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.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2QjmmtDK7
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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."98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGDCW9NowY8
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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?"98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuCvE8HSx0d
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The First Ambush98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4RZqVA9PIk
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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.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCdDqUt4xcM
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"Left! High!" Shino barked.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmuosyVauZ
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Kwah-RACK!98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6zrxLYwTdT
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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.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlfzSIQaKsb
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The Failure of Steel98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡioo3cfPKbl
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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.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5OhX4qytyr
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The blade hit—and then it slid.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnftGGJBzkv
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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.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW43paXOAX3
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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!"98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡthXny5aiyK
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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.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHEYLnTz0Tu
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The Chemical Solution98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbVKkuTJ6E
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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.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK6ZJV572vs
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"Shino! Logic! Now!" Kazuto roared, parrying a wet lash that nearly took his helmet off.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVJzNujEgH
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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.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFmwjAMN8Mp
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"In my world, we call this a 'Surfactant'!" Shino yelled.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjhLCjaN0yu
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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.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRkxVxl4Lff
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[Safety Protocol: Phase 3 — Chemical Dissolution]98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkEK1DWGRO9
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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.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLjGTSMt0br
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The Opening98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZO0OgXi4s6
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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.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtRP9a0ZUEV
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"Now, Elsa! While the pH is low!" Shino commanded.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTSuc4ma3Ma
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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.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCcs9btxzk
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Within seconds, the three smaller frogs scrambled back into the deep water, terrified by the loss of their "Invincible" skin.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspAcBz3Vgn
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The Quiet Aftermath98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw2TbeRkalB
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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.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL59KspknxZ
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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."98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTkryCAH6Sd
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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."98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGHWCw7w4C5
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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.98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4hqzaeXALj
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"Something is poisoning the bog from the center," Shino whispered. "And it’s much bigger than a frog."98Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡT8cV5zbb38
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