Walking was too slow. When could he get a horse? That would be much faster, Nie Yan thought. But horses wouldn't become common for at least two months. They were too expensive. Even the worst horse cost more than ten gold coins, which wasn't worth it.

Nie Yan used an acceleration scroll and sprinted towards Sogot City.

He was like a streak of light across the plains, quickly disappearing over the horizon.

Half an hour later, Nie Yan gradually entered a dark swamp. Since it was far from any town, there were fewer players grinding monsters in this area. Few players would come to such a remote place, but there were still some high-level players who liked to explore. He did encounter a few player teams along the way.

Short shrubs were scattered everywhere, and mist swirled, blocking the sunlight. An occasional cold wind blew, making the surroundings somewhat gloomy.

The ground was full of puddles, and here and there were scattered, decaying animal bones. Snakes occasionally slithered through the bushes. In the dark swamp, unknown dangers lurked everywhere.

System: You have discovered the Natlan Swamp.

"Here we are." Looking at the misty Natlan Swamp, Nie Yan thought it would take some effort to get through this area.

Nie Yan carefully moved between the bushes, trying to avoid any creatures that might appear. He passed through a dense patch of grass, his super-high perception alerting him to danger.

With a whoosh, a thick figure burst out of the grass and pounced on Nie Yan.

Instinctively, Nie Yan rolled to avoid the figure, and saw what it was. It was a Swamp Giant Lizard, a huge lizard over two meters long. Its greenish skin was covered with black spots, and its head, claws, and tail were covered with spikes. These spikes were coated with a green liquid, the Swamp Giant Lizard's poison. This poison could cause paralysis, causing its victims to freeze for two or three seconds. This poison made the Swamp Giant Lizard extremely dangerous.

"So it's these things." Nie Yan's heart tightened. These Swamp Giant Lizards didn't have much health and were quite fragile, but if you were attacked by one, it could be fatal.

A principle circulated among experts in his previous life: never underestimate any monster. Even the lowest-level Swamp Giant Lizard could paralyze you.

At low levels, these giant lizards were almost assassins to mages and thieves. Once poisoned by a Swamp Giant Lizard, you might be paralyzed, and they could tear you to pieces. Even heavily armored shield warriors, if careless, could be defeated by a giant lizard.

Swamp Giant Lizard: Level 6, HP 360/360.

The Swamp Giant Lizard missed its attack and landed on the ground with a loud crash, sending dust flying.

Nie Yan finished his roll, and his right-hand dagger struck the back of the Swamp Giant Lizard's head with a stun. Then came Assassinate, Cut, and Vital Strike. -79, -83, -97. Damage numbers floated up from the Swamp Giant Lizard's head. The Swamp Giant Lizard twitched and fell to the ground.

These giant lizards were very fragile. As long as you weren't attacked by them, it was easy to kill them.

Under Nie Yan's attack, the Swamp Giant Lizard had no chance to fight back.

After equipping a full set of Level 5 gear, Nie Yan's attack power was over sixty points. Such a high attack was unimaginable for players at the moment. With such a high attack, and the thief class's fast attack speed, his damage output was ridiculously high. Apart from the leaders of some large guilds, few players could wear equipment comparable to Nie Yan's. What's more, Nie Yan had an item as heaven-defying as the Chapter of Courage.

Strong will, sharp perception, extreme agility, sharp attacks, and extremely fast attack speed. Even when fighting monsters like Swamp Giant Lizards above his level, Nie Yan was in his element and didn't feel any strain.

Slaying Swamp Giant Lizards along the way, Nie Yan's agility ensured that the Swamp Giant Lizards didn't even touch him.

Deeper into the swamp, the fog became thicker and the visibility was very low, making Nie Yan very careful with every step. Although he could easily kill Swamp Giant Lizards, their poison was still deadly.

The mist drifted, and vague illusions appeared in the mist from time to time.

It was a distant battlefield. The roars of warriors and the neighing of horses still echoed faintly in his ears. A breeze blew, and these desolate and distant scenes disappeared into the wind.

Heavy footsteps mixed with auditory hallucinations, giving an unreal feeling.

Nie Yan didn't notice anything unusual at first, but when he felt the ground shaking under his feet, he realized something was wrong. His eyes darted around, and a giant lizard slowly crawled out of the nearby bushes, its scarlet tongue flicking, and a foul stench wafted towards him.

This giant lizard was five yards long, its body covered with gray-black scales, its strong limbs sprawled on the ground, its long tail covered with spikes, and strange patterns of white scales on its neck.

In the eyes of the original inhabitants of the Natlan Swamp, giant lizards with white scale patterns were extremely terrifying. These white scale patterns represented mystery and death.

This giant lizard was obviously different from ordinary giant lizards.

The giant lizard spotted Nie Yan and quickly ran, pouncing towards him. As they ran, their bodies and tails twisted back and forth, but their speed was incredibly fast. This strange crawling posture allowed them to gain even faster running speed. In an instant, it pounced in front of Nie Yan.

Nie Yan retreated quickly while casting an Identify on the giant lizard.

Serpent Lizard: Level 7 Sub-Elite, HP 1200/1200.

Realizing it was a Serpent Lizard, Nie Yan's heart tightened. How could he have encountered this guy!

Serpent Lizards only appeared in the Natlan Swamp and were sub-elite creatures. With Nie Yan's current level, if he encountered a same-level boss, he would only be able to run for his life, let alone a Level 7 Elite. The reason he was able to kill the Level 7 Elite Lion King and the Level 8 Sub-Elite Ogre Devourer before was because the terrain there was relatively unique, with terrain advantages that he could use. But here, it was basically impossible for Nie Yan to fight the Serpent Lizard. They were the true kings of this swamp.

The Serpent Lizard's health wasn't much higher than other elite creatures of the same level, but its attack was very powerful. It had poison, mud, and mist. Players below Level 10 couldn't solo a Serpent Lizard at all. Only a Level 10 team of five or more would dare to take on this guy. They were known as swamp killers, and many players who leveled up in the swamp had died at their hands.

The Serpent Lizard pounced on Nie Yan like lightning and spewed a cloud of poisonous mist. The green poisonous mist quickly spread out.

The green poisonous mist reeked, and just a slight whiff made him feel dizzy.