Chapter 44: Fallen

Ryan finally reached the area beneath the fallen Tree of Life.

However, before he could approach the enormous tree, he noticed a figure standing near its roots.

It was a beautiful woman with long hair and a slender figure. At first glance, she might have been mistaken for an ordinary elf, but a closer look revealed something unusual about her appearance.

Half of her body was covered in beautiful peach-colored skin, while the other half had turned completely black. The corruption had spread across her body, and everything below her waist had withered away, leaving her lower body in a terrible state.

Despite her appearance, she still possessed an unusual beauty that had not completely disappeared.

A system notification appeared before Ryan.

[Fallen Guardian of the Tree of Life]

Ryan nodded as he read the name.

"So, you’re hidden the boss of this dungeon."

According to the information he had obtained from the Association, the Fallen Guardian of the Tree of Life was the Hidden boss of this dungeon.

One doesn’t have to deafeat her to complete the dungeon but she drops some good skills.

She had once been a guardian responsible for protecting the Tree of Life, but after the tree fell into corruption, she had suffered the same fate.

Unlike the ordinary corrupted elves, she had retained a considerable portion of her former power. She could control the corrupted roots of the Tree of Life, manipulate the surrounding plants, and use powerful life-based abilities that had been twisted by the corruption.

She was also much stronger than the Witch Doctor Ryan had defeated earlier.

Ryan looked at the woman standing near the tree.

"Okay, time to fight."

He had already spent several hours exploring this dungeon, and there was no reason to waste any more time.

Ryan opened his summoning interface and began calling out his summons.

A magic circle appeared on the ground, followed by the arrival of his Spirit Wolf, Spirit Serpent, Blizzy(Spirit Bear), Orc Shaman Chief, Black Water Wyvern, Skeleton King, Death Knight, Skeleton Great Mage, Fallen Priest, and Vampire Baroness.

The summons quickly gathered around him.

Ryan glanced at them and gave a simple command.

"Everyone, attack her together. Don’t give her a chance to use her abilities freely."

The summons immediately prepared for battle.

The Spirit Wolf lowered its body and growled, while the Spirit Serpent raised its head and watched the target carefully. Blizzy released a faint wave of cold air, and the Orc Shaman Chief began preparing its spells.

The Skeleton King gripped its greatsword, while the Death Knight raised its weapon. The Skeleton Great Mage gathered magical energy around its staff, and the Fallen Priest prepared its support abilities.

The Vampire Baroness stood among them, waiting for the signal to attack.

Ryan looked toward the Fallen Guardian.

"Let’s see how strong you really are."

The woman slowly raised her head.

Her eyes, which had once perhaps been filled with life, were now covered by a strange green glow. The moment she noticed the group standing before her, the surrounding roots began to move.

Ryan watched the roots rise from the ground and spread across the area.

It seemed that the Fallen Guardian had already noticed their presence.

A system notification appeared.

[Fallen Guardian of the Tree of Life has entered combat mode.]

Ryan raised his hand and pointed toward the boss.

"Attack!"

His summons immediately rushed forward, beginning the battle against the Fallen Guardian of the Tree of Life.

The battle began as soon as Ryan gave the command.

The Spirit Wolf rushed toward the Fallen Guardian, followed closely by the Spirit Serpent and Blizzy. At the same time, the Skeleton King and Death Knight charged from the opposite direction, forcing the boss to deal with attacks from multiple sides.

The Fallen Guardian remained calm.

She raised one hand, and several thick roots burst out of the ground. They moved like living snakes, intercepting the approaching summons and forcing them to change their paths.

The Spirit Wolf leaped over one of the roots and lunged toward her.

However, before it could reach her, a large root swept across the ground and struck its side, sending it rolling away.

The Spirit Serpent immediately attacked from another direction, opening its mouth and releasing a stream of venom.

The Fallen Guardian waved her hand.

A wall of plants rose from the ground, blocking most of the venom. The remaining drops landed on her corrupted body, but she barely reacted.

Meanwhile, the Skeleton King reached her and swung its greatsword.

The Fallen Guardian raised several roots to block the attack, but the Skeleton King’s powerful strike cut through them. The Death Knight followed with a heavy blow, forcing her to move backward.

For the first time, the Fallen Guardian’s expression changed.

She raised both hands, and a large amount of green energy spread throughout the area.

The ground shook as dozens of roots emerged from beneath the earth. Some attacked the summons directly, while others wrapped around their legs to restrict their movements.

The battle quickly became more difficult.

Although Ryan’s summons were powerful, the Fallen Guardian had control over the surrounding plants. As long as they fought near the Tree of Life, she could continuously summon more roots to defend herself and attack her enemies.

Ryan watched the battle from a distance.

"Hmm, she’s quite troublesome."

He had expected the hidden boss to be stronger than the Witch Doctor, but her ability to control the battlefield was more troublesome than he had anticipated.

Fortunately, he had no intention of fighting her alone.

Ryan raised his hand and activated Totem Creation.

A faint glow appeared around his fingers as he began constructing several totems. Unlike ordinary summoned creatures, these totems could provide different effects depending on their designs and the materials used to create them.

Since he had acquired the Orc Shaman Chief’s knowledge and abilities through Perfect Loot, he was familiar with several useful totem patterns.

Ryan decided to start with a combination of offensive and supporting totems.

The first totem took the shape of a small wooden pillar covered in runes. As soon as it appeared, it released a faint wave of energy that spread toward his summons.

[War Totem created.]

[Effect: Increases the physical attack power of allied units within its range.]

Ryan placed the totem on the ground and immediately began creating another one.

This time, the structure was slightly taller, with several blue runes carved into its surface.

[Spirit Totem created.]

[Effect: Improves the stability of spiritual energy and increases the efficiency of allied spirit abilities.]

Ryan placed it beside the War Totem before moving on to the next creation.

The third totem was covered in green and brown patterns. Its purpose was to strengthen the vitality of allied units and help them recover from minor injuries during battle.

[Vitality Totem created.]

[Effect: Gradually restores the health of allied units within its range.]

After completing the third totem, Ryan looked toward the battlefield again.

The effects were already becoming noticeable.

The Spirit Wolf moved faster as it avoided the roots attacking from the ground. The Skeleton King struck with greater force, breaking through several layers of corrupted plants, while the Death Knight continued pressing the Fallen Guardian with heavy attacks.

The Fallen Priest also benefited from the supporting effects, allowing it to maintain its healing abilities more efficiently.

Ryan nodded in satisfaction.

"That should make things easier."

He wasn’t finished yet.

Ryan continued using Totem Creation, constructing several more totems with different functions. Some strengthened his summons’ defenses, while others improved their resistance to the corruption spreading throughout the battlefield.

He arranged the totems in a loose formation, making sure their effects covered as many of his summons as possible.

Once everything was ready, Ryan stepped back and examined his work.

The collection of totems had created a supporting area behind his summons, continuously providing them with different enhancements.

Ryan looked at the Fallen Guardian, who was still using her roots to hold back the Skeleton King and Death Knight.

"Let’s see how you handle this."

He raised his hand and gave his summons another command.

"Keep attacking. I’ll support you from here."

The Spirit Wolf immediately rushed forward again, while the Spirit Serpent attacked from the side. Blizzy released a wave of freezing energy, covering several corrupted roots in ice and slowing their movements.

The Skeleton Great Mage began casting spells from a distance, targeting the Fallen Guardian whenever she became occupied with the other summons.

Under the combined pressure of their attacks and the effects of Ryan’s totems, the Fallen Guardian was gradually forced to retreat.

However, she had not yet used the full extent of her power.

As Ryan watched her gather another wave of green energy, he knew the battle was far from over.