Chapter 32: Act 24 – The Withered Tree
After entering the valley, the further they went in, the more desolate the environment became. There was almost no vegetation on the surface, and the desolate mountain path wound through jagged stones, with only dry grass and thorns growing in the crevices of the rocky walls. In the distant darkness, there seemed to be some withered tree branches, while the cold mountain breeze swept through the branches like black smoke, making creaking sounds.
Brendel knew this was because the land’s nutrients had been absorbed by the magical tree. He held up a torch to illuminate the surrounding stone walls, occasionally catching glimpses of a few white, bony remains that seemed to resemble goat-like creatures, having strayed into the forbidden zone and become prey for the Golden Magic Tree.
Romaine followed behind with a torch, nervously glancing around while protecting her bag. This was her first time venturing so far from home, as if the dreams of a merchant were finally about to unfold at this moment—dangerous roads, thrills, and treasures lying at the end of uncertainty had always been the reasons behind the prosperity of merchants and adventurers on this continent.
In addition, she felt a sense of security being next to Brendel.
Two flames moved in front and behind each other through the canyon. Brendel placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, remembering that passing through this area in the game meant entering a territory inhabited by monsters—the Withered Beasts.
The Golden Magic Tree was a terrifying magical creature, or perhaps it should be said a type—a golden tree species. Its body could be a type of spirit tree like an elm or an oak, which, after being implanted with divine blood by the ‘Tree Shepherds,’ awakened into a Golden Tree. The Tree Shepherds were one of the major cults in the game, breeding darkness in areas where the flames of civilization could not reach in this war-torn world. Not only was there a presence of the Undead, but there was also fertile ground for cults. Just like the Tree Shepherds in the game, the villains left traces of their actions everywhere, as if there was a thread running through everything, indicating they had a certain purpose, yet no one knew what it was.
Brendel was no exception.
The Golden Magic Tree had two abilities. The first was to activate plants. It could turn the shrubs on its controlled land into humanoid monsters known as Withered Beasts. Withered Beasts were like the tentacles and scouts of the Golden Magic Tree, populating this canyon.
A single Withered Beast was level seven in the game, with combat power roughly equal to that of the guards Brendel had previously encountered, but with low intelligence. The stronger Withered Beasts exceeded level thirteen, awakened with first-level powers, which would also be a tricky opponent for Brendel.
The second ability was the magical fruit. The Golden Magic Tree’s fruit fell to the ground, cracked open, and birthed fuzzy, wildman-like creatures. They could grow up to two meters tall within a day. These were the offspring and elite guards of the Golden Magic Tree, ranging from level twenty to twenty-two. Brendel’s only support in facing them was the Queen Wind Ring.
After decades of accumulation, the number of magical beings and Withered Beasts in the canyon had become quite substantial. If it weren’t for Brendel’s confidence, it would have been nearly impossible for him and Romaine to pass through the canyon safely. Of course, the Golden Magic Tree itself was formidable, already a monster of second-level power, and the young man had no intention of provoking it—he knew where it was and naturally wouldn’t get close.
As they walked, only the rustling of their footsteps remained in the silence, which felt somewhat scary. However, Brendel detected a sense of familiarity, remembering how he used to enter places like this with large coils of rope, torches, oil lamps, hooks, and rations, following the routes he’d traversed countless times to seek trouble with the Golden Magic Tree.
The Golden Magic Tree yielded equipment with power levels between 20Oz and 30Oz, which was among the best drops at that time. Any player with a bit of skill would choose to do this—especially that rumored Heart of the Golden Tree, which restored 1 point of health per minute. In the early days of the game, it was a divine artifact.
However, the only difference now seemed to be that he had a future Merchant Miss behind him. Brendel suddenly felt as if he were adventuring in the mountains and forests with a girl he fancied. The idea of two people adventuring together sounded somewhat romantic, didn’t it?
“Brendel?” Romaine suddenly reminded him softly.
Brendel turned his head and noticed her gaze was fixed on his hand. He was slightly startled to find that the Starlight’s Sting in his hand was emanating a faint white light from the sheath.
There are Undead nearby! He was taken aback, quickly realizing that even if Madara did not control this area, she could still send a small squad to monitor and ensure no loose ends remained. However, thinking of a small squad, Brendel relaxed slightly; a few low-level Undead were not much of a threat to him, although he needed to be cautious not to alert the Withered Beasts in the canyon.
He drew his sword, and when the Starlight’s Sting pointed in a direction, the light from the blade became noticeably brighter. Brendel immediately realized that the squad of Undead was in that direction. He gestured for Romaine to keep her distance, extinguished the torch, and quietly made his way forward.
*
There was indeed a small squad of Undead in the canyon, but these skeletal figures were in a bit of trouble at the moment. Leading them was the Necromancer Kabuka, who had not only allowed a human scout to escape during Buche’s performance but had also caused a colleague to be punished. Rothko had dispatched it here—to punish its disappointing performance and to remind it not to try to appear too clever in front of its superior or master.
Kabuka understood this well, but more importantly was how to fend off the attacks from the three monsters before it.
Initially, it and its skeletal soldiers had taken down a creature that looked like a humanoid shrub covered in thorny branches. Now, its fellow creatures appeared to be coming to confront them. Three of these monsters were hiding under a pile of withered branches, their heads shaded by twigs, with two glowing embers staring at the Undead. Scattered skeletal remains surrounded them.
A battle seemed imminent.
What in the world are those roots and turf? Kabuka’s eyes burned with green flames.
As the foe prepared to attack, it could only grit its teeth and have its skeletal soldiers swap to strong bows, drawing glowing blue soul fire to ignite arrows, then released a rain of arrows—unexpectedly, two Withered Beasts caught fire and quickly emitted agonizing hisses, turning into two pillars of flames on the sandy ground.
The Necromancer immediately let out a cackling laugh. These creatures were slightly stronger than its skeletal soldiers, but as long as they were plants, they would fear fire. Why hadn’t it thought of this before? That was a strategic blunder. Kabuka raised its bone staff and, with a loud bang, blew apart the last Withered Beast, sending wood chips flying.
Watching the Necromancer dance with glee below, Brendel could not help but find it amusing. This was truly a reckless creature, daring to use magic here. Magic was one of the favorite nutrients of the Golden Magic Tree; its craving for magic was like a drug. As soon as there was any magical fluctuation in this area, the Golden Magic Tree would immediately detect it, yet that Necromancer remained oblivious—it was clearly courting death.
However, he had his own troubles, as he and Romaine were also present, and they needed to find a higher ground quickly, or they would likely meet the same fate as these empty-headed Undead.
He turned around and pulled Romaine up from below. The Merchant Miss, seeing the small squad of Undead below, couldn’t help but blink her eyes, her bright gaze filled not with fear but curiosity.
“I recognize that Necromancer,” she said softly.
“Shh!”
It was not so easy to identify Undead. Brendel assumed Romaine was telling a joke. Among skeletal soldiers and between Necromancers, there was almost no difference in appearance apart from some subtle variations in soul fluctuations. This was true not only for low-level Undead; even advanced Undead were distinguished by their adornments or some noticeable characteristics.
“I really do recognize it, Brendel. I saw it from afar last time at your home,” the Merchant Miss insisted earnestly.
“Shh, keep it down. If we startle them, we’ll be in big trouble.”
Brendel narrowed his eyes, noticing shadows moving in the darkness. From their movement, they appeared to be Withered Beasts. He counted about thirty of them before he lost track—too many, and too dark. However, the Necromancer had not yet ordered its skeletal soldiers to extinguish the soul fire from their arrows, as plants were phototropic. He already concluded that these were scattered skeletal remains on the ground.
“It seems there are a lot of things around us, Brendel,” Romaine said.
“Yeah, follow me. Keep your head down, don’t alert them—”
The two continued to climb to higher ground, with Brendel leading the way while Romaine knelt on the rocks, inching forward. Now he began to appreciate having the Merchant Miss with him; she remained calm in such an environment—a feat not easily achieved by most.
He recalled how, in the game, teaming up with female allies to enter terrifying places often led to loud screams and cries. That was not the most embarrassing part; the embarrassment lay in the fact that some men did the same.
As he pondered, he quietly looked down—
Centered around the Necromancer and its few skeletal soldiers, the Withered Beasts had converged into several streams. Kabuka finally sensed something was amiss. Instinctively, it began to chant the incantation for the Dark Veil spell, but halfway through, it saw two monsters of dark red darting out from the rock crevices, tearing its skeletal soldiers to pieces.
Martha is up there; Lord Rothko! What on earth is this? There’s no need for monitoring here!
Kabuka harbored no attachments to its subordinates; there was no mercy among Madara’s forces. Of course, self-preservation was allowed, so it leaped onto the rocks behind it. The agility and power of a Necromancer were considerable, but ordinary people easily fell for their magician’s appearance.
However, Brendel was not admiring the scene at that moment, for he saw that the Necromancer was actually charging toward him.
You’ve got to be kidding me; couldn’t you pick a better direction?
Now, he didn’t even dare to draw the Starlight’s Sting, for in the darkness, holding something that glowed like a light stick would surely make him an easy target.
But then he saw a dark red Withered Beast suddenly jump up, grabbing a skeletal leg of that Necromancer. Dragging it down, the canyon was already surrounded by Withered Beasts, while the skeletal soldiers had likely been shredded long ago. If Kabuka hesitated for even a second, it would follow suit.
“Take it down!” Brendel couldn’t help but shout in his mind.
At the same time, he felt Romaine tightening her grip on his shoulder from behind, clearly as anxious as he was. Anyone could see that if that Necromancer came any closer, the Withered Beasts might discover their presence too.
However, the Maiden exhaled softly, making Brendel’s heart flutter. He glanced back and found the Merchant Miss staring blankly in a different direction.
Huh?
Brendel instinctively followed her gaze, suddenly inhaling sharply.
