Chapter Fourteen: Overwhelming Dominance

The crimson glow of the blood ritual surged forth, instantly alerting the Chief Guardian Tree to imminent disaster. Previously, with an attack rating of “normal,” it could inflict more than ten points of damage on the enhanced juvenile Shadow Eaters, but now its attack rating had dropped to “weak,” and its ordinary attacks dwindled to merely four or five points. Similarly, its defense rating, degraded from “weak” to “feeble,” now caused it to suffer more than double the previous damage; a single round of assault from all four enhanced juvenile Shadow Eaters could drain fifteen percent of its health.

Within just three or four seconds, the Chief Guardian Tree’s health was reduced by half. Had it not risked everything to kill one Shadow Eater with its feeble attacks, things would have been even worse.

It was dire.

Catching sight of the two unexpected guests preparing to enter the fray not far away, the Chief Guardian Tree, cornered, suddenly leaped from its pit and unleashed the skill “Tree Stomp.” The ground trembled and soil cracked; the remaining three Shadow Eaters and the two rapidly approaching players were instantly immobilized by the shockwave. If it were in proper condition, the Chief Guardian Tree would not have missed such a perfect opportunity to eliminate its enemies, but now it only wanted to retreat and endure the effects of the blood ritual.

Ironically, the Chief Guardian Tree had originally agreed to Ember and Not A Sword Immortal’s plan, to fight and retreat while stalling their foes, but now it was genuinely fleeing. Its two short, stubby legs alternated, moving forward—not quickly, but enough to create some distance.

“Why aren’t you two here yet? I’m about to be chopped up for firewood!” The Chief Guardian Tree was truly desperate, repeatedly sending distress signals to Ember and Not A Sword Immortal through the Tree Alliance.

The accessory “Tree Alliance” allowed players to share the tree guardian’s vision, but the guardians could not see through the players’ eyes. Thus, the Chief Guardian Tree had no idea where Ember and Not A Sword Immortal actually were.

In fact, when the Chief Guardian Tree unleashed Tree Stomp, Ember and Not A Sword Immortal had already entered Thunderbolt’s field of vision. Because of spatial constraints, the Chief Guardian Tree hadn’t seen them, nor had Thunderbolt, who was facing the Chief Guardian Tree, noticed the two figures closing in from behind.

No matter how many twists occurred, Not A Sword Immortal’s plan for a pincer attack was now bearing fruit.

Ember and Not A Sword Immortal advanced side by side, charging toward Thunderbolt, who had not yet recovered from the tremor. Their Peashooters, perched on their shoulders, struck Thunderbolt’s back even faster.

[Notification: Your plant companion “Basic Peashooter” deals seven points of damage to player “Thunderbolt.”]

With its attack rating at “weak,” the Basic Peashooter immediately showed Ember the meaning of value for money.

Before Ember and Not A Sword Immortal could even act themselves, Thunderbolt’s health had dropped by nearly a third. The sudden injury notification made Thunderbolt shudder in his support pod; by the time he barely endured the tremor, his health was nearly depleted. He hurriedly activated the plug-in skill “Sprint” he’d purchased from [Shepherd], widening the gap between himself and the two deadly opponents.

“Not A Sword Immortal, you shameless sneak attacker!” Thunderbolt shouted as he ran, gulping down a precious basic healing potion. Unlike sprays, which required continuous use, potions restored health instantly upon consumption. But as soon as his health climbed back up by ten points, another volley from the Basic Peashooter brought him back to the brink of death. Terrified, he retreated, calling for Lu Renjia’s rescue.

“Ha, wait until you’re dead and then curse me all you want!” Not A Sword Immortal laughed. “Ember, I’ll let you take his head. Perfect—settle old scores and new at once!”

Not A Sword Immortal had learned of Ember’s history with Rain Tomorrow from Not An Expert, so upon seeing Thunderbolt, he immediately decided to let Ember claim the kill. Of course, he had another unspoken worry: he doubted his own attack rating could penetrate Thunderbolt’s defense. If he were to slash three times without scoring a kill, his reputation would be utterly ruined.

Ember actually didn’t know Thunderbolt was a member of the Thunder Guild, but that didn’t stop him from raising his standard expandable baton and activating his newly acquired skill “Baton Technique: Skullcrack.”

[Notification: You activated the active skill “Baton Technique: Skullcrack,” dealing five points of damage to player “Thunderbolt.”]
[Notification: You have slain player “Thunderbolt.” Your final evaluation in this trial will be improved.]

Thunderbolt, who moments ago was smug and confident, could never have anticipated how vulnerable his life would be before Ember. Only when his screen went dark did he, still bewildered, review the battle notifications and see the massive damage dealt by the Basic Peashooter.

“Basic Peashooter? What on earth is that?”
“Ember? Who is he? Why is he teamed up with Not A Sword Immortal?”

Removing his VR helmet, Thunderbolt voiced questions similar to Rain Tomorrow’s; over two-thirds of his thirty health points had been taken by this Ember. Where had this guy come from? He had ruined everything!

To defeat the Chief Guardian Tree and complete this extremely difficult side quest, Thunderbolt and Lu Renjia had nearly spent all their credit points. Worse yet, the three explosive fruit bombs they bought couldn’t be taken out of the trial space.

Lu Renjia!

Yes, Lu Renjia!

The thought of Lu Renjia gave Thunderbolt a glimmer of hope, but it quickly vanished. He didn’t believe Lu Renjia could stand against those two, even with abnormal weapons, especially since Lu Renjia was also suffering from the blood ritual’s negative effects.

It was over...

Such a grave loss and overwhelming disappointment forced Thunderbolt, seething with anger, to rip off the strength sensor band, climb out of the support pod, and search for any information about Ember. As he left, he encountered a guild administrator rushing by, who delivered even more infuriating news.

Lu Renjia had quit.

The reason: Thunder Guild lacked tolerance, directed squarely at Thunderbolt and the upper management he’d previously clashed with.

“Good for you, kid. You’ve got guts!”

Thunderbolt gnashed his teeth in rage, but quickly dismissed Lu Renjia’s departure. After this failure, Lu Renjia’s value had plummeted; all their credit points had gone down the drain, and their progression rhythm was broken. As the saying goes, the first step determines all others: Lu Renjia, once in the leading group, was now nearly out of the running. Even with abnormal equipment, he’d only be a minor, inconsequential figure—someone else would deal with him.

But Ember was different. That terrifying damage rating left Thunderbolt unable to imagine any reason for Ember’s early elimination. Now, his greatest concern was news about Ember, and to his surprise, the administrator told him someone else had already sought information about Ember.

“Rain Tomorrow? Get him over here! Wait, he’s still in-game... I’ll check the file first, let me know when he logs out.”

As a major guild, Thunder had drawn substantial funds from “Titan,” so core members were housed together for ease of coordination. Now, fuming, Thunderbolt began reviewing Ember’s profile, while Ember—who had just slain him—was happily examining the spoils with Not A Sword Immortal.

Due to equipment information binding, the most coveted item, the Skull Cross, remained with Lu Renjia.

But the three explosive fruit bombs, plus a piece of armor enhancement material dropped by the enhanced Shadow Eater, were enough to satisfy Ember and Not A Sword Immortal.

All three explosive fruit bombs had come from Thunderbolt, who died too quickly to use them.

“Three free explosive fruit bombs—this saves us a fortune!” Not A Sword Immortal, delighted with the enhancement materials, was already imagining the upgrades to his weapons and armor once the trial ended, and the boost to his strength.

Ember pocketed the explosive fruit bombs and began considering what else to buy.

After the previous shopping spree, he had five hundred credit points left; this kill earned him a thousand, and snatching the head of an enhanced Shadow Eater added another hundred, totaling sixteen hundred credit points—enough to buy [Basic Restoration Spell]. But logic told him that spending a thousand credit points on a Substitute Tree Fruit was the wiser choice.

“Ah... being broke is such a miserable feeling...” Ember murmured, and after an intense internal debate, decided to purchase the Substitute Tree Fruit, which was more practical for his current situation. Though the Basic Restoration Spell was economical and useful, for Ember—who had invested heavily in this trial—survival was paramount.

“Short on credits? Why didn’t you tell me?” Not A Sword Immortal had waited awhile before realizing Ember’s complaint was a genuine problem. “I’ve got plenty of credit points—better to contribute than let them sit idle. Here, take this Substitute Tree Fruit for free; don’t thank me. I want to cling to your coattails a little longer.”