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Chapter 39: The Death of the Golden Tree
A thunderous boom echoed from the south, followed by another half a minute later. Brandon listened intently, confirming that the Stone Burrowing Worm had begun its advance through the rocky terrain of the valley. This creature, armored in stone and equipped with a swirling maw filled with thirteen thousand needle-like teeth, could effortlessly pierce soil and crush even the hardest rock.
Brandon had seen an adult Stone Burrowing Worm before—thirty meters long and wide enough to require three people to encircle it. These creatures from the Earth Element plane boasted incredible defenses; even a Brand Sword wielded with forty units of strength (oz) couldn’t penetrate their outer layer, let alone cause harm.
The Golden Magic Tree’s decision to allow the Stone Burrowing Worm to advance unchecked indicated that it had shifted its defensive focus onto Brandon and his companions. Brandon couldn’t help but curse under his breath.
The distance from the rocky ridge to the Forbidden Orchard's center, where the Golden Magic Tree was rooted, was roughly a mile. Even at its fastest, the Stone Burrowing Worm would take at least two minutes and thirty seconds to burrow through the layers of earth. Meanwhile, the trio had already entered the core of the Forbidden Orchard. If the Golden Magic Tree didn’t interfere, they’d only need to bypass the fractured terrain ahead to reach the tree itself.
Two minutes remained.
But Brandon knew better than to assume the Golden Magic Tree would let them pass unimpeded. Sure enough, before he could finish his thought, the solid ground beneath them began to groan and splinter. At this proximity, they were well within the range of the tree’s root system, which moved without warning, rendering Roma’s abilities useless.
All three felt the ground give way beneath them. Brandon, prepared as always, drove the Elven Blade into the earth and steadied Roma with one hand. He glanced to the side to see Freya crouched low, maintaining her balance.
Before they could catch their breath, the ground collapsed again, this time splitting open a visible fissure.
“What’s it trying to do?” the ponytailed girl asked, nearly losing her footing as she fought to stay upright.
“It’s trying to kill us. Stay close and follow me!” Brandon yanked Roma to her feet, then pulled her along as he leaped forward, rolling twice to evade a chasm created by the Golden Magic Tree’s roots.
Roma, sheltered beneath Brandon’s body, blushed furiously, her eyes wide as saucers, too stunned to breathe.
On the other side, Freya attempted to jump over as well, but the Golden Magic Tree wasn’t about to make things easy. It caused the ground to sink further, slamming her chest against the jagged edge of the fissure. If Brandon hadn’t acted swiftly to pull her back, she might have been swallowed along with the dirt and rocks.
“Thank you,” Freya muttered, pulling free of his grip.
“Not the time for thanks,” Brandon snapped, slicing through a whip-like tendril that lashed toward them.
More serpentine roots emerged ahead, while the fissure behind them widened and deepened. It seemed the boss was determined to teach them a lesson. But Brandon had seen these tricks countless times before. Aside from the initial surprise in the first phase, this wooden monstrosity hadn’t shown any new tricks.
This ground-tearing ability was essentially a large-scale area-of-effect attack in the game, but it wasn’t without weaknesses.
“Watch closely!” Brandon said to Freya, gripping Roma tightly as he eyed the incoming roots. He sidestepped, allowing a “whip” to pass in front of him, then grabbed it firmly. The Golden Magic Tree, clearly not expecting this, tried to fling Brandon away by coiling its root.
But Brandon held on tight, clutching Roma as they were jerked up and down. Finally losing patience, the boss of Xavier Mountain Pass raised its root high, attempting to smash Brandon into the ground. However, Brandon seized the opportunity to release his grip and leap backward, landing thirty-four meters away from the fissure.
With 3.7 units of strength—nearly four times that of an average person—and 2.9 units of agility, making him more nimble than a mountain ape traversing treetops, executing such maneuvers was no challenge for Brandon. His powerful muscles, bones, and internal organs absorbed the impact effortlessly. What would have shattered the insides of an ordinary person left him only slightly uncomfortable.
Such was the advantage of enhanced physical attributes. Brandon knew his efforts to gradually accumulate stats hadn’t been in vain. Every step he’d taken had prepared him for this moment.
As soon as he landed, Brandon shouted to Freya, “Follow me!” Without pause, he grabbed the stumbling Roma and charged toward the Golden Magic Tree, sword in hand.
“Brandon, wait!”
“I can’t keep up!”
But Brandon paid no heed to Roma’s protests. Rounding a corner, the ground suddenly split open with a loud crack, and a mass of roots erupted from below, forming a dense web. Behind this web stood the Golden Magic Tree.
Less than a minute remained.
Brandon hesitated, and Roma, panting heavily, stopped beside him. She looked back curiously at the Golden Magic Tree, convinced it must be some divine golden apple tree.
Brandon studied the web, identical to what he’d seen in the game. He swung the Elven Blade in a wide arc, igniting two incoming snake-like vines with silver flames, severing them into four pieces. Military swordsmanship emphasized broad, sweeping strikes, with few defensive techniques—but those few were highly refined.
Then, releasing Roma, he stepped back, raised his sword with both hands, and took a step forward. “Strength Surge—!” Brandon felt an overwhelming surge of power drain from his upper arms, forearms, trapezius, and latissimus dorsi, causing the Elven Blade to carve a beautiful silver arc through the air. With 7.7 units of strength behind it, the blade crashed into the web.
Freya, limping as she caught up, witnessed the scene. Each time before, she’d thought she’d seen Brandon’s limits. The last time, she’d assumed he’d relied on a magic card to cheat. But now, she saw the true manifestation of Strength Surge.
The sword cleaved through the air, creating a sharp sonic boom. Like breaking dry twigs, the Golden Magic Tree’s root web tore open with a loud hiss, collapsing entirely in the middle.
The trapped beast of Xavier Mountain Pass could no longer stop them, forced to watch as they broke through. Upon entering the Forbidden Orchard’s core, Brandon shouted to Roma and Freya, “Attack its main root! Leave the main body to me!”
With that, he drew a Fate Card and silently commanded, “Reveal the Holy Sword!”
……
Even in summer, Winterclaw Keep was shrouded in a thin layer of frost. Originally built in the high-altitude mountains of Colcova to monitor the barbarian tribes in the northern forests, it later became one of the royal family’s villas after the establishment of the Baltar Province.
In the diamond-shaped courtyard of the castle stood an ancient pine tree that had miraculously survived a fire last century, emerging unscathed from the charred remains. The castle’s owner considered it a good omen and preserved it during the fortress’s reconstruction.
Now, beneath this pine tree, a solemn atmosphere hung heavy in the air.
A young girl with thick knightly attire and stunning silver hair stood ready. Her semi-pointed ears revealed her mixed heritage, but unlike the elegance and aloofness of elves, this fifteen-year-old girl was all seriousness. Clutching a dark, heavy sword, she adopted the starting stance of Eruin cavalry swordsmanship.
Lips pressed tight, she commanded the younger boy before her, “Haruze, attack me—!”
Her tone was simple and brooked no argument.。
“Sister…”
“Attack!”
Reluctantly, the boy thrust his sword forward. The girl parried cleanly, pressing down his blade before stepping forward and pushing him to the ground with a firm hand on his chest.
The servants gasped audibly.
“Again!” Her expression unchanged, she ordered.
“Sister, I…”
“Get up and try again.”
The boy rose, retreated a step, gritted his teeth, and charged once more. But the girl, clad in her knightly garb, switched her sword to her left hand and casually flicked it, sending his weapon flying.
“What are you doing? Focus!”
“Sorry.”
“Again.”
…
Ten minutes later—
The girl entered the changing room, allowing two maids to remove her heavy knightly armor. Steam rose from her sweat-drenched silver curls as she asked without turning, “Where is Father?”
“The envoy from Madara has arrived, Your Highness.”
“The King is in a secret meeting with Marquis Kluge,” another maid replied, bowing her head.
The girl glanced at her reflection in the mirror, her face cold and expressionless. She changed into a dress, tossing her long silver hair back with a practiced motion, lifted her chin, and said, “Take me to Gormer.”
She thought silently that the tide of war might be turning, but Kluge, that cunning old fox, couldn’t be trusted. Of course, there was no need to voice such thoughts in front of the servants. She needed a trusted confidant.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
It was early June, the Year of Blossoms and Summer Leaves.
…..
Brandon watched as the color drained from every branch of the Golden Magic Tree, its limbs sagging lifelessly. He knew the fearsome monster had finally reached its end. Exhaustion weighed on him; maintaining the Holy Sword’s effect at the cost of two mana points had nearly depleted his mental reserves.
After all, he was a warrior, not a wizard. Even wizards at this level rarely had more than ten mana points.
Freya and Roma sat nearby, utterly spent. Freya’s arm was injured, but it was minor. Besides, the joy of defeating such a formidable foe far outweighed their fatigue. They turned to look at Brandon.
But instead of resting, Brandon stepped forward, swinging the Elven Blade in a wide arc and bringing it down on the Golden Magic Tree’s trunk.
“Strength Surge—”
Without the blood of the gods to sustain it, the dying Golden Magic Tree was nothing more than an ancient oak, powerless against the overwhelming force of 7.7 units of strength. The sheer power tore through its upper canopy, snapping it clean off and sending it flying.
Both girls gasped, unsure of what Brandon was doing.
But Brandon knew. The Golden Magic Tree stored the bodies of its victims in its canopy, slowly draining their magical energy. Over time, treasures—or what remained of them—could still be found.
Though most were long since drained of magic energy and rendered useless.
Brandon approached and immediately spotted the card lying on the ground—
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