Bloodline Evolution: I Can Choose Opposing Paths-Chapter 109: The Lagoons

Several minutes had passed since they escaped the Mangroves. The environment almost looked...serene, compared to the muddy swamp they were in prior.

Wide stretches of mostly shallow water were broken by scattered rocky islands and coral formations. The water was clear enough to see underneath it. Schools of small fish darted beneath the water, while other species that Aren couldn’t quite recognize were hiding in the corals.

Emily guided the enlarged dragonflies toward one of the beaches on a small island. Their wings beat slower and slower as they descended, clearly reaching the limit of what she could sustain.

As soon as they reached land, the dragonflies dissolved as Emily staggered over.

Luna caught her by the arm before she could fall completely.

"Easy," Luna said.

"I’m fine..." Emily muttered weakly, though the pale look on her face suggested otherwise.

But as Aren examined the senior, there was only one thought lingering in his head.

It really was due to Emily-senior that we were able to get out of that place alive. So how come Recon-type Bloodlines were so looked down upon in the future?

The other three seniors didn’t waste time admiring the scenery. Daniel immediately scanned the horizon while Marcus dropped his bags onto the golden sand.

"Sun’s going down," Daniel said.

Iris shaded her eyes and glanced toward the waterline before pointing toward a large rocky formation a short distance away.

"That rock will work."

"On it," Marcus nodded.

While Luna helped Emily walk toward the rocks, Marcus placed both hands against the base of the formation. Slowly, the rocks began to shift and crack.

Chunks of rock slowly hollowed out and pushed inward to form a sort of shallow cavity. Within minutes, the once jagged rocks had turned into a cave that was enough to make decent shelter.

Marcus stepped back and wiped dust from his hands.

"That’ll do."

While the others began unloading supplies and checking the perimeter, Aren wandered a few steps toward the water’s edge.

The lagoon stretched endlessly before him, its surface reflecting the fading light of the sunset.

Aren frowned slightly. Something about the place felt...strange.

In his previous life, even if he hadn’t visited the Wildlands often, he’d still heard stories about the region’s well-known danger zones. Yet... just like the Mangroves, this was a place he didn’t recognize at all.

How could two biomes this different exist right next to each other?

There has to be something else going on.

But a voice carried through the wind and snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Oi, Aren. Get back in here."

Daniel’s.

"Coming," Aren replied slowly as he stood up from the edge of the waters.

He walked back slowly toward the rocky shelter Marcus had shaped earlier. The cave was already beginning to feel like a proper camp.

A small fire crackled near the center. Iris crouched beside it with a pot hanging over the flames in a makeshift contraption. She occasionally stirred whatever mixture she had thrown together from the supplies they salvaged.

Emily was already neatly tucked in her sleeping bag, completely out cold, recovering the ether she had spent earlier. Luna sat nearby, quietly watching over her.

Marcus leaned against the rock entrance while Daniel finished setting down the last of the salvaged supplies.

Professor Sterling stood slightly apart from the rest of them near the far wall, her arms folded as she stared out toward the darkening lagoon, clearly deep in thought.

Aren stepped over the uneven stone floor and dropped down beside the fire with a quiet sigh. The warmth felt good after the long flight.

No one spoke so Aren decided to break the silence.

"Professor."

Sterling’s gaze shifted toward him.

"You mentioned earlier that the Mangroves were a ’mid-level’ danger zone," Aren said. "So... what does that make this place?"

"The Lagoons?" she tilted her head.

He nodded slowly.

"Out of the four major biomes in this region of the Wildlands, the danger ranking goes like this."

"From least to most," she raised four fingers and knocked them down one by one.

"The Highlands, The Lagoons, The Mangroves, and the Mountains."

Aren’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

"The Highlands are the safest?"

Sterling gave a small nod. "Relatively speaking, yes."

She lowered her hand and stepped closer to the fire, the flames reflecting faintly in her glasses.

"The terrain is stable, the monster populations are spread out, and most of the species there are territorial rather than migratory. As long as you don’t wander into a nest, encounters are predictable."

Daniel leaned back against the stone wall with a faint shrug.

"Good place to get the juniors used to Wildlands hunting," he added. "That was the original plan."

Sterling gave a soft hum of agreement.

"We were supposed to begin there," she said. "Ease everyone into the expedition before moving deeper."

Her gaze briefly flicked toward Emily, who was still resting against the wall.

"Then the crash happened."

Marcus scratched the back of his head.

"Yeah... that kinda rearranged the itinerary."

Then Aren glanced toward the lagoon outside. "So the Lagoons are easier than the Mangroves?"

Sterling followed his gaze toward the dark water beyond the rocks.

"In many ways, yes."

"Most of the monsters here are aquatic or amphibious, which means their hunting patterns are consistent," she continued. "Once you understand their territories, it’s easy pickings."

Daniel caught the slight change in her expression and smirked.

"Oh no," he said under his breath.

Marcus glanced between them.

"What?"

Daniel jerked his chin toward Sterling.

"She’s getting that look again."

Aren studied her more carefully. The fatigue that had lingered in her posture earlier was fading. Instead, that familiar spark of amusement had returned to her eyes.

The playful, happy-go-lucky persona she had shown back in the academy was slowly creeping back.

"Well," she said lightly, "since our schedule has already been disrupted..."

She glanced around the shelter at the group. "...We may as well make proper use of the opportunity."

Marcus frowned.

"Opportunity for what?"

Sterling’s smile widened slightly.

"Training."

Daniel chuckled quietly.

"Called it."

"We’re standing in one of the most resource-rich environments for water and lightning energy in the entire Wildlands," Sterling flicked her eyes briefly toward Aren.

"It would be a waste not to take advantage of it."