The lizardmen pointed to by Ziyuan were somewhat different. Compared to ordinary lizardmen, they held weapons and wore tattered cloth or leaves around their waists.
These lizardmen were clearly well-equipped, with leather armor, leather skirts, and even scarfs around their necks. Their weapons also appeared to be much better, and in terms of size, these lizardmen were significantly stronger and much larger.
Bai Ye said, "Where is the lizardmen leader?"
Ziyuan shook her head, "Haven't seen him!"
Bai Ye scratched his head. He had to see him; one of his hidden quests was to rescue the lizardmen chieftain.
While thinking, Bai Ye stepped forward.
"Let's go!" Bai Ye said, "Help!"
As he spoke, Bai Ye exhaled forward.
In the next instant, translucent, purple bubbles were suddenly exhaled by Bai Ye.
The bubbles drifted forward, and then…
Pop, pop, pop…
As the bubbles entered the battlefield, they began to burst, exploding with crisp sounds.
And then…
Both the pig-headed men and the lizardmen felt their noses sting and their eyes burn, and they began to shed tears uncontrollably.
Poison gas bomb (exhaling tear gas bubbles from the mouth to attack)
Bai Ye used this method to temporarily halt the fight between the pig-headed men and the lizardmen, and then…
Bai Ye strode forward, continuously conjuring poison balls in his hands and throwing them at the pig-headed men.
Upon impact, the poison balls exploded, and as the poison covered the bodies of the pig-headed men, they let out tragic screams.
Their flesh and blood were continuously corroded, and stark white bones were quickly exposed.
The pig-headed men in the rear quickly turned around, looked towards Bai Ye's direction, and then swung their weapons, charging towards Bai Ye.
Bai Ye said, "Gengar, Shadow Ball!"
Gengar leaped in front of Bai Ye, raised its short arms above its head, conjured a black Shadow Ball, and then forcefully threw it forward.
Boom!
The Shadow Ball landed with a deafening roar.
A piece of the ground was shattered, and successive shockwaves pushed outwards, flinging away the pig-headed men who were surrounding Bai Ye.
Bai Ye said again, "Sludge Bomb!"
Gengar quickly spread its arms, and balls of mud condensed from the ground floated up around them, being continuously fired forward and hitting the bodies of the pig-headed men.
The pig-headed men swayed as they were hit by the Sludge Bombs. They didn't seem to take much damage, and the impact of the Sludge Bombs couldn't even push them back, but…
Sludge Bomb is a poison-type move!
Combined with the toxicity of Bai Ye's Poison Poison Fruit, the pig-headed men, after steadying themselves, tried to advance further but couldn't take more than a few steps before their bodies began to sway, and then…
Thump, thump, thump…
One by one, the pig-headed men fell to the ground, their bodies convulsing as they were continuously corroded by the poison.
"You have completed Hidden Quest One: Assist the Monster Nation in rescuing the lizardmen of the wetland swamp, defeat thirty pig-headed demons, and receive a reward: a random physical attribute permanently increased by 5 points."
Quest one was completed. Bai Ye glanced at the light screen; the random increase was in speed…
Honestly, a five-point increase in speed was barely noticeable without sprinting at full power, but an increase was still good, better than nothing.
While thinking, Bai Ye stepped over the corpses of the pig-headed men and approached the group of lizardmen guards. He casually grabbed one of them and lifted him up, asking, "What's your name?"
Ziyuan rolled her eyes, "Monsters don't have names, because monsters who receive a name are blessed with power and can evolve."
Bai Ye said, "Don't you have a name?"
Ziyuan said with reverence, "That is Lord Rimuru's gift."
Bai Ye was speechless. Were names this important to monsters? He had just asked casually.
While thinking, Bai Ye changed his question, "Are you the leader's guards?"
The lizardman nodded.
Bai Ye said, "We are from the Monster Nation and received your plea for help, so we rushed over. Where is your leader?"
The lizardman pointed to the side, "There's a secret passage over there. The leader left through the secret passage. We stayed behind to cover the retreat."
Bai Ye nodded, then pointed to the cave behind him and said, "There were no pig-headed men outside when I came in. You should leave yourselves and head to the Monster Nation, where someone will be there to meet you."
The lizardman bowed his head, "Thank you very much!"
Bai Ye didn't say anything further. He beckoned to Ziyuan and followed the secret passage they had indicated.
The random increase in a physical attribute was a small reward.
But rescuing the lizardmen chieftain would earn him the Ruby Scepter, which Bai Ye thought would be quite good.
While thinking, Bai Ye moved to the side.
Behind a large rock, a hidden passage could be seen. The rock had now been moved aside, and beneath some green vegetation, the entrance to the passage was visible.
Bai Ye gestured to Ziyuan, indicating that he would enter first, and then slipped into the secret passage.
The secret passage was also lit by torches, but it was much darker than outside. At the same time, there were no signs of a fight, indicating that the pig-headed men had not discovered the secret passage, or at least, had not been able to enter it.
This was definitely good news, implying that the lizardmen leader was likely still alive.
Moreover, since there were no signs of combat, it meant there were no pig-headed men, and Bai Ye and Ziyuan proceeded smoothly without any obstruction.
However, after an unknown amount of time…
The sounds of fighting erupted again!
Bai Ye and Ziyuan exchanged glances, understanding each other's intentions immediately, and quickened their pace.
Only the lizardmen leader had exited the secret passage. Now that fighting sounds were approaching, it was certain that the lizardmen leader had fallen into distress.
As Bai Ye and Ziyuan sped up, they soon saw a light ahead.
Bai Ye emerged into the light and found himself back in the forest.
Bai Ye couldn't help but say, "This is?"
"This should be the forest south of the wetland swamp," Ziyuan pointed to a large bird's nest in a tree, "That's a Gugu bird's nest. Their territory is south of the wetland swamp."
Bai Ye nodded, then listened intently, confirming the direction of the fighting sounds.
"This way…"
Bai Ye pointed to one side, then quickly ran forward.
After passing through the forest, Bai Ye soon saw pig-headed men and lizardmen engaged in battle within the woods.
The numbers were unequal; the lizardmen numbered at least a hundred, while the pig-headed men were only thirty to forty. However…
The lizardmen side was being utterly crushed!