Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: ACT.14 Disaster of Verdure (1)
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“We’ll have to walk a bit from here.”
“Why?”
“If we teleported directly to its location, we’d be taking a shower in spores. That’s suicide.”
Jo Min-ah nodded as if she understood.
Normally, I would have taken those who follow me to these spore-spreading mid-bosses to help them grow.
But given the circumstances, I had to change my plans to finish this quickly.
“Those people from before, they’re your comrades, right?”
“They’re my party.”
“Same difference.”
Han Hyeok-jun chuckled and brushed it off.
I had something to say, but it didn't seem like a topic for Han Hyeok-jun, so I kept it to myself.
The only ones I considered essential were the twins.
However, my plan was to nurture any talented individuals who trusted and followed me, so they could help me.
Unfortunately, no one fit the bill, or they were already dead.
Jeong Ha-yeon is still a gray area.
I can still clearly recall her silent expression when I mercilessly killed the humans who had turned into zombies.
While I was lost in thought, Han Hyeok-jun spoke up, looking intrigued.
“Interesting. Jo Min-ah, was it? Her growth is abnormally fast compared to other ordinary players. Her power seems similar to mine, yet slightly different. Are you the one training her?”
“I’m just helping her draw out the power she already possesses more effectively.”
In the twins' case, it's more like awakening the power they're destined to have in the future.
Jo Min-woo will take more time since he hasn't had his trigger yet, but I knew how to make Jo Min-ah's power bloom early, so I did.
It would have been nice to have a supporter, but I haven't found a player suitable for the role yet.
Support-type traits are so rare that their mere existence grants them noble-like status.
If someone even seemed to have potential as a support, scouts from major guilds would somehow find out and snatch them up, making it difficult to recruit them for your party during the game.
If possible, I need to recruit one before the guilds return.
“I think that’s it.”
Jun Bo-ra's words broke my train of thought, and I shifted my focus.
In the middle of the dense forest, there was a small clearing with an unsettling black tree.
The mid-boss, the so-called 'Fragment of Verdure.'
“This is serious.”
Hwang Chan-jin frowned.
The concentration of spores was so thick you could see them floating in the air.
Anyone passing through this area unknowingly would instantly become a host.
Han Hyeok-jun narrowed his eyes, looking around.
“It doesn't seem like that thing is the only one spreading spores...?”
“It’s like a walnut tree.”
“A walnut tree?”
“Walnut trees release a substance into the soil that prevents other plants from growing around them, allowing them to monopolize the resources. But what if you slightly altered that substance to modify nearby plants, enabling them to spread spores too?”
“So this is the result.”
“Exactly. That's why we need to get rid of it quickly.”
Han Hyeok-jun's eyes lit up as he nodded, seemingly finding Jun Bo-ra's explanation easy to understand.
It's a self-defense mechanism for the mid-boss, so to speak.
A practical method that prevents anyone with mediocre skills from even getting close.
“This is no time for small talk.”
The monsters that had noticed us were beginning to turn our way, one by one, their hostility palpable.
There were familiar monsters infected by the spores, as well as Treants, also known as moving trees. On top of that, there were Red Plants, which were mutated flowers.
As befitting the name 'Disaster of Verdure,' many of the monsters appearing were plant-related.
“...A lot of rabble.”
“We just have to kill them all.”
As if it were nothing, Hwang Chan-jin channeled chilling energy into his sword and swung it wide.
A wave of ice surged forward, growing larger as it advanced, trapping the surrounding monsters. Hwang Chan-jin and I immediately rushed in and cut them all down.
Sensing the danger, the Fragment of Verdure released an even greater amount of spores.
My vision became as poor as if I were in a fog, but I resolved it by immediately activating Extreme Eye.
Han Hyeok-jun and Jo Min-ah were controlling flames to burn the spores, but since it wasn't the only one spreading them, their numbers didn't decrease easily.
‘I could ask Han Hyeok-jun to give me Flame Armor and just break through...’
But for a short time, my own abilities should be enough to resist the spores' effects.
“Jun Bo-ra. Teleport.”
“Now you’re just ordering me around as you please, huh!?”
The moment I enveloped my body in darkness, I used Jun Bo-ra's teleport to move right in front of the Fragment of Verdure.
The spores tried to cling to me as if they had a will of their own, but they were annihilated upon touching the darkness.
Sensing the crisis, it recoiled, even its leaves shrinking back.
It plans to release all its spores right before it dies.
But I'm faster.
*Shhhk!*
Cleanly sliced in two, the Fragment of Verdure teetered and then fell.
The Fragment of Verdure has no direct offensive power.
It's just that the spores make it difficult to fight, and the sheer number of mobs around it makes it hard to deal with.
If you can solve that problem, it's easy to take down.
The spores floating in the air rapidly vanished.
The spores attached to other monsters also naturally dissipated, and the zombie-like creatures reverted to ordinary corpses, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
With this, the monster wave in this area will be manageable.
“Got it. Now for the next one... What is it now?”
“...”
Hwang Chan-jin was looking at me with a displeased expression.
Is this guy dissatisfied with everything I do?
“I'll take the next one.”
In the end, true to his word, Hwang Chan-jin handled the next Fragment of Verdure by freezing it solid and shattering it in a flashy display.
I thought that would be the end of it.
But as if not to be outdone, Han Hyeok-jun used his 'Line of Scorching Heat' to annihilate the next one, which prompted Hwang Chan-jin to step up again.
Seeing it had turned into a contest of pride between the two, I couldn't help but let out a dry laugh.
Jun Bo-ra had been watching from the start with a 'What are these guys doing?' look on her face.
“Whoa...”
“Watch carefully. You don't have to copy Han Hyeok-jun's methods exactly, but it'll be helpful to use them as a reference.”
Jo Min-ah nodded eagerly.
Abilities of the same type can directly and indirectly inspire one another.
Even if it's the same fire, the properties are different, so there will be variations, but what matters is how one adapts and utilizes it.
That's where true talent can be said to bloom.
“Now, only the Disaster is left.”
“Let's say whoever defeats the Disaster is the winner. How about it?”
“Hmph. Fine. That's a fitting way to settle this contest.”
I could understand Han Hyeok-jun, but Hwang Chan-jin was spouting nonsense despite knowing better.
I keep noticing it, but he's got quite the ego.
It's ironic, seeing that side of him when he seems so cool-headed.
“Now that we've dealt with all the Fragments of Verdure, the monster wave should be relatively easy to block. I don't think we need to worry about that anymore.”
“The problem is the Disaster of Verdure. Finding where it is takes the most time.”
“It's fine. I have a way for that, too.”
The location of the Disaster of Verdure, which fled after the Mandragora's scream, is highly random, making it difficult to pinpoint.
And searching for places with unusually lush vegetation is too time-consuming.
This is where we borrow Jo Min-ah's power.
“Min-ah. Have you gotten used to detecting specific mana sources yet?”
Jo Min-ah has the 'Detection' skill.
It can be used to stay alert to one's surroundings, but if you lock onto a single target, the detection range increases significantly, making it useful for tracking.
The mana training I had the twins do was also meant to maximize the effect of this skill.
“Yes. I've been practicing whenever I have free time since then.”
“How much progress have you made?”
“Um... When I focus on one mana source, I can roughly tell where another identical mana source is. The range isn't that wide, though.”
“Then let's try it.”
Nodding, I handed Jo Min-ah a pen and a black piece of wood.
My plan is to use the fact that the Fragment of Verdure, as a part of the Disaster, shares the same mana source to find its location.
The two traits Min-ah has, 'Intelligence' and 'Mana Control,' allow her to achieve a performance level higher than what her mana stats would suggest.
The Disaster moves randomly, but it stays within a certain area, so if her detection range is wide enough, she can find it.
“What... is this black thing?”
“A piece of the monster that was spreading spores.”
“In other words, a piece of a corpse.”
“Kyaaah!?”
Startled, Jo Min-ah dropped the piece of wood.
I shot a look at Hwang Chan-jin for his unnecessary comment, but he just returned a gaze that said, 'I was only stating a fact.'
“Hwang Chan-jin.”
“What is it?”
“You don't have any friends, do you?”
“...”
Hwang Chan-jin sighed and refused to answer.
It wasn't worth dragging it out, so I picked up the piece of wood and handed it back to Jo Min-ah.
“Despite what he said, it's just a piece of wood.”
“...I think I would have been fine if he hadn't mentioned it being a corpse.”
Though hesitant, Jo Min-ah took it, took a deep breath, and used her skill.
After a few seconds, Jo Min-ah drew a circle on a section of the map I had given her.
“Around here... I think.”
“This is Namsan Park, isn't it? The place where we first found it. Are you sure you didn't find the wrong spot?”
“No, this should be it.”
Its movements are completely random.
That doesn't mean it can't reappear in its original spot.
It could have coincidentally reappeared in the same place.
Besides, now that we've eliminated all the Fragments of Verdure, the only thing with that same mana signature is the Disaster of Verdure itself.
“Then we move to Namsan Park again and defeat the Disaster of Verdure. That's all there is to it.”
“Exactly.”
“B-but I don't know the exact location. I'm sorry.”
“No, that's good enough.”
Once we have the general location, the rest is easy.
Because I have Extreme Eye.
Her detection will become clearer once we move to that area, too.
I took a moment to watch Jo Min-ah, who sighed with a relieved expression.
‘Defeating the Disaster will yield a massive amount of coins.’
When Jo Min-ah gets stronger, her twin, Jo Min-woo, will awaken automatically.
So, for now, I need to focus on making Jo Min-ah stronger quickly.
The Disaster of Verdure will be the stepping stone for that.
I've already laid the cornerstone.
All that's left is time and coins.
“That... seems to be the place.”
Jo Min-ah's 'Detection' proved to be effective.
As soon as we arrived in the area she mentioned via teleport, she pinpointed its exact location.
Honestly, I was impressed.
I never told her how to narrow the detection range to find a target's precise location. Did she figure that out on her own?
Feeling proud of her, I patted the head of a nervous-looking Jo Min-ah as she pointed in one direction.
I tore my gaze away from Jo Min-ah, who was smiling shyly, and focused on something that gave off the complete opposite feeling.
A hut of thorns.
It was the exact spot where we first discovered the Disaster.
“It pretended to flee, only to fortify its nest.”
Hwang Chan-jin clicked his tongue and entered the hut first.
The hut, which had been nothing but a weave of large, verdant vines, was now adorned with blooming flowers, and there was even a small pond where sunlight streamed down from directly above.
In the middle of that pond, with the flower on its body in full bloom, the Disaster of Verdure had its eyes closed.