Chapter 42: Act 34 – The Golden Magic Tree
The three of them silently lurked down from the valley, as if time had stopped. Their movements were so subtle that one would not notice anything unusual while scanning the surroundings in the middle of the valley.
Brendel had traversed this route hundreds of times. He had previously failed and been discovered, but that was during his inexperienced days; it was unlikely now. Although the magic tree creatures were strong and aggressive, these born blind creatures were not adept at scouting—sound traveled slower than light, after all.
However, Brendel, with his nerves taut, still heard the soft rustle of the boot tips grinding against the rocks. He turned back to see Freya staring back at him, her face a picture of tension. The young man couldn’t help but frown: You’re too tense, Freya.
He paused to let Romaine pass by him. The Merchant Miss did very well—she crouched low, her breathing steady, her pace neither too big nor too slow, moving gracefully like a small cat without making any significant noise. At this moment, her spirit was also cautious and invigorated; the taut strings of her heart sparked her body with more potential—Romaine had always considered herself a natural merchant and adventurer.
“You’re doing great, Romaine, keep it up—” Brendel silently encouraged her with his lips.
The Merchant Miss quickly nodded, her movements small, but her pride was hard to miss.
Brendel moved aside for Romaine, his gaze falling on Freya at the back. The young girl seemed to be aware of her state and couldn’t help but lower her head. The young man sighed silently at this scene; this future Valkyrie was underwhelming in all aspects—intelligence, judgment, mental toughness, and physical prowess—seemingly destined to be an ordinary person.
But only Brendel understood that there was a potential within her that could one day achieve that legendary title.
He couldn’t help but scrutinize her. As she lowered her head, her light brown hair fell gracefully; it was well-kept, healthy, indicating that her master took care of it meticulously. Not intricate, but very refined.
At this moment, Freya had already crouched her body and passed by him in silence. The girl made no sound, only the long ponytail swayed with her actions, expressing her indomitable spirit—Brendel understood that this was a unique stubbornness.
He felt a sudden urge: “Freya.”
Freya paused in her movements.
“You’re too tense; relax a bit.”
“I’m sorry, I…”
“It’s okay.”
“Did you see that rock ahead? Now we should split into two paths here. You hide behind it, and when the patrol passes, you must divert the attention of the last two magic tree creatures at the first moment.”
Freya nodded.
“Go ahead; I’ll keep an eye on you. Freya, I believe you can do it well.” Brendel turned and lay down among the rubble, signaling her with a hand gesture.
The girl finally could not suppress the look of surprise on her face. This was different from the prior arrangements, but she was not a fool; she realized Brendel was staying behind to encourage her. She felt slightly moved—yet at this time, she could only bite her lip and nod heavily.
Brendel saw Freya move forward, her movements steadier, and then he finally relaxed.
Such on-the-spot reactions were quite normal; there were not many talented individuals like Romaine. He turned back and saw the Merchant Miss had also paused, looking at him curiously, and he couldn’t help but gesture for her to move forward.
Unfortunately, while she had an excellent mental state, her thinking was somewhat illogical. To be honest, Freya was more reliable; he still looked forward to the day the future Valkyrie would grow up.
Freya quickly reached her designated position. The patrol had just passed halfway through the valley without any incidents—there truly wouldn’t be any hiccups; it was only that the girl had been too nervous. However, Brendel found himself in a bit of trouble because staying behind to encourage Freya had cost him some time. Now the magic tree creatures were already halfway around and entering their ambush zone; at this distance, he could likely be discovered.
Nonetheless, Brendel was Brendel, and he managed to control the route and timing perfectly, without a single error. By the time he crawled to Romaine’s side, even he could not help but wipe away some sweat; it had been too tense. However, he at least did not let his emotions affect his performance—it was still flawless, just like in the game.
Romaine looked at him, her forehead glistening with sweat, and hurriedly dug out a checkered handkerchief from her bag to hand it to him. She didn’t say a word, but her thoughts were clear—Brendel recognized that the handkerchief was a handmade item from the Viero region in the north, a craftsmanship hard to find in Buche—it was also one of the Merchant Miss’s favorite collectibles.
“Thank you,” he mouthed, enunciating each word.
“I should be thanking you, Brendel.” Miss Romaine replied seriously, clutching her bag with both hands, “It’s going to be dangerous soon; there might be things we won’t have a chance to say, right? So I want to tell you—thank you, Brendel.”
Brendel was momentarily taken aback, then smiled slightly.
In just a moment, six magic tree creatures were already approaching. The three of them hid behind the sharp rocks, hearing the rustling footsteps grow closer. The creatures communicated through deep, resonant notes, and their messages to the mother tree were conveyed solely through mental connection.
Brendel saw Freya draw her sword, wrapping the blade with her clothing to avoid reflection that might alert the enemies. He nodded; at least this indicated that Freya was no longer the idealistic young girl of a few days ago. He immediately signaled her: I’ll lead, you sneak attack.
Freya frowned slightly. The most dangerous part always fell to him, which made her feel uneasy, but she also felt some dissatisfaction. Yet, even so, she understood that this was indeed the most suitable course of action and could only reluctantly nod.
The magic tree creatures passed beneath a rocky outcrop extending from the ground, then stopped, spreading out to search and emitting a series of strange notes to communicate. Brendel pulled out the Stinging Light and protected Romaine with one hand, then sent an attack signal to Freya—
At this very moment, the magic tree creatures should be at their back, and scattered apart, making this the best time to launch an attack.
Brendel charged out first; his primary target was the adult magic tree creature. Following him, Freya decisively drew her sword and rushed toward the rear of the magic tree creature line, targeting the two closely standing golden magic tree offspring.
The magic tree creature at the back of the line was generally responsible for vigilance, so they reacted swiftly. The two creatures turned and roared lowly the moment they spotted Freya, their bodies extending four vines like spears aimed at her—vines screamed through the air.
But Freya spread her hands to deflect the four steel cables; the Wind Feathers of her armor shimmered around her, protecting her as she leaped, colliding head-on into the first magic tree creature’s body—the Wind Feathers dimmed briefly, then brightened again. However, the massive beast was also caught off guard, getting sent flying backward.
At this point, the girl remembered Brendel’s words: “Your Wind Queen’s armor is very effective against them; you should unleash your attacks—”
She gritted her teeth, disregarding her defense, and pounced to subdue the magic tree creature that had fallen to the ground. The tumultuous force immediately threatened to throw her off—Freya knew her strength was limited and she could be flung away at any moment. She gripped her long sword tightly, raising it high, and struck down toward the creature’s right arm.
With a light sound, the erratic right arm flew away, tangled in vines. But at the same time, Freya was also thrown back; just as she got to her feet, another magic tree creature smacked her away, rolling her for several rounds on the ground. Although her armor protected her, the impact still made her cough up blood.
The fallen magic tree creature could not recover for a while, and Freya understood that there was only one enemy left. Yet, she wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, struggling to find an opportunity for offense.
She couldn’t help but take a gentle breath.
On the other side, Brendel struck out, taking down the unsuspecting enemy. The Stinging Light in his hand danced like a silver thread: the first sword plunged into the magic tree creature’s right side, sweeping out to turn its right arm and several vines to dust.
The second sword severed its legs, and as the creature toppled, losing its balance, the elven sword’s cold edge swept across its neck.
Amidst the interwoven light net, that adult magic tree creature was reduced to ashes.
Of course, he had taken advantage of the ambush. However, the remaining part required some tactics. But Brendel had already planned; as soon as he succeeded with one attack, he immediately sheathed his sword and retreated, knowing that those vine monsters, having lost their companion, would not rest. Three magic tree creatures roared and charged after him.
Brendel waited for this moment—when they chased after him through a narrow path, the three vine monsters instinctively formed a single line to pass through one by one—but what awaited them was Brendel’s silver ring gleaming with faint light.
“Oss!”
Freya heard a terrifying explosion from the left rear; she knew that was the sound of Brendel’s success. She couldn’t help but feel relieved, and at that moment, she noticed that the enemy in front of her had stalled due to the tremendous sound blast.
As a young person from rural Buche, she certainly couldn’t comprehend the impact of such an explosive sound on sound-sensitive magic tree creatures—this overwhelming noise had nearly robbed them of their judgment of the outside world, as if the entire world was filled with blinding white light, where nothing existed.
But she knew this was an opportunity, and that was enough. She raised her long sword, corroded almost to the breaking point, and struck fiercely at the magic tree creature’s legs.
The brief battle seemed to find its conclusion with this strike—
With a clank, the towering form of the magic tree creature sliced apart alongside her long sword. Freya could hardly believe her success. She opened her mouth in shock, only to see Romaine, panting and clutching a black steel sword from Madara, standing opposite her.
“Romaine!”
“Freya, I—I’m sorry, Brendel sent me to help you…”
The girl smiled: “It’s okay, thank you.”
When Brendel emerged from behind the rocky outcrop, he was met with this scene and couldn’t help but pause. He had initially thought Freya would explode with anger, but her reaction was surprisingly mild.
In truth, his arrangement was not solely to alleviate Freya’s pressure but also for tactical reasons. For this ambush, the focus was surprisingly on this ponytailed girl— the entire magic tree creature patrol’s weight lay in their commander—the adult magic tree creature—and the two responsible for guarding the rear.
As long as he could distract the guarding magic tree creature, Brendel could easily ambush and kill the adult one while diverting the remaining creatures to carry out their plan. Otherwise, those six ranged monsters could quickly turn the tables, and even if Brendel leveled up five more times, he might not be able to protect Freya and Romaine.
However, just as he was troubled about how to explain, he unexpectedly found that Freya seemed to have understood.
“Why isn’t the golden tree reacting?” the future Valkyrie asked, now noticing him; “Can’t it move?”
Brendel was taken aback, realizing his error. He shook his head; the golden magic tree was certainly not still; on the contrary, at the moment they launched their attack and drew the golden magic tree’s attention, that terrifying creature’s counterattack had already begun.
It was just silent.
“We have a minute. Let me explain to you how to deal with the golden magic tree. You must listen carefully, or your souls might be forever trapped within the golden tree,” he responded.
(PS: I’m very happy to see the detailed reviews in the comment section. The results are not strong enough; I continue to seek support!)
