"Lord Envoy, something terrible has happened!"
"In the forest, I found… I found…"
Sergash came jogging back, panting.
After she returned to the camp and explained everything, Chen Yu finally understood why she was in such a panic.
"You're saying a lot of abnormal Magic Power has appeared in the forest?"
"Yes. The Magic Power is gathering like a mist, and it's attracting a lot of Swamp Demons."
"I'm worried… there might be a Magic Power riot in a few days."
"Just like that storm before?"
Chen Yu tried his best to form a serious expression on his Gel.
'He knew it wasn't just an ordinary storm. If it happened again, every Swamp Demon in the entire forest would probably pour out of their nests.'
At the mention of the storm, Sergash's expression clearly grew tense.
"If it weren't for that storm, I wouldn't have lost my Magic Staff."
"Lord Envoy, what should we do?"
"Leave this place. Leave the Swamp Forest."
He was a Swamp Demon. Even if a Magic Power riot really did happen, he could just hide in the Slime Nest.
But Sergash couldn't. Her situation would only become more dangerous if she stayed in the forest.
Once the storm arrived, the camp would be completely overrun by frenzied Swamp Demons, let alone her.
'I have to get her out of the Swamp Forest.'
'Building the territory will have to be postponed for a bit.'
Besides, he'd been planning to venture outside the swamp anyway. This was the perfect opportunity to clear a path connecting his territory to the outside world, which would make future travel more convenient.
"Leave here?"
Sergash knew she would have to leave the swamp sooner or later, but she hadn't expected the day to come so quickly.
She wasn't as happy as she thought she'd be.
'But the Envoy is right. It's time for me to leave the swamp.'
'My sister is probably still out there, anxiously looking for me.'
"I understand. I'll leave now."
"Wrong. *I'm* going with you."
"Huh? Lord Envoy, you're going out too?"
Sergash's tone was one of astonishment.
Chen Yu wobbled his Gel in a nod.
"I plan to clear a path to the outside. It'll make going out more convenient in the future."
"If you want to come back, just follow the forest's Poisonous Sting Bees. They'll guide you back here."
'Clearing a path naturally meant fighting his way out and making his swamp neighbors move aside.'
'And for those who refused to move, he'd just beat them up a few more times.'
'Then he'd send the Poisonous Sting Bees to patrol the path, driving away Swamp Demons and any approaching Sub-humans to maintain it.'
'He even had a name for the path already: "Bee-line."'
"Sergash, check your gear. This expedition will take a few days."
"Yes, I'll go right now."
Sergash ran back to the shelter and took out all the wooden-tipped blowgun darts she had hidden under her bed.
When she returned, she saw a column of Poisonous Sting Bees lined up in front of Chen Yu. They stood like soldiers on review, chests puffed out, perfectly still and disciplined.
'They seem even more professional than the tribe's hunting parties...'
She could already picture her tribe's hunting parties being chased around by the Poisonous Sting Bees.
The very thought was enough to frighten any Lizardman.
"Sergash, you lead the way."
"Oh, okay."
She carefully picked up the Slime and started back the way she came.
To better command the swarm, Chen Yu had also brought the Queen Bee, embedding her in his Slime Gel with only her head poking out.
The Queen Bee was smarter than a regular Poisonous Sting Bee, but her intelligence was only on par with a three-year-old child.
Chen Yu had a brain-frying conversation with it before it finally understood and nodded, dividing the swarm into three columns positioned in front and to the sides, tightly protecting Sergash.
Wherever they passed, the Swamp Demons either dove into the swamp or fled in all directions.
Moreover, the pheromones left by the Poisonous Sting Bees seemed to terrify these Swamp Demons. Even long after the group had passed, the creatures didn't dare set foot on the path.
This was the first time Sergash had ever seen such a grand procession. When she first arrived, she had been the one running from the Swamp Demons.
This scene was something she would have never dared to imagine before.
'It's so wonderful to be able to travel with the Lord Envoy.'
It felt less like an expedition and more like a leisurely stroll.
They passed a hollow Twisted Oak Tree.
"Lord Envoy, I remember a terrifying Swamp Poison Frog hiding in there…"
Before she could finish her sentence, a Little Arrow Skill shot out and instantly blasted the Swamp Poison Frog hiding under the tree into the air.
"Good. Not anymore."
"Let's keep moving."
Sergash swallowed the words she was about to say.
'Actually, that Swamp Poison Frog had bullied her several times when she passed by here before...'
'Good thing I didn't say anything just now, or it would have been so embarrassing.'
The expedition team forged ahead. Chen Yu had no idea how far they had gone, but he'd eaten his fill of Swamp Demons, and his poison resistance proficiency kept increasing.
Night fell early in the Swamp Forest, so they returned to camp to rest in the afternoon and set out again the next morning.
With the Poisonous Sting Bees accompanying them, Chen Yu didn't even need to act personally against most Swamp Demons. They were stung to death by Poisonous Stings the moment they got close and ended up in his stomach.
After all that activity, and before even leaving the swamp, his status panel's talents and skills received a major upgrade.
[Devouring and Digesting Lv.2→Devouring and Digesting Lv.3]
[Acid Secretion Lv.2→Acid Secretion Lv.3]
[Tough Shell Lv.1→Tough Shell Lv.2]
[Little Arrow Skill Lv.1→Little Arrow Skill Lv.2]
...
「On the third day of the expedition.」
Chen Yu and his group ran into a bit of trouble.
The abnormal Magic Power was expanding faster than they had imagined, and it had already covered the path they had cleared.
Even though the storm hadn't arrived yet, the forest's Swamp Demons were as agitated as ants on a hot pan.
There were too many Swamp Demons affected by the Magic Power, and they constantly charged the Poisonous Sting Bee formation.
'Can't eat them all. There's just no way to eat them all.'
Chen Yu was so stuffed he was starting to get picky.
RUMBLE…
Today, the sky was thick with dark clouds. Faint flashes of lightning flickered as a light rain began to fall.
'The storm will probably arrive in another day or two.' Chen Yu was certain they couldn't turn back.
Their only choice was to press forward and leave the Swamp Forest before the downpour began.
The good news was that they were very close to the edge of the forest. The number of Swamp Demons was gradually decreasing, while traces of Sub-human activity were becoming more frequent.
In the Dark Swamp Forest, amidst a fine drizzle, Sergash moved in a low crouch. She carefully climbed over a fallen oak tree and saw a familiar mark carved into it, instantly realizing they had reached the edge of the swamp.
"Lord Envoy, we've arrived."
Chen Yu, who had been distractedly reading the Talisman Book from Shao Qingsong, blinked his eyes in her arms and came back to his senses upon hearing her words.
"How many Poisonous Sting Bees are left?"
The Magic Power riot affected all Swamp Demons with Magic Organs, and the Poisonous Sting Bees were, of course, no exception.
The Queen Bee possessed intelligence and understood the danger of the Magic Power riot; she just acted a little irritable occasionally.
But the Bee Soldiers were different. They might break free from the Queen Bee's control, get lost in the abnormal Magic Power, and never find their way out.
Chen Yu had lost quite a few Bee Soldiers along the way.
"There are thirteen left."
'Not bad. More than I expected.'
"Lord Envoy, this is my tribe's hunting ground. There might be Corrupted Lizardmen wandering nearby."
For the surrounding Sub-humans, a Magic Power riot represented both danger and opportunity.
If they were careful enough, they could capture enough food to last for a month.
Therefore, the more intense the Magic Power riot, the more Corrupted Lizardmen would be found wandering the area.
"Let's find a place to hide for now. We'll wait for the storm to pass."
"Yes. When the hunting parties spend the night in the wild, they hide in shelters built by the tribe. They're very dry inside and should be enough for us to wait out the storm."
"I know of an abandoned one nearby."
Sergash felt her way forward, moving very carefully.
But soon, a look of surprise appeared on her face.
Chen Yu noticed her strange reaction.
"What happened?"
"There's the smell of blood here. It's human."