Chapter 85: Black Marsh (Subscription Met, Unlocked)
Chapter 85: Black Marsh (Subscription Met, Unlocked)
The Dark Wood is located at the foot of the Arreat Mountain Range. Looking east from here, one can see the continuous Arreat Mountain Range, like giants holding hands. Just the Dark Wood at its foot is already filled with very powerful Vipers and Fierce Beasts, some of which even the Hell Clan dare not provoke. Going further up the mountain is even more fraught with crisis; even the most powerful Hell Clan members dare not get too close to the towering peaks Enveloped by Mist.
To the west is the once famous Black Marsh. That's right, *once*!
Before the Hell Invasion, that place wasn't called the Black Marsh. It was the Black Soil, extremely famous throughout the entire Dark Continent, known as the Golden Land. At that time, the Lord of the Black Soil was even wealthier than a Kingdom's King. On his territory stood a massive Castle, said to have been started by the second generation Lord and only completed after the fifth generation Lord took over, taking over 300 years. The entire Castle was built atop a mountain that had been artificially leveled. The other side of the mountain was a sheer cliff, and there was only one road leading up, giving it the presence of 'one man guarding the pass, ten thousand cannot open it'. The luxury within the Castle was no less than the Palaces of Kingdoms that had been passed down for thousands of years. The most famous part was the towering stone Tower in the center of the Castle. It is said the Lord at the time gave it a very common but fitting name, the Tower of Wealth, meaning that everything seen from atop this Tower was his wealth. However, the Civilians of the Black Soil secretly gave it another name—the Tower of Scourging. This was because from the high Tower top, using a Magic Array, they could monitor most of the Black Soil. If any Civilian was careless and caught being lazy, they would be in for a terrible time.
Later, the Hell Invasion dyed the entire Black Soil blood red. The fertile land turned into Wasteland. The once glorious Castle was also occupied by Monsters, and the famous "Wealth" Tower inside the Castle was taken over by the Champion of the Black Marsh, the fallen Countess. As time passed, people gradually forgot the Tower's original name, so they simply gave it a new name, the Forgotten Tower, meaning the Tower whose name had been forgotten.
This is part of the description of the Black Marsh from Cain's Book. And now, I was riding on Light Snow 's back, standing at the Edge of the Dark Wood. After three days of rapid travel, we finally exited this utterly detestable Dark Wood. What lay before my eyes was a vast expanse of endless black Land. Looking at the black Dirt beneath my feet, even I, an Otaku, could tell at a glance that this dark brown, loose soil contained a large amount of nutrients; it was truly Black Soil. One could imagine the scene of fertile Land and prosperous people back then. Unfortunately, now only a handful of black Dirt remains.
The Black Marsh gives off a particularly desolate feeling. There are many Villages here, abandoned Villages. The collapsed Wooden Houses inside are filled with dust. Broken doors and windows creak, making "yiyayiya" sounds. Being within them, the Aura of desolation and silence is so thick it makes one feel downcast. Around the Villages, traces of farming can still be faintly seen. Decayed farming tools are slanted in the fields. Occasionally, one can even see a few sets of Skeleton bones about to weather away, half-covered and half-buried in the Dirt. Some Skeletons, eroded by Hell's power and regaining Strength, were perhaps once the owners of these fields. Thus, they like to wander in the fields, Attacking any Enemy that approaches their Domain. What's interesting is that they likely retain some consciousness left over from when they were alive. They will actually clear the weeds on the ground from time to time, and even run to the Edge of the Dark Wood to cut down excess trees, preventing the Forest from spreading. Because of this, ordinary Adventurers usually won't actively Attack them. Firstly, they are not Projections, and their Strength is very weak, dropping no good Equipment. Furthermore, if you don't want the annoying Forest to spread and turn the Black Wasteland into the Dark Wood as well, you must Protect them. You should know that this Black Soil is very suitable for plant growth. In our original world, if these Skeletons were a bit more docile and cute, they could undoubtedly be called beneficial insects (?) that Protect the Ecology balance and maintain harmonious development.
After bypassing several Villages that made me feel desolate, I finally encountered the characteristic Monsters of the Black Marsh: the pitch-black Night Tribe. Compared to their original form, the Moon Clan, they've merely changed their appearance. Goatmen are always Goatmen; no matter how they evolve, they can't turn into werewolves. So, for me, they are still no match.
There are also the evolved Monsters of the Dark Stalker, the Evil Archer. These Monsters, wearing yellowish clothes, are particularly cunning. They shoot while running, executing guerrilla Tactics to perfection. I think if they didn't lack the awareness to dig, they could probably even pull off tunnel warfare. Fortunately, I have Light Snow . Riding it, I can chase those hateful Archers without needing Shapeshifting. Then, hmph hmph... Of course, I haven't neglected the other four Ghost Wolves either. Controlling their Teleportation, chasing a few Evil Archers is a piece of cake, but it's too mentally taxing. After playing Airdrop Encirclement a few times, I get dizzy. As for Poison Creeper and Lazy Crow, they've actually started cooperating. Lazy Crow provides high-altitude harassment, while Poison Creeper approaches underground, then launches a surprise Attack. This kind of Tactics is practically invincible against ordinary Mobs. Their deviousness makes even me, their Master, feel ashamed.
There's also a type of Monster that makes my heart bloom with joy: the enhanced type of Vile Crow—the Blood Hawk. As an evolved Type, its Experience is much higher than the Vile Crow's. Although it's still less than a quarter of a Night Tribe's, you must know that their Strength is weak, and their Quantity is huge. Each flock has almost a thousand. After casually killing a few and seeing the Experience increase, the first term that came to mind was Grinding Monsters.
And now, before my eyes, there is such a flock of Blood Hawks, at least a thousand of them. They are so dense that all I can see is a patch of blood-red Land. The "fluttering" sound of their wings can be heard from far away. They are much cleaner than Vile Crows, completely lacking that unbearable stench, emitting only a faint smell of blood. This further solidified my determination to harvest these mobile Experience groups.
However, if I really want to grind them, one condition is essential: a narrow Terrain. In the wide Wasteland, being surrounded by them is no joke. Even if there's no danger to my Life, I still have to consider the Durability of my Equipment.
My first thought was the abandoned Villages. Those Wooden Houses should be able to provide some help with the Terrain. But after considering it, I immediately rejected the idea—those Blood Hawks are blockheads, just like Vile Crows. They don't understand what obstacles are at all. They just charge in a straight line when they see someone. These decayed Wooden Houses can't withstand their impact.
As I was troubled, searching everywhere for a suitable spot, a sudden protrusion in the open space caught my attention. Walking closer, I was instantly speechless. It turned out to be an artificial narrow Terrain formed by dozens of stacked Boulders. Three sides were blocked, with only a Crevice in the front, just wide enough for two people to walk side-by-side. Hiding inside to grind Blood Hawks would be extremely safe. Moreover, the stone at the back was movable. Even if something unexpected happened, I could push this stone aside and escape. Of course, the premise is that you run faster than the Blood Hawks.
"What a Senior!"
Tears welled up in my eyes from emotion. How could I not have thought of it? I could completely create a suitable Terrain with my own Strength. And here I am, a capable young man who Transmigrated from Earth, known as a super Otaku who's been online for ten years. My IQ was just magnificently surpassed by the natives here.
However, as the saying goes, 'one generation plants the trees, another enjoys the shade'. Without their Wisdom, how could I effortlessly enjoy the results? Hehe, Seniors, I'll borrow this place for a bit.
The Blood Hawks' Attack is relatively low. To save Equipment Durability, I simply kept only a few pieces of Equipment with Durability Restoration Attributes on me and took off everything else. Anyway, I can still take Potions. If things get really bad, I can let Light Snow and the others hold them off for a while. I forgot to mention, Light Snow can also just barely squeeze into the Crevice, but it can't turn around inside, and its movement is very inconvenient due to the Terrain. Seeing it look back every three steps as it backed into the Crevice, with a depressed look on its wolf face, I couldn't help but chuckle inwardly.
Everything was ready. I activated Werewolf Transformation, holding a bottle of Choking Gas Potion in my hand. This stuff is really Rare! After killing Bishibosh last time, I only dropped it once. Including the remaining 3 bottles, I now only have 18. If it weren't so Rare, I could wipe out this flock of Blood Hawks just by relying on Choking Gas Potions. Why would I need to hide in a Crevice like a wimp?
"Hehe..."
As I approached the Blood Hawk flock and was spotted by the outer Blood Hawks, I let out a few sinister laughs. I threw the Choking Gas Potion in my hand forward with force. The bottle arced gracefully and fell into the center of the Blood Hawk flock, instantly emitting a puff of green smoke.
Provoked like this, the entire Blood Hawk flock instantly became enraged. They flapped their huge fleshy wings and charged towards me with a "fluttering" sound. Thousands of Blood Hawks swooped over, a dense black mass. The flapping sound from their wings was deafening. The Might accumulated by their sheer Quantity made my scalp tingle. The thought of teasing them a bit longer immediately vanished, replaced by the sole desire to quickly get back into that Crevice and hide, comforting my Heart that was pounding wildly from fright.
Before I could calm down, the Blood Hawks had already charged up. I quickly canceled Werewolf Transformation. Unfortunately, the Crevice couldn't accommodate the body after Werebear Transformation, so I could only take out a Normal small Shield to block in front of me. I casually held that Scepter in my hand, and a light blue Resistance Aura instantly appeared at my feet, providing +70% Defense.
The Blood Hawks had already charged over. Just as I expected, they couldn't control their Speed. A small portion of Blood Hawks rushed in. Some were blocked by the Shield, while others rushed further inside. With Light Snow and Poison Creeper there, they were like sheep entering a tiger's den. More Blood Hawks, like bullets, crashed into the Boulders if they had bad Luck, getting dizzy. Most just grazed past the Boulders.
When the Blood Hawks that had overshot stopped themselves, turned back, and desperately tried to squeeze into the Crevice, the real battle—no, perhaps I should say Grinding Monsters—officially began.