The humidity in Mistvale didn't just cling; it weighed. Every breath Shino took felt like swallowing damp wool. As they stepped onto the rickety wooden pier that led into the heart of the paddies, the fog swallowed the village behind them, leaving only the emerald glow of the marsh and the unsettling, rhythmic thrum of the unseen singers.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNS8DKsFpW5
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"This is repulsive," Elsa muttered. She was forced to lead her white mare by the bridle, her polished silver greaves sinking into the peat with every step. "My boots are ruined, and I can't see five feet in front of my blade."149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLP4v61kNs
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"Focus on your ears, Elsa," Kazuto advised, his hand resting on his broadsword. "The mist diffuses light, but sound travels better in the damp. Shino, what are the readings?"149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNuc9MlJv1A
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The First Ambush149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYbzkb9fFB4
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Shino didn't answer immediately. Her glasses were fogging up, so she pushed them to her forehead, letting her [Analytical Eye] do the work. The world turned into a thermal map. She saw the heat signatures of dragonflies, the cold flow of the water—and then, four massive, pulsating blobs of frigid blue mana lurking just beneath the lily pads.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡno69zZE0hh
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"Left! High!" Shino barked.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4S13xFpbks
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Kwah-RACK!149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtLUp9w7u19
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The water exploded. A Giant Marsh Frog, the size of a carriage and mottled with toxic purple spots, launched itself into the air. Its tongue, a wet, muscular whip tipped with a serrated pad, lashed out toward Elsa’s throat.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC8qn5DjUZ3
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The Failure of Steel149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiNejVlNzlc
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"Valerius Strike: Gale!" Elsa reacted with the speed of a veteran. Her rapier blurred, a spiral of wind mana concentrating at the tip of her blade. She lunged, aiming for the beast’s soft underbelly as it soared over her.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ur57hoqa9
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The blade hit—and then it slid.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdgbSMuSdXq
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Instead of piercing the hide, the rapier skidded off the frog's skin as if it had hit a greased mirror. Elsa’s momentum carried her forward, and she stumbled into the knee-deep muck, her weapon splashing uselessly into the water.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEzpjJC0gL
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"It has a [Reflective Mucus]!" Shino shouted, her tail fluffing up in alarm. "It’s not just slippery, Elsa—it’s a non-Newtonian fluid! The harder you hit it, the more it hardens into a shell!"149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhJunrw7vrf
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Two more frogs surfaced, their throats ballooning out with a sickening, wet sound. They weren't croaking; they were vibrating, creating a sonic frequency that made Shino’s ears ring with a sharp, piercing pain.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWrEMXygEG9
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The Chemical Solution149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbxMuOmP3fB
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Kazuto stepped in, swinging his broadsword in a wide arc to keep the beasts back, but even his heavy blade bounced off their backs with a dull thud. The frogs were closing in, their tongues darting out like harpoons.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiexDnViXZ5
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"Shino! Logic! Now!" Kazuto roared, parrying a wet lash that nearly took his helmet off.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTU6DQZ1f4l
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Shino dropped to one knee, ignoring the mud staining her scholar’s robes. She reached into her pack and pulled out a vial of Concentrated Citric Essence—a byproduct of her alchemy research—and a handful of Crystalline Salt.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsgSrwG23M4
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"In my world, we call this a 'Surfactant'!" Shino yelled.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWh3u9NFJSf
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She didn't throw the vials at the frogs. She threw them into the water around them. Then, she snapped her fingers, igniting a tiny, precise spark of Fire mana.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDCfZJvesPO
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[Safety Protocol: Phase 3 — Chemical Dissolution]149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWzGKaujdTW
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The spark didn't cause an explosion. Instead, it heated the water just enough to catalyze the reaction. The citric acid and salt hit the frogs' mucus, and the "Reflective" properties shattered. The thick, shimmering slime turned into a watery, bubbling froth, sliding off the frogs’ skin and leaving their soft, vulnerable hides exposed to the air.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMv2hwbQ6bV
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The Opening149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYN6NQUzbuK
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The frogs let out a high-pitched, pathetic shriek as their protection vanished. They looked suddenly small and fragile without their armor.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthYm284gbT
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"Now, Elsa! While the pH is low!" Shino commanded.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvaEntS06FB
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Elsa didn't hesitate. She surged up from the mud, her pride stinging more than her arm. She didn't use a heavy strike this time; she used a precise, light-infused prick. The rapier sank into the frog’s shoulder like a needle into silk.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlj5Z0q4vAQ
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Within seconds, the three smaller frogs scrambled back into the deep water, terrified by the loss of their "Invincible" skin.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3REgiqdvqE
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The Quiet Aftermath149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJRKB7tO2AY
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Silence returned to the marsh, save for the heavy breathing of the trio. Elsa stood in the muck, her golden armor covered in green slime and brown peat. She looked at her rapier, then at Shino, who was calmly wiping a splash of mud off her glasses.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcksenu3OpZ
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"You... you used fruit juice," Elsa said, her voice trembling with a mix of disbelief and exhaustion. "I used the secret technique of my house, and you used a bottle of lemon extract."149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVL3kZfLWzN
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"I used Chemistry, Elsa," Shino replied, her ears twitching as she checked the horizon. "The frogs aren't the problem. They're just the symptom. Look at the water."149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoqnsk29axo
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Shino pointed to where the frogs had surfaced. The water was turning a faint, sickly violet—the same color as Oberis’s new eyes.149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgdUEJKS6Pw
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"Something is poisoning the bog from the center," Shino whispered. "And it’s much bigger than a frog."149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhG2cfuf1fq
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1234 copyright protection145ＰＥＮＡＮＡsq8TN0z7o1 尼149Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkD29bDxcX1