"Ayo, you hear about them smugglers? Heard they grabbed sum' eggs and shit."

A group of veteran creeps was resting near the Leak, sitting everywhere and anywhere they could think of. Supply crates, the ground, and some even brought their own folding chairs with them… one even had a hammock set up.

"Yeah. But why return? Shit, I could live for months with all the shit they stole."

"Fool. You be spending them months in jail."

"How did they even manage to get the loot without the Nightraptor knowing?"

Most of their conversations were about the smugglers, but soon, another topic was brought up by another cluster of veteran creeps.

"Enough about that. You heard about that dude Chris? The dude who was dragged unconscious a few days back?"

"What about 'im?"

"I heard the last batch of vets said he took down like hundreds of snakes on his own. Hundreds! And when they found him, he was smiling or some shit."

"Bullshit."

"I'm serious, bruh. They said the guy was massive—like six-foot-five or eight or something. Built like a fucking tank and doesn't say anything."

"Bull, fucking, shit."

Unbeknownst to them, the person they were talking about was within their group.

Adam's eyes widened at their words, almost snorting when he realized that they were actually talking about him and finally remembered the fake name he used.

Six-foot-five?

Adam glanced down at domineering five-foot-five lean frame, a little disappointed but also thankful that this new batch didn't exactly know what he looked like.

"I heard he had scars all over him, dude. Like he was alone for a month inside the Leak."

"Now I know you spouting some bullshit. This Leak ain't even up for a month, bitch."

"It's for real, bruh! They said his arms were as big as the verdlecks."

Adam relaxed slightly at their wild exaggerations. Although they got the scars right, everything else was… ridiculous. Still, he pulled his hood over his head further as he turned his attention back to the Leak, watching the guards stationed there.

Like the veteran creeps, they too were deep in conversation and not even minding the Leak at all.

This was Adam's chance.

He stood up and separated himself from the creeps, keeping his movements casual and not hurried at all. Years of running away from the Hospital taught him that being casual was the best way to blend in with the crowd.

Well, it didn't take three steps before he was proven incorrect this time around, as a familiar voice called out behind him.

"Chris!"

His fake name was called. He turned slowly, only to see Rick waving at him, jogging over with a grin.

"I knew that was you!" Rick said, slightly out of breath. "What brings you back here? Don't tell me you're thinking about joining the guild? I can call Vincent if you want."

"No," Adam quickly said, glancing at the Leak where the guards remained distracted.

"Huh… are you here to join the next exploration, then?" Rick blinked. "I didn't see your name on the list, do you want me to register it? I—"

"Let's talk later," Adam cut him off, having thought of the best excuse to get out of the conversation. "I need to go to the toilet."

"Oh…" Rick blinked again, taken aback as he let out an awkward chuckle.

"Oh, shit. Sorry, man. Don't let me hold you up." He stepped back, waving him off and gesturing to him to hurry.

Adam nodded and walked away, but Rick suddenly called for his name again.

"Chris!"

"Hm?" Adam looked back, only to see Rick pointing in a certain direction. "The john's that way."

"Right, thank you." Adam nodded again, walking in the direction Rick was pointing. Rick watched him hastily walk away, shaking his head and muttering to himself.

"No wonder he looked so agitated. Probably too shy to ask where the toilets are."

Adam continued toward the tent where the camp's facilities are, but once he saw Rick no longer looking, he quickly altered his course. He walked toward the barricades surrounding the Leak, choosing a spot with the fewest people.

He looked at the guards again, and when he saw they were still absorbed in their conversation, he just casually lifted the barricades and pulled them back. He made sure not to move his eyes away from the guards as he stepped between the barriers.

And then, with a breath, he made his way into the Leak. Sometimes, brazenness truly was the best camouflage.

Good work, Adam. Good work.

The moment he crossed the threshold into the Leak, the world transformed.

Adam drew a deep breath, still unable to comprehend the sudden shift in atmosphere. The humid swamp air filled his lungs, but the scent of death was thicker now.

I wonder… how many have died since the last time?

He examined the area around the entrance and saw the tags that were now scattered everywhere. Different colored flags hung from branches and stakes—perhaps markers for the Nightraptor guild to indicate areas they've already explored, and where the treasures and monsters are.

One tag caught his attention immediately—a black marker with "BOSS" written in bold letters, pointing deeper into the swamp.

Well, this is convenient.

After all, Adam was there for none other than the Verdant Snake—to kill it and close this Leak permanently.

He felt bad for the innocent members of the Nightraptor guild and the veterans who just wanted money to get by, but if he didn't do this, Jerry would have time to set the smugglers free to return to Dustyville.

Are you sure about that, Adam? Won't clearing their very cash cow make them even more aggressive in wanting to retrieve their loot back from the town?

Admit it, Adam… you're doing this for the excitement. You're angry. You're mad. You want to let it out.

Adam shook off the thoughts pestering his mind, choosing to quietly follow the trail the Nightraptor guild had already set up for him. The silence was unsettling, but he preferred it over anything else.

His boots squelching through the murky water, the occasional dripping of water from above felt almost soothing to his ears. And soon, an hour had passed.

Adam's complexion was completey pale, and the veins on his neck and face was blue. But soon, this venom that flooded his system slowly faded away. He then sighed, cracking his neck as he stepped back from the verdlecks next to his feet.

The verdlecks was no longer moving, half of its body submerged in the shallow water. This was the first monster he had encountered—it would seem the Nightraptor guild and the veterans were doing a good job in clearing out the Leak.

Adam flexed and rotated his shoulder, and the two gapes on it started to close.

"This'll do," he muttered to himself before grabbing the corpse by its tail, dragging it toward a large boulder.

He positioned the verdlecks' head on top of the rock, prying its jaws open to expose the large curved fangs.

"I'm sorry," he said before raising his boot and stomping down on its head repeatedly, the sound echoing through the swamp. He didn't stop until the pair of fangs started to loosen from their sockets.

He quickly lifted up the head again and, with considerable effort, yanked both fangs free. He lost his balance, but managed to recover before he could trip.

He didn't just leave the corpse there, however, and gently laid it down beside the boulder, patting it several times before continuing on his journey.

Another hour had passed, and there was still no sign of the giant snake. Adam hoped the Nightraptor guild hadn't entered the Leak yet, as it would… complicate things if he met them.

There was a good chance of that, after all, since they knew the terrain more than him.

Fortunately for him, soon, he reached an area where the landscape was completely different. Massive trees lay toppled and splintered, their trunks snapped like twigs.

The swamp was churned and scarred, creating a path of destruction that stretched into the distance—destruction that could've only been done by the Verdant Snake.

It was weird. With how large the Boss monster was, more of the swamp should be damaged. Does… the Leak naturally recover somehow?

Adam let his thoughts trail while following the trail of destruction, his steps more cautious now. And very soon, charred scales and soot began appearing along the path.

It's close.

And he was right, the trail soon came to an end as he reached a clearing.

Well, perhaps 'clearing' wasn't the right word for it. As what lay before him was not clear at all. It was filled with eggs—hundreds of them, ranging from the size of footballs to small barrels, scattered across the muddy ground.

He had noticed it before, but it was weird how the Verdant Snake's eggs were of different sizes.

And at the center of this nursery, the Verdant Snake. It was squirming, moving across the clearing… while laying eggs.

Huh, so that's why the eggs are everywhere.

He observed the giant snake for a few more seconds…

"Hey!" Before screaming at the top of his lungs.

The Verdant Snake's enormous head rose slowly, fixing its eyes on this small intruder. Without even a hiss of warning, the creature began moving toward him, its massive body cutting through the clearing but somehow managing to push away the eggs without damaging them.

Adam crossed his arms, gripping the verdlecks' fangs firmly in each hand… and stood perfectly still.

This was his plan—there was no way he could match the Verdant Snake in direct combat, so he would give it the "Adam Special."

Let it swallow him, then kill it from the inside, just like he'd almost done with the ratatusk.

And since the Verdant Snake had swallowed him before, it'll swallow him again.

Or so Adam thought.

Instead, the monster simply rammed him with the full force of its massive, armored skull and didn't swallow him at all.

W…why?

He thought before losing consciousness.

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