The banks of the Reed River.
Clear, cold glacial water flowed down from the towering, majestic snow-capped mountains, converging into a river that rushed south, nurturing countless creatures along its banks.
The sun shone brightly today. Bass leaped and splashed in the water, occasionally flinging crystal-clear droplets into the air that refracted the light into dazzling, colorful specks.
Near the marshes of the Reed River, a few Lizardmen from the Rot Moss Tribe were avoiding a hungry, foraging giant bear. Holding fish-spears, they slipped into the water, searching for any sign of fish or water lizards.
On a small path along the riverbank, Sergash hummed a song, balancing a pottery jar on her head as she followed behind her sister. Her tail swung back and forth, a sign of her good mood.
Her gaze swept across the clean riverbank when she was suddenly drawn to something shiny lying on the shore. Her eyes lit up, and she trotted over to pick up the Crystal Stone, wiping it on her clothes.
Another gray gravel stone, and it was even bigger than the last one she'd found.
'The envoy will definitely be happy when he sees this.'
"Sergash…"
Semia, who had been on patrol, noticed the change in footsteps behind her. She turned to see her sister running off to pick up those strange stones again.
"Do you really like these gray stones?"
Facing her towering older sister, Sergash nodded timidly.
Semia's gaze merely glanced over the gray gravel crystal, but she said nothing about it.
"Let's go. The Rot Moss Tribe is willing to hold the Shaman ceremony for you. You should start preparing as soon as possible."
Sergash mumbled an affirmative, her expression hesitant.
"Sister, will the Rot Moss Tribe really accept us?"
Semia stopped and gazed toward the bustling tribal settlement ahead, her thoughts unreadable.
"In the world of the swamp, it's survival of the fittest. Ultimately, the Lizardmen revere the strong."
"As long as I'm here, they will always welcome us. Don't overthink it."
"Okay." Sergash watched her sister's back, feeling the same sense of security she always did.
'Just like always, as long as her sister was around, nothing was a problem.'
'Of course, now she had one more person she could rely on.'
'I wonder what the envoy is doing right now.'
'Did he eat his breakfast on time?'
'When I go back, he'll definitely be shocked to see such a big gray gravel crystal. He'll probably shout something about how amazing Sergash is.'
Clinging to her pleasant fantasy, Sergash followed the path along the riverbank until her figure was swallowed by the lush, drooping canopy of the trees.
...
CRUNCH… CRUNCH…
In the Dark Swamp, Chen Yu was enjoying his breakfast—a member of the Fluorescent Mushroom People that had set its sights on him.
Truth be told, the texture of a monster like the Fluorescent Mushroom People was rather unremarkable. It was like chewing on rubber with a faint mushroom taste; his Gel couldn't even crush it, forcing him to rely on acid for digestion.
'But if I could slice it up with a small knife and pan-fry it with butter on a stone slate until it was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, it would probably have a unique flavor.'
Unfortunately, since he didn't have hands, thinking about it was all he could do.
He was starting to miss Sergash and her barbecue skills.
[Devouring and Digesting Lv.3 triggered—Fluorescent Mushroom People characteristics recorded. Talent gestating (7/10)]
Chen Yu lay motionless in the black swamp mud, waiting for the mushroom in his stomach to finish digesting.
During this time, his round eyes didn't stop peering out at the even greater Darkness of the swamp world.
He saw a fist-sized mosquito fly past with an irritating buzz. Its long, thin legs dangled below a round, bulging belly, as if it were full of blood.
The mosquito didn't notice the Slime hidden in the mud.
Suddenly, it felt a gust of wind strike it. It couldn't even react instinctively before the Little Arrow Skill blew it apart, splattering blood and sending limbs scattering to the ground.
Chen Yu hopped over and swallowed the mosquito's mangled remains. The moment his acid permeated the insect's flesh, a sour, stinking taste churned in his stomach.
It was like the taste of water in which a girl's sweaty sock, worn for far too long, had been steeped.
"Blech, what disgusting stuff."
'If it weren't for the sake of acquiring a talent, I'd never eat this stuff. It's so stinky and sour.'
The acid in his stomach churned. Once the food was more or less digested, Chen Yu continued to venture deeper.
If one were to ask if he had a destination for this expedition...
...the dark silhouette shrouded in thick fog within his field of vision was exactly that.
This silhouette was unlike the shadows of the oak trees he had seen on his way. It was square and regular, more like some kind of structure standing in the swamp.
What kind of creature could have left a building in this dangerous swamp, he could no longer know.
'But since there are ruins, there should be treasure or something like that inside, right?'
'It's fine if there's no sword in the treasure chest, but there should at least be some Gemstones, right?'
Filled with a strange sense of anticipation, Chen Yu felt as if he had become a seasoned Adventurer, venturing alone into a dangerous swamp to explore the forgotten treasures and mysteries of this land.
"Let's go!"
Chen Yu hopped forward, but his high spirits didn't last long before his path was blocked by a thick, snake-like leech.
This Giant Vein Leech looked just like a small leech that had been scaled up proportionally, except for two fluorescent eyespots on its front.
It clung to a slippery oak tree, raising its head to size up Chen Yu, seemingly judging whether he was edible.
'This must be a Bronze Tier monster.'
To be honest, the Giant Vein Leech was much larger than a typical Black Iron Tier monster.
Chen Yu had no doubt that if a leech this huge latched onto a wild ox, it could probably drain all the blood from its body.
'And this thing seems to have powerful regeneration abilities.'
'I wonder if it can withstand a single hit from my Little Arrow Skill.'
He and the Giant Vein Leech stared at each other in silence. The leech, with its poor eyesight, seemed to have finally recognized him—a seemingly ordinary Slime.
A Slime?
This thing was all water, without a single drop of blood.
The calories gained from eating it wouldn't even be worth the energy spent hunting it.
It had no desire to eat such a thing.
The Giant Vein Leech instantly lost all interest in hunting. It slumped back onto the oak tree, lazily waiting for its next prey to arrive.
As for this Slime, it was just a weak monster, not worth a second thought.
Chen Yu found this novel.
'So there are actually monsters in this swamp that don't eat Slimes.'
'Then again, it's pitch-black here, so it's not like any other Slimes would willingly come to a place like this.'
Seeing the Giant Vein Leech on the tree with its guard completely down, Chen Yu decided to test the waters with a Little Arrow Skill.
He silently recited the incantation. A water arrow rapidly condensed and elongated, pointing toward the Giant Vein Leech clinging to the tree.
[Little Arrow Skill]
WHOOSH—SPLAT!
The powerful water arrow pierced through the Giant Vein Leech's soft, thick body in an instant, striking the tree bark beneath it.
The Giant Vein Leech cried out in pain and fell from the tree, thrashing and rolling wildly in the swamp.
However, the bowl-sized wound didn't seem to have seriously injured it. In just a few seconds, the flesh at the wound fused back together, not even leaving a scar.
"What astonishing regenerative ability."
Chen Yu's eyes gleamed in the Darkness.
'What does this mean? This Giant Vein Leech must have a special monster talent.'
'As expected of a Bronze Tier monster.'