Inside Ridan’s mind.
That pool...
That wasn’t just poison. It was acid.
A death trap.
He froze midair, heart thudding in his misty chest.
"Ah... no..."
The reality sank in.
Hazuki... he’s...
Gone.
lted. Drowned. Burned to bones in seconds.
Ridan’s cloudy form trembled.
"What do I tell them?"
His thoughts raced—toward the two mysterious figures.
"The chosen one you picked?"
"Yeah, he died in a puddle of swamp, because I let him take a stupid quest."
"I was supposed to guide him. Warn him. Keep him safe."
"I should’ve told him to reject the quest. Should’ve stopped him."
Ridan clenched his tiny cloudy fists.
"He had no obligation to do any of this. Not for the guild. Not for anyone."
A pause. His voice cracked inside his thoughts.
"And now he’s dead."
"And ?"
"I’ll be sealed again."
His form twitched. The weight was crushing.
"Damn it... Hazuki..."
"Pwah!!"
Hazuki burst from the bubbling pool, coughing and gagging.
"Ewwww!!! This disgusting water!! It’s stinky!!"
He scrambled up the muddy slope, hands clawing at the dirt. His entire body was steaming slightly, goo and sludge dripping off him.
He stood there, completely naked, his sword clutched in one hand, slimy but intact.
"Damn!! Even the ration... the flower... the bottle of liquor... and my adventurer plate... all lted!!"**
He kicked the ground in frustration, bare foot squishing into the mud.
"Shit, shit, shit!! Man... this is the worst quest ever..."
He glanced at his sword. "Lucky you didn’t lt too... I’d seriously ask for reimbursent from the guild if this crap wasn’t my fault."
Ridan hovered midair, staring at him in absolute disbelief.
Eyes wide. Silent.
Inside his mind.
"What... in the world just happened?"
That swamp pool should’ve lted through flesh, armor, even enchanted gear.
That pool had killed trained adventurers just by splashing on their boots.
And yet...
Hazuki stood there.
Completely fine.
Annoyed—but fine.
Only one thing hadn’t lted along with him.
The sword.
That cheap 10-silver short sword.
The sa sword the two mysterious n had bound his soul into.
Ridan’s cloudy form trembled slightly.
"This idiot... he’s not normal."
Hazuki stood proudly on the muddy bank, poison sli still dripping from his body.
He glanced down.
"Oh! That’s kinda nice," he said casually, brushing off a blob of gunk.
Then grinned.
"Look, Ridan! All the hairy stuff’s gone! Smooth like new! My dick! My future with Ellyn! Clean and big. Woohoo!"
He struck a pose, legs apart, hips forward, then started swinging it left and right with mock pride.
"Behold! The royal scepter of House Hazuki!"
"Ewww!! Disgusting!!" Ridan recoiled midair, face twisted in horror. "Find sothing to cover that!! You got no sha!? Don’t just wiggle it like a at baton!!"
Hazuki looked around casually, still unbothered.
"Cover it with what? You see any leaves around here?" He gestured at the dead, toxic wasteland around them. "Ain’t even a single living tree here."
Ridan floated lower, scanning the barren swamp.
"...Ah. That’s true."
There was nothing. Just bubbling puddles, dead soil, and patches of twitching poison moss.
Hazuki shrugged and walked ahead, letting everything bounce like a carefree nudist on vacation.
"Man, this place is good for cleaning all that hair without shaving," he said with a stretch, hands on hips as he admired himself. "Look, Ridan. Clean and smooth. No after-effect. Zero maintenance."
"Wow... so dumb." Ridan facepald midair. "You’re lucky your head hair didn’t lt off. If it did, I’m calling you Baldzuki from now on."
Hazuki ran a hand through his still-shiny black hair. "Yeah. My hair’s like fresh outta the salon. Million-yen shampoo treatnt. Glossy, majestic, irresistible." He flipped his head dramatically. "Hah~"
"Ceh..." Ridan floated behind him like a disappointed ghost babysitter.
"Now, Ridan. Let’s find that chusi flower." Hazuki cracked his neck and raised his sword with confidence. "After that, we hunt monster at. I really wanna try how the poison swamp monster at tastes."
Ridan stopped midair, staring in disbelief.
"You are weird, Hazuki. Like, genuinely weird."
"Hmm? You said sothing?" Hazuki glanced over his shoulder, still striding like a noble warrior... with no clothes on.
"Nothing! Let’s go, crazy naked man." Ridan groaned and floated ahead.
"Alright!" Hazuki nodded. Then he paused, tapping his sword to his shoulder. "Ah! Oh, Ridan—remind later to get that... uh... Surapes flower again."
"It’s Seraphis, you walking disaster!"
"Yeah yeah. Sarsaparilla flower. Got it."
"That’s not even close!!"
Hazuki squinted into the foggy, purple-tinted distance.
"Oi, Ridan. What’s that over there? Looks like..." he leaned in a little, shielding his eyes from the haze. "...lizardn?"
Ridan floated up a bit, squinting too. "Yeah. Local monster-type. They live around swamps like this. Intelligent-type. So clans are peaceful, so aren’t. Why?"
"Err... wondering if they can be eaten." Hazuki said while scratching his chin. "They kinda look like they’d taste like alligator at. Or chicken. Monster chicken."
Ridan was about to comnt, but—
The lizardn from afar had already noticed Hazuki.
Their yellow eyes blinked.
They tilted their heads.
And then... they saw it.
The naked human.
And sothing swinging between his legs like a rogue sli on the loose.
Their eyes widened.
All of them recoiled in synchronized horror.
Panic erupted in the lizardn ranks. They scread and scattered, diving into the poisonous pools and vanishing beneath the mire like terrified amphibians.
Hazuki blinked, still half-leaning forward.
"Wait—why’re they running?"
He looked down.
"Ah..."
"Hey! Co back! Ahh—"
Hazuki’s foot slipped on the slimy ground again, and down he went—splashing once more into the stinking, acidic soup of swamp juice.
Ridan facepald midair.
"I give up. This dumbass is undefeated."
Hazuki burst back up from the muck, slimy and glistening like so unholy swamp creature.
"BLERRGGHHH!! Not again!!"
He held the still-unlted short sword above his head triumphantly.
"Still good! YES!"
Ridan floated above him, deadpan. "Your priorities are terrifying."
"Oi! At least I didn’t lose my—"
He paused. Looked down.
"...Nope. Still there. Whew."
Ridan sighed heavily. "Let’s just... find the flower and get out before the entire swamp ecosystem files a restraining order."
( End Of Chapter )
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