The One Branch of The Tree

Trees fell one by one the sound of breaking wood echoed like giant dominoes.

ALL.

ALL.

ALL.

The ground shook every few seconds, as something was approaching, something very large. I stood, gripping the World Thorn Sword even tighter, my body still exhausted from running out of the collapsed dungeon and still not fully recovered. 

The enemy's timing was either absolutely terrible or perfectly consistent with my life. The fog ahead began to shift, the trees parted, and finally, the creature appeared. 

I automatically tensed. Its shape resembled a deer, if a deer were experiencing an evolutionary nightmare. Its body was nearly five meters tall, its antlers branched like dead tree roots. Its skin was greenish-black, its eyes glowed red, living roots sprouted from its legs and back, and its aura of corruption was so thick that the air felt heavy.

A notification appears.

Guardian Beast — Cervaros

Level: 22

Status: Corrupted

Threat: Extreme

I stared at the number.

"Twenty two?"

I'm level 16, and the difference isn't funny at all. Nara also seems more serious than usual, which is a really bad sign. 

Cervaros lifted his head to take a breath of air then his eyes locked on me specifically me, I pointed at myself.

"Why is it always me?"

Cervaros roared, a low, distorted roar that moved the surrounding roots. Oh, and he was also a plant-themed, large, natural boss fight. 

Cervaros attacked without warning, no warm-up, the monster immediately shot forward for its size, its speed was strange, I barely had time to avoid its horns sweeping the area where I was standing.

BOOM!

The ground exploded, I rolled to the side, and dust flew up covering the area. Nara came in from the left, slashing the monster's hind leg with her dagger.

CLANG!

The sparks that came out didn't penetrate the natural armor too hard.

“Good,” I said. 

“Even this deer's legs have plot armor.”

Nara didn't respond to focus mode. Cervaros swung his tail, a large root sweeping the area. Nara jumped back and I advanced. 

Root Domain activated, the surrounding roots responding to my call, holding Cervaros's front legs for a split second, stopping the monster. Good enough, I jumped, the World Thorn Sword blazing. Ember Slash, I slashed at its neck.

SHRAK!

The incoming attack caused a small amount of black blood to flow out, Cervaros roared angrily. The damage had been confirmed, and I landed with a faint smile.

“Very much.”

“It can still be hurt.” Important information,

The monster stepped on the hard ground black roots burst from under the attack area, I jumped back but was a little too late one of the roots whipped my thigh.

BUK!

I was thrown, it hurt so bad.

“UGH!”

I rolled on the ground almost losing my grip on the sword, Nara appeared in front of me blocking the next root attack.

"Wake up." he said shortly.

I stood up grimacing.

“I'm doing it.”

Cervaros attacks again, this time his mouth opening, dark mana gathering. Oh no, a projectile attack.

“Get down!” Nara shouted.

We both jumped to the side, the next second a burst of black energy hit the center area.

BOOOOM!

The ground melted, I stared at the crater.

"No."

To avoid getting hit by the attack, I activated Minor Mana Sense. Focusing on analyzing the flow of mana, I saw the strongest corruption energy pattern gathered in the center of his chest. "Core? Most likely," I shouted.

“Nara!”

“Her chest!”

He immediately understood good cooperation, Cervaros attacked me again on purpose, I attracted perfect attention.

“Yeah, yeah, I don't like my face either.”

I ran in a circle, the monster chasing me, while Nara disappeared from view in stealth mode. Cervaros slammed into the ground, his roots chasing me, and I dodged as best I could, my mana dwindling. 

Too bad, I need bait now, Cervaros jumped his giant body down towards me, I stopped suddenly raising my hand.

Root Domain — Full Release

All the roots in the surrounding area rose up, dozens of roots wrapped around Cervaros' legs holding his body in the air for a split second.

“Now!” I shouted.

Nara appeared from above, I don't even know how long she's been there, she's kind of scary. She jumped from the tree branch, her two daggers blazing, stabbing straight into Cervaros' chest.

CRACK.

The sound of breaking. 

Good, the monster's cracked core roared loudly, but it wasn't dead yet. Damn, I ran forward, the last of my mana gathered, the World Thorn Sword vibrated, and the new skill activated automatically.

World Root Devour activated.

Compatible corrupted target detected.

Oh? Interesting, I stabbed straight into the crack in the sword core, Cervaros froze, his roar stopped, the roots on his body shook wildly, then the greenish black energy began to be sucked into my sword, I widened my eyes.

“Whoa.”

Cervaros struggled unexpectedly, but the process was already underway. The mana corruption flowing through my body was painful once again—of course, everything always hurts. The monster slowly weakened, its massive body beginning to crack and then collapse.

BOOOOM.

Dust rose into the silent air, I still held the sword stuck in the last of the energy absorbed.

Notifications appear in succession.

Guardian Beast defeated.

Corrupted essence absorbed.

Level 17 reached.

Level 18 reached.

New trait acquired:

Beast Vitality

New skill:

Corrupted Burst

I pulled out my sword, breathing heavily, my body trembling, but somehow still alive. Nara landed lightly beside me, looking at Cervaros's now motionless body.

“It worked,” he said.

I let out a short laugh.

“Yes.”

“A little overdramatic, but it works.”

Nara looked at me then at my sword, her expression changing to a faint trace of worry.

“The energy of corruption earlier,” he said quietly.

“You absorbed it all?”

I looked at my hand, and a thin black root line appeared on my wrist and then disappeared. Hmm, a bit of a bad omen.

“I think so,” I replied.

Nara didn't look like she could understand, I opened the status.

Name: Lock

Class:

World Tree Trunk Fragment

Level: 18

Condition:

Stable (?)

I stared at the question mark.

…

Your system is not helpful at all, I close the status then the quest notification appears.

Quest progress updated.

Day 5/7

Reward condition nearly complete.

The fifth day is only two days away, almost here, I took a deep breath.

“Maybe we can finally get out of this place alive.”

A sentence I shouldn't have said because the next second the ground shook again, not because of a monster, not from below but from the sky. 

Nara and I both looked up and saw something descending from the clouds, a large, winged, humanoid silhouette with a very terrifying aura.

A notification appears.

Emergency event triggered.

Executor descending

I stared at the screen then the sky, then my life and came to one conclusion: I was simply not allowed to rest.

[END CHAPTER 15]