SS Awakening: My Monster Merging System!

Chapter 151: Zich Is Petty

Inside the Blackwater Marsh, Zich had already left the location of the initial battle.

The mist still hung low over the water’s surface, with black muddy water slowly flowing between withered grass and broken stones. Explosions, monster roars, and the energy fluctuations caused by certain candidates fighting occasionally echoed from the distance, proving that this massive battlefield had completely begun operating.

The system timer slowly ticked in the corner of his vision.

[Time Left: 82:17]

[Remaining Candidates: 56]

Zich glanced at the numbers and quickly came to a conclusion.

The number of candidates was dropping faster than he had expected.

This meant that it wasn’t just candidates fighting one another. The monsters and the terrain itself were also constantly eliminating people. Ninety minutes didn’t sound short, but at this pace, if everyone continued charging around recklessly, it probably wouldn’t take long before the number of remaining candidates dropped to a very dangerous level.

"Someone has already started actively hunting."

Zich said quietly.

Slimy lay on his shoulder, its body calmer than before, though its round eyes continued darting left and right. It was fairly adapted to this damp environment, but it clearly had no fondness for things that suddenly burst out from beneath the water.

Zich did not head toward the area where the fighting was most intense.

Instead, he followed a shallower waterway, stepping carefully between mud and broken stones, trying to avoid making too much noise. The battle just now had already taught him that in a place like this, both sound and ripples could attract enemies.

Only, some troubles would appear on their own even if you didn’t go looking for them.

As he stepped across a half submerged tree root, a faint ripple suddenly appeared on the water ahead.

The ripple was tiny, so tiny that most people would probably think it was merely the wind brushing across the surface. But Zich stopped walking because the ripple was too straight and far too purposeful.

"Again?"

There was a trace of subtle amusement in his tone.

Slimy also looked toward that patch of water, venom already beginning to churn inside its body.

This time, however, Zich did not have Slimy attack.

He lowered his head and looked at the patch of firmer mud beneath his feet, then at a flat stone protruding from the water not far away. After that, he took out a scythe like weapon from his storage.

This weapon was not something he used most often.

But after watching Mira’s battle earlier, he had developed a bit of interest in this type of hooked blade weapon. Combined with his strengthened physical attributes, which had already far surpassed what they once were, occasionally not relying entirely on summons could also serve as a test of his current melee abilities.

The shadow beneath the water circled around once, and it soon became visible.

’Another Keth?’

The corners of Zich’s mouth lifted slightly.

"Looks like luck really knows how to make arrangements."

Slimy tilted its body, clearly not understanding.

Watching the ripple draw closer and closer, Zich calmly said,

"Yesterday a Keth merchant cheated me with a bundle of useless grass. Today I run into two Keth candidates. This should count as some kind of compensation."

The moment he finished speaking, the water suddenly exploded.

The second Keth candidate burst out of the black water, gripping a short trident in his hand. His body was coated in slick water, and he was even faster than the previous one, clearly intending to stab Zich in the abdomen before he could fully react.

Zich raised the scythe in his hand, its curved blade hooking sideways at just the right angle to catch the shaft of the short trident. Then, with a twist of his wrist, he directly diverted the direction of the thrust.

The Keth candidate’s expression darkened.

He clearly had not expected a Summoner to receive his close range ambush in such a manner.

Zich planted his foot, pressing forward half a step, and the end of the scythe’s handle naturally slammed into the opponent’s shoulder.

Bang!

The Keth candidate’s body tilted, but by taking advantage of his slick skin to disperse part of the force, he quickly slid back into the black water. The next moment, he appeared behind Zich’s side, thrusting the short trident toward his ribs.

This time, Zich used Shadow Blink.

FWOOSH!

His figure disappeared, reappearing atop that flat stone. The instant he landed, instead of retreating, he used the higher position to press forward, bringing the scythe’s curved blade down in a downward slash.

The Keth candidate raised his trident to block.

CLANG!

The weapons collided, sending both water droplets and sparks flying into the air.

Zich’s strength had already far surpassed what people normally expected from a Summoner. The Keth candidate’s arms sank under the pressure, while the black water beneath his feet exploded into rings of ripples.

"You’re not a backline Summoner?"

"When did I ever say I was?"

Zich’s voice remained calm, but his hands never stopped moving.

A scythe was different from a sword.

A sword was more straightforward, while a scythe was better suited for hooking, pulling, redirecting, and disrupting one’s stance. With Super Soldier assisting him, although it was impossible for him to become a true scythe master in such a short time, after several exchanges, he had already gradually begun to grasp the rhythm of using this weapon.

Thanks to his skill, he wielded it like someone who had used it for at least ten years. That was how terrifying the skill was.

The Keth candidate once again attempted to dive into the deeper water.

Slimy moved solely by instinct, even without waiting for Zich to give the order.

PSHHH!

Green venom sprayed into the water the Keth candidate intended to retreat through. That patch of black water immediately emitted faint white smoke, forcing him to abruptly change direction.

And that change happened to send him directly into the position Zich had predicted.

The scythe in Zich’s hand swept across horizontally, its curved blade hooking directly beneath the short trident. With a pull of his wrist, the weapon was dragged off its original path, instantly exposing the Keth candidate’s chest.

Immediately, Zich smashed the back of the scythe’s handle into him with full force.

BOOM!

The Keth candidate was sent crashing into a half submerged tree trunk, coughing out a mouthful of water and blood.

He still tried to stand back up.

Zich was already in front of him.

The hooked blade of the scythe caught onto his shoulder, dragging him out of the muddy water by force before a reverse heavy strike smashed into the side of his neck.

Bang!

The Keth candidate’s body went limp, dropping to his knees in the mud.

[Candidate Eliminated]

[Remaining Candidates: 55]

[Zich Grave — Elimination Count: 2]

Watching the Keth candidate gradually dissolve into specks of light, Zich spoke in a calm tone, as though settling a small debt.

"This one counts as the interest on that bundle of grass."

Slimy bounced once beside him, as if strongly agreeing.

Zich put away the scythe and looked toward the thicker mist in the distance.

This time, he did not leave immediately.

Because from the other side of the mist came much clearer sounds of battle.

A flash of fire lit up in the distance, followed immediately by a heavy impact.

BOOM!

Standing in the marshland, Zich narrowed his eyes slightly.

It seemed he was getting closer and closer to where the real excitement was.