Chapter 5: One Trouble After Another

Giant Bear activated Berserk, her eyes red, ignoring the small bottles shattering against her body as she charged straight toward the Thief.

The bottles exploded directly on Giant Bear, releasing green smoke that spread through the air, obscuring much of the view.

Giant Bear paid no mind, charging forward, breaking through the green mist, and pouncing on the Thief.

Just as Zhai Guangyi’s volley of leaf blades ended, a massive fireball shot from behind the Shield Warrior’s shield, crashing toward the top of Zhai Guangyi’s tree.

This startled Zhai Guangyi. Though he was a tree and couldn’t jump, flames quickly spread across his canopy.

This was his first time witnessing real Magic, and it was the memorable Fireball spell.

Zhai Guangyi didn’t dare delay. He was a tree—if he got charred, it would be disastrous. Using Wind Control, he blew all the flames skyward, but some branches were still scorched black. The fireball’s temperature was incredibly high!

In just that moment, his Life Value dropped by over a thousand. Not daring to hesitate, as the Mage prepared a second fireball, Zhai Guangyi unleashed Wind Control again. Countless leaves swirled from all directions, engulfing the two and preventing the Shield Warrior from moving an inch.

By now, Giant Bear had reached the Thief. With a single massive paw, she struck the Thief, who looked desperately toward the Swordsman.

The immense force hit the Thief’s body, which burst like a balloon with a loud pop.

Since Zhai Guangyi had stopped focusing on him, the Swordsman happened to witness the Thief being shattered by a single blow. His eyes reddened, and he abandoned any thought of targeting the cubs. Shouting “Retreat!” he ran toward the other two.

The Swordsman’s longsword began to blaze with flames. As he neared the Shield Warrior, the flames followed the wind, igniting the entire swirling mass of leaves in the air.

Seizing the opportunity, the Shield Warrior hoisted the Mage and retreated deeper into the forest.

After dealing with the Thief, Giant Bear didn’t idle. She lunged toward the trio.

The Swordsman no longer held back. A red glow enveloped him as his flaming sword swung relentlessly. Moving swiftly, he left numerous gashes on Giant Bear’s body, while she, in her Berserk state, couldn’t land a single hit.

The Mage, carried on the Shield Warrior’s back, cast several fire spells simultaneously at Giant Bear and Zhai Guangyi.

Faced with the flames, Zhai Guangyi frantically summoned skeletons to block them, then used strong winds to disperse the fire. But Giant Bear had no choice but to endure. The intense heat scorched her body, leaving patches charred and red.

Seeing the other two had retreated far enough, the Swordsman began a swift retreat as well.

Just as Giant Bear tried to pursue, a barrier rose between her and the Swordsman. The barrier formed a semi-spherical dome, covering a radius of forty meters and temporarily trapping all creatures within.

Giant Bear roared, furiously striking the barrier. Aside from creating ripples, the barrier showed no signs of breaking.

Trapped inside, Zhai Guangyi could only watch as the three Adventurers fled in disarray. The three bears and one tree were powerless to stop them.

—

“Let’s rest here!”

The Swordsman collapsed onto the ground, pulling a small pouch from his pocket. He poured powder from the pouch onto his wounds.

The Shield Warrior set the Mage down, and the Mage jogged over to the Swordsman, taking out bandages to dress his wounds.

The Shield Warrior also sat down nearby, keeping watch around them.

“Jack is dead…”

After hearing this, everyone fell into a heavy silence.

“It’s all my fault. If I had prepared more in advance, Jack wouldn’t have died.”

The Shield Warrior tightly gripped his shield, his voice somewhat hoarse.

“No, it’s my fault for casting the Magic Circle too slowly. Otherwise, Jack could have been protected by the barrier.”

“Enough. This isn’t the first time someone has died. As the Captain, I will take responsibility for Jack’s affairs. For this mission, we need to report back to the guild and request more Adventurers for help. That tree is too dangerous.”

“A Demon Tree that can use Skeleton Manipulation and even control Wind-Element Spells… If it weren’t for that tree, damn it! The Thunder Battle Bear would have been ours, and Jack wouldn’t have died!”

“That tree might not be as simple as it seems. It seems to have the ability to think, knowing when to do what. That’s not ordinary. If it’s not being controlled by a powerful evil Mage from behind, then the tree itself is very problematic.

Moreover, after the Spirit King Tree on the Elves’ side began to show signs of decline, plants all over the World have started acting strangely. For the safety of the town, we must stay alert now and return safely.”

“Mm.”

——

After Xiong Er’s Berserk state ended, the entire bear had shrunk considerably, appearing somewhat listless. Zhai Guangyi had been using a large amount of Wind Control Magic and Skeleton Manipulation, which consumed a great deal of Magic Power, but the outcome was still acceptable.

The problem was that the healing effect of the fruit wasn’t particularly good. After eating a few, Xiong Er seemed to realize the effect was minimal and stopped eating.

Xiong Er’s body bore not only sword cuts but also burn damage from fire. Most importantly, there were small jars thrown by the Thief, which likely contained poison.

Xiong Er’s entire face was covered in green corrosive marks, and one eye could no longer open, likely completely rotted inside. Although the two cubs were unharmed, they both lay beneath the tree, pleading with Zhai Guangyi.

Zhai Guangyi had no other solutions. He had already leveled up his Fruit-Producing Skill to Level 3, allowing him to produce fruits that aid growth, but he had no way to detoxify. Moreover, Xiong Er’s external and internal injuries were too severe. The fruit seemed to have healed a fair amount, but the poison could only be endured by Xiong Er herself. Whether she would survive, Zhai Guangyi couldn’t say.

Zhai Guangyi sighed inwardly. If he had acted earlier, perhaps Xiong Er would have been fine. But in truth, he wasn’t confident. The Female Mage’s fireball had dealt too much damage.

He himself couldn’t withstand many hits. If their goal hadn’t been to capture Xiong Er but to eliminate them, it would have been hard to say whether they could have been driven away.

Eliminate?

Zhai Guangyi suddenly thought: they ran away, but what if they went back to gather reinforcements? Humans were too strong, too numerous—how could he possibly hold them off? Even with only a hundred health points, why couldn’t they be killed?

But he still had the System. Leveling up the System and unlocking the System Shop seemed to be the most likely chance for salvation.

Before Zhai Guangyi and the others could rest for long, he noticed that the area outside the barrier was surrounded by Wind Demon Panthers, a dark, dense mass of them, their eyes gleaming with ferocity.

Looking at the extremely weak Bear Brother and the two cubs, their eyes revealed a fierce cruelty, as if they were already in his grasp.

Xiong Er was so scared she wet herself. Zhai Guangyi glanced at her with some disdain. If she were truly a bear, it would be one thing, but if her soul really came from Earth, that would be a bit pathetic.

Although Zhai Guangyi was also very afraid—since his Magic Power was running low, whether he could hold on was a question—he was now a tree and lacked such physiological reactions.

Zhai Guangyi quickly used Fruit-bearing, generating several self-healing fruits and berserk fruits, intending to convey to Bear Brother and his family that they could only fight to the death.

The two cubs also understood Zhai Guangyi’s meaning. They placed the berserk fruits by their mouths, ready to engage in a deadly battle with these leopards as soon as the barrier disappeared.