Lake Tour Terror

Even during the day, a dense fog hung over the lake's surface.

Forget seeing the opposite shore—even the center of the lake was out of reach.

This old-fashioned pedal boat was extremely laborious; every rotation of the axle produced a harsh grinding sound, and the resistance transmitted to the legs felt like being trapped in a bog.

As the boat ventured deeper into the lake, everyone grew more aware of just how vast Green Lake truly was... like a massive, boundless maw, ready to swallow any intruder at any moment.

On the boat, a large-built man carrying a greatsword sat in front, alongside a woman wearing a feathered hat.

Yi Chen and the golden-haired Edmund sat side by side behind them.

The staff member sat backward at the bow, his wide eyes fixed on the four of them, especially watching their pedaling motions, like a supervisor overseeing slaves.

"Although the previous passengers made it through without incident, this lake gives me a very bad feeling~ If something goes wrong midway, we might be forced to cooperate.

Let me reintroduce myself.

My name is Edmund, of the Mariano Family."

He went on to introduce his two companions, reaching out to pat the broad back muscles of the man in front.

"This is Dagobert, a warrior from the North Territory. This body of his comes partly from bloodline, partly from the carving and tempering of extreme cold... He's destined to be a powerhouse of strength.

As for this lovely lady, she's a friend I met at the training grounds—Julianna."

"William."

Yi Chen softly uttered the original owner's name, then continued:

"Also, I wouldn't recommend chatting here..."

"Alright."

With introductions done, everyone turned their attention to the lake.

Given the potential risk of infection and the boating rules, they all behaved themselves, refraining from any suicidal acts like touching the lake water, merely observing the surface with their eyes.

As Yi Chen stared at the lake for a long time, he unexpectedly sensed a feeling of being watched from the depths below... as if something terrifying was staring up at him from the bottom.

When this sensation reached Little Grape, it drooled profusely with craving.

"There seems to be something tasty down there!"

Just as everyone was observing and staying alert to the lake's conditions, Click.

The pedal boat suddenly locked up, the main propeller seeming to be tangled in something.

"Waterweed? Or some kind of debris?"

Considering the unknown dangers, Yi Chen didn't recklessly lean over to check the water's surface. Instead, he extended his right arm, using Little Grape hidden in his sleeve to observe the situation beneath the boat.

Through the relatively clear lake water, a disturbing sight came into focus—hair.

Thick black hair was wrapped around the propeller, and beneath the hair lay a corresponding swollen corpse.

After Yi Chen briefly explained the situation, the three members of Edmund's team grew alert, each with a hand already gripping their weapon.

Just then, the staff member, who hadn't blinked once and wore a vacant stare, instinctively performed his duty.

He put on a pair of rubber gloves that reached his elbows, leaned half his body out over the stern, and began clearing the tangled material from the propeller.

Seeing this, Yi Chen and Edmund, seated in the back, both grabbed the young man's clothes to keep him from accidentally falling into the lake.

As strands of black hair were pulled out one by one, and they were about to break free, the staff member's body suddenly stiffened.

An unimaginably monstrous force yanked at him... such strength—Rip!

Only torn scraps of fabric remained in Yi Chen and Edmund's hands.

The young staff member instantly plunged into the water and vanished without a trace.

Splash!

Blonde Edmund dropped his usual friendly demeanor, his gaze turning resolute as he snapped his fingers.

Everyone on alert, watching their surroundings.

Yet the calm lake surface still hadn't produced anything terrifying.

Sweat trickled down Edmund's forehead as he spoke with some embarrassment:

"The tourists before us were all fine, but it's only when we get here that something goes wrong... Coincidence? Or has one of us been targeted by something in the lake?"

These words immediately reminded Yi Chen of last night's lakeside stroll and the accidental act of tossing the 'Magistrate' into the lake.

However, Edmund quickly confessed on his own:

"After the party ended last night, the three of us killed several Diseased Entities in the town. We might have angered whatever's behind this because of that.

I'm sorry for dragging you into this, William."

Yi Chen replied coldly:

"Think about how to get off this lake."

Half of the black hair was still tangled in the oars; if they kept cleaning it off, they might get pulled under.

At that moment, Dagobert from the North Territory stepped forward on his own.

The broad greatsword in his hand could serve as a makeshift oar, and he had experience rowing from his time living in the North Territory.

The greatsword plunged into the lake, stroking left and right, moving the boat swiftly with just one man's strength—more than twice as fast as before.

Notably, the black hair wrapped around the oars dragged the corpse along with it, a rather eerie sight.

Yet, the danger wasn't over.

The large ripples from the greatsword's strokes seemed to awaken something sleeping at the bottom of the lake.

As the ripples spread outward, some black outlines, about the size of a human body, appeared faintly beneath the surface... They swayed their soft, slender bodies, drawing closer to the boat.

Seeing this, Edmund gently patted his companion's muscular shoulder:

"Dagobert, just keep rowing in a straight line... Leave the rest to us."

"Hmm."

With that, Edmund raised the Feather-Decorated Pistol in his left hand, a Silver Bullet loaded, and gripped the Silver-Plated Shortsword in his right, his eagle-sharp eyes scanning the surroundings.

Julianna bent down to pull a dagger from her boot, also assuming a standard combat stance.

Yi Chen drew the Silver Axe from his waist, with Little Grape mounted on his shoulder.

"Here they come!"

Splash—water sprayed!

An arm covered in fish scales and studded with shellfish grabbed the boat's edge.

As a severely bloated head broke the surface, a cold gun muzzle was already pressed against its crown.

Bang—the gunshot tore through the lake's silent veil.

Red fluid spread across the water as the first Strange Fishman to cause trouble sank to the bottom.

After finishing the kill, Edmund took a moment to offer a tip:

"Against these parasitic types, you just need to destroy the brain... They haven't fully evolved into true [Sick Ones] yet, so they're not too troublesome to handle.

But watch out—

don't let them damage the boat. I'd rather not fall into this filthy, disgusting Green Lake."

No sooner had he spoken, three pairs of arms reached for the boat from different directions, along with swollen, rotting heads with protruding mouths full of sharp teeth.

Blonde Edmund, with a precise sword strike, drove the shortsword in his right hand into a target's face, piercing the brain inside.

Julianna swung her hand back, the dagger plunging horizontally into the target's temple... her speed even a notch faster.

Compared to the two well-trained individuals, Yi Chen, a transmigrator who had 'switched paths midway,' naturally fell short in many aspects.

However, facing the peril in the lake before him, a strong urge to slay the target formed in his mind.

Driven by this will, Plant Root Tendrils sprouted from the back of his hand and between his fingers, entwining the hand axe and even merging with the Hickory Wood handle.

Making Yi Chen grip tighter, swing with more force, Kill!

A silver arc flashed, landing precisely on the mermaid's neck.

Scales, flesh, cervical vertebrae—

none of the potential obstacles to the slash took effect.

Swish!

A swollen, ulcerated head flew through the air, landing with a splat right on the boat.

As the head tried to squirm and harm Yi Chen, a Black Flesh Ball leaped down from Yi Chen's shoulder, instantly devouring the two 'grapes' of the mermaid's head, then burrowing into the eye sockets to eat the fresh sashimi inside clean.

Seeing this, whether it was Dagobert rowing the boat, or the other two locked in battle, they all cast surprised glances, raising their estimation of Yi Chen another notch.

With the group fighting together, after killing nearly twenty Diseased Mermaids from the Lake, the boat reached the shore.

The corpse entangled in the oar was also dragged ashore.

When Yi Chen saw the appearance of this corpse, his body trembled.

This corpse, with its thick, long hair, was actually the Magistrate he had thrown into the lake... but in his memory, the Magistrate had clearly had short hair.

It was as if the lake had the effect of a culture dish, where any creature thrown in would be stimulated to grow faster.

'So it really was my fault...'