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Chapter 24: Withered Tree
As one entered the valley, the environment became increasingly desolate the further they went. There was hardly any vegetation on the ground, and the barren mountain path cut through jagged rocks, with only dry grass and thorns growing from the cracks in the rocky walls. In the distance, amidst the darkness, there seemed to be some withered tree branches. The cold wind in the mountains rustled through the branches like black smoke, emitting creaking sounds.
Brandon knew that this was because the nutrients of the land had been absorbed by the magic trees. Holding a torch, he illuminated the surrounding stone walls, occasionally casting shadows on a few bleached skeletal remains, resembling animals like goats, who had become food for the Golden Magic Tree after venturing into the forbidden zone.
Roma followed behind with a torch, clutching her bag with one hand, feeling both nervous and curious as she glanced around. Embarking on her maiden journey far from home, it felt as though the dreams of a merchant were on the verge of realization. The allure of hardships, thrills, and the promise of wealth and treasures awaiting at the end of the uncharted path had always been the driving force behind the flourishing of adventurers and traders on this continent.
Not to mention that following Brandon gave her a sense of security.
The two pierced through the valley, with Brandon's hand resting on his sword hilt. In the game, entering this area meant entering the territory of a kind of monster - the Withered Beast.
The Golden Magic Tree was a terrifying creature, or rather, a type of Golden Tree species. Its original form might be a kind of elven sacred tree like an oak or a chestnut tree, but after being infused with the blood of gods by the 'Tree Shepherd', it awakened as a Golden Tree.
The Tree Shepherd was one of the major cults in the game. In this war-torn world, where the light of civilization couldn't reach, darkness flourished. Not only did the ranks of the undead exist, but also provided fertile ground for the survival of cults. In the game, evildoers akin to the Tree Shepherd operated in secrecy, their presence felt at every turn. Their deeds, like a winding trail, suggested a clear aim, yet their true motives remained veiled in mystery.
Brandon, too, remained clueless about their intentions.
The Golden Magic Tree had two abilities. The first was to animate plants. It could turn the shrubs on the land it controlled into humanoid monsters called Withered Beasts. The Withered Beasts acted as the Golden Magic Tree's tentacles and scouts, spreading throughout the valley.
Withered Beast were Level 7 monsters in the game, with combat power roughly equal to the members of the Guard Units Brandon had seen before, but with low intelligence. The stronger Withered Beasts exceeded Level 13, awakening the First Level Strength, which would pose a challenge for Brandon.
The second ability was to enchant fruits. When the fruits of the Golden Magic Tree fell to the ground and split open, furry humanoid creatures would emerge, growing to a height of two meters within a day. These were the offspring and elite guards of the Golden Magic Tree, their levels ranging from Level 20 to Level 22. The only reliance Brandon had when encountering them would be the Ring of the Wind Sovereign.
After decades of accumulation, there were already a considerable number of these furry monsters and Withered Beasts in the valley. If it weren't for the fact that Brandon had something to rely on, he wouldn't have chosen to cross the valley with Roma. Of course, the Golden Magic Tree itself was also formidable. After all, it was a monster that possessed the Second Level Strength. However, Brandon had no intention of provoking it; he knew where it was, so naturally, he wouldn't go near it.
Only the rustling footsteps of the two remained along the way, sounding somewhat eerie in the silence. However, Brandon sensed a familiar scent; in the past, he had also ventured into the valley alone with coils of rope, torches, oil lamps, hooks, and provisions, following the path he had traversed countless times to seek trouble with the Golden Magic Tree.
The Golden Magic Tree was known for dropping equipment with power ranging from 20oz to 30oz, which were considered to be amongst the best loot drops at that time. Any skilled player would opt to engage with it, particularly for the rumored Heart of the Golden Tree—a divine artifact from the game's early days capable of restoring 1 point of health per minute.
But perhaps the only difference now was the presence of the merchant girl behind him. At the thought of this, Brandon suddenly felt like he was embarking on an adventure with a girl he fancied in the woods, which was quite romantic, wasn't it?
"Brandon?" Roma suddenly whispered.
Brandon glanced back, catching Roma's eyes fixed on his hand. Momentarily confused, he lowered his head, only to find the Lustrous Stinger in his grip emitting a faint white light from its sheath.
There are undead nearby! He was startled at first, but then quickly realized that Madara hadn’t seized control of the area. At this juncture, they would likely only dispatch a small squad to monitor the surroundings, ensuring no one slipped through the cracks. The thought of facing only a small squad eased Brandon's tension a bit. Dealing with a few low-level undead wasn't a significant threat to him, but he remained cautious, mindful not to draw the attention of the Withered Beasts lurking in the valley.
Drawing his sword, Brandon noticed the Lustrous Stinger's glow intensified as it was pointed in a particular direction, signaling where the undead squad was. Gesturing for Roma to stay back, he extinguished the torch and proceeded cautiously, step by step, towards the indicated direction.
Indeed, there was a small squad of undead in the valley, but these skeletal beings were currently facing some trouble. Leading them was the skeletal wizard Kabuka, whose recent performance in Buchi had been less than satisfactory. Not only had it allowed a human scout to escape, but it also resulted in the disappearance of a fellow undead. As a consequence of these failures, Roscoe relegated it to this location as both punishment for its incompetence and as a pointed reminder not to be overly eager to display its limited intelligence in front of its superiors or masters.
Kabuka naturally understood why it had been sent to this place. However, before addressing anything else, it needed to figure out how to halt the attack of the three monsters currently confronting it.
Earlier, it and its skeleton soldiers had killed a standing creature resembling a humanoid bush covered in thorns in the valley. Now, it seemed that more of its kind had found them, as three similar creatures appeared. Shrouded under a pile of withered branches, these monsters had two shimmering orbs beneath their heads fixed on the undead beings, while scattered skeletal remains lay around them.
The battle seemed imminent.
"What the hell are these creatures?" Kabuka's eye sockets flickered with green flames.
Seeing that those creatures were about to attack again, it had no choice but to grit its teeth and have its skeletal soldiers switch to bows, draw out the ghostly blue soul fire to ignite their arrowheads, and unleash a volley. To its surprise, the two Withered Beasts swiftly ignited upon being struck by the arrows, emitting a hissing cry as they turned into burning flames on the ground.
The skeletal wizard immediately let out a cackling, smug laugh. These things were stronger than its skeleton soldiers, but all plants were afraid of fire.
Indeed, why didn't it consider that earlier? It was such an oversight. Kabuka raised its bone staff and shattered the last Withered Beast's body, sending wood splinters flying everywhere.
Seeing the skeletal wizard gesticulating and dancing with joy down below, Brandon couldn't help but smirk from his vantage point on a protruding white rock behind. What a moron, he thought, tempting fate with magic in such a precarious location.
Magic was one of the favorite nutrients of the Golden Magic Tree, and it craved it like a drug. As soon as there was a trace of magic fluctuation in the area, the Golden Magic Tree would immediately detect it. Yet that skeletal wizard seemed oblivious, truly seeking death.
But it would also be a problem for him. After all, he and Roma were here too. They had to find a way to quickly get to higher ground. Otherwise, they might end up being buried along with these dim-witted undead.
He turned back and pulled Roma up from below. The merchant girl caught sight of the small group of undead below and couldn't help but blink her eyes. Yet, instead of fear, curiosity filled her gaze.
"I recognize that skeletal wizard," she whispered.
"Shh!"
It wasn't easy to distinguish between undead. Brandon simply thought Roma was joking. Between one skeleton soldier and another, or one skeletal wizard and another, except for slight differences in the soul fluctuations, there was almost no distinction in appearance. Not only were low-level undead like this, but even high-level undead required identification through their ornaments or obvious features.
"I really do recognize it, Brandon. I saw it from afar last time at your house," the merchant girl said confidently.
"Yeah, keep it down. If we alert them, we might be in trouble."
Brandon narrowed his eyes and could already spot some shadowy figures moving in the darkness. Judging by their movement, they were probably Withered Beasts. He counted up to thirty before losing track. There were too many, and it was too dark. But the skeletal wizard hadn't ordered its skeleton soldiers to extinguish the soul fire on the arrows yet. Plants were phototropic, so Brandon had already concluded that the skeletal wizard was just another scattered pile of bones on the ground.
"There are a lot of things around us, Brandon," Roma said.
"I know, follow me. Keep low and don't alert them."
The two continued to climb to higher ground, with Brandon leading the way and Roma crawling forward slowly on the rocks. Now he began to appreciate having the merchant girl with him. She remained calm in such an environment, something that was hard for ordinary people to do.
He remembered teaming up with female team members in the game to venture into eerie locations, where they would often scream loudly. What was even more awkward was that some male members would also react in the same manner.
As he thought, he glanced down silently.
Around the skeletal wizard and its skeleton soldiers, the Withered Beasts had already gathered into several streams. Kabuka finally realized something was wrong. It subconsciously began to chant the Dark Curtain spell, but halfway through, it saw two creatures, completely red from head to toe, rushing out of the crevices in the rocks, instantly tearing its skeletal soldiers into pieces.
Oh, Lady Marsha! What the hell are those creatures? There's no need for surveillance here at all!
Kabuka didn't spare a thought for his subordinates; there was no such thing as compassion in Madara's army, after all. Of course, preserving oneself was permitted, so it swiftly climbed up the rocks behind. The skeletal wizard possessed both agility and strength, yet the average person was easily deceived by their wizard -like appearance.
However, Brandon didn't appreciate the scene at all right now because he saw that the skeletal wizard was actually climbing towards him.
"Seriously? Can't you pick a better direction?" he muttered.
He didn't dare to pull out the Lustrous Stinger now; otherwise, holding a glow stick-like object in the darkness would immediately make him a target.
But he soon noticed a dark red Withered Beast suddenly leaping up and grabbing the skeletal wizard's shinbone, pulling it down.
The valley was already surrounded by Withered Beasts, and the skeleton soldiers probably had been torn to pieces long ago. If Kabuka hesitated for a second, it would immediately meet the same fate.
"Kill it!" Brandon couldn't help but shout in his heart.
At the same time, Roma's tight grip on his shoulder conveyed her nervousness, mirroring his own. It was evident to anyone that if the skeletal wizard drew nearer, the Withered Beasts might detect them as well.
Yet amidst the tension, Roma's breath carried a scent as delicate as orchids, momentarily distracting Brandon. He turned to her, only to find the merchant girl gazing blankly in another direction.
Confused, Brandon instinctively followed her line of sight, but what he saw next made him gasp in shock.
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