With the Colorful Skin Demon Swamp Frog's leadership gone, its less intelligent underlings immediately descended into chaos.

Most of the timid yet alert creatures were instinctively driven by fear, turning to flee the battlefield without a moment's hesitation. Their mottled, gray-green bodies leaped through the swamp's unique vegetation and puddles, using them as cover before quickly vanishing into the mist.

However, a small portion of the lower-level Demon Swamp Frogs let out piercing croaks and continued their desperate charge toward Fang Zhou and his Skeleton Army.

In reality, facing the Bone Claws of the Middle-Rank Apprentice Skeletons, these Lower-Rank Demon Swamp Frogs were merely marching to their deaths.

In less than ten minutes, this sizable skirmish had come to a complete end.

The battlefield was now filled with only sporadic wails and the scattered corpses of Demon Swamp Frogs. Their green blood mixed with the swamp's mire, creating a gruesome scene.

"Hunting Points +50."

"Soul Power +2."

Cleaning up the battlefield and collecting spoils in the swamp was no easy task. Luckily, Fang Zhou had his tireless Skeleton Army.

It took the Skeletons over ten minutes to scavenge the Demon Swamp Frog bodies from the muddy battlefield. The abdominal skin of a Demon Swamp Frog could be used to craft waterproof equipment, so it was on Sea City Military Academy's list of accepted materials.

Fang Zhou collected 20 pieces of Demon Swamp Frog abdominal skin, worth about 5 Contribution Points. Combined with the Gray Inferior equipment wielded by the three Colorful Skin Demon Swamp Frogs, this generous batch of frogs brought Fang Zhou resources worth at least 20 Contribution Points.

Of course, to his pleasant surprise, the Skeletons discovered another Marvel on the corpse of the Red-skinned Demon Swamp Frog Shaman.

[Frog Drum] (Gray Inferior, Marvel): For Magic Professional use only. A Marvel created with the Magic of a Demon Swamp Frog Shaman. Beating the Frog Drum can detect nearby creatures in the swamp, increase marching speed through the swamp, and attract or repel insect-type Demons based on the sound wave frequency. The effect depends on the user's Spirit Attribute.

Good stuff!

A hint of joy touched Fang Zhou's face.

Although the [Frog Drum] could only be used in swamp terrain, giving it a very narrow scope of use, it was exactly what he needed. His marching speed had been greatly reduced by the swamp's thick mud.

These Demon Swamp Frogs really are a rare and beneficial breed of Demon!

With the [Frog Drum] in hand, his speed crossing the Foul Swamp would surely increase dramatically. He might even be able to traverse this terrible terrain before noon.

As for detecting swamp creatures and repelling insects, those effects were also extremely practical for him. He was in a hurry to get to the Thorn Jungle and had no desire to linger in the Foul Swamp.

With the [Frog Drum], he could precisely locate any swamp Demons that might block his path, allowing him to either quietly avoid them or annihilate them completely. Fang Zhou could now fully seize the initiative in any battle.

Besides, perhaps he could make a special hunting trip here when he had the chance in the future.

「In the Foul Swamp.」

Fang Zhou gently beat the [Frog Drum]. A deep, rhythmic croak quietly rippled outward, seeming to inject an invisible energy into the swamp's very veins. The thick mud at his feet seemed to loosen slightly, reducing the resistance as he marched and making the subsequent journey much smoother.

Meanwhile, as he ventured deeper into the swamp, the variety of Demons he encountered increased.

In addition to the common Swamp Flies, scaly, mud-caked humus fish-monsters and several-meter-long crocodiles began to appear. Whether it was the scales on their bodies or the mud caked on their outsides, both provided a degree of protection, making their individual combat strength slightly higher than that of the Demon Swamp Frogs.

Of course, before Fang Zhou's Skeleton Army, all these swamp Demons could do was serve as new entries in his biological bestiary. This was especially true for the swarms of insect-type Demons that pestered him, relying on their sheer numbers. The sharp sound waves of the [Frog Drum] sent them reeling in confusion, forcing them to scatter and flee in a panic.

The demonic cries from both banks echoed without end, but Fang Zhou had already passed through countless treacherous shoals.

「Outside the Cave.」

Watching Fang Zhou's live broadcast, the first-year students' expressions unconsciously relaxed.

For some reason, even though they knew Fang Zhou was in an incredibly perilous Cave where he could be attacked by Demons at any moment, his every move seemed relaxed and effortless, as if he were on an outing in a park.

A student glanced at the other seed candidates' broadcasts, which looked more like wilderness survival shows, and couldn't help but sigh, "Compared to Lord Fang, everyone else's Cave Hunting is sheer mental and physical torture. Only someone with his level of power can treat Cave Demons like a gentle breeze."

A female student's face filled with admiration as she chimed in, "The strong just get stronger. Look, Lord Fang has been hunting in Cave No. 1 for less than a day and a half, and his points have already broken 300! That's a reward of at least 30 Contribution Points right there. Not to mention, the materials and equipment he's looted from the Demons are already worth over a hundred Contribution Points. When he comes out of the Cave and exchanges those points for Cultivation Resources, his strength is bound to soar again!"

Another student said with envy, "I think only Lord Fang has this kind of strength! Whether it's the Goblin Cave or the Foul Swamp, both are high-risk forbidden zones for the other seed candidates. Even Meng Hongzhuang, who's ranked second in points, doesn't dare go in to explore and can only take the long way around. Lord Fang is just too overpowered!"

「In the Foul Swamp.」

As Fang Zhou continued his trek, the path became progressively easier. The surrounding sewage and slime gave way to increasingly solid ground. This improvement lifted his mood as well.

Checking the map on his recorder, he saw that he had finally crossed the Foul Swamp.

The [Frog Drum], a Marvel that was now temporarily useless, was put away. Fang Zhou looked back at his Skeleton Army, caked in mud and blood, and a question surfaced in his mind.

Why are there so many inexhaustible Demons in the Caves? Where do they even come from?

Sea City Military Academy clearly had the strength to destroy these Caves. So why were they intentionally preserved? Why spend a massive amount of manpower and resources to build fortresses just to suppress them?

Shaking his head slightly, Fang Zhou looked ahead.

The academy's higher-ups wouldn't act without reason. Besides, this wasn't a problem for a mere Middle-Rank Apprentice like him to worry about. Once his strength increased, all his questions would be answered.

It was already noon. After a morning of marching through the swamp and fighting several bloody battles, Fang Zhou was famished. He sat on a relatively clean boulder and took a Military Ration Pill and a can of field rations from his bag.

After wolfing them down, Fang Zhou rested for a short while before opening his map to plan the next leg of his journey.

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