Raided The God’S Warehouse [EN]: Chapter 138

Chapter 142

Se-un had thought operating with internal energy alone would suffice, but traversing the swamp proved more challenging than he’d anticipated.

As he ventured deeper, the swamp’s viscosity became erratic, with some areas excessively thick and others deceptively submerged like open water.

Despite his skill, Se-un couldn’t run on water, necessitating caution.

After about ten minutes of struggling through the swamp, Se-un, unable to endure the discomfort any longer, activated the Authority of Gluttony.

– The Treasure Vault of Gluttony has been opened.

[Grass Tread Flight]

– A high-level lightness skill, representing mastery of aerial movement, allowing one to run on grass without bending the blades.

Grass Tread Flight.

As the name implied, it was a lightness skill that enhanced agility and reduced the body’s weight.

A high-level aerial technique typically reserved for masters. Se-un, having recently accumulated two cycles’ worth of internal energy, could now utilize this skill.

Taaht!

Se-un’s steps became noticeably lighter.

While not specifically designed for swamps, its unique light steps proved surprisingly effective even in this environment.

The sticky swamp no longer impeded Se-un’s movements, and he smoothly avoided the hidden deep waters like a gust of wind.

He had hesitated to use it due to its higher internal energy consumption compared to ordinary lightness skills, but once activated, he regretted not using it sooner.

While the energy drain was significant, the distance covered made it worthwhile.

‘The path seems correct.’

The toxicity he felt on his skin intensified.

The vibrant maple leaves on the trees were decaying before they could even fall.

This was clearly abnormal.

If the poison were naturally this potent, the trees wouldn’t have grown here in the first place.

Therefore, the poison’s strength had recently increased to a level that even the trees couldn’t withstand, likely due to a specific event.

And probably…….

‘The source is likely ahead.’

Continuing straight towards the increasing toxicity would likely lead him to its origin.

As he moved swiftly with Grass Tread Flight, the surrounding swamp suddenly bubbled and churned.

Instinctively, Se-un kicked off the swamp and leaped into the air.

“Krrr-!”

– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ excitedly grabs a fork, announcing that the prey has finally appeared.

Something long and slender erupted from where Se-un had been standing.

It resembled an eel or earthworm, but lacked sensory organs like eyes or a nose. Instead, it possessed a massive mouth filled with razor-sharp teeth.

A moment’s delay, and it would have bitten off at least one of his legs.

‘The monsters have become stronger, too.’

These weren’t the same monsters Se-un had encountered on the 11th floor before his regression.

The creatures he’d faced when traveling the other way were, at worst, knee-high poison dart frogs or monkeys flinging poisonous fruits.

But here? A monster capable of swallowing a person whole appeared right from the start.

Further ahead, even more formidable monsters would undoubtedly emerge.

“Kulk, Krrr!”

The eel- or earthworm-like creature waited for Se-un to descend, its mouth agape, larger than its head.

The sharp teeth were menacing, but the wriggling, mud-slicked body was utterly repulsive.

He’d rather die than be swallowed by that thing.

– Through internal energy, the first stance of the Blood Wolf Sword Art, Blood Wolf Claw, is enhanced.

Swish!

As Se-un fell, he swung Durendal, bisecting the monster.

The creature, unable to close its gaping maw, sank into the swamp, spewing thick bodily fluids.

While shaking the fluids from his sword, Beelzebub urgently sent messages, prompting Se-un to activate the Authority of Gluttony.

– ‘Trap Hole Fish’ has been devoured.

– Absorbing nutrients increases health by 2.

– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ marvels at the prey’s chewy texture.

– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ glances at you, suggesting that grilling it would make a perfect dish.

Grill it, huh?

It was a bothersome request, but he hadn’t used the Authority of Gluttony even once while resting in Skape after completing the trial on the 10th floor.

Even so, he had never complained about being hungry, so he thought he could grant this request.

– According to the mysteries of the Black Tower, the power of ‘Dark Flare’ is enhanced.

As Se-un anticipated, the monster attacks continued relentlessly.

Alligators that appeared to be 3 meters long and poisonous toads far larger than those he remembered from before his regression. Various monsters that seemed out of place on the 11th floor demonstrated their power.

Each time, Se-un unleashed flames, ending their lives.

Occasionally, some would evade the flames and burrow deep into the swamp, but Ground Wave forced them out with its vibrations.

– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ praises you for your fantastic cooking skills.

It felt like using a butcher knife to kill a chicken—overkill.

Conserving mana and relying on his sword would have sufficed, but satisfying Beelzebub’s appetite was a worthwhile endeavor.

Despite his appearance, he was the owner of the ‘Authority of Gluttony,’ so indulging his appetite when possible was beneficial.

Sizzle-

He could hear the sound of something burning, or rather, melting.

The trees, barely clinging to their leaves before winter, were now completely bare.

The entire tree, starting from the roots, was rotting.

Come to think of it, the monster attacks had also diminished.

They had entered an area where even creatures adapted to poison struggled to survive.

‘Should I take a break?’

Se-un climbed onto a nearby rotten tree.

‘Poison Salamander’s Skin’ was the most effective poison-blocking item among Mamon’s treasures, but it wasn’t foolproof.

It took time for its power to fully integrate and detoxify strong poisons.

As the air’s toxicity steadily increased, Se-un’s skin began to turn green, signaling the need to allow his body to adapt.

Wooong-

While resting, he replenished his internal energy and mana.

The constant use of Grass Tread Flight in the swamp and fire magic for Beelzebub had depleted his reserves.

Meanwhile, he sensed a presence beneath the tree.

Activating the Kilkegaard-style stealth technique to conceal himself, Se-un lowered his breathing and peered down.

‘Lizardmen?’

The reptiles had moist skin and smooth scales. The bipedal creatures, wielding spears and shields, possessed long, dinosaur-like snouts.

Lizardmen.

Their types varied depending on their habitat, but these were adapted to the swamp environment.

Their presence wasn’t inherently strange in a swamp, but something felt off to Se-un.

‘Why are they on the 11th floor?’

Lizardmen were typically prominent from the 12th floor onward.

Their presence on the 11th floor was perplexing.

He wondered if he had inadvertently left the green swamp, but that wasn’t the case.

“Can’t see any prey.”

“It feels quieter than usual.”

“Have the animals here reached a level where they can’t withstand the poison either?”

“Looks like the progress is faster than expected.”

Though their story belonged to the next floor, they spoke the same language as the players due to their close ties to the trials.

This allowed Se-un to eavesdrop on their conversation from the tree.

Despite the distance, his hearing, enhanced by ‘Cobalt’s Odd Ear,’ perfectly captured even their breathing.

“What are we going to do?”

“Let’s go back.”

“What about the food?”

“We mustn’t be caught by the pigs. Let’s report first.”

“Understood.”

– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ is startled, wondering if his existence has been discovered.

Pigs…….

They were likely referring to the Orcs, a key tribe from the next floor.

They probably mistook Se-un’s clearing of the monsters for the poison’s increasing potency.

And their casual mention of the poison…….

‘I should follow them.’

As Se-un suspected, the poison’s source was connected to the Lizardmen.

– Through internal energy, the Kilkegaard-style stealth technique is enhanced.

Se-un, now one with the black, dead tree through stealth, began to tail them.

Following them on foot through the swamp was too risky.

Grass Tread Flight lightened footsteps but didn’t conceal the body.

A misstep into the swamp would immediately reveal his presence.

Whoosh, whoosh!

He recalled the monkey’s power he had used in the tutorial.

That power was used to climb cliffs, but as a monkey, it was also very helpful in climbing trees.

He moved through the trees, suppressing any sound.

Some trees were rotted to the core, posing a risk of noise, but he mitigated this by applying Grass Tread Flight to lighten his steps.

“How much longer now?”

“I don’t know.”

“I heard the pigs are preparing to attack.”

“If they attack first, we’ll welcome it. If we lure them this way, they won’t be able to withstand it.”

He pieced together the situation from their conversation.

The Lizardmen were cultivating poison for their war with the Orcs.

‘Then, that thing back then?’

Before his regression, Se-un had sided with the Orcs and fought the Lizardmen.

At that time, the Lizardmen had deployed a poison so potent that even the swamp-dwelling Orcs couldn’t endure it.

It seemed the poison he had encountered then was created here.

Sizzle-

The toxicity intensified as he followed the Lizardmen.

Despite adapting to some extent with ‘Poison Salamander’s Skin,’ his skin began to turn green again.

But he couldn’t stop now.

He pressed on, even inhaling the antidote Lee Haneul had prepared.

Not long after that.

‘Ugh…….’

– The Constellation, ‘Hungry Prince,’ sniffs at the refreshing scent.

A piercing stench assaulted his nostrils.

What was this smell?

It was a smell he knew all too well from before his regression, a smell he had never grown accustomed to.

It was the stench of rotting corpses.

“Wear it.”

“Understood.”

The toxicity had become so extreme that even the Lizardmen donned leather gas masks and thick gloves.

Extreme poison that even Lizardmen couldn’t handle.

At the center of it all…….

‘Crazy…….’

A mountain of corpses, too high to count, with a foul-smelling flower rooted on top, wriggling.