Mason's Arrival

"Good lad! So you've got that trick up your sleeve!"

Holm shouted in surprise and delight.

"Focus your fire! Attack the mouthparts or core it might be hiding underwater!"

While the mental protection field was still active, the squad unleashed its full firepower.

Luo Lin used Acid-Erosion Ray, specifically targeting the roots of the tentacles to weaken their attacks.

Holm condensed a massive stone spear and hurled it viciously into the center of the pool.

The other team members employed all manner of methods.

Under the barrage of attacks, the monster beneath the water seemed to have been severely injured. Its tentacles retracted, the churning mud gradually settled, and the oppressive mental pressure vanished as well.

It seemed to have chosen retreat.

The squad did not dare linger. They immediately withdrew from Silent Marsh with the wounded members and the samples they had collected.

After returning to the outpost, the exploration mission was rated as completed at the highest difficulty level.

They had brought back valuable terrain data and environmental samples. More importantly, they had confirmed the existence in Silent Marsh of mutated Sludge Devourers capable of mental attacks.

This was crucial to the outpost's future defensive deployments.

Luo Lin's performance during the mission once again drew attention.

His precise interruption at the critical moment, his quick thinking in the face of mental attacks, and his steady spell output all demonstrated qualities far surpassing those of an ordinary Third-Rank Apprentice.

The outpost awarded him a generous amount of contribution points. In addition, because of the ideas he had provided regarding mental protection, the logistics department gave him some leftover materials for crafting an official-grade mental protection talisman.

A small fragment of Tranquil Crystal.

This mission had not only earned Luo Lin resources and contributions, but also won him the deeper trust and respect of his patrol comrades.

At Gray Tower Outpost, he was no longer a newcomer who had just arrived. He was gradually becoming one of the core members the team could rely on.

Time passed, and Luo Lin had spent nearly a year at Gray Tower Outpost.

Time seemed hazy in this Black Forest steeped in hardship. Only the ebb and flow of energy tides and the cyclical changes in different magical creatures' activity marked its passage.

Luo Lin had completely adapted to the rhythm of life on the front lines.

Patrolling, standing watch, processing materials, researching and improving spells, and occasionally carrying out exploration or extermination missions.

His strength steadily improved through the tempering of real combat and the accumulation of resources.

On the panel, the proficiency of every spell had increased. In particular, Acid-Erosion Ray and Weak Force-Field Armor had become increasingly effective through frequent use and targeted optimization.

His mental power and mana were also growing slowly but steadily, advancing toward a higher level.

Using that small Tranquil Crystal fragment and the runic knowledge he had mastered, he successfully improved the simple mental protection formation into a wearable talisman.

Its effects were still limited, able only to weaken mental shocks within a small area, but it might prove useful at a critical moment.

He also tried incorporating the acidic properties of the Gloomscale Python into Acid-Erosion Ray. He made some progress, and the ray's corrosive penetrating power improved slightly.

That day, Luo Lin had just finished a three-day outer-perimeter patrol mission. After returning to the outpost and completing the handover, he was about to head back to his stone house to rest.

But in the outpost's central hall, a crude place that served as both tavern and marketplace, he spotted a somewhat familiar figure.

The man wore a gray traveler's robe covered in dust and was dozing over a wine cup at a wooden table in the corner.

He looked travel-worn, with a trace of laziness in his demeanor that was utterly out of place in this militarized outpost.

Luo Lin stopped and studied him carefully before speaking uncertainly.

"Boss Mason?"

The man groggily raised his head and rubbed his eyes. When he saw Luo Lin, he froze as well.

Then a familiar, slightly dispirited smile appeared on his face.

"Oh? Isn't this... Luo Lin?"

"What are you doing in this godforsaken place?"

This man was Mason, the owner of Grey Tower General Store.

"Academy conscription mission. Ten-year term."

"Why are you here, Boss Mason?"

After answering concisely, Luo Lin sat down across from him.

"Don't mention it."

Mason yawned and rubbed his somewhat messy hair.

"My lousy shop's business has been getting harder and harder."

"I heard some good things had been turning up around the Black Forest lately, so I came to try my luck and see if I could bring back some scarce goods to resell."

"But... heh, I nearly left my life on the road."

"The magical creatures in this hellhole are more troublesome than the rumors said."

Luo Lin nodded, not surprised in the slightest.

He had experienced the dangers of the Black Forest firsthand.

"Grey Tower General Store... that name does sound a lot like this outpost's."

At that, a strange expression appeared on Mason's face. He lifted his cup, took a sip of the poor ale, and smacked his lips.

"You think I picked my shop's name at random?"

"Let me tell you, kid. The names of my shop and this outpost both come from the same place."

Luo Lin was intrigued.

He only knew that the outpost was called Gray Tower. He did not know the origin of the name.

Mason looked around and lowered his voice.

"I only came across it by chance in some ancient notes."

"Apparently, a long time ago, there was more than just our current Gray Tower Outpost on the edge of this Black Forest."

"Deeper inside, near the dangerous region known as Rotting Mire, there once stood a true gray tower built by ancient wizards."

"That was the true origin of the name Gray Tower."

"An ancient wizard's tower?" Luo Lin's heart stirred.

Ancient wizards often meant lost knowledge and potentially hidden treasures.

"Yeah."

Mason nodded, returning to his lazy appearance.

"But that's all ancient history."

"The notes said that tower was abandoned long ago. There probably isn't even a ruin left now. Maybe some swamp or some other damned thing swallowed it whole."

"I only used the name because I thought it sounded interesting."

"Who would've thought I'd end up suffering in this name's 'hometown'?"

He complained as he gulped down another mouthful of ale.

Luo Lin did not entirely believe Mason's words, but he keenly caught several key terms.

Rotting Mire, ancient wizards, gray tower, abandoned.

Put together, this information pointed to a possible ancient ruin.

Mason might have merely mentioned it as an amusing story, and he might even have been holding something back. But for Luo Lin, who had always been searching for opportunities, it was undoubtedly a lead worth noting.

He did not continue asking about the Gray Tower ruins, lest he arouse Mason's wariness. Instead, he asked,

"Did you find what you were looking for this time, Boss Mason?"

"Don't mention it." Mason sighed, looking thoroughly unlucky.

"I had barely reached the edge of Rotting Mire when I ran into a pack of swamp aberrations that had gone mad. I barely escaped, and I got nothing out of it."

"I even used up several life-saving scrolls. This place really isn't fit for people!"

He looked at Luo Lin, his eyes shifting.

"But it looks like you're doing pretty well here, kid."

"I heard people talking earlier. It seems you contributed quite a bit to that Silent Marsh mission some time ago?"

Luo Lin neither confirmed nor denied it. "Just luck."

"Heh heh." Mason smiled without pursuing the matter. He leaned closer and lowered his voice even further.

"Luo Lin, since you're here, could you do... your big brother a favor?"

"Of course, I won't ask you to do it for nothing."

Luo Lin asked, "What favor?"

"I came here mainly to find a mushroom called the Glowcap Mushroom, preferably one that's been growing for a long time."

"It only grows in certain areas of Rotting Mire, and it's the main ingredient in a high-grade concealment potion."

"That was why I risked getting close before."

"So... could you find a way to get some?"

"I'm willing to trade contribution points at thirty percent above market price, or other items of equivalent value."

A pleading expression appeared on Mason's face.

Luo Lin pondered it.

He had heard of Glowcap Mushrooms. They were indeed relatively rare and quite valuable magical plants, usually growing in areas with accumulated energy and harsh environments. Rotting Mire met those conditions.

But that place was even more dangerous than Silent Marsh. It was a high-risk zone the outpost expressly forbade people from approaching casually.

"Rotting Mire is a restricted zone."

Luo Lin reminded him.

"I know, I know."

Mason hurriedly said.

"You don't necessarily have to go deep inside."

"You might find them near the edge, around those pools where energy has accumulated."

"With your abilities, as long as you're careful, there shouldn't be much of a problem."

"Besides, I can give you a hand-drawn map I've collected, showing relatively safe routes and danger points around the edge of Rotting Mire."

"It's incomplete, but it's still better than nothing."

As he spoke, he carefully pulled a rather old-looking simple map drawn on some kind of animal hide from his robes.