Chapter 132 - Dryad

Albert took his time in transferring the knowledge as well as training them before Bepe actually returned to the inn with a piece of news.

"Master. There seems to be something big going on in the Adventurer Guild." Bepe reported with a serious expression.

"Oh? What is it?"

"According to them, there is a druid settlement not far from here. And they seem to have lost control of their Mother Tree." Bepe answered with a serious expression.

"They lost control of their Mother Tree? What is a Mother Tree?" Albert frowned.

"Mother Tree is a kind of protection tree that has some sort of consciousness or we call them the mother of the spirits. This spirit gives birth to other wood spirits that enter the trees in the surroundings.

"This makes the entire forest come alive, and not many want to enter the forest of the druids."

"I see." Albert nodded with a serious expression. "Then, what's the effect of this situation?"

"If they lost control of their Mother Tree, the tree spirits would go on a rampage. The first one that would be eliminated should be the druids. Then, the tree would march toward the surroundings."

"So, we're at risk right now?"

"Yes and no."

"Ho?" Albert frowned, never expecting to have this kind of answer.

"Yes, we're at risk, but the tree spirits attack us in a specific way. Do you know Dryads?"

"Some sort of beautiful lady attached to the tree, no?"

"Well, it's kind of like that, but Dryad is not only female. As for a reason, when the tree spirits come to us, they will trap people in their dreams. The trees will use their branches and roots to restrain these people in their trunk and absorb their energy.

"When your consciousness joins together with the tree spirit, you'll be considered a Dryad. Of course, it doesn't stop there. The tree spirit is as mischievous as slime. They're raping their own Dryad until they turn it into pleasure, especially with their dream.

"At one point, you won't feel anything but pleasures to become a Dryad. Eventually, this process is completed, and the tree spirit will gain powerful control over the tree.

"If before the tree spirit could only control a part of its branches and roots, with the Dryad, they can control the entire body and even use more spells. For example, the roots that come out of the ground won't be normal roots anymore. They can be bigger and even have thorns, making them deadlier.

"There are more examples about this, but I think Master has gotten the idea. That's why there's a panic inside the Adventurer Guild. There seem to be a few Druids that managed to escape from that forest.

"Obviously, without the succubus, we can attack them because they're horny. That I can assure." Bepe finished his explanation with the necessary sentence in order to convince Albert.

Just like what he expected, that sentence piqued his interest. Albert squinted his eyes and said, "That's certainly interesting. I somehow remind them of Morning Wood Tribe. Just a joke."

"I can't deny it. We have a general knowledge about the druid being a sadist or masochist. They cultivate the tree and use the branches to wrap their body to stimulate their sexual desire."

"What the actual…" Albert wanted to curse but stopped at the last moment. Instead, he took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose, stupefied. He never expected that the other world would be like this.

Even though he didn't read books, a fantasy world was a general knowledge back on Earth. There was always fantasy about mythical creatures and even dragons and phoenixes. But to think that all his knowledge was broken by them being horny.

He couldn't handle the shock.

"So, what are we going to do, Master?" Bepe asked with a serious expression.

"Of course, we will go. How is their power level?"

"We're not very sure at the moment. But according to the druid there, they're trying to assemble D Rank Adventurers or above."

Albert closed his eyes, contemplating his choice.

Meanwhile, Bepe added one more thing. "Also, the process of turning the people into a dryad requires three to seven days, depending on their mental fortitude. This means the tree and the people are two separate entities.

"In other words, we can bonk both of them. Of course, if something like this can't be done, we're free to kill them. Eternal rest is better than tortured and controlled for the rest of your life."

As expected from Bepe, he knew his master well as he convinced him with that last sentence again.

"Alright. Let's go." Albert nodded with a serious expression. "This is the perfect time for us to challenge a more powerful enemy. Once we're done with this, I'm going to register you, Jessie, and Irena to the Adventurer Guild."

"Understood." Bepe agreed without hesitation.

"Since we still need to wait for the renovation of the Horny Jail, it's better to spend our time like this." Albert sighed. "How far is the forest?"

"Only half a day."

"How about the mission?"

"The mission is divided into three categories. The first one is the elimination of the tree spirit. After destroying the tree, we need to destroy the trunk and find a small green crystal that is known to be the spirit's consciousness.

"The second one is the rescue of the Dryad. Normally, the people who get sucked into the tree will be in an intoxicated state for at least a week. So, it's easy to register them. If we bring it to the camp that the Adventurer Guild plans to build, we'll get the reward.

"As for the last one, it's the elimination of the Dryad. Even if you can't rescue them, you need to bring their corpses to the camp. At the very least, there will be a proper burial, lest they become a wraith."

"Alright." Albert nodded with a serious expression. "The mission is clear enough."

"Also, the reward for rescuing one is higher than the third one. It doesn't matter their state as long as they're still alive. The rest will be classified as the wounds of the battle." Bepe added with a smirk.

"You know me so well, Bepe." Albert couldn't contain his smile. Bepe implied that he could beat the druid up with his bat. This meant he could bonk them multiple times.

Not only will he get so many rewards from rescuing them, but he will also get the most of bonk. This was their plan.

"Still, I wonder how they move…" Albert asked.

"The tree? They move with their roots like a carriage but far slower."

"Can't imagine that, but okay. Then, my last question is… I wonder if they're going to snap with the bonk power?"

"What do you mean, Master?"

"I mean, the bonk power is quite powerful, right? Their body is attached to the ground with their roots. If we attack them on the body…"

"Ah." Bepe understood. The tree would tilt so much because of this power and Albert wondered if they would snap, fall, or something else. "I'm afraid I don't have an answer to this question."

"I see." Albert nodded in understanding.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Knock.

Knock.

"Hmm?" Albert frowned. No one in his group would knock when entering a room unless it was his study room or his bedroom, so it was weird to have someone like this.

"Who is it?"

"This is Shella, Master."

"Shella? Why knock?"

"Because I brought someone with me. She's the brothel manager."

"Alright. Come in."

Shella opened the door for Steph and allowed them to enter.

Steph's face was still distorted. She had been waiting outside the mansion to meet with Albert, and a wraith suddenly made her appearance, startling her.

Although she had the knowledge about the wraith, she simply couldn't believe the fact Albert managed to tame one, especially since this wraith was one of their generals.

Albert looked at Steph and asked, "Hello. May I know the reason for your visit this time?"

"I would like to request your assistance for a mission."

"Is it something related to the druid?"

"Have you heard about it?" Steph widened her eyes.

"We're discussing it right now." Albert nodded. "Well, I was planning to go with the missions from the Adventurer Guild, but it seems you're bringing more reward… I'm not going to reject it."

"…" Steph was speechless, not knowing what to say about Albert's shamelessness.

Suddenly, he laughed. "Ahaha, I was joking. Since I just settled down here, let's treat this as a gift for my new neighbor. I'm going there in the name of the Adventurer Guild."

Steph scratched the back of her head, feeling troubled.

Albert continued his conversation with Bepe. "Anyway, call Yale, Irena, and Jessie here. We'll go in three hours."

"Understood."

Albert then turned to Steph. "I will be troubling you with the carriage. You should be able to do this, no? After all, you have one purpose in asking for my help. It's because you believe I can save more lives as my power is fatal to the tree, but not the druid. Isn't that right?"

Steph nodded with a serious expression. "Yes. I understand. I'll provide you with the carriage and the coachmen."

"Alright. That's decided." Albert finally agreed. Although he wanted to be magnanimous, he didn't want to be used by others.

After all, the difficulty becomes much higher when you are expected to save as many lives as possible. He couldn't afford to bring such a danger to his group.

So, the least they could do was to provide them with a carriage.