Ent Forest (2)
Ttungi stared blankly after hearing my words, then pulled out another stone hammer and handed me two in total. (There seems to be one more inside?) Hehe~ Even as he smiled brightly, Ttungi quickly hid the pouch behind his back and kept a wary eye on me. 'Interesting. Every time he's summoned, he has a stone hammer. Must be inside that pouch.' I had no idea where he was getting them from, but since I was getting free equipment, it didn't matter.
Then, as if suddenly remembering, Ttungi handed Yeonhee several magic stones. "Whoa?! There's even a low-grade one!" Hehe~ Seeing Yeonhee's wide smile, the kobold began bouncing happily in place. Hwooo— But the moment he sensed the presence of an Ent, everyone—including Ttungi—snapped back into formation and began moving cautiously again, as if nothing had happened.
Yeonhee's body glowed faintly with light that rippled and faded. She must have leveled up. Rustle—'Three of them... This might be a bit much.' The ones chasing us had overlapped in their paths, and now three were sweeping across the ground toward us at once. Yet when Yeonhee saw my hand signal, she nodded with a confident expression. "I'll call Ran."
It felt a little early, but she was too useful to keep in reserve. Shhhk-shhhk-shhhk— The massive Ents crawled steadily toward us. Their dark brown, withered branches and leaves that looked ready to crumble gave off a bleak atmosphere. Flutter—! But when the pale brown spirit emerged from the gently rising flower bud, the oppressive mood seemed to scatter, brightening the surroundings. The spirit landed lightly on Yeonhee's shoulder and spread its mana, sending a refreshing breeze swirling around her body.
Shhhk-shhhk-shhhk—!!Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!! The moment the three Ents stopped, they swung dozens of thorny vines at Yeonhee in unison. With Ran's [Acceleration] buff, Yeonhee dodged their attacks with ease, almost mockingly, and began summoning her beasts one after another. The Lizardmen summoned behind the Ents immediately charged in and attacked with abandon. By the time the Ents halted, the flames from the firebombs I'd thrown were already raging across the trees.
'As expected—as long as I don't intend it, my skills don't harm allied summons.' It was something modern science couldn't explain, but I hadn't cared about that for so long I'd forgotten when I stopped. Confirming the flames didn't affect the Lizardmen, I poured out as many firebombs as my mana allowed. The Ents were so large that I didn't even need the throwing-knife skill to guarantee hits.
Whoosh—Thud—Whoosh—Thud-thud-thud-thud!! With the [Acceleration] buff, Yeonhee moved across the battlefield with an excited expression I'd never seen before, drawing her bowstring with invisible speed. "Uwahaha!! I'm so fast!!" (Haha! Master, I'm delighted that you find my ability so satisfying!! Your graceful movements remind me of the Goddess of Wind, 'Bahr'!!)(I'm always ready to show you my skills, so please summon me often!!)
'What a loyal subject.' Seeing how happy Yeonhee was, I felt deeply satisfied myself—an imaginary corner of my mouth seemed to lift. The kobold, wrapped in a slime and wielding an iron beetle, darted around drawing aggro while two Lizardmen and I each took on one Ent. We subdued them faster than expected. 'No need to use Contaminated Breath.'
— Defeated an Ent...
— Helped defeat an Ent...
— Defeated an Ent...
'Tch... Couldn't steal any traits.' After finishing off the three Ents and collecting the loot, we moved further in the direction I led until we reached the vicinity of the Ent graveyard. Only then did we pause to catch our breath. "Haa— Huu······. So there are aftereffects."
'Hm? What aftereffects?' When I tilted my head, Yeonhee gave a weak smile. "The Acceleration buff. After using it, my body feels a bit strained. Everything's starting to ache." "Clack..." 'I didn't feel anything like that. Maybe it's because she's still alive?'
(Y-Yes! I was worried about that part!! That's why I tested it on Ilwol first...) Ran, whose form was gradually fading, fidgeted anxiously while watching the exhausted Yeonhee. "It's fine, Ran. You worked really hard. Let's stay out a little longer next time." (Sniff— Master. Ran, I just can't find the words for your consideration—) Before she could finish, Ran was unsummoned. Yeonhee gently stroked the empty space where Ran had been, then drank some water and steadied her breathing.
"Huu... Still, the explosive stat boost is incredible. Agility felt like it went up over 30%. I couldn't adapt at all. I need to practice this more often." "Clack-clack-clack!!" Kieeek...'The Lizardmen look exhausted.' Not just the Lizardmen—every summon except the slimes found in this dungeon was wobbling weakly. They'd been exposed to the thick [Contaminated Breath] in the air for too long; of course they were struggling.
"You guys rest inside for a while too." Now that her mana was depleted, Yeonhee dismissed all her summons and sat down beside me, resting her head on my shoulder. Inhaling her characteristic fresh scent, I scanned the hidden location within my sensory range. 'Nothing. Good.' There didn't seem to be any monsters camped nearby. If we could just shake off or deal with the remaining Ents chasing us, we'd secure another artifact.
I spent 10 mana to stock firebombs in my inventory, then lightly stroked Yeonhee's hair as she caught her breath. "···Keep doing that······." After a few strokes, she asked me to continue while I kept watch. Swish—Swish— "Hehehe······." 'You never know what this kid will say next.' Still, all I had to do was what she asked. It was a simple matter with nothing to overthink.
After resting about ten minutes, the moment my mana recovered by 1, Yeonhee stood up and dusted herself off. 'Yeonhee's mana recovered already. The artifact's effect really is excellent.' She probably had more mana than me, but summoning so many beasts would have consumed a large portion of it. She must still feel it was far from enough.
"Shall we go again?" Nod— We resumed moving. Fortunately, I still couldn't detect any pursuers. Not long after, we arrived at a place where even my dulled sense of smell was assaulted by a stench, and Yeonhee— "Uweeegh—!!" Even with a mask on, the smell pierced through and she finally vomited what was in her stomach. Charred, withered tree fragments piled up like small hills everywhere, as if burned by fire.
"Khek-hek— W-What is this place? Don't tell me this is the Ent graveyard..." Nod— "Ugh... I've never smelled anything like this in my life— Urp—" Despite dry-heaving, she began summoning her beasts one by one. The ominous energy hanging in the air made it feel like anything could appear at any moment. 'Logically, Ents should appear here, but······.' Instead, the creatures that frequently spawned in this place were humanoid zombies. Their combat power was far weaker than Ents, but they never retreated even when attacked, making them just as annoying to deal with.
Thud—Thud— Lizardman No. 1 and No. 2 stepped forward reliably, chests puffed out. 'When you unsummon and resummon them, they come back fully recovered. Of course it costs a lot of mana to summon again, but still—it's broken. Absolutely broken.' Seeing the Lizardmen who had been wobbling earlier now walking around energetically made me once again marvel at the summoner's mysterious power.
And when we reached the center after passing about halfway through the graveyard— 'Here it is.' I had found the second hidden location. The problem was that it lay buried beneath a mountain of Ent corpses... "Huh? Ilwol, why?" I pointed alternately at my necklace and the ground beneath us. Yeonhee's eyes widened. "D-Don't tell me it's another artifact?" Nod-nod— "Hwaaa... Is this real? Or a dream..." Her shoulders lifted slightly at her own exclamation, but that wasn't the issue right now. I gestured again and mimed digging.
"Huh? Dig the ground? Ah... You want me to summon Wangwang?" "Clack-clack-clack!!" There was no way we could clear this entire mountain of corpses. We'd have to dig diagonally and pull out only the box buried underneath. Yeonhee quickly summoned Wangwang. The moment the puppy landed in a place he'd never seen before, his tail drooped in confusion. He also kept coughing, as if sensing something strange in the air. Kehung! Keng! "Sorry, sorry— Wangwang, can you dig under here for us?"
'I should kill a few more mole crickets when I see them and steal their digging trait... I can do it when Yeonhee isn't looking.' While I was thinking that, Wangwang's eyes sparkled for the first time in a while as he began digging furiously into the ground. Perhaps because he'd been eating well lately, his body was much larger than when he'd first been summoned, so the amount of soil he excavated at once was considerable. Papapapak! Pak-pak!!'He's incredibly fast...'