The Threat of Plants

Plant-type monsters are troublesome. I was reminded of that in the harshest way. Leaving aside Iris, who has a Production Job, these enemies were more like Nenashi, a front-line fighter. I had thought their specialty was restraining enemies and infusing them with poison to inflict status ailments.

However, that seemed to apply only to players who had formed a party. The strength of these wild monster hordes lay somewhere entirely different from Nenashi's.

"They aren't getting any weaker! What the hell's going on, huh?!"

"They are taking damage. Their recovery speed is simply abnormal."

Their overwhelming recovery ability created the illusion that they possessed inexhaustible stamina. In addition to 【High-Speed Regeneration】 and 【Photosynthesis】, they were deliberately refraining from using the 【Rooted Feet】 Skill, which allowed them to move their roots like legs, and were instead extending their roots into the ground to increase their recovery speed.

Being unable to move was no problem for them. Their weapons—their tentacles and vines—possessed Skills that allowed them to freely change their lengths, so they could still attack without moving. They even used martial skills through their tentacles and vines, and if someone was caught, they could bind them with enough force that even Jigoro would have difficulty escaping.

While I rescued Jigoro, they healed themselves rapidly with their tremendous recovery abilities. It was fortunate that their direct attacks were not particularly powerful, but that only meant the battle would drag on endlessly. We felt as though we had thrown ourselves into a fight with no end in sight.

"The best way to defeat them would be to kill them instantly with a single blow, but... True Death. As I thought, it doesn't work."

Using 【Abyssal Aura】 and the 【Evil Eye of Death and Chaos】, I tried to kill them instantly with 【Dark Arts】. However, perhaps because they possessed 【Status Ailment Resistance】 at a high level, it rarely succeeded. I had managed it once, but if I kept repeating the attempt, my magic power would run out before I could wipe them all out.

Jigoro was rampaging as well, but it felt as though he was being interrupted just when he was about to finish them off. If only we had one more person, we could win. That was the situation we found ourselves in.

That was why I could not help thinking how different things would be if only Cal were not paralyzed. I would have to warn Cal later never to eat things he found lying around again.

"Playing it safe won't get us anywhere. It'll be an all-or-nothing gamble, but you can handle it, brother?"

"I'll coordinate with you, so hurry up and do it already!"

If we continued like this, our resources would be completely exhausted through attrition, and we would lose. In that case, our only option was to attack with everything we had and crush them before that happened. It was an all-or-nothing gamble!

"Summon, Troll! Now, charge!"

I used most of my remaining magic power to summon twenty Trolls. Following my command, the Trolls charged into the enemy horde with roaring battle cries.

However, the slow-moving, large-bodied Trolls were bound by the tentacles and vines in an instant. My 【Summoning Magic】 level was not very high, so they were not as strong as they looked. Their stamina would probably run out and they would vanish soon.

That was fine by me. I had not summoned them to serve as a fighting force, but as meat shields. Since the Trolls possessed plenty of stamina and high regeneration, enemies with weak direct attacks would need time to kill them. If I had even that little bit of time...

"Come on, come on! First one!"

Jigoro, with fists that literally burned and a fighting spirit that blazed, would smash them to pieces. He shredded the Deadly Predator Vines with his claws and fangs before burning them to ash with the flames he spewed from his mouth. He shattered the sturdy cellular walls of the Great Hanging Ropers with his kicks, then drove knife-hand strikes into their exposed interiors and burned them from within.

Jigoro's battle style, as though he were venting all the frustration he had built up until now, was truly like a demon. If he had not been able to speak human language, nobody would have believed he was a player.

"I suppose I should do a little work myself. Rice Ear Reaping."

Rice Ear Reaping was a martial skill from 【Sickle Arts】, and I had never had an opportunity to use it before. However, I had decided to try it after trusting the information that it dealt particularly heavy damage to plants.

I severed the vines of a Deadly Predator Vine that were binding a Troll, and its stamina visibly decreased. In close combat, my martial skills received no bonuses from my Job, so there was no way they should normally deal this much damage. The result was largely due to Rice Ear Reaping's effectiveness against plants.

Seeing damage far beyond what I had expected made me realize that I needed to be mindful of weapons and martial skills that were effective against specific Races. At the same time, I should consider creating such weapons, as well as armor that could reduce their effects. As always, the things I wanted to do kept multiplying. Was there really no way to stop that?

"You're... the last one!"

By the time all the Trolls had been wiped out, only one enemy remained. It seemed they had fulfilled their role as meat shields without a hitch.

The last Great Hanging Roper and Jigoro faced each other in a one-on-one battle. Tentacles rushed toward him from every direction at high speed, but Jigoro tore through every one of them with his claws as he advanced. Now that there was only one opponent, there was no way it could stop him.

"Raaah!"

Once Jigoro reached punching range, he threw a straight punch accompanied by a fierce kiai. Even I, who knew little about martial arts, thought the punch was beautiful. Yet it possessed such tremendous destructive power that it pierced through the Great Hanging Roper, cellular wall and all.

Even so, it still had stamina left, and that stamina was recovering. The tentacles Jigoro had torn off were also regenerating. The toughness it had displayed so relentlessly throughout this battle was on full display here as well.

To make matters worse, the creature had cunningly held back tentacles positioned outside Jigoro's field of vision. It seemed to intend to extend them and devour him while he was vulnerable immediately after landing his punch.

"Rice Ear Reaping!"

Its luck ran out, however, because I had been watching from farther away. I flew in low before the tentacles could attack Jigoro and used my martial skill to cut them down. Its trump card, saved for last, was pitifully severed.

"Nice one, bro! Hngh! Take that!"

The stamina the Great Hanging Roper had painstakingly recovered was reduced again by my martial skill, and its means of attack had yet to regenerate. It was practically a living punching bag. Jigoro pulled out the arm he had driven through it, spun his body around, and blew away the rest of its stamina with a sharp spinning back kick.

――――――――――

You won the battle.

Your 【Storm Magic】 level has increased.

You learned a new spell: Typhoon.

Your 【Storm Magic】 has reached its growth limit. SP is required to break through it.

Your 【Summoning Magic】 level has increased.

You learned a new spell: Four-Stage Evolution.

――――――――――

My level did not increase, but I had surely accumulated a great deal of experience. In addition to 【Earth Magic】, 【Storm Magic】 had now reached its growth limit as well. Breaking through this limit would also require 20 SP.

I had accumulated quite a lot of SP by saving it little by little, so perhaps I should use it on both. Both Skills would be useful in many situations, and more than anything, my strength when forming a party was having a wide range of options at my disposal. Narrowing those options now would only eliminate my advantage. I decided to break through both limits.

"Hey, bro. How's Cal doing?"

"...There isn't even a sign of movement. Cal's stamina hasn't changed, so it doesn't seem to be life-threatening. For now, let's harvest the drops. We'll think about Cal afterward."

"Sure thing~"

Jigoro and I methodically harvested items from the monsters we had defeated. Most of them were magic stones, but we also obtained a few unusual items. And this is what we got!

――――――――――

Deadly Poison Vine Quality: Fair Rarity: R (Rare)

A vine from a plant with potent poison.

It possesses enough toxicity to be dangerous from merely touching it with bare hands.

It is dangerous as it is, but extracting only its poisonous components makes it even more effective.

Tough Tentacle Quality: Good Rarity: R (Rare)

Part of a rock tentacle that camouflages itself as a rock and strangles its prey.

This tentacle came from a particularly powerful individual. It is weak to fire, but difficult to cut.

By channeling magic through it, it can be made to move just as it did while alive.

――――――――――

The former would delight Shiitake, while the latter would surely make Iris happy. I hoped they would inspire the two of them to create some new items.

More importantly, there was Cal. Even if Cal's life did not seem to be in danger, I was still worried. I only wished there were some way to get Cal moving again...

"Oh, I thought I heard something. Looks like there's something here."

"A humanoid monster I've never seen before... and a Dragon? It's unusual for one to come this far."

As I worried over the situation, I heard the voices of a man and woman from above. I looked up in surprise and saw two figures with brown skin and long ears standing there. Without a doubt, these two had to be the Dark Elves we had been searching for.

The two of them spoke casually, but their stances left no openings. Even if we attacked, I felt they would respond immediately. Not that we had any intention of becoming enemies in the first place.

"Might I ask whether you are members of the Dark Elf tribe that lives in this forest?"

"Oh? You know about us?"

"Where, and from whom, did you hear that?"

Well, that was only natural. A monster that looked suspicious in every way, yet knew so much about them, would obviously seem to have ulterior motives. At the very least, I would have been on my guard without question.

It couldn't be helped that my first impression was terrible, but I could recover from here. Calm down, me. I had just the item for this.

"I realize we must look suspicious, but we are not unscrupulous villains harboring ill intentions."

"And how do you plan to prove that?"

"I want you to look at this..."

I pulled out the 'Nadeus Clan Crest Pass' that I had kept in my pocket so it would always be ready, intending to show it to them. Just then, Jigoro seemed to move at high speed to my side and snatch something out of the air.

What Jigoro had caught was an arrow. It had been on course to strike the third eye in my forehead. That was close! If Jigoro had not been there, my head might have been blown to pieces. I was wearing a mask, but an arrow entering through the gap around my eye would still deal massive damage. That was simply how the game worked!

"Oops? Looks like I missed my kill shot."

"Quite skilled. No more holding back."

"A sneak attack, huh? You've really got some nerve. I'm in a pretty bad mood... You two wanna get yourselves killed?!"

Apparently, the instant I looked away from them to take out the pass, the man had fired an arrow at me. I had not noticed at all...

Thanks to Jigoro, I had escaped the danger, but the atmosphere had become more tense than ever. Jigoro cracked his fingers, the male Dark Elf drew a slender sword, and the woman produced a staff and took up a stance. It was a hair-trigger situation.

"Wait, wait, wait! Just look at this before you decide!"

With that, I held up the pass where they could see it clearly. Just like with the Centaur tribe, I hoped this would make them lay down their arms... Would it work?

"Oh?"

"Is that...?"

When the Dark Elves saw the pass, they exchanged astonished looks, sheathed their weapons, and climbed down from the trees. Oh, so it really did work.

"Well, hello, friend! Why didn't you show us that right away?"

"Welcome to our forest!"

...It did more than work. Their attitudes had changed a complete 180 degrees, and they had begun smiling brightly. The man slapped Jigoro and me on the shoulders again and again, enthusiastically expressing his welcome, while the woman beamed at us. The blatant change left both Jigoro and me utterly bewildered.