Minori stared calmly at the group of approaching monsters. A scroll appeared in his hand with a flick, and he crushed it between his fingers.
— Fwoosh!
A brilliant white light coalesced in the air before transforming into a six-winged Archangel of Fire. The radiant entity spread its golden wings and surged forward, slashing its flaming sword at the horde.
Minori remained still, watching with narrowed eyes.
"Until I understand what these creatures are capable of, it's better to let a summon do the testing."
The Great Wetlands… an unfamiliar territory even compared to the Tob Forest. There had been no records about it in the Yggdrasil databases, and only vague mentions existed in the library novels. Caution was essential.
Minori had chosen to enter on foot, crossing over from the Tob Forest, rather than flying directly into the region. The air route might have exposed him too early to unknown enemies. He couldn't afford to ignore things just because the Sorcerer King or Nazarick hadn't cared about them in canon.
Boom!
The summoned angel burst into the monster pack like a divine missile. The air filled with shrill screeches as the flaming blade cut through their flesh. But as blood sprayed, droplets hissed upon touching the angel's armor.
"Experience gained: 107."
"Experience gained: 112."
Minori's eyes narrowed.
"Not just corrosive—there's toxicity. Good thing I didn't approach carelessly."
A few monsters managed to slip past the Archangel. Without hesitation, Minori raised a hand.
"Magic Arrow."
A cluster of glowing projectiles shot forth, puncturing a cockscomb-headed beast mid-leap. With his current Magic Attack of 158, even lower-tier spells like that were deadly to monsters under Level 10.
In just a few minutes, more than fifty cockscomb monsters lay slain. He had earned around 5,000 EXP, meaning each was roughly Level 6 or 7—not individually dangerous, but overwhelming in numbers. In human terms, a silver-ranked adventurer team would've struggled.
Minori hopped down from the back of his shrunken demonic hound, Kuro, and walked toward the corpses. He crouched beside one, drew an empty water pouch from his Item Box, and collected a sample of its blood.
"Toxic blood... this might be useful in alchemy."
So far, his only effective blood samples were from an ogre and the Naga from the swamp cave. Despite harvesting from various beasts in Tob Forest, most weren't suitable for potions. He suspected it was due to missing alchemical techniques.
From over fifty bodies, he managed to collect just one pouch—the rest of the blood had spilled during combat.
Minori gazed at the distant shimmering lake ahead.
"Plenty of monster types here... interesting."
He stowed the pouch, remounted Kuro, and continued forward.
The Great Wetlands were divided into two zones: the Lower Lake, bordering Tob Forest, and the Upper Lake, which stretched toward the Angelicia Mountains. The Lower Lake's shallow waters meant few large predators, but monster density was high.
Small Fang Tribe One of the five surviving Lizardmen tribes in the wetlands.
Years ago, seven tribes had once existed here. But after a brutal tribal war, two were destroyed. The defeated survivors were absorbed by the powerful Dragon Tusk Tribe, leaving only five major factions.
The Small Fang Tribe had been one of the defeated and suffered great losses. Only recently had they regained some strength. Yet they lacked a tribal relic and had no new generation of forest priestesses—putting them at the bottom of the current hierarchy.
At least they had one advantage: their village lay beside a lake rich in food. But even that was becoming strained.
At the heart of their village, inside a large wooden hut, a group of Lizardmen sat around a dim fire pit in tense silence.
"Are you certain? You saw a human?"The speaker was Sukyu Juju, the tribe's chief. His yellow-spotted scales were mottled with age, and though small, his presence commanded respect.
"I'm sure, Chief!"The hunter's voice buzzed with a deep rasp. "He was strange-looking—thin and pale. But definitely human. And he summoned a glowing creature that fought like fire itself."
An older lizardman—the tribe's only priest—leaned forward, expression darkening.
"Describe this glowing creature."
The hunter gestured animatedly, using a stick to sketch wings and a flaming sword into the dirt.
The priest's eyes gleamed.
"That sounds like a creature of legend... an angel. A summoned being from the faith magic humans use. But I cannot guess its rank or strength."
Sukyu Juju's long tail scraped against the floor as he narrowed his eyes.
"It doesn't matter what level of caster he is. He killed many lake beasts—our food."
"Send the entire hunting squad. Capture him alive if possible. But if he resists... kill him."
"Yes, Chief!"The hunting captain grabbed his spear and sprinted from the hut.
The old priest frowned.
"If he's here alone, he's likely strong."
"That's why we'll use our best warriors." Sukyu Juju's eyes were cold. "The other tribes may have never seen a human. But we have. And this time... we will not let him leave."