Chapter 173: Plant-Type Monster 3
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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The 35th floor, once a marshland, is now overrun by a dense jungle of ash-colored trees.
We push forward, breaking through the encroaching trees while sighs of exasperation escape from our group.
Not a single monster in sight, just trees crowding our vision, perhaps adding to our frustration.
Katie, swinging her sword to clear the way through the trees, is visibly annoyed.
"If it's grown this much in a day, won't the 35th floor be too dense to even set foot on in about a week?"
"Probably. Since it's spreading through the passageways, it might engulf the other floors too."
As our weary group discussed, a suggestion from the chat came to mind.
It proposed using information from the Magic Tower and troll by-products to make bombs to clear out the rampant vines.
Although it was just a comment about turning Han Se-ah into a bomb expert, the idea now seems strangely tempting.
In game logic, with such densely grown plant-type monsters, there should be a quest to exterminate them using something like a herbicide instead of direct combat.
That's based on my experience with keyboard and mouse RPGs, though.
"My goodness, it's completely filled the clearing."
"Which way should we go now? Grace, do you sense anything?"
"No. There's nothing to detect since all these are plant-type monsters with no movement."
Seeing the group disheartened by the sight of the clearing filled with trees, the idea gains more weight.
Maybe the right approach isn't to head straight to the 35th floor, but to rescue people, get out, and then return with some hints from the Magic Tower.
I'd confidently face a large monster or an army of orcs, but finding the roots of a parasitic plant or clues for a quest update among thousands of gray trees?
That seems like a task for a born 6 archer.
"Damn, this is really frustrating. This doesn't seem like a map made for wandering around. It really doesn't look like we should be here right now."
-Are we experiencing the proverbial 'needle in a haystack'?
-Lol, it's like we've entered a map we're not supposed to.
-If there's no one around, why not just bring oil through the inventory and commit arson?
-From civil engineering to arson, is that how we're going about this?
-Not a shining, but a burning performance?
Han Se-ah, sharing similar thoughts, begins to grumble as she gazes at the camera next to Grace, who is scanning the surroundings.
Given her experience with various games, Han Se-ah is questioning whether bulldozing through this dense jungle is the right strategy.
But despite the doubts, we have already made our way through the passage.
Turning back now would not only waste time but also negatively impact Han Se-ah's stream.
I've been finding myself increasingly concerned about Han Se-ah's stream, but it's unavoidable.
We can't risk her giving up on the game, not even the slightest chance.
As a top streamer and a celebrity, she should be able to play and clear the game, while living a warm, full, and peaceful life.
Playing with odds lower than 1% is fine in a game, but when it comes to staking my life and future, I won't tolerate even the tiniest probability.
"Haah... This seems endless... We have no choice."
"What's the matter, Roland? What are you planning?"
"It looks like you guys need to head back down to the lower floors for a while."
The sudden declaration of retreat surprises the group, their eyes widening.
They hadn't expected that we would not even attempt to proceed through the ash-colored woods.
Of course, the intention was not to retreat without trying.
In fact, it was quite the opposite.
When the situation calls for results, brute force is often the best approach, and executing such straightforward strategies happens to be my forte.
"...Is this really the right way to complete the quest?"
-Questioning this now?
-So there was a reason he didn't make a bomb
-The dignity of a 6 owner is different
-Haha, how is that the first companion in a gacha?
-I'm having similar thoughts too
In the stream window, Han Se-ah mutters with a hint of irritation.
The group, resting in tents near the passage, seems a bit worried about me, but Han Se-ah's concern seems to stem from a different reason.
After all, just as I watch Han Se-ah through the stream, she also watches me through the camera.
"...Damn, I can't see anything ahead."
After sending the group down to the 34th floor, I gathered divine energy without hesitation.
Suddenly, like zombies awakening from a deep slumber, grayish-white vines surged towards me, entwining the whole world as if to demonstrate the destruction of the sanctuary.
It felt like diving into a pool filled not with water, but plants, or like accidentally burying my head in dense bushes.
With a body strengthened by divine energy and a warhammer empowered by mana, facing countless enemies was straightforward.
What followed was a simple and repetitive task.
Since I couldn't see ahead, I just clenched my teeth and swung around me.
Bang-
Boom-
Each swing of my mana-charged warhammer sent hundreds of vines shattering and flying away.
Yet, more vines, targeting the divine energy in my body, seemed to keep coming endlessly.
But they couldn't be infinite.
"No, I mean... Roland is struggling, and I feel bad saying this, but... does he really need to go to such lengths? There's a saying, 'more haste, less speed.' Perhaps retreating was actually the right strategy?"
Thankfully, I could still see the stream window.
The vines have completely buried me, blocking out all light, but conversely, this means Han Se-ah's camera above is only capturing the writhing vines.
So, I can freely browse the internet without being noticed.
Recalling the days of mindlessly grinding a Maple Leaf game with internet streams playing on the side, I played a variety show I had been interested in on the internet window.
Even if these creatures feed on and multiply through divine energy, how fast I destroy them would surely outpace their proliferation.
Retreating seems to have been the right choice after all.
I regret this, this feels like an endless grind.
---
Raei Translations
---
"...Roland, are you okay?"
"Yeah, don't worry. I'm fine."
While watching a variety show, briefly tuning into Han Se-ah's stream, viewing web drama summaries, and watching streams of indie horror games, I mindlessly smashed the vines to bits.
As the relentless vines started to dwindle and my vision cleared, I almost ended up watching a military video about the Chinese army deploying human wave tactics against the 7th Mobile Corps, suggested by the algorithm.
It took so long that Han Se-ah ended her stream from boredom.
"Um, Roland? I have something to ask."
"Hmm?"
"Why did you go to such lengths to destroy everything?"
Grace, who had just climbed up to the scene of destruction, posed her question to me.
To anyone, it would have seemed like a mindlessly brute act.
Even I felt regret while watching videos about the mysteries of space or the terrors of the deep sea.
But there was a reason behind this seemingly foolish approach.
"Irene? Can you float some divine energy into the air like last time?"
"Are you sure it's okay?"
Despite her hesitation, Irene trusts me and gathers a large amount of divine energy, floating it upwards.
The group flinches and readies their weapons at the sight of the bright white orb rising.
"There's no reaction from the vines around us, right?"
"Right, none."
"Then we can track them. Let's head back to the safe area and use the divine energy as bait to see where any remaining vines might be."
"Ah...!"
However, the surroundings were eerily quiet, contrary to the tense atmosphere.
Thats probably because I had overturned the ground in all directions with my weapon.
The vines, which had been attacking like snakes, turned to ash and were blown far away with the dust.
The ash-colored trees, which should have been entwined with vines, were uprooted and shattered, rolling on the ground due to my rampage.
I thought I had controlled my strength, but seeing the wide area affected, the unnamed god's blessing is even stronger than I thought.
After all, thats why I flew into the sky when I struck the ground before.
"Wow, unbelievable. Theres not a single vine left on the trees. It seems all the vines that were here crawled towards Roland near the passage. Are these really plants? Not snakes?"
With only trees left and no vines, we started exploring the 35th floor.
Irene and Grace worried whether we should rest, seeing as a day had passed while I was swinging the warhammer, but if we were going to rest, I wouldn't have chosen such a brute force method and would have simply visited the Magic Tower.
There's a saying, 'If the body is weak, the mind must work harder,' but I think I need to start using my head a bit more.
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