MV – Chapter 131: Demon Seed and the Minor Villain

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Lanpeach dashed along, heading towards the elevator shaft.

[Soldier, it seems someone has already gone down to the basement via the elevator shaft.] (Libra)

“The player is always a step behind the enemy. We’d better catch up.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach responded sarcastically to Libra while sprinting like the wind and lightly stepped to the left. Several spear-like, sharp-tipped branches whizzed by, piercing the ground. He glanced at the ground that shook slightly and saw the gouges left by the branches, and whistled in awe.

“That’s some serious power. I wouldn’t want to take a direct hit from that.” (Lanpeach)

[Here’s a warning, Soldier!] (Libra)

[Elder Treant: Level 7]

At the place where Libra pointed, a massive tree among the towering trees that had withstood the bombardment from the Lion Rabbit moved its roots as though they were legs, standing in the way.

The Elder Treant. An ancient tree monster endowed with wisdom. It appeared to be the guardian of this land. Its mana alone set it apart from other monsters.

“Arghhhh!”

A hole in the tree’s trunk, resembling a hollow or a knot, moved like a human mouth, letting out a roar imbued with mana. The soundwave made Lanpeach’s skin tingle as if electrified. The hole in the trunk even seemed to resemble human eyes and a nose, and the enormous tree, as large as a small building, appeared quite menacing as it groaned.

Blade Treants also emerged from the shadows of the Elder Treant, brandishing their arms that had turned into swords. They seemed ready for battle.

“So this is basically a mini boss. I’ve always thought it was unfair that players have to fight bosses and struggle while enemy characters can just bypass everything.” (Lanpeach)

[If you use stealth, you wouldn’t have to fight bosses too, you know?] (Libra)

“I’ll pass. Because there’s a boss right there. The boss’s EXP, the drop items, they’re all mine!” (Lanpeach)

[Boss Battle: Defeat the Elder Treant! Level 7.]

Seeing the log display, Lanpeach grinned, leaned forward, and accelerated with such force that the ground beneath his feet scorched and left smoke.

[Leaf Storm]

The Elder Treant took the first move. It shook its trunk, scattering leaves that turned into blades, then transformed into a storm, rushing toward Lanpeach.

The leaves, more powerful and faster than the flower blades fired by the Blade Treants, were small, palm-sized, and numerous, making it seem impossible to evade.

But Lanpeach was unfazed. He let the super strength flow through his body, facing the onslaught with a calm expression.

[Psychic Body]

He buffed his body and his stats skyrocketed. With his stats doubled, and then doubled again through body enhancing, Lanpeach’s cells and muscle tissues began to transcend into something half beyond a living organism.

[Air Throw]

He utilized basic martial arts.

[Super Sense]

Time seemed to flow slowly, and the leaves flying toward him in simple trajectories were thrown off in different directions just as they were about to touch him.

Lanpeach was able to use [Air Throw] even against non-human opponents by exploiting the trajectory, the force behind it, and countering.

The leaves that should have enveloped Lanpeach were thrown away before they could touch him, scattering as though blown away by a strong wind.

“Arghhhh?”

The Elder Treant roared in confusion at the unexpected scene. It had anticipated that Lanpeach would use magic or some other method to block the attack, but it hadn’t expected him to throw back the leaves without moving an inch.

“What, it seems you have some intelligence.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach chuckled…and dashed to close the distance. 

The Elder Treant hastily sent its minions, the Blade Treants, to intercept, controlling its branches like arms to try and block Lanpeach’s advance.

“Sending weaklings to face me? Not too bright.” (Lanpeach)

The Blade Treants bent their knees slightly before springing forward like compressed springs. They raised their swords in a coordinated attack, leaving no room for evasion by ensuring their swords slashed at different times, predicting Lanpeach’s evasive maneuvers.

It was a smart combination. Even though the Psycho Grass had withered, the Elder Treant was clearly commanding the entire force. It was a troublesome monster.

However, brute force attacks were a poor choice against Lanpeach.

[Super Air Throw]

Facing the oncoming Blade Treants, Lanpeach rotated his arms in front of his chest as if preparing for an attack.

Air gathered between his palms, and the moment the Blade Treants closed in, they were thrown back as if repelled.

Just as before, but this time with intentional force. The Blade Treants were thrown mid-attack, so they became shuriken-like projectiles as they were flung toward the Elder Treant’s branches, slicing through its leaves and limbs.

“Arghhh!!!”

The Elder Treant howled in agony as its branches, which were like its arms and legs, were severed by its own minions. The giant tree showed pain by shaking its trunk.

The ground shook violently, and the eye-like holes in the Elder Treant’s trunk glared at Lanpeach with hatred.

[Ninja Art: Monster Shuriken! How about that as a name for a finishing move?] (Libra)

“That name’s way too old-school, so rejected. But having intelligence can be a double-edged sword. The benefit of plant monsters is that they shouldn’t feel pain, but this guy does.” (Lanpeach)

Libra went ‘nin nin’ while saying something stupid, which got a chuckle out of him. 

Lanpeach observed the Elder Treant. He couldn’t afford to drag this out any longer; it was time to finish things.

Lanpeach remained calm, but the Elder Treant’s fury and hatred flared, releasing mana that spread like a malicious aura throughout the area.

[I feel a special move coming, Soldier. Watch out!] (Libra)

“Libra, you can’t just say things like that. You sound like a support character.” (Lanpeach)

[Mukiii! I’ve always been a support character!] (Libra)

Seeing Libra fume with anger, Lanpeach let out a laugh just as the Elder Treant unleashed its ultimate magic after charging mana.

[Gaia String Lance]

The ground beneath Lanpeach’s feet trembled slightly and turned to sand. There were no flashy effects, nor was there any visible sign of an attack. Yet this was the Elder Treant’s trump card, its most powerful spell.

It transformed the earth into sand through the use of ultra-fine, nearly invisible roots, thinner than a millimeter, which emerged from the ground. These crystal-like roots disintegrated the soil into sand.

The same fate awaited human bodies. The attack, infused with most of the Elder Treant’s mana, could pierce through spirit barriers, burrowing into the body of the enemy without them noticing, and slicing it into microscopic fragments, reducing it to dust.

An invisible blade. If one didn’t know about it, countering it would be difficult.

—That’s how it should have been.

“Ah, I see. Ultra-fine, invisible roots, huh? Nice idea.”

Lanpeach spoke with a relaxed voice. 

He had balanced on the tip of the roots that were supposed to pierce his body. The roots continued to extend, trying to impale him, but Lanpeach simply rose with them, floating without any weight.

The Elder Treant trembled in fear, watching the man that had transcendent martial arts and wasn’t getting pierced.

It couldn’t match him. 

The Elder Treant realized the difference in ability and was about to scream in fear, but…

“You’re done. Guess I won’t need firewood for a while.”

[Instant]

[Bamboo Chop]

[Size Difference Nullification]

The process was skipped, leaving only the result.

The Elder Treant didn’t understand what had been done to it, but it knew it had died. A crack appeared in the middle of its trunk, and the massive, building-sized tree split in two, crashing to the ground.

“Fumu, even a level 7 monster is just a weakling. Is it the effect of stacking skills?” (Lanpeach)

[Yeah, you have tons of high-level skills, Soldier, and Super Sense is kind of a cheat, don’t you think?] (Libra)

“With this, maybe I can clear the Twin Spirit Dungeon. I’ll give it a try next time.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach clenched his fists and exhaled contentedly, feeling a sense of accomplishment. He might be able to get his revenge.

[You’ve defeated the Elder Treant. Gained 7,000 EXP.] 

[Do you want to level up Base Defense Knowledge to level 7-usa?]

(It seems the system has been hacked. Some rabbit is trying to use the EXP I just obtained. That’s fine though.) (Lanpeach)

[Kay kay, go ahead and raise Base Defense Knowledge to level 7.] (Lanpeach)

[Obtained. Base Defense Knowledge is now level 7, removing the restrictions on the Artificial Spirit’s abilities. They can now use their original equipment.]

[Yay! Now I can unleash my true power-usa! Time to draw some manga-usa.]

[Now I can cook-usa yo. I’ll make a carrot cake-usa.]

[Now I can sleep peacefully. I can use my low-resistance nest!]

The rabbits were all excited about something, but what’s with this? Well, if they got stronger, that’s good enough. Mimi had always been sleeping well anyway. 

But what’s this ability they unlocked? Did they unlock some hobby-related powers? It felt ominous, like they’d just spend even more time goofing off.

“Oh well, whatever. Now then, let’s head to the Demon Seed.”

The roots that had extended from the elevator shaft were burnt and charred, probably by the thieves who went ahead. The shaft was now clear enough for people to pass through.

[We’re going to have consecutive battles now! Soldier, I recommend making sure you’re fully prepared.] (Libra)

“Guess it is only in the game world where you can return to your base. There’s a time limit, so that’s impossible.” (Lanpeach)

Lanpeach tried to pat Libra’s head as she clung to him tightly, but couldn’t touch her, so he smiled wryly before leaping into the shaft.

The Demon Seed. It was an enemy he has never fought before. It was bound to be a tough battle. 

They descended the shaft and reached the basement under the dim light of the emergency lamps.

There were no monsters to be seen, perhaps already taken out by the thieves who had gone ahead. Either they had turned to ash or had withered away.

Lanpeach furrowed his brows, feeling something was off.

“Isn’t this strange? There are more withered ones than defeated enemies.” (Lanpeach)

[True… I had expected the thieves wouldn’t be able to break through the final defense line, but this is unexpected, huh?] (Libra)

The final defense line protecting the Demon Seed should not have been guarded by mere weak monsters. They continued to walk through the eerily quiet corridor with an unsettling feeling, eventually arriving at a vault-like storage room.

[This is the place according to the scan, but…?] (Libra)

“What in the world is this…?” (Lanpeach)

The corpses of monsters lay scattered everywhere in front of Lanpeach and company. It looked like a fierce battle had taken place. The walls were destroyed, craters marred the floor, and the desks and equipment were nothing but debris.

――And there it was, the massive seed of a monster. The Demon Seed they were supposed to defeat, split in two and withered away.

[Failed in defeating the Demon Seed.]

And then, the quest failure log was displayed mercilessly. It seemed someone had beaten them to the punch. 

Lanpeach bit his lip at the unexpected sight.

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