52: Chapter 52 First Exploration of the Swamp

"System, are there any jobs today that pay quickly? It would be best if it could also help advance Task Three."

[Scanning tasks posted in the Mission Hall today...]

[Analyzing...]

[Task 'No. Ding-163': Collect thirty stalks of 'Water Spirit Grass' and two 'swamp crocodile hides'.]

[Location: Blackwater Swamp on the south side of the Back Mountain.]

[Reward: 280 contribution points and three Mid-Grade Spirit Stones.]

[System converted points: approximately 520 points.]

[Task Analysis: Water Spirit Grass is a primary water-attribute material for Alchemy.]

[Swamp Crocodile is a First-Order Demonic Beast; its hide can be used to refine low-level armor.]

[Ecological Connection: Blackwater Swamp is a typical Wetland environment with rich species diversity.]

[Executing this task allows for the on-site collection of Wetland ecological data, providing a direct reference for the exchange of species for the Origin Star Wetland ecosystem.]

[Risk Warning: The swamp terrain is complex and filled with miasma; precautions must be taken against attacks from poisonous insects and Yao Beasts.]

[First-Order Swamp Crocodiles are usually solitary and highly aggressive, but have a clear sense of territory.]

"520 points!" Lin Muchen's eyes lit up. "I'll do it! It's the perfect chance to see what a Wetland looks like and add some things to that swamp prototype on the Origin Star."

He rolled out of bed and headed straight out the door.

There weren't many people in the Mission Hall. He squeezed through to the bulletin board and spotted the task sheet at a glance.

"No. Ding-163, Blackwater Swamp..."

He reached out and tore it off.

The Registration Deacon looked up at him. "Blackwater Swamp? That place is damp, full of poisonous insects, and has crocodiles. Going alone?"

"Yes," Lin Muchen nodded.

"Alright, the task deadline is three days. If you don't finish, double contribution points will be deducted." After finishing the registration, the deacon handed him the plaque. "Be careful."

"Thanks."

Lin Muchen took the plaque and turned to leave.

Leaving the Sect, he headed straight for the south side of the Back Mountain.

On the way, he opened the System Mall.

"System, going to the swamp, I should prepare some things, right?"

[Suggested Exchange: Basic Detoxification Pill (10 points/bottle)]

[Miasma Ward Talisman (Elementary, 15 points/talisman).]

[Total consumption: 25 points.]

[Current points balance: -26-25 = -51 points.]

[Warning: The points balance is further into the negative.]

"I'll owe it for now; I'll have them once the task is finished." Lin Muchen gritted his teeth. "Exchange!"

[Exchange successful.]

[Items have been issued.]

A small porcelain bottle and a pale yellow talisman paper appeared in his hand.

He tucked the detoxification pill into his robe, stuck the Miasma Ward Talisman to the inside of his lapel, and injected Spiritual Qi.

A thin film of light covered his body, and the surrounding air became a bit fresher.

After walking for nearly an hour, the surrounding scenery changed.

The trees grew sparser, and the ground began to turn muddy.

"I've arrived."

Lin Muchen stopped in his tracks.

Ahead was a swamp that stretched as far as the eye could see.

"System, scan the environment. Mark the areas where Water Spirit Grasss might grow and any signs of Swamp Crocodile activity."

[Scanning...]

[Environmental Analysis: Typical freshwater swamp landscape, water depth varies from 0.5 to 3 meters, soft muddy bottom, rich in organic matter.]

[Weak miasma detected; Miasma Ward Talisman effect is ongoing.]

[Spiritual Qi fluctuations of 'Water Spirit Grass' detected in seven locations; they have been marked.]

[Signs of large reptilian activity detected, suspected to be 'Swamp Crocodiles'; three potential nesting areas have been marked.]

[Ecological data collection in progress...]

[Matches 'Wetland Ecosystem' characteristics. Preliminary assessment of species diversity: relatively high.]

Several pale green spots of light appeared before Lin Muchen's eyes, indicating the locations of the Water Spirit Grasss.

There were also three pale red circles marking where crocodiles might appear.

"Gather the plants first."

He chose the nearest spot of light and stepped carefully into the muddy water.

The muddy water reached his calves; it was icy cold, and the bottom was soft and squishy, making it hard to stand firmly.

He circulated his Spiritual Qi to lighten his body weight, moving forward slowly as if stepping on a soft cushion.

Soon, he saw the first cluster of Water Spirit Grasss.

Growing on a slightly firmer ridge of earth, its leaves were a translucent pale blue with clear veins, emitting a gentle water-attribute Spiritual Qi.

"The quality is good."

Lin Muchen squatted down, carefully dug it up by the roots, and put it into his Storage Pouch.

[Collected 'Water Spirit Grass' x1.]

[Ecological Data Log: Water Spirit Grass, prefers shade and moisture, has a developed root System, can purify water; can serve as a foundational plant species for a Wetland ecosystem.]

[Suggested exchange points: 8 points per stalk.]

"8 points per stalk? Then thirty stalks would be 240 points. I'll make back half the cost just from the plants." Lin Muchen was delighted, his motivation increasing.

He followed the markings, checking each location one by one.

An hour later, there were twenty-two more Water Spirit Grasss in his Storage Pouch.

Eight more to go.

He looked at the next marked point; it was beside a large puddle, very close to one of the pale red crocodile nesting circles.

"Wealth is found in danger."

Lin Muchen held his breath and slowly approached.

By the puddle, there were indeed five or six stalks of Water Spirit Grass, their quality even better than the previous ones.

He had just squatted down, his hand not yet extended.

Splash!

The nearby murky water surface suddenly exploded!

A dark green head lunged out, opening a bloody maw and snapping straight for his arm!

A foul, fishy wind hit his face!

"Holy crap!"

Lin Muchen reacted extremely quickly; with a kick of his feet, his body slid back two meters.

The maw snapped on empty air, its upper and lower jaws colliding with a dull "crack."

A Swamp Crocodile at least three meters long fully revealed itself, crouching in the muddy water, its cold yellow eyes staring intently at him.

[Target Confirmed: First-Order Demonic Beast 'Swamp Crocodile'.]

[Body length: 3.2 meters.]

[Characteristics: Thick-skinned and tough-fleshed, incredible bite force, excels at ambushes.]

[Weaknesses: Relatively soft belly, eyes.]

[Strong territorial awareness; extremely aggressive towards those who intrude upon its territory.]

Lin Muchen's heart beat a little fast, but not from fear.

It was excitement.

Since reaching the ninth level of the Qi Refinement Stage, he hadn't had a proper fight yet.

He patted his stomach.

"Brothers, time to get to work."

The five light orbs in his Dantian spun a bit faster.

At the same time, he activated his "Natural Affinity" talent.

An emotion carrying a strong sense of expulsion emanated from the Swamp Crocodile.

"Quite the territorial sense," Lin Muchen smiled. "Unfortunately, I must gather these plants today."

The Swamp Crocodile couldn't understand human speech; it gave a low growl, and with a sudden lash of its thick tail, muddy water splashed everywhere as its entire body lunged forward like a cannonball!

Its speed was surprisingly not slow!

Lin Muchen didn't meet it head-on; he dodged to the side while flipping his right hand to reveal the star dagger in his palm.

A faint starlight shimmered on the dagger.

The Swamp Crocodile missed its lunge, its tail sweeping across in a follow-through!

Lin Muchen jumped, stepping onto the sweeping tail to propel himself forward, thrusting the star dagger straight into its relatively soft flank!

Puchi!

The dagger sank in half an inch before being jammed by the tough hide and muscle.

The Swamp Crocodile thrashed in pain, churning the muddy water into a chaotic mess.

Lin Muchen pulled out the dagger, flipped back to the ground, and increased the distance between them.

"The hide is really thick." He shook his wrist.

The Swamp Crocodile turned around, its eyes turning even redder, growling as it lunged again.

This time, Lin Muchen didn't dodge.

He circulated his Spiritual Qi, fully releasing his ninth-level Qi Refinement Stage aura while pushing his Natural Affinity talent to its maximum.

An aura mixing the pressure of the Five Elements Cycle and natural will surged towards the Swamp Crocodile!

The crocodile's momentum stalled.

In its cold yellow eyes, a trace of confusion appeared, along with a hint of instinctive... fear?

It felt an indescribable aura from the "little thing" before it, something that made its Bloodline tremble deep within.

It was like facing a higher-level predator, or perhaps... this world itself?

In that moment of hesitation.

Lin Muchen moved.

His speed skyrocketed as he circled to the Swamp Crocodile's side. Starlight condensed on the star dagger as he aimed for its relatively vulnerable eye and stabbed down hard!

The Swamp Crocodile instinctively closed its eyes, but its eyelids were also hard shells.

But Lin Muchen flipped his wrist, the dagger sliding down to accurately pierce a tiny gap below the eye where the neck joined the body!

Puchi!

This time, the dagger sank in up to the hilt!

The Swamp Crocodile let out a shrill roar and struggled frantically, but its life force rapidly drained away as blood gushed out.

The struggling soon weakened.

Finally, it slumped in the muddy water, motionless.

[Successfully killed First-Order Demonic Beast 'Swamp Crocodile'.]

[Obtained Materials: swamp crocodile hide (Intact) x1.]

[points settlement: +80 points.]

[Current points balance: -51 + 80 = 29 points.]

[Ecological Data Log: Swamp Crocodile, one of the candidates for the top predator of the Wetland; requires a water area greater than 500 square kilometers.]

[Hide defensive capability data has been recorded.]

Lin Muchen took a breath, pulled out the dagger, and washed it in a relatively clean puddle.

Then he began to skin it.

This task wasn't easy; the crocodile skin was stuck tight to the muscle. He exerted a great deal of effort before finally peeling off a relatively intact hide.

"One hide down, one more to go."

He stowed the hide and looked at the several stalks of Water Spirit Grass by the puddle.

"Now, they are mine."

He walked over and gathered all five remaining stalks of Water Spirit Grass.

[Collected 'Water Spirit Grass' x5.]

[Current total: 27 stalks; 3 more needed to meet the task requirement.]

"Almost there."

Lin Muchen glanced at the other two marked crocodile nesting sites.

"I'll get one more hide to complete the task. And while I'm at it... I'll see if I can lure another one out to collect more data."

He crept towards the second marked point.

He was more careful this time, sensing from a distance that a larger Swamp Crocodile was lurking there.

He intentionally made some noise by throwing a stone.

The crocodile was startled and showed its head, but it only watched him warily without attacking immediately.

Lin Muchen released an aura mixing Natural Affinity with Five Elements pressure.

The crocodile hesitated for a moment and then actually shrank back into the water, no longer showing its head.

"Cowardly?" Lin Muchen was amused. "That's fine too; saves me some effort."

He changed direction, found the last three stalks of Water Spirit Grass, and gathered them.

[Collected 'Water Spirit Grass' x3.]

[Task 'Collect thirty stalks of Water Spirit Grass' completed!]

[points conversion: +240 points (estimated).]

"The plants are all gathered; just one hide left."

He looked at the third marked point.

This time, his luck was good.

A slightly smaller Swamp Crocodile was sunbathing on a shallow beach there.

Lin Muchen repeated his previous tactic, using Natural Affinity to interfere with its judgment. Once close, he relied on his speed and the sharpness of the star dagger to quickly end the fight.

Another intact crocodile hide was obtained.

[Successfully killed First-Order Demonic Beast 'Swamp Crocodile'.]

[Obtained Materials: swamp crocodile hide (Intact) x1.]

[points settlement: +80 points.]

[Current points balance: 29 + 80 = 109 points.]

[Task 'Collect two swamp crocodile hides' completed!]

[points conversion: +160 points (estimated).]

"Done!"

Lin Muchen stowed the second hide and wiped away his sweat.

This trip was a full harvest.

[Overall task completion assessment: 100%.]

[Estimated total reward points: 520 points.]

[Current points balance: 109 points (estimated balance after task submission: 629 points).]

[Ecological data collection completion: High.]

[Recorded Wetland plants: Water Spirit Grass, Reed, Cattail (observed), Duckweed, Moss, etc.]

[Recorded Wetland animals: Swamp Crocodile, various aquatic insects, frogs (calls), water birds (distant view), etc.]

[Recorded environment data: water quality, mud bottom structure, miasma composition, energy flow characteristics, etc.]

[Analysis Conclusion: The ecological data of Blackwater Swamp is complete and can serve as a high-quality template for species exchange for the Origin Star Wetland ecosystem.]

[The suggested species exchange list has been generated; the Host may view it at any time.]

"Beautiful!" Lin Muchen grinned.

This trip earned points, completed a task, and collected crucial ecological data.

He glanced at the sky, which was gradually darkening.

"Time to head back."

He turned around and headed back through the mud.