Gardener of Eden

Chapter 119: Chapter 119: Naga and Murlocs

The calm ripples of the ankle-deep water violently shattered as a scaly patrol rounded the corner of a grand, barnacle-encrusted marble archway.

Leading the squad was a Naga Mage (Level 11), its long, emerald-scaled serpent tail gliding smoothly through the tide while four muscular arms raised a twisted coral staff. Surrounding the serpent leader were three Murlocs (Level 8)—hunched, goggle-eyed amphibian creatures brandishing rusted tridents and jagged bone spears.

With a harsh, guttural hiss, the Naga Mage thrust its staff forward, barking a command in an ancient reptilian tongue. The three Murlocs shrieked in response, leaping through the shallow water in a frantic, splashing charge. Behind them, the Naga Mage began swaying rhythmically, its staff gathering a swirling, volatile orb of pressurized seawater and crackling blue lightning.

Rowan didn’t flinch, his eyes assessing the threat in a fraction of a second.

”Everyone focus on the murlocs!” Rowan commanded, his authoritative voice ringing clear over the splashing tide. ”Mirei, interrupt the naga mage from its spell channel!”

”On it!” Mirei called out instantly.

Vaulting onto a half-submerged marble pedestal with effortless grace, Mirei drew her heavy bow to full extension in a single fluid motion. A concentrated shaft of high-velocity wind mana materialized along her arrow, humming with a high-pitched whine. Before the Naga Mage could complete the final verse of its incantation, Mirei released the string.

The arrow tore through the ocean breeze like a silver streak, striking the Naga’s coral staff right at its focal gemstone with pinpoint accuracy. A sharp, explosive crack echoed through the ruins, violently shattering the spell matrix. The unfinished sphere of lightning and water backfired in a blinding flash, breaking the Naga’s channel and staggering the serpent caster back with a pained, disoriented roar.

Simultaneously, the rest of Squad 07 locked onto the three approaching Murlocs. Barney planted his heavy tower shield directly into the shallow tide, sending a wave of spray splashing outward as the lead Murloc slammed uselessly against the reinforced steel. Caelen dissolved into a silver blur, sliding past Barney’s flank with his Edge of the First Warden drawn, while Princess Lyra stepped in with her longsword coated in radiant light, ready to sweep through the remaining attackers before the stunned Naga could recover.

Seraphina reacted with practiced speed, whipping an Incendiary Elixir from her alchemical belt and hurling it past Barney’s shoulder. The glass shattered cleanly against the lead Murloc’s scaly chest, erupting into a violent burst of white-hot alchemical fire. The creature shrieked as the intense flames incinerated it instantly, turning its health bar to zero before it even reached the front line.

Taking advantage of the blinding burst of light, Caelen stepped forward, bringing down his relic greatsword, Edge of the First Warden, with two-handed ferocity. The massive blade carved through the air in a devastating diagonal arc, the ancient steel cleaving the second Murloc straight in two with sheer, overwhelming weight and kinetic force.

Before the severed halves even hit the ankle-deep water, Princess Lyra darted beneath the spray, her longsword blazing with radiant light. In a single fluid, razor-sharp sweep, she drove her blade through the third Murloc’s neck, taking its head clean off in one effortless execution.

Within three heartbeats, all three Level 8 Murlocs were completely wiped out, their bodies dissolving into fading trails of blue mana that rippled along the flooded floor.

Across the courtyard, the isolated Naga Mage (Level 11) hissed furiously. Still recovering from Mirei’s precise interrupting arrow to its staff, the serpentine caster frantically raised its four arms, trying to weave a desperate defensive water shield to cover its retreat.

Rowan stepped calmly through the rippling, ankle-deep tide, his trusty hoe resting comfortably against his shoulder. He tipped the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat with a cool, confident smirk as Squad 07 immediately encircled the lone mage.

”No guards left to hide behind,” Rowan said, his core mana humming with quiet authority. ”Finish it.”

Rowan slammed the iron tip of his hoe directly into the ankle-deep water, channeling his core mana straight through the submerged marble floor.

”Vines of the Thorns!”

A surge of emerald light flared beneath the clear surface. Verdant, razor-sharp brambles—intertwined with thick aquatic vines—erupted violently through the flooded stone across a five-meter radius. The writhing roots coiled tightly around the Naga Mage’s long serpent tail and all four of its arms, binding the creature completely in place. The Naga unleashed a frantic, pained screech as the thorny vines dug deep past its scales, inflicting continuous nature damage and shattering its attempt to cast a defensive water shield.

”Finish it together!” Rowan shouted, stepping forward to cover the flank.

Barney led the charge, plowing through the rippling tide to slam his massive tower shield squarely against the Naga’s chest. The impact pinned the ensnared serpent firmly against a submerged marble pillar, leaving it completely defenseless.

From her elevated perch, Mirei loosed two swift arrows in rapid succession, pinning the Naga’s upper shoulders to ensure it couldn’t swing its twisted coral staff.

With the boss-tier patrol locked down, Caelen and Princess Lyra moved in for the synchronized execution. Caelen swung the massive blade of Edge of the First Warden in a brutal, sweeping horizontal arc, carving through the Naga’s armored flank with devastating weight. Simultaneously, Lyra lunged forward, driving her longsword—flaring with brilliant radiant energy—straight through the creature’s core.

The combined force of the assault proved absolute. ℯℯ𝑙.

With a final, gargling hiss, the Naga Mage (Level 11) collapsed into the shallow water, its health bar instantly emptying before its massive serpentine frame dissolved into a fountain of shimmering blue mana motes.

As the tide settled back into soft ripples, a small cluster of loot materialized on the marble floor: high-tier serpent scales, a Level 11 Mana Core, and the Naga’s intact Coral Focus Gem.

Rowan adjusted the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat, looking over the clear blue lagoon as the squad gathered their rewards. ”Good hustle. First patrol cleared without a scratch.”

Rowan stepped over the dissolving remains of the Naga Mage, raising a hand to pause the party’s forward momentum. ”Good work, but don’t drop your guard just yet. Naga patrols rarely move entirely isolated in flooded territory like this. Check the immediate perimeter and make sure there aren’t any secondary squads setting up an ambush in the surrounding ruins.”

The squad scattered into action without a second thought, executing a clean perimeter sweep across the drowned plaza.

Mirei vaulted seamlessly up a series of half-submerged marble pillars, using her archer’s vantage point high above the tide to scan the outer lagoon. Her sharp eyes darted across the broken archways, barnacle-encrusted walls, and shallow channels leading deeper into the flooded citadel. ”Northeast corridor is clear,” she reported, her voice carrying smoothly over the gentle lapping of the waves. ”No scaly silhouettes or water disturbances on the surface.”

Caelen darted along the western perimeter, his boots splashing lightly through the ankle-deep water as he checked the shadowed alleys between crumbling stone facades. Holding Edge of the First Warden at the ready, he peeked around submerged archways and beneath fallen marble statues, ensuring no hidden Murloc scouts were lying in wait in the deeper alcoves. He gave a quick thumbs-up before looping back toward the center.

Meanwhile, Princess Lyra moved along the east wall, channeling a faint aura of radiant mana along her longsword to illuminate the darker, waterlogged crevices of an ancient flooded temple. ”All quiet over here,” she called out, stepping back into the open sunshine. ”Just coral growth and small tide-pool creatures.”

Barney remained anchored near the center beside Seraphina, his broad shoulders relaxed as he rested his heavy warhammer against his knee, keeping a steady watch on their immediate rear while Seraphina collected a few floating alchemical samples from the water.

Satisfied with the reports, Rowan lowered his gaze back to the clear tide. With the immediate area confirmed secure, he bent down to scoop up a few remaining strands of glowing aquatic moss, letting his core mana subtly interface with the local flora.

Rowan adjusted the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat, resting his trusty hoe comfortably over his shoulder with a calm smirk as the squad regrouped around him. ”Area’s clean. Let me secure these aquatic samples, and then we push deeper into the archipelago.”