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Orcs and their swamps were practically inseparable...in the dungeons at least.

It’s a common theme that explorers discovered long ago. If you see a swamp biome in a dungeon, there are probably orcs or ogres in there. This isn’t to say that orcs can’t live in other biomes, but they tend to be seen in swampy biomes.

And the swamps that orcs loved were the nasty ones. The ones whose waters were viscous, murky, muddy, and stank so strongly that it was enough to kill a man through suffocation.

Orcs have no problem wading their way through these swamps; they even use its waters for drinking and bathing. Plus, some nasty creatures are capable of living and flourishing in these nasty swamps, which Orcs hunt for food.

Their lairs were elevated, though. Orcs will either find a small elevated landmass within the swamps or build their home. If that’s not an option, at the very least, they will build their homes near the swamp itself.

Because of this behavior, many explorers hated hunting orcs, especially beginners on Stage 11 to 15.

And it just so happens that Ren was currently exploring stage 11, which meant that it was his turn to hunt down these nasty orcs.

Jen was right. The slime biome was so much better than this.

The stench in the air alone nearly made him vomit. He spawned near the swamp after all. And this swamp was practically the entire area he’s allowed to explore in this dungeon.

There were tall trees he could climb and use to traverse the area without wading through the swamp. He could jump from branch to branch as a means to travel; so long as he’s careful, he wouldn’t fall down.

But if he wants to kill the orcs to clear this stage? Going down was his only option. It’s he who has to come to the orcs, not the other way around. The orcs will be all too happy to stay in their homes and wade through their swamps without a care in the world.

It’s Ren who’s in a time limit here, not the orcs.

To make matter a bit worse, it’s more difficult to search for resources here because doing so requires one to go into the swamp itself.

The thing is, the swamp wasn’t that deep, for the most part at least. It’s up to the ankles of the orcs, knee-deep for Ren. The problem is that the swamp slows you down.

From stages 11 to 30, the dungeons will naturally become harder and more complicated. It introduces elements that add to the complexity of clearing dungeons as a means to challenge the explorers.

Aside from monsters, the dungeons will start manipulating the environment against the explorers. This swamp is a clear example of that.

The orcs have no problem wading through this swamp. It’s home to them; it’s where they drink from, where they bathe, and where they get their food from. Orcs will actively seek out swamps because to them, it’s a holy place, a habitat where they’ll surely flourish.

But for humans? It’s barely habitable. It smells bad, the creatures that live in it are inedible and hostile to them, there are barely any resources that could be used to build their homes, and more importantly, they are burdened by the weight of the swamp.

Wading through the swamp—for humans, that is—feels like fighting against a magnet that emits a strong pull. The swamp feels like it would swallow them whole, and it could if they stayed still or stepped into the deeper areas.

The worse part is that the swamp can’t be avoided either. The orcs won’t go out of it since their homes are literally built in or near it. Dealing with orcs was needed to clear this stage, and dealing with orcs meant dealing with the swamp.

So, see? It’s not just the monsters that explorers have to deal with now; it’s the orcs too.

But Ren didn’t come here unprepared. He never goes to a dungeon without making sufficient preparations. What’s the use of him reading multiple articles and materials for dungeons if he’s not going to use the knowledge he gained from them?

Ren bought a face mask that’s capable of purifying the air he breathes. It eliminates odors and filters the harmful substances contained in the air to make it easier for him. The bonus is that it wasn’t a bulky breathing mask; it literally just looked like a face mask that covers his nose and mouth. 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

He also bought all-terrain boots and pants that he could wear over his feet and lower armor. With this, traversing the swamp will be easier; it won’t be able to slow him down, and the creatures that live in the swamp won’t get the chance to nibble at his ankles and legs.

Ren even bought a raincoat to wear just in case.

All of this did not diminish Ren’s strength, nor was it an absolute protection against an environment like this. They help, that’s for sure, but they don’t make him stronger; it just helps him have an easier time in this biome, that’s all.

The most effective way to deal with this level is still by killing the orcs.

**

It’s more challenging to gather resources in this swamp, mostly because they’re either well hidden or have been taken by the orcs that lived here already.

Ren didn’t scour the swamp too hard, knowing that it’s just not worth the effort. At most, he’d give an area a glance or two from above. If he saw something within reach, he’d go down and gather them. Otherwise, he’d move on.

He knew that he’d have more luck raiding the homes of the orcs for valuable resources since it’s they who know this place like the back of their hand.

Speaking of the orcs, Ren had seen some already.

The smallest he’d seen so far was at least eight feet tall. They have massive physiques, are bipedal, and are capable of creating and using tools and crude weaponry.

They have pale and leathery skin but are mostly covered in dried mud and soot. They have pig snouts and boar-like tusks; some have hair, others don’t. Some wore clothes, others walked naked.

Most of the orcs he’d seen had a large wooden club. Some had short swords that looked like daggers in their hands.

Unlike goblins, it’s not weird for orcs to go on alone. They don’t have the same pack mentality. Some of them actually prefer solitude rather than being with their fellow orcs.

Orcs don’t have sharp senses. Ren could practically be so close to one, even breathing down its neck, and the orc would remain oblivious of his presence.

However, this doesn’t mean that they’re weak. If Ren is seen by one, it will attack, and it won’t stop unless it’s killed or he’s killed. Well, Ren could flee from one so fast that it wouldn’t be able to keep up, but that option isn’t available for everybody.

Orcs are strong. They’re not built to be flimsy and weak. Their sense might be dull, but their swings aren’t. A single orc could fell a tree with its club in two or three swings. They could easily pulverize someone’s bone if they got hit by a swing.

Furthermore, orcs are omnivores; they could and would eat anything—plants, meat, fish, critters, pests, wood, stone, and even fellow orcs should the need arise. And of course, humans are not safe from them. The jaws of orcs won’t have a difficult time tearing through the muscles and sinews of martial artists that fall to their swamp.

To clear stage 11, Ren had to kill 50 ordinary orcs. Given how large this swamp was, it’s not so difficult to do that.

But Ren prioritized stealing resources first. Orcs are out of their homes by day; they’d return by dusk or when their bags were full of resources. They won’t come back home to eat since they don’t need to; they could just grab whatever’s close to them and gnaw on it while they continue their exploration.

That’s why Ren wasn’t so worried that he’d be caught stealing resources.

And the haul wasn’t bad. If the information were right, he’d have more success in raiding orc homes for resources rather than scouring the whole swamp for them.

The only unfortunate part is that some of the resources were ruined. The orcs like to take a bite at anything they don’t understand just to test if they’re edible or not.

Orcs are not very smart after all, and it’s this habit that ruined some of the more valuable resources he discovered.

Still, the haul wasn’t bad.

Once Ren practically raided most of the orc homes he saw, he deemed it time for him to start hunting them down.

Although the orcs are physically strong, they don’t understand techniques. They are only dangerous if their attacks hit, and for someone as flexible and agile as Ren, there’s no way they’d be able to touch him.

Besides, Ren was unreasonably strong too. One punch in their snouts was enough to blow their heads off.

As such, Ren didn’t have a hard time with stage 11.