Chapter 258: An Accidental Encounter
Although Allsop Marsh was said to be the place in Bryston where the element of life was most abundant, Zhou Ning's first impression of it was still eerie.
The ground was covered in pitch-black stagnant water and mud. Now and then, the skeleton of some animal appeared in sight. Ahead, darkness stretched endlessly, as if countless unknown dangers lurked everywhere.
"Stay close to me." Zhou Ning glanced at the few players and said lightly.
Although players wouldn't truly die, each death still cost them experience. In this place, if one wasn't careful, they could end up dying over and over, unable to stop the losses.
The swamp teemed with all kinds of monsters. Among them was even a man-eating race that looked disturbingly like Titans from the comics, called the Marsh Pygmies, who lived deep in the swamp.
They were said to be descendants of the ancient Modorik people, warped by their worship of an evil god and forced to retreat into the marshlands.
Short and twisted in nature, they were addicted to cannibalism. Each one was a natural beast-tamer, raising venomous swamp lizards as mounts, darting about with great speed. Though their talents often landed them in circuses, there was no doubt that running into them in the swamp was revolting in the extreme.
Zhou Ning took out his compass that never pointed north. This exploration mission required him to find two followers of the Goddess of Life who had gone missing during a hike in Allsop Marsh of Southwells County. Alive or dead, the only hope was that they hadn't been captured by the Marsh Pygmies.
Compared to last time, the compass was quite cooperative. The needle quivered once and then pointed straight to the southeast, deeper into the marsh.
"That must be some kind of magical item, right?" The players looked on in surprise at Zhou Ning's action, each speculating aloud.
Zhou Ning only smiled faintly without responding. After confirming the compass's direction, he began threading his way through the swamp. Compared to the forest, the marsh's monsters were mostly elemental creatures. With his powerful Observation Haki, Zhou Ning walked as if at ease. But when he passed a patch of foggy mire, a sudden image flashed in his mind.
In that image, a massive figure lunged out of the mist and rushed straight at him.
Without a second thought, Zhou Ning activated evasive shooting, darting back as he pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The huge figure had only just closed in when Zhou Ning shot it square in the face, sending it flying backward.
Now he could see what had attacked him.
It was a Life Element Lord, about three meters tall. Its entire body was covered with green and black tumors, its cyan-green skin mottled with black spots, oozing cyan poison, a terrifying sight.
As combat initiated, its information appeared.
Life Element Lord
Level: 61
Age: 355 years
Attributes: Strength 140, Agility 115, Stamina 178, Spirit 88, Willpower 105, Charisma 15
Rank: BOSS
Emotion: Angry
HP: 4569/5050
Status: Healthy
Special Traits: Immune to Poison; Gigantic Creature (Life +1000, Attack +72); Fear of Fire (Fire Resistance −50%) [More Unknown]
Skills: Poison Fog (Advanced), Healing (Expert), Vine Entangle (Intermediate) [More Unknown]
"Finally, a boss-level creature!" Zhou Ning felt a surge of delight. These Life Element Lords didn't have much HP, their defenses were weak. Though their attacks were deadly, against someone with Observation Haki like him, they were practically free kills.
The Life Element Lord, blasted back by the shot, crashed to the ground with a booming impact, raising clouds of dust.
Zhou Ning swiftly pulled out a Yu-Gi-Oh! card—a magic card, Raigeki. Triggered through his Stand's ability, a massive bolt of lightning split the sky, striking the Life Element Lord, making its body convulse violently.
The only drawback of his Stand ability was that cards became useless afterward. Once manifested, the card turned blank. He'd need to restock later.
Without pause, he drew his Ebony and Ivory pistols, aimed coldly, and pulled the triggers again.
Two ripple-charged bullets wrapped in scorching flames shot out, striking the target with precision.
–796! –1193!
Golden flames roared across the Life Element Lord's body as it let out a distorted scream.
Zhou Ning's Ripple energy was this type of elemental creature's bane. After another three bullets, the Life Element Lord's massive body collapsed with a crash.
[You killed Life Element Lord (Lv61). You gained 48,000 experience points.]
[Progress: Kill or defeat 10 boss-level creatures above level 60: 1/10]
[Party: Captain Wayne Sturwell killed Life Element Lord. Damage Contribution: 0%. Over-level kill EXP bonus: 380%. You gained 45,960 EXP.]
Watching their experience bars soar, the players were both shocked and thrilled. They had done nothing but follow the main character, yet he had finished everything in a flash.
That speed was insane.
For them, farming a dungeon for that much EXP would take at least three hours. Once again, they savored the sheer bliss of clinging to a powerhouse's leg.
"Don't stray too far." Zhou Ning reminded them as he collected the loot dropped by the Life Element Lord. Standing still, he sensed his surroundings for two seconds, then suddenly stopped, frowning slightly.
Not far away, hidden in a patch of tall grass, Richie Burke crouched with over twenty Northland sailors, peering toward this side.
His expression twisted with frustration. Damn it! Why did this bastard show up everywhere? If only he had an alchemy bomb right now, he'd gladly go down with him!
One sailor whispered in his ear, "Captain, I saw him pick up some valuable alchemy material. No matter how strong he is, he's just one man. Should we jump him and take it?"
"Yeah, let's do it! A true Northlander never misses such a chance." The others rubbed their hands eagerly.
"No, we retreat. Caution first. Remember, the reason we've survived this long isn't strength—it's caution, caution, and more caution." Richie Burke gritted his teeth, raising his hand to stop them. As they pressed themselves lower, he realized with dread that the man ahead had already vanished, leaving only a few sidekicks glancing around curiously.
Then, a familiar voice spoke right behind him.
"Well, what a coincidence. We meet again."
From afar, the pressure hadn't been noticeable. But up close, an overwhelming force pressed down on them. Their bodies froze, pupils constricting sharply, like prey cornered by a natural predator, unable to lift their heads.
Slowly, Richie Burke and his men turned around. Zhou Ning stood there, hands in his pockets, gazing at them with a relaxed smile, the hem of his coat swaying in the wind.
Handsome, seemingly without hostility—yet inexplicably terrifying, cold sweat pouring down their backs.
At that moment, Richie Burke almost wanted to flop down and pretend to be seaweed. Without hesitation, he raised both hands high. "I surrender! I mean no harm!"
Zhou Ning: …
He was a little taken aback himself. Perhaps it was the Pirate Codex's 50% intimidation against pirates, combined with the Pirate Emperor title's additional 50%. The two stacked together for 100% intimidation, enough to make the already wary Richie Burke surrender instantly.
"Then can you tell me what you're doing here?" Zhou Ning asked casually.
Damn it, why ask that? Richie Burke stayed silent for two seconds, then grudgingly answered, "We're searching for a treasure—a treasure belonging to Storm Wilt and Overalls Jaquin."