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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAjbdvnOtse
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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."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMfnWckAPSS
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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?"115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVclYrWE361
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The First Ambush115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlzNT0oApj1
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNHagZCAsK8
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"Left! High!" Shino barked.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAkqxqYBHqF
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Kwah-RACK!115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIFHJz098p2
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJaMpBBiHHZ
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The Failure of Steel115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNqu2620rUW
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJsI8qzHRC
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The blade hit—and then it slid.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1U57Fo6wCV
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3gX2cp44kO
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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!"115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7WqoPhJgr2
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRauGHET5G
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The Chemical Solution115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡevkCoWpnJp
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkJihmNa2oX
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"Shino! Logic! Now!" Kazuto roared, parrying a wet lash that nearly took his helmet off.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoZfbU8jHCZ
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhUwdVuzv4
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"In my world, we call this a 'Surfactant'!" Shino yelled.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyYYU6Z3dyk
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2K9K1JemCE
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[Safety Protocol: Phase 3 — Chemical Dissolution]115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPzWODQcm14
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlw0kDSXQb2
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The Opening115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ48hjx0mGcn
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAhRHqLOHs
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"Now, Elsa! While the pH is low!" Shino commanded.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡto6nUHhJAE
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLF0AsiGRAJ
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Within seconds, the three smaller frogs scrambled back into the deep water, terrified by the loss of their "Invincible" skin.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpynq4fa0O2
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The Quiet Aftermath115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ITuLCdEal
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRMgWlmi6cN
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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."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIdIqT8eSk4
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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."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOlV7ZXhUSk
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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.115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFrtGyBtAiO
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"Something is poisoning the bog from the center," Shino whispered. "And it’s much bigger than a frog."115Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnogcXlti41
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