98: Maze Swamp

It was early August, year 23 of the wizard's path.

Today was another day of special training.

But this time, the special training was somewhat unusual.

This time, they were going to train in the Maze Swamp, thirty li away from the Wizard Academy.

"Captain, wasn't the Swamp Assault Plan training just finished last month?"

"Why are we going to the swamp again this time?"

"I really don't want to go to that hellhole a second time; it's too disgusting."

Grimm couldn't help but complain. That swamp was full of rotting tree roots, shockingly foul-smelling mud, and annoying mosquitoes. Only tough individuals could survive there.

Moreover, there weren't many good resources in the Maze Swamp, only a mid-level Demonized Plants — the Man-eating Flower — which emitted a mind-bewitching fragrance, and a mid-level Magic Beast — the Swamp Croc…

"Grimm…"

"We also need to eat."

Captain Andre said,

"Although the academy gives us subsidies, what's wrong with earning some extra money?"

"That's right, Grimm, the reward for this mission is pretty good. It's just finding Man-eating Flowers, very easy."

Wizard Bernat also advised.

"There's plenty of time. It's not too late to train after we find the Man-eating Flowers."

Grimm observed everyone's expressions and saw that no one objected, clearly indicating they were all interested.

This wasn't the first time they had done something like this; they would do it once or twice a month, earning their academy salary while doing their own private work to make some extra money. This was normal.

The Devil Squad was also very careful, not acting recklessly or beyond their capabilities. The dangers were all within controllable limits, and they would usually bring Grimm along, treating it as a small outdoor training mission. Grimm would also receive a share of the reward according to the rules.

After a few times, Grimm also went along with it…

"Alright…"

"It seems the reward this time is really good."

"Monica, even you, with your mysophobia, don't mind, so what do I have to mind?"

Grimm could only say helplessly,

"As long as the benefits are sufficient, what does a little dirt matter?"

Wizard Monica said calmly.

"Alright, everyone has agreed. Let's go."

…Half an hour later.

Grimm and the others arrived at the Maze Swamp.

This was a natural danger zone, where dense fog and sinking miasma combined with the naturally intricate terrain to form this labyrinthine Maze Swamp.

Fortunately, the fog inside was still affected by the scorching sun above.

Every day at noon, the fog in the Maze Swamp would thin, and the power of the labyrinth would also be weakened.

Therefore, Grimm and the others always went in in the morning and came out at noon.

Just past 7 AM.

Captain Andre briefly explained today's mission at the entrance of the Maze Swamp.

In the morning, they would search for and pick five Man-eating Flowers each in the Maze Swamp.

At noon, they would come out, rest briefly, and eat something.

In the afternoon, they would conduct a chase and escape drill, fighting their way back to the academy.

If they encountered danger in the Maze Swamp, they would fire a distress flare. If they found a large gathering of Man-eating Flowers, they would fire a gathering flare.

"Do you all understand?"

Andre specifically looked at Grimm.

"Understood."

"Good, move out."

…As soon as they stepped into the Maze Swamp.

The entire environment became deep and dark. Grimm's visibility was severely affected, limited to less than three meters in front of him.

This was one of the main reasons Grimm was so reluctant to come here.

The deep and terrifying environment here made Grimm feel very insecure.

Grimm gripped his greatsword tightly, and his feet were fitted with special large, square wooden footboards.

These were made by Grimm using his shallow knowledge of physics: the larger the area, the greater the buoyancy, and the smaller the pressure.

This way, Grimm's several hundred pounds of body would not easily sink into the mud.

Grimm cautiously explored alone.

To maximize efficiency, Captain Andre did not arrange for everyone to explore in teams but adopted a single-person dispersed exploration method. After all, there was nothing in the Maze Swamp that could threaten them…

"Slap…"

Grimm reached out and slapped a huge fly buzzing in front of his eyes, killing it.

Grimm was now fully armored, with only his eyes exposed.

Grimm diligently searched for traces of Man-eating Flowers.

However, Grimm had been wandering in the outer training area for over an hour.

He hadn't seen a single hair…

"Didn't Captain Andre say that this period is the peak blooming season for Man-eating Flowers?"

"Why can't I see a single Man-eating Flower, not even a scent?"

"Or has someone else already gotten here first?"

Grimm was hesitating.

Hesitating whether to go into the inner area to look.

"What's there to be afraid of? Everyone else is here. They probably haven't found anything either and have gone into the inner area."

In this hour, Grimm hadn't seen a single Man-eating Flower, nor had he seen any teammates.

So, Grimm guessed that his teammates might have gone straight to the inner area…

"Boom…"

Grimm slowly explored from the outer area to the inner area.

Soon, Grimm discovered a half-open Man-eating Flower.

He was just about to pick this hard-to-find Man-eating Flower.

As a result, an accident occurred.

A slight explosion sounded beneath Grimm's feet, shattering his wooden footboards.

Grimm reacted quickly, preparing to exert force and move away from this dangerous area at the first instant.

But no matter how fast his reaction, it wasn't as fast as the Wizardry trap taking effect.

"Damn it, who the hell set up a series of traps here?"

After the explosion, eight Magic Vines spread out, tightly wrapping around Grimm's legs. Then, a huge suction force came from the mud beneath Grimm's feet, combined with the Magic Vines, directly pulling Grimm into the depths of the mud.

Grimm struggled desperately, his entire body's silver Life Aura rapidly depleting. Three earth-attribute Wizardry spells — Mud to Stone — were also cast by Grimm in one breath.

But none of them had any effect.

Grimm was still inevitably pulled into the depths of the swamp…

This Wizardry trap was designed too cleverly…

A fire explosion Wizardry spell of only 5 Intensity shattered Grimm's wooden footboards, but its Intensity was not high, so Grimm's stress response was not strong.

Then, a 60-Intensity Wizardry spell of eight Magic Vines directly wrapped and bound Grimm's legs, preventing him from exerting force and making him lose his balance.

Finally, there was the mud vortex Wizardry spell. Grimm estimated that this should be an enhanced 0-ring Advanced Wizardry, with a power level reaching 80 Intensity.

The person who set up this series of Wizardry traps truly predicted human stress responses with perfect clarity.

All of Grimm's struggles and counterattacks had no effect.

When the mud was about to cover Grimm's head…

Grimm finally couldn't sit still. Once completely submerged in the swamp, his life and death would no longer be in his control.

The person who set up this Wizardry trap, he didn't know if he was hiding nearby, secretly peeking. If so, then it was bad…

Grimm decisively activated his final hidden trump card:

— "Invincible Guardian Wizard Array"…