Chapter 21

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 21

Chapter Title: Trent

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'What the hell kind of tree walks around on two legs?'

At the sight of the ominous scene, I took a step back, and Erzsebet, who had been struggling against the tree vines binding her, turned her head and spotted the tree monsters slowly approaching.

"Treants? Why are they here...?"

"You know what those are?"

"They're monsters called Treants. They spawn from rotten trees... but I have no idea why they're in some indoor space instead of out in the forest."

While listening to Erzsebet explain about the creatures called Treants, one after another began emerging from the forest, gradually increasing their numbers as they slowly closed in on us.

"What's their deal...?"

No matter how I looked at it, their demeanor was far from friendly. Gulping, I drew my [High-Pressure Cleaner].

"Eek... This crazy tree is trying to suck my blood...?"

I glanced at her, hoping she might help in this situation, but Erzsebet was now even more tightly bound by the proliferating vines, grunting in frustration.

I had no idea what was going on, but it sure didn't look good, so I swung my [Pruning Shears] at the vines binding Erzsebet.

"......What?"

"M-Master? Get me out of here! This insane tree is trying to suck my blood!"

But a bizarre system message popped up, and the [Pruning Shears]—which had sliced through every tree without mercy until now—bounced off powerlessly. Not a valid target? What the...!

'...No way. Is this tree not a cleaning target?'

Earlier, after entering this forest, I'd guessed it was a 'garden' based on the arrangement of some plants and the landscaping stones. And if this really was a 'garden'...

...then that tree was one originally in the garden. In other words, a 'garden tree'?

'In the Cleaning Game's 'Garden' map, you could prune weeds and vines all you wanted, but you couldn't touch the garden trees.'

It made sense in a way. It was a cleaning game to begin with—you weren't supposed to wreck the garden. But that system was still in effect here?

"Ugh... Erzsebet. You're on your own—figure out how to get free!"

I couldn't free her right now. And honestly, I had my own problems.

"Grrr..."

"Ugh... Be careful, Master."

The Treants had lumbered right up to us, every one of them radiating fierce hostility for some reason.

'They weren't around earlier... Why are they doing this now?'

Thinking back to the faint noises from the forest earlier, these things probably hadn't appeared out of nowhere—they'd been hiding among the trees all along. But they hadn't moved when we were trudging through... so why swarm us now...?

'Because of that tree?'

I glanced at the massive tree that had suddenly ensnared Erzsebet the moment she touched it. That's when the Treants had shown up too.

Fuck. Whatever the reason...

"First strike wins...!"

Over the past two days, I'd taken plenty of first strikes already. I wasn't about to let one put my life in danger again, so before the Treants got any closer, I whipped out my [High-Pressure Cleaner] and yanked the handle.

They just looked like walking trees anyway—no big deal!

A jet of water blasted out of the [High-Pressure Cleaner] at tremendous speed, slamming straight into the lead Treant shambling toward us. With the cleaner's power, rotten wood like that should shatter in one—!

"....???"

What? What just happened? O-One more time!

"........."

Fuck, what? If I wasn't seeing things, the water jet I fired got absorbed right into the Treant? I wasn't watering them with a sprinkler—what the hell made high-pressure water get slurped up like that...!

"Nngh... Master! Water magic doesn't work on Treants! Their racial trait lets them absorb water instead! Ngh! This tree...!"

"What?"

What kind of bullshit race was that? Absorbing water? Like some Pokémon with a Water immunity ability or something?

'...We're screwed...'

I figured even if a swarm of rotten tree monsters came at me, I could take them out with the [High-Pressure Cleaner] before they got close since they moved so slowly... but if it didn't work...

'...What do I do?'

Why did ruins have crap like this? Two days ago it was psycho bloodthirsty vampires, now walking tree monsters?

"Master? You look pissed all of a sudden..."

"Just hurry up and get yourself free."

Always going on about "this lady" and her "great blood magic," yet she couldn't escape a damn tree.

'Ditch Erzsebet and run?'

Judging by their speed, if I really hauled ass, I could probably escape... but no, getting surrounded in the middle of the forest would be game over. Any other options? Something useful in the [Shop]...?

"Master, what are you doing! Forget magic—use that swordsmanship you showed earlier and mow them down!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"What swordsmanship... Hm?"

...That thing from earlier?

'Wait. Could this work?'

Erzsebet had called them 'monsters,' so I'd assumed they counted as living creatures... but at their core, they were rotten trees, right? And no one would plant rotten trees in a garden to begin with.

So the odds were high they didn't count as 'garden trees'... Hmm...

'The question is whether the system treats them as living beings or just trees...'

"Grrrruk!"

My deliberation was brief. No matter how slowly they moved, the Treants were already right in my face. I'd hoped their hostility was just my imagination, but the nearest one whipped a branch at me to attack.

'Fast!'

The branch lashed out at blinding ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠speed, the complete opposite of its sluggish gait—like a whip cracking through the air, stretching straight for me.

'Take this!'

I swung the [Pruning Shears (Lv. Max)] in my hand right back at the incoming branch.

And the result...

"Grrruuuk!!!"

Success.

'Whoa. It works?'

The Treant's menacing branch sliced off effortlessly. It felt as smooth as cutting tofu, yet the [Pruning Shears] severed that thick limb in one go.

But apparently severing it wasn't enough—the severed branch writhed, and soon enough, new growth sprouted from the stump. What... it could regenerate too? Looked like I needed to hurry...

"Hya!"

At that moment, Rio—who'd been hiding behind me—darted out, conjured a small fireball in her hand, and chucked it at the regenerating Treant trunk.

"Gruk!!!!"

The flames were weak, but they effectively stalled the Treant's regeneration.

"Nice one, Rio!"

Thanks to Rio's unexpected assist, I charged the halted Treant with my [Pruning Shears] raised high.

"Groooar!!"

The other Treants behind it hesitated for a moment, then lashed out with their branches en masse. It was on a whole different level from a single branch—a massive net of limbs crashing down to ensnare me.

I fiddled with the system window to expand the [Pruning Shears] cleaning range. About tenfold should do it.

"Groooar?!?!"

The oncoming net shredded apart, and branches from every Treant rained down to the ground.

"Hya! Hya!"

Meanwhile, Rio hustled from behind, lobbing small fireballs at the limbless Treants to keep regeneration at bay.

Stuck to the Treant whose branches I'd severed, I swung my [Pruning Shears] at its trunk.

'Holy shit.'

With killer handfeel, the Treant's trunk sheared clean off. I felt like a damn warrior king. In the game, everything from twigs to full rotten trees got handled with the [Pruning Shears], but seeing a whole tree topple for real was surreal.

The decapitated Treant body crashed to the ground and didn't move again. Guess it couldn't regen from that. Lucky.

"Grrk..."

"Groar..."

Seeing one of their own go down must've spooked them—the Treants that had been charging halted and began backing away slowly.

'Yeah. Run away, run.'

I had no intention of chasing them if they fled. I didn't know why they'd swarmed us, but if they'd just let it drop...

Hm? Why a system message all of a sudden...?

".......?"

What? The contamination level in the [Main Quest] tab just dropped...

'...No way?'

I alternated glances between the [Pruning Shears] in my hand and the Treants slinking away. After a moment's thought, I charged the nearest one and chopped down another.

Easy prey again. Their only attack was extending branches, which the range-boosted [Pruning Shears] handled with ease.

And...

"........"

Sure enough, contamination dropped a bit more.

"Grooooh!"

"Gwoooar..."

With another of their kin felled, the Treants picked up the pace in their retreat. I watched them for a moment, pondered, sighed, raised my [Pruning Shears] again, and gave chase to the fleeing bunch.

"Hey, wait! Don't run!"

"Groooaaar!"

"Gwroooaaar!"