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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIKDeaDUn7W
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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."94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLfYDZPn9eP
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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?"94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrYo9qwXB1N
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The First Ambush94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumlayK4ni8
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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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwTRcyt2xra
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"Left! High!" Shino barked.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9yUIsiyfEI
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Kwah-RACK!94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡddmQBBN0Kj
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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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY8wGsxBb83
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The Failure of Steel94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡduAO36D4WO
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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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ74nC5wX09Q
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The blade hit—and then it slid.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡghYOj0CPv5
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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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZDDMp0WG2v
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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!"94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6S7JFBkmlo
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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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUbYOCd0Vgm
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The Chemical Solution94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfU8APsCCBS
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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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICduZTtPcw
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"Shino! Logic! Now!" Kazuto roared, parrying a wet lash that nearly took his helmet off.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXTd9TMVu6D
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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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhIgFRFx2cF
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"In my world, we call this a 'Surfactant'!" Shino yelled.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2eFYPaCkWE
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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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdhCeKklZk9
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[Safety Protocol: Phase 3 — Chemical Dissolution]94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlSsBrgyijX
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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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcwr3n4Rb3q
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The Opening94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFGXCfYJU6K
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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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8rLwSAwvRp
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"Now, Elsa! While the pH is low!" Shino commanded.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBAvnVucLGv
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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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCImQznRoC
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Within seconds, the three smaller frogs scrambled back into the deep water, terrified by the loss of their "Invincible" skin.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKE2Y2VyRj
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The Quiet Aftermath94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsVCVLdBCJi
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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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE39iiuj5W0
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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."94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5hKhhYNDw6
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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."94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr05Hl4ku1Z
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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.94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3pnezDDPqY
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"Something is poisoning the bog from the center," Shino whispered. "And it’s much bigger than a frog."94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAdY6pU2d1p
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1234 copyright protection90ＰＥＮＡＮＡHnRcgriRho 尼94Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2DxONbk4Sl