A Novel Taste

Reed Riverbank.

Icy water, clear and cold, flowed down from towering, majestic snow mountains, merging into the river and surging southward, nourishing countless creatures along its course.

The sun shone brightly today. Perch leaped and splashed in the water, occasionally flinging crystalline droplets into the air, where they refracted into dazzling, multicolored glimmers.

Near Reed River Marsh, several Lizardfolk from the Rotten Moss Tribe were avoiding a giant bear hunting through hunger. Holding fish spears, they slipped into the water in search of any fish or water lizards.

On the riverside path, Seja hummed a tune as she followed behind her older sister with a clay jar balanced on her head. Her tail swayed back and forth behind her, and she seemed to be in quite a good mood.

Her gaze swept across the clean riverbank when it was suddenly caught by something glittering on the shore. Her eyes lit up slightly, and she trotted over to pick up the crystal, wiping it on her clothes.

Another Gray Grit Crystal—and it was even bigger than the one she had found last time.

Envoy would definitely be happy if he saw it.

"Seja..."

Semiya, who had been patrolling ahead, noticed the change in footsteps behind her. Turning back, she saw that Seja had run off again to pick up those strange stones.

"Do you like these gray stones that much?"

Facing her tall older sister, Seja nodded guiltily.

Semiya's gaze merely swept over the Gray Grit Crystal, but she said nothing about it.

"Let's go. The Rotten Moss Tribe is willing to hold the shaman ceremony for you. You should make preparations as soon as possible."

Seja gave a soft assent, though her expression remained hesitant.

"Big Sis, will Rotten Moss really accept us?"

Semiya stopped and looked toward the lively tribal settlement ahead, seemingly lost in thought.

"The world of the swamp is one where the weak are prey to the strong. Lizardfolk worship strength in the end."

"As long as I'm here, they will always welcome us. Don't think too much about it."

"Okay." Seja watched her sister's back, feeling the same sense of security as always.

Just like before, as long as her sister was there, nothing was a problem.

Of course, she now had someone else she could rely on as well.

She wondered what Envoy was doing.

Had he eaten breakfast on time?

The next time she went back, he would definitely be startled to see such a large Gray Grit Crystal, then shout about how amazing Seja was or something.

Clutching her beautiful fantasies close, Seja left along the riverside path, her figure swallowed by the lush, drooping canopy.

"Crunch, crunch..."

In the dark swamp, Chen Yu enjoyed today's breakfast—a Glow Mushroom Person that had set its sights on him.

In truth, Demonic Beasts like Glow Mushroom People tasted rather ordinary. They were like rubber with a faint mushroom flavor; even his gel could not crush them apart, and he could only rely on Acid to digest them.

But if they could be sliced into thin pieces with a knife, then fried in butter on a stone slab until crisp outside and tender within, they would probably have a distinctive flavor.

Unfortunately, without hands, he could only think about it.

He began to miss Seja—miss her grilling skills.

[Devour and Digest Lv.3 triggered—Glow Mushroom Person traits recorded, talent incubating (7/10)]

Chen Yu lay motionless in the pitch-black swamp mud, waiting for the mushroom in his stomach to finish digesting.

During this time, his round eyes did not forget to spy on this even darker swamp world.

He saw a mosquito the size of a fist fly past with an irritating buzz. Its long limbs dangled beneath it, and its belly was swollen round, as though it had drunk its fill of blood.

The mosquito did not notice the Slime hiding in the mud.

It only suddenly felt a fierce gust of wind rushing at it. Before it could even instinctively dodge, Lesser Arrow Technique blasted it apart, spraying blood everywhere and scattering its limbs across the ground.

Chen Yu bounced over and swallowed the mosquito's mangled body. The instant Acid seeped into its flesh, a sour stench rose up in his stomach.

It was like taking off a young girl's sweat-stinking socks after she had worn them for ages, then soaking them in water.

"Ptooey, ptooey. What a disgusting thing."

If it were not for obtaining a talent, he truly would not want to eat this thing. It was both stinky and sour.

As the Acid churned in his stomach, Chen Yu continued pushing deeper into the swamp once the food inside had mostly been digested.

If one had to ask whether this expedition had a destination—

Then the black shadow shrouded in thick mist within his field of vision was his destination.

This black shadow was unlike the shadows of oak trees he had seen along the way. It was square and upright, more like some kind of structure standing in the swamp.

What kind of creature could leave behind a building in such a dangerous swamp? He had no idea.

But since there were ruins, there should be treasures inside, shouldn't there?

Even if there was no sword in the treasure chest, there had to be gems at least.

Clutching an inexplicable sense of anticipation, Chen Yu felt as though he had become a seasoned adventurer, venturing alone into a dangerous swamp to explore the treasures and mysteries left behind in this land.

"Let's go!"

Chen Yu bounced forward, but his soaring spirits did not last long before a thick, snake-like leech blocked his path.

This Giant Leech looked as though an ordinary little leech had simply been enlarged in exact proportion, except it had two glowing eye-spots at the front.

It clung to a slick oak tree, raising its head to inspect Chen Yu as if judging whether he was edible.

"This is a Bronze Tier monster, isn't it?"

Honestly, the Giant Leech was far larger than ordinary Black Iron monsters.

Chen Yu had no doubt that if such a massive leech latched onto a wild ox, it could probably suck every drop of blood out of its body.

And this thing seemed to have powerful regenerative abilities.

He wondered whether it could withstand one shot of his Lesser Arrow Technique.

He and the Giant Leech simply stared silently at each other. The leech, whose eyesight was not particularly good, seemed to finally recognize what he was—a seemingly ordinary Slime.

A Slime?

This thing was water from head to toe, without a drop of blood.

The calories gained from eating it would not even make up for the calories spent hunting it.

It did not like eating such things.

The Giant Leech immediately lost interest in hunting and settled back onto the oak tree, lazily waiting for its next prey to arrive.

As for this Slime, it was merely a weak monster. It had no intention of paying it any mind.

Chen Yu found this novel.

So there were monsters in this Swamp that did not eat Slimes.

Though it was pitch-black here, and it did not seem as if any Slimes would be willing to come to a place like this either.

Seeing that the Giant Leech on the tree had no guard up at all, Chen Yu decided to test the waters with a Lesser Arrow Technique first.

He silently recited the method in his heart. A water arrow rapidly condensed and lengthened, aiming at the Giant Leech sprawled on the tree.

[Lesser Arrow Technique]

"Whoosh—smack!"

The immensely powerful water arrow pierced through the Giant Leech's soft yet thick body almost instantly, striking the bark beneath it.

The Giant Leech fell from the tree in pain, wildly writhing and rolling through the swamp.

Yet the bowl-sized wound did not seem to have seriously injured it. In only a few seconds, the flesh at the wound fused back together, leaving not even a scar.

"What astonishing recovery ability."

Chen Yu's eyes glimmered faintly in the darkness.

What did that mean? This Giant Leech definitely possessed a special Monster Talent.

As expected of a Bronze Tier monster.