Chapter 83: Advanced Rank-1 Thornwood Treants

This time, the group didn't encounter one or two Thornwood Treants but a small group of them. Blending in with regular trees, six Thornwood Treants stood relatively close together, surrounded by skeletal remains and spirit plants.

"Are they all Thornwood Treants?" Paula asked with surprise.

"Looks like it," Frans nodded.

"The larger one should be at Intermediate Rank-1. The rest are at Beginner Rank-1," Hugo used his heightened perception to judge.

"How do we proceed?" Frans turned to Ain and asked. He wasn't concerned about the upcoming battle. He was confident in their abilities.

Ain glanced at the Thornwood Treants and said, "I'll use Hex: Cursed Lullaby. Once they're asleep, we'll attack them. I'll take care of the Intermediate Rank-1."

So far, the battles solely relied on brute force, primarily to allow the others to gain some experience. But now, Ain could earnestly begin hunting. After all, even his first trip had been more dangerous than this. The others raised no objections.

With a quick thought, Nox received its mission and approached within range before using Hex: Cursed Lullaby.

"Wooooooooooo…" "Wooooooooooo…"

As its discordant yet melodic voice rippled through the forest, the Thornwood Treants detected something awry. But before they could think further, their rustling branches suddenly fell silent.

Seeing this, Ain equipped the black spear and rushed towards the largest Thornwood Treant, followed closely by Nox.

When he moved out, the others also responded by launching an assault. Hugo commanded Ace to use Air Slash at one of the Beginner Rank-1 Thornwood Treants, while he himself used Spirit Blast, aiming at the closed vertical slit on the trunk.

Boom!

As soon as the Spirit Blast struck, Ace's Air Slashes landed simultaneously, ripping off pieces of bark and shredding the branches. The large amount of damage awakened the slumbering Thornwood Treant, as it began flailing its branches in pain.

At this moment, Hugo drew the bow from behind his back and released an arrow.

Swish!

The arrow cut through the air, accurately piercing the vertical slit that had just opened to reveal the wooden eye within.

This bow was crafted from Beginner Rank-1 materials, and the special arrow tips from Intermediate Rank-1 materials. With Hugo's innate ability and personal preference, he chose the path of a marksman.

As a marksman, bows weren't the only weapons available to him. There were numerous types of mechanical equipment such as guns and cannons available as well. But such mechanical equipment was beyond his financial ability. So, his weapon of choice was the cheaper yet effective bow and arrows.

On Paula's side, as soon as the battle began, she immediately rushed up to her unconscious target and used her innate talent, Vital Vines. Emerald green vines emerged and wrapped around the lower region of the Thornwood Treant's trunk, beginning to absorb its vitality.

She followed it up with a Spirit Blast, while the mechanical gauntlet used Vital Blast simultaneously. Two spheres of spirit energy, one golden and one green, struck the upper region of the trunk, further damaging the Thornwood Treant that had yet to regain its bearings.

Unlike Hugo and Paula, Frans was at Intermediate Rank-1 and targeted two Thornwood Treants. He commanded the Brilliant Fae to use multiple Radiant Bolts to attack a Thornwood Treant, while he attacked another with Spirit Blasts. Due to his rank, his attacks were more powerful and dealt greater damage.

As his teammates battled, Ain also approached his slumbering target, an Intermediate Rank-1 Thornwood Treant. Following the momentum of his sprint, he raised the black spear and stabbed forward with ferocity.

Boom!

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A sound akin to an explosion resounded as he struck with all his might, leaving a wide hole in the trunk, ultimately snapping the Thornwood Treant in half and instantly killing it.

An Intermediate Rank-1 Thornwood Treant died in a single strike!

This strike, combining Spirit Impact with the black spear, was one of Ain's strongest attacks without using Possession!

During his recent trips, he began experimenting with Spirit Impact, attempting to use the spell in tandem with his weapons. After shattering a few daggers, the black spear, with its piercing ability, displayed the optimal results.

The effects were similar to using Spirit Impact and Phantom Claws together, albeit much weaker.

Ain stared ahead at the outcome of his attack and nodded internally. "Once I obtain spear techniques, my combat power will increase further."

Martial arts and weapon techniques were similar to meditation techniques, as they required the circulation of spirit energy through specific paths. When used in combat, they could display astonishing prowess.

Ain aimed to obtain a few martial arts techniques and spear techniques after this trip.

Within twenty seconds, the battles concluded with six dead Thornwood Treants. Hugo and Paula killed one each, whereas Frans and Ain each killed two. Aside from the Intermediate Rank-1, the second Beginner Rank-1 Thornwood Treant was killed by Nox alone using Phantom Claws.

"Whew, that was exhilarating," Hugo breathed out and smiled while admiring their handiwork. During this battle, everyone participated, invoking the feeling of teamwork and reliance.

"Not bad, everyone did great," Ain praised his teammates while harvesting the Thornwood Hearts.

"The Thornwood Treants won't wake up unless we attack them. After using Hex: Cursed Lullaby, we can slowly defeat large groups," Frans analyzed their battle.

"The information did mention that Thornwood Treants only appeared in groups deeper in the Thornwood Grove," Paula said.

"If there's an Advanced Rank-1 in a group, doesn't that mean there'll be multiple Intermediate Rank-1s and Beginner Rank-1s around it?" Hugo asked, feeling a little apprehensive at the thought.

"It's possible. But Thornwood Treants are stationary spirit beasts. Otherwise, no Rank-1 spirit tamer would come here to hunt," Ain said.

After giving it some thought, Hugo felt slightly relieved and said, "We can always run too."

With a quick break, they gathered all the nearby spirit plants and continued their search for Advanced Rank-1 Thornwood Treants.

Just as they expected, Thornwood Treants began appearing in groups, often consisting of one or more Intermediate Rank-1 Thornwood Treants and multiple Beginner Rank-1s. The further they went, it became increasingly difficult to avoid them, leaving them no choice but to clear a path.

Time passed as they consumed Spirit Recovery Pills periodically to maintain their spirit energy.

After two hours of continuous battles, Hugo finally alerted the group of what he suspected to be Advanced Rank-1 Thornwood Treants.

"This isn't good," Hugo said with a frown.

Frans asked, "What's wrong?"

"The Thornwood Treants are too close. Moreover, they aren't in small groups anymore, but a large grove with numerous Advanced Rank-1s scattered in between," Hugo replied.

Hearing this, the rest were alarmed.

"So many?" Paula exclaimed.

Frans also frowned. Ain thought for a second before asking, "How far apart are the Advanced Rank-1s? Can Hex: Cursed Lullaby affect a few of them at once?"

"Hmm… I don't think so. You'll be able to target two at most," Hugo replied after some thought.

In their previous battles, it was Hex: Cursed Lullaby that prevented a rain of Thorn Barrages from drowning them. With so many attacks, Shield wouldn't be able to withstand it, and due to the attack's wide range, they couldn't dodge it either.

Although Thorn Barrage's range was long and wide, there was still a limit. Judging from the detailed information Hugo provided, at any given time, three Advanced Rank-1 Thornwood Treants would be in range to use Thorn Barrage. Moreover, there were still numerous Intermediate Rank-1s and Beginner Rank-1s around them.

It was impossible for Ain to use Hex: Cursed Lullaby to target all three Advanced Rank-1 Thornwood Treants at once. After Nox used Hex: Cursed Lullaby, the Thornwood Treants outside of its range would definitely attack using Thorn Barrage.

With an Advanced Rank-1 and multiple weaker Thornwood Treants using Thorn Barrage together, their Shields would be torn apart easily.

"Should we change locations?" Frans suggested.

"It's the same situation within Ace's vision. Should I search farther to the sides?" Hugo suggested.

Ain nodded, "Let's do that first."

With a thought from Hugo, Ace flapped its wings and left to scout. Soon, Ace circled back and left in the opposite direction. A few minutes later, Ace returned, informing Hugo of its findings.

"It's the same everywhere within our range. There're Thornwood Treants everywhere up ahead," Hugo informed the group.

"Then how are we supposed to complete the mission?" Paula asked with a frown.

"We can abandon the mission. We just have to pay a small penalty," Frans added.

Ain listened to his teammates' conversation as he sighed internally. It became apparent why this mission was an extreme mission, recommending a team of Advanced Rank-1 Spirit Tamers to tackle it together.

After gathering all the relevant information, with the assistance of Analysis and Deduction, a plan had already formulated in his mind, but Ain was hesitant to proceed. He was confident in his own abilities, but he couldn't guarantee his teammates' performance. This wasn't an issue of trust, but a lack of experience.

But with their goal right in front of him, Ain felt dissatisfied at the thought of quitting. He mentally examined the plan one more time before speaking up.

"I have a plan that can allow us to finish the mission, but it's a little risky."

Hearing this, the others turned to look at Ain.

"A plan? Really?" Hugo asked.

"Yes. But like I said, it's risky if you make mistakes," Ain reiterated. Frans and Paula also focused on his words before asking, "What's the plan?"