Burning the Grasping Roots
Kim Jun, clutching a severed chunk of root he'd hacked off in haste, sensed the wood-affinity mana pulsing through the tendril-like appendages of the Absorption Tree. He jolted in surprise.
This thing... it's brimming with wood-affinity mana. Plants naturally harbor it, sure, but here it's densely concentrated. And it's bone-dry—no water-affinity mana to speak of. Yeah, one spark and this'll go up like tinder.
With his plan set, Kim Jun hurled his dagger at the Absorption Tree's main body.
The blade streaked toward its massive eyeball.
Up until now, Kim Jun had only been slicing roots with his dagger, catching the monster off guard with this sudden shift. The main body couldn't react in time—the dagger sank deep into the edge of the eye.
A grotesque wail shattered the air.
Seizing the opening, Kim Jun darted around behind the main body and raced toward Yoo Min-jeong. He sliced through the roots binding her with a dagger from her belt, hoisted her onto his back, and bolted.
"What about me?"
"...Me too!"
Choi Muhyun and Yeom Sang-taek shouted, but Kim Jun didn't even glance back.
The dagger throw wasn't a critical hit. The Absorption Tree propelled itself using its roots like legs. Rising two meters high, it pursued Kim Jun at terrifying speed—like some bizarre UFO skimming low through the air.
Carrying Yoo Min-jeong, Kim Jun veered sharply. The onion-like body shot straight past, missing him entirely.
"You okay?"
"...Yeah."
"Can you cast Fire Arrow like this, even while I'm carrying you?"
"I could, but it'd probably fizzle. My body's shaking too much—hard to align the mana properly."
"Do it anyway. That thing won't stand around politely waiting for you to finish chanting."
Kim Jun gritted his teeth against the agony ripping through his thigh, like it might burst open any second.
But running like this wouldn't last—they'd be snared by those roots soon enough.
Yoo Min-jeong tried Fire Arrow twice, failing both times. Each dodge Kim Jun made disrupted her carefully gathered mana, scattering the precise formation.
Then Kim Jun stopped.
He set Yoo Min-jeong down.
"I'll hold it off. You hit it with a fire arrow."
"...Got it."
Yoo Min-jeong was overwhelmed by the fierce resolve etched on his face. No other words would come.
Kim Jun gripped his dagger and charged the incoming body.
A long root whipped across the ground like a lash. Kim Jun leaped, the root slicing past beneath him with a whoosh that split the air.
Damn, that would've killed me clean.
No running now. To buy Yoo Min-jeong time for her arrow, he had to draw the Absorption Tree's full attention.
Roots surged like crashing waves. He dodged most, but scratches raked his arms and shoulders, shredding his clothes to rags.
Kim Jun parried roots with his dagger or flung himself aside, all while a boiling thrill coursed through him. He'd never felt more alive.
As the roots lashed faster, his movements sharpened in response.
Yoo Min-jeong watched, speechless.
A root burst from the flat ground behind Kim Jun, shooting up straight like bamboo and slinking toward his back. He hadn't noticed.
"Behind you!"
Yoo Min-jeong yelled.
Kim Jun spun, instinctively blocking the stabbing root with his dagger. It coiled around the blade and yanked it far away. He tumbled backward.
With Kim Jun drawing all the fire, Yoo Min-jeong struggled to focus. She bit her lip and closed her eyes.
To save Kim Jun... I have to ignore him right now.
Mana enveloped her body.
Yoo Min-jeong steadied her breathing, calming her mind.
The mana converged, slowly compressing into a dense core.
Compression's fine. Alignment's the issue.
Shape the mana mass into a Fire Arrow formation and trigger it—the flaming projectile would pierce the Absorption Tree.
A whooshing sound drilled into her ears. She could almost see the root impaling Kim Jun.
Hold it together!
Yoo Min-jeong grimaced, thrusting her hands forward. Crimson sparks erupted like fireworks.
Bound by vines, Choi Muhyun thrashed as he watched Yoo Min-jeong and Kim Jun, but it only sapped his strength. His arena-honed combat experience meant nothing now.
Then Yeom Sang-taek, slumped nearby, latched onto the vine around Choi Muhyun's right arm and bit down. His lips split on the rough bark, blood trickling, but he gnawed fiercer.
Biting doesn't need inner power or mana. That's why it's possible. Then...
Suppressing his inner energy, Choi Muhyun flexed the muscles in his right arm.
Kim Jun, barely evading the main body's onslaught, stole a glance at the concentrating Yoo Min-jeong.
In that instant, a root erupted from the ground, snaking up his ankle to his knee and coiling tight. He collapsed without a groan.
The Absorption Tree loomed closer.
Now Kim Jun could see it clearly.
The lower eyelid tore open, revealing jagged, saw-like teeth. A hidden maw.
Helpless, Kim Jun prayed Yoo Min-jeong would loose her arrow before those fangs tore into him.
Yoo Min-jeong's eyes remained shut. Sparks danced before her outstretched hands, but no arrow formed.
The root hoisted Kim Jun into the air—perfect feeding height for the main body.
Its mouth gaped wide.
Bound, Kim Jun was reeled slowly toward the jaws.
Then a dagger flew in, burying deep in the eye.
The Absorption Tree shrieked in agony, thrashing wildly. Kim Jun slipped free.
He turned toward the throw's origin and spotted Choi Muhyun, right arm extended. With his energy sealed, he'd torn free using raw muscle alone to hurl the dagger.
Finally, the Fire Arrow completed.
Yoo Min-jeong's eyes snapped open. She unleashed it at the rampaging body.
The arrow struck the eye's outer rim.
Flames spread across the body and roots. Yet it still flailed its tentacles in defiance.
Kim Jun grabbed a digger and plunged inward. Leaping onto a burning root, he vaulted to the body's crown and drove the tool deep.
He jumped, then stomped the handle. The blade sank to the hilt.
Flames poured through the hole into the core.
Less than a minute later, half the body charred black. It went still. Dead.
Panting, Kim Jun trudged to Yoo Min-jeong.
"Whew, that was brutal."
"...We're alive."
"Obviously."
Grinning wide at her, Kim Jun moved to Choi Muhyun and Yeom Sang-taek, slicing their vines.
Looking at Choi Muhyun, he extended a hand.
"Rest time's over. Up you get."
"Yeah, time to rise. You can't do without me."
Hauling himself up, Choi Muhyun reached for Yeom Sang-taek. The buffer gripped it and staggered to his feet, wiping his lips with his sleeve.
"Can't do without this guy either."
Choi Muhyun slung an arm over Yeom Sang-taek's shoulder.
Kim Jun glanced between them, spotting the lip wounds and green residue. Only then did he realize Yeom Sang-taek had chewed through the vine to free Choi Muhyun's arm.
A rush far fiercer than solo-fighting the body shook him nearly to trembling. The team had slain it together. Without every contribution, they'd all be dead.
We're a team.
While the others recovered, Kim Jun gathered suitable vine lengths and stuffed them into his storeback.
"Why collect those?"
Yoo Min-jeong asked.
"Might come in handy."
Kim Jun smiled enigmatically.
After extracting the Absorptium core from the root body, Pink Team escaped the parched traplands into the grassland. Who'd have thought knee-high grass—hard to navigate—could feel so safe?
The Ulpensaurus groaned in pain, gazing up at Kim Jun.
Rest easy.
Kim Jun stabbed its heart with his dagger.
In mere seconds, life ebbed from the cooling body. Its moist eyes lingered on him one last time before glazing over.
In a dungeon, it was kill or be killed.
Kim Jun stroked its forehead. This fierce resistor to the end was a warrior like him.
Thrusting into the shaggy flank, he felt thick ribs. Pushing between them like parting a barrier, his fingers brushed hot, slick innards.
Nearby lay the Ulpem core.
Kim Jun knew its exact spot without looking—thanks to his aura sense. Cores were mana hyper-concentrates.
Its surface was rough.
Bloody and oily, he tossed the core into his storeback and repeated the process on another monster.
While the carrier harvested, the team stood vigil against approaching threats.
Storeback heavy on his back, Kim Jun eyed the hazy pillar in the distance. The gate awaited there.
The hunt was done. Escape the dungeon intact, and the raid was a success.
"Six o'clock, forty-five meters."
The buffer said.
"Monster?"
Yoo Min-jeong asked.
"No."
Yeom Sang-taek wore a here we go expression.
Raiders.
"How many?"
"Four."
"Four?"
"...Yeah."
"Roger."
Yoo Min-jeong pondered briefly. Good—they seemed one team. Still, PvP needed mental prep.
All eyes on her.
"Evade for now."
The team moved out.
Do Jin-yong kicked the dead Ulpensaurus head.
The massive skull shattered under his kick, soaring like a soccer ball.
"Casually hunting, eh?"
He nearly burst out laughing. Even after that damn Daily Raiders article, these fools were just bumbling around slaying mobs.
"Yoo Min-jeong..."
He'd pegged her as a prideful rookie. This was beyond—total clueless pup. No surprise, with a guild master who'd let that carrier punk walk free.
"Which way?"
Do Jin-yong eyed the buffer.
"This way."
Buffer Kim Hong-tae stroked his translucent hound, pointing. The shepherd-like spirit was his summon.
"Move out."
Do Jin-yong barked.
Team Blue Lightning plunged into the dark.
Yoo Min-jeong led, slashing through overgrown grass. Like stamping first tracks in fresh powder—exhilarating, free.
If not for being hunted.
Breath quickening, she glanced back.
Team in single file.
Snake formation.
Choi Muhyun panted; Yeom Sang-taek huffed. Kim Jun at rear... dry as ever. A stroll for him.
Yoo Min-jeong raised a hand, slowing.
Choi Muhyun matched pace with relief.
"Ten-minute break."
She eyed Yeom Sang-taek.
"...Nothing within thirty meters."
Breathless, his scan radius shrank to thirty. Full rest would hit fifty max. Focused directionals went farther.
"Good."
Choi Muhyun and Yeom Sang-taek collapsed. Fifth sprint already.
Yoo Min-jeong sidled to Kim Jun, staring into the gloom.
"They'll follow?"
"Probably."
His eyes pierced the dark.
"Tracking hound, I'd bet."
Kim Jun nodded slowly at her. Snake formation spaced them, yet they tailed every time.
"Way to shake the scent?"
"None."
For now.
She glanced at Yeom Sang-taek. Clean buff erased all odors team-wide. Mid-tier spell, though.
Training under Yang Hee-seon, but not there yet. No evasion option.
Yoo Min-jeong turned to Kim Jun.
"What now?"
A team leader consulting her advisor.
"Head-on collision. Fight 'em straight."
Confidence laced his tone.
"PvP with the pursuers?"
Her eyes widened.
"Four, right? Means no carrier. What does that tell you?"
"We're the prey."
She met his gaze squarely.
"Can't just roll over."
"No full-frontal. We'd take heavy hits."
"Plan B then. Lure 'em to the Absorption Tree zone. They blunder in, get vine-trapped—we swoop in and 'rescue' 'em."
Her eyes sparkled, then dimmed.
"...Risky. Could get someone hurt bad."
"Tall order."
Kim Jun's voice cooled.
Their goal: Pink Team. A broken arm? Fine. But article-fueled raiders wouldn't stop there.
No-damage 'peaceful' resolution? Naive fantasy.
Sometimes blood must spill.
No matter whose.
"Tricky problem means tricky answer. To avoid backlash."
Yoo Min-jeong stared hard.
Kim Jun got it instantly. Win head-on, but injure them badly? More rage, and Pink Team pays.
"Third option it is."
"A third?"
"Naturally."
Kim Jun grinned.
"Eleven o'clock, forty meters."
Yeom Sang-taek again.
Advancing in diamond formation, Yoo Min-jeong spotted the swelling forest under the dim sky.
The mobile carnivorous woods: Schwarzwald.
"I got this. Leave it to me."
Choi Muhyun, at diamond's tip, glanced back.
"If we're spotted, we run. You fast as me?"
Kim Jun cut in.
"But..."
"Team leader's call. Trust and follow."