Chapter 295: No Need for That
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 295: No Need for That
“An Alraune, you say.”
According to Iris’s explanation, the Spirit Species was called Alraune. It was an entity that ranked quite high among nature-based spirits, primarily using dangerous seeds that germinated the moment they touched a living being to instantly drain their bodily fluids.
That’s strange. I’ve lost the portal’s location.
Normally, channeling mana into the Explorer’s Plate created a slight tug in the direction of the portal. That was how one found the way, but for some reason, the plate wasn't functioning properly inside this forest.
Could this be the Alraune’s ability?
“Hup...!”
—Clang!
I swatted away a flying seed with a hand coated in Aura and took a quick look around. To be honest, I wasn't even sure where I was anymore.
The moment I teleported to the 65th Floor, I was in a forest, and it wasn't long before I encountered the Alraune. I recalled the Explorer’s Plate working fine until then.
No matter how I looked at it, that was the culprit.
“You’ve made me lose my way.”
—KABOOM!!!
An object with massive wings stretching out to either side swept through a section of the forest in an instant. As hundreds of thick tree trunks were sliced down like mere sprouts, the Alraune—a mid-boss entity of the 65th Floor—fled in a panic.
“I really do love nature, but...!”
When you’re lost in a forest, the most effective method is to burn down all the trees and get rid of the forest entirely.
After legally inheriting skills from Rubica, I became capable of direct ignition with most of my saliva. It used to take quite a while for the Eldyokul’s flammable liquid to refill, but this change had certainly boosted my firepower.
I didn't necessarily need to take the form of a fighter jet. I designed it to resemble a B-52 bomber, loaded with hundreds of biological bombs, and programmed it to ram into the target once all the ordnance was spent.
I had been caught off guard by how peaceful the 7th Stratum had been so far, but it was only natural for entities with this level of combat power to exist here.
Was that teleportation? It seems it can use it infinitely as long as there are trees.
This was a characteristic shared by many members of the Spirit Species: designating a certain environment or range as their domain and exerting power within it.
The fact that Sola and the other Wisps could only live in the forest on the 1st Stratum of Roanmarie’s Labyrinth was a racial trait stemming from a similar characteristic.
In the Wisps' case, it acted more as a demerit—they could live normally within that range but lost their strength if they stepped outside.
Iris said this monster was an Alraune. Within its forest domain, it supposedly maintained near-zero teleportation delay and near-infinite mana.
With this level of combat power, it certainly lived up to its status as a mid-boss of the 7th Stratum. There were two ways to reach the 66th Floor: one was to flee from the Alraune.
While it possessed infinite mana within its forest domain, that didn't mean it could use high-level magic capable of killing an opponent instantly.
Actually, come to think of it, that seed attack from earlier would have killed an ordinary person in an instant. At the very least, they would have suffered a major injury, like a severed arm.
—Rumble...!!!
Dozens of bombers were consuming hundreds of biological napalm rounds, turning the entire forest of the 65th Floor into a sea of fire. Judging by the monster's mana levels, I confirmed that its mana decreased slightly the moment it touched the flames.
It wasn't that it was immune to fire; it was consuming mana to block it.
“Hmm... I feel like I’ve seen this somewhere before.”
It felt like a scene from a movie where humans invade the home of a blue-skinned alien race with only four fingers.
As I released a large number of Evil Eyes to hover at regular intervals in the sky and monitor the area for the Alraune’s whereabouts in the devastated forest...
—Swish!!
One Evil Eye was struck by the Alraune’s arrow and instantly shriveled into a mummy. I could pinpoint its location with that, but...
“I can see it, but I can’t catch it.”
I could catch glimpses of the Alraune’s position through the shared vision of the Evil Eyes, but it would immediately hide itself again using teleportation.
I did want the Alraune’s ability, but at this rate, it was going to take too long to turn this entire vast 65th Floor into a sea of fire.
—Gurgle!
“Iris.”
“Where are we?”
“Still on the 65th Floor.”
I had swallowed her earlier just in case she was in danger, but since I was currently floating in the sky, it didn't really matter.
“That thing over there. Have you seen it before?”
“Yes.”
“If I just flatten this forest, I’ll be able to catch it, right?”
“It’ll be difficult.”
“Wait, why?”
According to Iris, the Alraune wouldn't lose its power if the forest was destroyed; it would simply vanish. How cowardly. Was she saying it wouldn't even show its face if it wasn't in its domain?
“Well, I should at least try.”
It didn't seem like the entire 65th Floor was its domain. I tracked the Alraune’s teleportation range to see how far the Spirit Species’ domain extended, and about eighty percent of it had already burned away.
Once you get up this high, it’s hard to spot other explorers.
Fortunately, there were no explorers around. I would continue to expand the range of the flames to narrow the Alraune’s field of activity, then head back down into the forest.
* * *
“Sshhh...!”
“Looks like that’s the last tree.”
After burning at least tens of thousands of trees, only a single tree remained in the Alraune’s domain.
“It looks like it’s shrunk a bit, too. Seems it’s lost most of its power.”
The Alraune was clinging tightly to that last tree, glaring at me. To be honest, I felt a bit like a villain for burning down the forest, but this wouldn't have happened if she had just let me pass easily.
The other Spirit Species that had been in the forest were nowhere to be seen, with only the occasional lingering scent of mana remaining.
“Iris. Is this really the right way to do this?”
“What is?”
“I mean... the way to get through this place. I doubt other people set the whole forest on fire like this.”
“You’re the only one who passes through a Spirit Species’ domain like this.”
“What? So there is a proper way.”
“You just had to pass a simple test.”
“Ah.”
I don't know why she was only telling me this now. The forest was already burnt to a crisp, and the Low Spirit Species that lived in the Alraune’s domain had either died or vanished.
“So... Alraune? Or do you have another name?”
“Die...! Intruder!”
“So you can talk.”
I mean, if there’s a test, you should present the test paper first. What am I supposed to do if the proctor pulls a knife instead of a pen?
“Look, I’m sorry about burning the forest, but I’d like to take that test now.”
“Madman...! You burned it all...!!”
The Alraune had transformed into the shape of a very stout young girl. Perhaps her personality matched her appearance, as she felt like a child and was difficult to communicate with.
“Um... what should I do, Iris?”
“You can’t take the test. The Alraune has lost its mana.”
“It certainly looks that way.”
Wait, then if she has mana, she can give the test again, right?
“I’m not sure if I have any left...”
I didn't really need it anymore, but there was something I used to take out and drink whenever I ran low on mana. It was the sap of the Ether Tree, an entire tree's worth of which I had gulped down in the ancient jungle of the 3rd Stratum.
Since I had downed an amount that my massive stomach couldn't fully absorb all at once, some of it was preserved in its raw state. Nowadays, I had so many Mana Cores that my mana production rarely fell below my consumption.
There it is.
Fortunately, some Ether Tree sap remained in my storage space. By my standards, it was an amount of mana I could burn through in a day or two, but for others, it would probably last for years.
“Hey, Alraune. Can you drink this? Or do you not eat other plants because you’re a plant yourself?”
“Kuh...! Get away...!”
She flailed her arms whenever I tried to approach. I didn't exactly have a bowl or anything, and while I could fashion one out of my exoskeleton, the Alraune’s repulsion seemed too strong.
If it’s a plant, I can just spray it.
I used a biological tube shaped like a rubber hose to spray the Ether Tree sap widely over the Alraune.
“Ptooey! W-what is this! Stop it!”
“Grow big and strong. Though I suppose I shouldn't be saying that after burning everything down.”
As I sprayed the sap toward the Alraune clinging to the tree, her mana began to recover noticeably.
“Spraying liquid by force on a resisting girl.”
“Iris. Please stop saying weird things.”
“Okay.”
The Alraune, who had been covering her face and squinting, seemed to realize it was mana-infused tree sap and sat quietly on the ground, letting the 'water' hit her. She even seemed to grow a bit in size.
“Hey, you feeling better now?”
“...How could I be fine? Look around you.”
“Hmm...”
It did seem woefully insufficient compared to the forest I had burned down. I wasn't sure what to do about this.
“Can I not take the test?”
I didn't even know what kind of test a Spirit Species would give in the first place.
“...Forget the test. Just go over there.”
“Wait, why?”
“Finding the way through the forest was likely the test.”
When Iris, who was standing idly by, spoke up, the Alraune snapped her head away.
“Wait, then didn't I pass?”
I ended up burning the forest, but I did find the way. All roads lead to Rome, as they say.
“This feels a bit unsettling...”
Though I did know that the environment inside the Labyrinth would eventually restore itself.
“Hey, Alraune.”
“...What.”
“Take this.”
—Clack!
It was Amelia’s Mana Core, which I had made as a trial run once I became able to replicate Mana Cores. It was a failure that didn't even reach a tenth of the original’s mana production, but it would still be more than enough for the Alraune.
“I’m going. Work hard on restoring the forest.”
“D-don’t give me orders! Just get lost already!”
“You heard her, right? Let’s go, Iris.”
“...Okay.”
I hoisted Iris—who recorded an average of thirty steps a day—onto my shoulder and headed toward the 66th Floor, following the guidance of the now-functioning Explorer’s Plate.
“Why leave it alive?”
“Pardon? What? The Alraune?”
“Yes.”
“I just thought there was no need to kill it. Should I go back and finish the job?”
“...No.”