Chapter 21 – Roots of Resistance

Morning sunlight filtered through curtains embroidered with wisteria, weaving patterns of broken gold across the oak floor.

The young woman curled against the velvet cushions was still asleep.

“Mmm... perfect...”

Three measured knocks drew her out of her pleasant dream.

“Good morning, Lady Elara.” Steward Edmund’s voice came through the door. “Your new magic instructor will be arriving shortly. Please prepare yourself in advance.”

Since Elara’s return, Edmund had attended her personally on the duke’s orders, arranging her daily affairs and ensuring her safety. The duke himself was tied down at the border by the Veiled Empire’s constant small-scale military provocations.

“I know, Uncle Edmund. I’ll be out soon.”

After his footsteps receded, Elara stretched, climbed out of bed, and began arranging her own hair.

By custom, the ducal estate had maids to dress and groom Lady Elara, but since coming home, she had refused to let anyone else tend her. Everyone assumed the betrayal had left her more guarded than before, and the entire household sympathized deeply with what she had endured.

That was not the real reason.

Elara slipped a hand into her pink hair and felt the back of her head. A tiny pink cap grew there, the exact same color as her hair.

She had told no one about her time in the dungeon or about the little mushroom. Evan had asked her to keep the first secret. As for the second, she was not entirely sure why she hid it.

Perhaps she knew that if anyone found out, they would try to remove the little cap, and she wanted to keep it.

Once her hair was pinned in place, Elara went to the window and basked in the sunlight’s warmth.

“What lovely weather. I wonder what Evan is doing now. Has he managed to kill an Earthborer since I left?”

* * *

Ha ha ha ha!

Yes, that’s it! Blast those disgusting things to pieces!

In the Fifth Stratum’s Marsh Zone, a war between Puffcaps and Parasitic Trees was raging at full force.

More than a hundred light-armored Puffcaps, stripped of shells and equipped instead with [Dodge LV7], traded attacks with a mass of Parasitic Trees.

The more Evan fought them, the more frustrated he became. Ultimately, it all came down to the miserable returns.

[Parasitic Fusion] was a decent skill. It could infest any fleshy humanoid creature. A small portion of the enemy force consisted of Parasitic Trees rooted in Gnoll bodies, which were the easiest variety to handle.

The problem was that Parasitic Fusion at LV1 was practically no different from Parasitic Fusion at LV10.

It could only infest creatures already near death. Leveling the skill merely allowed it to infest creatures that were slightly less near death. What kind of improvement was that? Any creature Evan wanted to infest would already be his prisoner. He could reduce its HP to whatever level he pleased. Why would he need that paltry advantage?

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There was no real profit in the skill at all.

[Bind] was much the same. Having it was enough; higher levels were pointless. Evan fought through the refined art of bombardment. He had no use for primitive tactics involving mycelial tendrils.

In the end, only [Toughness] offered some value. It made hyphae more resilient, which naturally improved the Puffcaps’ defenses and strengthened their mycelial tendrils.

Useful, but barely.

The price he had paid for those meager gains was another matter entirely.

Over the past few days, Evan had encountered several high-level hosts, and every one had inflicted serious losses. To him, the Parasitic Trees were little more than cockroaches now: revolting to look at, yet impossible to ignore. After all, he still needed to take their marsh.

Mushrooms really were suited to marshland. The temperature and humidity were both ideal, and more importantly, the swamp was rich in mana.

It might as well have been created for the expansion of the Mycelial Garden. All it needed was a little cleaning.

Once today’s battle ended, Evan would control half the Marsh Zone. Excellent progress.

As the Parasitic Trees vanished beneath volleys from the Spore Cannons, Evan’s true body, concealed deep within the occupied portion of the marsh, quivered with satisfaction.

The Parasitic Trees appeared to be retreating under the Puffcaps’ fierce assault.

Just as Evan thought the battle was ending, one of them burst from the horde in a furious spin. Its whirling roots shredded two Parasitic Trees that stood in its way before it even reached the front.

[Blade Storm LV8]

The creature serving as its host was LV45.

How did a Gold-rank adventurer manage to die on the Fifth Stratum? Wasn’t that embarrassing?

Most melee skills became badly distorted when used by a Parasitic Tree, greatly reducing their power. Blade Storm was clearly an exception.

The creature tore into the Puffcap ranks like a tornado and shredded everything around it into a storm of hyphae. Every Spore Cannon blast fired at it was intercepted by its high-speed roots, leaving only superficial wounds.

Then magical energy surged among the Parasitic Trees. Two filthy-looking Water Elementals, their bodies made of mud and swamp water, rose from the mire.

Summoning magic?

This was only the second time Evan had seen it. The first had been the Magma Fiend, which had summoned several puppets that looked formidable but had ultimately accomplished very little.

The Summoner was hidden somewhere among the horde of Parasitic Trees, and Evan could not tell which one it was.

Damn it!

The two Water Elementals were only LV35, but each blast of water could sweep away a broad swath of Puffcaps. Worse, they were summons. If destroyed, they could simply be summoned again. Was he supposed to sacrifice Puffcaps just to drain the Summoner’s mana?

The two powerful enemies had caught Evan completely off guard, and the other Parasitic Trees seized the opportunity to counterattack.

Tch.

Retreat!

Several Puffcaps attacked the Water Elementals and the Blade Storm-wielding Parasitic Tree, then ran in opposite directions while continuing to draw their attention away. The rest of the Puffcaps fled at full speed.

Fortunately, Parasitic Trees were not especially intelligent. Once they had destroyed the Puffcaps acting as bait and found no others nearby, they returned to their usual sluggish movements.

When Evan counted his forces after the battle, only a little over forty of the hundred-plus Puffcaps he had sent out had returned. Half of the losses had come during that final ambush alone.

Worst of all, losing the battle meant he could not collect the remains of the fallen Parasitic Trees to replace his losses.

The next offensive would inevitably have to be postponed.

Those damned Parasitic Trees still had a few powerful cards to play.

No matter. A hidden weapon was dangerous only while it remained hidden. Now that they had revealed theirs, he could devise a countermeasure.

The battle had also exposed a weakness among his Puffcaps. Dodge allowed them to evade single-target attacks with ease, but it was nearly useless against broad attacks like Blade Storm or the Water Elementals’ surges.

Their stubby legs weren’t fast enough to escape, either. Anything chasing them could catch and kill them with ease.

A skill that increased their speed would solve the problem. The Werewolves on the Tenth Stratum possessed [Haste], the simplest and most practical skill imaginable.

His own [Rolling Charge] did not count. Curling into a ball required preparation, returning to his original shape took time, and attacking with other skills while rolling was inconvenient.

Perhaps this stratum had a useful Haste skill somewhere. While he replenished his stock of Puffcaps, he might as well explore and find out.