NOVEL NEXT Chapter 130: Into the Dreadful Mire
A day later...
Ryan jolted awake, heart racing, and blinked at the time. It was just past four in the morning. Through the window, the first faint streaks of dawn stretched across the sky.
Yesterday had been a blur. He had pushed his level all the way to thirty-three, leaving the rest of the guild trailing far behind. The sheer pace of his climb had stunned them, and more than a few were left muttering in disbelief.
Naturally, everyone demanded to know his secret. When Ryan finally let slip the truth about the Forest of Decay, the commotion died down. One by one, the guild members split into smaller parties and hurried off to grind for themselves. No one questioned now why the Forest carried such a reputation as the fastest path to power.
By the time he hit level thirty-three, Ryan had already pushed his professional skills forward as well, draining nearly all the rare, high-grade materials he had stockpiled. What little surplus he had left, he turned into early-game top-tier items and placed on the auction house. The sales alone netted him a hefty pile of gold.
With that gold he began buying up what he truly needed: Flamebloom and Icepetal, the two key ingredients that would one day be critical for the Elemental Citadel. At the moment, they went for only three gold per stack. In the future, Ryan knew they would climb tenfold, even reaching thirty.
The herbs grew mainly in the Arid Plains, and it happened to be peak harvest season. Ryan's alt characters moved tirelessly from trader to trader, buying up every stack they could, keeping the price from crashing and ensuring the market never caught wind of just how much was disappearing.
The self-styled "Goblins" of the trading scene—player-merchants who prided themselves on cornering markets—were furious. They had expected prices to drop before swooping in, only to find their plans stonewalled. They railed against Ryan in anger, blaming him for "breaking the economy." But when the price never budged, they gave up and turned their sights elsewhere. By then Ryan had amassed thousands upon thousands of stacks, close to ten thousand in all.
Back in the Arid Plains, he handed in a string of finished quests to various NPCs, pushing the main storyline forward until it unlocked the path to a new region: the Dreadful Mire.
The Mire lay at the heart of the game world, sealed off by a vast forbidden zone that separated it from the Arid Plains. Players could not enter on foot; the only way in was through portals linked to the capital cities. Thankfully, those same portals also offered a quick way out.
The swamp itself was notorious. Giant insects lurked beneath the mud, waiting silently for anyone foolish enough to wander too close. The moment a player strayed into range, the insects would burst upward, dragging them into sudden combat.
But the monsters were not the only danger. Members of the Twilight Cult had entrenched themselves in the swamp, running a hidden facility where they experimented with mutating the insects. The sole dungeon of the region, the Twisted Laboratory, was the product of their work and tied directly to their schemes.
As if that weren't enough, the Mire teemed with reptilian beasts that looked like hulking alligators. Most of them were elite-tier, patrolling the bogs freely, and they had a nasty habit of springing out on solo players who thought themselves safe.
The environment itself conspired against anyone foolish enough to linger. Across the swamp, every player suffered a flat twenty percent movement penalty. Only within the sparse, ramshackle encampments scattered here and there could one receive a blessing that restored speed to normal.
What truly drove players away, however, were the traps. They sprouted at random throughout the zone, each with some crippling effect: poison, paralysis, curse, or worse. One in particular, the Devouring Trap, had become infamous. Stepping into it meant instant death, without exception. Ryan remembered how, in his previous life, a level ninety warrior had ventured here to gather training materials and triggered one. His instant, humiliating death had been the talk of the community for weeks.
Small wonder, then, that players avoided the Mire whenever they could. Its dangers ensured the price of its rare materials only climbed higher with time. For many, it was easier to spend gold at the auction house than set foot in such a miserable, punishing swamp.
Ryan himself had no desire to be there either. The rewards were tempting, yes, but the environment was revolting. Unfortunately, the main storyline gave him no choice. He sighed and stepped through the capital city portal, bracing himself.
The world blurred, then snapped back into focus. His boots sank into damp soil, and the stench of stagnant water filled his nose. All around him came the distant bellows of unseen creatures. He had arrived in the Dreadful Mire.
Fortunately, his entry point was safe. The portal deposited him in the largest neutral camp in the swamp: the Cleansing Grove.
This camp was controlled by the Willmag Research Society, a loose alliance of scholars and biologists drawn from every race of the kingdom. They had come here not to fight or conquer, but to study the bizarre phenomena of the swamp.
Like most factions, their attitude toward newcomers began at Neutral. At Friendly, they offered an Uncommon ring tailored to each class. At Honored, players could earn a fourteen-slot bag—a prize that made them extremely popular, since most Tailor-crafted bags topped out at twelve slots.
At Revered, the Research Society, like the Druidic Order, rewarded players with level 40 Rare-quality gear. Collecting sets from multiple factions was a common strategy for gearing up.
And at Exalted, the Society granted its greatest treasure: an Epic-quality longbow weighted toward Agility and Stamina, the single best pre-dungeon weapon for Hunters. Rogues valued it too, as those stats bolstered their builds, and Warriors who lacked luck in raids often ground out reputation just to claim it.
For Ryan, a Protection Paladin, reaching Revered would be enough. The level 40 Rare gear suited his needs.
He wasted no time and made his way toward the central tent, the largest in the encampment. This was the residence of Green Willmag, the Society's chief representative in the Mire. It was here that Ryan would begin the grind of countless quests: hunting for unique Giant insects, collecting their remains, and hauling them back for study.
Most of these missions were optional, but one in particular stood out. Completing it rewarded a random treasure chest that could contain any schematic in the game, from Common to Epic. The drop depended entirely on luck, but the quest had no limits and could be repeated endlessly. It offered no experience, but it granted hefty reputation gains, making it one of the most coveted tasks for serious crafters.
When Ryan entered the tent, Green Willmag greeted him with a booming laugh, followed by the text of a quest window.
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Those Cowardly Bastards!: Hello, newcomer! Welcome to the Cleansing Grove. Here, you'll experience the warmth of home—assuming your home is a swamp crawling with horrors.
This Dreadful Mire is a dreadful place indeed. Giant insects writhe beneath the muck, and I've lost count of the so-called scholars too frightened to step beyond these walls. Such cowards have no right to call themselves members of the Willmag Research Society!
Yet these insects, terrifying though they are, include many fascinating new species I have never before encountered. I must have samples for study. Bring me what I require, and I will see you well rewarded.
Quest Objective: Unusual Giant insect Body Parts 0/100
Quest Reward: Willmag Research Society Reputation +500, 1 Silver 20 Copper]
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