Liyakade was baffled. Why did a Twisted Treant—a monster from the deep forest—appear even though she hadn’t made any move?
However, an ordinary Twisted Treant usually hovered around LV.35. Liyakade, at LV.55, was still confident she could handle it easily.
Before she could react, several vines and roots suddenly shot toward her in unison, aiming to pierce her.
Liyakade leapt into the air, the wind swirling under her feet as she dodged the attack. At the same time, she unleashed a massive Wind Blade, aiming to slice the Twisted Treant’s withered, eerie human face right down the middle.
“Crack—”
The Wind Blade pierced into the trunk with a grinding sound. The grotesque face cracked halfway, becoming even more terrifying, but it wasn’t severed in one blow. No, the slash wasn’t even that deep.
“What?”
“Smack—”
Seeing that her first strike hadn’t worked, Liyakade widened her eyes in disbelief.
Then the Twisted Treant’s branches started writhing, swinging straight at her in midair, slamming Liyakade down to the ground.
“Liyakade!!!”
“Boom—”
A second heavy blow followed immediately. Vines whipped toward Liyakade’s landing spot again.
A thick cloud of dust rose from the crater she’d been slammed into. Field watched anxiously, sword in hand, ready to charge forward.
“Don’t go in! That thing is dangerous!”
Suddenly, a petite figure lunged out from the dust, a gust of wind pulling Alice and Field backward.
“Miss Liyakade! You’re injured!”
Liyakade’s lips bled, and her once-pristine Academy Uniform was now torn in several places, dust covering her body.
“Don’t worry about me! Stay away from this thing!”
Liyakade’s heart sank. Judging from the attacks and how she’d been hit, this Twisted Treant was unlike the one in the original game.
Thinking carefully, this one was bigger, entirely black, and had camouflage abilities—they hadn’t even noticed its presence at first.
This was likely a Withered Treant, a creature living deep in the forest, rarely venturing out. Their level usually exceeded LV.55, putting them on par with Liyakade.
To be honest, if it came to a serious fight to the death, Liyakade would probably win. But she had underestimated the Withered Treant’s strength and taken a hit. If the battle resumed now, she would likely be at a disadvantage.
Not to mention, she wasn’t alone. There was Alice, who was barely single-digit level, and Field, only LV.32.
Field was the fire magic user, specialized in countering monsters like the Withered Treant. Despite the 20-level gap, she could at least hold her ground while Liyakade fought.
Alice’s Light Attribute was even more effective against the Withered Treant, but the huge level difference was insurmountable—even attribute advantage couldn’t make up for it.
“We’re no match for this thing. Run!”
Liyakade warned both of them as she manipulated the surrounding Wind Element, lightening their bodies.
She wanted to sweep them all away in a gust, like she had when fighting Alice before, but here in the forest, branches and boughs blocked the sky, tangled thickly overhead. Without precise control, they could easily collide with the trees.
Moreover, the Withered Treant’s speed meant it could attack as soon as Liyakade tried to take flight. Without solid footing in the air, she could only rely on her control over the wind, making her speed and direction unstable.
If Alice or Field were hit in midair, even if they survived, they’d be crippled.
So Liyakade decided to flee on foot instead.
“You two run ahead. I’ll cover the rear.”
After putting some distance between them, Liyakade stopped and wiped the blood from her mouth, urging them to leave quickly.
“There’s no way we’ll leave you here alone!”
Field stopped as well, her voice urgent.
“That monster’s too strong. You two would just slow me down.
As long as you get away first, I can escape anytime,” Liyakade said firmly, stepping protectively in front of them. “Trust me.”
“Tch… fine.”
Alice looked worried but knew staying wouldn’t help; it would only be a burden.
Gritting her teeth, she followed Field toward the forest’s edge.
“Miss Liyakade, you have to come back!”
“Liyakade, if you don’t return, I’ll publish everything you wrote for everyone to see!”
“Cough cough… Don’t worry, that won’t happen.”
Liyakade twitched at Field’s words but quickly resumed her serious expression, her eyes hardening.
“Roar—”
The eerie face carved into the trunk emitted a chilling scream, moving toward Liyakade. Suddenly, vines and branches reached out from the shadows all around—chasing after them as they retreated.
The vines and branches stabbed at Liyakade from every angle, but she pressed both hands downward, pinning them to the ground with an invisible force.
“You only got lucky with that sneak attack and by underestimating me,” Liyakade said as she controlled the Wind Element, creating a powerful downward Wind Field around her, pressing the vines firmly into the earth.
“Kehehehehe!”
A shriller sound emerged from that emotionless, horrifying face. The sound waves felt tangible, stabbing into Liyakade’s head, causing a sharp pain. She instinctively raised her hands to cover her ears.
“So noisy!!!”
Just as Liyakade prepared to strike, the vines pinned to the ground broke free from the Wind Field.
“When did—?”
Liyakade hadn’t noticed when her magic had faltered. It must have been interrupted by the scream.
The vines whipped at her again. Liyakade slapped forward; a faint popping sound echoed through the air. Before the vines could touch her delicate palms, an invisible force pushed them away.
She compressed the Wind Element in her palms, releasing it just as the vines lashed out—creating a sort of ranged strike.
Liyakade continued striking the vines from a distance, but without the Wind Field protecting her, using only her two hands wasn’t enough to fend off the onslaught from all directions.
Several branches and vines slipped through her defenses, grazing her as she dodged.
Slowly, multiple bleeding wounds appeared on Liyakade’s body.