As I was crouched down, I signaled quietly to my slimes. “Crossbows, now,” I whispered, feeling the familiar drain on my mana as they transformed.

Their bodies rippled, shifting their right sides into the crossbow arms and forming quivers on the left.

Two mana gone—but it was worth it.

Thankfully, activating the transformation just once covered all of them.

“Positions,” I murmured, and they reacted instantly.

Two slimes attached themselves to each of my shoulders, one settled on my head, and the last clung to my back.

They latched on with their gel-like bodies, balanced perfectly to give me a 360-degree defense—front, sides, and back—all while staying in sync with my movements.

I took a steadying breath and turned to Lila. “Let’s go.”

Grabbing her small frame, I broke into a sprint through the forest, with her guiding us along.

Hiding was no longer an option; we had to make it to the second-floor portal before they closed in.

Branches whipped past, catching my face as we ran through the trees. Lila shouted directions, each one sharper and more urgent.

“Left!” she called. “Quick, hard right!”

I adjusted, feet pounding against the ground as we sped up.

Then, her voice spiked with alarm. “Scouts ahead!”

No need for further orders—my slimes were primed to shoot on sight. The first goblin broke through the bushes ahead, its eyes widening in shock.

Before it could react, one of my shoulder slimes let loose an arrow, hitting it square between the eyes.

[You’ve Defeated a Goblin. Exp +1]

The goblin dropped, its body crumpling against the roots, but the sound of the shot had alerted others that where close by.

Moments later, four more goblins burst into view, shrieking as they locked onto us.

“Run!” Lila yelled. The goblins were fast, weaving through the trees with ease, making good use of their advantageous inhabitation.

I glanced back—they were closing in, their twisted faces lit up with that gleeful malice that only goblins could have.

One goblin lunged forward, close enough for me to hear its raspy breath. My shoulder slime fired again, catching it in the leg. It stumbled with a pained yelp but kept hobbling after us, its focus unwavering.

“Keep going! Don’t stop!” Lila shouted, barely glancing back. The goblins were ruthless, getting closer with each step. We couldn’t keep running forever.

A goblin leapt at us from the side, weapon aimed at my back, but the slime on my back shot first, an arrow piercing through its shoulder. The goblin staggered, thrown off, but more rushed in to take its place, eyes wild with bloodlust.

My slimes kept firing, shot after shot, keeping the goblins at bay, but the pack was relentless, weaving through the trees, closing the gap with every second.

Their screeches filled the forest, spreading like a signal to every other goblin in the area.

“Left! Shortcut!” Lila yelled, steering us down a narrow, vine-covered path.

We dove in, thorns and branches snagging at our clothes, but the goblins followed, unhindered by the rough terrain.

One goblin lunged, inches from grabbing Lila. The slime on my head fired, hitting it square in the heart.

[You’ve Defeated a Goblin. Exp +1]

As I sprinted through the trees, a flicker of movement caught my eye—a group of three adventurers burst out of the underbrush a few meters to my left.

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For a split second, we all froze, wide-eyed, realizing we’d been running from the same threat.

Their faces were flushed, panicked, and just like me, they were desperately trying to outrun the goblins hot on their heels.

“Damn it, they’re everywhere!” one of them yelled, glancing back at the goblins. “We’ve got to find cover or something! They’re closing in!”

The second adventurer, a woman with cropped hair, suddenly pointed towards me. “Wait—look at him! He’s got a gnome with him!”

The third adventurer’s eyes went wide with surprise and a hint of excitement. “A gnome? If that guy’s got a gnome giving him directions, he’s got to know the way out! Follow him!”

I groaned as they immediately changed course to fall in behind me, dragging even more goblins along for the ride.

Just great—now I had three strangers tailing me, assuming I’d lead them to safety.

Glancing over my shoulder, I shouted, “Stop following me!”

The third adventurer, a wiry man who looked more desperate than the others, yelled back, “Come on, man! You clearly know where to go! That gnome’s been shouting directions at you! Don’t be selfish!”

Frustration flared up as I realized they didn’t care about the added risk to me—they were just looking for an easy way out.

Just as I was about to veer off through the trees to lose them, Lila’s voice rose above the noise. “There it is! The portal!”

My heart leapt. Ahead of us was a small cliff overlooking an open field, and just past the treeline was a stretch of green grass with the portal shimmering in the middle—a faint, glowing gateway to the second floor. So close.

The adventurers behind me shouted, “There’s the portal! We can make it! Just a little further!”

I bit back my annoyance and decided to let them tag along—at least until we reached the portal.

Once we crossed, we’d all be scattered to different spots on the second floor anyway, and this ridiculous tag-along party would be over.

But just as I let out a relieved breath, something whistled through the air from behind me.

I turned, eyes widening, just in time to see one of the adventurers—a smug-looking guy from the group—hurling a glass vial directly at me. It glinted as it sailed through the air, straight toward my face.

“Hey!” I yelled, panic surging as I recognized the threat. But before I could react, one of my slimes noticed the vial and shot an arrow, shattering it in midair.

A burst of liquid sprayed outward, and I barely had a second to process what was happening.

Instinct took over, and I activated the active ability of my slimebound boots, [Slime Propel], launching myself forward out of the liquid’s path just as it splattered onto the grass.

Glancing back, I noticed the liquid’s thick, slimy texture—it was just like my slimes, but meant to immobilize, a trap to slow me down.

My stomach twisted in realization.

These guys had tried to use me as bait to buy themselves time against the goblins.

“Are you serious!” I muttered, a mix of anger and disgust tightening in my chest.

They’d been planning to sacrifice me just to save their own skins.

The group yelled at the adventurer who’d thrown the vial, not because he’d tried to trap me, but because he missed.

“You idiot! You were supposed to hit him!” one of them shouted, frustration clear in their voice.

My stomach twisted with anger.

These lowlifes—willing to throw anyone under the bus if it meant saving their own skins. Just a pack of rats, every one of them.

But I wasn’t letting them get off that easily.

With the boost from my slimebound boots', I shot forward, creating more distance between myself, the goblins, and those adventurers.

Even as I gained ground, I gave a quick command to my slimes. “Take aim!”

The slimes launched a volley of arrows, each one striking the ground around the adventurers, sending dirt and debris flying.

Their panicked yells filled the area as they barely dodged each shot, the ground erupting at their feet.

One of them turned and shouted, “It’s one life for three! Just sacrifice yourself for the greater good!”

Their shamelessness made my blood boil.

These cowards expected me to hand myself over to the goblins so they could escape.

But as they dodged each arrow, their defiant faces suddenly shifted to pure terror. Their eyes widened, fixed on something behind me.

I spun around, heart hammering at the sight emerging from the dense forest.

A hulking creature stepped out of the shadows, at least three times the height of the hobgoblin from before, its skin green dark and leathery, covered in rough, jagged scars. Its shoulders were broad, draped in crude iron plates, and its arms were massive, ending in hands that looked built for crushing bones.

It had the unmistakable goblin features but stretched into something monstrous.

Strapped to its back was a strange well crafted wooden sedan chair, like some backpack structure.

From the side of the structure, a figure emerged.

In extravagant robes dripping with glittering gold and jewels, a bloated goblin sat with a crown perched on its head. Its eyes gleamed with a sharp, cruel intelligence, and a twisted grin stretched wide, showing off two oversized fangs on either side of its mouth.

“T-The King?!” I shouted, my voice barely steady as the realization hit.

The Goblin King himself had arrived, seated atop his hulking mount, watching the scene with amusement.

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https://i.imgur.com/FbB4Cc0.png [https://i.imgur.com/FbB4Cc0.png]

Closer Look At the King

https://i.imgur.com/eG2Fwqt.png [https://i.imgur.com/eG2Fwqt.png]