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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qOIVZeJlg
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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."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXy7DVEkPSn
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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?"100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJGjGkbshBK
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The First Ambush100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKOGTYIV06a
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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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeNblLKmiys
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"Left! High!" Shino barked.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2iffenNzfP
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Kwah-RACK!100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJVE4WpHW52
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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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHzJwD3LPed
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The Failure of Steel100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVLBwfzsW6p
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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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjant1jjxyx
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The blade hit—and then it slid.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkcF09GhzFz
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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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCD3PbkX3Gu
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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!"100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvkHU8AiHss
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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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUsyqIvkOGW
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The Chemical Solution100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtNw6ip1Iqa
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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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡivwijLgoCL
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"Shino! Logic! Now!" Kazuto roared, parrying a wet lash that nearly took his helmet off.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXRM1eEgO8e
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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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡclozM8dPxS
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"In my world, we call this a 'Surfactant'!" Shino yelled.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4EKX83T7LO
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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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHUPpGVu4yv
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[Safety Protocol: Phase 3 — Chemical Dissolution]100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLGy5UDUhte
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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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9a96C0ACb0
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The Opening100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfuHkA9iIn
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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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR3byCluVGM
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"Now, Elsa! While the pH is low!" Shino commanded.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwkWq6iLAvg
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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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNnlY13xVNl
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Within seconds, the three smaller frogs scrambled back into the deep water, terrified by the loss of their "Invincible" skin.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgEuEfv2zaW
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The Quiet Aftermath100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJVEfb2GQMO
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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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAGMAQuyDVo
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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."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnmrsDe8JkR
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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."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUpYM3Yv9JZ
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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.100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo0ugAQpeR7
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"Something is poisoning the bog from the center," Shino whispered. "And it’s much bigger than a frog."100Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEOcEKRdJ17
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