Taking advantage of the fact that the monsters were stunned by the demonic flame in his hand, Grim quickly walked out of the small path. He pushed aside the soil at the foot of a killer tree and used the demonic flame to force open the thick roots. Only then did he see the materials that he had to harvest today.
Between the messy roots of the Killer Tree and the shining white human bones, there were thumb-sized rhizomes. Some were white, some were red, and some were purple. Grim suppressed the annoyance in his heart and used his knife to pick three purple pearls. He carefully placed them in his waist pouch and quickly returned to the small path.
He had no choice. This was one of the tasks that he had to complete. Otherwise, he would rather die than take a step out of the small path! Even though he had moved so quickly, the monsters that had just escaped had already gathered again. The vines on the killer tree where he had been squatting had already lowered their vines.
If he had been slightly slower, it would have been difficult for him to escape without going through a massacre!
Just now, he had used his elemental sight to find the one with the mature rhizomes. Normally, he would need to frequently enter and exit the small path to search for them. That way, the danger he was in would increase as he entered and exited the area.
After walking along the small path for a few hundred meters, he left the living area of the killer trees. In front of him was a horrifying ghost tree that spanned across the gravel path. The vines that hung down from the tree were like living creatures, wriggling non-stop.
Grim pulled out the magic amulet that represented his identity from his neck and softly chanted the secret spell that every wizard apprentice must know.
"Muhantoria Shinro."
When the secret spell was completed, a formless and mysterious force burst forth from the amulet that looked like a black cross and quickly engulfed every inch of the surrounding space.
Grim's mind quickly rang with an urgent alert.
[Abnormal force field detected. A.I. Chip's function is being interfered with …]
The A.I. Chip's voice became weaker and weaker. Finally, it became an ear-piercing noise and no longer moved.
However, Grim did not care. He raised the magic amulet high and strode forward. As he approached, the vines retreated and curled up, finally creating a desolate path for him.
After patrolling the Killer Trees and Vampiric Vines' territory, it was time to enter the Baby Monsters' paradise. Grim's heart was filled with unconcealable fear towards that place.
After passing through the Eerie Ghost Tree, they arrived at the Whispering Garden.
Both sides of the path were filled with large and small barren flowerbeds and abandoned gardens, which were filled with gray and endless monsters.
The unique climate and environment of the Magic Swamp made it a paradise for Baby Demons, Banshees, and Flower Spirits. A large group of twisted monsters that only knew how to satisfy their own appetites gathered here. Every living being that broke into this place would eventually fall under their endless malicious infection and illusions, becoming fertilizer for the special plants that loved death and resentment.
Groups of Human Face Mushrooms clustered on both sides of the road. They held hands and sang cheerful songs, enthusiastically inviting Grim to join them. This little thing looked like a small mushroom with hands and feet. It was famous because the markings on its canopy resembled a human face.
Even if these mushrooms had hands and feet, they wouldn't reach the height of a human's calf. However, when they gathered together and jumped and laughed, Grim could feel a deep chill spreading all over his body.
"Warning … Warning … Detected a special force field affecting the host … Please leave this area in time …"
Grim kept stepping back. When he was a little further away from the mushrooms, the chill on his body began to fade.
Although these mushrooms looked cute, they were real carnivorous monsters. They were so cruel that they wouldn't even let go of the souls of their prey. Their bodies were white mushrooms that had been contaminated with dense dark elements. Every single one of them had very weak hallucinogenic abilities, which was not enough to capture large creatures like humans.
However, they were social creatures.
When hundreds and thousands of mushrooms gathered together, they could create a mirage-like illusion field, causing the bewitched creatures to be immersed in it without knowing it. Therefore, when a group of mushrooms pounced on the victim and started feasting on them, the victim would still be immersed in some unknown fantasy space with a smile on his face.
For official Magi, these simple hallucinogenic mushrooms were good ingredients for magic potions. However, for an acolyte like Grim, every time he patrolled this area, he would have to risk his life being lured to death by these little monsters.
If Grimm could not resist the illusionary domain of the Human Face Mushrooms and was lured into the flowerbed, the Human Face Mushrooms would be able to feast on him without violating the contract!
Therefore, when faced with these sinister monsters that were laughing and gathering around him, Grim grinned and took out an egg-sized round stone from his pouch. He threw it into the dense group of mushrooms.
In the next moment, a light blue lightning flashed, and five mushrooms that were clustered together fell to the ground without a sound. The other mushrooms that weren't affected by the lightning scattered in all directions, hiding in the bushes, bushes, and behind trees.
Grim quickly walked to the side of the five mushrooms and put them into his pouch. Then, he picked up the round stone and quickly retreated to the gravel path.
This was the thunder stone he bought at a high price from his acolyte, Rex. After vibrating, it could release forked lightning with an energy of 5 points, which was perfect for dealing with the weak life force of the mushrooms. After all, his own Burning Hand was not suitable for capturing, so he had to think of another way.
After being frightened, the mushrooms no longer dared to show themselves. However, countless cold gazes and whispers accompanied Grim, causing his hair to stand on end.
These mushrooms were materials that had to be harvested during patrolling missions. Therefore, after completing this mission, Grim continued along the winding path, not daring to stay any longer.
To be honest, this was the dangerous area with the highest death rate for acolytes.
After leaving the flowerbed where the mushrooms were raised, Grim quickly arrived at the area where the Infant Demons lived.
Infant Demons were small monsters that had shriveled bodies like human babies, dragging strange things that looked like umbilical cords behind them. They crawled on the ground, and their speed was also very fast. Their voices were even more ear-piercing, like the cries of babies.
These Infant Demons weren't real babies, but a more terrifying type of monster. They were born with innate abilities similar to "curse words." In other words, a portion of their words would resonate with their powerful consciousnesses and become reality. This was basically an unlimited prayer spell.
Unfortunately, they were all evil creatures with extremely twisted minds, and their hearts were filled with malicious curses and hatred. Therefore, don't expect them to bestow you any good blessings. All you could get was a torrent of curses and insults.
When dozens of Infant Demons gathered together and unleashed the most vicious curse at a single target, even a Violent Earth Bear would be infected by the layers of malice, turning into a soft-footed crab, and then at their mercy.
To walk among such a group of lunatics, one really needed a super strong and firm heart and will. Otherwise, one's skin and bones would be torn apart at any moment, and one's soul would also fall into their hands, becoming one of the many lost souls in this Whispering Garden.
These special types of monsters all had their own territories, and they wouldn't easily trespass. Otherwise, it was not impossible for them to start a war between monsters.
Therefore, when Grim trotted along the winding path, the surrounding desolate garden grass was filled with strange sighs and groans. He didn't dare to stay here any longer. He could only hold the talisman tightly in front of his chest and walk forward with his head down.
Finally, before the sharp and ear-piercing baby cries filled his ears, Grim had already rushed out of the Whispering Garden and turned into another path.
As a patrolling acolyte, Grim's daily task was to find out the movements of monsters around the tower every seven days, as well as harvest some suitable ingredients. This was almost all of Grim's tasks.
The area he was currently patrolling was still in the inner area of the Magic Swamp, and there were very few outsiders who could break into this area. After all, the monsters cultivated by the sorcerers were extremely dangerous. Even the sorcerer-apprentices wearing witchcraft amulets might not be able to guarantee their safety. Those ordinary humans who wanted to sneak in here to steal the sorcerers' resources were even risking their lives.
To be honest, it was difficult for such mortals to even pass through the outer area of the Magic Swamp.
However, according to Grim's knowledge, sometimes the wizard tower would intentionally release some of the outer restrictions, and even take the initiative to lure some mortals into the depths of the swamp. And at that time, it was usually the time when the magical creatures in the inner circle could feast and celebrate!
The wizard tower was a huge ring-shaped tower. The geographical environment around its base was extremely complicated, and the distribution of monsters was even more irregular. Therefore, at least two apprentices were required to patrol each time. One would go in the direction of the main gate, and the other would go in the opposite direction. They would follow a fixed route through most of the monsters' living areas. They would set off from the main gate of the tower and meet up at the back gate. After completing such a closed circle, their patrol mission would basically be completed.
Every patrol mission would bring them four knowledge points and a certain amount of gold coins. Compared to the other tower missions, the reward of knowledge points was extremely generous. But even so, many sorcerer-apprentices who thirsted for knowledge still flinched at the sight of patrolling missions and avoided them.
Apart from that, the death rate of the patrol mission was definitely the highest among all the tower missions! There was no one else.
For this patrol, Grim took the reverse route, which required him to pass through the Killer Forest, the Human-faced Mushroom Farm, and the Whispering Garden. The other wizard apprentice, Tony, was walking in the main ring, so it was not much safer than him. After all, the Swamp Crocodiles, the old lady, and the Parasite Queen were not to be trifled with!
Especially when harvesting the crocodiles' eggs and cocoons, they had to go deep into their nests. This made the patrol mission even more dangerous. Therefore, when Grim saw Tony at the back gate of the tower, he was very pleased with his luck.
The two of them did not talk much after seeing each other. They just nodded and entered the tower.
Waiting for them was the head apprentice, Ankeso. After handing over the mission items, the two of them were completely free for the next six days. As for the knowledge points, Ankeso used a special method to record them into their talismans.
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