Dense, dark clouds smothered the moon and the stars.
By the swamp's edge, far from any human trace, darkness fell so thickly that one could not see their hand before their face.
In the center of a foul-smelling mud pit lay a half-dome rock, over five meters high and coated in slime, with several holes of varying sizes that resembled a nest of some creature.
Dozens of blurry shadows rapidly circled the rock, their bodies seemingly wrapped in a thick layer of mucus that, combined with the darkness, appeared exceedingly strange.
This nest had only appeared in this location for a few days, yet no living creatures were left nearby, all sufficiently large animals had become nourishment for the growth of these shadowy figures.
But now, these tyrants of the stinking mud pit were on high alert.
A red gleam appeared on the horizon, and a searing malice locked onto the nest behind them.
