Chapter 238: Plant Threat

Plant-type monsters were troublesome. I was thoroughly reminded of that. The enemies like Iris who was a production-type player were one thing, but the enemies like Nenashi who fought in the vanguard were different. They excelled at binding their foes and inflicting status ailments by injecting poison and the like. That’s what I originally thought.

However, it seemed that this was the case for monster players who were part of parties. The strength of these stray monsters lay elsewhere from Nenashi.

“They’re not going down at all! What’s going on?!”

“They are being affected. It’s just that their recovery speed is abnormal.”

It was an overwhelming regenerative ability that made it seem as if their health was inexhaustible. They had [Rapid Regeneration] and [Photosynthesis] and they deliberately didn’t use the [Root Legs] skill which allowed them to move their roots like feet. Instead, they spread their roots into the ground to increase their recovery speed.

Being immobilized was not an issue for them. Their weapons which were the tentacles and vines, had the ability to change their length at will, so they could still attack without moving. Moreover, they could even use martial techniques with the tentacles and vines, and if caught, even Jigoro would find it difficult to escape their tight grasp.

While I was rescuing Jigoro, they continued to heal quickly due to their inherent regenerative power. Fortunately, their direct attack power wasn’t very strong, which was a small blessing, but it meant that the battle would drag on forever. We felt like we were in a never-ending battle.

“Killing them with a single blow that causes instant death might be best… True Death. But it seems that it doesn’t work.”

While using [Abyssal Aura] and [Eyes of Death and Chaos] I attempted an instant death attack with my [Witchcraft] skill, but it seemed that the enemies possessed high levels of resistance to status ailments, as the attacks weren’t very successful. I managed to succeed only once, but if I continued at this rate, my magic power would likely be depleted before I could annihilate them all.

Jigoro was rampaging too, but it seemed like he was always one step away from success due to interruptions. It felt like we could win if we had just one more person.

That’s why I couldn’t help but wish that Karl hadn’t been paralyzed. I would have to remind him later not to eat food off the ground anymore.

“There’s no point in playing it safe. It’s going to be a do-or-die attempt… Let’s do this, brother.”

“I’ll follow your lead you, so get on with it!”

If things continued as they were, we would slowly drain all our resources and lose. Therefore, the only option was to go all out in an attack and try to overwhelm them. It was a desperate gamble!

“Summon, Beast Troll! Charge!”

I used most of my remaining magic power to summon twenty trolls. Following my command, they roared and charged into the enemy horde.

However, the slow-moving and large-bodied trolls were instantly bound by tentacles and vines. Since my summoning skills weren’t very high, these creatures were not as strong as they looked and would likely run out of energy and vanish soon.

It didn’t particularly matter to me. I had not sought them as a fighting force, but rather for their role as a meat shield. With their considerable health and high regenerative power, it would take time for those with low direct offensive power to kill off the trolls completely. Even that brief span of time would suffice…

“Ora Ora Oraa! The first one!”

Jigoro who was fueled by his physically blazing fists and boiling fighting spirit would crush them. He shredded the Deadly Poison Predator Vines with his claws and fangs before burning them with flames spewing from his mouth. And then he shattered the sturdy cell walls of the Great Hanging Groper with his kicks before plunging a hand blade into the exposed innards and burning them from within.

Jigoro’s fighting style, as if to vent his pent-up frustrations, was truly like that of an Asura. If he were not speaking human language, no one would think of him as a player.

“I suppose I should do some work too. Rice Ear Harvest.”

Rice Ear Harvest was a scythe martial technique that I never had the occasion to use before. However, believing the information that it was particularly damaging to plants, I decided to try it.

I cut the vines of the deadly poison vine that bound the trolls, and their health visibly decreased. Considering that my martial techniques shouldn’t normally deal this much damage since I was a mage, it must be largely due to the characteristic effect of Rice Ear Harvest against plant-type monsters.

I realized that I should become mindful of the existence of weapons and martial techniques that are particularly effective against specific races due to the unexpectedly high damage I just observed. At the same time, I considered the creation of such weapons and, conversely, armor to mitigate their effects. As always, why does the list of things I want to do only seem to grow?

“You’re the last one!”

By the time the trolls were annihilated, only one enemy remained. It seemed that their role as a meat shield had been fulfilled without any problems.

The final confrontation became a one-on-one duel between Jigoro and a Great Hanging Roper. Jigoro advanced while tearing apart the tentacles with his claws as they approached from different directions. With only one opponent left, it was now impossible to stop him.

“Shaaa!”

As soon as he came within striking distance, Jigoro unleashed a straight punch with a tearing scream. Even I, who was not well-versed in martial arts, found the blow to be beautiful. And indeed, it pierced the cell walls of the Great Hanging Roper with tremendous destructive power.

But the creature still had health left and was regenerating. Furthermore, the tentacles Jigoro had torn off were regenerating as well. The tenacity demonstrated throughout this fight was on display once again.

What was even more troubling was that the creature cunningly kept some tentacles in positions that Jigoro could not see. It seemed ready to use these hidden tentacles to strike at that opening right after Jigoro landed his blow.

“Rice Ear Harvest!”

Unfortunately, its luck ran out as I could see everything from a distance. Before the tentacles could attack Jigoro, I approached at a low altitude and used my martial technique to sever them. The final technique the creature seemed to have been saving was mercilessly interrupted by me.

“Nice one, brother! Hmph! Oraaaa!”

The health the creature had finally recovered through its skills was once again depleted, and it didn’t have any other means of attack. The Great Hanging Roper was now like a living punching bag. Jigoro extracted his penetrating arm, spun his body, and delivered a sharp spinning backkick that blew away the last enemy’s remaining health.

――――――――――

You have won the battle.

The level of [Storm Magic] skill has increased.

Newly learned “Typhoon” spell.

[Storm Magic] has reached its growth limit. SP is required to break through the limit.

The level of [Summoning Magic] skill has increased.

Newly learned “Four-stage evolution” spell.

――――――――――

Although I didn’t level up, I surely must have accumulated a lot of experience points. Following [Earthen Magic], [Storm Magic] has also reached its growth limit. Breaking the upper limit here also requires 20 SP.

I diligently saved up SP, which had accumulated quite a bit, and I considered using it for both. Both options were frequently useful, and more importantly, my advantage when forming a party was having many skills at my disposal. Narrowing my choices now would only diminish my strengths. Let’s go ahead with breaking the limits.

“Hey, brother. How’s Karl doing?”

“…There’s no sign of movement. His health hasn’t changed, so it doesn’t seem to be life-threatening. For now, let’s skin him. We’ll think about Karl afterward.”

“Alright.”

Jigoro and I silently skinned the monsters we had defeated. Most of the items were magic stones, but we also managed to get a few unusual items. And this is one of them!

――――――――――

• Deadly Poison Vine – Quality: Fair, Rarity: R (Rare)

A vine from a plant with potent toxicity.

Merely touching it with bare hands is dangerous due to its poisonous nature.

It is dangerous as is, but extracting just the poison can enhance its effects.

• Sturdy Tentacle – Quality: Good, Rarity: Rare

A part of a roper that mimics a rock to strangle its prey.

It’s a very strong tentacle from a powerful monster, weak to fire but difficult to cut.

By infusing it with magic power, it can be moved as if it were alive.

――――――――――

The former materials were what Shiitake would likely appreciate, and the latter materials were what Iris would likely appreciate. They were intended to inspire the creative impulses of the two and hopefully lead to the creation of new items.

As for Karl, it seemed that his life was not in immediate danger, yet there was still cause for concern. It would be good if he could somehow manage to move…

“Aaah~, I thought I heard something. Is there something out there?”

“Is that a creature of a kind I’ve never seen… a dragon? It’s rare for them to come around here.”

While I was lost in my thoughts, I heard the voices of a man and a woman from above. When I looked up in surprise, I saw two people with brown skin and long ears standing on a tree. Without a doubt, these two had to be the Dark Elves whom we had been searching for.

The two of them were talking casually, but their postures were flawless. This meant they could respond instantly if attacked, not that I had any intention of attacking them to begin with.

“Are you two members of the Dark Elves who live in this forest?”

“Oh, you know about us?”

“Where did you hear about us, I wonder?”

Well, that was to be expected. Any mysterious creature that seemed to know something about them would undoubtedly appear suspicious. At least, I would certainly be on my guard if I were in their shoes.

The first impression being the worst was unfortunate, but it was possible to recover from here. Calm down me. After all, I had an item specifically for this purpose.

“We may look suspicious, but we are not bad people with ill intentions.”

“And how do you plan to prove that?”

“Please look at this…”

I reached into my pocket, where I had kept the “Nadeus Tribe’s Crested Handprint” ready to show at any moment, and tried to present it to them. Just then, Jigoro moved swiftly beside me and grabbed something.

What Jigoro had caught was an arrow. It was on a direct path to the third eye on my forehead. Oh, that was close! If Jigoro hadn’t been there, my head might have been shattered. I had a mask, but a direct hit through the eye slit would cause severe damage!

“Oh? Did I miss my target?”

“He’s quite skilled. No holding back, I see.”

“You’re trying to hit us with a sneak attack? I’m in a bad mood… Bastards, do you wanna get killed?”

It seems that the moment I took my eyes off them to pull out the handprint, the man had shot an arrow at me. I hadn’t noticed at all…

Thanks to Jigoro, I was saved from nearly dying, but the atmosphere had become extremely tense. Jigoro cracked his knuckles, the Dark Elf man drew his slender sword, and the woman readied her staff. It was a situation on the brink of explosion.

“Wait, wait, wait! Look at this before you decide!”

With that, I held up the handprint so that it was clearly visible to them. I hoped it would serve as a truce, much like it did with the Centaurs… What would happen now?

“Oho?”

“Is that…”

Upon seeing the handprint, the two Dark Elves exchanged surprised glances, sheathed their weapons, and descended from the trees. Oh, indeed, it seemed to have an effect.

“Hey there, friend! Why didn’t you show that to us first?”

“Welcome to our forest!”

… It wasn’t just effective. Their attitudes underwent a complete 180-degree shift as they began to smile broadly. The man enthusiastically patted Jigoro and me on the shoulders as a sign of welcome, while the woman beamed with a full smile. Jigoro and I were simply bewildered by their overt change.