Perhaps because it was a level 50, the experience that had been steadily accumulating finally hit the ceiling.
So my level is 20 now?
'A new skill.'
I was dying to check it, but there was no leeway for that either.
Feeling the vicious heat, I climbed the tree.
Sprinting up the surface like Seigrena was impossible, but leaping continuously using the branches as footholds was well within my ability.
Shlick!
That makes two.
I finished off the critically weakened Avenger more easily than expected.
Originally, these were things you had to fight one at a time with your life on the line, but with their whole bodies ablaze, disposal was easy.
'This is why securing the Pyromancer's corpse is the key.'
Because the Calamity's difficulty drops sharply.
Grooo, ugh!
Two left.
Perhaps these things could think too, since at that point they stopped mindlessly climbing the tree and began glaring at me.
WHACK!
In that gap, Seigrena's kick struck the back of one's head.
The moment the thing, losing its balance and staggering, fell below, I quickly swung the scythe and finished it.
'The last one.'
So the freebies end here.
That's how intact the last Avenger's condition looked.
The others had been engulfed as if in a bonfire, but on this thing's body there were only a few small candle-flames and some scorch marks.
'……A mere level 20 has to face an Avenger.'
Enough to make me laugh hollowly, but if I failed, I'd die anyway.
Live, or die…… thinking of it that way, aren't the odds fifty-fifty?
The moment I thought my head was starting to go too, the Avenger reached out its hand.
CRRRRACK!
The Woodman's hand grew like a vine and reached right in front of my nose.
'<Wood Claws>!'
It was a skill I knew, so I dodged without difficulty, then grabbed the Woodman's hand with my bare hand.
SSSSSS!
……That's fucking hot.
Barely swallowing the scream that nearly burst out, I pulled the Avenger in.
But this bastard—why is it coming so easily?
THUD-CRASH!
It seemed it had never intended to resist; it had meant to throw itself at me from the start.
Tangled with the Avenger, I rolled across the ground several times. Through the heat, through the sensation of heaven and earth flipping, a chill wormed its way in.
Without thinking further, I kicked the Avenger away.
WHACK!
The hand of the Avenger rolling across the ground had transformed into a hammer.
'Son of a bitch.'
It had meant to crack my skull open with that, no doubt. Anyway, did I cut the inside of my mouth while rolling? I spat out the blood pooled in my mouth.
Meanwhile, the Avenger sprang up and charged at me again.
KRAAAK!
The weasel sleeping on my shoulder…… Weaselly sprang up.
The moment I saw it dash out in an instant, I willed for this thing to cast a certain skill.
[You cast the skill, <Unspoken Bond>.]
[Magic Beast 'Weaselly' carries out your instruction.]
Weaselly flinched for a moment, then unleashed Blade Whirlwind forward. Just as I'd willed.
CRRRRACK!
Of course, <Blade Whirlwind> didn't inflict a fatal wound on the Avenger. It didn't seem to have properly landed at all.
It didn't matter. The attribute this skill carries isn't only slashing.
FWOOSH!
The residual flames clinging to the Avenger's body—
The fire on the verge of dying out swelled in size the instant it met the gale.
In the blink of an eye, the Avenger's entire body was engulfed in flame, and a howl burst out.
Not missing that opening, I brought the scythe down.
THUNK……!
Dammit. Didn't the debuff take properly on this one? The swung scythe caught fast right after splitting the head about halfway.
THWACK! THWACK!
Twice, three times……. I hammered the already-lodged handle with my fist.
Like trying to split firewood by punching an axe stuck in it.
Skrrrrrrrk……!
Even engulfed in flames, the Avenger flailed its arms.
An outstretched hand grazed my cheek.
[The status ailment, <Burn>, occurs.]
[Health decreases continuously until proper treatment is received.]
I felt a scorching sensation on my face, but retreating here meant the end anyway.
THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!
Dodge and strike.
Block, then strike.
Take a hit, and still strike…….
How many crises were omitted between these simple steps? The crises I perceived, the threats I didn't, flashed past like fired beams of light.
'I'm dizzy.'
My mind dulled from pain and fatigue. With even my vision growing blurry, I swung a fist for the who-knows-how-many-th time.
THWACK…….
This time the feeling is a little different?
CRAAAAAACK—!
Along with a sound like something splitting, the Woodman Avenger's body cleaved in half.
And then—
[All Woodmen have been dealt with.]
Only after confirming that message did I let out the breath I'd been holding.
'Goddamn…….'
My whole body stings and aches.
A pain like salt sprinkled on wounds—a type of pain I didn't think I could ever get used to.
"K-Kaindel……."
A stunned voice came from below the hole.
Judging by that voice, my body apparently wasn't in a sound state right now.
"D-did you do it?!"
Seigrena, up above, brightened instantly, but what to do about this?
"As if."
I denied it in a cracked voice.
Because the real ordeal starts now.
SPLAT—!
"Hik……!"
Seigrena jumped at the inexplicably unpleasant sound. I stared blankly at the source of the sound.
"……"
A fallen fruit had been smashed to pieces, spreading the pulp it held within like a flower pattern.
It wasn't particularly beautiful.
The flesh was so blood-red that it gave the impression of scattered entrails.
'There were two fruits on the tree.'
The fruits represent the number of sacrifices to be offered, but at the same time, they represent the black tree's remaining strength.
We'd just killed the entire Guardian and Avenger groups, so one fruit had fallen.
Then what would appear next?
'Best, second-worst, worst…….'
The Avengers appearing was the second-worst case—
And the remaining patterns were only two, the best and the worst…….
[<Black Tree> rages violently.]
[Entering the next phase of <Wood Revenge>.]
RUMBLE-RUMBLE-RUMBLE……!
The ground shook fiercely and cracks formed in the floor.
I saw the being revealing itself beneath the split fissure.
[The hidden boss, 'The One Left Behind in the Roots, Godrak,' appears.]
Right. I knew it.
Looking at the worst-case scenario, I burst into a hollow laugh.
***
A hidden boss refers, literally, to a boss mob that only appears when specific conditions are met. Things you'd almost never encounter playing within the normal range…….
Stronger than ordinary bosses, and the rewards were correspondingly good.
'Naturally, research on them was active too.'
The spawn conditions of hidden bosses were a hot topic among community users.
I know hidden bosses well too, and <The One Left Behind in the Roots>, the hidden boss of <Wood Revenge>, is no exception.
'Abbreviated, <The Left Behind>.'
The thing called by that name had about two differences from my memory.
First, the name 'Godrak' was additionally attached to its title.
Second, perhaps due to that influence, it was far smaller than the <Left Behind> in my memory.
Unlike the <Left Behind>, which had been close to a giant, this one was nearly human-sized.
'It wasn't something that had named status.'
What a load of bullshit…… the thought came on its own, but probabilistically, it wasn't impossible.
If I'd seen this pattern in the game, I'd probably have been overjoyed. Because the reward level would rise by a tier or two.
'……Even if it's named, the basic attack patterns should be the same.'
Right?
They have to be.
-…….
Godrak had an appearance of wooden armor wrapped around its entire body.
Honestly, its outward strangeness was the smallest among all the Woodmen. At a glance, it looked like a person wearing wooden armor.
'Judging by looks alone, a swordsman.'
The moment I saw the sword at its waist, Godrak drew it.
Shuk.
My bangs seemed to flutter, and then a sword wind passed over the crown of my head. At the same time, a piercing scream came from up in the tree, and something dropped with a thump.
"……"
Chills ran through me.
What fell was probably Seigrena.
Had she died? I didn't even have time to check. Because I had to receive Godrak, who'd rushed to the front in an instant.
TUNG……!
The sound of scythe shaft and wooden sword clashing rang out clearly.
'Damn it.'
I forcibly swallowed the curse. Because with just one exchange, the gap in level between us hit home.
At the same time, I felt relief. If this place hadn't become a griddle, I'd have ended up like Seigrena too.
'Put another way, these are the movements of something with its stats cut at least in half?'
I backed away, scrambling to defend and dodge. I'd thought I'd adapted to this body through various incidents and grown fairly used to combat…….
Apparently not. Facing this monster, it felt like all that experience had been wiped to a blank slate.
WHACK.
I hadn't particularly let my guard down, yet my stomach caved in. Gut-wrenching pain, like I'd vomit my stomach out through my mouth.
The next attack followed before I could even exhale.
'Fuck.'
A clean roundhouse kick. I hurriedly raised my right arm to block, but unable to withstand the impact, I rolled dozens of times across ground where embers still lingered.
THUD-CRASH!
I could feel the heat of the embers.
Has my back caught fire?
But more than the heat, a cold alarm rang in my mind once again.
SCREECH!
Halfway to standing, I blocked with the scythe. Along with the sound of the scythe creaking, I saw Godrak, having caught up at some point, bringing its sword down.
"Kaindel……!"
I heard Kria's cry.
'I told you to stay hidden.'
I wanted to say so, but I didn't even have room to open my mouth.
'Damn it.'
This won't do.
Never mind winning or losing—the fight itself isn't taking shape.
Creak, crrreak……!
I saw the scythe bending to the verge of breaking. If I lost my weapon too in this situation, it would truly be over.
What do I do?
Even if I wanted to move, the moment I eased off even slightly, that wooden sword would break the scythe shaft and cleave down through my body.
Gyak!
At that moment, Weaselly burst in again.
WHOOOOOSH—!
Had it learned something in the meantime? Weaselly unleashed Blade Whirlwind at Godrak.
The flames remaining nearby mixed into the whirlwind, and a flame wind of quite fierce momentum lodged in Godrak's torso.
-…….
That was all. Some scorch marks formed on the surface of the wooden armor, but it didn't seem to have taken meaningful damage.
Godrak's head turned toward Weaselly.
'Fuck……!'
The scythe won't reach.
In desperation, I drew the tentacle whip and lashed Weaselly with it.
KIEEEEEEEEK—!
The moment the tentacle struck Weaselly's back, a howl like a scream burst out.
Thanks to that, it dodged Godrak's sword strike, but……….
'It doesn't deal damage, right?'
For something that doesn't, Weaselly's scream was far too anguished.
But the even more surprising thing happened the next moment. Weaselly, which had been sprawled flat, sprang up.
GYAAAAAAAAAAAK—!
And then let out a mighty roar.
Why is it suddenly like that?
[Magic Beast 'Blade Weasel' falls into the <Enraged> state.]
[All stats temporarily increase.]
Wrapped in a red aura, Weaselly slammed its body into Godrak with explosive movement.
-……!
At that, the thing that had been unfazed by every attack flinched for the first time.
'A buff state? From being hit by the whip?'
What on earth is the principle behind that?
Well, is it the concept of a trainer cracking a whip to rouse an animal's spirit?
'Come to think of it, the Woodmen hit by this did enter an agitated state.'
But this wasn't the only unexpected development.
"Youuu……!"
I heard a voice heated as if lava were boiling.
Looking back, I saw Seigrena wrapped in a golden radiance. Gauntlets I had no idea where she'd produced were fastened on her hands—
And more unexpected still was the pattern engraved on the back of her hand.
'It's the same as Laurent's.'
It was the Holy something Knight Order…….
Don't tell me this girl wasn't a simple religious type, but from the <Monastery>?
"You're dead……!"
The moment she kicked off the earth, the ground overturned.
Startling physical ability. Seigrena, having rushed to right in front of Godrak in an instant, struck her opponent with her fist.
WHACK!
The moment Godrak's head snapped around, I realized Seigrena's identity.
'She was a <Monk>.'
And the golden aura wrapping her whole body was probably divine power.
<Paladin> or <Monk>……. In any case, a special energy usable by the clergy class group who've taken refuge in a religious body.
'Level requirement: 30.'
It was enough to make me dumbfounded. That Seigrena, whom I'd treated as dead weight, was in fact the highest-leveled among us.
CRRRRRACK!
The weasel and Seigrena pressed Godrak.
The momentum wasn't bad.
At least a fight far more worthy of the name was unfolding than when I'd faced it alone.
'At a glance, that is…….'
I looked at the battlefield with as objective an eye as possible.
The enormous consumption of <Divine Release>.
Weaselly's temporary buff state, surely to be accompanied by aftereffects.
The embers around us, gradually all dying out.
If the divine power ran out, or the aftereffects hit Weaselly, or the embers died…… if even one of the three happened first, it would be our defeat.
'In that case.'
What should I do now—what can I do?
Looking around, my eyes soon reached the black tree.
To be precise, the lizard at its top.
"……Tch."
No other move comes to mind.
Even while thinking it absurd, I immediately began climbing the tree. Because in the end, my current class is <Tamer>.
"Whew……."
Before long, I reached the top of the tree. Seen up close, the lizard's condition still showed no great change.
"You son of a bitch."
When on earth are you going to wake up?
Of course, 10 minutes hadn't even passed yet.
What mattered was that holding out a few more minutes like this didn't seem likely to revive this thing either.
So what choice is there?
[Attempting to tame Lv.▓▓ 'Ember Lizard'.]
I have no choice but to tame this bastard myself.