On my second playthrough, they were full of malice towards me.

The centaur glared and roared at Liao Ji and the other two, especially at Irene, who had just been closest to the swamp, as he rushed over and retrieved the arrow that had forced Irene back from the edge of the swamp.

"you"

Before Irene could say anything more, the centaur interrupted her, "Shut up! It's too dangerous here. Come with me!"

After speaking, the centaur turned and walked into the forest, but it was obvious that his speed was different from when he came. He deliberately slowed down so that Liao Ji and the others could keep up.

Whether it was the previous warning to Irene or the current plan to lead them away, it's clear that the centaurs and the demi-humans from the previous Tribal Forest treat them very differently.

Is this the "Watchers" clan?

Liao Ji didn't react further, silently leading the two people beside him to follow behind the centaur.

It is worth mentioning that.

During this time, the girl was still indignant about the centaur's arrow, and only calmed down after Liao Ji tapped her on the head with a chop. Meanwhile, the dragon girl next to her glanced at Irene and then remained expressionless.

Soon after, they passed through the jungle, and the outline of the camp appeared in the distance.

As a "forest ranger," Tago originally intended to take Liao Ji and the other two to the tribe to have someone check on them to ensure they hadn't been contaminated by the black mud before letting them leave.

But who knew that as they got closer to the tribe's camp, Tago's ears twitched slightly, and the next moment his expression suddenly changed. He then disregarded Liao Ji and the other two behind him and ran at full speed towards the camp.

Because the previously unseen desolate swamp has now appeared around the camp. Even more deadly, this time, after wriggling in the black mud, strange creatures have crawled out.

No, they can't be described as living beings. Their bodies are covered in sores, their eyes are lifeless, and all that remains is a scarlet desire to attack. With each step these monsters take forward, the black mud of the swamp below continues to expand.

The numerous centaurs in the camp are fighting hard against these black mud monsters, but the defenses look shaky and the swamp continues to expand, encroaching on the camp.

Anxious and impatient, Tago drew his arrow from a hundred meters away, nocked it on the bowstring, and with a powerful pull, shot the arrow with incredible accuracy into the eye of a black mud monster.

Unfortunately, his arrow was still a drop in the ocean compared to the overall situation.

However, at that moment, a powerful aura came from behind him. When Tago turned around in shock, he saw that the human girl who had been squatting by the swamp playing in the mud had now transformed into a blood-red greatsword that made his heart tremble. Before he could even react, she had already taken the lead and charged out.

Those black mud monsters that they considered troublesome couldn't even withstand a single blow from the girl's greatsword. What was most unbelievable to Tago was that the black mud monsters' most terrifying aspect was their endless numbers, which seemed to be an advantage in front of the girl.

After each slaying of a filthy black mud monster, the sword in the girl's hand not only did not darken, but its blood-red light intensified. At first, she could kill one monster with one strike, but as time went on, a single sweeping strike could take the lives of more than a dozen monsters.

This "swamp disaster" was probably the fastest to end that Tago had experienced in the past ten years.

In less than a quarter of an hour, not a single black mud monster could be seen around the camp anymore. After the monsters were gone, the filthy black mud swamp could no longer expand. Instead, it mysteriously seeped into the ground, as if it were fleeing. In just a few breaths, the swamp surrounding the camp completely disappeared.

Inside the chieftain's stronghold of the Thousand Bows Clan.

Tago looked at Liao Ji and the other two with complicated eyes, especially focusing on Yilin, who was still raising her chin high in front of him.

Even though she was just a female human brat, Tago had no choice but to endure it and even feel grateful. After all, without this human's help, their clan would have had to pay several times the price to defeat the swamp.

but.

Even if they had been kind to their clan, when Tago thought of what the young male human had just said—that it was also their goal—he shook his head.

"Sorry, we will not join, because we believe in the Empress."

"What--!?"

When Tago said this, the first one to lose her composure was Irene. If it were any other reason, it would be understandable, but Irene couldn't understand or accept this reason at all.

"Are you all out of your minds?! That heartless, vile empress treated you like this, and you're still defending her?"

After the girl finished speaking, the dragon girl glanced at Irene and remained expressionless.

Tago: "That's just because some treacherous officials have blinded the Empress."

"I! You! I really don't understand you! What are you all persisting in!? At least those lizardmen yesterday were able to play it safe and develop, while you've been fighting these swamp monsters on the edge of the border, with so many deaths and injuries generation after generation. What are you trying to achieve?" Irene stomped her feet in anger.

Tago shook his head and said, "If we don't stop it, the swamp will only expand more recklessly, and then the entire southern region will fall."

"How can you still not understand! The Dragon Kingdom oppresses you so much, treating you like slaves, and yet you're still here guarding the border for the Dragon Kingdom. Have you ever thought that nobody cares about you at all!"

Irene thought her words would be powerful enough to make the stubborn demi-human turn back, but to her surprise, Tago pulled out a yellowed animal skin scroll that looked like it had been passed down for generations.

After Tago solemnly unfolded it in front of everyone, it contained a series of paintings.

“It’s not that nobody cares about us. At least our ancestors throughout the Thousand Bows Clan, the Great Sage Karl, and the Ash Emperor were people who cared about us. Although they are no longer here, their spirits are still watching over us and casting their gaze upon us. I can feel it.”

"Therefore, protecting the Southern Border is the promise we made back then. We will not leave until the Wild Swamp is eradicated!"

The Great Sage Karl in the painting and the centaur ancestors of the Thousand Bows clan were easy to recognize, but Irene couldn't find the "Emperor of Ashes".

Until Tago pointed to the dark figure in the painting whose entire body was covered by a cloak.

Irene: "?"

"This is the ancient Ash Emperor? He doesn't look quite like the pictures online."

Tago raised an eyebrow and silently repeated several times in his mind that the female human opposite him was their savior before he could suppress his hardening fist.

However, regarding the other person present...

The dragon girl glanced at the young girl.

But this time

No longer expressionless.

"So once the Wild Swamp is gone, there's no point in you staying here, right?"

What do you mean?

Tago looked at the female dragon-human demi-human who stood up and asked the question. Although he didn't understand, he still nodded.

And then.

"Lord Liao Ji, may I go with her to eliminate the source of the swamp?"

The Dragon Girl immediately asked Liao Ji, then pointed at Yilin, clearly referring to the young girl.

And at the end, the Dragon Girl added a special sentence.

"The Wild Swamp is too dangerous, so Lord Liao, you don't need to come along."

"Let it be."

“Let’s go together. I promise you I will protect her and make sure her life is not in danger.”

The review process doesn't allow detailed descriptions of symptoms, so all relevant symptom information in the testimonials was removed.

Chapter 117 A loser must have the posture of a loser.

Wild swamp.

The filthy black mud that Irene encountered before was just the basic part of the swamp's outward expansion, but as she and Xiaoyou went deeper, the surrounding scenery began to become more and more distorted.

The trees were no longer just bare; their branches and trunks were growing in irregular, twisted shapes. The stench in the air was getting stronger and stronger, almost unbearable. The area of ​​the muddy swamp was so vast that you had to watch your step after just a few steps.

Irene glanced furtively at Xiao You beside her and saw that the new demi-human next to this old antique still had that cold face, as if he had no sense of smell and was completely unaware of the stench. So Irene forced herself to endure it and did not cover her nose with her hand.

After all!

She didn't want to lose to this arrogant newcomer!

When Xiao You suddenly requested to spend time alone with her to solve the Wild Swamp together, and didn't allow the old antique to come along, Irene sensed a hint of "hostility."

This left her both confused and a little aggrieved, as she didn't seem to have provoked Xiao You at all.

However, this feeling quickly turned into a temper, so upon hearing Xiao You's words, before the old man could even speak, she preemptively agreed. She wanted to see what Xiao You was up to.

However, it had been a while since they parted ways with the old antique. Irene waited for a long time, but Xiao You beside her didn't make any move. She was still the same as before, just coldly silent.

As they ventured deeper into the swamp, the filthy monsters that had previously attacked the camp became more and more numerous, and some of them could no longer be avoided simply by circling around them.

Irene looked at the two- or three-meter-tall, bear-like, filthy mutated monster blocking her way, and a smile crept onto her lips.

My chance has come.

The filthy monsters that attacked the Thousand Bows Camp that she had previously repelled were too weak to show her true strength, but the one in front of her was much better. Irene took the lead and charged forward alone without giving the Dragon Girl a chance.

The Great Annihilation skill was activated instantly, and her aura rose to its peak in just a few blinks. The crimson greatsword that Irene had deliberately posed in the most gorgeous way followed the girl's high leap and transformed into a scarlet sword beam that slashed towards the bear monster.

puff!

A large gash was immediately ripped open on the bear monster's body, and blood mixed with filthy black mud gushed out. However, Irene deliberately did not attack any vital organs. After successfully striking, she continued to unleash sword shadows around the bear monster's massive body.

Each of her strikes left deep sword marks on the bear monster, while the bear monster, despite possessing the strength to smash rocks with a single claw, couldn't even touch the hem of Irene's clothes. It could only be worn down to death by the girl's sword strikes. From an outsider's perspective, it looked as if Irene was easily toying with it.

Boom!

With a heavy thud, the bear monster's battered body finally collapsed, unable to rise again. Irene, satisfied, sheathed her greatsword and returned to Xiao You's side, who had witnessed the entire battle, looking completely relaxed without even breaking a sweat.

"This big guy is pretty strong, but it's a pity. He has a lot of brute strength but doesn't know any fighting skills. So, Xiao You, you must pay more attention to this. It's okay if you encounter some stupid enemies, but if it's someone like me, no matter how strong you are, it's useless if you can't fight back."

Irene, speaking in an old-fashioned tone, was giving her earnest guidance. The reason she was so delighted when she saw the bear monster was because this kind of monster was typically strong but clumsy, which was perfect material for her to show off to Xiaoyou.

Xiao You's ability to lift a stone hammer weighing several hundred kilograms with one hand is indeed impressive. In terms of strength, the demi-human race definitely has an absolute advantage, which is why Irene started by focusing on combat skills.

But Irene soon realized she was wrong.

Her words did have an effect; Xiao You finally reacted to her, but the reaction was a bit strange.

Under Irene's puzzled gaze, the dragon girl walked to the side of a polluted tree and broke off a branch.

Before the girl could speak again, the dragon girl's gaze immediately locked onto another filthy monster roaming nearby. Then, Irene only felt a blur before her eyes, and the dragon girl vanished from her spot. When she came to her senses again...

"...??!"

When Irene saw the dragon girl standing in front of the monster as if she were joking, using a tree branch as a weapon, she was dumbfounded and quickly filled with anxiety and panic.

No matter what, she is an elder. If the newcomer gets hurt, how will she explain it to the old fogies?

But the next moment, Irene's figure, which was about to rush over to help save people, came to an abrupt halt. She stood there like a wooden figure, her mouth agape, her face filled with disbelief.

Yes.

The dragon maiden didn't even give Irene a chance to intervene. The tree branch in her hand became like the sharpest sword in the world, and every strike left a bloody hole in the monster, just like the one Irene had just fought.

Jiuyou did not kill the monster in front of her directly, but instead completely replicated the same technique that Yilin had used. After the monster crashed to the ground, she sheathed her sword—no, she put away the tree branch.

When Longniang returned to Yilin, who was still standing there dumbfounded, Jiuyou raised an eyebrow and simply uttered three words.

"Want to learn?"

"I...I...I only..."