Using the congregational meditation method, Allen entered Ms. Sora's meditative world.
Here was a vast swamp bordering the rainforest.
The sun blazed brightly.
The vast swamp was filled with miasma.
The air was filled with a sickening stench.
Throughout the muddy swamp lay dense wetland shrubs.
Under the scorching sun, vibrant flowers blossomed.
Strangely enough…
This lush swamp showed almost no signs of animal life.
No wild animals were seen drinking at the swamp's edge.
No crocodiles.
No water snakes.
Even fish and shrimp were hard to find.
A strange and dangerous aura permeated the air.
Alan stood on the swamp's edge.
Beside him walked a fairy girl with pointed ears.
The girl was only one meter tall.
She had a delicate face, delicate and lovely.
Her short, wiry brown hair resembled rose thorns.
She wore a braided tube top and short skirt, revealing a large expanse of tender green skin.
She held a thorn-wrapped wooden staff and carried a vine bow sprouting green leaves.
This girl was the thorn spirit ancestor Sora had fused with.
"The fish and shrimp in the swamp have almost been eaten by monsters."
"The entire wetland has become a forbidden zone for wild animals. The air is filled with the scent of death."
The little thorn spirit sighed softly.
"My mission is to eliminate the culprit responsible for this ecological disaster."
"Restore this swamp to its former vibrant state, where flora and fauna coexisted harmoniously!"
"Unfortunately, the enemy is too powerful. I've tried countless times, but always failed..."
"Teacher Sora, where is the enemy?" Eren asked.
Sora raised his thorny staff and pointed it at the wetlands across the way.
The shallow water, covered with weeds and vines, appeared calm.
Could the monster destroying the swamp's ecology be lurking beneath?
Eren, perplexed, threw a stone into the water.
Plop!
The water surface rippled, but there was no unusual reaction.
Eren silently drew on his magic power and activated "Steel Bones."
A gleaming metallic sheen appeared on his skin.
He removed his shoes and socks and rolled up his trouser legs.
He waded barefoot into the swamp.
Sora said nothing, simply plucked the vine bow from his back. His slender fingers gently stroked the bowstring.
A green leaf quietly vanished from the vine-wrapped arm of the bow.
It transformed into a green arrow, nocking onto the bowstring.
Sora drew his bow, ready to strike. His delicate face held a stern expression.
Alan walked slowly through the wetland. His feet made a slippery sound as he stepped on the soft mud.
Everything seemed normal at first. Until he approached a pile of vines floating on the water.
The vines moved! Like two green water snakes, they snaked along the surface, rapidly approaching Alan! Alan stopped and snapped his fingers.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Two "Finger Waves" whizzed out!
With two "puffs," the vines snapped.
A trace of scarlet oozes from the broken part!
Huh?!
Alan's pupils shrank slightly.
So, those weren't animated vines, but the tentacles of some aquatic creature?
As he watched in amazement...
With a splash!
A sudden ripple rose from the water, and a hideous head emerged.
The monster had a dark green complexion, a wrinkled face covered in bumps and warts.
A wide, flat mouth revealed sharp teeth.
It looked like a large anglerfish.
Six short, thick legs supported its bloated body.
Its toes were webbed, indicating amphibious operation.
Two tentacles that Allen had previously mistaken for vines now extended from the monster's back, twisting flexibly.
Even stranger still…
The monster's tentacles actually crackled and flashed with electric sparks!
Oh my goodness! A mutant electric eel, huh?!
Alan raised his eyebrows in surprise.
He waved his hand and unleashed a fingerwave, testing the monster's strength.
Bang!
A fist-sized bloody hole exploded in the monster's ugly head.
And then…
The belly turned pale, and it was dead.
Alan was stunned, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.
No way… that's it?!
It looked so scary, yet so weak.
It was truly astonishing!
The monster wasn't dead yet, its two three-meter-long tentacles still twitching and discharging electricity.
Beep beep!
The electricity flowed through the mud and water.
Alan felt a slight numbness in his legs.
His expression changed slightly, and he stopped underestimating his opponent.
He had already activated "Steel Bones."
It also protected him against magical and energy attacks.
Ordinary first-level magic couldn't break his defenses.
The monster was already dead, but the mere discharge from its corpse made him feel a slight tingling sensation.
It even posed a threat to his very hairs!
It was terrifying!
If an ordinary person standing here were to be struck by an electric shock of this intensity, even if they weren't killed instantly, they would inevitably be paralyzed.
He collapsed into the mud and drowned!
Crash!
Splash!
The once calm waters suddenly erupted in ripples.
In Eren's sight, numerous similar monsters surfaced.
They paddled their six short legs, rapidly closing in on him.
At the same time, their tentacles danced wildly, emitting a continuous stream of electricity!
"Eren! Come back!"
From the shore behind him, Sora's urgent call echoed.
Her voice sounded exceptionally shrill and childish, like a little girl.
Hound-like strides!
Eren turned and ran.
Stepping on the electric-charged muddy water, he quickly fled back to shore, feeling a wave of numbness.
At the same time, a swarm of monsters swarmed in pursuit.
Whoosh!
Sora unleashed his bow.
A single green arrow lodged itself in the head of the leading monster.
The monster's eyes suddenly widened, its bloated body swayed twice, and it collapsed onto the water.
It had actually fallen soundly asleep!
The Thorn Spirit's bow and arrows were magical weapons, imbued with hypnotic magic.
Swoosh, swish, swish!
Sora skillfully drew his bow and fired his arrows.
One hypnotic arrow after another pierced the monster.
Almost all of those struck fell asleep instantly.
Seeing this, Alan could easily guess that the electric shock monster's mental resistance was low.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easily struck down by the hypnotic arrows.
More and more monsters surged onto the riverbank. With only Sora's bow, he was unable to defend himself.
Alan stepped forward, finding the perfect position.
Raising his hand, he unleashed a "Shaping Thunder Explosion Wave"!
BOOM! With a thunderclap, the miasma over the swamp was shattered.
No fewer than ten electric monsters were instantly shattered!
"Wow..."
The little thorn elf's eyes widened in shock.
Its small, cherry lips formed an O shape.
The archery movement also paused.
"Alan! What's that move of yours...?"
"Thunder Wave," Alan replied calmly, not even turning his head. "It's just a little bit stronger."
Sora's mouth twitched.
You mean "a little bit"?!
Third-level magic rarely has such power.
You're telling me this thing is essentially a first-level "Thunder Wave"?
You don't even need to be so perfunctory when it comes to lying!
Now, she was even more curious about Alan.
This student, just an ordinary person three years ago, has become unfathomable...
Sora couldn't imagine what kind of adventures Eren had in the Warlock Academy!
To have grown so rapidly!
The group of electric shock monsters across the way were frightened by Eren's "Thunder Explosion Wave" and temporarily suspended their attack.
However, they didn't retreat either, remaining collectively at the junction of land and water.
As if waiting for something...
"Watch out! The real boss is about to appear!"
Sora lowered his voice, his face tense.