The lizardmen Purple Garden was pointing at were somewhat different. Compared to ordinary lizardmen, these were armed, wearing rags or leaves around their waists.
These lizardmen were clearly well-equipped, with leather armor, leather skirts, and scarves around their necks. Their weapons also looked much better, and in terms of size, these lizardmen were noticeably stronger and much larger.
Bai Ye asked, "Where is the lizardmen leader?"
Purple Garden shook her head, "Haven't seen him!"
Bai Ye scratched his head. He had to see him; one of his hidden quests was to save the lizardmen chief.
As Bai Ye pondered, he moved forward.
"Let's go!" Bai Ye said, "Help!"
While speaking, Bai Ye exhaled a breath forward.
In the next instant, translucent, purple bubbles were suddenly expelled from Bai Ye's mouth.
The bubbles drifted forward, and then...
Pop, pop, pop...
As the bubbles entered the battle, they continuously shattered, bursting with crisp sounds.
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 (Emitting tear gas bubbles from the mouth as an attack)
Bai Ye used this method to temporarily halt the battle between the pig-headed men and the lizardmen, and then...
Bai Ye strode forward, continuously conjuring poison orbs in his hand and throwing them at the pig-headed men.
As the poison orbs struck the bodies of the pig-headed men, they immediately burst, and as the venom covered their bodies, the pig-headed men let out terrible screams.
Their flesh and blood were continuously corroded, and their bare white bones were soon exposed.
The pig-headed men in the rear quickly turned around, looked in Bai Ye's direction, then brandished their weapons and charged towards Bai Ye.
Bai Ye commanded, "Gengar, Shadow Ball!"
Gengar leaped in front of Bai Ye, raised its short arms, condensed a black Shadow Ball, and then forcefully threw it forward.
Boom!
The Shadow Ball landed, emitting a deafening roar.
A section of the ground was pulverized, and layered shockwaves pushed outwards in all directions, sending the pig-headed men closing in on Bai Ye flying.
Bai Ye commanded again, "Sludge Bomb!"
Gengar quickly spread its arms, and balls of mud condensed from the ground floated up and were continuously fired forward, striking the bodies of the pig-headed men.
The pig-headed men staggered from the impact of 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 regaining their balance, tried to advance further. However, they couldn't take more than a few steps before their bodies began to sway uncontrollably, and then...
Plop, plop, plop...
One by one, the pig-headed men fell to the ground, convulsing, their bodies continuously being corroded by the poison.
"You have completed Hidden Quest 1: Assist the Monster Country in rescuing the lizardmen of the Wetland Swamp. Defeat thirty pig-headed demons to receive a reward: permanent increase of 5 points to a random physical attribute."
Quest 1 completed. Bai Ye glanced at the screen. The random increase was in Speed...
Honestly, with only five points of Speed, he wouldn't feel any difference unless he ran at full speed, but an increase was still a good thing, better than nothing.
As Bai Ye pondered, he 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?"
Purple Garden rolled her eyes. "Monsters don't have names because monsters who receive a bestowed name gain power blessings and can evolve."
Bai Ye asked, "Don't you have a name?"
Purple Garden said with reverence, "That is a gift from Lord Rimuru."
Bai Ye was speechless. Were names so important to monsters? He just asked casually.
As Bai Ye pondered, he changed his question, "Are you the leader's personal guards?"
The lizardman nodded.
Bai Ye said, "We are from the Monster Country 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 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. "When I came in, there were no pig-headed men outside. You should leave on your own and head to the Monster Country. Someone will meet you there."
The lizardman bowed his head. "Thank you very much!"
Bai Ye didn't say anything further. He called to Purple Garden and followed the secret passage the lizardman had indicated.
The random increase in a physical attribute was just a minor reward.
But saving the lizardmen chief would get him the Ruby Scepter. Bai Ye thought that thing should be quite good.
As Bai Ye pondered, he arrived at the side.
Behind a large rock, he could see a hidden passage. The large rock had been moved aside, and a passage entrance was visible beneath some green vegetation.
Bai Ye gestured to Purple Garden, indicating he would enter first, then slipped into the secret passage.
The secret passage also had torches, but it was much dimmer than outside. At the same time, there were no signs of fighting, indicating that the pig-headed men had not discovered the secret passage, or at least couldn't enter it.
This was definitely good news, meaning the lizardmen chief was likely still alive.
Moreover, since there were no signs of combat, it meant there were no pig-headed men. Bai Ye and Purple Garden proceeded smoothly without any obstacles.
However, after an unknown amount of time...
Sounds of fighting erupted again!
Bai Ye and Purple Garden exchanged glances, instinctively understanding each other's intentions, and immediately sped up.
Only the lizardmen chief had exited through the secret passage. Now that sounds of fighting were heard, it must be that the lizardmen chief had fallen into a difficult situation.
As Bai Ye and Purple Garden increased their pace, soon, a light appeared ahead.
Bai Ye slipped out through the light and found himself back in the forest.
Bai Ye exclaimed, "This is?"
"This should be the forest south of the Wetland Swamp," Purple Garden said, pointing to a large bird's nest in a tree. "That's a Cucuckoo bird's nest. Their territory is south of the Wetland Swamp."
Bai Ye nodded, then listened carefully, confirming the direction of the fighting.
"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 combat within the woods.
The numbers were unequal; there were at least a hundred lizardmen, while there were only thirty to forty pig-headed men, but...
The lizardmen were being completely overwhelmed!