Chapter 187 - 186: Shiny

Chapter 187: Chapter 186: Shiny

Frogmen are fanatical lovers of "Shiny."

They frantically collect any item that looks "noble"—like sparkling stones, tattered silks, or rusted crowns—and use them to decorate their crude lairs, showing off their "wealth" and "status."

But just as the information from the Manual suggested, this was a typical small Frogman outpost.

Usually, a cave like this would house only five to twelve Frogmen, led by a slightly stronger chieftain with a group of common kin. When hunting, they would all swarm around their leader.

This was also why Hesia had previously judged that the Frogmen on the trade route and the ones in these shallow caves were likely not the same group.

It was worth noting that Frogmen generally don’t worship any particular Deity. They tend to revere powerful creatures they can see with their own eyes—beings that can bring them direct benefits or threats.

For example, in this cave, the yellow-spotted Frogman that could jump better was clearly the object of their worship.

Of course, it wasn’t just more powerful Frogmen; any strong creature in the swamp could potentially become their ruler.

Giants, Multi-headed Serpent Monsters, powerful Water Elements... the Manual even mentioned that if you weren’t bothered by their noise and were powerful enough, you could try enslaving these croaking creatures yourself.

But then again, it was unlikely that the den of a few ordinary Frogmen would contain anything good.

Hesia turned into the depths of the cave and took in the scene before him.

The so-called "treasure spot" was merely a natural stone depression in a corner, haphazardly filled with some clothes and items that gave off a damp, musty, and fishy smell.

Hesia crouched down, pushed aside a few soaked and rotting garments, and revealed the "precious collection" underneath.

It was mostly rusty green copper nails mixed with a few faded glass beads. He even found several mismatched buttons.

Tossed crookedly to the side were a Longsword, nearly rusted through, and a piece of Leather Armor with a torn chest. They had probably been stripped from some unlucky soul.

He continued to feel around inside the stone depression. At the bottom, through the cold silt, his fingertips touched a round, exceptionally smooth object.

He picked it up and wiped the filth off on the corner of his robe, revealing a pearl about the size of a fingernail, glowing with a soft, milky-white luster.

Just then, Hayley came closer, her eyes immediately drawn to the pearl.

"A pearl!"

Hesia swirled the pearl in his hand. "A pity there’s only one. Identifying powerful Demon items consumes a lot of pearl powder each time."

"But it’s very pretty, isn’t it?"

Hesia chuckled softly, then flicked the pearl with his thumb. It traced an arc through the air toward Hayley.

"You can handle it."

Grek’s voice came from behind. He had already finished dealing with the webbed feet and was now wiping his hands on a rag while craning his neck to look into the stone depression. "Are there a lot of coins? Any Gemstones or anything?"

"See for yourself." Hesia stepped aside to make room.

Grek immediately crouched down and began to rummage eagerly through the pile of coins, muttering, "Copper... still copper... Tsk, these poor bastards."

He picked up the Broken Sword and Leather Armor, looked them over, and then tossed them back with disgust. "Too trashed to be repaired. They’d be too heavy to even sell as scrap iron."

Despite that, everyone was clearly in good spirits. After all, this was only the first cave.

Besides, the Frogmen were easier to deal with than they had imagined.

Killing a goblin of a similar level would only net you two Silver Scales for its left ear. But now, not even counting the eighty Golden Shields for the commission, they had already earned 120 Silver Scales just from the Frogmen they had killed so far.

Hom watched Hayley put the copper nails and the pearl into a Money Bag, his face breaking into a wide smile. "Heh, you always find some unexpected treasures in these caves."

"I heard that over on the trade route now, forget unexpected treasures. A few Adventurers I know spent a day there and came back with nothing but a few new boot prints on their faces."

Grek stood up, clapping the mud from his hands. "Alright, alright, let’s hurry up and find the next cave."

Killing Frogmen didn’t take much effort, but finding their caves did take some time.

However, this stretch of shallows was large enough that finding more was only a matter of time.

After clearing another cave with six Frogmen, it was nearly noon.

The group found a relatively dry earthen mound to rest and prepare for lunch.

Hesia took out the smoked giant lizard ribs he had packed yesterday from his bag. Bruce immediately trotted over, wagging his tail excitedly.

"Heat it up."

"WOOF!"

Bruce obediently opened his mouth, and a small, precisely controlled jet of flame licked the ribs. The fat began to SIZZLE, and a rich, meaty aroma instantly filled the air.

Hesia tore off the two meatiest ribs and fed them to Bruce, then took the large remaining piece and sat down next to Hom, tearing off a chunk and handing it to him as he was gnawing on a hard, dry piece of black bread.

Hom froze for a moment, quickly waving his hands. "I... I couldn’t possibly. Sir, you should have it."

"Take it."

Hom hesitated, but eventually took it. His face was full of gratitude as he carefully took a small bite. His eyes lit up. "This flavor... it’s the signature dish from the Gasp River Pufferfish!"

"Hom," Hesia said, also taking a bite of the ribs, "after we clear out these Frogmen, will the caves stay empty?"

"Not a chance," Hom replied indistinctly, swallowing the meat in his mouth. "Before long, Frogmen from other caves will notice it’s empty, and one will move in to be the new boss. Those things are faster than anyone when it comes to claiming territory."

"I have another question," Hesia said, changing the subject. "Have any of you from Trout Town ever considered that the Frogmen on the trade route might not be from the swamp’s edge, but from its center?"

Hom’s movements paused. He stared blankly for a moment before speaking. "To be honest... I have had that feeling. I’ve been to these shallows too many times. Those Frogmen on the trade route... they feel unfamiliar to me."

"But no one in town, myself included, has dared to consider the swamp’s center."

"It’s mainly because it’s too far from the town. From these shallows, you have to go west for dozens of miles along a difficult path just to reach the central swamp area. There are countless Frogmen just on the way, to say nothing of the center itself."

"Besides, there’s always been a rumor in town that a giant Frogman who can use Magic lives in the center of the swamp."

"Many years ago, an adventurer party composed entirely of Professionals went in. I heard... only two made it back alive."

"If the Frogmen from the center of the swamp were really invading our town, that big guy who uses Magic would have probably already led thousands of Frogmen to overrun Trout Town by now."

’Is that so?’

Hesia nodded, not asking any more questions.

He still couldn’t figure out what exactly was going on in Trout Town.

But no matter what, the reward for killing Frogmen was real.

He had come with the goal of grinding for traits anyway, and these Frogmen living in the shallows often plundered nearby fishermen and travelers, so clearing them out was no problem.

And...

Hesia’s thoughts stirred. The [Communication Skill] he had directed at Slag finally received a response.

"Report. I have cleared two Frogman nests."

"As per your instructions, I have cut off the Frogmens’ right webbed feet and gathered them together."

Before setting out in the morning, Hesia had ordered the skeleton to head to another shallow area on the opposite side of the lake.

Since it couldn’t take a boat, it had to detour through the reeds along the lake’s edge, but its speed was astonishing.

Despite the greater distance and the obstruction of reeds and mud, it arrived not long after Hesia and the others.

Hesia had observed and asked Hom for the trick to finding Frogman caves, then relayed it to Slag via the Communication Skill, ordering him to gather the Frogmen after cutting off their feet, but not to kill them.

"Continue finding Frogman caves and gather them together. I will come find you later."

"Yes."