Deep into the Swamp

Iver and his three companions' plan was definitely something they couldn't tell the locals in the village.

Because the "swamp" here is considered Forbidden Area in Eagle Cape Village. Not only outsiders, but even locals can't all approach it at any time.

Fortunately, there was a "traitor" among them.

Using the pretext of exploring the past of Iver's grandfather Jacob —which was indeed what they were going to do later—they ate something early in the morning and left.

They even brought Hai Na's griffin with them on this trip.

Although Hai Na was completely unaware of the problem, she had complete faith in Iver and Sherlock's minds.

Now that they both said there were great secrets and unknown risks in the village... Hai Na chose to trust them without hesitation. In that case, her lovely little griffin, Liz, couldn't leave her sight.

With Hai Na leading the way, they wouldn't get lost. The group headed straight for the swamp.

As Hai Na described the layout of the village, Iver gradually came to understand its location map.

On either side of Eagle Cape Village lies a large lake. The one on the northeast side is the famous Sapphire Lake of Bagpipe Town. You can reach the lake by crossing a Dense Forest from the easternmost edge of Eagle Cape Village.

The lake to the southwest is equally beautiful—it's a bit closer to Eagle Cape Village. The path to this lake doesn't involve traversing Dense Forest, but rather a wide, grassy downhill trail.

William and his friends usually choose this spot for fishing. William's lakeside cabin is located right next to this lake.

As for the swamp—strictly speaking, it's already outside the village. It's right next to the lake where William is, directly south of Eagle Cape Village.

If someone could look down on the entire Eagle Cape Village from the top, they would see a perfectly round circle.

Both lakes and swamps are actually outside this circle.

"I was very naughty when I was a child... I would run around all over the village."

Hai Na and the griffin Liz walked at the front, skillfully navigating the Dense Forest without any paths. Without turning her head, she replied, "I've heard since I was little that this place is dangerous, but for a naive child, 'danger' is more like an encouragement."

"Indeed," Iver nodded slightly and said softly, "It represents a sense of novelty and also symbolizes a desire for conquest—the possibility of a child surpassing an adult."

Because children know they are children, they want to break free from that identity. They don't really want to grow up, but rather to break free from the constraints they are bound to; or perhaps to exchange status with the adults who have tamed them.

"—Although their actions were naive and unreasonable, it was only because they knew very little and lacked experience."

Iver watched Hai Na's retreating figure and said softly, "Without a doubt, this is precisely the desire for transcendence in their subconscious."

Hai Na paused slightly, sighed, and admitted, "That's true."

Perhaps, that's when I started to awaken...

I really haven't changed much since I was a child...

A faint yellow tinge appeared in Hai Na's eyes.

Just then, a faint White Mist suddenly rose up around them.

Sherlock frowned slightly.

He immediately recognized it as a putrid smell with a peculiar, pungent odor—unlike the usual smell of a swamp. It was more like the stench of a corpse that had been dead for days and was already fermenting, mixed with a damp, earthy smell.

The soil beneath my feet had turned into mushy mud at some point.

Stepping on it will cause a clear, slightly sticky yellow liquid to seep out.

For some reason, it reminds me of the clear liquid seeping from a wounded and bleeding body.

Just then, Lily suddenly stepped forward, stretched out her left hand to shield Iver behind her, and said coldly, "Something's coming."

Iver tilted his head slightly and noticed Lily's focused and indifferent expression.

This was a level of aggression she rarely displayed in front of him. Normally, Lily would always smile gently, standing quietly behind him with her hands folded, like a shadow.

But now, Lily is like a dagger suddenly drawn from its sheath, gleaming with a chilling light under the moonlight—

"I Have Never Hated Others."

Lily murmured a self-deceiving lie.

Suddenly, numerous gray threads appeared in the air.

Gray lines, like a spider web, spread all around, weaving between the trees in the Dense Forest.

The next moment, several headless spirits slowly walked over from all directions.

"Second Level, Headless Undead."

Iver's voice rang out. "Do you need my help?"

Hai Na's expression suddenly became focused.

She instinctively reached for her blade at her waist, but found nothing. Only then did she realize that her weapon had been handed over to her younger brother for protection.

But it doesn't matter.

Liz, the griffin beside her, had already charged forward.

She took two steps on the ground, then flapped her wings and flew away.

It was less like flying and more like gliding—she lunged at one of the headless undead, and when her forepaws made contact, a hurricane burst forth, tearing the creature to shreds in a brutal manner.

It was a completely different feeling from the calm and elegant fighting style of an adult White Feather Griffin.

This was Liz's first real combat experience, and she overexerted herself. She injected an excessive amount of magic power, causing what should have been claws that could have torn apart her opponent's to become embedded explosives instead.

The corpse, shattered by excessive force, exploded and shot out in a radius of about 140 degrees behind it, like a landmine exploding. Broken bone fragments were deeply embedded in the tree bark.

Lily simply pressed down her right hand, which was wrapped with several coils of silk thread, and then suddenly raised it.

Those thin gray threads, like pulleys, quietly dangled down from the tree branches, suspending the spirits of the dead directly from the trees.

They struggled, but couldn't break free of their restraints for the time being.

Sherlock sighed and reached out his hand towards the swamp.

The swamp trembled restlessly, as if it had come to life.

Soon, several clumps of mud emerged from it. They cracked open like eggshells and turned into several small monsters.

They are about half a meter tall and look like some kind of bee or a kind of bat.

They have no eyes, but sharp, yellowish teeth. Their arms are spears like bee stings, and behind them are heavy wings.

After they were summoned, they flew behind Sherlock.

This is Mud Eagle, an elemental creature temporarily summoned by Sherlock.

Since he knew this place was unsafe, Sherlock, as a mage, needed to prepare some protective measures.