[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-witcher-make-the-witcher-great-again":3,"chapter-the-witcher-make-the-witcher-great-again-the-witcher-make-the-witcher-great-again-chapter-155":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","The Witcher: Make the Witcher Great Again",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1881854,2497,"Chapter 155: The Gloom of Innsmouth","the-witcher-make-the-witcher-great-again-chapter-155",155,"\u003Cp>\"Geralt and I will take the lead, followed by Sir Massimo. Lord Regis, please cover our backs.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lynn laid out the formation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The higher vampire nodded, accepting the witcher's arrangement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"No problem, but Lynn, isn't it time you just called me 'Regis'? After all, we've shared so many adventures together.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lynn had no objections, naturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Massimo found a problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His position in the formation was the safest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With two witcher masters scouting ahead, he didn't have to worry about being attacked from behind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Normally, he was the one protecting others, not being protected himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This made him feel instantly slighted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Master Lynn, please allow me to scout ahead with you. I am perfectly capable of protecting myself.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lynn smiled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course, I don't doubt your abilities, Sir Massimo. It's just a matter of specialization.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ranger-knights excel at charging into battle, while we witchers excel in environments like the one we're currently in.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Here, let me show you.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lynn pulled out a copper coin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He flicked it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The coin became a blurry phantom, shooting into a patch of reeds somewhere in the swamp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An explosion sounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Foul-smelling sewage and mud splattered everywhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It also drained all color from the ranger-knight's face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary people might not have noticed what was hidden in that swamp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the witchers' unique enhanced senses, brought by their mutations, could easily detect the spike traps buried there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No wonder the Lady of the Lake said that ordinary people couldn't even get close.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Lynn's eyes,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This entire swamp was filled with glowing spike traps, densely packed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for the mist that previously shrouded the swamp, it probably wasn't natural but caused by a holy artifact bestowed by the evil god Dagon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was also why this cultist gathering place had existed for so long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actions spoke louder than words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ranger-knight no longer objected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the group slowly entered the swamp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It proved to be an incredibly sound judgment to have Lynn and Geralt lead the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this swamp, any place that could conceal a trap—such as shallow pits filled with murky water, densely growing reeds, or small mounds disguised to look normal—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>all had spike traps buried within them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Judging by the destructive power seen earlier, an ordinary person stepping on one would likely have half their body blown to pieces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Therefore, Massimo and Regis obediently followed behind the two witchers, stepping precisely in their footprints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After they had advanced a certain distance, Lynn found a glint in a rare water pit that had no traps buried in it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He bent down and picked it up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wiping away the mud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a pendant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it was corroded beyond recognition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The photo inside the pendant was already blurred and indistinct.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"This is...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Massimo's eyes lit up, and he quickly followed Lynn's footsteps to his side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He took the pendant from the witcher's hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That's right, this is Thorin Oakenshield's pendant. It even has his family crest on it.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"He was the previous captain of the Ducal Guard, and one of the rare non-humans in Toussaint's history to serve Her Grace the Duchess.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A few years ago, his wife was tragically murdered. After a heavy drinking binge, he resigned from his position as Ducal Guard captain, vowing to eliminate all evil in the world.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But he disappeared not long after.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"People said he died in some cave while fighting monsters.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I never thought it would be here, not in a cave.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Massimo rubbed the texture of the pendant in his hand, then recalled the scene Lynn had just shown him...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ranger-knight couldn't help but shiver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn't hard for him to imagine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Poor Thorin Oakenshield must have lost his way in the dense fog and stepped on a trap, leaving no trace of his body here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, the group, after several close calls, safely reached the village in the center of the swamp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire village had a rotten, dilapidated appearance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the villages in the North that had been burned to ashes by armies,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>this wasn't caused by fire, but by time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only villages that had been uninhabited and uncared for over a long period would decay to this state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The humidity in the village was extremely severe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though it hadn't rained since Lynn arrived in Toussaint,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>there was standing water everywhere on the ground, and the village buildings were soaked, even dripping.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What in the hell is this?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Massimo, with a mixture of nervousness and horror, stared at the wall of a house.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the wall of that house, countless barnacles grew, densely packed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lynn stopped the ranger-knight's impulse to draw his sword. \"Relax, Sir. Those are barnacles; they don't bite.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Massimo was a Toussaintois.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Toussaint was an inland country surrounded by mountains; many people had never seen the ocean in their lives, so they naturally didn't know what barnacles were.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"More importantly, have you noticed how unnervingly quiet it is?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any inhabited place should have constant barking dogs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Villages usually kept dogs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dogs were one of humanity's best and most loyal friends.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These farm dogs would warn their owners and protect them when necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides dogs,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>there should also be chickens, ducks, and geese running around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>there was no sound at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with the witchers' enhanced senses, they didn't hear even the slightest chirp of an insect or bird.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entire village was eerily silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Lynn, Geralt, come quick! Over here!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not far away, Regis waved them over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone went to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just beside Regis, there was a long trail of footprints leading up the hill behind the village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lynn half-crouched, frowning at the marks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The footprints weren't shoe prints, nor were they human footprints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were webbed prints.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Geralt, standing nearby, couldn't help but wonder, \"These cultists... aren't human?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Creatures with webbed feet easily brought to mind half-fish humanoids and drowners.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, judging by the architectural style of this village, the cultists living here should be human.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite their confusion, the group decided to follow the trail.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Following the footprints, after about fifteen minutes, a cave by the swamp came into view.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And several villagers, armed with pitchforks, guarded the cave entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each of these villagers was hunched over, with sparse hair, large, protruding, fish-like eyes, and chins that trembled continuously like gills.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was even more unsettling were their feet; their toes had already developed prominent webs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>....\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For early access to +100 advanced chapters on p@treon\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[email protected]\u002FChaos_God\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thank you so much for your support and for reading\u003C\u002Fp>",1085,"2026-06-10T06:33:50.715Z",1,"novelbin.me","a37c237791d2cb2622b8e76da4a32f5e538f3b1cb16106c67abf56b915ce3cbc","the-witcher-make-the-witcher-great-again-chapter-156","the-witcher-make-the-witcher-great-again-chapter-206",398,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-witcher-make-the-witcher-great-again-cover.jpg"]