A massive influx of new Terastal energy was injected without restraint. Within young Loren's perception, Logan's energy felt as though it were truly inexhaustible—completely unlike Loren's own frugal approach, where he still had to rely on Radiant Crystal Butterflies as backup energy reserves.
Compared to Loren's symbiotic model that leaned somewhat toward dependence on the Radiant Crystal Butterflies, these butterflies in Logan's case were, in truth, nothing more than tools.
To ordinary Fire Wyverns, these symbiotic entities were of immeasurable importance, yet to Logan they were merely appendages that survived by relying on him.
As young Loren continued to guide the way, an isolated passage densely filled with activated Radiant Crystal Butterflies extended downward without interruption.
The Vaal Hazak that were jointly driving the effluvium to envelop the dying Zorah Magdaros's corpse naturally sensed Logan's arrival.
This domineering, overbearing manner of action—combined with the aura Logan still had not retracted after coming from the Elder's Recess—made it difficult for them not to notice him.
What made the Vaal Hazak even more tense was that the direction of Logan's descent was extremely close to them. This unfamiliar Elder Dragon aura left them uncertain about what type of Elder Dragon Logan was, and whether he had come for Zorah Magdaros's remains.
Hoarse sounds passed among the Vaal Hazak, while crimson luminescent organs swayed within the effluvium so dense that normal vision was impossible.
Regardless of Logan's objective, they had to make preparations in advance.
Yet after a round of discussion, among the Vaal Hazak present, not a single one was willing to take the initiative to confront Logan.
Yes!
In such an intensely saturated effluvium environment, even in a one-on-one situation, a Vaal Hazak would not fear a Disaster-level Elder Dragon. They might not be able to win—but they could outlast them!
But then how were the blows taken along the way to be accounted for?
For beings like these, who had lived for an unknown number of years and were deeply bound to the effluvium environment, unless the timing was right—such as when going to the Ancient Forest to take a breather—even taking a beating at the end would be worth it.
But now, with Logan's purpose still unclear, proactively going up to take a beating—wouldn't that be far too much of a loss?
Such a losing proposition was something these increasingly old and lazy beings all preferred to keep at a respectful distance.
Negotiations broke down, and in the end all the Vaal Hazak stayed where they were, quietly playing dead. In any case, their stance was simple: if there was going to be a fight, everyone would strike together—no one was allowed to slack off and take it easy!
Time passed in this silent atmosphere.
In the end, after Logan rushed toward another passage and brushed past the sleeping place of Zorah Magdaros, all the Vaal Hazak finally let out a sigh of relief.
Other Elder Dragons do not like fighting because they are proud; unless an enemy poses a threat, they will not take the initiative to attack.
But Vaal Hazak are simply lazy!
Otherwise, in many cases, they would not wait until an Odogaron was already clinging to their back and starting to claw at them before they retaliated passively.
Moreover, that kind of retaliation was only enough to wound the opponent and drive it back; they could not even be bothered to spend a bit of extra effort.
Otherwise, with the power Vaal Hazak have to control effluvium, a mere Odogaron could have had its vitality drained dry in the very first moment!
It had to be said: effluvium really was a miraculous thing. It looked like gas, but in truth it was microorganisms—and after the Vaal Hazak injected a huge amount of life energy into them, they actually managed to conceal the aura of so many Vaal Hazak.
If Logan had not passed nearby and noticed those pairs of crimson luminescent bodies, he really would not have realized he had come so close to the Vaal Hazak.
Fortunately, in the end, the two sides were not on the same route, which avoided a pointless battle.
As they went deeper and deeper underground, the number of monster corpses whose vitality had been drained dry by effluvium also began to increase. However, the vast majority of these corpses were monsters that had gotten lost in other areas within the Rotten Vale. As for the monsters native to the Rotten Vale itself, long before effluvium began showing signs of surging in massive quantities, they had already used those hidden underground tunnels to flee to other areas as refuge.
It could only be said that the native life in every region had its own set of methods for dealing with the Elder Dragons that frequently appeared in that region.
This was something Old World life was far inferior in.
Only in the New World, where Elder Dragons were frequent, could there be such a scene.
"Roar~"
Young Loren's voice came again. Logan casually took a turn in this relatively narrow passage and entered one of the branch routes. However, before entering the branch route, he looked thoughtfully toward a certain corner.
Not long after young Loren and Logan's figures left, beside the sulfuric acid pool below the branch route, inside a cave that was half-submerged by the sulfuric acid pool, a young Nergigante held its breath and quickly burrowed out.
When it saw that passage isolated by the fluttering Radiant Crystal Butterflies, its pupils—clearly over-eroded by effluvium and somewhat pale—revealed intense emotion.
Completely disregarding the high-temperature dust scattered by the Radiant Crystal Butterflies, it endured the agony of extensive burns across its back and forcibly charged into the tunnel.
The Radiant Crystal Butterflies, emitting a faint blue glow, were the best possible guideposts. Without further hesitation—and with the energy reserves within its body already running low—knowing full well that remaining here meant certain death, the young Nergigante decisively followed the passage Logan had opened. Bracing itself against the Radiant Crystal Butterflies' instinctive attacks upon detecting an unfamiliar presence, it embarked on a desperate, race-against-time escape.
...
At the underground checkpoint, the Commander listened expressionlessly to the assistant's report. His gaze drifted from time to time toward the entrance of the Everstream, where boundless effluvium surged endlessly. Anxiety churned in his heart, yet none of it showed on his face.
Young Loren had already been inside the effluvium for most of the day. The timekeeping hourglass had been flipped again and again, and there was still no telling whether young Loren had managed to break through.
Now, before the Commander, there were only two choices.
The first was to continue waiting for reinforcements, with no idea when they would arrive.
The second was to follow the records left by Wyverian hunters and make a push through the Everstream behind them!
Yet both choices carried enormous risks. A single wrong decision, and of the thousands of hunters present, fewer than half might survive!
"They're back—Darren's squad is back!"
A burst of commotion erupted among the hunters keeping watch at the entrance. Before long, four figures—supporting one another—staggered their way back to the temporary camp beneath the checkpoint.
The logistics Felynes, who had been waiting for some time, immediately handed over the prepared Nulberries.
After swallowing them with some difficulty, Darren finally felt his breathing ease considerably, while his stamina—nearly depleted—began to recover at a rapid pace.
As the recommended teams with the best equipment and the greatest overall strength, after young Loren had taken the initiative to charge into the effluvium, they had also voluntarily requested to form three squads. Without caring whether the equipment fit properly, they hastily cobbled things together by any means necessary. After scraping together sufficient effluvium resistance, they took the initiative to enter the effluvium in search of a way out.
Yet even while wearing armor fully socketed with Miasma Jewels and donning gas masks, they still could not last long in effluvium of this intensity.
Darren's squad was already among the most resilient—but even they only managed to hold out for a single hour!
"Sorry, I—"
The Commander raised a hand and pressed it to Darren's shoulder, stopping his words.
After giving a slight shake of his head, he spoke with some difficulty: "Rest for a bit. Prepare to move out."
"Where to?"
The Commander did not answer. He turned and looked toward the Everstream beyond the checkpoint, where magma flowed.
If even Darren—the strongest among the recommended teams—could not break through that effluvium-filled land, then the others—
Rather than waiting here to die, it was better to gamble everything on a single attempt!
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