CHAPTER 79: NATURAL TRAP

Shaan glanced as Robin pointed, and his face instantly paled. His body froze like a mannequin as he watched several silhouettes resembling giant lizards descend from the trees.

"Oh no, this is bad. There are so many of these giant lizards, and we won’t be able to defeat them all."

"...Shaan, I’ll try to hold them off for as long as I can," said Nalira. "Hurry, go find Chelsie and the courier before those lizards reach them."

"Alright, Nalira, I’m counting on you."

Shaan quickly left Nalira and ran straight toward the large rock where Chelsie and the courier were hiding. Luckily, when he got there, no giant lizards had shown any sign of attacking them yet.

"Chelsie, how is Mr. Courier? Is he feeling better?"

"Uhmm... much better." Chelsei nodded and tucked a glass bottle back into her pouch. "At least I’ve given him the same antidote I once gave you, and now we just have to wait for the poison in Mr. Courier’s body to dissipate. After that, I’ll use my healing skill to treat his wounds."

"Good, at least the courier’s life is not in danger." Shaan sighed. "But I have bad news. We have to get out of here as quickly as possible before the giant lizards come after us.

"Gi-giant lizards?" Chelsie’s face instantly tensed. "Oh no... that’s terrifying. That figure must be—"

"Chelsie, watch out."

Shaan quickly pushed Chelsie aside just before an arrow flew toward her. Damn, that was close. Fortunately, Shaan noticed the incoming arrow in time, and it missed, striking a tree branch nearby. If he hadn’t reacted quickly, the arrow would’ve pierced her, possibly killing her on the spot.

"W-what just happened?" Chelsei’s lips trembled, and her eyes widened as she saw the arrow stuck in the tree trunk. "W-where did that come from?"

"Chelsie, there’s no time to find out." Shaan quickly stood up and grabbed Chelsie’s hand. "Now, we have to carry Mr. Courier and meet Nalira as soon as possible."

"A-alright."

Together, they started helping the courier walk, moving as quickly as they could to reach Nalira. However, it turned out that assisting him to walk wasn’t as easy as Shaan had imagined. Mr. Courier’s body might have been about the same size as Shaan’s, but the problem was the heavy bag he carried. Because of its weight, both Shaan and Chelsie had to push themselves harder to keep moving forward.

"Come on, Chelsie. We can do this!"

With all their strength, they kept moving until they finally regrouped with Nalira. She was fighting alongside Satan, holding back several giant lizards that tried to lunge at them.

"Lira!" Chelsie shouted. "We need to get out of here!"

"I understand." Nalira nodded. "Satan, use Flame Vortex to slow the lizards down while we make our escape."

[As you wish, little princess,] Satan placed his hand on his chest and gave a slight bow. [I shall act at once.]

As the giant lizards tried to chase them, Satan quickly created a massive fire vortex. The blazing whirlwind forced the creatures to scurry back up the trees and vanish into the thin air.

"Hurry, this is our chance. We have to get out of here now."

They quickly sped up their pace through the cluster of trees in front of them. However, even though Satan managed to keep the giant lizards away from them for a moment, the creatures did not let them escape easily.

[Shaan, the other giant lizards are appearing.] Robin Hood pointed upward. [The creatures are on the trees and seem to be preparing to attack us.]

"Robin Hood, use a swift quiver while we try to get out of here. Make sure your arrows stop those giant lizards before they attack us."

[I understand]

Robin Hood instantly shoots several arrows simultaneously and successfully repels the attack from the giant lizards. Good, now they can at least escape from the pursuit of those terrifying creatures.

***

Several minutes had passed, but strangely, they still hadn’t found a way out of this place. All they could see was a cluster of trees that looked the same as before. It seemed like they had been circling in this place the whole time. This is bad. Where exactly is the exit?

"Shaan, Lira, what should we do?" Chelsie’s face looked panicked. "The sky is getting darker, and if we stay here, those giant lizards will chase us."

".... I’m sure we’re close to the exit. It’s just that we—"

"W-what’s happening?"

"Mr. Courier." Chelsie sighed deeply. "Thank goodness you’re okay."

"How are you feeling, Mr. Courier?"

"Much better now," Mr. Courier replied. "Thank you both. You can set me down here."

"Alright, we understand."

"Mr. Courier, we seem to be lost and can’t find the way out of here," Shaan sighed desperately.

"No. You’re not lost at all." The courier shook his head. "You’re on the right path, and you’ll be there soon."

Mr. Courier pointed his finger toward a large tree a few meters ahead. "If you look closely, you’ll see something glowing on the tree trunk."

"Yes... I see it. What is it?"

"That’s Luxvia moss—also known as light moss. People often use it to mark the exit path from the swamp."

"Yes! That’s good news. At least we can finally get out of here," Chelsei nodded. "Come on, hurry up and leave this place as quickly as possible."

"But we have to be careful," the courier warned as he walked ahead of them. "There’s quicksand around this area, so make sure you step carefully. I’ll lead the way and guide you so you don’t get stuck."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good plan," Chelsie nodded enthusiastically.

After walking for a few minutes following the courier, everything seemed safe so far. Good, at least they could avoid the quicksand, which, to be honest, an ordinary person like Shaan couldn’t even see.

"We’ll be there soon," said the courier walking ahead. "We just need to walk straight and not do anything."

But as they continued walking, a giant lizard suddenly leaped from the nearby tree where it had been hiding. Damn it.

The creature leaped directly toward Chelsie, ready to attack, but Shaan quickly stood in front of her, blocking the attack. He managed to fend off the lizard’s attack, forcing it to fall into the quicksand. Unfortunately, the lizard managed to grab Shaan and drag him into the quicksand along with it.

"No! Shaan!"