Chapter 171: Plant-Type Monster 1
TL/Editor: Raei
Schedule: 5/Week Wed-Sun
Illustrations: Posted in discord.
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From the adventurers' story, it seemed that the 31st floor was themed around infection and erosion, completed with the undead, an essential element of any fantasy world, along with vines that specifically counteract divine energy.
"...The Sanctuary is a large-scale holy spell that circulates divine energy. Divine energy from priests ascend to the heavens, purifying the very space, and then, like rain, it descends upon the earth, showering blessings on all living beings below."
An adventurer, perhaps linked to the temple or a mage interested in divine magic, explained how the Sanctuary channels divine energy upwards to cleanse the land on a vast scale.
The concern, however, was the vines.
Like moths to a flame, they swarmed towards Irene's divine energy, and similarly, they clustered repulsively upon sensing the divine energy raining down from the Sanctuary.
Although fragile enough to be effortlessly severed by Katie's blade, the sheer multitude of these vines painted a more daunting picture.
A 30cm vine poses no threat to a human, but amass them into tonnes, and they become an inescapable, deadly force.
"The priests and temple knights managed to fend off the grotesque vines encasing the Sanctuary, but... it's as if they regenerate, reappearing incessantly until all the Sanctuary's divine energy was drained, including that of the temple knights and priests."
Just as suspected, the Sanctuary was devastated by the entangling vines.
The land where adventurers and temple knights stand is unusually wide and flat, perhaps because it was once the safe zone.
What's peculiar is the untouched state of the flat terrain.
Despite the ground-shattering confrontation with the vines that left temple knights unconscious, the ground remained unscathed.
"Hey, did those vines just suck up the divine energy and vanish?"
"Vines? If you're referring to the tentacles, then... Yes. Some adventurers and priests were dragged away, but the vines seemed to crave divine energy, not humans. When the divine energy depleted, we grouped together to resist, but the vines lost interest and retreated."
Perhaps they were only fearsome in number.
It might have been an event-style quest, not a mid-boss as one might have preconceived from the events on the 35th floor.
These vine or tentacle-like parasites drained the Sanctuary's divine energy dry.
The knights and priests, in their terror, expelled divine energy, which only served to bury them under the weight, and they were abducted.
After leaving a void where only battered adventurers remained, the creatures lost interest and withdrew, causing Irene's complexion to turn grave.
While some adventurers emerged unscathed, the majority of temple knights, priests, and nuns were ensnared and dragged away by a mass of tentacles.
"...I see. Thank you."
"There's a favor I'd like to ask. As you can see, there's nothing left here, so could you escort us out of the tower?"
At the mage's words, everyone nods in agreement.
The mage, looking exhausted but not visibly injured, continues speaking, whereas the adventurers, who had to fight physically, are all in tatters.
"Yes, roots. The adventurers referred to them as tentacles, but they looked more like vine plants to me. There might be a root causing them to grow like that."
Encouraged by Han Se-ah's confident words, the party nodded in agreement, fully trusting in the genius mage Hanna.
My gaze drifted towards Han Se-ah's streaming window as I pretended to think.
-Quest window cheating is crazy lol
-First inventory tricks, now the quest window?
-Can't exactly say the quest window told you, right? haha
-Why not claim you received a divine revelation and got the information that way?
-You'd be burned at the stake for blasphemy
The viewers in the chat were playfully mocking Han Se-ah, making her ears turn red, even as she managed not to stutter.
It seemed her body was honest, even if her lying skills were improving.
[Strange parasitic vine plants that proliferate by absorbing divine energy]
[Adventurers from the Guild and mages from the Magic Tower are also stumped by these creatures that have overrun the Sanctuary]
[A plant-type monster that proliferates by absorbing divine energy? What could be its relation to the undead?]
I saw the quest window that Han Se-ah had opened for her viewers.
It was updated, either from survivor testimonies or from returning to the 34th floor, and it confidently declared that the entities on the 35th floor were parasitic vine plants.
That's why Han Se-ah thought of looking for the root.
Indeed, since it's written that parasitic vine plants proliferate, it makes sense to feel the need to find and pull out the root.
I've heard that if you don't remove the roots of plants like ivy or kudzu*, their stems will keep coming up if the roots arent extracted.
"Definitely, there's logic to that. The creatures increased in number the closer they were to the safe zone, and the ash trees seemed to thrive alongside the vines.
Trees were scarce closer to the passageway giving us a clear view of the area. But around the safe zone, there were a lot more trees and each tree was infested with vines."
"Ah, right! The magic tools and tents were pushed away due to how thick the ash trees grew."
Katie, surprised and making a fuss upon hearing evidence that supported Han Se-ah's opinion, seemed shocked to learn that these spring-like, latching creatures are actually plants.
"Shall we head back to the 35th floor then? We've avoided combat and still have plenty of supplies."
"That'd be good. ...There might still be living brothers and sisters."
"Ah..."
"Still, we should rest. Let's stay here for the day before we go."
Irene's words, tinged with a mix of emotions, prompted Grace and Katie to subtly move closer to her.
Their close bond from adventuring together and receiving a mission from the Goddess was nice to see.
Honestly, it seemed unlikely that there would be many survivors, but in such dire times, it felt inappropriate to voice such a bleak outlook, so I simply nodded in agreement.
