Asdras perched on a gnarled branch, the rough bark biting into his back as he struggled to steady his breath. Below him, the swamp stretched out, a desolate expanse of murky water and half-submerged trees.

Fog clung to the twisted trunks, its ghostly tendrils weaving through skeletal branches that clawed at the sky. The air was thick with the stench of decay, a nauseating blend of rotting vegetation and stagnant water.

Pools of brackish water dotted the landscape, their surfaces shimmering with an oily sheen. Reeds and cattails jutted from the mire, swaying gently in the faint breeze.

The ground was a treacherous plot of damp earth, with deceptively solid patches giving way to sucking mud with each tentative step. Shadows danced in the mist, the faint light of the moon casting eerie reflections that distorted reality.

Silent and still, the swamp held its breath. The only sounds were the distant croak of hidden creatures and the occasional splash as something unseen broke the water's surface.

Asdras retrieved a can of water from his backpack, refreshing himself and calming his nerves enough to stand up. He surveyed his surroundings, contemplating his next move.

‘I'm glad to have escaped from that swarm,’ he thought with relief. ‘But now, where to go?’

He had run far, following the road. During his escape, three spiders pursued him. He managed to defeat two, and by darting sideways, he lost the third among the trees and the terrain.

He tried to orient himself, following what he believed was north. He found himself contemplating his next steps.

Asdras heard it again — the bell ringing. It made him think of his time in Bamor, recalling Joe and the food from Narder.

He pivoted his body to face the pathway alongside the water. With a sigh, he resolved to dirty his boots.

Fixing his backpack and gripping his sword, he walked at a measured pace, ready for anything that might come his way.

As if responding to his vigilance, he felt the ground tremble slightly. The source was ahead, but the dim moonlight obscured his view.

He decided it was wiser to climb another tree and confirm what he had heard.

Asdras attuned his senses to the environment, and he waited for several minutes until he saw it.

Emerging from the shadows was a monstrous lizard, spanning seven meters. Its scales glistened with a dark, oily sheen, mottled with shades of brown and black, blending seamlessly into the swamp's murky hues.

Muscular legs, each ending in formidable claws, moved with deliberate grace. A long, powerful tail dragged through the muck, leaving deep furrows in its wake.

The creature's head was massive, with a wide, flat skull and eyes that glinted like blackened steel in the dim light. Its nostrils flared as it sniffed the air, and a long, forked tongue flicked out, tasting the scent of the night. It moved closer to the water's edge.

As it lowered its head to drink, the moonlight revealed the true horror of its visage. Its mouth opened, revealing rows of serrated teeth, yellowed and stained with the remnants of past meals.

Saliva dripped from its jaws, mingling with the water below. The beast's breathing was a deep, rumbling growl, reverberating through the swamp like distant thunder.

Around the monster, the air seemed to grow colder, the oppressive silence magnifying the sound of each gulp it took.

“Ravaged Swamp Lizard, Rank II,” Asdras read.

"Rank II? How are we supposed to fight it?" Asdras muttered, scratching his nose.

"I hope these creatures are rare; otherwise, I don't see us winning this challenge," he thought, watching the lizard gulping down water.

"Speaking of challenges, I don't even know what kind of thing we need to do. Teacher Zafir told us to destroy the nexus. But what nexus? What is a nexus?" He wondered, sighing deeply.

"Damn, I need to find the others. Wait, I need to signal too."

Asdras recalled their strategy of carving a lute's mark as a sign. He reached for the knife in his backpack and etched it into the bark of the tree, making as little sound as possible. He didn't have any artistic vocation other than playing the lute, so his drawing ended up somewhere between a lute and an amorphous blob.

He nodded to himself, then continued to watch the lizard, hoping it would go away and not turn towards him.

Asdras waited, he felt his strength waning slightly. He frowned and inspected himself, noticing a short but half-inch cut on his left arm. He traced his fingers along the wound, catching his dried blood mixed with a murky yellowish slimy liquid.

"Did the spiders do this?" he pondered, unease creeping into his thoughts.

He sighed, then retrieved the first aid kit from his backpack. Carefully, he cut a small piece of the straps and bandaged the cut, wrapping it tightly to stop any further bleeding.

"Better to be cautious than let it fester," he mused, securing the bandage.

Asdras put his things away and noticed the lizard finishing its drink.

"This strain of mine... It's good, but it's bad," he whispered to himself.

The lizard, now re-energized, stomped around the field, its massive weight causing the ground to tremble. A nearby tree crashed into the water, sending ripples across the swamp.

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Without warning, the creature leaped onto the fallen tree and crossed to the other side with alarming speed.

"Damn..." he muttered, gripping his sword tighter.

Asdras hung onto the tree for a while, ensuring the lizard was truly gone. Once confident, he descended and continued his journey through the swamp, observing the twisted labyrinth of ancient trees around him.

Their gnarled roots twisted like serpents through the muck, and moss draped from their branches, creating a veil of green that obscured the path ahead.

As he trudged forward, he noticed a soft glow emanating from the roots of a nearby tree. Curious, he approached and found a human skeleton, its bones bleached white by time.

Beside the remains lay a small leather bag, partially hidden under a broken spear and a tarnished shield.

"I hope he found peace," Asdras said solemnly, his voice carrying a note of respect.

He took the coins from the leather bag and inspected the shield. Though it was worn, it was still serviceable. He had never trained with a shield, but considering the spiders he had fought earlier, he found the idea of blocking sharp attacks appealing.

Securing the shield to his left arm and gripping the sword in his right, Asdras continued northward. Then he heard a disturbing sound — a mix of muddy earth squelching under heavy weight, the dry crack of bones rattling together, and a metallic clang like a shovel striking a rock.

He paused, readying himself, his blood quickening with adrenaline.

Asdras saw a creature emerging from the cracks of some roots.

A monstrous spider emerged from the cracks in some roots. Its grotesque body spanned nearly the height of a man, with a bloated, pallid abdomen riddled with spines and exoskeleton protrusions.

Each of its eight legs, long and segmented, moved with unnerving precision, ending in sharp, chitinous points that stabbed into the ground with each step.

The creature's multiple, gleaming eyes reflected the dim light with a sinister glint. Mandibles, dripping with viscous saliva, clicked rhythmically, producing a nauseating metallic sound.

A fetid odor emanated from the beast, a putrid mix of decay and damp earth that assaulted Asdras's senses.

The spider pulsed with dark, unnatural energy, its movements accompanied by the sickening sound of mud squeezing and the brittle crack of bones shifting within its body.

Asdras readied himself, his muscles coiling like springs and his eyes fixed on the creature. The words "Plagued Swamp Corpseweaver, Rank I" etched themselves into his mind.

"Plagued?" he muttered, frowning. He recalled the vice director's warnings about creatures twisted by diseases. Plagued creatures could carry serious health issues, even for awakened individuals.

Asdras thought back to what he knew about spiders from the Monster Encyclopedia of the North, Volume 1.

'I must be aware of something that could cause disease,' he thought, recalling the spiders he fought earlier. 'Spiders... their jaws, webs, and hairs. And some are afraid of fire.'

With instincts kicking in, Asdras raised both the shield and sword in protection.

The spider shifted its weight, its body lowering as its legs coiled in unison. In an instant, it launched forward with explosive energy. Asdras barely felt the impact as he was thrown a few meters, using a tree root to avoid falling completely. The shock left him gasping for air.

"Great, just what I needed — spiders with a jumping career," he muttered sarcastically.

Asdras felt a surge of relief in having the shield, which had protected him from what would have been a fatal injury to his chest.

Relieved to have the shield, Asdras used it as leverage, planting it firmly to propel himself backward. He landed behind a massive root just as the spider's jaws clamped down, tearing a chunk from the wood.

Asdras sprinted to the left, weaving between trees and roots for protection. The spider pursued it with unnerving speed, closing the distance rapidly.

It leaped high, landing ten meters ahead of him. Sensing danger, Asdras bent his knees, ready to evade.

The spider's abdomen writhed, releasing jets of webbing. The thick, light strands glimmered with a greenish hue, hinting at a poisonous nature. Asdras dodged some webs, while his shield blocked three. The force nearly pulled him with it, but he let go just in time.

"Well, there goes my security deposit on that shield," Asdras quipped, a wry grin forming despite the dire situation.

The spider prepared to jump again. Asdras closed his eyes, focusing inward. He felt the flame within ignite — a new and strange sensation. For the first time, he let the energy flow freely. As the spider's legs tensed and the ground compressed with force, he sensed it above him.

He heard the spider's legs tense, the ground beneath it compressing with the force. The air vibrated with the impending leap, a rush of wind preceding the creature's launch.

Asdras's eyes snapped open. In one swift motion, he twisted and arched, bringing his sword up in a blazing arc. The flame-engulfed blade struck the spider's underbelly with a searing hiss. Continuing his movement, Asdras rolled diagonally, narrowly evading the spider's crashing form.

As soon as the strike landed, Asdras continued his movement, rolling diagonally to the side. His body moved with fluid precision, narrowly evading the crashing form of the spider as it hit the ground where he had just been.

He was panting, his body trembling with exhaustion, but a surge of euphoria coursed through him. He saw the spider spasming, its legs twitching erratically.

Asdras didn't hear the system's voice as he usually did. Then, the spider rose again, its body nearly falling apart from the slice.

With a final, desperate stroke, it leaped at Asdras, releasing a wave of webs to engulf him.

Asdras barely managed to evade the webs but felt a sharp pain as one of the spider's legs slashed his leg. Seizing his chance, he threw his sword with all his might, the blade striking true and embedding itself in the spider's head.

The system finally spoke, "You killed a Plagued Swamp Corpseweaver, Rank I," followed by another message, "Your core tainted more."

He collapsed onto the ground, panting heavily, and looked at the beast he had slain.

"Well, this is one hell of a first day on the challenge," he muttered darkly, a morbid smile tugging at his lips.

Asdras checked himself, noting the deep gash on his leg. He retrieved his first aid kit and bandaged the wound carefully.

He took more sips of water, the cool liquid soothing his parched throat, contemplating eating a snack to recover his strength, staring at it in his hand as he weighed the need for sustenance against the lurking dangers he could face.

Asdras shook his head, choosing to keep the snack for later. He found it hard to stand up, his legs protesting with each attempt. As he finally managed to get to his feet, he heard the bell again, this time much closer.

The sound startled a flock of birds, their wings flapping frantically as they took to the sky, fleeing the ominous tolling. Mixed with the bell's echo were the familiar, stabbing noises of Grimclaw Spiders moving through the underbrush.

He took three deep breaths, steadying his nerves and focusing his mind. With determination, he started to sprint in the direction of the sound.

After a while, he spotted floating lights in the distance, bobbing like will-o'-the-wisps. They beckoned him forward, promising answers — or perhaps more danger — into the night.