Overgrown with weeds, the swamp stretched endlessly under a purple-hued sky.
A thick, damp miasma hung in the air.
With her left hand, Leinas gripped the shoulder groove of the Fire Archangel's golden armor, her black spear slung across her back, and her eyes scanning the surroundings warily.
No one in the former Rockbols territory knew the dangers of this swamp better than her—and this was the outer edge.The deeper regions were suicidal.
This man is insane.
Leinas turned her head, stealing a glance behind.
Minori sat calmly atop the extended forearm of the Fire Archangel, the hem of his white priest robes fluttering slightly in the wind. His gaze was sideways, unreadable.
She clenched her jaw.
If not for the hope that this madman might cure the cursed scars on her face,she would never have agreed to set foot here again.
"Wow, wow, wow!""Wow, wow! Wow!"
Carrion birds with gray, oily feathers circled above.
Their croaking calls, disturbingly similar to frogs, echoed across the still swamp air.
They seemed to be considering a dive—but the flaming longsword held by the Fire Archangel kept them at bay.
"Filthy bald things…" Leinas muttered with a scowl.
These birds weren't dangerous themselves.But once they gathered in numbers, their cries had a way of drawing in worse things.
And they were too high up for her to take them down.
Click.
Minori flicked open a silver pocket watch, checked the time, and snapped it shut.
"We'll land there," he said, pointing to a brownish patch of firm ground ahead.
Leinas followed his gaze and nodded.She knew the time limit for a summoned Fire Archangel was close to ending—though this man never shared his secrets openly.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The two Fire Archangels angled their wings and began to descend.
As they neared the ground, they beat their wings rapidly to reduce speed, then landed gracefully.
Leinas was the first to dismount, jumping down with practiced ease.
Tread—
Minori followed, touching the earth lightly and immediately scanning the area.
The summoned Archangels still had time before dismissal,but Minori dismissed them deliberately.
He wasn't hiding his cards—he had more to play.
In truth, he had prepared over 30 scrolls for summoning Fire Archangels.
He had crafted one each day for the past month, reserving his energy solely for this journey.
The swamp stretched out around them—muddy pools, dead trees, thorny shrubs.
With a flick of his sleeve—
The Archangels vanished into motes of flame and light.
And instantly, two new Fire Archangels took their place, summoned fresh.
"You're going deeper?" Leinas asked, black spear in hand, eyes sharp.
Minori turned to her. "You're sure that monster you encountered here before… wasn't native to this swamp?"
"I'm certain."Leinas nodded. "I've hunted here for years. I don't recognize what attacked me back then—it shouldn't exist in a place like this."
That only deepened Minori's interest.
A creature strong enough to curse her, yet not recognized by a seasoned Orichalcum-ranked adventurer?
Something was wrong.
"Movement."Leinas voice dropped, her body tensed.
Small humps began to rise in the soft earth, approaching quickly.
As she raised her spear to strike—
Minori gestured.
"Let the summoned ones handle it. We conserve our strength."
Leinas hesitated—then gave a brief nod and backed off slightly.
Hiss!!
A sharp screech erupted as one of the Fire Archangels stabbed its burning sword into a bulge.
A writhing, centipede-like creature was dragged from the muck—its brown-green body twisting violently on the flaming blade.
It had eight legs, chitinous skin, and sprayed acidic green liquid as it died.
The stench was foul.The creature spasmed, shriveled, and blackened—reduced to ash in seconds.
"Carrion-eaters," Leinas muttered. "Means Purple Worms are nearby."
『Experience gained: 12』『Experience gained: 13』
The two Fire Archangels continued burning through the oncoming swarm of swamp insects.
Minori watched the system messages appear, eyes narrowing.
He'd noticed this trend during his experiments:
Summoned kills grant less experience than personal kills.
But it was an efficient trade.
Cleaning up low-level monsters this way saved him hours.
Boom!
The earth beneath them exploded.
A massive purple worm, more than two meters long and thick as a barrel, burst out from underground.
Its open maw aimed directly at Minori.
But—
Leinas was faster.
She lunged forward, slammed her spear up into its mouth, and forced it shut.
Bang!
"Back off!" she shouted, flipping the creature and smashing it to the ground.
The nearest Fire Archangel descended, its sword cleaving through the beast's thick neck.
『Experience gained: 101』『Level Progress: 4302/10000』
But then—
Whoosh!!
A shockwave of air erupted behind one of the Archangels.
Something struck its back with terrifying force, sending it flying dozens of meters.
Boom—!
Its armor cracked.
The tail that struck it—a thick, whip-like appendage—vanished back into the swamp.
The area began to churn.
Bubbles rose from the mud.The ground moved.
Bang. Bang.
Two massive feet emerged first.
Then—
A reptilian monster the size of a carriage hauled itself free.
It had a crocodilian face, long maw, serrated fangs, a spine lined with bony spikes, and mud-caked skin glistening under the moss.
A stench of rot and bile filled the air.
The moment it stood tall, the air grew heavy—oppressive.
"Swamp Jaws," Leinas hissed, voice grim. "Adventurer's Guild rates it at Difficulty 60."
She stepped back beside Minori without hesitation.
This creature was no joke.