The Forsaken Laurels

A black sun floated beneath the tower's ceiling. Its center was pitch-black like an eclipse, while white flames raged around the circumference. The heat felt as though it would cook my brain. Even without light, it was like standing under a scorching sun.

Beneath it stretched a vast plain. Laurel trees with lush foliage stood in clusters everywhere.

“Why is this place called the Plains of Despair?”

“Heeheehee, because it’s Daphne’s domain.”

“Daphne, the nymph who was courted by Apollo?”

“I don’t know. I only know that the tree ruling this domain is called Daphne.”

“That’s answer enough.”

The nymph who turned herself into a tree to escape Apollo’s persistent advances—Daphne. So she was here. Damn it. The Third Legion Commander, Daphne. The fallen nymph queen who once swept across Europe with her army of Ents.

I had no interest in her tragic story. The memory of corpses whose bodies had been absorbed by trees, leaving only empty shells, made my blood boil.

Calm yourself.

“Ah, sorry. I just had an unpleasant thought.”

If not for Nyx’s warning, I might have been swept away by rage.

It usually activated so readily, yet the effect of Cold Blood applied a step late after I calmed myself.

“Paranoia, huh. How annoying.”

I frowned. The mental derangement effect applied to the plain likely stemmed from Apollo’s obsession. Because this region originated from the ‘myth’ of Daphne and Apollo, the Cold Blood skill couldn’t perfectly defend against it.

I had to focus as much as possible.

“By the way, Mister, why did you come here?”

“What’s with the ‘Mister’ all of a sudden.”

“Can’t keep calling you an outsider forever, can I?”

Well, the title didn’t matter.

“They say the Plains of Despair have nothing to gain except mental illness.”

“I came to hunt those things.”

I pointed at the laurel trees clustered across the plain.

“I know you’re strong, but you’d better give up.”

Is there a reason for that?

“They’re stronger than the Watchers. My clan doesn’t even go near the trees.”

I knew exactly how strong those laurels were. I’d seen them to the point of exhaustion on the European front. So—

“No need to worry.”

If there was no chance of victory, I wouldn’t have started in the first place. The sphere that flew near the laurels exploded. Intense light blew away all the surrounding darkness.

「Gaaaaaaaak!」

Three laurels standing at the epicenter of the explosion tore their roots from the ground.

Oh, so those trees were all monsters.

“Filthy bastards.”

They disguised themselves as trees and snatched prey with their branches when it passed by. During the age of destruction, many lives were lost because people fell for the camouflage of these tree bastards.

That wasn’t all. After sucking the nutrients from living creatures, they planted seeds in the husks. If anyone approached to retrieve even a corpse, the seeds would germinate and devour the people, using those nutrients to multiply.

“I need the Goddess’s help.”

Were those trees that strong?

“Quite.”

The Ents awakened after being caught in the Solar Explosion numbered three. Though it was the second-strongest magic after Barbaros’s Mace, they were unharmed except for a few scorched leaves.

They’ve only had their heads shaved, then.

“Ah, that’s a bit……”

How cruel, this goddess.

Thud! Thud!

The three Ents slowly moved their feet. Twenty-meter-tall giants. Their movements were sluggish, but their strides were so wide that the distance closed quickly.

……

I applied all sorts of debuffs to the Ent group.

“Goddess.”

“Leave it to me.”

Nyx, who had manifested, placed her hand above my head. A powerful force seeped through the point of contact. I used the blessing of the fjord along with Thunder God’s Body.

「Gaaaaaaaa!」

The lead Ent swung its branch-like arm like a whip. The pressure felt as though a one-ton truck was charging straight at me. If I dodged, it would curve its arm to chase my movements.

A vivid red energy covered my right arm. I unleashed the Dragon Emperor Fist wrapped in the rage of the demonic dragon.

Crack!

The elongated branch shattered into hundreds of pieces and scattered in all directions. My arm trembled. Clashing head-on with that massive body made it throb.

“It was nothing much.”

“This is just the beginning.”

I used Back Step and retreated ten meters. Thud! Thud! A shower of branches rained down on the spot where I had just stood. I had blown away quite thick branches, but it wasn’t a significant blow to the Ent. These monsters could instantly regenerate lost body parts as long as the core remained.

Even trolls, famous for their regenerative abilities, were like larvae before an Ent.

Swish!

Polar Night surged from beneath my feet and bound the branches. A path opened all the way to the Ent’s body where its core resided. The moment I kicked off the ground and leapt onto the branches—

A long shadow loomed over my head. The two Ents that had followed. Though I had bound their feet with various debuffs, they had closed the distance while I was severing the first Ent’s arm.

Elongated branches—no, arms—came flying. “Too bad.” I thought I could finish one off easily, but if I couldn’t strike the core in the initial clash, it would turn into a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠battle of attrition. I had planned to take down at least one first, even if it meant ganging up.

The Polar Night split in two and severed the arms of the two Ents.

“Advance, my contractor.”

An opportunity created by the Goddess. I couldn’t let it go to waste. Stepping on the branches, I leapt up to the Ent’s chest. I seized the brief opening created as it regenerated its arm and approached. When I neared the core, the upright branches whipped toward me from all directions—the most dangerous moment when hunting an Ent.

“If you know it’s a trap, it isn’t one.”

I released the power of Polar Night at maximum output and blocked the branches pouring in from multiple angles. The wall of Polar Night shattered instantly, unable to withstand the Ent’s onslaught. One to two seconds. That was more than enough time.

I charged at the Ent, flames coiling around me. Boom! A vortex mark was carved into the Ent’s chest. The monster staggered, unable to maintain its balance. I unleashed Radiant Slash over the vortex mark branded like a seal. Tree sap sprayed into the air. The Ent’s core, which had served as its heart, was pierced by black energy and moved no more.

Huh, I didn’t expect my level to rise. “A tree that gives generously.”

While I was at it, I devoured the Ent’s essence as well. Kicking aside the body that crumbled into dust due to the Devour penalty, I dashed toward the next Ent. It would be troublesome if the Goddess or the guide noticed.

“It’s time for the long-awaited Devour.”

I grinned.

* * *

The calamity of Western Europe. That was what people called the Ents. Even two of them were powerful enough to restrict the movements of Platinum-rank players. Yet their reproductive ability was also exceptional. No—with a suitable host and enough time, once they sprouted, they would absorb nutrients from the ground and grow rapidly, increasing their numbers in no time. Strong, and fast at increasing their own kind.

Of course, right now they were my meal.

A net of lightning wrapped around the Ent’s upper body. With all sorts of debuffs applied, the Ent trapped in the lightning net writhed.

“Nyx.”

“Leave it to me.”

Polar Night coiled around the feet of the Ent standing beside me. Because the target’s Strength stat was so high, it couldn’t completely seal its movements.

“That’s enough.”

The target was the Ent’s core. Binding its feet was sufficient. Sensing my intent, the Ent gathered its branches tightly to protect the core, but before the Dark Shadow Soul-Chasing Sword forged from sharply honed Polar Night, even the layers of branches crumbled like styrofoam.

After bringing down the Ent entangled in the lightning web, I let out a short sigh.

“Let’s rest for a bit.”

“Hohoho, so even you can complain of exhaustion.”

“I’m human too, you know?”

After grumbling lightly, I devoured the essence of the Ent I had just defeated.

It was the skill the Ents used to absorb nutrients by rooting themselves in the ground. The range of ‘essence’ was quite vague, but in reality, it included stamina, vitality, and even mana within its theft range. It sounded incredibly versatile from the description, but the opposite was true. Compared to Life Drain or Mana Drain, the theft ratio was far too low. So, while the explanation sounded flashy, its practical utility in real combat wasn’t high.

The reason I wanted the essence of the ‘Abandoned Ent’ was for a different purpose.

“This is it.”

I clenched both fists tightly. The reason I had come down to the tower’s underground despite the risks—the synergy effect of the Devour ability. Why was my mana stat overwhelmingly higher than the others? Because of the essence of the dragon soldier ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I devoured in the tutorial. But there was no way the only essence that synergized with Devour was that of the dragon soldier.

“It seems you have obtained what you desired.”

“It’s all thanks to the Goddess.”

“Do not forget the tribute you must offer me.”

“Of course.”

I bowed my head exaggeratedly.

“To think you could defeat those trees so easily……”

“Did you think I would lose?”

“I thought you would win. You’re the kind of person who defeats even a duke-level Watcher without much trouble.”

“Then?”

“I didn’t expect it to be this easy.”

Coni stuck out his tongue. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠If I hadn’t had my experience from before the regression, hunting the Ents wouldn’t have been this smooth. These bastards weren’t called the calamity of Western Europe for nothing.

“The next area is……”

Just as I was about to check the structure of the tower’s first layer with the map, an intense presence from beyond the plain violently stimulated my senses.

Thump— Thump—.

It was dangerous. My intuition was fiercely warning me, but the source of that ‘threat’ was approaching far too quickly.

“What is it?”

“Manifest as a spirit.”

Nyx transformed into spirit form without a word. I didn’t know what would happen if the homunculus body was destroyed. If I died in the tower’s underground, I would simply be bounced back to the original world, but I had to avoid any situation that would harm Nyx.

Thud! Thud!

A small mountain was approaching.

“Th-that’s impossible.”

Coni backed away. I hadn’t expected to see that thing either.

『So this is why my domain was so noisy?』

What had looked like a small mountain was a massive tree reaching one hundred meters in height. Daphne, the ruler of this plain and the Third Legion Commander of the Ancient God Army, revealed herself.

Damn it. Did I need to obtain another key?