"Roar!"
"Roar!"
...
"Roar!"
Piercing screeches erupted from the mouths of mantis-like monsters, their bodies earthy brown and covered in tiny dark yellow spikes.
These monsters had dark red patterns on their bodies, and their insect-like mouths opened wide, looking exceptionally hideous.
"These are much more dangerous than the group of monsters from before." Lyle glanced around; a total of seven had already surrounded him.
These mantis monsters were not small, standing about a meter tall. Their entire bodies were covered in an earthy brown shell-like substance, emitting the dangerous aura of a predator.
"Magic Arrow!"
Lyle didn't wait for the mantis monsters to act, taking the initiative to aim his magic at one in front of him.
Swoosh!
Three Magic Arrows shot out, instantly piercing the chest of the leading mantis monster and drawing out a greenish-yellow liquid.
"Roar—" The attacked mantis monster let out a pained screech and collapsed to the ground.
"Their strength is average, slightly stronger than a normal Lizardman," Lyle remarked indifferently upon seeing the result.
Their companion had been attacked.
The other mantis monsters all let out sharp screeches, their hideous mouths opening to spray corrosive saliva and mucus.
Splash!
The Flame Archangel quickly moved to block Lyle, shielding him from the corrosive liquid sprayed from the front, while the Ghost Hound carried Lyle in a nimble dodge to avoid the liquid flying from behind.
Sizzle~ Sizzle~
The corrosive liquid landed on the Flame Archangel's bright silver armor, producing a sizzling sound and white smoke.
"Kill them." Lyle's eyes narrowed slightly as he spoke coldly.
Swoosh!
The Flame Archangel's wings vibrated as it rushed before a mantis monster, swinging its flame sword and easily cleaving it in two.
As the other mantis monsters swarmed, the Ghost Hound used its agile positioning to lead Lyle in easy dodges while the Flame Archangel swiftly hunted them down.
In just a moment, all seven mantis monsters were slain!
[experience bar: 27,875/120,000]
In less than half a day since entering the Great Wetlands, he had already gained about two thousand experience.
And this was just from Lyle killing things along the way, without any intentional effort to grind for experience.
"The monsters in the Upper Lake Region of the Great Wetlands are indeed much more dangerous than those in the Lower Lake Region. Therefore, the strength of the Frogman tribe living here should also be greater than that of the Lizardman tribes."
Lyle gripped the bone chains on the Ghost Hound, continuing forward with a calm expression.
His main purpose for coming deep into the Great Wetlands was to retrieve that supreme treasure of the Lizardman race from the Twin Witches.
As for the specific location of the Twin Witches, Lyle didn't know, so he planned to find the Frogmen living here to ask for directions.
In reality, using "Flight" would be faster, but Lyle was unfamiliar with the terrain, and he didn't have much Information about the depths of the Great Wetlands near the mountains.
Naturally, he had to be cautious and avoid such conspicuous behavior.
He continued deeper.
The dense, low shrubs suddenly became sparse, and even the dead trees and vegetation thinned out. A swampy area overgrown with various weeds, where bubbles occasionally rose and popped from puddles, came into view.
Riding the Ghost Hound, Lyle looked up at this swampy area, his gaze narrowing slightly.
He saw dozens of Frogmen with deep green skin—similar in color to Goblins but a head shorter than Lizardmen—lying in the mud and puddles across the swamp.
This group of Frogmen seemed completely indifferent to the intrusion of Lyle and the Ghost Hound, not even turning their heads.
If not for their pale white bellies exposed above the mud, rising and falling with their breath, Lyle would have thought this group of Frogmen was dead.
The smell of decay in the air wasn't particularly strong, but the sight of a group of Frogmen just lying directly in the mud gave Lyle pause.
He had just been thinking about how to find Frogmen, and unexpectedly, they appeared before him in the blink of an eye.
Before coming to the depths of the wetlands, he had asked Crusch Lulu for Information regarding the Frogmen.
Crusch Lulu didn't know much either, as Frogmen rarely left the depths of the Great Wetlands.
The lakes in the Lower Lake Region were relatively shallow, which was not a suitable environment for Frogmen, who needed to keep their skin moist at all times. According to legends passed down by the Lizardmen, the Frogmen were an evil race.
Currently, that claim seemed questionable.
Lyle glanced at the lazy group of Frogmen, this thought flashing through his mind.
"There are no buildings; is the Frogman tribe not nearby?"
Lyle scanned the swampy area and saw no structures similar to the Lizardman tribal architecture, so he pulled on the bone chains.
The Ghost Hound moved its four limbs, approaching the nearest Frogman with agile and light steps.
Suddenly!
The Frogman that had been lying lazily in the mud turned its head abruptly, its pair of fist-sized, hemispherical dark brown eyes on the sides of its head looking over.
Facing the approach of Lyle and the Ghost Hound, the Frogman's huge eyes showed no hint of surprise or shock; instead, they were filled with an indescribable coldness.
"Unseen prey."
The Frogman's voice was hollow and raspy, and it continued to watch the approaching Lyle with an unwavering gaze.
"Sorry to bother you, but could I ask for directions?" Lyle spoke calmly.
He had already noticed the abnormality of these Frogmen—specifically, a coldness that differed from normal intelligent beings.
Although Lizardmen liked to eat raw food and were even hostile toward any outside species, they still possessed the characteristics of intelligent beings.
The Frogmen before him, however, gave Lyle the impression of a race that possessed intelligence yet remained savage and driven by animal instincts.
Bang!
In an instant.
The Frogman stood up, its long arms hanging past its knees. Its thick thighs suddenly pressed down, assuming a pouncing posture to hunt prey.
"All-Race Charm."
A flash of magical light crossed Lyle's eyes as an invisible mental wave spread out.
The Frogman's crouching movement paused, and its emotionless eyes immediately became dull.
"Take me to the territory of the Twin Witches," Lyle said indifferently.
The Frogman swung its arms, walked out of the puddle, and began to lead the way with a vacant expression.
Seeing the Frogman, which had been savage and cold just a moment ago, now obediently leading the way, Lyle gave a light chuckle.
No matter what the race was.
As long as they couldn't resist the influence of charm, everyone was equal before "All-Race Charm."
Splash— Splash—
The other Frogmen who had been lying in the mud and puddles all stood up, their pairs of fist-sized dark brown eyes staring intently at Lyle.
Unconcealed hostility radiated from these Frogmen.
"Being stared at by such big eyeballs is quite creepy."
Lyle glanced at the Frogmen from the corner of his eye and raised an eyebrow; despite his words, his face remained perfectly calm.
The physical differences between various demi-human races were indeed vast.
Whether it was Lizardmen or Frogmen, if a normal person from his previous world saw them, they would likely get goosebumps.
Even in this different world, ordinary people would be terrified. If he hadn't adapted to facing these intelligent non-human species while killing large numbers of Goblins,
he probably would have needed time to adjust as well.
"Slaughter them all," Lyle said, waving his arm.
The Flame Archangel floating in mid-air flapped its wings and dove toward the Frogmen in the swamp.
"Wa-ah—!!"
Before dying, one Frogman let out a sharp croak that immediately echoed across the swampy area.
After a brief moment of silence,
the previously quiet swamp began to vibrate, and dense bubbles rose from the mud.
Holding the bone chains, Lyle scanned the swamp and saw giant purple worms, resembling earthworms, emerging from the ground.
'Skill "Beastly Provocation" detected. Requires Base Class Beast Tamer. Current conditions not met...'
'Genius class activated. Conversion successful. Learning conditions met. Consume 1 Skill Point to learn?'
Lyle glanced at the status panel and ignored the prompt to spend a skill point to learn it.
"The Beast Tamer class. No wonder they have techniques to enslave monsters." Lyle quickly had the Ghost Hound adjust its stance and retreat while he activated a scroll.
He summoned another Flame Archangel!
The other Flame Archangel, having finished off the Frogmen, also returned, and together they began clearing out the large number of giant purple worms.
'Gained Experience: 21'
'Gained Experience: 127'
'Gained Experience: 265'
...
'Gained Experience: 156'
[experience bar: 29,199/120,000]
Although these giant purple worms were numerous, their strength was not high, with the strongest being only around level ten.
At this moment,
Lyle's attention was no longer on these giant purple worms; instead, he looked toward the depths of the swamp.
Thump! Thump!
The ground shook.
A five-meter-tall Multi-headed Water Snake was the first to appear in his vision, charging forward on thick, elephant-like limbs.
Following behind it were two more Multi-headed Water Snakes of the same size. Each had eight heads, and on the central head of each stood a Frogman holding a spear.
"So those Frogmen lying in the mud were scouts stationed on the outermost perimeter."
He finally understood the role of those lazy Frogmen: "What a strange race."