Chapter 194: Withered Branch Monster

The two Cultists’ remarks weren’t an attempt to excuse their actions. After all, they had already confessed and were willing to face the law, and they harbored a deep-seated fear of the Evil Demons’ methods.

It was just that in this world, sometimes this was the reality: praying to the gods was a better bet than relying on oneself, and praying to demons was a better bet than praying to the gods. After suffering one misfortune after another, seeking help from a higher power often proved more reliable and effective.

But regardless of what they had thought before, it was clear they wanted nothing more to do with Evil Demons ever again.

"There are severed limbs and shattered bones everywhere..."

The next day, as they followed the path indicated by the Pollution Worm Demon, the entire group was stunned by the sights along the way.

They pushed aside overgrown shrubs and thorns, making their way down a long-abandoned road. Leafless branches from the trees on either side reached for them, swaying in the wind and letting out a mournful, whistling sound. And on the treetops, on the ground, shriveled limbs of rotting flesh and decaying skeletons were visible everywhere.

They were still a long way from the seal’s location.

"The remains of Undead Creatures," Ghost Witch Polly said, licking her lips. "I’m starting to suspect Ocas is involved in this. Would Glazter really enjoy using zombies and skeletons as his minions?"

"Or you could look at it this way: maybe he threw these Undead Creatures here precisely because he *doesn’t* like them," Yelena said with a shrug. "We should all be on high alert. It looks like there’s more than just Undead Creatures plaguing this place!"

"What else could there be?" Sera said, glancing around. "There’s nothing here but severed limbs and trees. What else could there b—"

CRACKLE, CRACKLE

Sera hadn’t even finished her sentence when, behind her, several plants that looked as dry and withered as the other trees suddenly began to move!

Just moments before, they had merely looked like a patch of shrubs, showing no aggression even when Ron and the others had damaged them while clearing the path. Now, however, they tore their roots from the ground. Countless branches converged to form humanoid figures with heads and limbs. Then they lunged, their claw-like branches striking at the back of Sera, who was clearly the largest target!

"Scorching Beam!" Ron shouted, raising his Gemstone and spinning around at the sound, but he was a step too slow compared to these creatures lying in ambush.

Sera let out a muffled grunt. When the others turned to look, her back had been torn open, revealing four gashes so deep the bone was visible.

With their limited intelligence and predatory instincts, their usual tactic was to ambush and severely wound the largest prey first, then surround and devour the others. But while that trick might be very effective against common beasts, it wasn’t necessarily so against a barbarian.

"AAAAAH!" The unexpected wound made Sera see red. She gripped the Grip of the Vast Wave tightly and, facing the thicket of sharp branches, charged headfirst into the ambushers’ encirclement without a hint of hesitation!

"Sera, get back here! Damn it!" Ron wasn’t even sure who he was cursing. He had no time to think, and could only direct his Scorching Beam to ignite the monsters around the barbarian with as much precision as he could muster. Under the barrage of Arcane Magic, a sea of flames instantly erupted in the jungle, a place likely untouched by human feet for centuries.

These mobile plants had no Green Dragon to grant them an Enchantment, so fire was fatal to them. At the same time, the others began their counterattack. The monsters’ ambush, far from securing them a hearty meal, had instead thrown them into a hopeless situation.

Amidst the flames, the plants shrieked like burning charcoal. One or two tried to brave the fire and escape, but their roots burned away before they had taken two steps. Sera caught up to them and, with a few swings of her blade, chopped them into a pile of firewood.

"You really should wear some armor," Victoria said, treating Sera’s wounds as they sat by a bonfire made from the corpses of the Withered Branch Monsters. "And why did you just charge in like that? Ron was yelling for you from behind, but you wouldn’t come back!"

"Next time, we should just put a bridle and reins on her," Aive said, half-joking. "Ron can keep her on a leash and only let her out when needed."

"You don’t need to risk your life against monsters with such an obvious weakness, you know? A little fire would have taken care of them."

"Even with reins, I couldn’t stop her," Ron chuckled. "She’d just use me as a meteor hammer!"

"Hey! I was caught by surprise!" Sera said, scratching her head in embarrassment. "What the hell are these things, anyway? I’ve never seen anything like them back home!"

"If I’d known what they were, or what worked best against them, I wouldn’t have charged in like that."

"Withered Monsters. To be specific, the ones that attacked us are Withered Branch Monsters," Yelena said, glancing over the group. "These are what I was worried about. I just didn’t expect them to be hidden so well, and this close to us."

"They didn’t react at all when I struck one with my sword earlier," Aive said, picking up a branch to show them the fresh cut on it. "And they look almost identical to the normal plants around them."

"Withered Monsters are awakened plants, granted intelligence and mobility. They are also a plague, spreading a dark infection. They crowd out and poison healthy flora, replacing it with more of their kind, like thorns and toxic weeds." The Ghost Witch walked over. She had just furtively plucked some seeds from the surrounding woods.

She thought she had done it unnoticed, but everyone had seen it.

"Just don’t let them run wild. I have no problem with you using them to guard your home," Ron said, glancing pointedly at the Ghost Witch’s hand. "But if I get word that villagers have been attacked by Withered Monsters, I’m holding you responsible."

"Oh, you can rest assured about that," the Ghost Witch chuckled darkly. "What bad intentions could Old Polly possibly have?"

"You’d best pray there isn’t a Gandhi Tree nearby," the Shadow Spirit warned. "That cursed tree can influence the behavior of these plants. If you’re not careful, you might become the first Ghost Witch to be strangled to death by her own pets."

"This old woman isn’t that incompetent," Polly said, rolling her eyes, clearly dismissing the Shadow Spirit’s warning.

’The Shadow Spirit might have had more opportunities to encounter these strange creatures, but could anyone else truly fathom a Ghost Witch’s methods? It was just raising a few living plants, what was the big deal!’

"Ah, good as new!" Sera leaped to her feet as her wounds finished healing under Victoria’s Magic. She stretched her arms and spine. "Damn it, I’ve fought so many giant beasts, and today I almost got taken out by a bunch of twigs!"