The Protagonists Get Wiped Out by Slimes

Soon, Paimon entered the domain as well.

Although it was a domain, Zhong Baiye could sense that there was little danger here.

In the game, there had only been a few Slimes here. Slimes were the least threatening monsters in Teyvat; even an ordinary person could deal with them easily.

Still, to be fair, this domain truly lived up to its name. From outside, there was no way to tell it was this large.

Zhong Baiye looked up at the boundless sky, unable to see any ceiling, then glanced down. Aside from the platform they stood on, everything was shrouded in mist.

"So this is a domain? Let me try something."

Paimon grew interested too. She casually picked up a pebble and tossed it over the edge.

To their surprise, however, several minutes passed without any sound of the pebble hitting the ground.

"Be careful, everyone. This place might be almost as deep as The Chasm. Whatever you do, don't fall."

When Keqing failed to hear the pebble land, she gave everyone a solemn warning.

Before Zhong Baiye and the others could respond, several Slimes bounced out in front of them.

Some were wreathed in flames, some wore yellow armor, and others were made entirely of Electro.

"Be careful, everyone. These Slimes are immune to damage from their corresponding elements. It's best to use physical attacks..."

Before Keqing could finish, an Electro Slime attacked her.

The other Slimes chose their opponents as well and launched themselves at Zhong Baiye and the others.

Even Paimon was targeted. A yellow Slime kept chasing her as she fled.

"Hurry up and think of something! Come save me!"

Paimon looked frantic, but she had no choice but to keep running with every ounce of strength she had.

No one was in any position to laugh at Paimon now, though. The Slimes here were somewhat different from those outside.

No matter how many times Keqing struck her Slime with Lion's Roar, it recovered immediately. Even its aura showed no signs of weakening.

Zhong Baiye faced a Pyro Slime. Knowing that Geo would not be countered by other elements, he used the Geo Traveler's Power against the Slime before him.

Yet even when he attacked the Pyro Slime directly with Geo, it remained completely unharmed.

Every time Zhong Baiye was about to land a hit, it actually dispersed its body into a ball of fire.

Once the attack was over, it re-formed into a Slime.

It was not just the Slime Zhong Baiye faced. The ones Lumine and Keqing were fighting did much the same.

Thanks to his Half-Adeptus power, Zhong Baiye recovered his stamina quickly, but Keqing and Lumine were another matter.

Lumine was already panting for breath, barely managing to evade even the Slime's clumsy attacks.

Keqing was doing better. Rather than keep attacking, she dodged continuously while trying to think of a solution.

There was no need to worry about Paimon. She would be fine anyway.

Zhong Baiye glanced at Paimon, who still had enough strength to run, and left her alone.

The most important thing now was to find a way to deal with the Slimes before him.

With that thought in mind, Zhong Baiye began alternating between Electro and Geo attacks.

But they still had no effect. At most, Electro blasted the Slime a considerable distance away.

"Big Brother Zhong Baiye!"

Just as that Slime was blasted away, something happened to Lumine.

Zhong Baiye and Keqing both turned toward her cry. Lumine was no longer there; only a leg protruded from the Slime's body. They recognized it as hers at a glance.

But soon, even that leg was swallowed into the Slime's body.

Keqing felt a pang of grief at the sight. Although she was not particularly fond of Lumine, they were companions. After spending so many days together, how could she feel nothing?

Zhong Baiye was heartbroken too. He knew this was not a game. If someone died here, they were truly dead, with no chance of revival.

What neither of them noticed, however, was a Hydro Slime suddenly bouncing out behind Keqing.

While Keqing was still grieving, her attention fixed on the Slime in front of her, the Hydro Slime leaped straight onto her head.

Keqing saw it, but before she could react, it swallowed her whole, leaving not so much as a speck of dust.

Zhong Baiye snapped back to his senses as all the surrounding Slimes converged on him.

"Waaah..."

Before he even had time to grieve over Keqing being swallowed, he heard a scream.

The Slime chasing Paimon had caught up with her. Only her head remained outside, her body already swallowed into the Slime.

"Zhong Baiye, come save me! I don't want to die..."

It looked as though the Slime had grown a Paimon head.

Before long, however, Paimon's head slipped into the Slime's body with a slurp. From the outside, the Slime seemed rather unhappy with Paimon; even its movements had become unsteady.

"One, two... ten."

There had only been four Slimes earlier, but a quick count now revealed ten.

No matter how quickly his stamina recovered, his two fists were no match for ten Slimes.

Besides, Keqing, Lumine, and Paimon might still be alive. Zhong Baiye could not bring himself to strike ruthlessly at the Slimes that had swallowed them.

If they dispersed their bodies to dodge his attacks, he would end up hitting Keqing and Lumine instead.

With so much holding him back, Zhong Baiye did not dare unleash even the devastating weapons at his disposal.

He could only fight while retreating, regretting that he had not used the Sigil of Permission or the Herrscher of Thunder Trial Card right away. Then Lumine and Keqing would never have been in danger.

What? Why wasn't he grieving for Paimon?

Paimon was the mastermind behind Teyvat, supposedly the God of Time in the game. Even if something happened to Zhong Baiye, she would be fine.

Before Zhong Baiye could think of a solution, the Slime that had swallowed Paimon and begun wobbling finally reached its limit.

"Pfft!"

It spat Paimon out in one go, her entire body covered in strange slime.

Then, seemingly delighted, the Slime bounced up and down on the spot instead of joining the others in attacking Zhong Baiye.

"What is this stuff? It's so gross. But it feels kind of nice, too."

After being spat out, Paimon touched the unidentified slime covering her body and made a gagging face, only to look comfortable a moment later.

"Hahaha! How could anything happen to me, Paimon?"

Hearing Paimon's voice, several of the Slimes attacking Zhong Baiye instantly changed direction and bounced toward her.

"Waaah... stop coming after me! I don't taste good at all!"

At the sight of those Slimes, Paimon immediately took flight, no longer caring about the slime on her body. She fled even faster than before.