying scene nearly robbed all the humans present of their voices. Instinctive fear flooded their bodies like a tide, paralyzing them.

“Use the fire-oil pots!”

One of the bandits yelled, pulling a fire-oil pot from his saddlebag, quickly lighting it, and tossing it into the shadows.

Firelight flared, dispersing the shadows, and the wolf howls stopped.

“Th-they're nothing special after all,”

the bandit who threw the pot said, wiping the sweat from his forehead as he tried to shake off his fear.

However, illuminated by the firelight, a massive shadow stepped forward.

It was a giant wolf, six meters long, looking as if the shadows themselves had taken physical form. Under the firelight, it exuded a suffocating presence.

“The Sh-Sh-Shadow Wolf King!”

“How is this possible?!”

“Aaaahhh!!”

At this moment, none of the bandits could maintain their formation. They scrambled and fled in an ugly panic, giving themselves completely to their survival instincts—run, run, run!

However, the giant wolf simply raised its head and let out a howl.

Under the howl, the forest shadows seemed to come alive. Hidden shadow wolves emerged from the darkness, flowing toward the fleeing bandits.

In the shadows of this forest, no prey could escape the claws of the Shadow Wolf King.

“Lord Dark Wolf, we have captured twelve alive. We also secured twelve horses and one Land Dragon. Two were killed, and we suffered zero casualties.”

A dozen or so gnolls and pigman half-orcs used ropes to bind the captured prisoners into a single line.

The shadow wolves glared from the sidelines, keeping their eyes trained on the bound humans.

“Hmm,”

Dark Wolf grunted in acknowledgement.

After their previous war with the goblins, the monsters of the Slime Territory were no longer short of food for the winter.

These captives were not caught to be eaten, but rather to be thrown into the mine pits to dig for ore as mining slaves.

“We head back.”

Dark Wolf commanded once more. The monsters carried out the order quickly and orderly, dragging their spoils of war as they began their return march to Slime Mountain.

'What on earth is going on? Why are so many monsters of different races gathered here, cooperating under the leadership of the Shadow Wolf King?'

'How is this possible? Aren't the vassals of the Shadow Wolf King only shadow wolves and gnolls?!'

The young human bound as a captive watched all of this in disbelief.

This completely overturned his understanding. Frankly, the fact that he was taken captive instead of being killed on the spot was already surprising enough.

Did this pack of monsters prefer their meat fresh?

“Lord Lucas, what do we do now?!”

The halfling spoke to the young man in terror, his mind seemingly having shut down from the shock.

“Obey their orders for now. Almost all of these monsters are intelligent races.”

“Perhaps we can find a way to survive through communication.”

“What are you whispering about? Whispering is forbidden!”

A half-orc slapped Lucas on the head, nearly knocking it off his shoulders.

As they traversed the forest, the sun dipped toward the west, and they finally reached their destination.

It was a settlement established around a low hill, with various monster races living together at its base.

Distinctive monster architectures, built with an inexplicable sense of order and structure, lined the foot of the mountain.

Young monsters darted and played among the buildings, while the adults went about their respective tasks, building up the territory.

There were even slimes bouncing around in the structures and meadows, coexisting harmoniously with the other monsters.

Furthermore, what was going on? The monsters here seemed to hold an inexplicable sense of respect for the slimes.

No monster minded even when a slime bounced onto a roof.

Even though they were just the lowest-tier slimes!

It was completely incomprehensible; he simply could not understand.

Lucas, the halfling, and the bandits were all stunned by the sight.

It was practically a paradise for monsters.

Lucas forced himself to accept reality, and from there, began to desperately think of a way to survive.

Just then, Lucas noticed an elderly pigman.

That was...!

“Hey, wait! Elder Pigman, it's me! Lucas! Do you remember me?!”