Dia was living a plant’s best life.
She was basking in the warm light coming from the giant sunflowers, drinking the refreshing clear water, and her roots were soaking in nutrients from delicious monsters freshly killed.
This is how life should be, Dia thought occasionally.
“...Eh?”
Suddenly, she felt it.
Almost at the same time, spatial tears appeared in several places in the Biome.
And people were coming in uninvited.
“W-who are these people!? Invaders? It’s- its…”
The nervous dryad’s body trembled. Her appearance hadn't changed since three years ago.
I’ve got to tell kin! He’s been silent for a looong time. Is he done yet?
***
A Biome was a place that existed in a different dimension.
Like a remote island in a sea of mists, a Biome was easily hidden and defensible. Be that as it may, there was no such thing as absolute.
Because of the ebb and flow of the planes, sometimes the path to a Biome became clear for a period of time. The mist faded and the sea became calm. Sometimes, even direct paths to the Biome appeared on its own.
Dia might be the master of her Biome but even she couldn't dictate the dimensional trajectory of the Biome. It was like the weather. Sometimes, natural disasters just happen.
“So, this is the new Biome, huh?” A young man peered through the portal. Even though he had a handsome face, it was scarred by a burnt mark that encompassed the skin around his left eye. He inhaled the scent of verdure coming through. “Seems like a wonderful find. The mana concentration is top-notch. Must be a high-grade one.”
“As you say, Prince,” a tall middle-aged man with a noble contour said. The man was wearing a Latias-style semi-formal attire imbued with strong enchantments.
“Send more scouts. I don't want any surprises like the last Biome we plundered,” the prince said. “Which Order will go?”
“The Flaming Sword Knightly Order, Your Highness.”
The prince turned. “Isn't the Knight Captain retired recently? Who’s in command, Lord Davis?”
“You know him well. I’m sure my nephew will bring you glory, Prince Lutz.”
***
“Captain, the scouts are returning,” a knight reported.
A young man nodded in confirmation.
His name was Sieg, nephew of the King of Yeteron. It was a small kingdom neighboring the country of Latias. The youth had a serious expression watching the magical screens that the mages conjured.
This was the young leader’s fourth mission after he was promoted to the position of captain. The previous three he completed with success and distinction. Each sortie made the young commander shed his rookie feathers and the confidence his men had towards him grew.
With their captain recently becoming a Level 4, the knights felt this mission’s success was assured.
Sieg tackled his responsibility very seriously. The Yeteron Kingdom had backed the 11th Prince of Latias. The struggle for the throne would be dangerous and filled with perils. In order to conquer that, the prince needed more money, more men, more power, more everything.
To that end, the mages of Yeteron Kingdom sought the hidden Biomes in the dimensional void. Their kingdom was small and not comparable to Latias, but they had their own specialties to survive the times. Their expertise in finding Biomes was the subject of envy from other states.
Sieg listened to the report of the returning scouts. Delving into unknown Biomes could bring untold riches but the risks were similarly high.
“The Biome is a verdure paradise, very rich.”
“The treasure signals are coming from all over the place.”
“There are strange life forms in the Biome. They looked like little humanoid mushrooms. They ran when approached. Seems harmless.”
Sieg wondered if they were the Biome’s natural residents.
Some Biomes had their own existential laws. Sieg remembered the time in his childhood when he entered a Biome that allowed him to fly freely in the Biome’s airspace.
“From the energy signal, there’s a couple of Power Spots inside! I confirmed seeing one with my own eyes.” A scout happily reported.
Each of the scouts brought gratifying news. Sieg’s instinct was to be happy but he refrained from indulging in his emotions. Was the Biome dangerous? Has it been claimed by otherworldly powers? The questions remained.
His men awaited his decision. Even though he wasn't seeing them, Sieg knew the prince and his uncle were monitoring the situation. For the sake of the future, he couldn’t fail.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
Sieg was waiting for the return of the last scout before giving his next order. It was then the first of the bad news came. The scout’s life paper burned up in the blink of an eye. Sieg ordered the mage that specialized in clairvoyance for the details.
A projection appeared on the walls, showing the scout’s last moments.
The man vigilantly scouted the woods until a little green girl popped her head out from behind a tree.
“Mister, are you bad people?” The girl asked.
“No, we’re not. Are you a resident of this place? Don't worry, we won't hurt you. We are just investigating this place.”
“So you’re good people?” The girl slightly approached.
“Yes, we are, girl.”
“Oh.”
The scout suddenly got crushed by giant roots that appeared from the ground. The scout screamed in pain.
“You lied,” the girl pouted. “Kin said you are here to take our stuff. Baddies!”
The wooden roots squeezed tighter until his blood flowed. It was like seeing a fruit get juiced.
The clairvoyance stopped there.
“...Someone, make sure the guy’s bereaved family is properly compensated,” Sieg sighed. They knew the risks of the job but the loss of life weighed heavy on his shoulders.
Sieg analyzed the situation based on the information he had. The girl was most likely a dryad. She showed Level 3’s strength. The Level 2 scout didn't stand a chance. If that was all then the Knightly Order could deal with her with no problem but what about her kin that she spoke of?
The mages reported again while he was in deep contemplation. The rifts to the Biome were closing. The mages focused their energy on maintaining a single stable pathway.
It was an indication that the Biome Master was acting. Was it the dryad? Made sense, the mushroom people must be her people.
If the mages spread out their energy, even the pathways they made would be unstable and dangerous. Better one stable path than many which might fling you to who knew where.
As the commander, it was time for Sieg to make a decision. To plunder or not to plunder. They were lucky enough to find such an abundant Biome. Furthermore, it seemed unclaimed. Sometimes the Biomes the kingdom found were already under the control of the other organization or countries. He had to colonize this one in the name of the Yeteron Kingdom.
The Pathseeker world was a blood struggle for resources. Everyone was doing it. Sometimes, the aggressor even wiped out the innocent indigenous to make room for new occupants. Since the Yeteron Kingdom never did that, Sieg thought it was kind of a blessing for them to be colonized by the more benevolent hand.
If the Yeteron Kingdom is weak, it will be us who get plundered and taken. I’m sorry but the kingdom needs those resources!
Diplomacy was not an option. Time was working against them. If enough time passed then even the Yeteron mages wouldn't be able to keep the path to the Biome connected because the dimensional void was always shifting. In a rough estimate, they had more than three hours but less than six. If they were unable to obtain the Realm Core during that time, the Biome and all its riches would be lost to them forever.
“Squad 3, defend the beachhead. Squad 2, engage the dryad if she comes. Squad 1, 4, and 6, aim for the Realm Core. The rest will be on reserve,” Sieg gave each squad their task. He knew which squad was most suitable for the job. It was a sign of good leadership.
Each squad consisted of five people, a team that synergized in group combat. It was like a hunting party for defeating monsters.
The squad mobilized after getting their order. The Flaming Sword Knightly Order had eight squads in total. The three teams that were in the backline were ready to provide backup.
The dryad appeared after the combat squads entered the Biome. The hostilities were clear from both sides. It would be a no-holds-barred Arte battle.
Some of the knights felt conflicted fighting a girl that looked like a ten-year-old girl but they knew the slightest hesitation might cost them their lives. After seeing what she did next, their hesitation greatly lessened.
“Baddies go away!” The little girl screamed and monstrous mutant plants emerged beside her.
Corn Turrets, Strong Spinaches, Habanero Hunters, Venus Mantraps, and Prickly Cactuses.
With a group of fifty friendsies in total, Dia engaged the invaders. The mutant plants were her semi-autonomous Arte. The plants were reasonably strong but the enemies were pros.
The engagement lasted for twenty minutes.
After the initial clash and cutting down the enemies, three groups of fives slipped past Dia while a group was dedicated to battling her down so she couldn't interfere. Of course, the opening skirmish also wounded the knights to various degrees.
“Aahh! Stop! Stay! Don't go inside!” Dia tried to prevent the others from going deeper into the Biome.
A woman knight speared Dia through the stomach.
“Ugh!”
“Sorry, little one,” the female knight sighed. She was the leader of Squad 2, which was in charge of battling Dia. She didn't want to hurt someone of the same age as her daughter but she had her orders. “We don't want to hurt you. Can you please stand down?”
“Uuuu… bad aunties, not like good Jess-Jess. Dia mad!”
Dia touched a tree and in a few breaths, the tree withered. On the other hand, Dia’s wounds healed.
“Ah… That’s not good,” the knightess said.
“Dia’s friendsies are counting on Dia to take you down. Baddies should just be silent meat!”
Dia attacked again with increasing intensity. Vines attacked like a pack of venomous vipers. Seeing squad 2 being pressured, squad 3 asked permission to help. There might be other dangers in the Biome so having a dedicated defender for their only path of return made sense but their friends were close to getting slaughtered.
Sieg denied Squad 3’s request, ordering them to stay on their post. Instead, he sent a reserve squad to help Squad 2 battle the dryad. With ten against one, the battle became more balanced.
“What a strong dryad. It takes ten people to contain her,” Sieg’s sentiment was shared by the others in the command post. He then split his attention to see the magical view projections that showed the other squads. Some of the connections were blurry because of interference but still watchable.
***
Squad 1, 4, and 6 managed to pass thanks to their friends opening the way. To repay their efforts they aimed to accomplish their mission as swiftly and efficiently as possible.
The Flaming Sword Knightly Order was a tight-knit group. A steel bond of camaraderie bound them all after going through many dangerous trials and missions together. The fifteen men and women sped throughout the Biome, ignoring many precious resources that tugged their sense of greed. Their only aim was the Realm Core. The mushroom-like small humanoids scattered waving their tiny arms in the air as soon as they saw the knights.
Each squad leader had a compass. The compass was a magic item for sensing treasures. It was currently set to seek the strongest energy signal. In a Biome, it was almost always the Realm Core. All three compasses pointed to the huge tree in the distance.
When they were about ten kilometers away from the giant tree, they began to sense it.
“Do you guys feel that?”
“Yeah.”
“Someone is in Ascension.”
“This energy… Level 3 going to 4, no doubt about it.”
“I’m informing Captain Sieg.”
“We must hurry. We’ll be in trouble if that person manages to Level.”
“Let’s hurry and nip this problem in the bud. Whoever they are, they are vulnerable during the process. Stay sharp!”
Battle-hardened fifteen Level 3s approached with intent to harm.