Chapter 102 - 98: The Gray Swamp Giant Crocodile’s Change
Chapter 102: Chapter 98: The Gray Swamp Giant Crocodile’s Change
The gates of Newly Town slowly closed behind them.
The late July sun was like a great furnace hanging overhead, pouring down scorching rays. The air was thick enough to be suffocating.
Even so, compared to their last departure, the team’s morale was much higher this time.
Ola Stonebeard was undoubtedly the most striking person in the group today.
He was equipped with brand-new enchanted plate armor that reflected a formidable, cold light under the blazing sun. In the center of his chest plate, the three-masted galleon emblem of the Golden Sail Commerce Association was clearly visible.
Although Cooling Runes were inscribed inside the plate mail, his face was still flushed red from the heat, and sweat dripped down his meticulously braided, reddish-brown beard.
Following behind him were five Tier Three Peak Knights from his Rock Breaker Knight Order. This time, they were setting out as the main force for killing the giant crocodiles.
Their style was a stark contrast to Ola’s heavy armor. They wore composite armor of layered chainmail and hardened leather, prioritizing flexibility and speed.
Hand axes and longswords hung at their waists. Their steps were light and steady, like five leopards stalking through the jungle, a sharp contrast to Ola, the rampaging iron bear.
"Hey, little Mage," Ola’s voice was like a clap of thunder. He shouldered his expensive enchanted warhammer and deliberately paced around Ryo, his heavy steps making the mud on the ground bubble.
"That magic ring of yours, can’t it whip up a cool breeze for your old man? In this goddamn weather, you could fry meat on this armor!"
Ryo paid him no mind at all.
After changing into a well-fitted Mage’s robe, the young man seemed much calmer. He just walked silently beside Velin, his fingers unconsciously stroking the ring given to him by Master Valerius, as he mentally rehearsed the Magic models he had prepared.
This dismissal made Ola feel like he had punched a wad of cotton. He could only grunt resentfully and turn his gaze to Velin.
Velin’s attire today was strange. He wore a dusty-gray, multi-pocketed work uniform, looking more like a craftsman about to enter a mine than a lord, a complete mismatch for his status.
Ola couldn’t make sense of it, but he instinctively felt that those bulging pockets held something more terrifying than all the equipment he was wearing.
At the team’s feet and on their flanks, three hundred enhanced Bader Dung Beetles advanced in silence.
Their dark green carapaces blended perfectly with the environment, serving as the killing squad’s most hidden fangs.
This leg of the journey was more than twice as fast as the last, and they reached the vicinity of their target in just two days.
However, two kilometers from the target valley, Finn suddenly raised his hand.
The entire team froze in an instant. Even Ola’s heavy breathing paused.
"Something’s not right," Finn’s voice was soft, yet it sent a chill down everyone’s spine.
"It’s too quiet." His gaze was sharp as a knife as he scanned the deathly silent jungle ahead. "No insects chirping, no birds calling, even the sound of the wind is gone."
Everyone’s hearts sank. In the swamp, absolute silence meant only one thing—a powerful predator had cleared its hunting grounds.
"Finn, take the lead." Velin gestured. "Conceal your presence. We’ll sneak over."
The former hunter in the group nodded. The entire team suppressed all sound and silently slipped toward a high point near the valley.
When Velin pushed aside the last of the bushes, the scene before them made everyone gasp.
Ryo’s pupils contracted sharply. Even Ola’s perpetually hazy eyes were wide open, his mouth agape, forgetting to curse.
At the valley entrance, at least ten adult Gray Swamp Giant Crocodiles paced back and forth. Unlike last time, they weren’t lazily basking in the sun. Instead, they had formed a well-organized patrol formation, sealing off the few dry paths through the swamp airtight.
Some of the giant crocodiles had even used their heavy bodies and tails to push huge rocks onto the dry land, forming a crude but effective fortification.
The entire lair had become a primitive but heavily guarded checkpoint.
This was a level of vigilance far beyond that of ordinary beasts.
"By my beard!" Ola cursed under his breath. "Are these brutes trying to build a castle here? How are we supposed to charge in?"
’His original plan had been to lead the swarm of beetles in a swift surprise attack. Now, it seemed that plan was completely shot.’
’A frontal assault would just get us torn to pieces by them using the terrain to their advantage.’
Ryo also shook his head, his expression grim.
"At this distance, my [Silent Annihilation Tuning Fork] can’t cover all the targets. Once the fighting starts, we’ll be surrounded."
The Scouts remained silent. All eyes were on Velin, waiting for their leader’s decision.
Velin raised a brass monocular telescope, calmly observing everything below.
He saw the crocodiles’ regular patrol routes.
He saw their simple roars and coordination.
He saw the piled-up rocks blocking the paths most suitable for a charge.
This was a defensive deployment that surpassed the intelligence of a mere beast.
’It seems the last capture operation put their leader on guard.’
This was completely outside of Velin’s expectations.
Everyone else considered this a huge problem.
However, amid the others’ solemn expressions, Velin lowered his telescope.
In his wine-red eyes was a look of pleasant surprise.
Ola noticed his expression and nudged Velin with his elbow.
"Velin, what’s there to be happy about?"
"Of course there’s something to be happy about."
"This Gray Swamp Giant Crocodile leader has done us a huge favor."
...
「Meanwhile, at Eternal Night Castle.」
The air in the study was cold enough to freeze one’s breath.
Hector Este’s fingers were lightly tapping on a box made of Obsidian. On its lid, complex sealing Runes flowed with a faint light, as if they were alive.
"Its power is leaking." A man in a standard-issue Imperial Mage robe stood in the shadows, his voice flat. "It is unconsciously bestowing... order upon those beasts. This is happening faster than we anticipated."
"Is that so?" Hector’s eyebrows rose slightly, finally taking an interest in the conversation. He asked softly, "Wake it? Does the Empire feel there isn’t enough trouble in the south already?"
The Imperial Mage’s expression was hidden beneath his hood.
"The weeds in the garden are growing ever more rampant. They require a skilled gardener to prune them. His Majesty believes your artistic talents should not be confined to a canvas."
He pushed the Obsidian box toward Hector, as if presenting an invitation.
"And a qualified artist always needs an impressive ’masterpiece’ to prove himself."
Hector’s fingers paused on the box. Its cold touch gave him a sense of morbid pleasure.
"Gardening?" He laughed, elegant and cruel. "I’d much prefer to use their blood to plate my coat of arms with a new luster. Everything in the swamp will be my reward."
The Imperial Mage was silent for a moment, as if weighing his words. "As long as the final result is perfect enough, who the pruned branches belong to is unimportant."
The Imperial Mage vanished without a sound, as if he had never been there.
Hector put the box away and casually picked up a secret report from his desk concerning the Golden Sail Commerce Association.
His gaze lingered for a moment on the name Vilink Rein.
"Wiping out a nest of lizards?" he sneered softly, as if looking at a country bumpkin’s naive pastoral dream.
He tossed the secret report into the fireplace. The paper curled in the flames, and the name quickly turned to ash.
"I will wait," he whispered to the dancing flames, as if making a promise to a future piece in his collection. "When you’re sent fleeing in terror by the ’trouble’ you’ve stirred up, I will come and invite you again... to visit my gallery."