Chapter 65: Miasma Swamp X

Ben continued observing the dark pool.

The bubbles had stopped rising, but he could still sense several energy fluctuations moving beneath the surface.

They weren’t particularly powerful individually. However, their energy signatures were remarkably similar.

’Are they waiting for something?’

He extended his perception deeper into the water.

A moment later, several dark shapes began moving toward the edge of the pool.

"Morbius, something is coming."

"I noticed."

Morbius stepped closer to Ben, his eyes fixed on the water.

"These creatures seem to be hiding beneath the corrosive water. Don’t let them catch you off guard."

Ben nodded.

The surface suddenly rippled.

A long, dark shape shot out of the pool, heading directly toward him.

Ben immediately used Mist Walker.

His figure blurred and disappeared just as a massive creature emerged from the water. Its body was covered in dark green scales, and several sharp bony plates extended along its back. Its wide mouth opened, revealing rows of uneven teeth.

A stream of black liquid dripped from its jaws and landed on the ground.

The soil immediately began corroding.

Ben appeared several meters away and examined the creature.

[ Miasma Swamp Crocodile ]

[ Race: Lesser Swamp Beast ]

[ Rank: F-Rank ]

[ Realm: Silver Realm - Third Stage ]

[ Level: 56 ]

[ Threat Assessment: Moderate ]

’Another crocodile? This one’s stronger than the one near the entrance.’

Before Ben could examine it further, the water behind the creature began moving.

Five more crocodile-like creatures emerged from the pool.

They surrounded Ben from different directions, their yellow eyes fixed on him.

Ben glanced at them.

’There are six in total.’

He could sense that all six creatures were at the Silver Realm. Their energy fluctuations were relatively similar, although the first one was slightly stronger.

Morbius watched them from behind.

"Don’t let their appearance fool you. Their bodies have adapted to the corrosive water. They might be more troublesome than the creatures you’ve encountered so far."

Ben nodded.

He raised his hand.

A spatial distortion spread across the area, covering the ground beneath the creatures.

The nearest crocodile immediately sensed the danger and tried to retreat.

However, Ben tightened his control.

Ruination Dimensions!

The space around its body compressed, restricting its movements.

The creature released a deep growl and gathered energy throughout its body. A thick layer of greenish energy spread across its scales, resisting the dimensional pressure.

Ben raised an eyebrow.

’Their defenses are quite strong.’

He didn’t waste time trying to overpower it through spatial pressure alone.

A white blade formed in his other hand.

With a casual swing, he released a sharp slash.

The attack cut through the creature’s reinforced scales and struck its neck.

Before it could recover, Ben compressed the space around its head and finished it with another slash.

[ Target Eliminated ]

However, the other five creatures had already begun attacking.

Two of them opened their mouths and released streams of black liquid. Another swept its thick tail across the ground, sending several rocks flying toward Ben.

Ben used Mist Walker to avoid the attacks.

The corrosive liquid splashed across the ground, producing thick fumes as it ate through the soil.

’Their poison is considerably stronger than the previous crocodile’s.’

Ben raised his hand and fired several White Missiles.

The projectiles exploded around the creatures, forcing them to scatter.

However, their thick scales protected them from most of the damage.

Ben narrowed his eyes.

’Ordinary attacks aren’t particularly effective.’

He extended his perception and locked onto their positions.

The next moment, several spatial distortions appeared around the creatures.

Ruination Dimensions!

The space beneath two crocodiles compressed, forcing their bodies against the ground.

Before they could break free, Ben gathered White Ruination around his fingers.

Two white beams shot forward.

They pierced through the creatures’ heads, killing them instantly.

[ Targets Eliminated ]

The remaining three creatures became more aggressive.

One charged toward Ben while another attempted to circle around him. The third disappeared beneath the water, apparently preparing to attack from an unexpected direction.

Ben noticed its movement immediately.

’Trying to attack from underwater?’

He shifted his position with Mist Walker.

A massive jaw suddenly emerged from the pool where he had been standing. The creature snapped at empty air before falling back into the water.

Ben raised his hand toward the pool.

Ruination Dimensions!

The water suddenly compressed.

A large section of the pool was forced upward, exposing the creature hiding beneath its surface.

Before it could react, Ben released a White Ruination Ray.

The beam struck its exposed body, destroying its head.

[ Target Eliminated ]

The final two creatures charged toward him simultaneously.

Ben didn’t bother retreating.

He spread his perception across the surrounding area and compressed the space between the two creatures.

Their bodies were pulled toward each other, disrupting their movements.

A white glow appeared around Ben’s right hand.

He swept his arm forward.

Two sharp beams crossed the distance and struck their heads.

[ Targets Eliminated ]

The surrounding area gradually became quiet.

Ben lowered his hand and examined the remains.

"These creatures are quite troublesome," he remarked.

Morbius walked closer.

"Mostly because of the corrosive liquid inside their bodies. Their physical strength isn’t particularly impressive compared to other Silver Realm creatures."

Ben nodded.

He began examining their remains with Ruination Dimensions, carefully separating their bodies without allowing the corrosive substances to spread.

The first two contained ordinary beast cores.

The third had a slightly larger core, but no mission fragment.

However, when Ben examined the fourth creature, he discovered something lodged near its stomach.

It was a small, dark green fragment.

’Another one.’

He extracted it and checked his mission interface.

[ Miasma Core Fragment Obtained ]

[ Mission Progress: 4/10 ]

Ben stored the fragment.

He continued examining the remaining creatures, but neither contained anything similar.

After collecting their beast cores, he also extracted several intact scales and corrosive glands.

"Four out of ten," Ben said as he checked his mission progress. "We still need six more."

Morbius glanced toward the dark pools.

"There should be more creatures beneath the water. I can sense several energy fluctuations farther inside the basin."

Ben looked in the same direction.

The pool where the crocodiles had emerged was connected to several others through narrow channels. The dark water flowed slowly between them, carrying traces of miasma.

He extended his perception again.

This time, he noticed something unusual.

The energy fluctuations weren’t scattered randomly. Several of them seemed to be gathering around a deeper section of the basin.

Ben frowned.

’Are they gathering around something?’

He looked toward the enormous tree in the center of the basin.

The roots extended beneath the pools as well, and the energy channels he had sensed earlier passed through this area.

"Morbius, do you think these creatures are connected to the tree?"

Morbius examined the surrounding energy.

"It’s possible. The tree is absorbing the miasma throughout this basin, so the creatures living here are naturally exposed to its energy."

He paused before continuing.

"However, I can’t tell whether they’re simply living in this environment or if the tree has some influence over them."

Ben considered his words.

He didn’t want to damage the tree or disturb its energy channels without understanding their purpose.

But the creatures hiding beneath the pools were another matter.

He needed six more Miasma Core Fragments, and there was no reason to leave the area before completing his mission.

Ben opened his map and marked the location of the crocodile nest.

"Let’s check the other pools. If we find more creatures, we can collect the fragments and examine the area afterward."

Morbius nodded.

"Fine. But watch the water. Something larger might be hiding deeper inside."