Chapter 67: Confidence

Dukiel and Julius hadn't decided what to think of Zach's idealogy about skills. They had had a lot of time to think about it as they moved through the forest. But Zach keeping up the barrier even when they slept didn't make it any easier.

He made a convincing argument. But it was hard to argue against what the Academy had taught them so far and what they had learned on their own. Going against solid first impressions and understandings of esoteric things like summoning, the summoning interface, and everything that came along with it wasn't done in a day.

However, Dukiel and Julius had to set aside their thoughts and focus on the present in front of them.

They had arrived at the swamp.

There wasn't a clear line separating the swamp from the solid forest they had walked through to get there. But the ground had started to get softer and wetter, and the trees weren't as thick. They were more like bushes or thin sticks with leaves sticking out of the ground and crawling over each other.

It was a gradual progression of the natural flora to suit the underlying conditions of life.

But there was one clear difference not directly related to the plants.

The absence of life.

The assassins had changed their method of annoying Zach during the journey. They didn't just attack him. They also got rid of any and all monsters that he could have hunted to gain levels and grow stronger.

The assassins hadn't, however, gotten rid of all the insects and minor animals like frogs or harmless snakes crawling and jumping around on the forest floor.

But when Zach and the others looked toward the swamp, there wasn't much sign of anything like that. The swamp wasn't dead, but it was unnaturally still and silent.

Dukiel and Julius had to admit that Zach was onto something, even if it wasn't a Locale.

"Are you sure about this, Zach?" Julius glanced at Zach next to him, who was still looking at the swamp with his hands on his hips. He was worried. Unlike the Giupusta Locale, whatever or whoever was in the swamp wasn't exactly trying to hide.

Whatever it was wasn't trying to announce its presence to the world, either. But there was a difference between hiding to the point of making a mountain disappear and laying low in the same place for several years.

"Not anymore, no. But there's no way we're going back now. There is something here." Zach continued looking toward the depths of the swamp for several long, quiet moments before glancing at Yanael.

She had fought and worked hard during the days it took for them to find the swamp. It had gone faster than they planned, thanks to Dukiel's map work and Zach's barrier. But Yanael hadn't gotten much rest.

However, she had gotten better at controlling her appearance, and she didn't show any fatigue. If anything, she looked excited and slightly hungry. Sёarᴄh the Novёlƒire.n(e)t website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

Still, Zach invited her into the barrier for now.

"Stay close," Zach spoke to both Yanael and his friends. He hadn't forgotten the last time they entered a Locale. They had gotten separated without knowing what was going on. It had almost led to their deaths.

Zach could have died to the tasker since Yanael wasn't next to him. And the others could have died to anything, including the tasker, since neither Zach nor their familiars were with them.

Zach wasn't going to let the underworlders do something like that again. Fortunately, his barrier would keep everyone together unless something powerful enough to break the barrier appeared.

Much slower than their pace so far, the group entered the swamp and started walking toward its depths.

They weren't sure what they were looking for. But the Locale would either invite them inside to try and kill them soon enough, or they would find traces of the Locale and bust their way inside.

Zach was leaning toward the first option. If this was one of the Underworld's Locales, there was no way they would forfeit the opportunity to kill him once and for all, considering how hard they had tried to kill him and keep him from growing stronger since his last run-in with the Underworld.

The sudden absence of the assassins confirmed Zach's conjecture. They were gathering their troops to prepare an all-out ambush as soon as they got Zach where they wanted him. Most likely.

Zach was almost looking forward to it. It would save him the trouble of looking for them.

However, he couldn't help but be a little worried. The assassins' tactics showed they weren't brainless. There were also other creatures of the Underworld, some who were most certainly even smarter than the assassins. There could also be creatures too big and powerful to sneak around on the surface like the assassins.

Even after reading a lot of the library's information on the Underworld, there were still too many mysteries. There was too much to know and too little time to learn.

But the Underworld had to be confident in their ability to kill him if they invited him inside. They would have gotten an estimate of how strong his barrier was and Yanael's speed and explosive power.

But just like the Underworld was confident in their ability to kill him, Zach was confident i his ability to survive their attack and kill them in turn.

Zach and the others scanned their surroundings as they walked, looking for any sign of anything abnormal more specific than the absence of animal life.

The familiars were also on the outlook. The only one not focused entirely on scouting was Dukiel since he kept track of their progress and the map. Julius wasn't especially talented or skilled in navigation, and Zach was negatively talented in the area.

However, it seemed not even Dukiel was infallible.

After an hour or two without much progress in their search, Dukiel stopped with a deep frown. He looked closer at the map before looking up and glancing around.

"I think we're lost."