abcnovels
Chapter 99 Hunting The Treant
Chapter 99 Hunting The Treant
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?Prison Star Calendar?
?Year 187, June 12?
?1:13 AM?
?Countdown to Confession Death: 8 days?
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Tyler arrived at the North Sunny Wasteland in the early morning.
Under the cold moonlight, even in summer, this desolate land permeated with a subtle, eerie atmosphere.
However, compared to the gloomy chill he had once felt in Avirl's basement, Tyler deemed the North Sunny Wasteland to be far more hospitable.
Compared to other bounty hunters, Tyler possessed a natural advantage; he did not need to fell trees to discern the true identity of the Treants.
With the identification ability of the Divine Eye of Transcendence, he could instantly discern which withered tree was a Treant in disguise.
"Moto-chan, ride on!"
Moto-chan galloped swiftly across the Wasteland. With its speed, covering the entire North Sunny Wasteland in one night would be no challenge.
However, subsequent events proved that Tyler had been overly cautious.
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It wasn't long before the Fir Treant took the initiative to "greet" Tyler as Moto-chan raced through the Wasteland.
At that moment, Tyler was intently examining the surrounding area for any Treant identification information, when suddenly, a red light flashed in front of him, followed by the familiar three-second countdown!
Tyler immediately urged Moto-chan to leap aside and evade!
In an instant, a thick root erupted from the soil, lashing out to strike Moto-chan's legs. Fortunately, Moto-chan leapt away just in time, avoiding a disastrous tumble for both rider and steed.
After regaining their balance, Tyler looked behind him and traced the root back to a withered tree in the distance. The tree suddenly sprung to life, twisting and writhing, as Tyler finally discerned its information.
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Fir Treant, Nameless, Genderless, 126 years old
Fir Treant - Lv43
Skill Slots: 2/2
Life Energy: 2322/2360
Endurance: 389/460
Magic Energy: 750/870
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At Level 43, this Treant was considerably stronger than the description given in the task. Fortunately, the Treant's stats were not exceptionally high, and Tyler believed the situation remained manageable.
(...The real concern lies with those two skills.)
Through numerous battles, Tyler had developed a certain understanding of the combat system in this world.
Life Energy, Endurance, and Magic Energy were objective and stable metrics, and without any skills involved, one could calculate the probability of victory by factoring in both parties' attack and defense power, as well as their accuracy.
However, the presence of skills introduced a significant element of uncertainty, as a single, crucial skill could enable a weaker combatant to escape or even miraculously turn the tide.
Up until now, Tyler had deduced that one of the Treant's skills was likely mimicry or camouflage, which explained its disguise as a withered tree and its initial underground assault. The real question was the Treant's other skill...
As Tyler pondered, the red flash reappeared, this time with the attack originating from the ground beneath him and Moto-chan!
"Moto-chan, ride!"
Tyler spurred his steed to escape, but the horse's acceleration was insufficient to outrun the ground splitting apart beneath them.
This time, three tree roots burst from the earth, slithering like pythons towards the duo!
Moto-chan couldn't evade in time, and one of the roots ensnared its hind leg!
Seeing this, Tyler immediately unsheathed his sword and leapt into action, severing the root with several slashes to free Moto-chan.
However, their situation had not improved; the three thick roots encircled Tyler and Moto-chan like serpents, and behind these roots, three newly emerged Fir Treants were slowly closing in.
Including the initial Fir Treant, a total of four now surrounded Tyler and Moto-chan.
(To think they've already propagated... In just half a month... I miscalculated...)
Tyler examined the status information of each Fir Treant, noting the differences among them. Even those with the same level had subtle variations in their stats, ruling out the possibility of them being mere puppets.
Presently, Tyler and Moto-chan found themselves besieged on all sides.Persisting in battle while encircled by enemies would undoubtedly be unwise.
Even without the Treants using their abilities, the simple lashings of their vines could easily beat Tyler and Moto-chan to death.
Tyler surveyed the Treants' positions, noting a gap in their formation. He swiftly hurled two smoke bombs and vaulted onto his steed, charging out of the encirclement atop Moto-chan amidst the chaos.
Once beyond the smoke, Tyler discovered that the Treants had not pursued them.
(The advantage of speed lies with us.)
The assurance of superior speed was crucial to Tyler's decision to challenge the Treants alone.
Had the Treants been swifter, he would have abandoned his plan and fled instead.
Yet, even though the Treants could not move quickly, their subterranean vine and root attacks remained a formidable threat.
Tyler marveled at their circumstances. If not for the warnings of impending attacks, he and Moto-chan might have already been reduced to fertilizer.
(Four Treants... according to the plan, there is still a chance for victory.)
As the smoke dissipated, Tyler cautiously returned to the site of their recent skirmish.
He found the Treants had resumed their camouflage as withered trees. Without his ability to identify them, it would be impossible to distinguish which lifeless tree was actually a Treant.
(So that's their strategy—lying in wait like this.)
Tyler now understood that the Treants assessed their surroundings and attacked vulnerable, isolated targets. If their prey were in greater numbers, they would remain still, masquerading as lifeless trees until an opportunity presented itself.
This seemingly intelligent hunting strategy played right into Tyler's hands.
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The range of Tyler's arrows exceeded that of the Treants' vine attacks, which was the basis for his continued engagement in battle that night.
As he closed the distance between himself and the Treants, Tyler prepared to strike. However, he noticed peculiar objects scattered on the ground.
(...Fir Treant seed bombs?)
The spherical seeds were dispersed across the ground, and upon inspecting their description, Tyler read: "Fir Treant seeds with magic power that explode upon impact or pressure, with each seed's power equivalent to a hand grenade."
Tyler reflected on how thoughtful his identification ability was, providing comparisons with familiar concepts from Earth World.
"Moto-chan! Halt!"
Tyler pulled back on the reins, stopping his warhorse. The area ahead was a minefield, off-limits for passage.
Nevertheless, the issue was not significant, as the Treants had already entered Tyler's range.
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Taking a deep breath to relax his nerves, Tyler acknowledged that if not for his caution and empowered abilities, he and Moto-chan would have already perished thrice that night.
Maintaining focus while also staying relaxed in the heat of battle was a skill that required finesse, and Tyler's current state was just right.
(Since I know both of its abilities, it's now my turn.)
Tyler opened a barrel of oil and soaked the tips of 40 arrows.
He had prepared these arrows with a special modification before departing, wrapping cotton around each arrowhead.
With the cotton now saturated in oil, all that remained was for Tyler to transform the arrows into flaming projectiles!