The light of dawn shined on our camp as my awareness came back to me.
I felt heavy.
Opening my eyes, I was still laying on my soft mattress, but it looks like Emma somehow migrated over to pin me down in a strangle-hold. Well, it might as well be a strangle-hold. All I could feel was her softness pressing against my side, her head tucked beneath my chin, one leg thrown across both of mine, her arm draped across my chest.
Curious, I looked over at where her own mattress lay. Empty.
Christine and Sarah seemed to have cuddled themselves on Christine's mattress like last night, but it seemed that Emma didn't like sleeping alone. Sarah's arm was wrapped protectively around Christine's shoulders, both of them still deep in sleep, their breathing steady and peaceful.
But why my mattress? It's not like they were small. Three could easily fit together on one. Not that I was complaining. Honestly.
Oh well. Not that I'm used to this by any means, but the first time I panicked enough. I've decided to just enjoy it this time. My arm wrapped around her and I held her closer, feeling the warmth of her body against mine.
Besides her oversized breasts, the rest of her was surprisingly compact. My arm easily wrapped around her waist and basically her entire body. Quite comfortable, actually. She fit perfectly against me, like puzzle pieces sliding into place. Her breathing remained slow and even, her face peaceful in sleep, the disguised features she'd chosen still beautiful in their own right.
The dual moons had set while we slept, replaced by the rising sun that painted the grassland in shades of gold and amber. Dew covered everything, turning each blade of grass into a tiny prism that scattered light in rainbow fragments. The Detection Crystal still glowed faintly, its inscriptions confirming nothing had disturbed our camp during the night.
Emma stirred slightly, her grip on me tightening as she made a soft sound and burrowed deeper against my shoulder. Her hair tickled my neck, carrying the faint scent of spiritual fruits from the Core Palace garden. She must have been eating them regularly to smell this good after a full day of flying and camping.
I should probably wake her. We needed to break camp, continue our journey, explore the swamp biome ahead. Practical concerns demanded action.
But she looked so peaceful.
And honestly, this wasn't the worst way to wake up.
Emma's breathing shifted from the deep rhythm of sleep to something lighter, more conscious. I felt the exact moment awareness returned to her, the subtle tension that entered her body as she realized where she was.
Her eyes opened slowly, focusing on my face from mere inches away. The blush that spread across her cheeks was immediate and unmistakable, a deep rose that made her disguised features somehow more endearing.
"Morning," I said, keeping my voice soft.
"M-morning." She coughed, clearing her throat as if that would somehow clear the awkwardness too. Her hands pressed against my chest as she slowly unwrapped herself from me, untangling her leg from mine with careful deliberation. Each movement seemed calculated to minimize contact, yet somehow that made me more aware of every brush of skin, every shift of weight.
She climbed out of the mattress with as much dignity as she could muster, which wasn't much given how her hair stuck up at odd angles and her clothes had twisted during the night. The walk to her own abandoned mattress took only a few steps, but she managed to sneak at least three glances back at me, each one accompanied by a fresh wave of color to her cheeks.
The storage ring on her finger flared briefly as she absorbed the mattress, the spiritual artifact making the large cushion vanish without a trace. Another glance my way. More blushing.
Okay, if she could blush like that and look so adorable, it may not be my own imagination. Maybe she had an interest in me too? The thought sent a strange warmth through my chest that had nothing to do with cultivation.
In any case, time to get up and do some exploration. I remembered the swamp biome ahead, the murky waters and strange vegetation we'd spotted before making camp. Who knew what resources or spiritual beasts waited there.
I stored my own mattress and stretched, working out the kinks from sleeping on the ground. The movement caught Christine's attention. She stirred, blinking awake with the instant alertness of someone who'd spent weeks hunting spiritual beasts.
"Morning already?" She sat up, her hair crackling with tiny sparks of residual lightning energy. Sarah woke beside her, more slowly, rubbing her eyes.
"We should move out soon," Sarah said, all business despite just waking up. "That swamp won't explore itself."
Christine grinned, storing her mattress with practiced ease. "Race you there, Em!"
"I haven't even had breakfast yet," Emma protested, though she was already pulling out fresh spiritual fruit from her storage ring. She still wouldn't look directly at me, focusing intently on distributing food to everyone.
I collapsed the Detection Crystal's barrier with a gesture, storing the device carefully. "No spiritual beast activity during the night. We got lucky."
"Or they're all in the swamp," Christine suggested cheerfully, tossing a particularly vibrant orange fruit between her hands. Lightning danced across her fingertips in anticipation.
We ate quickly, efficiency born from weeks of cultivation life. The camp disappeared piece by piece into storage rings until no trace remained of our presence. Only trampled grass marked where we'd slept, and even that would recover within hours thanks to the spiritual energy saturation.
The swamp stretched before us, dark water reflecting the morning sun in oily patterns. Unlike yesterday's open plains, this terrain demanded respect.
I pulled my armor pieces from my storage ring, the self-equipping leather guards snapping into place across my chest, arms, and legs with satisfying clicks. The inscriptions hummed to life, ready to activate their protective barriers at the first sign of danger.
Christine was already armored, her pieces crackling with tiny lightning discharges. Sarah's gear materialized around her with military precision, each piece settling into position like she'd done this a thousand times. Emma fumbled slightly with her bracers before they locked properly, the self-equipping enchantments doing most of the work.
"Everyone ready?" I asked, mounting my flying sword.
Three nods answered me.
We lifted off together, but I kept our speed moderate. Yesterday's racing games had no place here. The swamp water below was murky, thick with algae and rotting vegetation. Twisted trees rose from the depths, their branches draped with moss that hung like funeral shrouds. Mist clung to the surface, obscuring whatever lurked beneath.
I could have borrowed the Heavenly Dao's senses, seen through the water as clearly as if it were glass, mapped every spiritual beast and treasure in the entire biome. But that defeated the purpose of this trip. I needed to rely on my own strength, my own awareness. Besides, the Heavenly Dao would intervene if any real danger threatened us. That safety net allowed me to treat this as genuine training rather than a death march.
Still, I kept my sense extended to its maximum sensitivity, scanning for threats.
"Look at those flowers," Sarah called out, pointing toward a cluster of purple blooms growing on a half-submerged log. "They're releasing some kind of pollen."
The golden dust drifted across the water's surface, creating swirling patterns in the mist. Beautiful, but potentially poisonous. We gave it a wide berth.
Christine dove lower, her sword skimming just above the water as she examined something. "There's a whole school of fish down here. They're glowing!"
Sure enough, bioluminescent shapes moved beneath the murky surface, their light pulsing in rhythmic waves. Spiritual beasts, probably, though whether they were dangerous remained unclear.
Emma gasped, directing her sword toward a massive tree trunk. "Is that Swamproot? The alchemy manual mentioned it!"
She descended carefully, hovering near the gnarled bark where thick, rope-like roots emerged from the water. Dark green moss covered them, but beneath that growth, I could see the distinctive purple veins that marked the spiritual herb. Emma harvested several pieces with her dagger, her identity token chiming softly as merit points accumulated.
I caught her glancing at me as she worked, her eyes darting away the moment our gazes met. Heat colored her cheeks again before she focused intently on storing her harvest.
We continued deeper into the swamp, the water below growing darker, the trees more twisted. Strange bird calls echoed through the mist, though I never spotted the creatures making them. The air itself felt heavier here, saturated with water and spiritual energy in equal measure.
"Movement ahead," Sarah warned, her hand dropping to her sword hilt.
Something large rippled beneath the surface, displacing water in a V-shaped wake. I tensed, ready to intervene, but the creature dove deeper and disappeared without surfacing. Testing us, maybe. Or simply uninterested in prey that flew rather than swam.
Emma drifted closer to my position, her sword nearly touching mine. When I glanced her way, she was suddenly fascinated by a patch of floating lily pads, her profile turned just slightly toward me.
The swamp water exploded.
A massive alligator burst from beneath the surface, jaws wide enough to swallow a car whole. Water cascaded off its scaled hide as it launched itself upward with terrifying speed, teeth like daggers aimed directly at Emma.
No time to think. My arm shot out, wrapping around her waist as I yanked her backward. Her sword tilted dangerously as I pulled her onto mine, the flying artifact compensating for the sudden shift in weight with a wobble that nearly sent us both tumbling.
Christine and Sarah reacted instantly, both diving toward the beast as it began to fall back toward the water. Metal rang as they drew their spare swords mid-flight, the weapons appearing in their hands from their storage rings in smooth, practiced motions.
"Emma, are you okay?" My heart hammered against my ribs as I steadied us, making sure she wouldn't fall.
She didn't answer. Her face had gone completely red, the color spreading down her neck and disappearing beneath her collar. Not fear. Something else entirely.
That's when I felt it, the amazing softness beneath my palm as I gripped something that definitely wasn't armor. Somehow in the rush to rescue Emma, my hand had slipped beneath her chest guard and latched directly onto her breast.
My brain short-circuited.
Heat flooded my own face as I quickly readjusted my grip, moving my hand to her waist instead. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to grab you there."
"It's fine," she squeaked, her voice pitched higher than normal. "You saved me. That's what matters."
Every nerve in my body had catalogued that sensation, burning it into memory with perfect clarity. The softness, the warmth, the way she'd felt pressed against my palm. My cultivation-enhanced recall would make sure I never forgot a single detail, no matter how much I probably should.
Below us, Christine moved like lightning incarnate. Her sword flashed in precise arcs, each strike aimed at vulnerable spots between the alligator's scales. She danced around its snapping jaws with the confidence of someone who'd spent weeks hunting spiritual beasts alone, her Lightning Step technique leaving crackling afterimages in the air.
Sarah fought with determination but lacked experience. Her strikes were powerful but telegraphed, giving the beast time to shift its massive bulk away from her blade. She compensated with aggression, pressing forward even when the alligator's tail whipped toward her, forcing it to defend rather than attack.
"Aim for the eyes!" Christine called out, ducking under another bite. Her sword left a shallow cut along the creature's jaw, drawing first blood. Dark ichor dripped from the wound, hissing where it hit the water.
Sarah adjusted her approach, feinting high before slashing low at the beast's foreleg. The blade bit deep, and the alligator roared, the sound reverberating across the swamp and sending flocks of birds scattering from nearby trees.
Christine pressed the advantage, her sword crackling with lightning energy as she drove the point toward the creature's eye. The alligator twisted violently, taking the strike on its armored snout instead. Sparks scattered across the scales as it thrashed, clearly deciding this fight wasn't worth the effort.
With a final snap of its jaws that caught only empty air, the Beast Warrior dove beneath the surface. Water churned violently where it disappeared, then settled into ripples that spread outward in concentric rings.
Christine hovered above the impact point, sword ready, watching for any sign of the creature's return. After several tense seconds, she relaxed slightly. "It's gone. Probably won't come back after taking that much damage."
Sarah landed beside her, breathing hard but grinning. "That was incredible! Did you see how fast it moved?"
"Beast Warriors are no joke," Christine agreed, storing her sword. "Especially ambush predators like that."
Emma still pressed against my side, her breathing unsteady. I could feel her heartbeat through our contact, rapid and strong.
"We should move away from this area," I suggested, my voice somehow steady despite everything. "Where there's one, there might be more."