CHAPTER 285: SMELL OF DEATH ( 285 )

"Hazuki."

"What?" he replied without slowing down.

"Why did you only pick one?"

Hazuki tilted his head slightly, like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Because the girl only asked for one."

Ridan blinked.

"...Oh."

No follow-up. No explanation. Just that.

"Alright then, GPS. Let’s go get that Chusi flower!" Hazuki said with renewed energy.

Ridan floated after him, muttering under his breath.

"Yeah, and you’re going to melt on the way. Poison swamp isn’t exactly a spa, dumbzuki."

"Nah, I don’t believe it’s that bad. Probably just exaggerated rumors." Hazuki shrugged, stretching a bit.

Then he paused.

"Oh yeah—by the way, what was it that old man Girem asked for again? Some kind of mushroom?"

Ridan gave him a flat look.

"You accepted a side request and forgot what it was?"

"Yup. Classic me. So? Mushroom what?"

Ridan sighed heavily.

"’Blackcap Gloam’. Rare as hell. Grows only in the dampest part of the swamp, deep near the basin. And it’s guarded."

Hazuki blinked.

"Guarded? By what?"

Ridan smirked darkly.

"You’ll see."

"Anyway, Ridan." Hazuki said, casually brushing leaves from his shoulder.

"Can you stop asking already? I’m not an information counter!" Ridan huffed.

"But you’re the chatty one. And didn’t you say you were the great wizard?"

Ridan paused mid-air, then smirked.

"Oh... that’s true. Alright! Keep asking! What do you want to know, oh humble student?"

Hazuki looked ahead thoughtfully.

"The monster guarding that herb... can it be eaten?"

Ridan froze in the air like someone had hit him with a mental brick.

"...Do you want to die??"

"Huh? I just asked if it’s edible."

"WHY?" Ridan stared, absolutely baffled.

Hazuki shrugged.

"I prefer not to kill things that can’t be eaten."

Ridan’s spirit cloud twitched.

"You—" he pointed. "You literally slaughtered an entire rift monster at Macia town."

"Yeah, because you said it was edible. Remember? We even ate it." Hazuki licked his lips nostalgically. "Especially that drake meat... slrrrp... premium wagyu-tier. Magic-imbued fat... marble... shimmer... ohhh—"

"Oi! Stop drooling on your shirt!"

"So... can it be eaten?" Hazuki asked again, completely serious.

Ridan twitched in midair.

"Who knows."

"Wooo~! The Great Wizard Ridan-sama doesn’t know something!" Hazuki smirked.

"I know, alright! But use that lump of yours and think!"

"What?" Hazuki blinked, completely unfazed.

"Monsters. From. Poison. Swamp." Ridan emphasized each word, floating down eye-level.

"And you’re asking if they’re edible??"

Hazuki tilted his head.

"Well, yeah. If they live in poison, then their meat shouldn’t be toxic, right? I mean, they’re resistant, not made of poison."

Ridan stared at him like he’d just committed blasphemy against all logic.

"That— that actually sounds stupid, but also logical, and now my head hurts!!"

Hazuki gave a smug grin.

"See? I’m a genius. Let’s catch one and grill it."

"If we don’t die first, I’ll consider it."

"You’re a spirit, Ridan. You’re not going to die."

"Yeah, I won’t—" Ridan snapped, "—but what about you!?"

Hazuki shrugged. "Hmm? Don’t know... Well, if I die, then I die."

Ridan floated still for a moment, squinting at him.

"Are you actually dumb, or just acting like one?"

"Hmm?" Hazuki tilted his head innocently.

Ridan let out a long, frustrated groan.

"Seriously... you’re not even scared?"

Hazuki looked up at the tree branches above, a sliver of sunlight breaking through.

"Hey. My dream’s to sightsee this world, right? I want to see every weird, beautiful, or stupid place this world has to offer."

Then he smiled faintly.

"If I do that and die... what can I do? If it’s fate, then it’s fate."

Ridan was silent for a moment.

This idiot... really isn’t like anyone else.

They followed the narrow dirt path in silence.

The lush green forest around them slowly began to change—not all at once, but subtly. Leaves grew dull. Some trees looked brittle, like they hadn’t had water in weeks. The underbrush thinned. And the air... started to feel wrong.

Hazuki suddenly sniffed and grimaced.

"Oi, Ridan."

"Hmm?"

"Did you fart?"

Ridan froze midair.

"I am an ancient spirit, you dolt! I can’t fart even if I want to!"

"Then what the hell is this smell? It’s like rotting eggs mixed with burnt cabbage."

Ridan’s face twisted as he hovered lower.

"Smells like we’re close. The outer ring of the poison swamp, most likely."

Hazuki blinked.

"Eh? That far already? I didn’t even notice we’d walked so long."

Ridan crossed his arms, floating backward.

"That’s because you kept stopping every five steps, acting like a wide-eyed kid who just discovered the world’s first stick."

Hazuki grinned.

"Hey! You know I’m not from this world. If I see something new, of course I’ll be curious. It’s your fault for being my walking encyclopedia."

Ridan puffed his misty chest.

"Hmph. Of course. I am the Great Library of Ridan, after all. But still—try not to sniff everything next time. Especially not here."

Then Hazuki noticed it.

The trees were gone.

What once was forest slowly gave way to barren, cracked ground. The vibrant greens faded into pale browns... and then to a sickly shade of purple. The earth beneath their feet looked dry, but slick—almost oozing in places.

"Whoa... no forest now. Just bald land. Open season?" Hazuki muttered, eyes scanning the empty horizon.

Then it hit him.

"Ugh—!!" He clutched his nose. "What is this smell!? I’d take durian over this any day! This is like... like sewage mixed with rotting socks and burnt toilet paper!"

Ridan floated beside him, arms crossed.

"Welcome to the poison swamp. Smells like death, looks like bad landscaping."

Hazuki gagged dramatically.

"Blerrghhh... I think my soul is trying to crawl out of my nose."

"Eeekk!! Blerrghhh!!" Hazuki gagged, waving a hand in front of his face as if that would help.

The deeper they went, the stronger the stench became.

"This place is the worst!!" He practically screamed, eyes watering.

They found themselves walking on a narrow path. Both sides of the trail were lined with bubbling, violet pools of poison—some slow and thick, others frothing with green steam.

"Don’t slip," Ridan warned, floating closer.

Hazuki’s face twisted. "Ewwww!! Ridan!! I can taste the smell!! BLEHHHH!!"

Then—

Sssszzz...

Hazuki looked down.

His boots were smoking.

"Whoa!! Ridan—my boots—!! They’re melting!!"

And then—

Slick.

"Ah—"

FLOOP!

Hazuki slipped, arms flailing wildly—then crashed into the bubbling swamp.

"HAZUKIIIIIIII!!!" Ridan shrieked, voice cracking as he dove after him. "YOU DAMN IDIOOOOOOOT!!"

( End Of Chapter )