All around us were strange, small beasts of every kind. Some looked like balls of fur with four hooved feet and scaled bodies; others resembled sheep but were much smaller, with only a single horn—about the size of a puppy.
Everything here was bizarre, completely unlike the living world. There were birds that looked like eagles, sometimes swooping down into the swamp. But their feet were not talons—they were clusters of tiny suction cups shaped like toilet lids, perfectly gripping the black Bog Serpents below.
"The pointed end is the head."
Kane said, and I responded with a quiet 'oh,' watching the Bog Serpents move. Sure enough, it was always the pointed end that moved first. Their behavior was much like earthworms burrowing into the swamp, then emerging after a while.
I looked at the swamp, stretching all the way to the edge of the island. From a distance, it seemed huge—up close, it felt even bigger.
"This place takes up about a tenth of the whole island. There are lots of big creatures living here—multi-armed monsters."
I replied softly, quietly watching. The scene before me was strangely harmonious: all kinds of beasts came here just to catch and eat Bog Serpents. There was no fighting or killing between them.
"The creatures in here wait until enough prey has gathered, then they act. What we need to do is drag the big ones out of the swamp and kill them at that moment. Ethan Zhang, your sniper rifle might not be able to take down these monsters, but if you want to survive, you have to hunt them."
I nodded. Kane's words were clear. The weapons I forged from Deathbane Aura were perfect for hunting Wraith Enforcers, but just being able to shoot down a Razorbeak from the sky wasn't enough to interest them—we needed bigger prey.
"Do you have a way to reach the upper island?"
Kane turned and pointed to the towering forest behind us.
"There are more flying beasts living in there. I can’t get you up there alone. We Wraith Enforcers aren’t like ghosts—when wounded, unless our ghost souls keep producing ghost energy, we can’t recover quickly. For us, ghost energy comes from food, especially humans. Eat one, and you recover fast."
"So, have you ever seen any humans here before?"
Kane shook his head.
"It’s instinctive. The moment we see a human, the urge to devour them is overwhelming. It’s as natural as a baby’s urge for milk—born within us."
At that moment, bubbles began to burst in the swamp. I stared intently, watching them form, my breath slow and steady as I gathered Deathbane Aura in my hands, weaving it together until it solidified into a grenade launcher.
I opened the chamber, loaded a green-tinted bullet marked with a spirit serpent into the gun.
"This thing should be able to handle those monsters."
Kane said nothing. He simply spread his wings, black ghost energy rippling across his body.
Some of the animals kept hunting Bog Serpents in the swamp.
"These Bog Serpents sleep in the swamp. The big ones here have parasitic worms on their bodies, which contain a lot of energy. They attract the small beasts from all around. Even if it's risky, they have to come and hunt for food."
I could already feel the ground trembling slightly. The Wraith Enforcer flew up into the air, more than ten meters high.
Suddenly, I saw in the swamp a purple tentacle, like a giant eel, shoot out and instantly coil around one of the beasts still feeding. The tentacle was as thick as a human shoulder, lightning-fast, and there were hundreds of them, dragging the animals down into the swamp.
Kane flew over, dodging the tentacles that whipped through the air with incredible speed. Then he grabbed the ones trying to retract, yanking them together and quickly tying them off.
More and more bubbles rose from the swamp, and the ground began to tremble. I raised my grenade launcher, waiting silently. At that moment, all the tentacles around struck at Kane, whipping like lashes. In an instant, they wrapped tightly around him. He roared, wings beating furiously, but his legs were still pinned.
The swamp began to surge as something emerged. My finger was already on the trigger, aimed at the swamp. With a shout, I saw a flash of red, like two giant lanterns.
"Go! Ethan Zhang."
Kane shouted. In front of us, a monstrous creature appeared, covered in black sludge. A huge, round head was dragged out, with a wide, circular mouth. The tentacles came from its mouth, and all around were exposed eyes, like a crab.
Kane's arms and legs were already pinned. He struggled, tearing at the tentacles. With a bang, I pulled the trigger, firing a green grenade at the monster's head.
There was a deafening explosion. I was stunned—the blast happened, but it wasn’t as powerful as I’d hoped. One of the eyes stared at me, and a tentacle whipped toward me. With a snap, I pulled out my Deathbane Shotgun.
The tentacles lashed out with a sharp, scraping sound, but my Deathbane Shotgun chopped off several of them. Kane was still struggling to drag the monster toward me.
The monster was furious now. Below, the tentacles moved like strands of candied hawthorn, gradually dragging Kane out. But at this moment, Kane was completely pinned, and the tentacles quickly pulled toward the mouth. I cried out in panic, my heart racing.
Suddenly, an automatic rifle appeared in my hands. I fired a jet-black bullet into the multi-armed monster’s body, but it was like a stone sinking in the ocean—it only made the creature angrier.
I panicked. Suddenly, there was a thunderous roar and a surge of force. Kane, in a flash, punched the monster near its mouth. The roar grew even louder. I saw every tentacle on the monster's body, thicker and stronger than before, like legs, and I kept retreating.
A mass of sludge crushed the trees, and the multi-armed monster lurched forward. With two swift slashes, I chopped off more tentacles, then drew my Deathbane Shotgun from my back, aiming at the monster. The dense, bristling tentacles came rushing toward me.
With a bang, a wave of force sent me crashing to the ground. Black blood streamed from my eyes, mouth, and nose.
There was another colossal crash. Two thick, leg-like tentacles were severed by my Deathbane Shotgun, but the monster still struggled, trying desperately to eat Kane. I never imagined the creatures here would be so terrifying. I had to do something. In my mind, the shape of a weapon appeared, floating into existence.
During two years in the Forest of Desire, I became familiar with all kinds of weapons. But many were too complex to create, requiring immense power and perfect harmony with Deathbane Aura. The strength of my ghost soul was always the greatest challenge.
Ghost energy was still unusable. Once released, it would be swallowed instantly by the dense atmosphere. I raised both hands, holding a staff as if something heavy rested on my shoulders.
"You seven—help me. Protect my ghost soul."
I shouted. Deathbane Aura began to condense around my shoulders, first forming a tube, then gradually morphing into a trigger, a scope, and other equipment. The shape became clear—a fire arrow launcher, like a forged sword, appeared on my shoulder.
"Zhu Tang, load the rounds."
I shouted, and from my left shoulder, a jet of black shot out. Then a fire arrow round landed in front of me with a clang. I grabbed it and loaded it into the launcher.
Kane stared at the scene, eyes wide. I held my breath, watching as the multi-armed monster crawled toward me, already dragged to my feet.
"If this shot doesn't finish you, maybe we're all done for."
I managed a smile and pulled the trigger. With a clang, a fire arrow round blazing with black flames shot toward the monster's head. In an instant, my body began to collapse from the force, turning into black particles as my skin split open.
With a deafening crash, a massive explosion erupted before my eyes. Black light swallowed everything. Huge flames roared, and a violent wind knocked down the trees around us. I was flying through the air.
My consciousness was fading. I glimpsed a figure—its skin torn and bleeding in places. It was Kane. In a flash, he flew to my side, grabbed me with his powerful arms, and soared upward.
The flames gradually died down. I stared in disbelief—the head with the mouth and eyes was gone. All around the swamp, small pits were slowly being filled with sludge. The multi-armed monster had stopped moving, its huge body collapsed on the ground outside the swamp, not fully out of the mud yet.
"We did it, Ethan Zhang. Well done."
I let out a gasp as my consciousness slowly faded.