Seeing the army of Mana Plants looming ahead, Bella snapped her head to glare at Franklin. "This is what happens when you're incompetent! If you'd dealt with this commoner and Shelly like you were supposed to, we would've passed through before this dungeon became active.
Franklin lowered his head in a slight bow. "Forgive me, Prin—"
"Not good enough!" Bella cut him off, her voice sharp. "What are you going to do about this? Do you even care about our mission anymore?"
"Of course, my princess," Franklin replied, his tone steady despite the weight of her glare. "It’s the only reason I continue to live."
"Then start acting like it!" Bella shot back.
From behind, Joe approached and placed a hand on Bella’s shoulder. "Give the old man a break. We’ve got those Mana Plants to deal with."
Bella shrugged his hand off, her face twisting in disgust. "Don’t touch me, filth!" Her eyes burned with intensity.
Joe’s expression hardened. "Who are you calling filth?"
"Guys!" Shelly’s voice broke through their squabble. "We don’t have time for this! Those Mana Plants are coming!"
Sure enough, Shelly was right. The plants dragged themselves forward, their countless vines snaking along the ground. Their flytrap-like heads opened, revealing rows of glinting teeth that sparkled ominously in the moonlight. They moved strategically, closing in from every angle.
One of the plants lashed out a long vine toward Bella.
Without even turning her head, Bella raised her right hand and pointed. An orb of fire condensed at her fingertip before shooting out, incinerating the incoming vine and engulfing the attacking plant—and several others near it—in flames. [Fireblast]
"Do I have to do everything myself?" Bella asked, her tone dripping with arrogance as she brushed her hair back triumphantly.
"No, stay back I’ll handle this." Joe declared.
He gripped his blade firmly with both hands, his eyes narrowing as Mana surged through his body.
[-400 Mana Pool Rank Points]
[You Have Activated The Skill (Outsider’s Enhancement)]
[You Have Activated The Black Sheep's Skill (Enhanced Charge)]
[+230 Physical Attribute Points (Total: 263)]
[+240 Mana Attribute Points (Total: 295)]
[Current Mana Pool:2,495]
Joe’s stance shifted, and a grin broke across his face. With a single step, he launched forward in a fearless charge.
"No, wait!" Bella shouted, but her words fell on deaf ears. Joe was not stopping.
As Joe closed the distance, two Mana Plants lashed their vines toward him, aiming to strangle him. Joe smirked, swinging his blade twice. Massive arcs of energy slashed through the vines and decapitated the plants in a single motion. [Flawless Swings]
[You Have Slain 2 (Rank 16) Mana Plant. (+16,800 Rank Points)]
[Quest Progress: 2/10 Mana Plants Slain]
The plants’ massive bodies slammed into the ground, shaking it as purple smoke poured from their severed necks.
Joe pressed on, unrelenting. Three more plants launched their heads. Their vines erecting like long necks. They opened their gaping mouths aiming to devour him whole.
He swung his blade three times in quick succession, producing razor-sharp arcs that cleaved each head perfectly in half. Their split heads crashed to the ground, leaking more purple smoke that began to shroud the forest. [Flawless Swings]
[You Have Slain 3 (Rank 16) Mana Plants. (+25, 200 Rank Points)]
[Quest Progress: 5/10 Mana Plants Slain]
[You Have Ranked Up!]
[Rank Up Progress: 14 [3000/55 000 Rank Points Required,]
[Updated Attributes]
• Physical Attributes: 36 (+15 Rank Points From The Black Sheep)
• Mana Attributes: 60
• Psychological Attributes: 24
Joe locked his gaze on the Big Oak looming in the distance, aimimg to imcrease his pace, but the ground trembled beneath him. Instinctively, he leaped into the air just as a plant erupted from the ground below, its massive head wide open, aiming to devour him. The plant’s teeth gleamed as it lunged for his legs, but Joe wouldn’t allow it. Swinging his blade in a downward arc, he unleashed a powerful Mana Slash that tore through the plant’s head, slicing it cleanly in two before it could fully emerge. [Moon Crescent Slash]
[You Have Slain A (Rank 16) Mana Plant. (+8,400 Rank Points)]
[Quest Progress: 6/10 Mana Plants Slain]
Joe landed gracefully, his boots touching down on the corpse of the slain Mana Plant. The purple smoke rising from its severed body began to obscure his vision, but he had no time to dwell on it as more plants slithered toward him with their endless, writhing vines.
Not willing to risk another underground ambush, Joe rushed foward and propelled himself into the air with a powerful leap. His cloak billowed in the wind as he looked down at the advancing plants below. Some lashed out their vines toward him, but he sliced through them effortlessly, each swing of his blade igniting with Mana.
With a surge of energy, he unleashed a colossal Mana Slash from above, aiming to clear the field. Sensing the danger, most of the plants scattered in different directions, but one wasn’t fast enough and was sliced cleanly through the head, its body crumbling to the ground. [Crescent Moon Slash]
[You Have Slain A (Rank 16) Mana Plant. (+8,400 Rank Points)]
[Quest Progress: 7/10 Mana Plants Slain]
[Rank Up Progress: 14 [17, 100/55 000 Required Rank Points]
Joe’s Mana surged as he descended, landing in the open space created by his attack. His impact cracked the earth beneath him, spiderweb fissures spreading outward from where he crouched.
Unfortunately, the reprieve was short-lived. The Mana Plants quickly regrouped, encircling him from all sides in an attempt to overwhelm him with sheer numbers. Acting swiftly, Joe spun in place, swinging his blade in a wide 360-degree arc. The omnidirectional slash carved through fifteen plants at once, their decapitated bodies crashing to the ground in unison. [Branch Skill: Rotating Arc]
[You Have Slain 15 (Rank 16) Mana Plants. (+134 400 Rank Points]
[10/10 Mana Plants Slain]
[Sub-Quest Complete!]
[+ 10 000 Rank Points]
[You Have Ranked Up!]
[You Have Ranked Up!]
[Rank Up Progress: 16 [46, 500/65 000 Rank Points Required]
[Updated Attributes]
• Physical Attributes: 42 (+15 Rank Points From The Black Sheep)
• Mana Attributes: 70
• Psychological Attributes: 28
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Joe followed up on his assault. From his blade, a black cloud of mana erupted. He swung the blade swiftly launching the cloud to devour all the fallen Mana Plants.
[You Have Activated The 'Unique Skill' (Predator)
[Due To Devouring The Remaining Mana Of The 15 (Rank 16) Mana Plants (+23 000 Rank Points) To Your Mana Pool.]
[Current Mana Pool:25 495]
[+15 (Rank 16) Mana Plant Cores Have Been Added To Your Inventory]
Joe was swift, but enough purple smoke had already leaked out of the fallen plants by the time he devourd them. Filing the area.
He began to feel its effects—his throat burned, his fingers tinged purple, and his vision blurred as dizziness set in.
[The Mana Plant’s Skill (Death Fog) Is Starting To Take Effect]
[The Skill Has Led To Poison Infiltrating Your Body]
[The Poison Is Slowly Starting To Spread]
[-25 Rank Points To Your Physical Attributes]
Realizing the danger, Joe knew he had to retreat. Using the opening created by his attack, he bolted back toward Shelly. Two more plants attempted to intercept him, but he cleaved through them with ease, carving a path back to safety. He stumbled to his knees in front of Shelly, heaving for breath.
"What were you thinking? Do you see what you’ve done? Now their poison has begun to spread! That’s not how you kill Mana Plants!" Bella’s enraged voice rang out as she stormed toward him.
Joe ignored her, focusing on Shelly, who had already activated her skill. A soft green light enveloped his body before he could even ask for help. Bella, Franklin, and Shelly were already shrouded in the same protective glow when he arrived.
[Shelly Has Activated The 'Healing Skill' (Cleansing)]
"My skill will try to purge the poison from your system," Shelly explained, her tone firm. "But it won’t keep up if we stay in this smoke for long. You were too reckless—you could’ve died!"
"Yeah, I kno—"
"You can’t just keep charging in aimlessly, Joe! I’m serious!" Shelly’s stern look sent chills down his spine.
"I’ll be more careful," Joe muttered as he stood, feeling the poison slowly flush from his system.
[You Have Regained +10 Rank Points To Your Physical Attributes: (Total:42)]
"I need your help," Joe said, turning to Bella. "Clear a path for me so I can get to the Dungeon Boss."
"A mere commoner doesn’t get to order me around!" Bella snapped.
"I’m not—"
She cut him off, her tone icy. "Even if I were to help, clearing all those plants would drain a lot of my precious Mana. Unlike you, I don’t just burn through it recklessly."
"So you’re saying you can’t do it. Got it." Joe turned toward the advancing plants.
"I never said I couldn’t!" Bella’s irritation was palpable. "I just—"
"You can’t do it, princess. I get it. There’s no shame in knowing your limits."
Bella’s glare could have ignited a forest. "Are you suggesting I have limits? Who do you think you’re talking to? Just watch—I’ll burn them all to ash!"
Franklin interjected cautiously, "Princess, let me handle this. If you overuse your fi—"
"No!" Bella cut him off. "I won’t let this commoner look down on me like I’m beneath him. I’ll handle the plants myself!"
"Great!" Joe said with a grin. "Shelly, can your skill stay active if we move further from you?"
"Yes, as long as I can see you. But I won’t be able to use my other skills while this one remains active."
"I told you, I don’t need your little skill, Shelly," Bella said dismissively. "I’ll be fine on my own. Save your Mana."
Joe raised his voice, drowning Bella's complaint. "Here’s the plan! Old man, you protect Shelly in case the princess doesn’t get all the plants. Shelly needs to focus on keeping the skill active, your job is to cover her."
Franklin reluctantly nodded.
"Good. Now let’s move, princess. I hope you can back up your words. Don’t slow me down."
Bella's face turned red, her irritation simmering. "I swear, I’m killing you when this is over!"
Joe's mana surged once more.
[-400 Mana Pool Rank Points]
[Current Mana Pool:25 095]
[You Have Activated The Skill (Outsider’s Enhancement)]
[You Have Activated The Black Sheep's Skill (Enhanced Charge)]
[+230 Rank Points To Your Physical Attribute Points (Total: 272)]
[+240 Mana Attribute Points (Total: 310)]
Bella glanced at Joe. Bewildered by his seemingly endless supply of mana. "How cold a mere commoner possess so much mana?" She thought, trying to wrap her mind around it.
"Let's go!" Joe's snapped her back to reality.
Almost simultaneously, Bella and Joe dashed forward, their movements fluid and swift. Bella surged ahead, her confident stride placing her in the lead, with Joe closely trailing behind.
A Mana Plant reared up, its vines propelling its massive head forward in a predatory strike aimed at Bella. Its gaping maw, filled with razor sharp teeth that sought to devour her whole.
Bella extended her right hand, blue flames dancing along her arm in a mesmerizing display. With a flick of her wrist, a wave of fire erupted from her palm, engulfing the Mana Plant’s head in a blazing inferno. [Flame Palm] But she wasn’t done. Grabbing its burning remains, she tore the head free and hurled it toward the other advancing plants. The fiery projectile exploded upon impact, consuming them all in flames and reducing them to ash. This rendered them unable to produce their smoke.
Bella’s movements didn’t falter. Swinging her flame-covered arms, she unleashed two powerful waves of fire, one to the left and the other to the right. The searing flames roared across the battlefield, devouring the Mana Plants caught in their path. [Flame Wave]
[10 Mana Plants Remaining]
Her devastating attacks had already decimated a majority of the plants in seconds.
Another Mana Plant charged from the front, its vines lashing out in rapid succession. Bella dodged effortlessly, weaving left and right to evade the onslaught. Catching one of the vines mid-strike, she sent her flames surging through it, igniting the plant from within.
With a smirk, Bella yanked the burning vine free and swung it like a fiery whip. The vine cracked through the air as she spun, thrashing nearby plants with each movement. The flames spread rapidly, engulfing all the plants in her vicinity—including the one she had stolen the vine from. They were consumed entirely, reduced to ash in moments.
[All Mana Plants Have Been Slain]
Joe followed short distance away, momentarily stunned by the sheer force and precision of Bella’s onslaught. The battlefield was silent save for the faint crackle of lingering flames.
A thought ran through his mind, unbidden. So this is it—the power of a princess.
Bella had cleared it—an open path to the Big Oak. The massive tree-like creature stood ominously, its towering form radiating menace.
The earth trembled between Bella and Joe as colossal roots burst forth from the ground, snaking and writhing with unnatural life.
Both of them halted in their tracks, leaping back to avoid the eruption. Now standing side by side, they watched as the Big Oak's roots slithered across the surface, encroaching toward them.
"That thing is a lot bigger up close," Joe muttered, his voice low but steady.
"Its size doesn’t matter!" Bella declared confidently. "Whether it’s a tree or a plant, I can just burn it down."
The Big Oak swung one of its massive roots, generating a razor-sharp gust of wind that threatened to knock them off balance as the root barreled toward them. [Root Whip]
Joe dashed forward without hesitation, his cape billowing in the gust. [Crescent Moon Slash] He unleashed a crescent-shaped Mana Slash from his blade. The attack sliced cleanly through the root, as if it were paper.
"It’s big, but it’s not exactly durable," Joe remarked with a grin. "Try to keep up, Princess!"
Bella’s irritation intensified as she surged forward to match his pace. Now, the two of them charged side by side toward the Big Oak.
The Big Oak retaliated with ferocity, thrashing its roots like enormous tentacles, determined to crush them. But neither Joe nor Bella slowed. Joe’s blade tore through root after root, his strikes precise and unrelenting. Meanwhile, Bella unleashed waves of blue flames, incinerating every root in her path with elegant efficiency.
The Big Oak seemed unfazed. From its massive branches and leaves, a dense purple mist began to pour forth—the same poisonous smoke as the Mana Plants, but on a much larger scale. The noxious fog rushed toward them at terrifying speed. [Great Death Fog]
Bella’s eyes widened at the sight.
"Don’t slow down!" Joe shouted.
"Don’t you see that poisonous smoke, you idiot? We’ll die!" Bella snapped back.
"Have faith! Believe in Shelly’s skill—it’ll see us through to the end!" Joe urged, his determination unwavering.
Bella glanced at him, her expression uncertain.
"If we retreat now, the Dungeon Boss will have time to recover. We can’t let that happen! Don’t tell me you’re scared, Princess!"
"I fear nothing, commoner!" she shot back indignantly.
Without further hesitation, both of them lunged straight into the poisonous fog.
[A Large Dose Of The Poison Has Infiltrated Your Body.]
[-30 Rank Points To Your Physical Attributes]
[The Effect Of The Skill (Cleansing) Is Weakening.]
"Damn it! Shelly can’t see us anymore!" Joe growled as the green glow surrounding them began to flicker. He could feel the poison slowly spreading but he endured.
"I told you it was a bad id—" Bella began, but Joe cut her off, his vision pierced through the smoke, revealing the coming roots hurtling toward them. [Outsider’s Perspective]
"Watch out! More roots are incoming!" he shouted.
"What?" Bella asked, unable to see them.
Joe cursed under his breath and threw himself in front of her. Swinging his blade with all his might, he tore through the roots, protecting them both.
The two continued their advance, the poisonous fog disappearing after several tense moments. Joe had cut through every single root during their brief time in the smoke, ensuring they emerged unharmed.
"I didn’t need your help," Bella muttered.
"You’re welcome."
Both of them were visibly affected, sections of their bodies turning purple from the poison. But as Shelly’s green light reached them again, the color began to fade.
"Keep going!" Shelly’s voice rang out from behind, urging them forward.
[Your Body Is Flushing Out The Poison In Your Body.]
[Your Body Is Developing A Tolerance For Poison.]
Joe smirked at Bella. "See? I told—"
Before he could finish, he saw it—the Big Oak's trunk splitting open, forming a gaping maw. A white light began to condense within, radiating deadly intent.
"Watch out!" Joe shouted.
Joe’s mind raced. He recalled his last attack against Mikey even though his memory of the event was hazy. "If those kids can do it, surely I can too," he muttered.
He pointed his blade forward, mana surging from him as a black orb began to form at its tip. [Black Orb]!
Bella, catching on, mirrored his actions. In her right hand, a blazing blue fireball appeared. [Blue Fireball]
The Big Oak unleashed its attack—a brilliant white orb of pure mana. [White Flash]
Joe and Bella responded in unison, their orbs surging forward to meet the incoming attack. The clash was brief but intense. Their combined skills overwhelmed the Big Oak's attack, tearing through it and striking the creature directly.
They stood still, watching as the massive explosion consumed the Big Oak. Its towering form disintegrated, reduced to nothing but ash and debris.
The battle was over.