"Trainee… Forest Ranger?"
Paimon looked at the green-haired girl before her, confused.
"In any case, let's leave this Withering Zone first. It's too dangerous to stay here. I'll explain everything once we're outside!"
Collei's fair face showed a hint of urgency as she urged them to leave.
"Miss Collei, please don't worry. We also possess elemental abilities, so the power of the Withering here won't threaten us for now."
Nolan hadn't expected to meet Collei here, so he smiled as he reassured her. As he spoke, he raised his hand and demonstrated his ability by condensing a sphere of water.
"Hehe, that's right! We're pretty strong!" Paimon puffed up her chest proudly.
"Oh, I see… Looks like I was worrying too much."
Collei sighed in relief upon realizing that they were Vision holders. However, noticing how familiar they seemed with the Withering, she couldn't help but ask curiously:
"Then… does that mean you didn't stumble into the Withering by accident?"
"That's right," Nolan nodded, explaining, "We're adventurers from Liyue.
"Before coming here, we studied the situation in Sumeru and learned about the Withering.
"When we encountered one, we thought we might as well try to clear it to prevent any travelers—who might not be able to handle it—from getting hurt."
Naturally, he didn't mention that Lumine could manipulate the power of the Withering, to avoid any misunderstandings.
"You actually entered the Withering voluntarily?" Collei exclaimed in surprise.
After all, the Withering was incredibly dangerous, filled only with frenzied monsters. Even renowned adventurers struggled to deal with them.
On top of that, there were no treasure chests to be found here, so adventurers usually avoided these areas altogether.
Only the Forest Rangers would patrol the rainforest daily, checking for new Withering Zones.
It was rare to find adventurers who were interested in the Withering—let alone ones willing to clear it out.
Knowing that these foreign adventurers were so kind-hearted and proactive in dealing with the Withering, Collei's impression of them improved greatly.
[Collei Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 230 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.2 (130/200)]
However, after thinking for a moment, she still expressed her concern:
"Records about the Withering outside of Sumeru are probably not very detailed, and they might even be somewhat misleading. If you attempt to clear it recklessly, it could be very dangerous."
"Oh?" Nolan noticed Collei's concern and didn't want to disregard her good intentions, so he asked cooperatively, "Then, Miss Collei, could you tell us what precautions we should take when dealing with the Withering?"
"Uh…" Collei touched a strand of her green hair and shifted her gaze away awkwardly. "Well… since I'm only a trainee, I'm not yet capable of handling things on my own.
"Master doesn't let me help clear Withering Zones, so I only know the basics and have never actually fought in one before…
"Why don't I go back and ask my Master to come over? If there's anyone in Sumeru who understands the Withering best, it's definitely Master Tighnari!"
She ended with a suggestion.
"If that's the case, then there's no need to trouble your Master. We can handle it ourselves. The Withering Tumor's counterattacks shouldn't be able to harm us."
Nolan shook his head, not wanting to waste time waiting for Tighnari.
"Eh? If that's the case, then please be careful. No, actually… I'll go with you! I might be able to help."
Seeing that Nolan was determined, Collei didn't try to dissuade them further.
Even though she hadn't fought against the Withering herself, she still possessed relevant knowledge.
"Then, we'll be counting on you, Miss Collei." Nolan didn't refuse her, allowing her to fulfill her duty as a Forest Ranger.
At the same time, he mentally asked Lumine, "How is it? Any new insights?"
"Yes, the Withering's energy here is incredibly dense. I've basically grasped its properties now and can convert it using Abyssal power whenever needed."
Lumine replied in his mind.
Hearing this good news, Nolan smiled and said to everyone, "Alright, let's go destroy the Withering Tumor now!"
With that, he led the way toward the Tumor.
Lumine, Paimon, and Collei followed closely behind. Before long, they arrived at the Withering Tumor.
"Master Tighnari once told me that when left undisturbed, the Tumor is usually quite still.
"But once attacked, it instinctively retaliates by unleashing Withering spikes.
"So, it's best to attack from a distance to give yourself enough time to dodge. Also, if there are monsters nearby, the disturbance in Withering energy will attract them.
"Oh, right! The Withering is like a disease of the rainforest. And just like how the body fights off illness, the rainforest also resists the Withering in its own way—by stubbornly growing special grass seeds within the decayed area.
"If you collect these seeds and use them against the Tumor, they'll be very effective!"
Collei shared all the knowledge she had, hoping to help these brave and kind adventurers.
"Huh? I didn't know there was so much to it!"
Paimon suddenly felt like they had been a bit reckless in their approach.
"There don't seem to be any monsters nearby; we checked on our way here. As for the grass seeds…"
Nolan extended his spiritual perception, searching the area. Before long, he spotted a seed behind a massive fallen tree.
It sprouted from the ground, emitting a soft green glow, brimming with vitality. Compared to the dull gray sky and lifeless earth, it was a refreshing sight to behold.
Since Collei was present and their relationship with her was still relatively new, Lumine couldn't use her newly acquired Withering power to deal with the Withering Tumor without causing misunderstandings.
That meant they had to resort to conventional methods, which were slightly more troublesome but still feasible.
"I found a grass seed! Lumine, you, Paimon, and Collei should step back a little and keep an eye on things. Leave these Withering Tumors to me!"
After some thought, Nolan spoke to Lumine.
"Alright, be careful." Lumine nodded lightly and retreated about a few dozen meters with Paimon and Collei.
With that settled, Nolan circled around the massive fallen tree, preparing to retrieve the grass seed first.
As he crouched down and reached out to collect it, a sudden thought crossed his mind—if this seed was growing here, then what about the structure beneath it, the thing that resembled a "lantern stand"? Could it be some kind of treasure?
Not long ago, during their adventures in Inazuma, Lumine and Paimon had collected numerous treasures and stored them in their Wonderland.
This had expanded the space inside from 308 square meters to 315 square meters—a decent growth.
However, none of the items Lumine brought back were rare enough to grant special spatial properties, which was why the increase was limited to just eight square meters.
If this "lantern stand" that nurtured the grass seeds was also considered a treasure, then perhaps he could take it for himself!
Examining it further, Nolan realized it was connected to the ground by a structure resembling a tree root.
It was highly likely that this root was responsible for gathering Dendro energy to form the grass seeds.
If he cut it off, the "plant lantern" might lose its ability to generate grass seeds, drastically reducing its value—maybe even turning it into a useless piece of wood.
Moreover, since Nolan didn't wield Dendro power, sustaining it would be difficult.
Forget it. It's better to let Sucrose study it later or ask scholars like Tighnari before making a decision.
After all, if it could be transplanted into his Wonderland, it wouldn't just be a valuable collectible—it could also serve as a beautiful natural lamp to decorate various spots.
With his thoughts settled, Nolan stopped hesitating and reached out to touch the grass seed growing from the "plant lantern."
The seed had a slightly cool sensation to the touch. Before he could do anything, it automatically began floating around him.
At the same time, he could feel a connection—as long as he attacked the Withering Tumors, the grass seed would follow his lead and attack alongside him.
Nolan glanced at the Withering Tumor growing on the massive fallen tree. If he used "Lumine's Sword God", the tumor would likely be sliced in half instantly, rendering the grass seed's effect unnecessary.
But he was curious to see the seed's power in action.
After some thought, he decided to use a favorability skill he had obtained from Eula—summoning the "Frostlight Descending Blade."
Since acquiring this weapon with great potential, he hadn't had the chance to use it. Today seemed like the perfect opportunity to test it out.
With sharp determination in his eyes, Nolan swung the massive ice-white sword at the Withering Tumor on the tree's side!
Since he held back slightly, the sword only knocked the tumor askew rather than destroying it outright.
The next second, the grass seed orbiting him suddenly shot forward and slammed into the tumor!
Due to their inherent counteracting properties, the Withering Tumor melted away instantly—just like in the game—with a crisp "pop" sound!
However, at the moment of its destruction, the dying tumor unleashed a huge surge of Withering energy, forming Withering spikes that shot toward Nolan in retaliation.
At the same time, it attempted to lure nearby monsters with the disturbance.
Unfortunately for it, they had already scouted the area earlier—there wasn't a single monster in sight! There was no way any would be drawn in now.
Easily deflecting the Withering spikes, Nolan prepared to retrieve another grass seed for his next attack on the second Withering Tumor…
Suddenly, the ground began to tremble.
"Huh? What's going on?" Paimon, who was standing dozens of meters away with Lumine and Collei, looked at the shaking ground in confusion.
"Could it be…?" Lumine, with golden hair adorned with a white petal, furrowed her brows as she glanced down.
"The Sumeru rainforest has a thriving ecosystem, filled with all sorts of creatures. Even underground, there are plenty of monsters. No wonder you didn't see any earlier—maybe they were all hiding beneath the surface!"
Collei's eyes widened as she guessed what was happening.
Compared to where Lumine and the others stood, the tremors were even stronger around Nolan—after all, the disturbance was targeting him directly.
Two more seconds passed.
With a "boom", the ground suddenly burst open, and one after another, at least a dozen mushroom-like creatures emerged in rapid succession.
"These are Fungi! But why are there so many?" Collei exclaimed in surprise.
Normally, when patrolling the forest, they would encounter at most five or six of these creatures at a time.
Yet now, more than ten had appeared—and they were much larger than usual!
"So it's you little cuties… but since you're all attacking me, I suppose I have no choice but to fight back a little!"
Nolan's pupils flashed gold as he observed the mushroom monsters. He estimated that they were around level 40 to 50.
Seeing them charge at him, a slight smirk appeared at the corner of his lips.
"Perfect timing—I can test out the sword techniques I recently learned!"
Lifting the Frostlight Descending Blade with one hand, he raised it high above his head. In that instant, countless arcs of violet lightning crackled and danced around him.
His entire aura shifted—calm yet terrifying—as if he had entered a state of "absolute focus". In that moment, his mind and vision contained nothing but the sword in his grasp.
The very air and space trembled around him.
In the next second, the greatsword descended—nothing could stand in its way!
The sword energy infused with lightning surged forward, slashing through the two remaining Withering Tumors on the fallen tree and sweeping toward the incoming monsters.
In that instant—
The mushroom creatures, witnessing the sheer destructive force of the attack, momentarily snapped out of their Withering-induced frenzy and regained clarity for a brief few seconds.
Their instincts screamed at them to flee.
But it was too late.
As the lightning-infused slash swept past them, both the monsters and the ground beneath them were cleaved in two—they stood no chance.
---
+1356 Adventure EXP
+1925 Adventure EXP
+1831 Adventure EXP
As the monsters perished, notifications of earned experience points popped up on Nolan's character panel.
At the same time—
The Withering Tumors that had been struck by his attack were instantly obliterated.
Even without the assistance of the grass seeds, the tumors were completely eradicated, leaving not a single trace behind.
As the Withering Tumors vanished, the life force that had been stolen from the surroundings began to flow back into the land.
Tiny blades of grass sprouted from the once barren ground.
Withered trees, now bathed in an abundance of vitality, began to bud once more.
Even the dark, oppressive sky brightened in an instant!
Standing amidst the revitalized land, Nolan, Lumine, and the others felt a comforting warmth wash over them.
Their bodies felt lighter, their minds refreshed—it was as if they had even grown stronger.
It seemed that cleansing the Withering Tumors not only purified the land but also rewarded them with rejuvenating energy—perhaps this was the forest's way of thanking them for "healing" its sickness.
Seeing that the monsters and Withering Tumors had been completely dealt with, Lumine, Paimon, and Collei walked over.
Especially Collei—the green-haired girl seemed utterly amazed, her eyes sparkling as she stared at Nolan.
With a slightly excited tone, she exclaimed:
"I can't believe you're this powerful…! You took out all those monsters and Withering Tumors in just one sword strike!"
[Collei Has Developed Good Feelings Towards You, Obtained 220 Affection Points. Current Affection Level: Lv.3 (150/300)]
Seeing the new affection notification pop up, Nolan chuckled and cleared his throat.
"Well, as an adventurer, I've been through many experiences. Naturally, I've grown stronger over time. I'm sure Miss Collei, with more training, will also become this strong one day!"
He spoke humbly, though as he glanced at Collei's level using his golden "Eye of Judgment," he noticed she was only Level 31.
It seemed she still had a ways to go before she could handle the Withering on her own.
(End of Chapter)
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