Chương 40: Chapter 44: Bog-wearied

After reassessing the situation, Ember adjusted his game plan. He dashed in a circle as the dozen Mirewood Toads chased after him. A couple of times in every lap, he'd spin about and drill his blade into a toad or two, in case the iron creatures were losing their aggro. Of course, if the situation allowed it, his wand would flash in a Windblade for a cheap shot. Already on his twelfth lap, Ember had killed at least seven frogs and wounded several more.

One large toad almost managed to gobble him up, only for Ember to end it from the inside out, flinging a Windblade into the dark cavity of its maw. The next time the elastic tongue wrapped around him, Ember was prepared and drilled his blade into its neck first before slicing its jaw open. His situation would have been far direr without Blitz Steps. It carried him out of the reach of the frogs' tongues, as long as he could keep track of his opponents.

Now that their number had come down, he was finding it much easier to deal with them. In the end, he only managed to add a couple more Tier 4 kills before the flock of amphibians dispersed. [Enemies slain: Mirewood Toad Level 29, Mirewood Toad Level 31, Mirewood Toad Level 17, Mirewood Toad Level 11, Mirewood Toad Level 37...] [Would like to learn the skill: Ambush (Copper)?] [Required Skill Slots: 3] Ember heaved a sigh, feeling a strain in his limbs.

This was probably the most intensive battle he had fought in recent times. In about a quarter of an hour, he had killed a total of twenty-six Mirewood Toads. However, only eight of them were Tier 4 creatures, with as many Tier 3s, while a few of the smaller counterparts had simply died by accident. Still, it was something beyond what Ember had imagined. He thought it would take him finding two or three dwellings to get what he wished for, but he had hit the jackpot almost on the first turn.

"I can't be that awesome, can I?" he muttered, then shook his head. Without Mind Wall restricting him from panicking, the situation certainly wouldn't have been as easy. It was a pity that he got no notification for any skill gain, but that was him being too greedy. Waving the notification window off, he began collecting his bounty. Copper-rank toads did not form any cores, so he sifted through the many corpses to gather up the iron cores.

Unlike the actual fight, which was more of a slaughter, he had to be more careful while prying open the Mirewood Toads' necks to find the cores, as the poisonous, acidic gland was attached to them. Of course, neither the poison nor the acid could kill him, but he still wouldn't want to accidentally burst it and have it smear over his palm. Ember had only collected his fourth core when something sturdy struck him out of nowhere.

Before he could even figure out it was one of those toads' winding tongues, his whole body was pulled away. The first thing Ember did was activate his protective ward. The second was clutching for his wand as his entire body was yanked into a looming cavity. Blitz Steps proved futile against its might. The colossal toad devoured him unceremoniously. Bulging muscles of its maw pressed onto his form, contorting his entire body, as Ember charged his wand in panic.

His Breathing Art faltered for the first time in a long while when his most robust Windblade punched out inside its maw. The Mirewood Toad croaked in agony, opening its mouth, and out came Ember. He gasped on all fours, eerily aware of the colossal thing behind him. By its mere size alone, the toad was easily Tier 5, perhaps even Tier 6. That meant only one thing. Ember had to pour everything into Blitz Steps to escape.

Dawn stepped through the wetlands gingerly, worried that the mud might seep into her attire. She could always spend some mana to keep it from smearing her, but that would come with constant mana expenditure. Her teachers had taught her to always be economical with mana use, as you never knew what might befall you, even when she had so much to spare. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

Anyhow, instead of constantly keeping the sludge off her form, it was better to use one cleansing spell that could dispel all dirt and grime from her. But that would mean she would have to remain muck-stained for long periods. She didn't care much if it caked onto her enchanted clothes, but when even a little of it snuck inside her attire, she'd lose her mind. Well, now that nobody was watching over her, Dawn could use the cleansing spell any time she felt uncomfortable. Even when she was sweaty.

The temperature here was certainly higher, as was the humidity. It had been a couple of days since she had come to this bogland, and it had also been a couple of days since she had been lost on what exactly she was supposed to do there. Decidedly, this was a cultivated hunting zone for unclassed ascendants. Well, Dawn was one. But so far, all the creatures she had met had been too low-level for her to bother acting. There were deeper regions where more powerful creatures resided.

Things like goblins or gnolls should be rampant in the underground terrain. But Dawn hadn't yet managed to find an opening. She was not even sure if she should. The only instruction she had gotten from her teachers was that a great fortune awaited her there, something that might prove life-saving in her future battles. Just slaying some goblins or gnolls wouldn't be something so magical, would it? Both of her teachers and even her grandfather had emphasised the significance of this quest.

But if it's truly something important, shouldn't they tell me exactly what I'm supposed to do here? She had posed the question to them. In return, all he said was that if he told her, it wouldn't come true. Heavenly secrets shouldn't be revealed casually. But I'm your granddaughter, she had cried to no avail. Dawn almost stamped her foot, but stopped midway, fearing the grime splattering onto her. She eyed the rising sun, a sun different from the one she was used to.

It was a little smaller, though from down there she couldn't see much of a difference.

"This is a test, isn't it?" she muttered.

"Are they trying to see how I behave outside home?" No, she had already gone through a few tests like that. This could be something more.

"Gah!" she grunted. Perhaps figuring out what exactly the test was was the test.

"I hate you, Grandpa," she said, looking about. Only a silence in the wind, which was soon punctuated by a raucous croak, echoed from her left. A figure blurred into her view at considerable speed. With her high Insight, Dawn could make out the silhouette of a boy a couple of years younger than her. The next moment, a humongous frog landed beside her. It stood over five metres tall, already wounded, with purple ichor gushing from its mouth.

From the look of it, it was almost at the threshold of Tier 6, but a Mirewood Toad was quite harmless. Its capabilities could barely amount to much. Dawn instantly pulled up her mana, yet the massive creature completely ignored her to chase after the boy. She blinked. Should I go save him or not? Without much thought, her figure darted after them using Light Steps. Her movement skill, although not known for extreme speed, let her catch up with them easily. But even then, she hesitated to act.

Who knew, perhaps the boy was training his movement skill by pitting himself against the toad. Her grandfather had thrown her before a hungry boar when she was nine to practise her Light Steps. The result was quite evident with her. If she were to engage the toad, it might only incur the boy's ire. Thinking about that, she merely kept watch in case he needed help before going on her own way.

Ember only managed to slip off the trail of the great Mirewood Frog by the time the sun had fully risen. The mucky motherfucker chased Ember for tens of miles, pushing his physical and mana capacity above and beyond their limits. He had to keep up Blitz Steps for close to an hour. Even his mana couldn't last so long after he attacked the creature a couple of times to little effect. He had to use the reserve in his ring at the very last moment to get away. Surely, he wasn't that awesome. Or fortunate.

At least it wasn't for nothing. [Blitz Step (Iron) 5 → 6] [+600 EPs.] With a stupid grin on his face, Ember lay down on a higher vantage point on a hill. His chest rose and fell incessantly as he slowly manoeuvred his Breathing Art to collect himself. By the look of the sun, he deduced that it was already past six. Most of the trainees had already awakened by now, going about their morning rituals. Some of them might already be asking about his whereabouts.

Dwelling upon it, he decided he had had enough adventure for the day. Well, it wasn't as if he had much energy left anyway. It took a considerable effort to clean himself with the sheer amount of mud caked all over him. Thankfully, there was no shortage of water in the wetland. Even then, he was weary to blitz back to the camp. He trudged on gingerly for about half an hour, allowing sensation to return to his legs, before making his way towards the camp.

"Where were you?" Benny asked, or rather demanded, the moment Ember presented himself. Ember wiped the sweat from his face with a towel.

"Just practising my movement skill," he said.

"It's been quite fruitful. I even got a level on it." The noble youth peered at him deeply.

"Well, you're certainly diligent," he said.

"Come, spar with me." He gestured towards the others in their group.

"These lot certainly weren't up for it." Ember glanced at the downtrodden state of the Huan cousins. Although he saw no heavy injuries, they looked like they'd need a couple of hours before being ready for the expedition. Zea wasn't in much better shape either. It seems now it's my turn. Ember eyed the boy, gesturing back to him. It seemed Benny had considerable skill with both swordplay and unarmed combat.

"Let me catch my breath for a minute," he said. Although Ember presented an exuberant face outwardly, he couldn't even muster half of his peak strength. Well, it's not like I have to defeat him.