The deathadders circled the Human Tongue, waiting patiently. If I flew into range, they’d probably hit me with all kinds of attacks at once.
‹Ugh…this sucks.› I’d probably have an easier time if I took the deathadders out first, but then Treant wouldn’t have any left to farm levels with, which was my main goal. I was sure it wouldn’t be too hard to evade the deathadders’ attacks and hit the Apophis though. I should probably ask Allo and Treant to hang tight somewhere else…
That was when I realized something: I didn’t want to drop Treant right now because the Apophis would make it hard to go down and rescue it, but that wouldn’t be an issue if Treant killed it with its Meteor Stomp.
Treant’s Statue skill would allow it to ignore the onslaught of deathadder attacks, and I’d already weakened the Apophis. As an attack type monster, its defense was much lower; yes, it was an A+ monster, but Treant could still take it out with a well-timed Meteor Stomp.
It’s gotta be right underneath its tongue, right? If I drop Treant straight down on top of it, it might work. Even if it doesn’t kill the Apophis outright, I can just fly down and finish it off.
‹Master…? What is it? You seem like you’re thinking about something…› Treant asked.
‹Well…I think I know how I’m gonna boost you up a few levels, Treant.› I answered, peering down at the Human Tongue.
‹Oh. Um. H-how…?›
‹I’m gonna drop you straight onto the Apophis. If you use Statue, you should be able to take it out with one hit. You’ll be the one taking down this rank A+ former Beast King.›
‹What?! A-a-are you insane?!› Treant flapped its wings in panic.
I grinned. ‹Maybe. But don’t worry; Allo and I will be right behind you. Even if you don’t take it out, the Meteor Stomp will make it panic. Then I’ll finish it off.›
‹B-but…›
‹It’s definitely not a safe plan. But if you take the Apophis out, you’ll probably get enough experience points to go straight to max level. We don’t always have the luxury of taking the safe route in a forest like this.›
A rank A+ monster like the Apophis would typically be way out of Treant’s league. But this was different. The Apophis sacrificed its durability for high attack and agility. And now that I’d weakened it, it should be easy enough for Treant to deal the finishing blow. Chances like this didn’t come along very often. It was do or die.
‹Ah…all right, Master! Let’s show them what we’ve got!› Treant shouted, staring down at the Apophis’s Human Tongue in the swamp far below us.
‹Yeah! Let’s do this, Treant!›
I flew higher, sending several Whirlwind Slashes down into the swamp as I did. Not with the intent of hitting the Apophis or deathadders, but to send up peals of mud that would throw them off and prevent them from anticipating Treant’s attack. If I attacked them head-on, I’d make them even more wary. I didn’t want to risk the Apophis retracting its Human Tongue and deciding to escape.
‹Okay Treant, you’re up!› I grabbed Treant and tossed it into the air.
‹All right!› Treant released its Tree Spirit Transformation in midair, reverting to its tyrant guardian form. Then I grabbed a handful of Treant’s branches in both paws.
‹Take ’em down!› I used Gravity. A ring of black light appeared around me, and Treant and I both plummeted down into the swamp.
‹Mm…mmgh…ghwaaaaaaaaaaah!› I couldn’t tell if Treant’s cry was a shriek of terror or a war shout. But as we dropped like stones with Gravity, I threw Treant downward with all my might to increase its speed even more.
I’ve gotta make it fast enough to catch the Apophis off guard and penetrate through the swamp enough to kill it.
Treant plunged straight down at high speed, so fast I was scared it wouldn’t have time to use Statue. But a moment later, I saw Treant’s bark gleam silver and breathed out a sigh of relief. The metal Statue form repelled the deathadders’ volley of Cursed Fireballs with ease.
Apophis’s Human Tongue looked up at Treant in dismay just a split second before Treant crashed down on top of it, crushing it instantly.
Treant’s Meteor Stomp slammed into the swamp with a thunderous roar, spraying mud everywhere and creating a massive hole in the center. The deathadders struggled to keep themselves upright in the resounding waves and quickly disappeared under the surface again. Mud immediately flowed back into the large hole, closing it off again.
“T-Treant? You alive…?” Allo called, sounding worried.
I quickly flew down after Treant, peering into the quickly filling hole.
Was this…a good idea? Maybe I got a little too enthusiastic and threw it too hard. I didn’t know how good Statue’s defensive capabilities were. And Treant wasn’t coming out of the swamp at all… No, it should be fine. If Treant died from the impact, I’d probably be getting experience points right now, since I’d technically be the one who killed it.
Gained 12,350 Experience Points.
Title Skill “Walking Egg” Lv — activated: gained 12.350 Experience Points.
Oneiros Lv 125 has become Lv 128.
T-Treant?! N-no, there’s no way…
For a moment, I was afraid it really was from Treant, and a chill ran through my body. But there was no way. It had to be the experience points I got from Apophis, who must’ve died from the impact. Treant’s rank and level were just too high to die from that. It seemed like a lot less experience points than I’d expect from the Apophis, but maybe the total was divided because Treant and I worked together. If so, Treant was safe, and we’d probably succeeded in taking down the Apophis.
This…isn’t a combination of experience points from Treant and Apophis, right…?
‹Master! Masteeeer! I…I can’t breathe!› As I got closer, I heard Treant’s panicked Telepathy from the bottom of the swamp.
Oh, thank goodness, it’s alive!
At that moment, a swarm of deathadders appeared from beneath the surface, heading straight for Allo and me.
“Gale!” Allo’s three Dark Kaleidoscope forms sent out peals of wind to deter the deathadders.
‹Sorry, Allo, but we’re going in!› I said. I held my breath and dove straight into the swamp.
As I struggled deeper into the murky water, my paw touched something solid. I can’t see…is that Treant’s head?
From what I could tell, Treant seemed to have most of its body buried deep in the bottom of the swamp. Wh-whoa…it goes this deep?
I grabbed Treant’s branches, gave a mighty heave to dislodge it from the bottom, and then pulled it to the surface, struggling. When we got close to the top, Treant finally released Statue, making it a bit easier.
‹I thought I was going to die… The ground under the swamp is very soft, so I should have dropped with that in mind. You could have told me beforehand, Master.›
‹S-sorry… I didn’t expect you to go that fast. It’s on me, really. I thought you’d be okay, but I was a little worried. I just…›
‹Didn’t expect me to succeed?› Treant finished, looking up at me coldly.
‹B-but look, Treant! You did it! You killed Apophis!›
Treant’s eyes softened a little at my praise, but only a little. I checked Treant’s status. It went from Lv: 78/85 to Lv: 83/85.
Five whole levels, this close to max? Nice! Just two more levels, and it can evolve!
‹And you’re almost at max level! If you finish off the last of the deathadders, you should be able to evolve!›
‹What?! Really, Master?!› Treant stretched out its trunk in joy.
“Is that all it takes to win back your favor, Treant…?” Allo muttered.
Part 3
ONCE THE APOPHIS was defeated, Treant and I went back to safely wiping out the deathadders with its Meteor Stomp. With that out of the way, we moved a little away from the swamp to take a break.
Through that fight, Allo rose from Lv: 61/130 to Lv: 72/130, and Treant went from Lv: 71/85 to Lv: 85/85. Finally, Treant was at max level. It was time to evolve.
It’d been a while since the last time it evolved. I was scared I’d never witness it, even as an immortal Ouroboros. But today was the day.
‹Master! Master! It’s time! Let’s go! I’m ready to evolve!› Treant said, flapping its wings excitedly.
‹All right, no need to rush me. I’ve got ya.› I tried to soothe Treant’s excitement, mindful of the danger around us, but I knew how it felt. It really had been a long time. I wanted to congratulate it on all its hard work.
‹Please, oh please, hit me with the strongest magic you can!› Treant prayed.
‹R-right. I’ll do my best.› To evolve, Treant needed me to use Fake Life. I didn’t think charging Fake Life up would do much to change the outcome though… But, hey, I wanted to celebrate this as much as Treant did, so why not?
“Good luck, Treant!” Allo cheered Treant on in excitement. Treant flapped its wings in her direction as well. I doubted the cheering would change much either, but I was glad they were happy.
I used Fake Life on Treant, and its body was enveloped in black light. Inside it, I could see Treant’s form expanding in size. It wasn’t rapid growth; it was more like a slow, constant swelling of Treant’s trunk. It just kept growing both thicker and taller… But as I was thinking that, Treant’s body suddenly began to expand rapidly, with a force that started pulling Allo and I toward it.
T-Treant’s sucking us in…! I grabbed Allo—who stared up at Treant’s new height with her mouth agape—and struggled away from the gravitational pull.
As I got to safety, I turned back to look at Treant. It now towered probably fifty meters above us—more than five times its size as a tyrant guardian.
No way I can hold Treant when it’s in its usual form now.
Treant’s trunk was an amalgamation of many trunks intricately intertwined to form a gigantic, singular tree. Treant’s familiar hollow eyes and long nose remained, though its features were much larger now. Its leaves shone a lush, deep green.