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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT9muxWPmGc
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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."46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbE0OeGSlyi
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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?"46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqSROLMHB3L
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The First Ambush46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe3vfYtMymm
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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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBImeI1dggQ
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"Left! High!" Shino barked.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYNXhIF98Nu
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Kwah-RACK!46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnFCk5ma0Dm
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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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL0FDUflWRJ
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The Failure of Steel46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeRyMhisz5O
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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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdPcJlqkf1
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The blade hit—and then it slid.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxT9wrauF7w
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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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxUOXSmXhpP
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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!"46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWMf1CLOoti
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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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc83YOVabAU
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The Chemical Solution46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRqJKHOjFCl
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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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrJReUisq8j
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"Shino! Logic! Now!" Kazuto roared, parrying a wet lash that nearly took his helmet off.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNMV0KuZnDA
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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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv1qkxHXFf8
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"In my world, we call this a 'Surfactant'!" Shino yelled.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHXjUYfrIp2
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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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw7qT9kvS7I
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[Safety Protocol: Phase 3 — Chemical Dissolution]46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxYyJuSlNPc
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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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHa7fdrCaQc
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The Opening46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi3LcF9mLFm
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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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPJFMR0dVLD
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"Now, Elsa! While the pH is low!" Shino commanded.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUF5SbyG6EE
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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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWusVxh9y9W
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Within seconds, the three smaller frogs scrambled back into the deep water, terrified by the loss of their "Invincible" skin.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7lElXqkPn7
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The Quiet Aftermath46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5gMo3WucYq
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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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLtYQkiTniX
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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."46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbrP4R0Iqtl
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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."46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcEdTMlhZb5
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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.46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrIiQuFl8im
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"Something is poisoning the bog from the center," Shino whispered. "And it’s much bigger than a frog."46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3cHQOM6qTB
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1234 copyright protection42ＰＥＮＡＮＡAWE5IIK3PG 尼46Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG6fpnG53Vr