Elk, yang terkejut oleh perubahan mendadak dalam pertempur, siap-siap ki lawan.
Dalam sekejap, antler-stia menyalak megahal putih-biruwang—so terangkat mata-hat sendiri meraflak kilau elektrik. Ista gahong babu, tapuk semua tiang-tiang tersimpan dalam satu titik, lalu—
Ziiipppzz!
Dengan gertakan nek yang tajem, Elk lepask tunder kompres, antler-stia berfung as dual tusk dari lohating.
BOOOOM!
Tunder kolide dengan arm gajah-rohok yang angkat, eksplod di atas nia. Krack spider-web segera, fragmen batuk blasekut di mana eksplodjak konsentre. Untuk sesaat, Leo minta arm sehak lah mungkin rujak total.
Kak bumi tremer.
Tanah di gorga gajah-rohok gang, batu longge dan cumpet tanah keras rising dan swirring seperti landslides mini dalam revers. Nia slam ke arm kerohot, isi gap dan replace fragmen sheker—mend nia dengan efisiensi brutal. Ini confirm afiniti Elemen Terna dari munster pokok, since cara trunk utama nia shudder, ima nia memanipule kuza-sia.
Yang form next adalah hand even lebih besar dari before.
Following pattern konstruk lon, Leo tahu exactly apa yang happening. Ini one akan terus repair dan reinforce ista, growing bulkier dan stronger sampai ray matang kekahal full beast 3-star mid.
Dan Elk... Elk tidak akan last that long.
In fact, it tidak akan even last sampai point itu.
Huff... huff... huff...
Breath beast keras dan heavy. It sudah sprinting, weaving, dan break melalui obstacle nonstop, dan tunder discharge itu—although powerful—drain mana yang masih ada.
Munster pokok ima almost pleased, jaga mulut nia curl into bentuk delight saat sense state Elk yang degre. Throughout seluruh konfrontasi, it masih belum sparing Leo so much as a glance. As if nia less relevant dari daun yang falling.
Shyra dan Niri masih somewhere di luar canopy, tear way nia masuk—perfect untuk Leo. All nia need adalah satu second untuk touch Titanbreath Lotus dan transport it whole ke spiritual island nia, di mana unending spiritual particles akan feed it dan let it produce Earthpulse Heartstones indefinitely.
Untuk distraction itu continue, Elk harus tetap alive.
Lip Leo curl. It hev cara perfect untuk keep it kicking.
[Stealth]
Form nia blur, half-melt ke shadows. Forest dim around nia saat nia slip forward dengan step swift, soundless. Dengan flick wrist, nia pull out football-sized dark blue pseudo 3-star mana crystal dan Earthpulse Heartstone charged to roughly seventy dan thirty-five per cent—one in each hand, cool dan dense dengan energi.
Elk, wheezing dengan mulut nia slightly open, suddenly stiffen. Even dalam state lemah, it sense something closing in—presence yang moving dengan speed impossible.
Before it bisa react—
Beh—gup!
Crunch!
Something jam ke mulut nia, dan instinct kicked in. It bit down.
Cold, invigorating power flood gorok nia seperti drink soothing setelah run summer yang scorching. Muskel nia tighten, refill dengan strength, mana core nia pulsing back to life dalam wave steady. Mata widening, it whip head nia around, search untuk culprit—but only caught faint, humanoid silhouette yang slip back ke shadows dan vanish completely.
Leo grin.
First part dari plan, success.
As expected, Elk yang revitalize waste no time. Although it tidak launch attack mana-based lagi, arc elektrik dance faintly sekitar leg nia, boost speed nia ke level frightening. It blur across battlefield, rely purely pada physical strike yang amplified dengan momentum.
Each impact shatter turtle-shell barrier core lagi, saat Elk dart in dan out dari reach, weave antara swing golem yang slower, heavier dengan vigour renewed.
Dan just as Leo hope, fokus munster pokok entirely lock ke Elk. It truly feel as though saat nia slip ke stealth, creature erase nia dari awareness nia. Even golem yang march ke arah nia earlier abruptly turn away, reroute ke Shyra dan Niri, yang masih outside canopy, tear through layer outer dari battlefield.
Leo even instruct Shyra untuk create chaos lebih—shake tanah, destroy golem destructively, do anything yang force behemoth untuk divide attention nia. Dan it work perfectly; Evergrowth Rootspire Behemoth keep sense nia stretch thin everywhere except di mana Leo berada.
Gaze nia return ke treasure yang glow. Budding fruits pulse faintly, skin nia translucent enough untuk warm light glow through. Di atas nia, lotus di crown should've been brightest, but coil root serpent-like shield it completely.
Without waste another breath, Leo sprint ke arah treasure—only to stop dead in track nia.
Root-wrapped lotus burst dengan radiance yellow vibrant, glow so intense it bleed through gap di root dan lit surrounding canopy seperti lantern. Leo dove ke patch shadow yang darker, heart hammering, cloak ista deeper dengan skill nia supaya nia tidak expose.
Evergrowth Rootspire Behemoth, yang intensively focus pada control puppet golem yang towering, snap attention nia ke arah lotus. Mulut zigzag nia twist sharply ke direction itu.
Then, dengan precision unsettling, it peel back root protektif. Root tebal lain extend dari above, tip split ke tendril delikate yang slip ke lotus. It wrap around something nestle dalam dan pluck it free.
Information surge ke vision Leo.
>Earthpulse Lifecore — Low Yellow-Tier Treasure<
A rare vitality-rich fruit created whenever Titanbreath Lotus undergoes advancement minor. Saturated dengan potent life force, it greatly boost constitution, physical resilience, dan recovery rate. Consumption permanently enhance vitality foundational body.
"Enhancing constitution...?" Leo whisper. Mata nia widen heartbeat kemudian saat realization slam ke nia. "It going to eat it."
Guardian itu sendiri—consuming treasure yang ia meant to protect.
Then nia recall word Dale:
'Treasures nurture guardian beasts their supaya mereka can protect them better.'
Brow Leo draw together.
Nia picture root flimsy, brittle yang try block nia earlier—good untuk reach, terrible untuk offence. Nia snap seperti twig di bawah Shyra atau even blade Leo. Nia tidak meant to fight.
Golem adalah weapon true—massive, powerful construct yang born dari Earth manipulation munster.
Meaning pokok itu hanya grow dalam intelligence, bukan strength—dan rely pada treasure dan construct ini untuk compensate frailty physical nia.
"So behemoth strength is lacking... dan it use treasure untuk bolster ista, while golem nia do fighting?" Leo mutter, eye narrow.
Nia look again di mulut jagged behemoth, now yawning open saat prepare untuk swallow Lifecore whole.
"This, this cannot be allowed—!"
"Master! Solar Beam is ready!"
Chapter 89: Glass Cannon [Bonus 2/2]
The Elk, startled by the sudden shift in the battle, braced itself to counterattack.
In a heartbeat, its antlers lit up with a brilliant bluish-white radiance—so bright even its eyes reflected the electric glow. It pulled its head back, gathering every scrap of stored charge into a single point and then—
Ziiipppzz!
With a sharp forward snap of its neck, the Elk unleashed the compressed thunder, its antlers acting as the twin fangs of a lightning strike.
BOOOOM!
The discharge collided with the golem’s raised arm, exploding across it. Cracks spider-webbed instantly, fragments of stone blowing out where the blast concentrated. For a moment, Leo thought the limb might fall apart entirely.
But the earth trembled.
The ground around the golem churned, loose rock and clumps of hardened soil rising and swirling like a miniature landslide in reverse. They slammed into the damaged arm, filling gaps and replacing shattered pieces—mending it with brutal efficiency. This confirmed the tree monsters’ Earth affinity, since the way its main trunk shuddered, it seemed to be utilising its power.
What formed next were hands even larger than before.
Following the pattern of earlier constructs, Leo knew exactly what was happening. This one would keep repairing and reinforcing itself, growing bulkier and stronger until it reached the full might of a mid 3-star beast.
And the Elk... the Elk wouldn’t last that long.
In fact, it wouldn’t even last until that point.
Huff... huff... huff...
The beast’s breaths came harsh and heavy. It had been sprinting, weaving, and breaking through obstacles nonstop, and that thunder discharge—though powerful—had drained what remained of its mana.
The tree monster seemed almost pleased, its jagged mouth curling into a delighted shape as it sensed the Elk’s declining state. Throughout the entire confrontation, it still hadn’t spared Leo so much as a glance. As if he were less relevant than a falling leaf.
Shyra and Niri were still somewhere outside the canopy, tearing their way inward—perfect for Leo. All he needed was a second to touch the Titanbreath Lotus and transport it whole into his spiritual island, where unending spiritual particles would feed it and let it produce Earthpulse Heartstones indefinitely.
For that distraction to continue, the Elk had to stay alive.
Leo lips curled. He had the perfect way to keep it kicking.
[Stealth]
His form blurred, half-melting into the shadows. The forest dimmed around him as he slipped forward with swift, soundless steps. With a flick of his wrist, he pulled out a football-sized dark blue pseudo 3-star mana crystal and an Earthpulse Heartstone charged to roughly seventy and thirty-five per cent—one in each hand, cool and dense with energy.
The Elk, wheezing with its mouth slightly open, suddenly stiffened. Even in its weakened state, it sensed something closing in—a presence moving with impossible speed.
Before it could react—
Beh—gup!
Crunch!
Something jammed into its mouth, and instinct kicked in. It bit down.
Cold, invigorating power flooded its throat like a soothing drink after a scorching summer run. Its muscles tightened, refilling with strength, its mana core pulsing back to life in steady waves. Eyes widening, it whipped its head around, searching for the culprit—but only caught a faint, humanoid silhouette slipping back into the shadows and vanishing completely.
Leo grinned.
First part of the plan, success.
As expected, the revitalized Elk wasted no time. Though it didn’t launch any more mana-based attacks, arcs of electricity danced faintly around its legs, boosting its speed to frightening levels. It blurred across the battlefield, relying on pure physical strikes amplified by momentum.
Each impact shattered another turtle-shell barrier core, while the Elk darted in and out of reach, weaving between the golem’s slower, heavier swings with renewed vigour.
And just as Leo hoped, the tree monster’s focus was entirely locked onto the Elk. It truly felt as though the moment he slipped into stealth, the creature erased him from its awareness. Even the golems that had been marching toward him earlier abruptly turned away, rerouted toward Shyra and Niri, who were still outside the canopy, tearing through the outer layers of the battlefield.
Leo had even instructed Shyra to create more chaos—shake the ground, destroy the golems destructively, do anything that forced the behemoth to divide its attention. And it worked perfectly; the Evergrowth Rootspire Behemoth kept its senses stretched thin everywhere except where Leo was.
His gaze returned to the glowing treasure. The budding fruits pulsed faintly, their skins translucent enough for warm light to glow through. Above them, the lotus at the crown should’ve been the brightest, but coils of serpent-like roots shielded it completely.
Without wasting another breath, Leo sprinted toward the treasure—only to stop dead in his tracks.
The root-wrapped lotus burst with a vibrant yellow radiance, the glow so intense it bled through the gaps in the roots and lit the surrounding canopy like a lantern. Leo dove into a darker patch of shadow, heart hammering, cloaking himself deeper with his skill so he wouldn’t be exposed.
The Evergrowth Rootspire Behemoth, which had been intensely focused on controlling the towering puppet golem, snapped its attention toward the lotus. Its zigzag mouth twisted sharply in that direction.
Then, with unsettling precision, it peeled back the protective roots. Another thick root extended from above, tip splitting into delicate tendrils that slipped into the lotus. It wrapped around something nestled within and plucked it free.
Information surged into Leo’s vision.
>Earthpulse Lifecore — Low Yellow-Tier Treasure<
A rare vitality-rich fruit created whenever the Titanbreath Lotus undergoes a minor advancement. Saturated with potent life force, it greatly boosts constitution, physical resilience, and recovery rate. Consumption permanently enhances the body’s foundational vitality.
"Enhancing constitution...?" Leo whispered. His eyes widened a heartbeat later as the realization slammed into him. "It’s going to eat it."
The guardian itself—consuming the treasure it was meant to protect.
Then he recalled Dale’s words:
’Treasures nurture their guardian beasts so that they can protect them better.’
Leo’s brows drew together.
He pictured the flimsy, brittle roots that had tried to block him earlier—good for reach, terrible for offence. They snapped like twigs under Shyra or even Leo’s blade. They weren’t meant to fight.
The golems were the true weapons—massive, powerful constructs born from the monster’s Earth manipulation.
Meaning the tree had grown only in intelligence, not in strength—and relied on these treasures and constructs to compensate for its physical frailty.
"So the behemoth’s strength is lacking... and it uses the treasure to bolster itself, while its golems do the fighting?" Leo muttered, eyes narrowing.
He looked again at the behemoth’s jagged mouth, now yawning open as it prepared to swallow the Lifecore whole.
"This, this cannot be allowed—!"
"Master! Solar Beam is ready!"
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