Chapter 9: A Mini-Boss
The duo progressed at a relatively steady pace.
As more monsters emerged to take their lives, Nith and Kyouka defeated them in their unique ways.
While Nith kept spitting poison like an evil-tongued bastard, Kyouka boosted her mana with her blue potions and used health potions to defeat her foes. This didn't mean, however, that her concoctions could be used as a weapon.
As an alchemist, Kyouka obtained a skill called Reverse Mana Stream, which allowed her to invert the properties of her creations. In the case of health potions, these turned into corrosive potions that, when splashed or ingested by an entity, devoured one's vitality.
[Kyouka's Small Potion (Epic)—a potion concocted by Kyouka from the Pink Shades of Potions Store, located in the Mythverios Kingdom's Capital—Soireuz. Upon consumption, it patches minor and medium wounds and restores lost vitality. Its healing properties are increased based on the person's resilience, reaching up to a 50% bonus.]
Ignoring the shameless advertisement in the status, Kyouka's potions were nothing short of amazing. It wasn't just their cheap price that drew many customers to her store, but also that juicy healing bonus, which could save a lot of lives.
One's resilience naturally went up as one worked, even more so for adventurers roaming the world, clearing danger zones and other threats. This meant anyone could leverage that bonus to some extent.
SPLASH!
Kyouka pitched a small vial against the giant lizard's face, stripping it of its eyesight and vitality. Its dark green skin bubbled, drawing out painful shrieks. It twisted its head around to shake off the potion, but to no avail.
Kyouka's potion melted into its flesh and skin. After that, the bleeding finished the job, erasing the monster from the swamps.
Beside her, Nith once again wrestled against a frog's tongue. This time, the monster perched itself on a bobbing log, glaring down at the man. As big as an adult man's torso, and oval with lots of muscle strength inside its frame, the monster was far from trivial.
Nith, however, had time on his side, his poison devouring the frog's strength until Nith became strong enough to reel the monster toward him and punch it straight between its eyes.
The monster disappeared into particles.
Nith scooped up the loot, and so did Kyouka, who approached him to throw the resources into his inventory.
She looked up ahead and smiled. "I see the curtain! We're about to enter the heart of the swamp islands!"
Just as she had said, up ahead of the duo stood two tall and thick trees, between which vines hung down like a green curtain. The mist was nowhere to be found, allowing everyone to take in the grand entrance.
This meant that the heart of the danger zone had no trace of mist as well!
With a spring in their steps, the duo made their way to the curtain, then squeezed themselves between the tangled vines, entering a new world.
Huge swamps rolled out before them, with no tree in sight. Instead, small islands spacious enough to host a few tents floated over the water, some occupied by other people, and some by mini-bosses.
Clear water tumbled off each island, loudly hitting the swamp's surface and getting contaminated. That said, the swamp water wasn't as dense as it was outside the main zone, for various mushrooms shone underwater, formed from nothing but mana.
One could see a few crocodiles lurking and waiting for their chance to chomp on fresh meat from weak adventurers. A few monsters were so bold that they nested themselves on the roads between the islands, waiting for newcomers to pass by.
Anyone could tell what those were waiting for.
Chugging down a stamina potion, Nith refilled himself and pointed at an island, where a crocodile vast enough to cover half of its surface rested. The crocodile's black scales and teeth had warded off a few adventurers, but not Nith.
"We'll combine our skills," Nith added, "I'll be tanking it."
"Okay, we aim for the head, right?" Kyouka asked.
"Yeah," Nith nodded.
Under the eyes of curious adventurers and monsters, the duo walked toward the floating island. Using the ropes dangling from its surface, Nith and Kyouka scaled it. Once their feet touched the ground, the crocodile opened its eyes.
Green emeralds glowered at them.
Standing at the helm, Nith perspired under the pressure. He rolled saliva onto his tongue, beginning the fight with the first shot.
Kyouka matched his attack, chucking her small potion. Both liquids splashed on the crocodile's head at the same time, blending and scorching the monster's scales.
This drew the attention of more adventurers catching their breath on other islands.
Under their naked eyes, the crocodile's black scales, as solid as a brick wall, melted, exposing fissures of raw flesh as the combination of venom and potion dripped off its snout.
Wailing, the crocodile sped up as it scurried toward Nith.
The man didn't wear any armor, and his clothes were drenched, meaning he had additional weight on himself. His tall and lean frame seemed too frail to take the crocodile's tackle head-on, compelling other adventurers to raise their weapons in case he needed help.
Nith, however, stood still. Snatching another vial of venom from his inventory, he held it between his fingers, rolling it as if it were a coin. Finally, he thumbed it open and downed its entire contents—crystal-clear water.
Only Kyouka knew that it wasn't water but toxins. "You seriously need to fix that habit!"
That said, her curiosity won over her. She wanted to see what Nith's next move would be.
He leaned in and waited for the crocodile to enter his range. Once the monster did, Nith swept his leg, kicking it square in the jaw.
Buffed with Eclipse Venom, which kept devouring the crocodile's strength, Nith's strength betrayed his weak appearance, shocking the crowd as he rolled the crocodile over.
He cracked his neck. "Lil' croco is so mad, isn't he?"