One-Eyed Monster

After crawling out of the cave within the hill, Igor felt significantly lighter, almost as if he were floating.

The end of the cave, or to be precise, the end of the tunnel through the hill, was indeed a low-lying area.

The tunnel exit was about half a person's height above the ground. Igor had to jump to get down. After landing, he found the view outside quite attractive.

"Wow!" Kadi's excitement was beyond words. All their previous guesses had been correct. The place that looked like a white, misty expanse in the distance was the legendary marsh!

What made Kadi's jaw drop even more was that he could vaguely see a Stone House not far away!

That Stone House was unmistakably Guru Guru's residence!

I guess dreams aren't that hard to achieve after all. At least now, I can touch him with just one hand! Kadi thought, his heart swelling with pride.

"So this is the White Swamp you were talking about!" Igor let out a long sigh of relief. After such a long, unknown road, they had finally reached an expected destination. Oh, no, to be precise, they had crawled here, not walked.

"Yes, it's a swamp. A white one." Kadi's voice still trembled, clearly from excitement.

Igor glanced up at the sun. The sunlight was no longer fierce; it had completely withdrawn its brilliance, leaving only a faint glow that dyed the surrounding sky red.

It seemed evening was approaching. In this winter season, it wouldn't be long before darkness fell.

The red afterglow poured onto the ground, bathing the expansive white marshland in magical colors. Some parts looked purplish-red, while others, upon closer inspection, seemed golden yellow…

A gust of wind blew past. The vast white expanse undulated, like obedient children nodding continuously, or like elderly people gently waving, awaiting their families' return.

Igor now understood why this marsh was called the White Swamp.

The area around this marsh was filled with white vegetation—fluffy reed catkins and soft foxtail grass. When the wind blew, they swayed one after another, echoing the vast expanse of white clouds gradually dimming in the sky.

However, a marsh, after all, is a marsh—a monster that looks ordinary but can actually devour people. For the moment, Igor didn't dare act rashly.

An excited Kadi scratched his ears and cheeks. He naturally knew the dangers of a marsh, so amidst his excitement, there was also a sense of urgency. The longed-for destination was right before his eyes, seemingly within reach, but this white marsh separated him from it. How could he not be anxious?

"How should we get across?" Kadi fixed his gaze on Igor, his eyes full of expectation.

"It's getting late. Let's wait until tomorrow to figure something out," Igor suggested, looking around for a suitable place to spend the night. After searching, the cave they had just come from still seemed the most suitable.

As for dinner, Igor wasn't worried at all. This marsh was indeed rich in resources. He had already seen several large birds flying away from the marsh with fish in their beaks…

"The marsh is a monster. We can't act rashly without knowing anything. We need to come up with a plan," Igor consoled Kadi. His clothes were still damp, and he could only hope for some luck with the flint to make a fire.

"You're right. I was too impatient. Anyway, it's right in front of me now. There's no need to rush this little bit of time." Igor's words always made sense to Kadi, who willingly reined in his emotions.

"There are plenty of ingredients here. We can have a feast tonight! Finally, we can eat meat!" Igor's eyes almost popped out. He was completely unaware of the chill still on his body.

The White Swamp was indeed rich in resources. Before long, Kadi and he had caught several fish in a shallow pool.

Being near the marsh, Igor and Kadi dared not wander about. But the birds flying back and forth before their eyes were quite an eyesore, mainly due to the bit of unwillingness in their hearts—watching so much meat fly around, yet unable to enjoy it.

Igor's damp flint was somewhat cooperative; KLAK KLAK, it still produced a few sparks, but these sparks were completely insufficient to start a fire.

"This fire won't light!" As darkness gradually fell, Igor was still trying to start a fire.

"Is this the only way to summon fire? I remember you said before there were many ways to summon fire," Kadi said, resting his chin in his hand, watching the flints Igor was striking together.

"Uh, for now, I only know this ordinary method." Igor naturally knew there were many ways to start a fire, but he wasn't a Wizard who could naturally summon flames, nor was he an Ancient Hunter like Stan Sol who could treat fire as a pet.

He, Igor, was just a minor Adventurer enthusiast. It could be said that he hadn't even stepped into the circle of Adventurers with Class yet. Apart from Spirit Sensing, he knew nothing about Adventurers with Class; he was a complete layman.

To expect someone like Igor to casually summon fire? Heh, what a joke.

But Kadi didn't know any of this. He believed Igor was omnipotent and could solve anything.

"How can we eat grilled fish without fire? I don't want to chew on raw fish. That stuff stinks to high heaven! Only barbaric people eat that stuff." Kadi waved his hand; he had no desire to eat uncooked food.

"But there's no fire," Igor surrendered. The soaked flint simply couldn't strike a spark.

"Could it be…" Before Kadi could finish, the White Swamp beside them started making strange GURGLE GURGLE sounds.

GURGLE GURGLE. Parts of the marsh seemed to be roiling, sounding like boiling soup.

Then, HISS—a piercing sound shot into the air. This sound immediately attracted Kadi and Igor, who turned their heads and widened their eyes, searching for its origin.

The sound indeed came from above the marsh.

Above the marsh, a large series of Flame Tongues intermittently erupted, growing more numerous and fiercer.

"Is this the favor of the heavens? We get what we wish for. These flames are truly a gift from heaven!" Kadi's first reaction to these flames was excitement; he finally wouldn't have to eat raw fish.

"Is this the wrath of an Earth Dragon? Are these flames meant to make us despair?" Igor was dumbfounded. How a marsh could spew flames was simply too incredible.

The erupting Flame Tongues were like leaping fish, rising and falling.

This marsh was truly extraordinary. With so many flames, so many Living Beings could still survive. He wondered how these fish and birds managed to evade these flames.

"It would be great if these flames could spurt a little higher," Kadi said with a look of anticipation, as if these flames posed no threat to him at all.

"Why would you want them to spurt higher?" Igor didn't understand Kadi's logic.

"That way, maybe we could have some roasted bird meat."

"Heh, then we can forget about crossing," Igor chuckled.