Chinese Superman

The 182nd Octopus Man's Breeding Season

[Instance: Murloc Swamp]

Danger Level: Normal (LV.5—LV.20)

[Number of participants limited to 32/40]

[Main monsters: Goblins (low-tier), Merman Soldiers (low-tier), Forest Slimes (low-tier), Mudfrogmen (low-tier), Swamp Giant Dragonflies (mid-tier), etc.]

[Description: This is a vast swamp forest shrouded in dense fog and a network of waterways. Water and woodland intertwine, inhabited by various amphibious monsters. The greatest threat comes from several merfolk tribes entrenched deep within the swamp. Savage and bloodthirsty, they possess a simple social structure and are skilled in crafting and using various weapons, making them even more dangerous than goblins.]

[Time: 04:22:30:15]

After the familiar slight dizziness subsided, a wave of damp, putrid air hit me.

Qiao Chunxia immediately glanced at the pop-up window in front of her, then looked around and quickly hid nearby.

Tall, twisted trees with gnarled roots; the ground was covered in soft, muddy moss and puddles, with creeping plants hanging down like curtains. Visibility was less than fifty meters, and deeper in, it was shrouded in a thick, grayish-white fog.

This is the Fishman Swamp Forest!

At first glance, its area is incomparable to that of a simple copy.

She didn't act immediately, but instead held her breath and listened intently. Aside from the faint sound of dripping water and the chirping of unknown insects in the distance, there was nothing unusual for the time being. She quickly opened the quest panel:

[Logout Quest: Kill 4 Murloc Soldiers (0/4)]

Main Quest: Explore the lair of the Murloc tribe "Dirty Scales" and obtain the "Altar Core (0/1)" to disrupt the Murloc King's ascension ceremony.

Qiao Chunxia quickly scanned the pop-up window, only glancing at the logout task.

As for the main quest, she didn't care at all.

Firstly, the main quest is too difficult, and it is impossible to complete without an adventurer's party. Trying to do it alone is suicidal.

Of course, the most important point is that this [portal] is controlled by a gang. Once you complete the main quest, which is equivalent to conquering the dungeon, the dungeon (portal) will disappear.

"For the first three days, you honed your basics and familiarized yourself with the combat rhythm in easy dungeons. Today's goal is to try to hunt down a mid-tier monster independently in a normal difficulty environment to verify the results of your training over the past few days." Xia Xinghan's voice echoed in her mind.

Simply put, it's become more difficult!

"clear."

Qiao Chunxia responded in her heart, her eyes sharpening.

She first checked herself, noting that she was wearing a camouflage combat uniform that cost 300 yuan and waterproof ankle boots.

These are all ordinary clothes, without any attribute or effect bonuses, but they are convenient for combat and suitable for dealing with the environment of the [Fishman Swamp Forest].

The equipment that truly comes into play is the equipment dropped in the dungeons.

Qiao Chunxia unloaded her bulging hiking backpack, which was about half her height.

Inside were all the purple-grade equipment "dropped" by Li Yaozong—[Guardian of the Amethyst Earth Dragon].

It includes a four-piece set: wrist guards, armor, boots, and trousers.

With a thought, Qiao Chunxia opened the [Equipment Slot] and hung up the purple equipment.

Equipment doesn't take effect just because you wear it.

Instead, it needs to be attached to the [Equipment Slot], and you can choose to [Show/Hide] its appearance, so there's no need to worry about the size not fitting.

In addition, there was a longsword about three feet long, with a faint mithril luster on its blade and a simple yet sharp design.

The hilt was slightly cool to the touch and felt solid.

The green-quality Mithril Longsword has the attributes of "weak armor penetration" and "weak damage bonus against dark creatures". It has good conductivity for magic/spiritual energy and is her current main weapon. She got it from an easy dungeon yesterday, so you could say she was lucky.

Fully armed, a faint light flowed through him, and the attribute bonuses from his equipment clearly spread throughout his body.

This is also the source of her confidence in hunting mid-level monsters on her own!

Finally, I threw the half-empty backpack into my inventory.

With her gear ready, Qiao Chunxia took a deep breath of the humid air, and with a swift movement, she silently slipped into the shadows of the bushes to the side, like a nimble cat.

Her Class C movement technique, "Cat Step," allows her to move almost silently through complex terrain.

Seeing that Qiao Chunxia had finished her preparations, Xia Xinghan asked at the opportune moment, "Have you chosen your target? Which mid-level monster are you planning to hunt?"

Qiao Chunxia answered without hesitation: "Fishman Hero".

According to information gathered from adventurer forums, the [Fishman Swamp Forest] mainly contains four types of mid-tier monsters:

Swamp Giant Dragonfly, Mudfrog Chieftain, Murloc Hero, and Murloc King.

The Swamp Giant Dragonfly can fly and is difficult to hunt. The Mudfrog Chieftain is located deep in the swamp, making the terrain unsuitable for combat. The Fishman King is the boss of the entire instance, a max-level mid-tier species, and an existence that is infinitely close to a high-tier species.

Qiao Chunxia wouldn't be foolish enough to choose the King of Fishmen.

The merfolk of the Swamp Forest are mainly divided into several tiers: the lowest tier consists of a large number of merfolk soldiers who use crude stone or bone weapons. Their combat strength is average, but they are quite threatening when they act in groups.

Above them are stronger murloc warriors, who are often better equipped and have certain combat skills.

Each tribe usually has a small number of murloc shamans who can cast basic water or dark spells to disrupt or weaken enemies.

The murloc heroes are the backbone of the tribe's fighting force and even minor leaders. They are larger, stronger, and more experienced in combat, and usually use better weapons. They are the representatives of the mid-tier species.

Fishmen are indeed more active during the breeding season.

Qiao Chunxia encountered the first wave of monsters less than ten minutes after she began her stealth journey.

Three dark green scaled merman soldiers, wielding bone forks, were hunched over, circling a small puddle, digging at something with their sharp claws.

Their bulging fish eyes kept turning, appearing restless, and they made low, guttural "gurgling" sounds.

Qiao Chunxia did not launch a rash attack.

She carefully observed her surroundings and, after confirming that there were no other ambushes or patrols, she quietly approached from the side.

Just then.

The nearest merman soldier's fin-like ears suddenly twitched, as if it had sensed something. The moment it turned its head to check, Qiao Chunxia moved!

His steps were like wading through mud, his body moved like a swimming dragon, and his speed suddenly exploded!

Bagua Dragon Step!

The mithril sword flashed a cold arc, precisely slicing across the merman soldier's neck.

A slight resistance was felt, followed by the sensation of liquid splashing.

The merman soldier collapsed without even letting out a scream.

Xia Xinghan, far away at the Great Wall, nodded slightly. Qiao Chunxia had indeed improved a lot, killing him in one blow.

"I taught him well," Xia Xinghan nodded to himself, quite pleased with himself.

The other two merman soldiers were startled and let out a piercing screech, brandishing their bone forks to stab at him.

Qiao Chunxia shifted her stance, her sword moving with her body. While avoiding a direct thrust, she slashed diagonally, cutting open the ribs of the second merman soldier, blood mixed with fragments of internal organs flowing out.

The third merman soldier's bone fork was already behind her, but as if she had eyes in the back of her head, she twisted her waist and dodged it by a hair's breadth. With a backhand thrust, she stabbed the soldier in the eye socket, and with a flick of her wrist, the force penetrated, killing him instantly.

Clean and efficient, the three low-level creatures were dealt with in less than ten seconds.

Qiao Chunxia exhaled slightly, not from exhaustion, but from the reaction of intense mental concentration.

She could feel that after experiencing dozens or even hundreds of simulated battles in her dreams, and the actual combat in the simple dungeon a few days ago, her actions were more decisive, and her grasp of timing, footwork, and sword moves were much smoother.

"Make sure to clean up any traces and leave quickly," Xia Xinghan reminded him.

Qiao Chunxia nodded and quickly dragged the three merman soldiers behind the bushes to hide them, preventing the smell of blood from spreading too quickly and causing more trouble, such as alerting the merman tribe. Then she immediately moved to another location.

Over the next two hours, Qiao Chunxia cautiously roamed the edge of the swamp forest, using the terrain and vegetation for cover, and successively cleared out several small groups of fishmen soldiers and a few scattered mud frogmen and forest slimes. The logout mission was completed quickly.

He was clearly a master of the Transcendent Realm, and he was dressed in purple, yet he was incredibly composed.

She also encountered several squads led by merman warriors, which took some effort to resolve. The merman warriors were clearly superior in strength and combat skills, and together with the other merman soldiers, they put some pressure on her. Her arm was cut by a bone blade, but it was not serious.

"It seems there are no Murloc heroes on the outer perimeter, so we have to go deeper."

Qiao Chunxia slowly moved closer to the deeper part of the instance.

The fog seemed to thicken, the light became dimmer, and the fishy smell in the air became more pronounced. Some crude totems made of rough wooden stakes, bones, and slippery vines began to appear around, seemingly demarcating and announcing the territories of their respective tribes.

"There's a merman tribe ahead—the security around their lair is surprisingly tight."

Qiao Chunxia hid in a hollow at the base of a huge, rotten tree, cautiously peering out, and couldn't help but frown.

Ahead lay a relatively open swampy area, with more rough shacks and piles of food scraps scattered haphazardly along the water's edge.

A casual glance around reveals at least twenty fishmen roaming the area.

At least four of them were murloc warriors equipped with bone shields and stone axes.

Further out in the middle of the water, there seemed to be a huge nest-like structure made of mud, branches and duckweed, and a more powerful aura emanated from it.

"Could this be the Filthy Scale Tribe mentioned in the main quest? The Murloc Hero is likely patrolling nearby."

Qiao Chunxia made the judgment.

She was unaware that it was the fish-men's breeding season.

Not only did the number of murlocs increase dramatically, but they also became even more ferocious and violent.

Kill them all, humans and other monsters alike, then capture them for food. Everything is for the purpose of breeding and propagating the species.

"It's unwise to force our way in; we should wait for an opportunity." Qiao Chunxia calmed herself down.

The opportunity soon arrived in an unexpected way.

Just as she was considering whether to take a detour and find another path, a fierce fighting suddenly broke out from the dense forest about 100 meters to her left.

There were angry shouts from humans and sharp hisses from merfolk!

The noise was very loud, suggesting that there were quite a few people on both sides fighting.

Qiao Chunxia's heart stirred, and she climbed up a big tree next to her like a raccoon, using the branches and leaves to look around.

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