Age of Adepts

As they slowly entered the Poison Swamps, the party became increasingly nervous.

It was all soft and slippery watergrass and duckweed beneath their feet. It was hard to stand firm on such ground, but it was much easier than everyone had expected.

A thirty-meter-long rope braided of sturdy vines connected everyone, with the front of the line wrapped around the waist of the old herbalist. One of the Silver Knights followed close behind the herbalist, one hand holding the rope, the other holding his longsword. He was prepared for an attack at any time.

After all, these swamps were home to large numbers of predatory creatures, poison, and plenty of other magical and demonic beings. It was a difficult place to traverse.

The two dozen parties of holy knights slowly entered the swamp one by one, keeping a distance of no more than ten meters between each group. It was to ensure that they could reinforce each other at a moment’s notice. It also reduced the chance of them being ambushed by the witches.

The seven Gold Knights near Blackmountain City had all gathered here now, traveling in the center of the army while escorting Rena and the witch they had just caught. Given their superior numbers and power, the knights weren’t worried that the witches would attempt a full-frontal assault. On the contrary, they were concerned that the witches would flee as far as they could and refuse to fight.

In all honesty, it wasn’t an easy matter pursuing those sly and agile witches while traversing through mountains and forests in a full set of armor for long periods.

Catherine held a sword in one hand and a torch in the other, following the party as they trudged through the swamp.

She could barely see within five meters of herself with the light of the torch. Everything beyond that distance was a faint shroud of white. The mist hovered around them as if covering everything with a thick veil, making it difficult to see properly.

There was water vapor in the mist, which constantly tussled with the flames on the torch to make them crackle loudly. There was no proper road beneath them either; only the wet and slippery footsteps left behind by the other members of the party.

Those at the rear of the party did not need to figure out the path forward. They only needed to trace the steps left on the ground.

What kind of consequence would there be for making a wrong step in a place like this? A young Iron Knight’s experience would be the greatest evidence of the danger of these swamps.

Perhaps it was because he was too preoccupied with his surroundings, or maybe he lost focus for an instant, but this Iron Knight stepped out of the ‘grass’ road and immediately fell into a puddle of mud.

It was as if a blinding torch had been suddenly ignited in the swamp, as the water itself started to bubble instantly!

The dirty sludge and filth of the swamp started to move visibly. Waves spread through the water as if some strange creature was squirming beneath. Moreover, as the Iron Knight continued to struggle in the mud, the unrest in the pool only intensified. Several distinct water ripples started to approach the knight from a distance.

“Everyone put in some strength and pull him up.” The Silver Knight let out a shout. The two people closest to the fallen knight immediately grabbed the roped wrapped around their waist and pulled with all their strength. A splash rang out as they managed to rip the sinking knight out from the mud.

The creatures hiding in the mud became incredibly furious at the sudden disappearance of their ‘prey’ and burst forth from the water.

For a moment, large groups of Ghost Nannies and Sludges appeared from the swamps around the knights.

Ghost Nannies were humanoid monsters that looked like drowned corpses. They had dirty and unkempt hair, dark black claws, and sharp fangs that were missing in a spot or two. Their claws and teeth contained terrifying poison, making them much more dangerous than even ghouls while they were in the swamps.

Meanwhile, Sludges were low-grade magical creatures purely formed of pungent sludge and some other strange substance. They possessed several unique combat abilities such as Sludge Bullet, Acid Spray, and Splitting Multiplication. Their offensive might was lacking, and they were incredibly disgusting creatures.

The party of holy knights was fearless against the horde of swamp creatures.

Several Holy Light Flares blasted forward, and every swamp creature that was hit by these flares had their souls purified in the sacred holy light.

Ghost Nannies turned into rotten corpses, while Sludges were reduced to a pile of mud. Perhaps picking up on the might of the invaders, the Ghost Nannies and Sludges quickly dove into the swamp and used the mud to evade the Holy Light Flares. Many Ghost Nannies rushed onto the grass road and engaged the holy knights with their formation stretched out over one and a half kilometers.

If the imperial soldiers had been the ones to enter the Poison Swamps instead, they would already be plenty of casualties. Meanwhile, the holy knights who had the blessing of the holy light were incredibly lethal when fighting against these low-grade magical creatures and monsters.

It didn’t matter how sharp the Ghost Nannies’ fangs and claws were. They couldn’t pierce a holy knight’s Holy Light Barrier and their thick Holy Light Armor. Meanwhile, their tough, leathery skin was as thin as paper to the longswords of the holy knights that contained tremendous holy light power.

The holy knights made short work of the Ghost Nannies that intercepted them as if they were simply slicing vegetables for dinner. The souls of all the monsters were thoroughly purified. That said, the holy knights found themselves in an awkward position dealing with the Sludges and their long-ranged abilities.

Sludge Bullets cut through the air one after another, crashing onto the knights’ Holy Light Barriers and exploding into noxious sludge. That smell, that texture. It was so bad it almost caused the holy knights to break down out of pure disgust. Their noses were also suffering incomparable torture.

Using techniques like the Holy Light Slash and the Holy Seal of Justice on such low-grade magical creatures would be far too much of a waste. As such, the less costly Holy Light Flares bombarded the Sludges. Naturally, these low-grade Sludges could not endure the purification of the Holy Knight and silently exploded into dead mud, one after another.

However, before the holy knights could smile, the bodies of the Sludges in the distance started to reform, each of them turning into three slightly smaller Sludges.

An even more torrential rain of Sludge Bullets and Acid Spray poured towards the knights at the very next moment.

The most annoying thing about the whole affair was the fact that an ordinary Sludge could split twice. Each Sludge could split into three slightly smaller Sludges. That meant that the knights had to kill a total of nine Sludges to exterminate one ordinary Sludge properly.

While this happened, the Sludges would have more than enough time to shower the area where the holy knights stood in their pungent sludge and the unusually strong acid they stored within their bodies.

Soon, the entire group of holy knights was covered in a fearsome stench that hurt to even smell!

All the knights were throwing up as they fought. It was such a hilarious scene to behold.

However, the holy knights were far more powerful than these monsters and magical creatures. Though the situation got a little out of hand, the holy knights had yet to suffer any casualties.

Beams of holy light purified both the poison attacks of the Ghost Nannies and the Acid Sprays of the Sludges before they could inflict visible damage to the knights.

The only unfortunate thing was that the holy light could only purify poison and acid. There was nothing it could do about the smell!

As such, the holy knights that collapsed on the battlefield weren’t injured. They were simply overwhelmed by the overpowering stench.

Catherine walked at the center of the party, silently chanting words of praise for the great Holy Light as she fired off Holy Light Flares at the figures moving in the mist.

Her face was pale white, and she could barely breathe now.

The water, the ground, and even her body were covered in slimy and disgusting acid. This fluid that had been brewing in the bodies of the Sludges for so many years released bright green smoke wherever it landed. It smelled just like the filthy waste material in the sewers after it had been left to rot and fester for years.

Catherine had thrown up everything in her stomach the moment she smelled the stench. By the end, she even started throwing up her gastric acid.

Even though the holy knights were weak from puking, they still fought valiantly…no, slaughtered valiantly!

Hordes of Ghost Nannies and Sludges rushed out from the mist from either side of the road only to howl as they fell beneath the swords of the holy knights.

The battle might have been ‘intense,’ but the holy knights had not suffered a single casualty!

The party that stretched for over one and a half kilometers suddenly stopped, trying their best to purify all these monsters and magical creatures rushing at them. However, while they were fighting with all they had, several incredibly large lizards emerged from the swamp.

Dirt-yellow Petrification Beams shot out of their eyes. Several Iron Knights failed to dodge in time and were paralyzed on the spot.

A visible layer of green and gray started to creep across their skin. Soon, even their eyeballs froze over as they turned into stone statues.

The Giant Lizards lunged forward, biting the petrified holy knights and dragging them back into the swamp.

The next second, the water and mud bubbled and splashed everywhere. The other swamp creatures swarmed towards the petrified holy knights, furiously biting and tearing at them as they dragged them deeper into the bottom of the swamp.

The rope around the holy knights had been bitten off, rendering their companions incapable of saving them.

“Bastards.”

Several knights that witnessed this became overcome with anger. They brandished their swords and charged into the mud to fight with the swamp creatures.

A single Iron Knight had no problem dealing with seven or eight Ghost Nannies while they were on solid ground. However, once they descended into the unique environment of the swamp, two to three Ghost Nannies were sufficient to toy with them.

Thanks to the Giant Swamp Lizards, the swamp creatures were able to break through the defensive positions of the holy knights on several spots, dragging one holy knight after another into the swamp where they could not exert their strength.