Drake, pushed deeper into the oppressive gloom of the Whispering Fen. The [Clear-Mind Root] he'd chewed earlier had thankfully suppressed the worst of the disorienting auditory hallucinations, allowing him to focus on the genuine sounds of the swamp and the subtle guidance of his [Cartographer's Compass]. Its needle, seemingly attuned to the Alvari symbols on his [Cartographer's Route Maps], provided a steady bearing through the otherwise featureless, fog-choked landscape. [Relic Hunter], boosted by the compass's +2 Perception, remained active, highlighting the narrow, treacherous paths of solid ground amidst the murky water and bubbling quicksand patches that the map warned about.
He moved with deliberate slowness, sword and shield ready. The air was thick with the buzzing of unseen insects and the croaking of monstrously large amphibians. The silence between these natural sounds felt heavy, charged with unseen threats.
"Map shows this next section as 'Wasp Hollow'. Joy. Hope these maps are accurate about the safe paths."
As he carefully navigated a series of interconnected, moss-slicked roots that served as a bridge over a particularly dark patch of water, [Relic Hunter] suddenly flared, highlighting multiple small, fast-moving hostile signatures converging on him from the dense fog above and around. A high-pitched, aggressive buzzing filled the air.
"Damn it," Drake muttered, bracing himself.
From the swirling mists, a swarm of Giant Fen Wasps (Level 14) emerged, each nearly the size of his head, their segmented bodies an iridescent green-black, long venomous stingers dripping a sickly yellow fluid. There were at least five of them, zipping through the air with unnerving speed.
One darted in, aiming its stinger at his face. Drake reacted instantly. [Defend] << Perfect Defend! Damage Taken: 0! Off-Balance Applied! >>. He countered with [Basic Slash]. << Damage Dealt: 230! >>). The wasp shrieked and recoiled, but two more immediately darted in from different angles.
Internal Monologue: "Single target is too slow against a swarm. Time to test [Ground Stomp] under pressure."
He planted his feet firmly on the slippery root, took a quick centering breath, and stomped down hard, channeling energy into the skill he'd only recently learned. The execution felt clumsy, nowhere near his perfected basics. << Skill Success! [Ground Stomp] SCR: 75%! >> A visible shockwave rippled outwards in a 3-meter radius, dealing minor physical damage (<< Damage Dealt: 45! >> to each wasp in range) but more importantly, << Effect Applied: Staggered (1 sec)! >> flashed above three of the closest wasps.
The brief stun was all he needed. He immediately focused on one of the staggered wasps, his sword a blur as [Relentless Assault] quickly climbed past 300 stacks. [Basic Slash] << Damage Dealt: 300! >> [Basic Slash] << Damage Dealt: 320! (Critical!) >> << Target Eliminated! EXP +190 >>
One wasp, recovering from the stagger, managed to land a sting on his arm before he could bring his shield around. << Damage Taken: 25! >> << Status Effect: Fen Wasp Venom! -10 HP per second for 10 seconds. >> His health began to tick down: HP: 230/265... 220/265...
"Poison DoT. Annoying." He quickly used another [Ground Stomp] as two more wasps closed in, staggering them briefly. He prioritized the poisoned state, dispatching another wasp quickly. The remaining two were dealt with via focused perfect slashes and blocks, [Relentless Assault] making his damage output overwhelming once he could focus on single targets.
<< All targets eliminated. Relentless Assault stacks faded. >> His health was down to around 150 due to the poison and the one unblocked hit. He pulled out one of the [Minor Healing Potions] he'd found earlier. << Consumed [Minor Healing Potion]! HP +50! >> The poison still ticked, but the potion brought him back to a safer level.
"Ground Stomp's 75% SCR is barely functional for damage, but the Stagger is invaluable against groups. Need to practice that skill's SCR. And these wasps... poison is nasty."
He continued, now even more cautious. The map led him through a section of partially submerged ruins – Alvari, by the look of the stonework visible beneath the murky water and algae – forcing him to wade through waist-deep, stagnant pools between islands of solid rubble. As he stepped onto one such island, movement erupted from the water on either side. Three humanoid figures, covered in slimy green scales, with webbed hands and feet and bulging, fish-like eyes, rose from the muck – Swamp Lurkers (Level 15). They were armed with crude, barbed spears and one carried a tattered net.
<< Hostiles Detected! Swamp Lurker x3 (Level 15) >>
The one with the net immediately flung it. Drake reacted with [Defend], not to block, but to try and get his shield arm in the way to deflect the net's trajectory, while simultaneously sidestepping. The net missed by inches. The other two Lurkers charged, jabbing with their barbed spears from different angles.
[Defend] << Perfect Defend! Damage Taken: 0! Off-Balance Applied! >>. He unleashed [Basic Slash] on the closest Off-Balanced Lurker. << Perfect Execution! Damage Dealt: 240! >> The Lurkers hissed, their attacks surprisingly quick despite their shambling appearance. They pressed him, trying to use their numbers. Drake kept his footing on the small island, using Perfect Defends to negate their spear thrusts and systematically focusing down one Lurker at a time with devastating flurries of 100% SCR slashes. His [Relentless Assault] stacks quickly reached their cap, and his sword became a silver blur.
Even with their higher HP (~2500 each), the Level 15 Lurkers couldn't withstand his focused, max-stack onslaught for long. One fell, then the second. The last one, seeing its companions dead, tried to dive back into the murky water, but Drake was too fast, a final [Basic Slash] catching it before it could submerge. 3x << Target Eliminated! EXP +220 >>
"Tougher. Higher HP. Their ambush from the water was dangerous. Need to be very careful near these pools." He checked his potion supply – he'd used another Minor Healing Potion after taking a stray spear hit during the fight.
The consistent EXP from these challenging Level 14 and 15 encounters, combined with discovery EXP from navigating the Fen, finally pushed his bar over the limit. Ding! LEVEL UP! You are now Level 15! << Base Attributes Increased! HP/MP/Stamina Increased! +2 Attribute Points Available! >>
Drake assigned his points and felt the familiar surge of increased power. Level 15. He was making good progress despite the Fen's dangers. He glanced at his [Cartographer's Compass]. The needle pointed steadily onward, deeper into the swamp. The map showed he was more than halfway through. The fog seemed, if anything, thicker here, the whispers more insistent, and the bubbling from the surrounding pools more frequent. He pressed on, his new [Rare Bandit Chieftain's Blade] held ready, [Relic Hunter] actively scanning the treacherous path ahead. The Whispering Fen had not yet yielded all its secrets, or its dangers.