As they stared down an army of vicious man-eating plants, Bella was the first one to break the silence. She turned sharply to glare at Franklin. “This is your fault Franklin!” She yelled. “If you just did your job and dealt with Shelly and this commoner, we would've left long before this Dungeon became active. But because of your incompetence we’re in this situation! Are you even serious about this mission?”
“of course I am princess!” Frankin hastily responded.
“Well start acting like it!”
Joe glanced at them, unable to hide the scowl on his face. Even though Bella wasn't speaking to him directly, her self entitled attitude made Joe's blood boil. He took measured breaths trying to calm himself down, annoying as she was. Bella wasn't important right now. He had to focus on those plants.
On first glance an army of 50 giant carnivorous plants was horrifying, but Joe had been in Grisha long enough to expect these things. Plus when studying their mana, Joe could tell these mana plants weren't above his level. They had numbers, but that was it. He was more concerned about the big guy behind them, that massive tree was bound to be a problem.
Joe pointed his mana tool forward and a surge of mana washed over him. It cloaked his body and and blade, coursing through them like a raging river. Joe's muscles tightened and bulged, he crouched low as his mana shrouded him. [Outsider’s Enhancement]
[-215 Mana Pool Points]
[Current Mana Pool:3,165]
He exhaled, before he sprung forward without a second thought. His body brisked through the field at nearly untraceable speed.
[Total Speed: 94 → 174]
As he progressed, three plants blocked his path. They lashed out with their vines, twisting and turning they zipped through the air as they came at Joe from multiple angles.
They were quick, but Joe could definitely keep up. Even the ones coming from his blind spot were registered by [Outsider’s Perspective] Swinging his blade with effortless precision, Joe sliced through all the incoming vines with ease. Even for its size, the black blade weaved swiftly through the air. Its weight not hindering Joe in the slightest.
As Joe bisected the vines, a green sticky liquid shot out. It splattered against his face and cloak, tainting them with green spots. It didn't seem to be anything dangerous. But it did make Joe feel slightly grossed out.
The vines that were severed were left jumping up and down on the ground like a fish out of water. But the main damage dealt was to the mana plants themselves, they were left screeching and staggering back after Joe shredded their vines. A pool of green liquid, was left forming beneath them.
Joe was keen to take the advantage, he swung the black blade horizontally. A sharp arc of black mana shot out from the mana tool. It whisked through the air and bisected the heads of all three plants. They collapsed to the floor, headless. [Mana Tool Skill: Mana Slash]
[-200 Mana Pool Points]
[Current Mana Pool: 2,965]
[Total Skill Attribute: 175 → 280]
[You Have Slain +3 Mana Plants]
[Sub-Quest Progress: 3/15 Plants Slain]
Joe couldn't belive how larger his [Mana Slash] had gotten, it was also quicker through the air and its destructive power was amplified. The fact that the black blade went up a tier must've been the reason for the increase. And Joe wasn't complaining.
Along with more green liquid, the fallen plants realesed a purple smoke cloud after they were decapitated, it wasn't thick but was definitely noticeable.
Joe looked to press on, but the ground vibrated. As he glanced down, [Outsider’s Perspective] could make out something moving deep within the earth.
Immediately, Joe loosened his footing and took to the skies.
That proved to be the correct course of action, because moments later the earth collapsed on itself as an enormous plant head shot up from the ground. Its mouth opened and snapped closed, barely missing Joe's legs.
Joe looked down on the plant. He pointed the tip of his mana tool downward, and as he descended. Joe plunged the black blade into its squishy head. Green juices spurted out as the blade dug deeper, Joe gritted his teeth as he sliced across the plant's face—widening the gap.
More liquid gushed out and the creature's painful shriek grew louder. But all this was short lived ss the mana plant soon stopped moving. Its voice disappeared and all that was left was the green substance running along its disfigured head.
[You Have Slain +1 Mana Plant]
[Sub-Quest Progress: 4/15 Mana Plants Slain]
Joe didn't stop there, having confirmed his kill. He activated [Predator] A cloud of darkness seeped out of the black blade. It attached itself to the mana plant and ate away at its existence. In just a handful of seconds, only the memory of the mana plant lingered in Joe's mind, with the plant itself nowhere to be seen.
[Your Mana Pool Has Been Fully Replenished]
[Current Mana Pool: 3,795]
[+1 Mana Plant Seed Has Been Stored To Your Inventory]
Joe absorbed the plant purely for the mana and was surprised to find a mana plant seed was stored in his inventory. What a mana plant seed even did was a mystery to him and it wasn't really important, so he didn't dwell on it for long. His attention was on the rest of the plants.
He dashed forward before taking a giant leap to the heavens.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
More plants launched their vines looking to entangle Joe's lega and drag him down from the sky.
But Joe wouldn't let them, he swung the black blade 3 times producing three [Mana Slashes] That severed any vines that tried to get close.
[-600 Mana Pool Points]
[Current Mana Pool: 3,195]
Once he reached the apex of his ascent, Joe got a bird's eye view of the entire field. Swinging his blade once, Joe sent a crescent arc falling from the sky. It carved through the air as it made its descent, the mana plants scattered as they slithered out of the way. [Mana Tool Skill: Mana Slash]
[-200 Mana Pool Points]
[Current Mana: 2,995]
But unfortunately for them, quite a handful of mana plants were caught by the arc before they could escape.
[You Have Slain +4 Mana Plants]
[Quest Progress: 8/15 Mana Plants Slain]
Joe landed on a wet and sticky surface made by the blood of his enemies. He channeled [Predator] through the black blade and sent forth a dark mist that absorbed the mana plants he killed.
[Your Mana Pool Has Been Replenished]
[Current Mana Pool: 3, 795]
[+4 Mana Plant Seeds Have Been Added To Your Inventory]
[Mana Plant Seed Total: 5]
With that done, Joe now had another issue. He was completely surrounded. The plants all realized this and they rushed towards him in numbers, closing in from all sides.
Joe improvised, with a firm grip on his blade, he rotated while swinging his mana tool. This produced an omnidirectional arc that sliced through all the incoming plants.[Mana Tool Skill: Mana Slash] They went tumbling like trees, causing the earth to shudder on impact.
[You Have Leveled Up]
[Level Increase: 40 → 42]
[You Have Slain +16 Mana Plants]
[Quest Progress: 15/15 Mana Plants Slain]
[Sub-Quest Complete]
[You Have Earned +15,000 Gold Pieces]
[Total Gold Pieces: 15,000 Gold Pieces]
[Achievement Unlocked: Gardner]
▪︎ Condition: Slay More Than 10 Mana Plants
▪︎ Reward: +4 Additional Attribute Points
Joe clutched his head after his attack, a little dazed from the rapid spinning. Syr's endless notifications ringing in his head just made matters worse. It took more than half a minute before Joe finally regained some sort composure. He decided to brush Syr's notifications to the side, he had bigger things to worry about.
The remains of the mana plants Joe slaughtered, all released the same purple gas as the previous mana plants. He was slow on using [Predator] this time around and it allowed the purple cloud to quickly fill the air. Joe didn't know what that smoke was, but he wanted to avoided letting it spread. He sent out [Predator] using the black blade and devoured all the plants he killed.
[You Have Replenished Your Mana Pool]
[Current Mana Pool: 3,795]
[+16 Mana Plant Seeds Have Been Added To Your Inventory]
[Mana Plant Seed Total: 21]
This failed to stop the preexisting smoke from spreading and Joe experienced its effects first hand. His lungs burned and his breathing suddenly became labored. His legs wobbled and his eyes became watery and blurry very quickly.
[You Have Been Poisoned]
[The Mana Plant's Poison Has Infiltrated Your System]
“Dammit, I messed up”
Not knowing how much time he had left before his body shut down, Joe resolved himself to one thing. Going back to Shelly. More mana erupted from Joe's figure as sprinted to make his way back to Shelly. [Outsider’s Enhancement X2]
[-430 Mana Pool Points]
[Current Mana Pool:3,365]
[Outsider’s Enhancement Is Assisting Your Body To Fight Back The Spread Of Poison]
[Outsider’s Enhancement] Cleared his vision slightly, and his legs were able to carry him forward. His breathing somewhat stabilized. But Joe knew these were temporary solutions—he needed help and fast.
But as Joe looked to accelerate, more plants intercepted him, blocking his path.
“Get out of my way!”
Joe swung his black blade twice creating devastating arcs that not only sliced through the mana plants in front of him, but they also decimated the plants that were lurking behind them. This created an open path, which Joe made use of. [Mana Tool Skill: Mana Slash]
[-400 Mana Pool Points]
[Current Mana Pool:2,965]
He dragged himself forward, and caught sight of Shelly. She was surrounded by this yellow glow and she had not moved from her spot. The old man and the princess were still standing by her side.
His sights and threatened to dim but Joe pushed himself forward. Through gritted teeth and shear determination he reached Shelly, then his body plummeted face first to the ground. [Outsider’s Enhancement: Deactivated]
“What were you thinking you commoner!” Bella yelled. “Do you have any idea what you've done? You've allowed those plants to spread their toxic gas because of your recklessness!’
Joe could make out Bella’s voice, but it sounded distant. As he took what could be his final breaths, he was disappointed to think that Bella’s voice was the last thing he would hear be he died. Everything was dark, and Joe could feel his consciousness drifting away.
[The Skill (Cleansing) Is Taking Effect]
[The Mana Plant's Poison Is Being Cleansed From Your System.]
Syr's notification pierced Joe's darkness. He could feel something warm wrap-around his body. All the pain and discomfort he experienced was slowly washed away. Joe's eyes regained their sight, and the heat around his lungs was extinguished. Joe slowly pushed himself off the ground and reclaimed his footing. His legs had stabilized and his energy was slowly returning. When he looked up, he found Shelly's bitter face.
He was about to say something when Shelly grabbed his right ear and twisted it awkwardly.
“Ouch!” Joe cried out.
“Idiot! You could've gotten yourself killed!” Shelly shouted, still twisting it.
“I'm sorry, I won't do it again.” Joe apologized.
Shelly let him go, but not before leaving his ear discolored and throbbing in pain. Joe rubbed it, trying to lessen the stinging sensation.
“Are you alright?” Shelly asked, only now showing her concern.
“Yeah I'm fine. I think all the poison is gone.”
“You're lucky to reach me when you did." Shelly said. “Cleansing is a skill that will heal anyone who is poisoned as long as they stay within its radius.” She explained.
When Joe darted his eyes around, he noticed the yellow light surrounding them. That must've been the skill Shelly was talking about. It purified the air around them, making it easier to breathe.
“What were you thinking commoner?” Bella jumped in. “You’re the reason the poison has spread this much. That's not how you combat mana plants. Unless you burn them to a crisp, they will release their gas after you kill them. How could you not know that?”
Joe really didn't need a lecture, he knew he messed up and didn't need Bella rubbing in his face.
He turned back and picked up his blade. There were still plants coming toward them, Joe had decreased their number but they were still active.
Joe turned to Shelly. “Hey Shelly? Would it possible to expand your range of your skill?”
Shelly looked at him curiously, “yes but at its current level it's limited by my sight and requires a lot of mana to extend.”
Joe nodded before turning to Franklin. “I need your help old man, I need you to open a path for me by killing those plants. I'll go directly for the Dungeon Boss my self.” Joe said, gesturing to the Big Oak that had yet to make its move.
Franklin was about to speak but was interrupted, “I'll do it!” Bella said.
Joe was surprised to hear the princess nominate herself.
“But my princess, your fla—” Franklin tried to argue but Bella cut him off.
“I'll be fine. You're still injured, you can't fight them all at once. You'll get yourself killed.”
Frankin went quiet.
“Alright it's decided then,” Joe said. “The princess will open a path for me to the Dungeon Boss. The old man can protect Shelly unless eome plants manged to slip past the princess.” Bella glared at Joe, not appreciating the comment but Joe continued. “Shelly will focus on extending her skill and protecting us from the poison.”
Franklin and Shelly nodded in understanding. Joe and the princess turned to face the plants. “Just so you know, I don't need your little skill Shelly. I can kill them by myself.” Bellla declared. She then turned to glared at Joe. “You better not slow me down commoner.”
“Right back at you princess.”