Mana Herb (2)
April's palm reached toward the weapon. She glanced at my face several times, as if puzzled, but my mind hadn't changed. I was absolutely certain things would go exactly as I envisioned.
Soon, April ignited it.
"Sharrarara!"
Whoosh.
She started by attaching it to the dagger's blade. Then, activating Transfer, the flames spread to the rest of the weapons.
It'll be temporary, but this should grant them a fire attribute effect.
I'd thought it through, factoring in that this wasn't a game but reality. What if I could incorporate April's Ignition into my weapons?
The result was just as expected.
Whoosh.
Flames engulfed every weapon except the orb. If these had been ordinary summons, it would've been impossible. Fire would've just drained their health instead. But my weapons were different. My summons had no life force of their own—they were merely weapons.
Whoosh!
The thing's roots lunged toward us, as if ready to crush us flat. In response, I swung the fire-heated two-handed sword.
Kwachik!
It was incomparable to the dagger. Where the dagger had pierced lightly, the two-handed sword buried itself deep.
Whoosh.
"Grraaaaaah…."
It wasn't like before, just embedding in dry wood. The flames clinging to the long blade soon transferred to its roots, and a agonized scream echoed out. Fire was like poison to trees, after all.
Attribute enhancement on weapons like this performs surprisingly well.
Attributes weren't limited to fire. There was lightning, earth, ice, water, darkness, light, and more. Combinations were possible too. Since I had plenty of weapons, I could stock up on a variety.
"Stick to it!"
"Kraaaaaah!"
In the meantime, the black orcs led by Descartes and his mad crew were scrambling. But had they learned from a few hits? Unlike before, they dodged the root attacks and closed in on the spirit tree. Jeanne and Baken stood out especially.
Jeanne danced lightly past a massive root slamming down right in front of her face. Baken, though… was this guy an idiot? He didn't seem interested in dodging. It looked like he planned to tank the roots with his body. No weapons in sight—he was the type who fought barehanded.
What if I'd clashed head-on with them? It wouldn't have been easy. But now, these skilled fighters were battling the spirit tree in my place. I owed them big time.
Swing!
Kwachik! Kwachik!
"Chop it down! Hack it to pieces!"
Jeanne's desperate shout rang out. Over a hundred people surrounded the spirit tree. They attacked with everything they had, and the real battle began.
I can't see its health, but I can infer from its actions. It'll unleash certain attacks based on health thresholds.
As a raid boss, the spirit tree had distinct phases. The final one was an attack you absolutely couldn't face head-on. It was an unblockable, brute-force finisher—a last desperate gasp.
Fighting stuck to it like that would make dodging impossible… Not that it was my problem.
"Kuhuk!"
"Kreeeek!"
"Kuhk!"
"Kraaaaaah!"
Human and orc screams mingled. But the spirit tree's cries mixed in too. As they got swept away and died, its body started breaking apart.
The fight dragged on. About thirty minutes, maybe? Now only the orc chieftain and around twenty orcs remained. Descartes's side was even worse—only five survivors, including Baken and Jeanne.
"Sh-shit… No matter what, we have to take this bastard down!"
"I know, Jeanne. But… our losses are heavy too…."
Baken was covered in wooden shards, blood dripping steadily. Tough bastard, hanging on. At their level, they'd normally be wiped. They lasted this long thanks to the cannon fodder.
Yeah. Wear it out as much as you can.
"Grraaaaaaaaah…!"
Then it happened. The spirit tree, tangled in the fray, began retreating.
"Look at that! The bastard's finally trying to run!"
"Keh heh heh, yeah. Take out the tree first, then those orc shits."
"Krrrng…."
They signaled to prioritize the tree. Orcs and humans eyed each other, thinking the same. For the orcs, the tree was top priority anyway.
But.
The spirit tree wasn't retreating. They were dead wrong.
"Jerard, April. From now on, run with everything you've got. Get as far from the tree as possible."
"Y-yes?"
The retreat signaled the final phase. A massive area attack was coming. I grabbed the two and bolted at full speed.
Tadadak!
This should be far enough.
How far did we run? Panting raggedly, I glanced back. They were clueless, gleefully attacking. Too far to see faces, but they were probably grinning ear to ear, oblivious to their doom.
Too late to run now.
At that range, no escaping.
"Wh-what's going on…."
"Ahh, I'm beat… I said I was good at walking, not running…."
Jerard and April caught up. Walk or run, they'd soon realize I'd saved their lives.
"GRRAAAAAAAH!!!"
Crack!
The spirit tree's roar echoed. Its roots burrowed into the ground.
Boom! Boom boom boom!
Final phase imminent. They closed in tighter, unaware.
"Die, you son of a—!"
Whiriririk! Chwararara!
Then, roots erupted from beneath a guy lunging for the kill. Skewered like a kebab, he dangled and shook.
"Cough!"
The real attack hadn't even started. Now it began. In a game, the screen would've filled with red warning text.
Kwaaaang! Kwaaaaang!
Dozens, hundreds of roots burst from the ground in sequence. Attack radius: 1km around the spirit tree. The area was a writhing mass of roots, sweeping away everyone clinging close.
Jeanne, Baken, the orc chieftain—they struggled desperately but ended up skewered and dangling too.
Shing. Shing.
Now, just finish the spirit tree. I downed the Mana Elixir from Hardin.
Hmm, familiar taste. Kinda like a sports drink.
Mana capacity slightly increased.
The effect kicked in immediately. As a low-grade elixir, it wasn't huge, but enough to brace for side effects.
Shoooo.
I activated Soul Exchange on the scattered corpses. But no overdoing it, even with the elixir.
My base mana pool's grown plenty anyway….
I took from only some corpses. Just over 1,000 mana.
The final phase triggered at around 1% health—near death.
Still, I have to throw everything I've got.
That 1% was no joke compared to regular monsters. Its base health was insane.
Anyway, things unfolded as planned. Prep complete. Time to test the true extent of Damian's power.
Jjuuung. Jjuuung.
I burned most of my mana on Void Rift. One, two, three… up to forty.
Stop here. More might waste the elixir.
"Grroooo…."
Aggro locked on me. The spirit tree's glowing red eyes fixed straight ahead.
Kugugugu!
Dozens of roots charged wildly. Distance: 800m. Time's short. Finish it fast.
"April, use all the mana you were saving to ignite my weapons."
600m.
"…All of it? O-okay!"
500m.
"Got it!"
Whoosh!
Flames bloomed on April's two-handed sword.
400m. Closing fast. I shifted weapons into the rifts.
300m. Inside, chained Shadow Strikes.
Now 100m from the roots.
Shweeeee! Shweeeee!
Puk! Puk puk puk!
Weapons poured from thirty-ish portals in a frenzy. Its bark peeled further, but no major damage.
50m. Finishing move time.
"April."
"Yes! Ready! Sharrararara! Kwaaaang!"
With her weird chant, Transfer activated. Flames from the two-handed sword spread, engulfing the darting weapons.
Whoosh!
No more plain stabs. Each pierce ignited.
The fire left afterimages as weapons zipped by—like drawing lines on paper.
Shadow Strike will drive them deeper.
Boosted by Shadow Strike, weapons burrowed deep. Burning from the inside out.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
I maintained the rifts. Mana drained fast, but the elixir gave leeway. It really calmed the nerves—without it, I'd be too distracted by consumption.
"Graaaaaah…."
Kugugugu!
Supporting roots shattered; the spirit tree's body tilted.
Crack!
Unable to bear the weight, its trunk split in two.
Kuuuung!
It collapsed. Dust storm blanketed the massive radius, hiding the body.
Fallen? Still alive? Dust obscured it. I waited for the message.
…
…
April and Jerard held their breath too, waiting for the dust to settle.
Then, moments later.
Raid Monster, Spirit Tree, defeated.
Acquired 10,000 EXP.
Swamp Village reputation changed to Friendly.