96: Chapter 0096 Corrupted Land

So, as she turned to leave, he called out to her, taking several bottles of personally refined sorcery potions from his Storage Ring:

The zero-ring healing potion glowed with a faint green luster, refined from three types of swamp herbs and Demonic Energy extract.

The zero-ring mental power amplification potion emitted a slight blue halo, mixed with the sorcery components of Stardust Grass.

The optimized inferior Physique potion flowed with fine golden light, containing the essence of the Sunflower.

He handed them to her one by one, softening his tone:

"From now on, you are mine. Don't take on missions with excessively high danger levels; prioritize your own safety above all else."

He said this with a hint of smugness, yet sincerely.

"Don't worry, your Master will provide for you."

When Flora heard this, her eyes reddened slightly, and a misty layer formed in her pupils.

She tightly grasped the corner of her clothes and nodded gently, her voice choked with emotion:

"Master... you are too good to me."

Her shy and delicate expression struck Li Size's heart once again, making him almost unable to resist pulling her into his arms.

But in the end, he forced himself to remain calm, closed his eyes, waved his hand, and said softly:

"Hurry and go. Be careful on the road."

Flora performed a salute reluctantly, turned, and left. Her steps were light, yet she frequently looked back, her hand still touching the Storage Pouch at her waist, until her figure gradually melted into the night.

After bidding farewell to Flora, Li Size felt as if a fire had ignited in his chest, burning hotter and hotter, almost setting his entire being ablaze.

Having experienced too much tonight, his emotions had surged back and forth, and he could no longer suppress the excitement in his heart.

He almost jogged toward the direction of Felina's and Gelia's rooms, his steps hurried but filled with unprecedented anticipation, the residual warmth of the potion bottles still lingering in his clenched fists.

He first gently knocked on Felina's door.

She was clearly not asleep, and when she saw him, her eyes immediately lit up with a gentle light.

Li Size entered the room, and the two sat side-by-side on the edge of the bed. He gently draped his arm around Felina's shoulder, and she leaned into his embrace as if by instinct, her hair brushing against his neck, carrying a faint, sweet fragrance.

His fingertips brushed over the back of her hand, slowly grasping her slightly cool hand, the warmth of his palm gradually permeating her skin.

Their breaths gradually intertwined, a blush crept onto her cheeks, and she buried her head deeper, her fingers unconsciously clutching the hem of his clothing.

He lowered his head to kiss the top of her head, murmuring soft words. As time passed, her body gradually softened, leaning against him and breathing slightly heavily...

Eventually, she could bear it no longer, yet she still held onto the corner of his clothes, unwilling to let him leave.

Finally, Li Size stood up amidst her reluctant gaze. He walked out of the room and immediately knocked on Gelia's door next door.

Gelia's face showed a slight surprise when she opened the door, but it quickly turned into a smile. She was direct and enthusiastic, and the two were soon embracing...

He ran back and forth all that night; this bout of activity lasted until nearly noon the next day.

A thought couldn't help but surface in his mind:

If only everyone could live in the same room, how wonderful that would be.

But this wish clearly required more time—he knew that to achieve this goal, he still needed to work harder to appease these two girls, who had different personalities yet were equally important.

Li Size set off again with the two women. This time, Li Size and Felina rode Blue Star together, while Gelia wanted to experience riding Nianze alone.

This was actually done to appease Felina.

Li Size felt a slight stir in his heart; Gelia was truly a girl who appeared fervent on the outside but was delicate within.

Following the map and the information from the tattooed man he had robbed earlier, Li Size soon arrived at the destination—the Illusionary Rotten Land.

In the distance, deep within the swamp, half of a stone pillar carved with concealment runes vaguely appeared, a marker left behind by the ancient sorcery civilization.

The dark green water surface was covered with grayish-white scum, a viscous substance formed by mixed, decaying organic matter. The mud underwater was wrapped with rotting leaves and animal remains, emitting a fishy-sweet mixed with putrid odor.

Stepping on it would sink one's ankle deep, the sticky mud layer clinging stubbornly to the ankle.

The tips of the withered yellow reeds along the bank were dotted with black mold spots. When the wind blew, the foul smell swept over, carrying fine mud specks toward them.

Occasionally, a few bubbles rose to the surface of the water. When they burst, tiny white maggots splashed out.

These were the swamp's unique Corrupt Maggots. If they touched a sorcerer's skin, they would madly gnaw at the Mental Energy circuits, even burrowing into the body through pores to consume the Mental Energy core, easily penetrating even low-level sorcery shields.

Floating nearby were swollen, dead fish, their bodies covered in Corrupt Maggots, their eyes already cloudy and grayish-white.

On a distant mound grew several clusters of Rotten Soul Mushrooms—a rare raw material often used by the Necromancy System.

Their caps were an eye-stinging red with white spots, and their stalks were smeared with mud, looking as if they had just crawled out of rotten flesh.

They could extract essence of Necromancy Energy, used to refine undead summoning potions to enhance the Necromancy Energy intensity of summoned creatures, or to create corrosive sorcery scrolls that weakened the vitality and mental resistance of living things.

The gray sky pressed down heavily, the sunlight filtering through the clouds turning dark yellow, casting an eerie oily sheen on the water surface.

The wind carried a damp, cold smell of decay, mixed with the rustling sound of reeds, and the shadow of a sorcery bird flying overhead in the distance, the airflow stirred up by its wings disturbing the miasma.

The name Illusionary Rotten Land was related to the Hallucinogenic Bewitching Butterfly; too many people had lost their lives here, giving it its terrifying reputation.

Legend held that any person who stepped into this Rotten Land, unless possessing an exceptionally firm will, would have their spiritual perception interfered with by the butterfly's scales' powder, causing them to fall into illusions and ultimately become nourishment for the swamp.

Over time, the word "Illusionary" referred both to the hallucinations brought by the Bewitching Butterfly and indicated that this was a land where reality and illusion intertwined, fraught with peril.

Li Size and the two women carefully searched for traces of the Hallucinogenic Bewitching Butterfly along the only remaining earthen ridges in the swamp, trying their best not to enter the decaying marsh.

The mud beneath their feet occasionally gurgled, emitting an unpleasant, sour-rotten odor. Occasionally, bubbles would emerge from the black water, bursting with a strange, intoxicating fragrance.

In such an environment, not only was visibility obstructed, but even breathing required extreme caution, significantly reducing the combat effectiveness of the group.

Even though the tattooed man had sworn that they had indeed seen this terrifying demonized monster here, it was still extremely rare.

Furthermore, this swamp was vast with countless forks in the path, making exploration extremely time-consuming.

It wasn't until noon, when the scorching sun pierced through the sparse miasma, coating the three of them with a thin layer of sweat, that they still hadn't found the slightest trace of the Hallucinogenic Bewitching Butterfly.

Just as the three were about to give up and retreat, Gelia suddenly raised her hand and placed a finger to her lips, signaling everyone to be quiet.

She listened intently for a moment, then whispered:

"I hear dense whistling sounds ahead; it might be the Hallucinogenic Bewitching Butterfly."

Although her voice was light, it sent a ripple of alertness through the oppressive air.

Li Size nodded upon hearing this.

He had read the relevant records long ago; one of the innate abilities of the Hallucinogenic Bewitching Butterfly was summoning blades of wind for attack.

This wind whistling sound, like a blade slicing through the air, was highly likely to be the sound of it currently using its ability.

The three exchanged a look, tacitly lowered their postures, and stealthily moved toward the source of the sound.

Following the sound for a distance, Li Size and the two women suddenly stopped in unison.

With the excellent eyesight afforded by their physical attributes far surpassing ordinary people, they could already clearly see the huge, ferocious moth-like monster six hundred meters away.

Seeing this, Li Size's mind stirred. He consumed 1 Energy Point to activate the Pay-to-Win Ability Analysis, and a light blue semi-transparent panel instantly appeared before his eyes:

[Consuming 1 Energy Point, Analyzing basic information for "Hallucinogenic Bewitching Butterfly"]

Hallucinogenic Bewitching Butterfly | Zero Ring High-Grade Magic Monster

Strength 9.2, Agility 11.5, Physique 9.3, Mental Energy 12.4

Innate Abilities

1. Hallucination: The poisonous powder it sprays can cause enemies whose Mental Energy is lower than its own to fall into illusions, range unknown;

2. Gale Blade: Gathers Wind Element Demonic Energy particles to form invisible Wind Element Rune blades, range unknown.

He quickly scanned the information, and his gaze returned to the Bewitching Butterfly suspended above the open black water.

Its wings fanned slowly, the scales' powder shimmering with bizarre colors under the sunlight, surrounded by air currents that were almost visibly distorted, like a living storm.

However, its range was unknown, posing an unknown risk to Li Size and the others.

Li Size thought for a moment, then carefully retreated from the swamp area filled with dangerous aura.

He looked around and soon spotted an ordinary lizard.

This lizard was unremarkable, but it was very important to Li Size's plan.

He lightly kicked the lizard's tail with his foot, driving it slowly toward the direction of the Hallucinogenic Bewitching Butterfly.

When the lizard was still four hundred meters away from the Hallucinogenic Bewitching Butterfly, the butterfly did not detect this intruder and maintained its original state, showing no obvious reaction.

As time passed, the lizard gradually approached the Hallucinogenic Bewitching Butterfly.

When the distance between the two shortened to two hundred and fifty meters, the Hallucinogenic Bewitching Butterfly finally discovered the uninvited guest trespassing in its territory.

It slowly fanned its wings and flew toward the lizard.

As it flew, fine scales' powder scattered with the wind, gradually enveloping the lizard.

The lizard, enveloped by the scales' powder, suddenly seemed to lose consciousness, its body unable to move, and finally collapsed on the ground, completely immobilized.