Chương 286: Chapter 284 – Tree Electrocuting.

The heavy blade bit deep into the trunk, tearing through the bark and into the wood. Once it was buried inside, the flame energy burst forth, slowly setting the tree ablaze. Rusty remained silent. At first, the others were confused by what he was doing, but they quickly realized he had a reason for his actions. Syber readied his claws. Astrella immediately ordered her fairies to buff their companions, while Aranea's spider circled behind the tree. Everyone prepared for an attack, and they did not have to wait long.

A high-pitched scream tore through the air. It made Rusty's twilight steel body vibrate, and soon the tree's true form was revealed.

"Stay back!" Rusty shouted as the creature before him took shape. The bark peeled away with a strange tearing sound, revealing a grotesque interior woven from pulsing dark green veins. The central trunk split wide open like a colossal jaw, spraying a wave of acidic green fluid into the air. Rusty reacted instantly, raising his kite shield. The spray was aimed directly at him, and fortunately he had been the only one to approach the monster, so none of his companions were caught in its path.

The liquid hissed against his shield, and this time even his metallic body could not withstand it. Holes quickly appeared in the shield, forcing him to throw it aside. The green acid continued to sizzle across the discarded metal, eating through the heavy twilight steel as though it were paper.

'It put holes in my boots…' Rusty glanced down. Although he had blocked most of the attack, a few droplets had splashed onto his boots. If he had been human, the acid would have burned straight through his feet. Instead, it left thumb-sized holes before finally losing its potency.

"Be careful. This isn't like the other acids. This one is far more potent. If even a single drop touches you, throw away whatever you're wearing!" He quickly warned the others to keep their distance. As a monster made of metal, even if the acid ate through his body, it would not affect him as severely. The others would not be so fortunate. Syber needed to get close to land his attacks, and Aranea's spider was still a creature of flesh. If it were struck, it would suffer just like any other living being.

The towering plant creature thrashed in agony. Its burning leaves rained like embers onto the scorched grass while the dark green veins pulsed violently beneath the peeling bark. The high-pitched scream deepened into a rattling roar that shook the ground beneath Rusty's hole-filled boots. From within the split trunk, a mass of finger-thick veins burst outward. They lashed wildly around the creature as it slowly revealed its true form to them. Rusty knew that giving this monster time to recover would be a mistake.

It was always best to strike before an enemy could regain its strength and reveal its full form.

'I need to use every advantage I can!' He thought as he launched himself forward. His body was already recovering thanks to Gwen's mana. Twilight energy soon enveloped him as he boosted his stats and swung his flaming halberd at the monster. The axe head sliced into the thrashing vines and cleaved through them. However, unlike the other plant monsters they had fought, the flames did not spread. Instead, another liquid seeped out, neither acidic nor flammable, resembling little more than ordinary water.

The liquid gushed over the blade, smothering the enchanted fire with a hiss of steam. Rusty jumped back while delivering another chop to the approaching vine appendages, cutting through them as more steam surged from the watery substance splashing everywhere.

"It's not catching fire anymore... this might be a problem." He glanced at his enchanted blade. The flames were already beginning to die out. Their power gradually returned, but it was clear this monster would not fall by simply letting fire spread through its body. Instead, he would need to break through its defenses without getting dissolved by its acid. With a quick step to the side, he avoided the monster's acidic spray. Now it finally revealed itself completely.

It was not a treant, the kind of monster that usually disguised itself as a tree. Instead, it resembled one of the carnivorous plants found throughout the maze. Classification: Yateveo [C -] Type: Plant Description: A man-eating plant monster usually found in dense, primeval forests, where it disguises itself as a bountiful tree to lure unsuspecting prey within reach. It is capable of spewing highly potent acid as a defensive mechanism.

Its weak point lies within the main body, which is protected by rapidly regenerating vines.

"It's a Yateveo." He quickly identified the monster, hoping the information would give his companions an advantage. They were students from both the magic and knight academies, so they had probably studied monsters like this. His skill provided basic information, but it did not reveal the exact location of the weak point.

"Of all things to find in a place like this... a Yateveo? Those creatures are known to be resistant to fire!" Gwen called out while the spider she was riding launched sticky webs at the monster. The thrashing vines lashed in every direction and continued to regenerate even after Rusty and Syber cut them apart.

"Does it have any other weaknesses? And what about that thing? It looks like a giant flower..." He hacked through more of the writhing, tentacle-like appendages whipping through the air. Reaching the monster itself was nearly impossible. While it could not move on its own, the reach of its vines kept expanding along with its growing size. Some kind of flower was blooming from the center of its body, something the monster's description had never mentioned.

"Oh no. Once a Yateveo blooms, it releases millions of spores into the air to paralyze its victims. The range is said to be tremendous!" This time it was the knight cadet who shouted after hearing the monster's name. While Rusty could not be affected by paralysis, every humanoid fighting beside him could. If any of them lost the ability to move, they would become sitting ducks for the acidic spray. To make matters worse, more strange noises echoed from the distance.

"Whatever we do, we need to do it quickly. More monsters are coming. I think they were attracted by the smoke." Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author. Syber spoke as he slashed at the vines again and again, but they kept regrowing before he could get any closer. Even Rusty could make out movement in the distance as monsters emerged from the many tunnels leading toward them.

'How do we get through these defenses? Maybe we should retreat.' He disliked the idea of running away, but if they spent too long dealing with this stationary monster, they would be finished. If the spores were released into the air, his entire party would be paralyzed, forcing him to carry them all to safety. Fortunately, he was not alone, and Gwen suddenly realized something.

"Lightning, Rusty! Use your lightning weapon on it!" She shouted from atop the spider.

"Lightning?" He asked for clarification. He still had access to his elemental weapon, but he had been relying on the flame enchantment Gwen had conjured.

"Yes! It's made of water, and water conducts lightning!" Astrella shouted as she realized what Gwen was getting at.

"If you say so..." Rusty did not have time to argue. He trusted his summoner and his companions. While he was probably the strongest fighter among them, there were still many things he had yet to learn. He rushed forward, and this time his halberd crackled with lightning as it chopped through the plant appendages.

"Oh?" To his surprise, the reaction was almost immediate. Lightning surged through his weapon and, the moment it came into contact with the water inside the severed vines, spread rapidly along the stems. The electric current shot straight into the plant's massive root system, inflicting tremendous damage and sending waves of pain through the Yateveo. The creature released another shuddering scream, even worse than the first.

Its limbs twitched before locking in place as magical electricity coursed through its water-laden body. The thick curtain of vines protecting its core stiffened, temporarily halting their rapid regeneration.

"It worked!" Rusty glanced at his weapon, then at the monster's rigid body, but the paralysis did not last long. Barely a second later, the creature began moving again. Still, they had found a way to defeat it.

"Syber, I'll disable it. You go for the core." His companion simply nodded as they put the plan into motion. Aranea directed her spider to wrap the monster in silk each time the electricity coursed through it, while Gwen and Astrella continued supporting them from a distance, either by sharing mana or casting buffing spells. The knight cadet named Kaelen watched with wide eyes, unable to hide his shock. The monster was a lesser C-rank creature, something they should never have been able to defeat.

Yet the group of four summoners before him never faltered. They pressed forward relentlessly and even uncovered the creature's weakness in the middle of the battle against a monster they barely knew.

"I... I'll help too!" Even without hearing the conversation through the bond bands, Kaelen rushed forward to help Syber. A few of the vines were still lashing wildly, and he quickly cut through them with his longsword, clearing a path for the young fused summoner to deliver the decisive blow to the exposed core. The flaming claws sank deep into the plant just as the flower on top was about to bloom. While it had resisted the flames from the outside, the inside seemed dry and brittle.

A massive set of wooden jaws lined with toothlike splinters slammed shut around Syber's arm, but he did not relent. Instead, he unleashed a surge of flame mana inside the maw, finally bringing the fight to an end. The monster shuddered one last time as flames consumed its core from within. A thick cloud of dark smoke erupted from the giant maw, followed by the dry crackle of its inner structure collapsing. Syber yanked his arm free, his crimson fur singed but still mostly intact.

"Is... is it dead?" Kaelen panted, resting his hands on his knees as his longsword dipped toward the ground. He stared at the smoldering heap of plant matter in utter disbelief. The Yateveo keeled over, its towering form crashing onto the grass before finally becoming completely motionless.

"Yes, but… it's not over yet." Syber said as he looked into the distance, where more trouble was approaching. The group had no time to rest as more monsters started rushing into the area, surrounding them from every direction. They quickly formed a tight circle that would be difficult to escape. To make matters worse, several Hedge Trimmers were among them, all staring directly at the group.

"Haha… what do we do now?" Astrella let out a nervous laugh as they found themselves completely surrounded. There was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide.

"We must find a weak spot in their formation…" Rusty said as his halberd burst into flames once more. Gwen, who had been sustaining his body, was visibly exhausted, and the mana potions she had brought along were beginning to run out.

"Right, a weak point in their formation." Aranea steadied herself atop her giant spider, her gaze darting frantically around the tightening ring of monsters.

"Except they've completely boxed us in. Look at them… There must be over a hundred of them..." Astrella commented as the summoners tried to keep a cool head despite their predicament, but it was obvious they were afraid. More monsters continued streaming into the clearing, ready to pounce, and it was only a matter of time before they overwhelmed and devoured everyone there.

"Wait… can you feel that?" Just as everything pointed toward this being the end, Gwen sensed a shift in the air. A strange, icy wind swept over the battlefield. One of the plant hounds lunged toward Aranea and the other two girls, but before it could reach them, an icicle fell from the sky, impaling it where it landed and freezing it into a statue of ice.

"Ice? Does that mean?" Astrella pointed at the spear of ice that had fallen from the sky. They all looked up and saw their teacher, Quinten, descending toward them. He was not alone. His two ice elementals accompanied him, and standing on the ice platform with him were Knight Major Philibert and Knight Captain Geraldus, the same captain they had met at the rift entrance.

Before they could react, a massive wall of ice rose around them on all sides, cutting them off from the monsters that had been moments away from attacking. Rusty instinctively took a step back as countless shrieks and roars erupted from the other side of the frozen barrier. The monsters were being slaughtered by the two knights, yet he could not see any of it. Quinten descended to their level. Astrella, Gwen, and Aranea looked at him with unease, clearly expecting to be punished for causing another mess.

However, when he approached them, the first words out of his mouth were anything but harsh.

"Is everyone unharmed?" Quinten landed smoothly on the ice platform, his eyes quickly scanning each member of the group. Behind him, the sounds of tearing vines and splintering wood echoed through the maze as Knight Major Philibert and Knight Captain Geraldus dismantled the horde of C-rank and D-rank plant monsters beyond the ice wall with terrifying efficiency. Even the feared Hedge Trimmers did not seem to stand a chance.

"We're alive, teacher. Exhausted, but alive." Astrella let out a long breath and slumped slightly against Gwen, who was sitting in the middle of Aranea's spider.

"You four managed to survive and even defeated a Yateveo. You did well. Leave the rest to the adults and get some rest." His words were reassuring, and the girls smiled at each other. Then Astrella pointed at Syber.

"Oh, teacher, he got injured. You should look at his arm."

"I'm fine." Syber shot back with an annoyed look. His arm might have appeared fine, but several small puncture wounds from the wooden teeth were still bleeding.

"No, you are not." Without wasting a moment, Quinten retrieved a healing potion and walked over to Syber. As soon as the liquid touched his arm, the wounds closed almost instantly, knitting the flesh back together. Syber let out a quiet sigh of relief, though he still tried to maintain a tough front in front of the others.

"Good. We'll wait until the knights clear the path. Then you'll explain everything to me on the way back. Leave nothing out." Quinten folded his arms, his gaze lingering on the charred remains of the maze around them. Beyond the protective wall of ice, the sounds of battle gradually faded. Heavy thuds echoed as the last monsters fell, until silence finally settled over the area. It seemed this was the end of the incident within the dungeon, and perhaps the end of his current mission as well.

Yet one question remained unanswered. They still had not discovered who was responsible for the repeated attempts on Gwen's life…