Monster Plant's Fatal Flaw
Where did it all go wrong with the Monster Plant? Yeah, it started when the other teams began dropping like flies one after another. Sure, our class has a lot of weaklings, but they shouldn't have been eliminated this quickly.
So I figured it out. There had to be fights breaking out between teams! And with Zeke jumping in as a monster, it was obvious we'd eventually become targets for team hunters or Zeke himself. That meant I had to find some way to boost our survival chances, even if just a little.
Luckily, I ran into Team 6, who were thinking the same thing. We teamed up to hunt monsters together. I would've been happy with a solid B-rank at that point, but...
"Don't you think we can aim for A now?"
"You're right. B and A are just one step apart, but the difference is huge."
Exactly. Getting A's across all practical evaluations comes with massive perks. Even if not every one is an A, racking them up gets you respect in the Academy and better treatment in society after graduation.
"So, what do we do?"
"Honestly, we're dominating numerically. We've got four people. Unless the top-tier kids team up, we're in the best position."
On paper, yeah, that made sense... but...
"It's fine. Just trust us!"
And so, trusting Team 6, we set out to hunt players. We caught wind that Team 4 was nearby and tailed them, but when we arrived, Lur and Liz from Team 4 were nowhere in sight. Instead, there was just this creepy tree standing alone, which made me increasingly uneasy.
Then—
-BOOMRUMBLERUMBLEKABOOM~!!!
Zeke arrived. Was this a trap set by Team 4?! And now these two sketchy guys who seemed to own that massive, dangerous-looking tree showed up too! What the hell were we supposed to do now?
The best-case scenario would be Zeke sensing our numbers and either fleeing or teaming up with Team 7 over there. But the world doesn't work that conveniently.
"Haha! You dug this trap knowing I was after that guy called Thanatos! Are you all teamed up? Teams 5, 6, and 7! Nice sequential numbers!"
Zeke must've misunderstood us as an alliance of three teams. If we played this right, we might survive. Plus, Thanatos—that's the summon belonging to Lur, that trash-tier from Team 4. Was Zeke here gunning for Team 4 too? Liz's summon lacks mobility, so Thanatos must've been the one with movement abilities. What the hell could that thing do?
Tch... One thing was clear: Team 4 had lured us all into this trap.
"Huh...? Where's Team 4? I swear I saw them here."
"I-I don't know."
"Is that so? What's your name, student...?"
"Luis."
Good. First, buy as much time as possible. Zeke was after Team 4—specifically Lur's summon. If we offered to help him track it down, we might negotiate our way out alive!
"You punks came to kill my 'tree'! Not on my watch! I'll slaughter you all!"
Then Adam ruined everything in an instant. That hot-headed battle junkie!
"Monster Plant, drop the fruit!"
At Adam's command, the tree responded as if alive, shaking loose the fruits dangling from its branches. They burst on impact with the ground, and the pulp inside birthed monsters that turned the area upside down. They were grotesque hybrids of hedgehogs, earthworms, bats, and catfish from the Instant Area.
"W-What the hell is this...!"
"Attack!"
Our temporary allies fought desperately, but sheer numbers overwhelmed them.
"Damn it, Dimension Traveler!"
The black humanoid figure smoking alone in the corner shuffled over with an annoyed grumble and took my hand. It pulled a pocket watch from its stylish beige coat and pressed the button. In a flash, the Dimension Traveler and I shifted to another dimension.
Nothing looked different after the shift. One of the fruit-spawned creatures approached on bat legs to attack the Dimension Traveler right in front of us, but since we were in a different dimension, its strikes passed harmlessly through.
That's my summon's power. Of course, once activated, I can't interfere with the other dimension either.
"Precious... ones... dying... it's... so painful... to watch..."
"Pffft-hahaha!"
The problem? Pffft-hahaha! Despite that cool mafia-boss look, it speaks with this weird slur every time, like some defective weirdo.
"Don't... laugh..."
"Sorry, pfft... heh... hahaha!"
"Summons that... can talk... like me... are rare... Be grateful... for your luck..."
"Sorry, sorry. I'll buy you more smokes later."
"Promise..."
This narrow-minded thug clams up if I don't buy its cigs. Still, thanks to it, we were safe for now. My teammates knew it was for the greater good and nodded at me, watching their own summons perish with stoic resolve. A team doesn't get eliminated until all summons are gone. As long as my Dimension Traveler lived, Team 5 was golden.
Unfortunately, Team 6's summons got smashed by Zeke and they dropped...
"Team 6 is out! Head to Professor Ellie outside the Instant Area!"
"Zeke, old man. It's too early to let your guard down."
The monsters swarmed Zeke as the last target. He grabbed the nearest one by the scruff, dismantling it in seconds—flesh, skin, and bones separating cleanly.
"So it weaves and controls plants grown on bodies! What a fun ability!"
Zeke snatched a nearby tree, rubbing his palms together rapidly to ignite it.
"W-What the hell is he doing?"
"Don't worry, Adam. He's trying fire, but it could hit us too, so he won't risk a wide attack."
Can't touch summoner students—that rule meant no AOE attacks!
"Hnnngggg...!!!"
But Eve's logical thinking didn't hold up against Zeke.
"FWWWWOOOOO!!!"
Zeke blew into the makeshift fire wand like a bubble blower, and flames spread like soap bubbles everywhere.
"This crazy bastard...!"
But the fire spared Adam and Eve. From their angle, he hadn't blown. Viewed from above, the blaze looked like a pizza slice with them standing dumbfounded in the empty spot. In the center, propping up the "pizza" to keep its shape, stood the enigmatic tree—Monster Plant –The Wood–.
-SKREEEEEE!
-HEEEEYAAAH!
The hybrids plummeting from the tree went extinct in an instant. The inferno was too vast to pinpoint Zeke.
"E-Eve... use your summon to locate him quick!"
"R-Right, yeah. Location check. Zodiac Signal! Show me Zeke's position!"
Antennae sprouted from Eve's forehead. Light beamed from the tips, highlighting Zeke amid the floating glow in the sky—visible only to Eve.
"Finally summoned it, huh."
But it was Zeke's trap. He'd anticipated they'd reveal it while blinded by flames.
-SCHLICK!
Zeke severed the antennae in a blink. Zodiac Signal met its end.
"Z-Zodiac...?"
"Your summon was inside you. I was waiting for you to bring it out."
Eve was out. Adam gulped, staring at Zeke.
"H-Haha... you monster..."
"Don't call the examiner a monster. Mind your manners."
"But you can't kill my summon. N-Not in its form."
Adam sweated bullets in fear, but his eyes burned true. Zeke knew it.
"Good resolve. Unbroken even in terror."
"..."
"Congratulations. I'll let you live. Sigh... Instead of chasing others, I should've killed that tree of yours before it finished. My misjudgment."
As he spoke, the flames died down.
This monster... in that short time, he jogged a full lap around the area?
Exactly. To prevent the forest from burning entirely, Zeke had circled the perimeter, smashing grass and trees—and stomping the ground for good measure. With nothing left to burn, the fire extinguished.
"And Luis over there! I won't touch you either!"
Zeke finished and sauntered off in search of Thanatos.
"Haha... we lived."
Adam collapsed in relief, but...
"What? What happened here?"
"Adam, kid? Weren't you out hunting others?"
Of all people, they ran into Teren and Kim Eunhasu.
"Haha... talk about bad luck. Shit."
Adam punched the ground, reigniting his fighting spirit.
"I'll hunt you here too! Battle time! Battle!"
Heh heh. Zeke must really wanna throw down with me, huh?
I'd left Lur, Liz, and Peros hidden in the fog and come out alone.
"Hm? Showing yourself on purpose. Did your master order you to stop me?"
"..."
"Yeah, that makes sense! No way she didn't!"
Time to have some fun with this old man.