Chapter 31
Chapter 31
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Death Swamp (1)
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"Beep-beep, do it more!"
I'd been grabbing Pipi for days, trying to squeeze out some life force, but every attempt had ended in failure.
Shaking Pipi only produced dust.
It was starting to feel like that whole incident had been a hallucination.
'No way.'
There was no way simply taking a herbal bath could heal every wound on my body.
Yet after that bath, my body had been spotless, without a single scratch.
'That sparkle is the only explanation.'
But no matter how much I harassed Pipi, nothing happened.
"Hoo... Alright, we'll figure it out bit by bit. I've got plenty of time."
I carefully tucked the dozing Pipi into my inner pocket and stood up.
The two-week preparation period had passed.
Now all that remained was entering the Death Swamp.
I finished my preparations by inspecting the magic stones I'd requested from the Mage Tower.
'High-quality magic stones. This'll be enough.'
I'd stored half of the prepared magic stones in my subspace ring, while the Mage Tower side had agreed to handle storage and transport for the other half.
The mages had seemed shocked that I possessed such a valuable item as a subspace ring.
Well, mages capable of creating something like this weren't exactly common.
They had no idea it was something I'd gotten from that mad mage Khalid, though.
We traveled to the Death Swamp via the teleport magic provided by the Mage Tower.
'So this is the Death Swamp...'
Even the air was different.
The humid, heavy air, thick with moisture, hung around us, and the soggy green mud occasionally bubbled up as if boiling.
But there was an unexpected sight.
"Lotuses growing in a place like this."
Lotuses did have strong self-purification properties, but enduring here?
Maybe because this was the outer edge of the Death Swamp.
'The stems look pretty tough too. Could be useful.'
Without hesitation, I waded into the filthy mud and collected some lotus seeds.
Then, a short distance away, I planted a magic stone and a water ash tree seed.
Finally, I used [Forest's Blessing]. And then...
-Shaa!
Like fast-forwarding, a sprout shot up from the water ash tree seed and began growing at an unbelievable speed.
That's right.
The water ash tree was now using the magic stone's mana as nourishment to undergo decades of growth all at once.
Through [Forest's Blessing] and the magic stone's mana supply, an ordinary water ash tree seed was transforming into a massive, noble 'Purifying Water Ash Tree'.
I was only using my own mana for the [Forest's Blessing] skill that turned ordinary plants into sacred trees, while the mana needed for the tree's growth came from the magic stone.
I could have grown it with my own mana, sure, but that would be a waste of resources.
I had to grow multiple Purifying Water Ash Trees before reaching the heart of the Death Swamp.
'Good, it's thriving here too.'
I hadn't just been playing around during the preparation period.
'The Purifying Water Ash Tree is a success too.'
I'd been conducting all sorts of research and experiments in the Dimensional Garden.
Growth rates for plants were buffed there, making it far more convenient than experimenting outside.
Thanks to that, I'd figured out that water ash trees were perfect for turning into sacred trees in swampy areas like the Death Swamp, measured exactly how much mana was needed for ultra-fast growth, and most importantly, gathered a massive amount of water ash tree seeds.
Just as in my experiments under similar conditions in the Dimensional Garden, the Purifying Water Ash Tree shot up, quickly becoming a towering giant over dozens of meters tall.
Using high-quality magic stones meant the resulting Purifying Water Ash Tree was incredibly sturdy too.
Its roots spread wide, stabilizing the muddy ground while sucking in all the turbid, impure energy around it.
The sinking mud turned into firm earth, and soft moss began to grow.
The entire area where the Purifying Water Ash Tree had taken root was purified.
I scattered wild herb seeds around to bring back life. Fortunately, the resilient wild herbs quickly sprouted.
"Ooh, oooh...!"
"My goodness, this is possible...?"
"Truly impressive."
Mages exclaimed in admiration from all around.
And then...
-Sprout, spruuut.
-Sprout! Sprout! Sprout!
The evil things the Purifying Water Ash Tree had absorbed—like demonic energy or poison—were filtered through its stems and formed into fruits.
I plucked one fruit and took a small bite.
"Mm..."
Just as expected.
A bitter taste filled my mouth, numbing it as classic poisoning symptoms began to appear.
Of course, with my Poison Resistance and [Merciful Monster] totem, it was just a tickle.
'As expected, the fruits on the water ash tree are poison incarnate.'
Of course they were. They were made from sucking in all the filthy, evil, impure stuff.
"What's that?"
One mage asked me.
"Poison fruit."
"Poison fruit?"
"Fruits that have absorbed the impure energy and poison spread throughout the swamp. Strong enough to kill an ordinary person with a mere touch of the tongue, so be careful."
"Th-that strong?"
The mages let out gasps of astonishment.
But it wasn't fear in their voices—it sounded more like excitement.
"Theodor, can this poison fruit be produced continuously?"
"...Yes. As long as we're planting Purifying Water Ash Trees, they'll keep bearing fruit. About twenty per tree?"
"Then how about selling them to us?"
The mage who made the unexpected proposal had eyes sparkling brightly.
'Right, the mages of Roshan are quite knowledgeable about poisons...'
That's why they managed to procure the three-headed serpent I requested without issue.
'These worthless poison fruits can turn into money?'
Pretending to mull it over, I muttered quietly.
"It's too dangerous an item for that..."
"One gold coin per tree. How about it?"
One gold coin per tree.
That wasn't bad.
I fiddled with the poison fruit, face full of concern.
"Even if you say that... This is strong e. nough to take down ten Maple Bears with just one fruit."
The mage spoke in an even more desperate tone.
"Th-then two gold coins per tree?"
"Haa..."
"Three! Three gold coins per tree!"
"Hm, alright."
Only then did I smile faintly and hand the poison fruit I'd been holding to the mage.
'I'll plant at least five trees a day, so on top of the commission, that's an extra 15 gold a day.'
Lucky break.
Soon the mercenary band arrived, and with light steps, I planted the next Purifying Water Ash Tree. The Death Swamp's poison barely affected me thanks to my Poison Resistance and totem, so I dug into the ground and planted without hesitation, over and over.
-Kieeeek!!!!
Of course, the dangers lurking in the Death Swamp weren't limited to 'poison.'
Monsters and magical beasts whose original forms were unrecognizable charged at me from all directions.
And naturally, the mages and mercenaries handled them every time.
-Booom!!!
Mud Goblins turned into roasted skewers after eating a massive fireball,
-Slash!!!
Swamp Orcs whose heads flew off from Jamil's swinging axe.
All I had to do was plant Purifying Water Ash Trees amid it all.
Aside from the mud staining my pants, it was pretty sweet work.
'We're advancing faster than I thought?'
Whether thanks to the elite mages or the Red Bear Mercenary Band, our pace was quicker than anticipated.
I'd figured it'd take about a fortnight to reach the center of the Death Swamp, but...
-Boooom!!!
-Kieeeek!!!
-Slash! Stab!
-Queeeek!!!!
At this rate...
We could pave the way to the center in about ten days?
With the screams of monsters and magical beasts as background music, I diligently grew Purifying Water Ash Trees. Oh, and I didn't forget to scatter wild herb seeds here and there.
"M-Master! We..."
Elle was itching to join the mercenaries fighting monsters.
Aira was the same, having caught the scent of blood.
I'd originally planned for them to just guard me safely...
'I'm curious how much Elle has grown, and with Jamil here, it should be fine?'
Leaning against a water ash tree, I pondered briefly, then nodded.
Of course, I added one condition.
"No orcs yet. Goblins only."
"But!"
"Goblins only."
"Yes..."
"I'll be watching, so no funny ideas."
"Yesss..."
Elle's shoulders slumped for a moment, but then she drew her sword. With a face devoid of fear, she charged into the battlefield.
I shouted at Elle's retreating back.
"Elle! Make sure to collect the magic stones!"
* * *
Night fell.
The Death Swamp was dim even in broad daylight with no sunlight penetrating, so night seemed to come even earlier. It felt like only 3 or 4 PM, but pitch-black darkness enveloped us.
We set up camp under the seventh Purifying Water Ash Tree.
The Death Swamp wrapped in darkness was several times more dangerous than during the day. There were surely monsters watching us from the shadows right now.
The mages lit bright fires, the mercenaries patrolled and stood guard around the perimeter, and the rest pitched tents and prepared meals.
Aira was patrolling the surroundings, while Elle was polishing the magic stones she'd gathered from today's hunt. Thanks to training with Jamil, Elle's skills had visibly skyrocketed—and sure enough, she'd collected quite a few magic stones.
"Master."
"Yeah?"
Elle held out six spotless goblin magic stones she'd polished diligently.
"Why give these to me..."
"I've only ever received from you until now, Master."
"Elle, that's..."
"I want to help you too, Master! Please accept them!"
Elle bellowed so loudly it seemed to echo through the entire Death Swamp, then flushed bright red, embarrassed.
Ah, when she puts it like that, I can't refuse...
"Fine, I'll take just one."
"B-But!"
"Elle. Who am I?"
"...My master."
"Right. I'm your master, not a loan shark. So out of respect for your gesture, I'll take just one."
"..."
"The rest are yours. Rightfully earned by your own skill."
"Thank you..."
"Buy yourself a snack."
Elle nodded with a face like she might cry.
'Lower-grade magic stones aren't that meaningful to me anymore anyway...'
But pretending to be a good master is a hundred times better than saying that honestly.
"Now, wanna help with meal prep?"
"Yes!"