Chapter Seventy-Eight: Master of the Wilds

“Cough, cough, cough!” Su Yi coughed violently in the miasma, feeling his limbs ache and his body weaken.

“So this is an Elder Dragon?” He lifted his gaze. The Rotten Vale Dragon, after enduring a fierce assault from various monsters, had only shed some of the decaying flesh draped over its body; no real wounds could be seen. Moreover, it continued to absorb the life force of surrounding creatures through the miasma. Because of this, Su Yi dared not release the Ferocious Fang Wyvern or the Raucous Bird. First, neither was as adapted to the miasma environment as the Grim Claw Dragon or the Ferocious Jaw Dragon, especially given the current density. Second, if they could not inflict real harm on the Rotten Vale Dragon, unleashing them would only provide more life force for it to absorb.

With a rush, the miasma billowed out from its mouth, and the sword and bone dagger stuck in its jaws clattered to the ground. At this moment, the miasma had drained most of the life from every creature present, leaving them as lambs awaiting slaughter. The Rotten Vale Dragon unfurled the curtain of death with elegant composure amidst the miasma, intent on sending all living things to the underworld.

“Is the Valley of Miasma to be my grave?” Su Yi’s head grew heavy, and this thought flashed through his mind.

“Su Yi, meow…” Dewgrass crawled to his side, handing him something. “A potion bottle?” Su Yi focused, recognizing the bottle marked with a paw print. “Meow…” The feline could barely speak, so weakened was it.

Su Yi’s expression shifted, memories returning to the moment he first met Dewgrass—when the cat handed him a potion bottle, urging him to escape from the Swift Wyvern, acting with absolute resolve.

“Dewgrass, hold onto this.” Su Yi said, pushing the paw-print bottle back into the cat’s hands. Then he pulled out a flint and, with a rasp, ignited the flammable materials among the corpse remains at his feet.

The flames roared to life, dispersing the nearby miasma. Su Yi swallowed a dispel fruit, temporarily ridding himself of the miasma’s corrosive effect. He then opened his own medicine bottle and gulped down a large draught of potent healing potion.

“Return.” Su Yi recalled the cat and the Raucous Bird, who could not withstand the miasma, back into their spheres. The Grim Claw Dragon and Ferocious Jaw Dragon struggled to their feet, bracing themselves for a last desperate stand.

“Wroarrr~” The Rotten Vale Dragon growled deeply, absorbing more miasma, preparing to unleash its breath for the final blow.

Su Yi gripped a capture sphere tightly, planning to imitate his earlier tactic with the Swift Wyvern—temporarily trapping the Rotten Vale Dragon to buy even a moment.

Smack! A large hand suddenly clapped his shoulder from behind, startling Su Yi so badly his heart nearly leapt out of his chest.

“Who’s there?!” Su Yi cried, turning around.

He saw a figure wearing a gas mask, wielding a large projectile crossbow, launching a volley of massive incendiary rounds into the miasma-shrouded Rotten Vale Dragon.

Boom, boom, boom! The quickly fired incendiaries erupted into flames, igniting the flammable corpse matter and creating a blazing sea of fire before Su Yi. The miasma was largely dispelled, and the sudden inferno made the Rotten Vale Dragon recoil in surprise.

“Move, quickly!” The masked figure’s muffled voice boomed from beneath the mask.

“My companions are still caught in the flames!”

“Grim Claw Dragon! Ferocious Jaw Dragon! Hurry!” Su Yi produced their capture spheres.

“You’re insane! Drawing monsters to you on purpose?!” the masked figure shouted in alarm and anger.

The Grim Claw Dragon and Ferocious Jaw Dragon summoned the last of their strength, sprinting toward him.

“Go, now!” The masked figure grabbed Su Yi, ready to flee.

“Wait!” Su Yi pulled back, and under the figure’s astonished gaze, recalled the two companions into their spheres.

“What…?!” The masked figure was too shocked for words.

“Auntie, hurry!” Su Yi urged the stunned figure.

“Right!” Without hesitation, she turned and led Su Yi away at a run.

“Wroarrr!” The Rotten Vale Dragon would not let them escape so easily; it absorbed the miasma and unleashed its breath, blasting a gap in the sea of flames and quickly pursuing them.

“It’s too fast!” The masked figure reloaded her crossbow and fired another incendiary round.

Boom! The Rotten Vale Dragon, wary now, dodged nimbly—but right then, Su Yi followed up with a capture sphere, striking the dragon unguarded.

Thunk! The Rotten Vale Dragon was swallowed by the sphere, transformed into light.

“What kind of trap is that?!” the masked figure wondered aloud.

“It won’t hold it for long—keep running!” Su Yi didn’t look back, following after the masked figure.

No sooner had he spoken than the capture sphere burst open, and the Rotten Vale Dragon emerged, scanning its surroundings in confusion before once more locking onto the two fugitives.

“We’ll have to use the terrain to evade it!” the masked figure said, and at the next junction, she slipped through a narrow crevice, weaving through the tangled caves of the Valley of Miasma.

Su Yi summoned every ounce of strength to keep pace.

The scenery shifted constantly—from tight, claustrophobic cracks in rocky walls, to dim and narrow tunnels, and finally to a swaying bone bridge connecting two cliffs.

They ran for an unknown length of time; eventually, the miasma faded, and the masked figure stopped in a cave.

“Phew! We should be beyond the Rotten Vale Dragon’s territory now.” She spoke as she removed her gas mask, revealing the weathered face of a dark-skinned, middle-aged woman.

Su Yi thought to himself: as expected, the Field Master.

Before him stood the woman whom the protagonist’s handler called “Auntie” in the game—a veteran of the first expedition to the New World, one of its founding members. Like nearly all NPCs, she had no proper name, known only as the Field Master.

In the game, she was driven by a boundless curiosity for the unknown, often guiding the story’s progression. She was also the earliest and most persistent investigator of the Valley of Miasma, eventually discovering and reporting the approximate location of the Rotten Vale Dragon’s lair.

“Which expedition are you from? Why have you come to the Valley of Miasma alone—and what about those creatures…?” The Field Master was full of questions.

Su Yi scratched his head, gathering his thoughts. “I’m not a hunter from the Celestial Outpost. You could say… I’m an adventurer from another continent.”

“Another continent?! You’re from the Old World?!” she exclaimed in disbelief.

The Old World was a long way from here. Aside from the research teams, how could anyone deliberately come to such an undeveloped place?

“Not exactly. In short, I’m an adventurer from a world beyond both Old and New. I arrived in the New World a little over a month ago, exploring with my companions.” Su Yi told the truth.

“So, according to you, you’re not from either continent, but from a completely unknown land?” The Field Master was astonished.

This meant not only another continent, but another civilization—a discovery far more significant than simply finding a new land.

As an explorer, the Field Master knew that the more she learned, the more she realized how little she truly understood. She believed that many lands in this world remained undiscovered, and even among known continents, there could be hidden civilizations.

Thus, she was inclined to believe Su Yi’s claim of another world, though she still had many doubts about the truth.