Novel Full Chapter 84: A Crushing Defeat
Chapter 84: Chapter 84: A Crushing Defeat
"WAAAAAAAGH!!!"
Engulfed in scorching flames, the Tree Spirit began to screech as two eerie green lights thrashed wildly within the inferno.
The Tree Spirit thrashed all of its branches, whipping them wildly about, but it was all for naught.
Soon, the Flame Breath Skill destroyed its outer structure, revealing the Demon Core hidden within its trunk.
With one last, piercing shriek, all of its frantic movements came to an abrupt halt. The Tree Spirit was reduced to charcoal in the roaring flames.
The Tree Spirit was dead!
A gust of wind swept up a cloud of gray-black embers, scattering them through the air.
"Phew..."
Only then did Zelir stop channeling Magic Power into his Flame Breath Skill, breathing a sigh of relief.
’All done!’
He subconsciously focused his Spirit to check his status panel, but his brow furrowed slightly.
Level 8 (55/275) -> Level 8 (207/275).
The Tree Monsters and the Tree Spirit he had just eliminated had only given him a combined 152 Experience Points.
’It’s still not enough to level up.’
The tide of battle had turned. With the Tree Spirit eliminated, the remaining Tree Monsters lost their direction, and their movements became sluggish.
Furthermore, the flames Zelir had created were still spreading among them, and the Tree Monsters’ resistance had all but crumbled. Some had their branches burned completely off, toppling over and breaking in half. Their destruction was only a matter of time.
Gray flicked his Longsword clean, preparing to go and chop these lumps of wood to splinters.
However, just as he took a step forward, several distinct spells beat him to it, whistling past his side!
A sharp Wind Blade precisely severed the roots of a Tree Monster trying to get back up. Immediately after, an Ice Cone slammed into it, completely shattering the core in its teetering torso.
Gray looked back, confused.
He saw Zelir, still Casting, methodically finishing off all the struggling Tree Monsters.
"Hey, Zelir..."
Gray looked at the splintered remains scattered across the ground and spoke, baffled.
"You don’t need to waste your precious Magic Power on mopping up, do you? You could have just left that to us."
"It’s no trouble."
Zelir put away his White Wax Wood staff and replied vaguely without batting an eye, "It’s a good chance to get familiar with the feel of transitioning between different spells. Call it practice."
After finishing off the Tree Monsters, Zelir glanced at his status panel again.
Level 8 (207/275) -> Level 8 (247/275).
’Still a little short on experience.’
’Sigh...’
Zelir sighed inwardly.
’Oh well. Looks like I won’t be leveling up this time. I’ll need to take on another quest.’
The battle in the forest clearing finally subsided, and tranquility returned to the area.
The scene before them was a complete mess. The ground was littered with thick, severed branches and scattered, charred blocks of wood. A thick stench of burnt charcoal hung in the air.
"It’s finally over..." Marcus gasped, leaning on his Battle Saber.
"Even for Simple-grade Demons, these Tree Monsters are a lot tougher than goblins," Gray said, plopping right down and sprawling out on the forest floor.
"Shouldn’t we get that fire under control? Otherwise, it might spread," Valles said, pointing to the smoldering remains of a few trees in the distance, from which smoke was still rising.
"I can handle that."
Zelir raised his White Wax Wood staff, gathered his power, and unleashed several Water Ball Skills, launching them all with pinpoint accuracy.
"SPLOOSH, SPLOOSH, SPLOOSH..."
The water balls burst against the smoldering remains, sending up clouds of steam and ash. The flames were quickly brought under control.
After a short rest, the squad started assigning tasks.
Gak and Gray went to check the surrounding area for any other trees that might have been infected by the Tree Spirit, to prevent more Tree Monsters from spawning and causing trouble.
Meanwhile, Marcus and Valles began splitting open the Tree Monster remains to extract and collect the Demon Cores within.
The Demon Core of a regular Tree Monster was about half the size of a fist, irregularly shaped, and covered in a woody texture that resembled tree rings.
The Tree Spirit’s Demon Core was somewhat smaller and much smoother, with a vibrant, jade-green color. Just holding it in one’s hand, you could feel a potent life force emanating from it.
A short while later, Gray returned and reported.
"I’ve checked the area. The nearby trees are all normal. None of them were infected or assimilated by the Tree Spirit."
"That’s good."
Marcus nodded.
He was just about finished extracting the Demon Cores on his end, and it had been a bountiful harvest.
Because they were rich with potent life force, the Demon Cores from Tree Monsters and Tree Spirits were worth more than those from other Demons of the same Level.
A Tree Monster’s core could be sold for Ten Silver Coins, and a Tree Spirit’s for around Eight Gold Coins.
Once everything was packed up, the squad set off again. Everyone was in high spirits on the journey back.
They had made a nice little profit.
However, as they were passing through a certain Forest Area, Valles’s ears twitched. He stopped abruptly, his gaze fixed on the path behind them.
"Hold on... Something’s up."
...
Kaiden felt like his lungs were about to explode.
He tore frantically through the woods like a startled rabbit, heedless of his path, completely ignoring the thorns that raked bloody scratches across his skin.
Kaiden’s Leather Armor was in tatters. There was a large hole on his chest, violently torn open by sharp claws, its edges stained with blackened blood.
He didn’t dare look back. Even though he could barely catch his breath, he didn’t dare stop for a single second.
The savage, ferocious image of that Demon was branded into his mind. Every time it surfaced, his heart would hammer wildly in his chest.
His companions’ screams, the look in their eyes, the scene of their desperate final moments...
These images clung to Kaiden like a nightmare, making him want only to flee—to get as far away as possible!
’This place... This place is Hell!’
Finally, the light ahead grew brighter. He was out of the treacherous, dense part of the forest!
Hope ignited in Kaiden’s heart. He summoned his remaining strength, accelerated, and burst out from a thicket of bushes!
The moment he burst through, his body gave out from exhaustion and he lost his balance.
With a THUD, he fell heavily to the ground, the rough grit scraping his palms and drawing blood.
But before he could even push himself up, a cold command rang out beside him.
"Don’t move."
Kaiden lifted his head in a daze.
He looked up into a grim face. The man had a bow drawn, an Arrow nocked and aimed right at him, its tip faintly crackling with electricity.
Seeing that it was only one person who had burst from the bushes—and a non-threatening one at that—Zelir breathed a sigh of relief and canceled the Wind Blade Technique he had been charging.
Ever since the incident with the Drake Squad, Zelir had remained on high alert for any disturbances in the wilderness.
The young man before him looked to be about seventeen or eighteen, and from his gear, Zelir could tell he was an Adventurer.
However, the young man’s terrified expression, his face caked with blood and dirt, and his tattered Leather Armor all pointed to one thing: he had just suffered a devastating defeat.