The Witch's Lair

The dry leaves in the forest crunched loudly beneath her, the dark knee-high boots touching down with clear, crisp sounds.

With a closer look, one would notice a row of footprints made of foul, decaying mud, stretching far into the depths of the dense forest.

That was the direction of the [Mired Swamp].

The silver-haired girl who had tracked all the way here lifted her head, a faintly grave expression appearing on her delicate face.

Following the muddy footprints on the ground for several minutes, walking out past the edge of the village and back into the Mired Swamp, Chen Zixuan could basically confirm these footprints were left by the Witch of the Swamp.

The Water Ghouls did not have such a wide range of activity.

Based on the information he had, Chen Zixuan roughly deduced what had happened that morning.

The Witch of the Swamp had hidden behind a thicket not far from the cabin. After the old man went out to chop wood, she abducted Sophina, who had been home alone.

The muddy footprints discovered inside the house also verified his speculation.

He hoped Sophina was all right.

Although it was just a game, Chen Zixuan had unconsciously begun to put himself into the role of an adventurer.

His goal was to find the witch in the swamp and defeat her!

It was not only for the NPCs but also for himself.

Chen Zixuan was now urgently in need of large amounts of experience points to level up.

Although there was no monetary or item reward for this quest, it would undoubtedly grant him a lot of experience.

Completing this level 15 quest should be enough to push him up to level 6.

Thinking this, the silver-haired girl's gaze immediately grew resolute. She slowly walked toward the depths of the foggy swamp.

Upon entering the swamp, the nearly vanishing footprints became clear once more.

The ground here was so soft that each step sank in up to half the length of her foot. Braving the pungent stench, the silver-haired girl slowly drew the dagger from her waist.

An eerie battle sound effect played, and, suddenly, countless rotting hands burst forth from the mud!

"One, two, three..."

The silver-haired girl frowned slightly, sweeping her gaze around at the Water Ghouls. Her fair legs spread into a defensive stance.

It seemed that because the quest's level was high, it was also more difficult.

More than twenty Water Ghouls had spawned around Chen Zixuan, each one about equal to her in level.

This would be tough...

That was Chen Zixuan's first assessment.

She was already deep into the swamp, her feet firmly stuck in the mud, her agility severely limited—making it all the more difficult to dodge attacks.

Moreover, these Water Ghouls were also higher level than the ones before: both their attack and HP had been further increased.

However, it was not impossible to fight!

One Water Ghoul attacked first. From about two meters away, it leapt straight at Chen Zixuan, slashing a sharp claw at her chest!

The silver-haired girl reacted instantly. She sidestepped, dodged the attack, and with a backhanded motion, stabbed the side of the Water Ghoul's neck, dealing a critical hit of 213 points!

At the same time, dozens of Water Ghouls around her swarmed in all at once!

These minor enemies didn't hit particularly hard, but if they forced her deeper into the swamp and she got stuck in the mire, it would be very dangerous.

The silver-haired girl dared not relax her guard, retreating rapidly to dodge, barely escaping their encirclement.

In this highly focused state, a faintly strange red glow appeared in her sapphire-blue eyes.

She felt as though the Water Ghouls' movements had suddenly slowed a great deal...

Just like the feeling she had when fighting at the entrance of the barbecue restaurant in the real world last time.

Chen Zixuan had no time to dwell on it. Twisting her body, she hacked off a Water Ghoul's outstretched arm at the root.

-123!

He felt nothing in his heart.

In this moment, a detail he had never noticed before suddenly surfaced in Chen Zixuan's mind.

Yet, it was precisely this revelation that sent a chill down his spine!

It had been less than 24 hours since he had created this character.

So why did this body—one that originally hadn't belonged to him—feel so familiar to use?

Normally, if someone switched bodies, they would certainly have some trouble adapting in such a short time.

For example, if a 185cm tall, burly man were to suddenly transform into a 150cm petite girl, he wouldn't be able to lift a large barreled jug of water anymore, couldn't casually jog 1000 meters without losing breath, nor could he simply reach up to grab goods from the top supermarket shelf.

Reduced strength, speed, and height would disrupt the precise judgments the brain had developed over years.

This was also one of the reasons why "Legend of Kaloran" did not allow players to create characters whose bodies were vastly different from their own.

It was such a simple issue, yet Chen Zixuan had never thought about it.

[Cecilia], the character created by the game system itself, was just too perfect—no matter the attribute, it was flawless.

Moreover, when Chen Zixuan fought using this body, there was no awkwardness or unfamiliarity from switching bodies—he was even more adept than with his own body he had used for 17 years in the real world.

This suddenly gave him an illusion, as if...

This nearly perfect female body had always been his true body.

"What a joke, it must be the game company adjusting the parameters."

Chen Zixuan shook his head hard, throwing these stray thoughts aside—he was still in battle.

Fortunately, these dozens of Water Ghouls did not cause Chen Zixuan too much trouble.

His equipment was outstanding and his level was high. If it had just been three or five Water Ghouls, he could have fought them head-on without issue.

If there were too many monsters, he would use that high Agility stat to lure some away and defeat them one by one.

And so, after several minutes, Chen Zixuan drained all his stamina points and also wiped out all the Water Ghouls.

While resting to recover stamina, Chen Zixuan opened his character panel.

Although Water Ghouls were filthy and the Mired Swamp was a terrible environment, the experience gained from this grinding session was truly exhilarating.

Staring at the rapidly rising experience bar, the girl's previously furrowed brow finally relaxed a bit.

At this rate, grinding Water Ghouls for another two or three hours should be enough to reach level 6.

However, the hidden quest was not yet complete—it was not time to relax.

After a brief rest, Chen Zixuan spent a few more minutes picking through the chaotic field of battle, eventually finding the Witch of the Swamp's footprints again, and pressed deeper into the foggy swamp.

After walking several hundred meters further, a low hill appeared before Chen Zixuan.

The Witch of the Swamp's footprints emerged from the swamp and led directly up the slope into a descending cave, dark and ominous with no light in sight.

"System prompt: You have unlocked a new map—[Witch of the Swamp's Lair]!"

Hearing the familiar voice in her ear, the silver-haired girl let out a gentle sigh of relief.

She had finally found it...

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