Chapter 83: The Silent Swamp [Bonus - ]
Liam, Lydia, Emily, and Chuck slowly made their way through the interior of the Rank D Dungeon.
The landscape had completely changed.
An enormous swamp stretched out before them. The ground was covered in dark mud and small pools of stagnant water. The trees were tall, twisted, and covered in moss.
Above their heads, a gray, cloudy sky covered the entire area.
The humidity was unbearable.
Chuck covered his nose with one hand.
"Ugh... This place smells horrible."
Emily, who was walking a few meters ahead of him, turned around with a mocking smile.
"What? Is the little prince used to perfumes?"
"It’s not that. It smells like someone left their shit sitting in a toilet for a week."
Emily burst out laughing.
"Such a refined gentleman, Chuck."
Liam also wrinkled his nose slightly.
"It definitely smells rotten."
Then he looked toward Lydia.
She was walking calmly beside him.
She didn’t seem to have any problems.
"Lydia, doesn’t it bother you?"
Lydia smiled.
"No."
"No?"
"I deactivated my sense of smell."
Liam blinked.
"You can do that?"
"Of course."
Lydia smiled proudly.
"Over the past month, I’ve learned to control my senses better. I can deactivate one whenever I want and turn it back on whenever I need it."
Liam shook his head.
"You keep doing stranger and stranger things."
Lydia laughed.
"And you still haven’t seen everything."
Liam looked toward the swamp.
Although they didn’t know the exact layout of the Dungeon, there was one thing they did know.
They needed to find the sub-boss and collect materials.
Liam turned toward his wife.
"Can you use Multiple Eyes?"
Lydia nodded.
"What do you want me to look for?"
"Everything. Monsters, materials, anything that could be useful. If you find the sub-boss, let me know immediately."
"Understood."
Lydia’s body began to deform slightly.
Several small green masses separated from her body and fell to the ground.
One of them developed a small eye on its surface.
[Multiple Eyes.]
Within seconds, several small slimes with eyes had scattered throughout the swamp.
Some began moving through the mud.
Others slowly climbed up the trunks of the trees.
One even began climbing along a branch before disappearing among the leaves.
Emily’s eyes widened.
"That actually looks pretty useful."
Chuck watched one of the small slimes pass by his boots.
"It’s pretty weird too."
Liam smiled.
"And that’s not its only ability."
Chuck raised an eyebrow.
"Oh, really?"
"No."
"Then I’ll have to wait to see it."
Liam simply smiled.
A message appeared before his eyes.
[Your Slime has consumed Nutritious Soil.]
[Your Slime has consumed Floating Leaf.]
[Your Slime has consumed Moss.]
Liam sighed.
’Pix also seems to have improved quite a bit.’
During the first few weeks, the little pixie constantly confused the materials Lydia consumed.
Now she seemed much more accurate.
Although Liam couldn’t help but think...
’It wouldn’t be bad if she confused one.’
Maybe an accidental mistake could make Lydia reach Level Sixty.
But so far, he hadn’t been that lucky.
◇◆◇
The group continued moving forward.
Emily walked on the left while Chuck inspected the right side.
Both of them paid attention to any movement among the trees.
Liam, meanwhile, stayed close to Lydia.
There was something that still caught his attention.
Emily.
He still didn’t know what kind of awakening she had.
And he didn’t know much about Chuck either.
He had seen a small part of his ability on the day he received his Hunter ID, but that didn’t mean he knew his full potential.
’They’re definitely two interesting Hunters.’
Chuck stopped.
"Liam."
"Yeah?"
"Has your wife seen anything yet?"
Liam looked toward Lydia.
She shook her head.
"Nothing yet."
"Not even monsters?"
"Nothing."
Chuck looked around.
"How boring."
Emily laughed.
"Do you want a giant monster to show up and entertain you?"
"I’d prefer that to walking around for twenty minutes staring at mud."
Liam smiled.
Then Chuck looked at him again.
"Are you participating in the Squad Selection too?"
"Of course."
Emily answered before Liam could.
"He and Lydia already know four of the five Sub-Captains."
Chuck raised his eyebrows.
"Four?"
"And they met Timothy this morning."
Chuck grimaced.
"Fucking Timothy?"
"Yeah."
Emily smiled.
"The young Sub-Captain."
Chuck let out a small laugh.
"I don’t understand why you’re so fascinated with that guy."
Emily looked at him.
"Fascinated?"
"Yeah. All the women in the guild go crazy over that guy."
Liam couldn’t help but laugh.
"From the little bit we talked to him, he seems like a good kid."
Chuck waved a hand.
"He just seems that way."
"You don’t like him?"
"No."
Emily started laughing.
"Of course you don’t like him."
Chuck ignored her.
Emily continued.
"It’s because every woman you tried to flirt with or ask out in the guild ended up going after Timothy."
Lydia covered her mouth, trying to hold back her laughter.
Chuck remained completely serious and looked away, as if he hadn’t heard a single word.
"Sure is nice weather we’re having today."
Emily burst out laughing.
"Chuck!"
"I don’t know what you’re talking about."
Liam and Lydia laughed.
For a few minutes, the atmosphere became much more relaxed.
Until Emily stopped.
"Ah."
Liam looked at her.
"What happened?"
Emily reached a hand toward her neck.
"I think something bit me."
"A monster?"
"No."
Emily crushed something small against her neck and looked at it in her palm.
"A mosquito."
Liam blinked.
"There are mosquitoes inside Dungeons?"
Chuck shrugged.
"I guess they need to eat too."
"We should’ve brought bug spray."
Emily started laughing.
Chuck laughed too.
Even Lydia let out a small chuckle.
Liam smiled.
’I didn’t expect our biggest enemy today to be a mosquito.’
But then he looked back at Lydia.
"Lydia, did you find anything?"
She shook her head again.
"No."
"Nothing?"
"Nothing."
Her tone had changed slightly.
She no longer seemed amused. Instead, she looked confused.
"It’s strange."
Liam frowned.
"What?"
"This place."
Lydia looked toward the trees.
"There are materials everywhere. I’ve found soil, roots, mud, water..."
A new message appeared before Liam’s eyes.
[Your Slime has consumed Mud.]
[Your Slime has consumed Root.]
[Your Slime has consumed Murky Water.]
Liam stared at the messages for a few seconds.
"So what’s strange about it?"
Lydia took a few seconds to answer.
"There are no traces of monsters."
Chuck stopped walking.
Emily also turned around.
Liam looked around.
The swamp was completely silent.
There were no roars or footsteps.
Not even the sound of small creatures moving through the vegetation.
Only the humid wind passing through the branches.
Liam narrowed his eyes.
’A Rank D Dungeon shouldn’t be this quiet.’
Then one of Lydia’s small slimes stopped.
The eye that had developed on its body stared toward a point between the trees.
Lydia froze.
"Liam."
"What is it?"
"One of my fragments found something."
"The sub-boss?"
Lydia slowly shook her head.
"No."
Her expression became serious.
"It found something much worse."
Everyone raised their heads.
Something moved among the trees.
Chuck immediately reached for one of his weapons.
Emily flexed her fingers.
Liam slowly drew his pistol.
And Lydia made all of her small fragments stop.
’What the hell did Lydia find?’