The Poison Swamp is a unique geographical feature of the Green Forest World.
Unlike swamps in ordinary worlds, this swamp has absorbed so many corpses of biological weapons that its murky waters and sludge are often highly toxic.
Moreover, due to its special environment, the Poison Swamp naturally harbors at least three types of Extraordinary Pathogens—microbes that even Alchemist Wizards would need extensive time and considerable luck to cultivate artificially.
It's worth noting that ordinary pathogens have no effect on creatures that have reached Tier 1.
But these Extraordinary Pathogens can infect Tier 1 creatures and even those beyond. In their presence, Tier 1 beings become as vulnerable as ordinary organisms.
When Richard's Fire Lizard Battle Group first encountered this terrain, they nearly lost an entire squad. If not for the squad leader realizing the danger in time and using a Return Scroll to bring them back to the Secret Realm, they would have all succumbed to illness within the Poison Swamp.
Over the years, Richard had come across Poison Swamps several times, but those were usually small in scale.
The one beneath his feet, however, was as vast as a toxic sea. He had been flying for nearly three days without finding its edge.
Croak, croak…
Suddenly, the sound of a toad echoed beneath Richard.
He looked down to see a Purple-skinned Toad emerging from the swamp.
The toad was pale purple all over, about the size of a human head, and covered in thick, green pustules. The largest of these pustules, located on its back, looked ready to burst at any moment.
"Huh, never seen this thing before."
Richard observed the toad with curiosity. Though he had encountered Poison Swamps many times, this was his first sighting of a Purple-skinned Toad.
Could this be a species unique to this particular Poison Swamp? he wondered.
Carefully keeping himself levitated, he watched silently as the toad swam past beneath his feet.
This toad's perception seemed weaker than that of other biological weapons—it didn't attack despite Richard standing right above it.
Other biological weapons would have lunged by now.
Maybe this toad isn't one of the Precursors' creations. It might be a native creature of this world.
With that thought, Richard pulled out an enchanted metal cage from his pocket, intending to capture the toad for study.
Using his Hand of Magic, he positioned the open cage in the toad's path while keeping his distance and controlling the process remotely.
After suffering losses from Exploding Poison Insects, Exploding Mushrooms, Exploding Trees, and even Exploding Grass, Richard had learned to approach such things with extreme caution.
Under the guidance of the Hand of Magic, the enchanted cage blocked the Purple-skinned Toad's path. The toad, seemingly lacking sufficient intelligence, plodded straight into the cage despite seeing it.
The moment it entered, the cage door snapped shut, trapping it inside.
"Got it."
A pleased expression crossed Richard's face as he prepared to retrieve the cage with the Hand of Magic. But before he could act, the toad secreted a layer of pale purple mucus.
The moment the mucus touched the metal, the cage corroded instantly. The toad leisurely swam out of the dissolving cage without the slightest resistance.
Richard took in the scene before him and couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.
The material of his cage wasn't poor quality—it even had protective enchantments added to it. Yet in front of this toad, these defenses were like rice paper, dissolving the moment they touched its mucus.
"Damn, this thing is seriously toxic," Richard muttered.
He sighed, then pulled two metal ingots from his pocket and began crafting a new cage.
Meanwhile, the purple-skinned toad swam leisurely through the swamp.
No helping it—with that layer of mucus on its body, even ordinary biological weapons couldn't handle it. No wonder its perception abilities weren't particularly strong. With such physical traits, other creatures could only flee from it.
Richard spent nearly an hour crafting an exquisitely engineered cage. Then, repeating his earlier tactic, he placed the cage in front of the toad.
This time, the toad still didn't even attempt to dodge.
As it crawled into the cage, the door snapped shut instantly. The toad secreted another layer of purple mucus, preparing to corrode the cage as before.
But this time, the cage showed no reaction whatsoever.
The toad stared at the cage in apparent confusion, as if wondering why it hadn't dissolved.
Seeing the toad successfully trapped, Richard opened a Mystic Realm Rift, ready to use his Hand of Magic to send it into the Secret Realm. Once inside, no matter what kind of divine being it was, it would become nothing more than a specimen for him.
But the moment Richard lifted the cage out of the Poison Swamp, a sudden wave of panic surged through him.
A fear of imminent death made him dive headfirst into the Secret Realm without a second thought.
BOOM!
The instant Richard entered the Secret Realm, a tremendous explosion erupted from the cage.
As it turned out, Richard's caution had been absolutely justified.
The toad could indeed explode—and with considerable force.
The blast instantly shattered Richard's meticulously crafted cage into fragments. Radiation resistance didn't equate to explosion resistance.
Accompanying the shockwave was a small purple mushroom cloud.
Soon, the cloud dispersed, spreading across the Poison Swamp like a thin mist.
Everything it touched—plants, animals, even the stones on the ground—dissolved into viscous fluid under its terrifying toxicity.
Before long, the poisonous fog cleared.
Within a fifty-meter radius centered on the toad, the area was completely barren. Only the faintly purple-tinged swamp remained, marking where the explosion had occurred.
Inside the Secret Realm, Richard clutched his chest, feeling like his heart might leap out.
At this moment, he still didn't realize he'd nearly been reduced to a puddle of sludge.
"Strange... there shouldn't be any World Master in this surface world," Richard murmured, pressing a hand to his chest as he tried to analyze the source of his fear. Yet no matter how much he pondered, it never occurred to him that his brush with death had come from the very toad he'd captured.
"What's wrong with you?" Ulysses flew out from the Sacred Nest and landed on Richard's shoulder.
Richard waved it off. "Nothing. Come out with me later to check something. It's too bizarre."
"So what exactly happened?" Ulysses asked, confused.
"Nothing major. I just suddenly felt an overwhelming fear," Richard explained. "The feeling was comparable to facing a World Master."
"Quack?"
Hearing Richard's description, Ulysses found it rather unbelievable.
"Impossible, there can't be a World Master out here. Otherwise, all you little Wizards would have been wiped out long ago."
"That's exactly why I said it's strange."
As his heartbeat gradually steadied, Richard adjusted his appearance. Gripping the World Tree Staff with a solemn expression, he opened the Mystic Realm Rift.
"Be ready."
"Gah, don't worry about it," Ulysses said confidently.
Richard took a deep breath and silently activated his Adamantine Body.
Though Ulysses sounded certain, Richard thought it best to take precautions.
As golden light enveloped him, Richard charged out of the Secret Realm with his staff in hand.
The moment they exited, Ulysses immediately cast an energy barrier around Richard. But after looking left and right, he found no signs of danger.
"Richard, isn't this just the Poison Swamp? I don't see any dangerous creatures around."
"Something's wrong."
Richard's expression grew even graver as he surveyed their surroundings.
"This place wasn't like this before I entered the Secret Realm."
He pointed at the environment around them.
"Before I took refuge in the Secret Realm, these areas were full of reeds, wild grass, and aquatic trees. But now..."
Richard suddenly froze. Through his spiritual perception, a familiar object entered his field of vision.
Using his Hand of Magic, he reached into the swamp and pulled out a pitch-black, bubbling metal object.
Richard recognized it—it was a fragment of the cage he used to catch toads.
But now...
A terrifying suspicion flashed through his mind.
Could it be that toad? Croak, croak.
A low toad's croak reached Richard's ears.
Turning toward the sound, he saw a Purple-skinned Toad leisurely swimming in the swamp in the distance.
Richard shuddered and instinctively retreated several steps.
"What's wrong?" Ulysses looked at Richard in confusion. It was rare to see him so alarmed.
"Do you see that toad?" Richard's voice trembled slightly. "I suspect that thing is the source of the danger."
Ulysses followed Richard's finger and saw a Purple-skinned Toad—not even a Level 1 creature—swimming carefreely in the swamp.
"This thing?"
Ulysses' eyes glowed faintly, confirming he wasn't mistaken.
"This thing isn't even a Level 1 creature. How could it be a threat to you?"
As he spoke, Ulysses prepared to extend his crow claw to grab the toad for inspection.
But before he could act, a Scorpion-tailed Monster—one Richard had encountered before—emerged from the woods and approached the Purple-skinned Toad.
In the next moment, the toad seemed startled, its body instantly swelling.
Then Richard understood why he had felt such fear.
A puff of purple mist spread like an eraser, dissolving the Level 3 Scorpion-tailed Monster into a pool of pale purple sludge.
The monster didn't even have time to struggle.
Gulp.
Richard swallowed hard, shuddering at the sight of the purple mist.
If he hadn't specialized in physical evolution, granting him keener danger perception than most Wizards, he might have already turned into sludge like that Scorpion-tailed Monster.
"...Gah, never judge a toad by its skin."
Ulysses stared at the devastation caused by the toad, frozen for a long moment, the faint glow in his eyes never fading.
Only when he saw the poisonous mist surging toward them did he snap out of it, summoning a burst of flame to incinerate the encroaching purple fog.
"Whew, we'll have to avoid this swamp."
Richard took one look at the toad's handiwork and made the decision without hesitation.
He had no intention of throwing the Fire Lizard Battle Group into such a dangerous creature's territory.
"You sure?" Ulysses suddenly spoke up.
"What is it?" Richard turned his head, giving him a puzzled look.
"Nothing."
Ulysses' faintly glowing eyes now shone like two bright light bulbs. Gazing into the depths of the fog-shrouded swamp, he said uncertainly:
"I think… I saw a Crystal Spire deep in that swamp."
--Support me in Patreon for more chapters 35+ chapters in there
patreon.com/LegendaryTL
Thanks!