Chapter 193 – The Swamp (2)
The snake that was hit by Zankus’ arrow disappeared into the swamp forest. Only a red blood stain remained where the snake was. Crockta’s group gazed at the place where the snake disappeared and then looked at each other. It was a humid place that gave off an eerie feeling.
“Should we continue dot?”
“Where else should we go?”
“Call back the thunderbird…”
‘Chirpppppppp…!’
“……”
Crockta cleared his throat and stepped forward first. He realized it when he took the first step. His boots sank down a little bit. It was slippery mud, but not enough to stop them from walking.
“We can walk.” He stepped into the forest with all his weight. “It feels bad.”
The air was humid. It felt like poisonous insects would appear out of nowhere. Crockta walked a few steps and waved his hand. He watched the place where the snake was hiding. The serpent’s blood remained and the bark and vegetation that it touched was being corroded away. It was an awful poison.
“The serpent.” Crockta looked back at the party and said, “Let’s pass through it quickly. Be careful.”
However, their expressions weren’t bright. Rather, they seemed surprised. Tiyo pointed to Crockta with his mouth open. Crockta shrugged and said, “What? Is everybody scared? Only this much…”
Dduk.
Suddenly, something fell on his shoulders. Crockta raised his head.
Shaaaah-!
A giant snake’s mouth was wide up open towards Crockta. Venom was dripping from the sharp fangs. Crockta was so surprised that he couldn’t make a sound. The snake gradually approached. Poison dripped from its fangs. Crockta couldn’t express his surprise but instinctively swung his sword.
“Waaahhhhhhhh!”
The moment he wielded New Slayer,
Shaaaah!
The snake was frightened and twisted its head but it ended up slashed in half. Crockta hurriedly avoided it, but it was inevitable that some blood touched his body. Pain radiated from where the poisonous blood had hit.
Crockta hurriedly rushed away from the radius of the dying snake. He touched his shoulder. The skin was melted due to the poisonous liquid. The poison continued to cause pain. His face distorted.
“Kuk, this snake bastard…”
Pain and anger jumbled together. He lifted New Slayer and slashed the snake again and again. The snake was eventually cut into dozens of pieces.
“Pant, pant.”
Crockta took deep breaths. Tiyo carefully approached and asked, “A-are you okay dot…?”
“The place where the poison touched it a little painful.”
“Poison? I have no knowledge about poison dot.”
Zankus spoke, “Show me your shoulders.”
A hunter probably knew about different types of serpents. He looked at both the snake’s body and Crockta’s shoulder before pulling something out.
“Oh, is there an antidote dot?”
“It isn’t an antidote but any experienced hunter would know…”
It was a potion.
“Potions are the best.”
Zankus sprinkled the potion on Crockta’s shoulder. Then the pain began. Potions were truly the best against poison.
“Indeed, potions are the best.”
“It is a good idea to buy a lot when there is a discount.’
“I will remember that.”
Crockta sprinkled potions on every painful spot on his body.
“Anyway, it isn’t easy.” Zankus looked at the forest and said. There were two huge snakes from the beginning. In addition, they had terrible poison. It would be dangerous. However, nobody said to go back.
“Break through the front. That is our way dot.”
Tiyo lifted General in a ready stance and moved forward. Crockta, Zankus, and Anor followed. After entering the swamp, the ecology had completely changed. The animals and creatures had disappeared, leaving only strange insects and plants that they saw for the first time.
“This is a more dangerous place than the ogres’ habitat in the great forest.”
The dangers in this swamp went beyond the level of being threatened by ogres. It wasn’t a physical threat, but the insects and unknown ecology weren’t something Crockta’s group had experienced before. A snake biting them out of nowhere was scarier than a dozen ogres.
“Be careful…”
Tiyo and Crockta took the lead, Anor was in the middle and Zankus followed in the rear. Crockta gazed at the shaded forest and walked carefully. The mud of the swamp grabbed at their feet with every step.
“Crockta, to the right!”
All of a sudden, Zankus shouted. Crockta immediately pulled out his greatsword and swung it to the right.
“Kuaaaang!”
This time, it was a leopard. Patterns covered its entire body. Once the surprise attack failed, the leopard landed on the ground and gazed at Crockta.
“A leopard is attacking me.”
Crockta laughed. He was a friend of the great tiger Simba, the king of the forest.
“Get lost. Then I will spare your life.”
Perhaps it felt the terrible pressure coming from Crockta, but the leopard started to flee. It was at that moment. On the floor where nothing seemed to be present, something bit the leopard. The long and fat body entwined around the leopard in a flash.
It was a snake. The leopard was unable to resist and became the snake’s prey. The snake bit the leopard and then looked at Crockta’s group. Crockta’s mouth twisted as he lifted New Slayer. The snake realized it couldn’t afford to go against them and turned away. The leopard’s dead body disappeared somewhere along with the snake.
“This is a really dangerous place.”
A place where camouflaged enemies awaited their prey. That was this place, the swamp.
“Wait a minute.” Anor said, telling them to shut up. “From the snake who just left…”
Before Anor could finish speaking, the sparrow on his head flew to a certain place. It was the direction that the snake had disappeared in.
“What dot? Did you send it?”
“No. It is moving at will.”
“What dot?”
“Well, I can feel something from the direction that the snake left in.” Anor looked in that direction with a determined face. “There is something there. I don’t know exactly what.”
“It is something related to a necromancer, perhaps a dungeon or artifact.”
Zankus nodded. Tiyo shouted.
“Okay, then we should go there dot!”
“I wonder what will happen.”
“Kulkulkul, it is a new adventure.”
Anor was baffled, “No, I mean, it will be dangerous…”
“Anor! Let’s go dot! Lead the way!”
“I was saying be careful and don’t go…”
“Guide us dot!”
***
They went through the swamp for a while. Zankus examined the tracks on the ground; his hunter’s eyes found signs of snakes in many places. The snakes were heading in the direction that Anor felt the power.
“What will it be dot? Perhaps you are just imagining it?”
“No. There is definitely something.”
Crockta looked around. In fact, he also felt something. The Demon’s Mouth around his waist was rattling. It hadn’t woken up in a while. The guy inside was still asleep, but the belt was dragging him in the same direction as Anor’s feeling. It felt like he was being pulled. There was a feeling that something might be on the other end.
“There.”
And there really was something.
A stone pyramid greeted them. It was covered with moss and bushes, but it was definitely a pyramid. The scale was greater than they imagined. The snake they pursued was also near the pyramid. In addition to that, there were several snakes crawling around the pyramid.
“There must be something in that pyramid.” Zankus was already giving an interested smiled. “The entrance is there. Is it locked?”
There was a doorway under the pyramid, but it was firmly closed. Crockta’s companions exchanged glances and approached. The snakes realized there were intruders and raised their heads. Their forked tongues hissed at Crockta’s group.
Crockta pulled out New Slayer. The snakes’ heads reared back. As Crockta pointed the big sword at them, the snakes couldn’t get closer.
“Smart guys.”
The serpents stared at them as they stood at the entrance. Zankus grabbed the door handle and pulled. It was firmly locked.
“It won’t open.”
Tiyo and Anor also pulled once, but it didn’t open. Zankus examined the door. It was built firmly and no gaps could be seen. Crockta went forward.
“I’ll open it.”
Tiyo shook his head.
“It is a locked door. You can’t open this…”
Sururung!
Crockta moved his hand and the door opened with a grinding sound. Everyone was surprised when it opened so easily.
“How…?”
“No way.”
Zankus nodded.
“The door seems to have magic that judges people based on whether they are qualified or not.”
“Qualified?”
“It might be a place for Crockta.”
They all looked at Crockta. His companions always forgot, but Crockta was a fearsome warrior who won against the great chieftain in the north and defeated the empire’s large army alone. He wasn’t an ordinary orc. The pyramid acknowledged Crockta.
Crockta coughed.
“Hmm, let’s enter.”
The admiration of the party continued.
“Truly Crockta…my companion dot!”
“Amazing.”
“Kulkul, this child has become like this…”
Crockta ignored them, moving forward while muttering, “If pulling doesn’t work, push the door…”
***
The pyramid was in the center of a humid swamp, but the interior was completely dry. It was rather dry. What was this place? The snakes had hovered around, as if they were guarding the pyramid. They had to be guarding something.
“Do you still feel it?”
Crockta asked Anor. Anor nodded. He looked around the pyramid, as if he were trying to pick up that energy. Crockta also felt the Demon’s Mouth responding at his waist. Something existed here that had to do with both necromancy and the Demon’s Mouth.
“There doesn’t seem to be anything dangerous.”
Crockta placed New Slayer back on his back. There were no snakes or insects inside the pyramid. The monsters guarding dungeons couldn’t be seen. They kept moving forward.
Suddenly, Zankus said, “Strange.”
“What are you saying dot?”
“We’ve been walking for a long time.”
“That’s right dot.”
“Was the pyramid that big?”
“……!”
They had walked in a straight line from the entrance. The pyramid wasn’t small, but they shouldn’t have been walking so long. However, they had already been walking for a long time. Zankus placed the light he was holding on to the ground and measured something.
“Is it going downhill?”
Crockta asked? As he said, the ground was at a slight slope that was leading underground. If so, it was possible for them to walk that long.
Zankus shook his head. “It doesn’t seem like it.”
“Then…”
“Something is going on.”
Crockta looked at the end of the passage. The Demon’s Mouth at his waist kept pulling him. There was something at the end of this path.
“Keep going. What will be in here?”
“Go dot!”
They kept walking. At the end of the passage, a large space appeared. The ceiling was high and something unknown was emitting a light. However, the glow wasn’t blinding. The light source illuminated the inside of the space so that they could see clearly, but it was calm enough that they could open their eyes.
At that moment, “Who are you?”
Crockta’s group turned towards the voice. A man was looking at them. The man was impeccably dressed and didn’t seem to suit the pyramid.
“An orc and gnome. A dark elf…”
But Crockta could see it. There was a tail coming from the back of the man’s suit. The tail resembled a scorpion’s and the tip was sharp.
“I will start the introductions. My name is Abaddon. You are uninvited guests, but I would like to welcome you to this place.”
