Chapter 223: Roots of Chaos

The sound of approaching footsteps soon grew louder.

Gray remained concealed among the branches, carefully observing the clearing from a distance. His Phantom Cloak kept his presence hidden as a group of pirates emerged from the forest.

At their head was Jooquin.

The captain’s expression was already irritated. His crimson aura flickered around him, carrying an oppressive killing intent that made the surviving pirates instinctively straighten their backs.

"Where is that bastard?!"

His voice thundered through the clearing.

The four survivors immediately turned toward him. Their faces were pale, and their bodies were covered in wounds.

"C-Captain! The others..."

"What about them?"

"They were killed! That monster killed almost everyone in our group!"

Jooquin’s expression darkened.

"...What?"

"Most of them were killed in the darkness. We couldn’t even see where the attacks were coming from!"

"Several of us tried to fight back, but it kept disappearing. We couldn’t track it properly!"

Jooquin’s crimson eyes narrowed.

For a moment, he remained silent.

Then he suddenly grabbed one of the survivors by the collar.

"I don’t give a damn about the others!"

The pirate flinched.

"Where is that bastard?!"

"He... He escaped, Captain!"

Jooquin’s grip tightened.

"Escaped?"

"Yes! When we unleashed our attacks, he retreated into the forest!"

Jooquin threw the pirate aside.

"You useless pieces of trash!"

The man crashed onto the ground and hurriedly scrambled back to his feet.

Jooquin clicked his tongue, his killing intent growing heavier.

"Can’t even kill one monster after losing so many men? What the hell have you been doing?"

None of the survivors dared to answer.

At that moment, another pirate who had been examining the surrounding area suddenly spoke up.

"Captain, wait."

Jooquin turned toward him.

"What?"

"I’ve detected something unusual in the air."

The pirate crouched and examined the ground before looking at the surrounding vegetation.

"There’s poison lingering around here. It seems to have been spread throughout the area."

Jooquin’s expression shifted slightly.

"Poison?"

"Yes. Some of the men might still be affected by it. Everyone, take your antidotes immediately!"

The pirates quickly rummaged through their belongings and swallowed the antidotes they had brought along.

Jooquin crossed his arms.

"Do you know what kind of poison it is?"

The pirate shook his head.

"Not exactly. But I understand its effects. It seems to weaken the body and slow down movement. Fortunately, it doesn’t appear to be particularly lethal. The antidote should be enough to counter its effects."

Jooquin frowned.

"Then make sure everyone takes it. I don’t want any more useless complications."

"Understood!"

The pirates immediately followed his orders.

Gray, who was still observing them from the shadows, narrowed his eyes.

’...They can counter it?’

He hadn’t expected the pirates to identify Neurotoxic Drift so quickly.

’I thought the effects would be more troublesome for them.’

The skill had already helped him kill a considerable number of enemies, but now that the pirates knew about it and had antidotes, its effectiveness would undoubtedly decrease.

He couldn’t rely on the same tactic indefinitely.

’I need another method.’

Gray considered several possibilities.

One idea immediately came to mind.

’Should I use tartarus essence on imp?’

But the thought quickly raised another concern.

That would be incredibly dangerous.

If the Essence caused them to become even more powerful or uncontrollable, Gray might end up creating a threat that he couldn’t handle himself.

And if he got caught in the middle of it...

’No. That’s too risky.’

Gray continued thinking.

Then another memory surfaced.

The strange living plants he had encountered while gathering herbs.

Those plants had attacked him before, displaying a surprising degree of aggression. They weren’t ordinary vegetation, and their behavior suggested that they might react strongly to unusual substances.

Gray’s attention sharpened.

’What if I use the Essence of Tartarus on them instead?’

Unlike the imps, the plants might not spread across the island or overwhelm him with sheer numbers. If their reactions could be controlled, they might provide a more manageable way to deal with the pirates.

He remembered the strange vitality of those creatures.

’They might become stronger... or something entirely different.’

Gray wasn’t certain what would happen.

But compared to feeding the Essence to a large group of imps, it seemed like a more reasonable gamble.

’It’s worth trying.’

While Gray was still observing the pirates, one of Jooquin’s subordinates suddenly approached him.

"Captain, there’s another problem."

Jooquin glanced at him impatiently.

"What now?"

"The second group hasn’t returned either."

A nearby pirate frowned.

"That’s strange. They should have reported back by now."

"Could they have encountered that monster too?"

Another pirate shook his head.

"Considering what happened to the first group, they’ve probably been slaughtered as well."

The atmosphere immediately became tense.

Jooquin remained silent for a moment, his crimson eyes scanning the surrounding forest. Then, instead of showing anger, he let out a low chuckle.

"Heh... Not bad."

His subordinates looked at him.

"That creature is more interesting than I thought. It’s not just hiding and attacking blindly. It’s actually smart enough to take advantage of every opportunity."

Jooquin grinned, revealing his teeth.

"Looks like we’ve underestimated it."

His expression turned serious.

"From now on, we’ll move together. No more splitting into smaller groups. I don’t want anyone wandering off alone."

"Yes, Captain!"

"And don’t lower your guard. That thing might be hiding somewhere nearby, waiting for another opportunity."

The pirates immediately began gathering their equipment and preparing to move.

Meanwhile, hidden among the trees, Gray watched them quietly.

’So they’ve finally decided to move together.’

That certainly made things more troublesome.

However, Gray wasn’t particularly worried.

He had already thought of another way to deal with them.

’That’s fine. I have another surprise waiting for you.’

With that thought, Gray quietly withdrew from the area.

He had something else to take care of first.

Gray moved deeper into the forest, heading toward the location where he had previously encountered the strange living plants.

After traveling for a while, he finally spotted them.

Several enormous plants were rooted in the ground, their thick vines and branches moving slowly despite the absence of wind. Their bodies resembled a mixture of carnivorous flowers and tangled roots, with enormous mouths lined with sharp teeth.

The moment Gray approached, one of the creatures reacted.

Its enormous mouth suddenly opened before lunging toward him.

SNAP!

Gray quickly moved aside.

The creature’s jaws closed where his body had been a moment earlier, its sharp teeth clashing together with a frightening sound.

Still as aggressive as before.

Gray didn’t waste time.

Gray moved one of his fingers toward the Storage Ring.

A faint shimmer passed over its surface as Gray activated it.

A moment later, a small glass bottle appeared beside his tentacles.

It was the Essence of Tartarus.

Gray carefully examined the bottle.

’Hopefully, this will have the effect I’m expecting.’

He then approached the nearest plant monster.

The moment he got close, its enormous mouth suddenly opened before lunging toward him.

SNAP!

Gray quickly moved aside, allowing its jaws to close against empty air.

Without wasting another second, he threw the bottle toward its body.

CRASH!

The glass shattered, and the iridescent liquid spilled across its roots and vines.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then...

RUMBLE...

The ground beneath the plant began to tremble.

Its roots twisted violently, digging deeper into the soil before rapidly expanding. Thick vines grew larger, their surfaces becoming denser and more rugged. The creature’s body swelled, while the mouth that had previously been large enough to swallow Gray became even more enormous.

Its teeth also changed.

The once relatively thin teeth grew longer and sharper, resembling the fangs of a massive predator.

KRRRKKK...!

Several thick roots emerged from the ground, cracking the surrounding soil.

Gray watched the transformation carefully.

’It actually worked.’

He could sense the creature’s strength increasing rapidly. Its presence was noticeably more intimidating than before, and the amount of energy radiating from its body was far greater.

Then a notification appeared before his eyes.

[CARNIVOROUS BLOOM — Level 63]

[STATUS: EVOLVING]

Gray’s attention lingered on the level.

’Level 63...?’

That was considerably higher than its previous strength.

The Essence of Tartarus really did strengthen it.

He examined the creature again, considering how he could use it against Jooquin and his subordinates.

There was one obvious problem.

’How am I supposed to get this thing to move where I want it to?’

Gray didn’t know whether the plant would obey him. It might simply attack anything that came within its reach, including himself.

He would need to find a way to lure it toward the pirates.

However, before he could think of a proper solution, something unexpected happened.

RUMBLE!

The ground suddenly shook beneath the creature.

Its enormous roots began pulling themselves out of the soil.

Gray’s eyes widened slightly.

’Wait...’

The plant continued moving.

Its thick roots twisted together beneath its body, forming several massive, root-like limbs. One after another, they lifted it away from the ground.

KRRRKKK... BOOM!

The creature finally stood upright.

Its enormous mouth opened, revealing rows of newly grown fangs. Several thick roots dragged across the ground as it began moving forward with an unsettling, almost crawling motion.

Gray stared at it.

’...It can move?’

The monster slowly turned its enormous mouth toward him.

Then it began approaching.

THUD!

THUD!

Each step shook the surrounding soil.

Gray remained still for a moment, watching the gigantic plant monster advance toward him.

He had originally planned to figure out how to guide it toward the pirates.

But judging by its current behavior...

’I might not need to guide it at all.’

The creature was already coming after him.