Advancing along the winding swamp path.
Before long, the thin mist began to gradually dissipate.
Upon delving deeper into the swamp, towering trees began to appear. Though sparse, they stretched endlessly, cutting off the field of vision along with the tall grass, limiting sight to only one or two hundred meters.
The bog ponds emitted a faint rotting smell, and fish tails occasionally slapped the murky water, creating ripples.
The swamp swarmed with dangerous beings, even more perilous than swamp monsters, as it was filled with venomous mosquitoes and snakes.
Due to the giant dragon dung, they had long fled in panic, affecting them minimally.
About twenty minutes into the journey, a prolonged howl suddenly sounded ahead.
It was Haggs's voice!
A warning... enemy attack!
Lear's pupils constricted sharply, waving his hand to order the team to stop advancing.
Deploy 5 squads of Wetland Lizardman Warriors to guard, while the rest of the troops press forward.
After turning two corners, the view opened up.
In a low and open wetland, the murky water half-submerged the low grass. Several big trees stood isolated in the middle of the wetland, shrouded in green mist.
Haggs, the Level 7 Hero, was leading 5 squads of Wetland Lizardmen, roaring and fighting fiercely with the monsters continuously pouring out from a ten-meter high, weed-covered hill at the back.
They stood about 1.2 meters tall, resembling half-grown children.
With pointed snouts, two sharp teeth protruded past the lips, and four long whiskers at the mouth's edge almost twisted to the back of their heads.
With large ears and a frenzied gaze.
Their bodies resembled oversized rats but walked upright.
Claws sharp like daggers, reflecting a cold gleam under the morning sun.
Kelder Ratmen
[Level]: Level 3
[Potential]: 1 Star
[Racial Talent]: Death Plague, carrying lethal germs that infect enemies with a plague after injuring them.
[Skills]: Tearing Bite (1 Star) using sharp incisors to gnaw on enemies, causing piercing damage.
[Evaluation]: Comes from the depths of the earth, be wary not to get scratched by their sharp teeth.
Level 3 Wild Monsters.
Lear's gaze tightened slightly.
The level isn't high, but... the numbers are overwhelming!
Behind the small hill seemed to be their nests.
In this brief moment, the gathering numbers outside already exceeded 4 squadrons, and they kept surging out continuously.
A vast overwhelming sea of them.
Even though the combat power of the Wetland Lizardmen far exceeded that of the enemies, the sheer quantity was like waves crashing against reefs.
At any moment, they might be overwhelmed.
Lear immediately ordered.
"Break in and join Haggs!"
The Wetland Lizardman Warriors hesitated not for a moment, gripping their steel sabers tightly, and charged into the dense group of Kelder Ratmen with a roar.
The swinging of the steel sabers, splatter~
The unarmored Ratmen were directly dismembered and severed.
Blood sprayed wildly.
Yet the ferocious Ratmen showed no retreat, the smell of blood instead inciting their inner brutality, splitting into two groups, charging towards the two teams.
Leaping atop and clinging tightly to bite madly.
Their sharp incisors like daggers, fiercely piercing through armor, tearing scales!
The number of Ratmen was too extensive, and even a formation of steel sabers couldn't fully block them.
The foremost ten Wetland Lizardmen faced the initial assault, with frenzied Ratmen clinging onto them, biting fiercely at the gaps in the armor.
Crack~
The crisp sound of bones fracturing could be heard.
The enraged Wetland Lizardmen swung their steel sabers fiercely, splatter~ directly severing the enemy's heads.
But chillingly, even after decapitation, the menacing rat heads remained latched onto their bodies without loosening.
Their grip even seemed to tighten!
Their terrifying bite force caused many warriors' arms to be bitten through at the front.
But after getting injured, the Wetland Lizardmen went berserk, their amber eyes taking on a crimson hue.
Growling lowly, they charged into the fray.
Toppling a large group of Ratmen in front, they joined together with Haggs.
At this moment, there were as many as 15 squads of Wetland Lizardman Warriors on the battleground.
Yet the count of Kelder Ratmen had risen from 4 squadrons to 7 squadrons.
Forming a sea of rats in the swamp.
And yet, from the overgrown hill in the rear, new Ratmen continued to pour forth endlessly.
Their bodies stood only at 1.2 meters tall, their strength average, and their defenses nearly nonexistent.
But their abnormality lay in their razor-sharp incisors, incredibly lethal.
Even 1-Star armor could be dented by their bite.
Wetland Lizard-man scales would be penetrated directly.
Though each bite cost them a life, their numbers were overwhelming.
Exchanging life for injury!
These Ratmen did not regard death as anything significant.
Watching those sinister, fearless Ratmen, Lear standing at the center of the army formation felt the viciousness of the Swamp for the first time.
The Kelder Ratmen, in a state of frenzy, couldn't be subdued by the Divine Remnant skill.
Taking a deep breath, his gaze turned dangerous.
If they can't be subdued, then... slaughter them all!
"Kill!"
Magic Power surged through him.
A pale blue light spanned space, falling into the severely wounded Wetland Lizardman Warriors ahead.
Their wounds recovered at a visibly remarkable speed.
Swamp Blessing (1 Star, Growth Possible) cast a life-infused energy covering a 3x3 meter range, accelerating wound recovery, yielding up to 20% life recovery, and enhancing recovery effects up to 30% for Swamp Race lives.
He possessed no harmful skills, but powerful Healing Techniques!
This was undoubtedly the Divine Skill the frontline Warriors needed most.
Several treatments later, the injured Wetland Lizardman Warriors became fierce once more.
Fearless.
Waging battle against the enemy in the most brutal stance, the battlefield transformed into a Meat Grinder.
Steel Sabers hacked, sharp claws slaughtered.
Face-to-face slaughter, blade cutting to the bone, skin and flesh blurred, the explosion of blood making one's heart shiver.
But at this moment, amidst the battlefield atmosphere, fear was nonexistent.
Everything blurred in bloodshed, with only one thought... kill!
Kill those bastards opposite!!
On the short grassy beach, water grasses churned in the Swamp, now a crimson red.
The putrid odor of muddy water mixed with the stench of blood, causing nausea.
As a Hero unit, Haggs had erupted with unimaginable combat capability.
Crimson Energy faintly enveloped him, burning on his surface like flames.
Qi Blood!
Over a thousand Qi Blood points bolstered Haggs' destructive force immensely.
Almost single-handedly, blocking the Kelder Ratmen from one direction.
One slash, one kill!
The Hero's strength showcased its utmost potential.
Yet the relentless Kelder Ratmen, utilizing time-tested swarm tactics, forcibly suppressed this Wetland Lizard-man Hero.
Truly an ant overwhelming the elephant.
Rough estimations revealed over a battalion, exceeding a thousand Ratmen!
The fallen dead and wounded were impossible to count.
Lear had not personally slain a single Ratman.
But his powerful Healing Techniques from the central command changed the entire battle's rhythm.
The swarm tactic's life-for-injury effect was suppressed to nearly zero.
For every four or five Ratmen falling, the scars left on Wetland Lizardman Warriors healed in an instant.
The enemy's brutal sacrifices had not acquired the anticipated outcomes.
15 squads, 150 people... killed over three thousand Kelder Ratmen with extreme efficiency!
Finally, following yet another assault being cleaved apart by steel blades, a shrill rat's squeal echoed from the rear hill.
Five or six squadrons worth of Kelder Ratmen retreated like a tide, vanishing entirely into the rear hill...
Leaving only mangled corpses scattered everywhere.
The overwhelming stench of blood even masked the original color of the Swamp soil.
Lear stood upon the battlefield, coolly observing this horrifying scene, slowly exhaling.
The blood and scattered remains no longer made his heart tremble; iron and slaughter were forging a Lord fit for the Wilderness.
Before he could act, his intelligence system flashed suddenly in his mind.
[You've commanded your army to kill 3,692 Kelder Ratmen, achieving a remarkable victory, gaining additional intelligence]
[The Swamp Divine Format possesses the ability to refine the Essence of Life Power. As long as you reside within the Swamp, you can harness the power of the Divine Format to extract the Essence of Life from those you execute. Note: The Essence of Life can promote Swamp Race life evolution, enabling them to break potential limits, completing transformation. You can now elevate your subordinate's potential limit to: 2 Stars. Authority of the Swamp is required to raise this limit.]
Lear's breath hitched, his gaze suddenly ablaze.