That's right, that's what adventure is like!

The Aleta incident was just a minor episode.

Three days passed extremely quickly. As the roads widened and the air gradually became thicker, it indicated that the destination of this journey had finally been reached.

Trembling swamp.

The horizon abruptly collapsed at the edge of sight, replaced by a hazy mist that clung to the ground, slowly creeping along. Occasionally, a gentle breeze would blow away a corner of it, revealing the dark swamp below.

The soil was no longer visible at the edge of the swamp; instead, there was a thick layer of fallen leaves and withered grass, soft and sticky, limp and squishy underfoot, like the fur of an animal carcass, with a foul odor.

Puddles were everywhere, their surfaces glistening with oil. Occasionally, something would sink inside, causing two or three bubbles to rise and burst with a "glug" sound, bringing an even more putrid stench.

Roland stood at the edge of the fog, took out his mask that he hadn't used in a long time to cover his mouth and nose, and then turned to look at the withered tree next to him.

These trees are not standing upright, but rather lying horizontally on the ground due to erosion, their branches covered with vines and blooming with dark purple flowers that glow at the edges.

"It's best not to touch it," At warned the two who were visiting the swamp for the first time. "Although this flower isn't very poisonous, it might be a monster in disguise."

"Besides these, the environment is also extremely dangerous," Thea said seriously, gripping her staff tightly. "Test the water before you take a step. You never know how deep a puddle is, or whether there's a hole under a fallen leaf."

After spending the past few days together, they have become much more familiar with each other, and their words now show more concern.

Aletta nodded, her gaze fixed on the depths of the fog, as if trying to discern something.

Roland drew a torch, lit it, and with the blessing of runes, the blue flames dispelled the mist, making the area within two feet clearly visible.

"Let's go."

He spoke calmly, drew his longsword with his right hand, and cautiously stepped into the swamp.

His footsteps landed on the soft, decaying leaves, causing his body to sink half an inch.

Aleta followed his example, lighting a torch, gripping a black dagger tightly in her right hand, and closely following behind him.

At and Thea exchanged a glance, then drew their weapons and followed closely behind the two.

Before venturing deeper into the swamp to complete their mission, they had a short period of time, so naturally they chose to travel together.

……

Traveling through the swamp was more difficult than Roland had anticipated.

The view ahead was obscured by the gray fog, and the mud underfoot dragged on the boots. Not to mention that every step had to be taken cautiously, which slowed down the pace.

Despite this, the four of them did not complain and tacitly kept quiet to avoid disturbing the monster in the fog.

Although this tranquility lasted for less than half an hour, it was broken by a series of soft sounds.

The sound was extremely soft, like sharp claws scraping across branches and leaves, yet it came from all directions, engulfing them completely.

Ate's expression changed: "It's a swarm of plague rats. We ran into them as soon as we entered the swamp. What bad luck!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a large black tide surged out of the mist, surrounding them and surging towards them.

There were hundreds or thousands of rats, each the size of a wildcat, with scarlet eyes and fur covered in pustules. They crawled out from under the dead branches and leaves, as if they had always been there.

"Don't get bitten!"

Thea shouted loudly, then quickly chanted a spell. A faint blue light gathered from her fingertips onto her staff, and the intense magic caused ripples to spread through the black mist.

boom--

A dark blue barrier suddenly rose up, squeezing the dozens of rats at the forefront into a pancake shape, and then continued to move, compressing the space for the rat swarm to charge.

This tactic is quite effective.

Roland and Arthur only need to guard one direction to effectively block the rat swarm from attacking Thea from behind, giving her time to cast her next spell.

puff.

As the sword flashed, silver patterns left several afterimages in the gray mist. With each strike of Roland's sword, three to five rats were severed, their foul blood falling into puddles and glistening with oil.

Art held a two-handed sword to the other side. His movements were not as agile as Roland's, but the advantage of the wide blade was very obvious, and his efficiency was just as good.

Aleta stood beside Thea, her mind still reeling from the sudden attack, but her body moved first.

"Squeak—"

Two rats scurried through the crack and pounced on Thea, who was chanting a spell, but were beheaded by a black blade, their blood spurting out and landing on Aletta.

Before she could wipe it away, another rat rushed in from the side, spun around, and plunged its dagger into the scarlet eye.

at last.

boom! ! !

The scorching flames created a shockwave that rose high above the four people's heads. The blinding light dispelled the gray mist within ten feet and also made the plague rats shrink back and stop in their tracks.

"squeak--"

After a sharp screech, the swarm of rats retreated like a receding tide, leaving behind mutilated corpses and a strong, stench.

Thea put away her staff, sweat beading on her forehead, and breathed a slight sigh of relief: "These rats are multiplying."

At shook the black blood off his face and looked into the depths of the swamp: "This means that more and more adventurers are dying here, providing them with ample blood and sustenance."

"Let's go," Roland said, tossing down the strip of cloth he had used to wipe away the blood, indicating that Aletta had two drops of blood on her face. He turned and continued onward. "It seems this swamp really likes us and has even given us a little something to show we're here."

Thea smiled at these words, used her handkerchief to wipe the bloodstains from Aleta's face, and then followed Roland to continue walking forward.

On the contrary, after witnessing Roland's combat power, Ate gave up leading the way and took the initiative to walk at the back of the group, playing the role of the rear guard.

That's how adventures are; unless you're a few mages who are skilled in melee combat and physically strong, most spellcasters are in a protected position.

Now that Roland is performing better and reacting faster, he is naturally more suitable to lead the way. If he encounters a strong enemy, he will naturally step up to take the lead.

Fortunately, that dire situation did not occur, and the group made it through the rest of the journey quite smoothly.

It could even be said that it was... too smooth.

This is the third time we've passed through this place.

Thea looked at the familiar tree branch beside her, then glanced at Roland ahead: "Are you lost?"

"Of course not," Roland denied. "I've always followed At's guidance. Ask him."

The group turned their gazes toward At.

While getting lost is a common occurrence in the Trembling Swamp, At has been here many times and should have plenty of experience, so this shouldn't have happened.

In reality, there aren't that many "reasonable" things.

"We're lost."

Art's gaze moved across the signs one by one, comparing them with his notebook, and finally confirmed the situation.

He looked up at the sky obscured by thick fog, his tone tinged with helplessness: "The last time I came here was a few months ago. Back then, there were a few fixed routes. Although they were difficult to navigate, we wouldn't get lost."

"But swamps... as you know, they change every three days, and three months is enough for them to swallow everything."

As he spoke, he lifted the fallen leaves at his feet, revealing a tree stump that was mostly rotten.

Thea's expression stiffened slightly: "So now... we have absolutely no idea which way to go?"

"Not entirely," Art said, pulling a pocket watch from his pocket. The hands inside pointed steadily to his side and behind him. "This thing will point to the marker I made when I came in. As long as I follow it, I can get out."

But this means they have to go back to the entrance, wasting most of the day.

The group fell silent for a moment.

Aleta gripped the dagger and asked cautiously, "So...should we continue now?"

"And then continue going around in circles here?" Thea sighed, sitting on a bare rock nearby.

Art frowned, looking around at the scenery, trying to make out the landmarks in his memory, and remained silent for a long time.

In the end, it was Roland who made the decision.

He pointed to the ground: "The fog is moving; we follow it."

This was the method Ramona taught him to find the Dragon Vein sorcerer.

Ate glanced at the direction the mist was flowing on the ground, then at his notebook, and raised an eyebrow slightly: "It works. I remember the mist is indeed flowing towards the eastern part of the swamp."

He paused, then added, "The magic over there is even more concentrated, and there will be more monsters spawning there, so we'd better be more careful."

"Alright, let's go."