Chapter 82: Thornwood Treants

The Thornwood Grove, a special region within the Duskfield Forest, was the territory of the Thornwood Treants.

Thornwood Treants were wood-attribute spirit beasts with a max quality of Noble, limiting them to Rank-2. Because of their ability to quickly propagate and expand the Thornwood Grove, the Spirit Tamer Association periodically issued extermination missions to reduce their numbers.

Thornwood Treants were stationary spirit beasts that resembled trees. As such, they mimicked trees for camouflage and preyed on unsuspecting passersby.

After arriving at the periphery of the Thornwood Grove, the group paused.

“There're spirit tamers ahead,” Hugo informed the others upon receiving a warning from Ace.

“How many?” Ain asked.

“Seven. It’s two different groups. They seem to be maintaining some distance from each other.”

“Should we continue?” Paula asked.

“The Thornwood Grove is very large. We should look for another place,” Frans suggested as he turned to Ain.

“Yes, let’s avoid them and enter from another area,” Ain nodded, agreeing with Frans.

The Thornwood Grove was a well-known region and a strong temptation to many spirit tamers.

Aside from the Thornwood Treants, other spirit beasts were seldom discovered within, as they would become victims of the Thornwood Treants’ predatory tendencies.

On the contrary, spirit plants thrived within the Thornwood Grove, a direct result of Sprout, a common skill amongst Thornwood Treants. Sprout was a wood-attribute skill capable of nourishing spirit plants, increasing their growth rate.

There was an overabundance of spirit plants nearby any Thornwood Treant, serving as fine temptation to spirit beasts and spirit tamers alike. With enough strength, these spirit plants were a gift, but without, they were no different from the beckons of death.

As such, there was no lack of spirit tamers visiting the Thornwood Grove. Moreover, due to its location near the deeper reaches of the Duskfield Forest, Advanced Rank-1 Spirit Tamers were the standard here. It was a wise choice to avoid unnecessary conflicts.

The group nodded at Ain and moved parallel to the Thornwood Grove, searching for the optimal place to enter. As they searched, another twenty minutes elapsed. Hugo, who was communicating with Ace, finally turned to Ain, and said, “There’s no one else around. This is a good spot.”

“Okay, is everyone prepared?” Ain asked the group.

“I’m ready,” Frans smiled.

“Same here,” Paula also added.

Ain turned to Hugo again, who gave him a thumbs up. Seeing this, Ain took the lead and said, “Alright, stay alert. We’ll stick to the plan during battle.”

Hearing this, the group assumed a triangle formation, with Paula in the center, and entered the Thornwood Grove. Ace continued to fly in the sky, as Nox and the Brilliant Fae accompanied their spirit tamers.

The trees here were less dense, allowing for a clear view of the forest floor from above. As such, Ace’s scouting proved more effective, and soon, they discovered the first Thornwood Treant.

“Is that it?” Paula asked in a hushed voice.

“Yeah, that’s the one,” Hugo pointed at one of trees several meters away.

The tree he pointed out resembled an ancient oak, with a moss-covered trunk adorned in colorful lichens. Its foliage was a vibrant green, with its needle-like leaves resembling pine leaves. Its thick roots were discernable above the ground, exuding a robust vibe. At first glance, it looked no different from the surrounding trees, albeit just more aged. But with greater scrutiny, its true nature could be discerned.

Surrounding its roots were numerous skeletons, ranging from small to large, some still covered in decaying flesh, painting a chilling picture. Aside from the skeletons, lush spirit plants dotted the soil around it, contrasting life and death in a natural performance.

Ain scrutinized the Thornwood Treant, memorizing its physical characteristics, and said, “Let’s attack from range.”

The other three nodded and spheres of golden spirit energy began condensing in their palms. After the recent interclass competition, Frans redeemed Spirit Blast as a reward, making Spirit Blast and Shield common spells in their group.

When everyone was ready, Ain gave the signal, “Attack.”

Whoosh! Whoosh!

On command, four blasts of spirit energy tore through the air, attacking the lone Thornwood Treant.

Boom! Boom!

Pieces of bark and wood were torn off by the blasts, scattering them in the air. On the trunk of the tree, a large vertical slit suddenly opened, revealing a wooden structure resembling an eye, bathed in a green glow.

The Thornwood Treants lacked a vocal organ; hence all their suffering was revealed through their now flailing branches and roots.

The vertical slit moved around on the trunk, stopping to face its assailants. The green glow on the wooden eye grew denser in response to its anger. The rustling branches were suddenly illuminated by a similar glow as the needle-like leaves pointed towards the group.

Seeing this sight, Ain shouted, “Thorn Barrage! Block!”

Thorn Barrage was the most common offensive skill amongst Thornwood Treants. Immediately, a barrage of green thorns manifested and flew toward them like a storm. But before the attack arrived, four distinct shields appeared in front of them, blocking the attack.

Ding! Ding! Ding!

Sounds of the thorns impacting the shield reverberated in the surroundings, lasting for three seconds.

As soon as the attack finished, the group didn’t wait and released another round of Spirit Blasts.

Boom! Boom!

With a series of explosions, the Thornwood Treant was torn apart as its trunk snapped in half. Branches and leaves rained onto the forest floor amidst its collapse as dirt and dust rose into the air, accompanying its demise.

“Is it dead?” Paula asked.

“It should be. The faint presence I sensed earlier is gone,” Hugo said. His innate talent, Sensory Enhancement, was advantageous in such situations.

“Yeah. It's dead,” Ain added. With his augmented perception, he also sensed the disappearance of its spirit energy fluctuation. Moreover, Nox also confirmed its death as its life aura vanished.

“That was pretty easy,” Hugo smiled. The nervousness in his heart lessened.

“Judging from the strength of its attack, it was probably at Beginner Rank-1,” Frans deduced.

“To complete the mission, we need to hunt ten Advanced Rank-1 Thornwood Treants,” Paula reminded. The extreme mission they accepted was to hunt ten Advanced Rank-1 Thornwood Treants. Meanwhile, the gathering missions were the spirit plants growing in the Thornwood Treants’ vicinity.

“We’ll be fine if we take it slow,” Hugo added as the group approached the dead Thornwood Treant.

“Should we retrieve the Thornwood Heart?” Frans asked.

Ain nodded, “Yes. Although it's only Beginner Rank-1, it can still be sold. You guys collect the spirit plants. I’ll take out the Thornwood Heart.”

The other three nodded and started gathering the nearby spirit plants.

Ain approached the broken tree trunk and found the location of the vertical slit with the wooden eye. Upon death, the wooden eye gathered the residual energy in the Thornwood Treant’s body, morphing into the Thornwood Heart.

Wielding his dagger, Ain dug out the Thornwood Heart and held it in his palm. It resembled a large fruit core.

[Name: Thornwood Heart]

[Attribute: Wood]

[Rank: Beginner Rank-1]

[Attribute Traces: Wood 81.461%, Water 8.011%, Earth 3.349%, …]

With confirmation from Scan, Ain walked over and regrouped with the others, who had finished gathering the spirit plants.

Frans saw the object in Ain’s hand and asked curiously, “Is that the Thornwood Heart?”

Ain nodded while tossing it over. Frans skillfully caught it as Hugo and Paula leaned in to observe.

“What about the spirit plants?” Ain asked.

“They’re nothing much. Just some Rank-0 and Beginner Rank-1 spirit plants,” Paula answered. Their targets were the Intermediate and Advanced Rank-1 spirit plants.

Ain nodded and said, “Let’s move on. The Thornwood Treants are denser further in. We’ll find Advanced Rank-1s there.”

The rest nodded as they passed all the loot to Frans, who placed everything within his storage ring. Of course, most of their supplies were still within their own bags for ease of access. Once everyone was ready, they set off again.

“Wooo…” As they moved, Nox conversed with Ain, inquiring about when its turn to battle would appear.

“Don’t worry. There’ll be plenty of strong enemies later,” Ain relayed through their mental link. Their group was too strong for a Beginner Rank-1 Thornwood Treant. The spirit pets didn’t get a chance to act at all.

As they moved further in, they encountered more Beginner Rank-1 Thornwood Treants. After the first probing battle, the group let the spirit pets act, finishing the battles swiftly.

Nox would simply rush up and use Phantom Claws, tearing the enemy apart. The Brilliant Fae used Radiant Bolt, whereas Paula’s mechanical gauntlet used Vital Blast. Ace, who was also responsible for scouting, participated the least, occasionally using Air Slash from the skies.

The Thornwood Treants possessed high defense. The first Beginner Rank-1 required multiple Spirit Blasts to finish. Of course, the second barrage might’ve been overkill. Moreover, Ain and Frans, the two Intermediate Rank-1s, had held back in their attacks as well.

The group left a trail of fallen Thornwood Treants in their wake. The probability of encountering a Thornwood Treant increased the deeper they went into the Thornwood Grove, and they were finally met with two Thornwood Treants in close proximity.

They were at Beginner Rank-1, thus still not a challenge. The spirit pets attacked one while a barrage of Spirit Blasts finished the other.

Just like that, an hour quickly elapsed amidst their battles, and they finally encountered an Intermediate Rank-1 Thornwood Treant.