Chapter 620: Scouting about and hunting
Translator: Translation Nation Editor: Translation Nation
Concurrently while preparing their bait, Reef also located a group of nesting Deathmarsh Great Crocodiles; a family of six that probably included three generations of crocodiles.
Proceeding on, Sheyan and Reef both separated, each towards 150 metres north and south of the crocodile nest.
Coordinating through their party channel, they each retrieved a decapitated chunk of ape from their nightmare imprint and flung them into the swampy waters.
Very naturally, the group of Deathmarsh Great Crocodiles caught the scent of blood. Under the enticement of food, they segregated into two groups; one waddling towards the north and one to the south.
While the crocodiles searched and feasted, Sheyan and Reef hastily converged at the north. From there, they distanced several hundreds of metres away from each other and tossed in bloodied bait once again.
In this manner, once those Deathmarsh Great Crocodiles at the north had completed their meal, another batch of alluring blood scent would segregate them once again.
This instance of separation was exactly the moment Sheyan and Reef were waiting for!
There wasn’t much need to elaborate on the following events. After slaughtering the first Deathmarsh Great Crocodile, their favourable plan then commenced. Expending a total of 12-13 hours, the contestants finally managed to slay four of these Deathmarsh Great Crocodiles. The remaining two crocodiles were then deterred to flee after sensing fear…..
Only at this point, did Sheyan and Reef realized that not every Deathmarsh Great Crocodile would produce that valuable ‘virus immunity’ option. Only matured Deathmarsh Great Crocodiles or boss tier creatures would offer it.
Furthermore, apart from the devastating tail whip of these Deathmarsh Great Crocodiles, some even possessed their personal unique abilities like mudslap etc. Abilities that could effectively diminish their opponent’s movement speed, which would prevent agile long-range combatants like Mogensha from kiting them.
Utilizing a day’s worth of time, they managed to hunt down nearly 10 Deathmarsh Great Crocodiles, thereby propelling their stacked immunity to 70%. At present, they had widely reduced their chances of infection by ordinary viruses of the outer reaches of the marshland. Furthermore, even if they, unfortunately, contracted any disease, it would only last for roughly 23 seconds in their body.
With this preparation, they were now fundamentally ready to continue their campaign against the other Ndipaya tribe villages.
Apart from their thick skin, the most thorny issue pertaining to those barbarians were the vile pestilences. Since they had finally eliminated the greatest threat, the matter should naturally not be delayed.
Besides, slaughtering those Deathmarsh Great Crocodiles had also provided profits of nearly 80,000 utility points, in addition to acquiring two ‘Deathmarsh Greatcroc Soul’ Horcrux. Strangely, not a single equipment had surfaced.
From this, one could imagine that since the chances of an equipment were so sparse, equipments that surface here should probably be rather special. Once they appear, their potential would certainly be incredible.
Of course, other Deathmarsh Great Crocodiles in the area weren’t blocks of wood. After realizing that their species was mysteriously disappearing and perceiving a threat, they began congregating in groups; not willing to segregate even upon sighting any prey.
Moreover, the crocodiles were exceedingly savage. When Sheyan had attempted to infuriate them by baiting them with the carcass of a young crocodile, the eventual outcome had instead left him flabbergasted. Those monsters had spared no expense in devouring the young carcass and even appeared distinctly content in doing so.
Witnessing such a scene, both Sheyan and Reef could only feel utter disgust and helplessness!
Sadly, during their gruelling battles, regardless of how cautious the contestants had been, one of Reef’s servants still, unfortunately, met his demise.
Even though Reef was a Growth-hunter, they were merely low-tier servants that could only receive their master’s attributes as a bonus; not being able to bolster their master’s strength. Also, it was impossible to revive that servant unless Reef returned to the realm and ‘authenticated’ him.
In spite of that, the capabilities of the 6 other native servants had continued to rapidly improve. Initially, their might was akin to ordinary humans, yet they had swiftly matured while hunting legendary creatures. Moreover, they similarly inherited Reef’s attributes of exceptional endurance, which enhanced the toughness of their skin.
At present, they could tank 2-3 direct blows from a Deathmarsh Great Crocodile without dying.
Furthermore, those 6 native servants had even tied vines around the back of their wooden pikes as weapons, allowing them to employ them as long-range javelins as well as close combat pikes.
Throughout the course of the battle, every time they suffered injuries, they would retreat behind the back of their master and enjoy the healing rejuvenation of Reef’s ‘Parasite Sage-Scarab’ ability.
Lastly, during their hunt, Sheyan wasn’t merely searching for crocodiles. Relying on his keen mind and abundant energy, he gradually explored and familiarized himself with the geography of the place. Concurrently, he also investigated the state of affairs of this Kijuju Marshland.
Ultimately, he discovered that only a tiny portion of the marshland had been revealed so far, and there were two layers of protection encompassing the inner reaches of this Kijuju Marshland.
The first layer was a bottomless quagmire, that could only be traversed using a special canoe called a ‘Ghanmuata’ by the natives.
As for that layer of quagmire, it was inhabited by mutated Great Crocodiles, Dragon lizards, Gigantic Boas, Swelling Toads and all sorts of insanely queer creatures.
Basically, one could infer that the Deathmarsh Great Crocodiles had been chased out of that malignant quagmire due to their inadequacy. As such, one could deduce the frightening deadliness of those creatures.
The second layer of protection was the frequent fumigation of toxic miasma. From the inauguration of the Kijuju Marshland till now, no one could fathom the millions of organisms that had decomposed there. Formed by the constant evaporation of the scorching sun, the virulent miasma had covered the earth and the skies; turning the entire region dusky.
Led by Mbenga, Sheyan had tried to sample the threat of that toxic miasma by the outskirts. Instead, even with his current capabilities, upon catching a whiff from afar, he had instantly taken flight; nauseating and retching afterwards for half an hour.
Therefore, unless one could fly over or drill underground, forcefully breaking through the protective layers of the Kijuju Marshland core reaches would be seemingly impossible.
As for the remaining three villages that housed the stone slabs, they were ten kilometres or so deeper into the marshland.
Proceeding from there, a mechanism that could only be triggered by those stone slabs was located on a tiny isle, that required them to bash through the remaining and largest Ndipaya village.
It was said that the isle hosted an underground passageway, allowing one to bypass the terrifying abominable quagmire moat, and finally arrive at the inner reaches of the Kijuju Marshland.
Nevertheless, what awaited any who pass through would undoubtedly be additionally horrifying creatures.....and an unknown destiny!
Despite consolidating and contemplating on all this information, Sheyan still felt a discomforting sensation; as though a cloudy mist was preventing him from grasping a key factor.
Besides, time was exceedingly tight, and since a clear pathway had opened for his party along with a distinct objective, while Sheyan still couldn’t think of any better alternative, he could only repress his present emotions.
"This is truly helplessness in the face of a mountain…." Sheyan sighed as he stroked his hair deeply with his fingers. After massaging himself strenuously, he patted his cheeks with fresh water.
"What exactly have I overlooked...darn it, I can’t stop thinking about the Illume-union as well. I need to observe this world with a superseding perspective, in order to figure out the crux of it all. But the trail presented so far is extremely clear, where exactly is this feeling of mine coming from?"
At present, Reef was carrying a wooden canoe as he urged Sheyan.
"Boss, let us go. Time is tight, let’s head over to that western village first. According to Mbenga’s inference, if AK is still alive, there is a huge possibility of finding him there."
Both man then leapt into the canoe, while Reef’s servants followed them from a distance behind.
This region of Deathmarsh Great Crocodiles had already fallen to the judgment of the contestants, thus, they finally arrived at the periphery of the village without experiencing any danger.
A meandering swampy passage led towards the village, where dense reeds polluted both banks of this swampy passage.
Shua! Shua! Shua! Though it was daytime, the reeds continued emitting loud whistles.
Nobody could tell if it was the wind or that humans were lying hidden within.
All of a sudden, dozens of ravens dispersed in flight from within the reeds. These ravens had a malevolent appearance, with eyes that seemed to be oozing out with blood, and their beaks and claws were incredibly incisive.
It is reasonable to say that the wetlands should be a paradise for birds; a habitat favourable for flamingoes, cormorants, wild goose and others. Yet due to the existence of those malevolent ravens, this portion of the marshland had become a ‘VIP’ assembly for them.
Following the alarmed dispersion of those ravens, hollers and clamorous chants echoed through the air. Ten over robust looking Ndipaya barbarians then pranced out from the dense reeds, alongside wooden pikes that showered in like the rain.
Behind them, was a barbarian with a massive wooden mask. Lifting up a wooden staff, he skipped around the spot with his bow legs; while chanting out with bewildering incantations.
The sun was shining scorchingly under the broad daylight, as spurts of water splashed to welcome them. As those Ndipaya barbarians cursed and yelled with widened mouths, their yellowish blackened teeth and tonsils could be seen distinctly. It seemed as though one could even smell the foul breath coming out from their mouths.
Within a flash, Reef had fiercely charged into the ranks of the Ndipaya barbarians. His macho frame drowning in the sea of enemies within an instant!
Instantly, a furious roar resounded from within the pile of humans, as large shockwaves rippled against the turbid swampy waters; inciting tiny waves of half a metre height. The shockwave sent those barbarians staggering chaotically like intoxicated humans, as they tumbled repetitively.
Though these vicious aborigines attempted to retaliate against Reef, they seem to be unable to muster up strength within their arms and legs.
Grasping this opportunity that Reef had created, Sheyan immediately activated ‘Horn-Rage’!
The slushy swamp waters could offer no resistance towards the stampeding velocity of ‘Horn-Rage’, as Sheyan thundered through like a speedboat; splashes of white foam sputtering behind his buttocks.
Within a split second, he brushed through the Ndipaya barbarian crowd, before maliciously slamming into that barbarian with the massive wooden mask behind – that Ndipaya elder!