Sludge Devourer

Hiss, hiss, hiss!

Corrosive sounds rang out in quick succession. The Gloomscale Python's belly was soon eaten through into a bloody hole, and its struggles rapidly weakened.

In the end, with the four of them working together, they successfully killed the near-mature Gloomscale Python.

When the battle ended, everyone let out a breath of relief.

Holm looked at Luo Lin with approval in his eyes. "Well done, Luo Lin!"

"That interruption was crucial. Your reaction was fast."

The other two team members also cast grateful looks at Luo Lin, especially the apprentice who had nearly been hit by the acid.

Luo Lin nodded calmly and walked over to the Gloomscale Python's corpse.

He first carefully collected samples of the acid it had sprayed.

This acid was extremely corrosive and made excellent material.

Then he took out a dagger and began dissecting it with practiced skill.

Luo Lin precisely located the Gloomscale Python's venom glands and gallbladder, the two most valuable materials.

The gallbladder in particular was one of the core materials for brewing various antidotes and high-grade acid potions, and it fetched a high price within the academy.

He also peeled off several intact dark scales. These scales had decent resistance to energy damage and could be used to make leather armor or shields.

Watching Luo Lin's proficient handling, Holm and the others were once again surprised.

His meticulousness in processing magical creature materials far surpassed that of ordinary combat apprentices.

"You brat, did you used to handle materials?"

Holm could not help asking. For combat-focused apprentices like them, they could only be said to know a little about material processing and potion preparation.

But if they actually had to handle it themselves, anyone would get a headache.

"I worked as an assistant in the academy laboratories."

Luo Lin answered simply, placing the processed materials into specially made containers.

By the time the outpost's support team arrived, the battle had long since ended.

Only the mostly processed corpse of the Gloomscale Python remained.

An Official Wizard with a stern expression led the team. After briefly asking about the situation, inspecting the scene, and examining the core materials submitted by Holm's team, he affirmed the team's successful kill of a near-mature Gloomscale Python without suffering any casualties.

According to the rules, most hunting gains had to be handed over for outpost reserves and mission settlement, while individuals could keep a small portion or exchange it for contribution points.

Luo Lin had played a key role in the battle, and he had handled the materials properly, preserving their value intact.

The wizard made a special exception, allowing him to keep a small portion of the gallbladder essence and twenty of the most intact dark scales.

The team also received a considerable amount of collective contribution points. Luo Lin had the highest individual contribution and received the largest share.

This encounter gave Luo Lin a modest reputation among Gray Tower Outpost's patrol teams.

It was not only because of his calmness and precise attacks at critical moments, but also because of his material-processing skills, which far exceeded those of ordinary combat apprentices.

In the days that followed, Luo Lin continued with his daily patrols, sentry duty, and outpost maintenance.

The Black Forest was harsh and unforgiving, and every trip outside came with risks.

He had encountered packs of Razor Wild Rats with teeth gleaming coldly, and he had also kept far away from twisted woodland that radiated an ominous aura.

He gradually learned how to judge potential danger through scents carried by the wind, traces on the ground, and subtle changes in the energy field.

Luo Lin's practical combat experience accumulated rapidly.

His casting of [Acid Spray] became faster, and his predictions more accurate.

After enduring several real attacks, his control over maintaining [Weak Force-Field Armor] and distributing energy grew increasingly refined.

He even began trying to incorporate more finesse into [Mage Hand], using it to move quickly through complex terrain or disrupt an opponent's balance.

Occasionally, familiar patrol members would bring him difficult spoils and ask for his help.

For example, Ironback Beetles with especially tough shells, or Mottled Venom Spiders with unusually potent venom.

Luo Lin would usually charge a small number of contribution points based on the difficulty of processing them, or ask for a share of the non-core materials.

He was not helping for free. It was respect for his own craft, and it also allowed him to accumulate more varieties of materials for research.

He compared these materials from the Black Forest against the knowledge he had learned at the academy.

Using the outpost's crude facilities, he tried to analyze the composition of Gloomscale Python acid, considering how to incorporate it into his [Acid-Erosion Ray] to further increase its corrosive power.

He also studied those energy-resistant scales, considering how to fine-tune the model of [Weak Force-Field Armor] so it could better handle the common types of energy attacks found in the Black Forest.

This method of closely combining practice and theory continuously improved his understanding and application of his own abilities.

About four months after arriving at Gray Tower Outpost, the outpost issued an exploration mission.

Beyond the eastern patrol zone lay an area known as Silent Marsh.

Its energy readings had recently become somewhat abnormal. A team was needed to conduct a preliminary investigation, draw a simple map, and collect environmental samples.

The mission was quite dangerous, but the rewards were relatively generous.

Holm's team accepted the mission.

After several joint operations, he had come to recognize Luo Lin's strength and caution.

Silent Marsh was completely different from the woodland they had explored before.

The air was filled with the heavy smell of humus and a faint trace of marsh gas. Underfoot were soft, sinking mud and puddles.

Twisted dead trees stretched toward the gray sky like the claws of monsters.

The light here was dimmer, and visibility was poor.

Every member of the team remained on high alert.

Luo Lin quietly cast [Breeze Dust-Cleansing]. Though it could not disperse the marsh gas, it could slightly purify the air around their breathing area and smooth out the subtle energy disturbances nearby, making his senses a little clearer.

This inconspicuous spell produced an unexpected supporting effect at this moment.

They carefully ventured deeper into the marsh, recording the terrain and collecting water samples, mud, and several varieties of faintly glowing marsh moss.

Along the way, they encountered several attacks from creatures unique to the marsh, including Barbed-Tendril Leeches that could suddenly launch themselves from the water, and Camouflaged Dryads lurking within dead trees.

The team dealt with them all without much danger.

Luo Lin noticed that Holm seemed even more wary of this environment than before, as though he were guarding against something.

Just as they were about to finish investigating the designated area and prepare to return, a sudden change occurred!

A seemingly calm puddle ahead and to the side abruptly began to churn violently. Murky water swept toward them, carrying a powerful suction force.

At the same time, several pale, mucus-covered limbs resembling octopus tentacles burst from the water and shot like lightning toward Holm and another team member, who were closest.

"It's a Sludge Devourer! Watch out!"

Holm roared. Earth-yellow light flared from his body as he struggled with all his strength.

But those tentacles were incredibly powerful and carried a paralyzing effect, making his movements sluggish.

The other team member was directly dragged to the ground and began sliding toward the puddle.

Luo Lin reacted incredibly quickly. Almost instinctively, he activated [Acid-Erosion Ray]. His target was not the enormous main body hidden beneath the water, whose condition was unknown, but the junctions of the tentacles wrapped around Holm.

Hiss!

The dark green ray struck precisely. Its powerful corrosive effect took hold instantly, and one tentacle snapped apart, spraying thick dark fluid everywhere.

The pressure on Holm eased. Roaring, he broke free from the other tentacles.

At the same time, Luo Lin cast [Mage Hand] on the team member being dragged away. A powerful pulling force acted upon him, slowing the rate at which he was pulled into the puddle.

The other team members also came to their senses, firing fireballs and wind blades at the tentacles and the center of the puddle.

The monster beneath the puddle howled dully in pain. More tentacles emerged, while a powerful mental shock swept over everyone.

Luo Lin felt his head spin slightly, but the stable Mental Sea granted by his perfect meditation technique allowed him to recover quickly.

He noticed that the other team members, including Holm, had all become visibly stiff and pained.

"It's a mental attack!"

"Careful!"

Luo Lin shouted in a low voice. While continuously using [Acid-Erosion Ray] to pick off the most threatening tentacles, he rapidly considered a countermeasure.

This Sludge Devourer was clearly more difficult to handle than the Gloomscale Python. Not only was it physically troublesome, it also possessed mental attack abilities.

Under these circumstances, Luo Lin quickly took a small metal disk from his dimensional pouch.

This was the foundation of a simple mental-protection magic array he had made at the academy. Its effect was weak, but it might prove useful.

He quickly injected mana into it and activated it. A faint mental force-field spread outward from him, covering several nearby team members.

The force field was weak and could not completely resist the mental shock, but it was enough to lessen most of its effects.

Holm and the others immediately felt their minds clear, and their movements became fluid again.