Chapter 216 Damn, Nature

Per the natural instincts of an assassin, his daggers naturally slid across the air in search of the dryad's bark neck, but–they did not reach their destination.

"--!"

A wall of layered, intertwined vines rose up between him and the dryad, blocking his attack as his dagger slid across the plantlife.

Continuing, he unleashed a set of slashes, but it didn't seem to make much of a dent in the wall of vines.

It's so thick! Is it regrowing as I cut it? Are more sprouting? Or is there just this many?! He questioned.

Again, his instincts fired off as he jumped back without knowing what was coming–witnessing lances of thickly-twisted vines protruding from the wall, scaled in thorns.

"Still trying to impale me–?!" He yelled out.

There was no doubt that what stood before him was a troublesome opponent, though he felt it was nothing more difficult than the perilous bouts he had overcome before.

The first thing he remembered was the Exterminator; it was several levels higher than the dryad, and he had managed to defeat it. However, it wasn't as simple as that.

The Exterminator was higher, but that hardly matters. This functions differently from games—levels mainly just point to a difference in attacking power and defense. That's all. In this world, levels can be overcome with the right usage of abilities and skill. That also means this dryad can be more troublesome than that fish-headed freak, he thought.

What especially made this thought process feel true was the very environment he was fighting in; he was in the depths of the dense forest—the playground for the sentinel of nature to manipulate around him.

Before he could think further, he was forced to begin dodging around as small, but fast projectiles began launching towards him,

"—!"

They came from the dryad's hand; drill-shaped bullets of wood that shot at speeds surpassing sound.

It was thanks to his hyper reflexes that he was able to maneuver away from them, but he could feel the force behind each wood bullet; the air vibrated in their path and hissed as they zoomed by.

As he successfully avoided the barrage, he didn't waste any time before rushing forward for a counter.

What came next was a combined skill of supreme power, forged with the idea of breaking through any defense that tried to stop his blades.

"King Ripper!"

[Spirit -500 | 2800/3900]

The vastly powerful essence amplified his strength, but primarily magnified his gripping power, extending to his daggers a vibrant, deep-blue energy before unleashing the instantaneous slashes.

As expected, the wall of vines rose again to try and stop him, but he cut straight through them with the immensely powerful skill, unleashing a howl of azure energy in the wake of each slash.

—It reached.

"AAA!"

The inhuman dryad released a cry like a banshee as one of the daggers reached its form, cutting into it and leaving a gash through its wooden body. What poured out wasn't exactly but blood, but certainly the counterpart of it for the dryad: a golden, amber-like substance.

Though his attack was certainly successfully, he wasn't prepared for what came next—

"—!"

THUD.

It formed seamlessly instantly: a burly giant forged of wood, soil, and flowers. The sentinel was built like a strongman, without a head and only a body made for combat.

The familiar of the dryad protected the one who summoned it, sinking its massive fist into the gut of the red-haired assassin.

"Pyuh—!"

He spat out the air from his lungs as the dense, rigid fist slammed into his abdomen, also using his own momentum against him.

My insides. They're burning! I can't breathe! He thought.

In the next moment, he was sent flying back, crashing into a tree harshly as he was left gasping for air.

[Health -1000 | 2500/3500]

It was a devastating blow, and he could feel such as a burning sensation flowed through his organs as if lava had replaced his blood.

[Internal damage sustained. Caution advised. Any further blows can result in organ failure, and subsequently–death.]

Internal damage? It feels like my insides just got hit by a hammer…What the hell was that? It summoned a minion? He thought.

Though he didn't get any chance to think or recover as he was forced to get up and jump as the wooden strongman rushed at him, throwing its fist forward.

He just managed to avoid it by a hair, leaping straight up and swinging around a branch to land on as the fist of the dryad's familiar slammed against the hulk of the three.

THUD.

The impact caused the entire tree to vibrate as if an earthquake had shook it by its very roots.

[Enemy Identified: "Tree Golem" | Level 25]

It hardly seemed like a "minion" but a monster in its own right; he watched as it turned its attention upward towards him, extending one of its fists up as its bark-forged hide began to unravel and extend.

"--!"

He jumped away as the extended bindings attempted to ensnare him, fending them off with swipes of his daggers.

…Should I try to run back and get Archie?...No, if I drag these enemies straight to him, he might not be able to prepare in time. I have to handle this! Shit! I thought this floor would be a breeze, but of course–nothing can go right! He thought.

As he dodged the roots from the Tree Golem, he glanced back to find the dryad summoning pikes from the soil behind him, attempting to lock him in with a pincer attack.

He managed to evade with a blink step, utilizing his blinding speed to unleash a swift attack against the golem at the same time.

CHNK.

"--!"

As he slashed at its torso, he found the mark left by his blade instantly recovering as the roots reformed within moments.

It had no effect…He realized.

It was a daunting sight to see the burly golem completely unphased by his attack, nearly leaving him subject to a storm of wood bullets as he used his daggers to deflect them.

"I'm getting tired of that one!" He yelled out.

Again, he was learning the difficulty of facing two foes of such different strategy; while deflecting the wooden bullets, he had to roll to the side as the golem charged in, slamming its massive fists down into the mud.

I have to take this one out quickly! Physical attacks don't work, but…Could it be more obvious what your weakness is?! You're made out of wood! He thought.

As he jumped up to his feet, he extended his hand outward, invoking a spell, "Cast: Flame Lance!"

Manifesting around his arm were embers that quickly coalesced into roaring flames; the fire spiraled into a lance, shooting outward directly towards the golem.

It was instantly set ablaze upon impact, charring and beginning to peel and fall apart.

"Gotcha!" He smirked in celebration.

–But, it didn't fall right away. His eyes widened as he witnessed the golem, engulfed in flames, charging towards him like a fireball.

The dryad was still summoning pikes around him, leaving him without much space to move around while the flame-swallowed Tree Golem rushed in on him.

Shit! He thought.

Spikes raised aggressively, spawning in numbers, varying in sizes, and protruding swiftly–he was forced to evade those rather than focus primarily on the golem, resulting in the golem bashing him with its shoulder.

It was at least three times his size, using its entire body weight and density to slam hits shoulder into him like a football player.

Holy shit…! He thought.

[Health -1000 | 1500/3500]

However, though his health dropped, the golem fell to the flames just after he was knocked back, resulting in–

[EXP + 1200]

[Congratulations. You've reached level 28 | EXP | 2000/25000]

[Health [3550/3550] and Spirit [4000/4000] Fully Restored]

[Remaining Skill Points: +2]

It was an instantaneous second wind, recovering his wounds and allowing him to rush towards the dryad once more.

With a wave of its arms, the flower-and-oak dryad waved its arms around, summoning a bed of flowers in his path that sprouted tall.

"--!" He looked up.

Some of the flowers manifested whip-like vines, and some displayed rows of teeth like venus flytraps, surrounding him and attempting to harm him.

…Nature is pretty damn scary! He thought.

Another wall was raised around the dryad, formed of a thick wall of vines, leaving the malicious flowers to fend him off.

But, an idea popped into his mind, one that was the very bane of such plantlife:

"Cast: Poison Cloud! Cast: Poison Cloud!"

[Spirit: -600 | 3400/4000]

Twice, he invoked the same magic, sheathing his daggers and holding both of his hands out as he began releasing the toxic fumes while running forward.

The deathly clouds exuded, filling the air around the clearing and suffocating the flowers as they withered away instantly.

"How's that?!" He said.

It was a complete counter; the moment the gas touched the flowers, they wilted and died, crumbling away within moments.

The effect wasn't any different for the barrier of vines; the gas melted them away like flames to timber.

…Poison Cloud plus Flame Lance! Let's end this in one blow! He thought.

[New Spell Forged: [Poison Lance] ready to be used.]

He pressed forward, pointing his hand directly towards the dryad, yelling out the name of the combined spell: "Cast: Poison Lance!"

[Spirit: -450 | 2950/4000]

It spiraled like a drill, combining the raging, red flames with the deathly, green fumes into a lance of toxin and destructive fire. He threw it forward, allowing it to slam into the dryad with impunity.

Swirling around the dryad, the clouds of miasma gathered, suffocating the sentinel of the forest as she unleashed another banshee-like cry.

It's super-effective! He realized.

The poison seemed to be even more potent than flames for the female protector of nature; wiping out the dryad completely within moments.

[Venomancy Proficiency: +1 | 3/100]

[New Skill(s) Acquired: Patient Zero]

Crumbling away, the dryad fell apart into a bundle of rotted wood and wilted flowers; its cries mixed with the wind before dissipating fully.

["Nightfall Dryad" Defeated | EXP + 3000 | 5000/25000 | Angel Coins x700 Acquired | Genesis Seeds x5 Acquired]