Chapter 77 - The Hunt for the Territory Boss

As the first rays of sunlight pierced through the poisonous mist that perpetually shrouded the Poison Mist Forest, the soft golden light contrasted sharply with the eerie gloom. It painted an almost surreal picture over the ominous landscape.

Alex stood at the forest's edge, the same spot where he had begun his hunt the day before. The night had provided him with much-needed rest, and now, fully rejuvenated and brimming with confidence, he was ready to take on his next challenge—completing the Location-Based Quest.

"Time to take down a Territory Boss." He muttered to himself, clenching his fist with determination.

His mind was set, his focus razor-sharp. After decimating the Poisonous Marsh Lizards and collecting valuable loot, his sights were now locked on a bigger target—the territory boss of the Poison Treant's region.

'If I'm right, I entered the marshlands by turning this way yesterday.' Alex thought, mentally retracing his steps. 'If I head in the opposite direction and deeper into the forest, I should find the territory boss.'

With that plan in mind, Alex darted into the dense mist, weaving through the thick canopy of trees. He didn't pause for a moment, moving swiftly and silently as he plunged deeper into the forest.

Thanks to his stealth skill, not a single Poison Treant attempted to ambush him. The forest was unsettlingly quiet, the kind of silence that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

As Alex ventured deeper into Treant territory, the trees around him became more twisted and gnarled. Their blackened roots clawed into the toxic soil, their bark darkened by years of exposure to the poison.

The air grew thicker and more suffocating, the concentration of poisonous mist increasing with every step. Visibility became a challenge, the world around him fading into a hazy blur.

Finally, a massive silhouette emerged from the mist—a towering tree far larger than the others, easily three times the size of the surrounding Treants. Its dark, twisted form loomed ominously, its roots and branches stretching out like a living fortress.

Alex's heart pounded as he laid eyes on the territory boss. "Well, there you are." Alex said with a smirk, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "Let's see what you've got."

With a sudden burst of speed, Alex unleashed his opening attack. A powerful, overcharged tore through the air, aimed directly at the territory boss's massive trunk.

Sensing the threat, the boss reacted just in time. Thick, deep purplish-brown roots, erupted from the ground, coiling around Alex's legs with alarming speed, binding him tightly. 

The unexpected entanglement threw Alex off balance, and the , only half-charged, shot forward. Despite the incomplete charge, it struck its mark, shattering the thick bark and leaving a deep, gaping hole in the monster's wooden flesh.

The boss let out a furious, guttural roar that echoed across the forest, shaking the trees. The rumbling sound was like thunder, signaling the subordinate Treants to charge at Alex from every direction.

But Alex was already in motion, reacting with lightning reflexes. His blade flashed through the air, cleaving the first Poison Treant that got too close in half. The wooden monster splintered under the force of his strike, falling lifeless to the ground.

Alex quickly shifted his attention back to the roots binding his legs. The tips had lodged deep into his flesh, attempting to inject a potent poison into his body system.

Fortunately, the poison had little effect thanks to his resistance, and the pain of the piercing roots was dulled by his Minor Pain Tolerance skill.

Grimacing with resolve, Alex slashed at the roots, determined to free himself before the surrounding Poison Treants overwhelmed him. 

The Poison Treants swarmed toward him, their twisted, wooden forms creaking and groaning as they closed in. Alex's eyes narrowed, quickly assessing the horde before him.

With a swift flick of his wrist, he conjured a barrage of , sending jagged shards of ice shooting out in a wide arc toward the advancing Treants.

The spell crackled in the air as it struck, freezing several of the Poison Treants solid, locking them in place.

But the boss Treant, towering and far more powerful than its minions, wasn't so easily subdued.

Massive branches, thick as entire trees, swung toward Alex with terrifying force, crushing everything in their path—including its own frozen underlings. The brittle, frozen Treants shattered upon impact, their splintered remains raining down in a cascade of ice and wood.

Alex barely had time to react. He rolled to the side just as one of the massive branches crashed into the ground where he had stood moments before.

The impact sent a tremor through the earth, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris, blurring his vision momentarily.

"You're more persistent than I thought." Alex muttered under his breath, now seeing the territory boss in greater clarity. The violent gusts created by its thrashing branches had cleared the mist surrounding him, exposing the battlefield.

Where the had struck earlier, a basketball-sized hole marred the center of what would have been the hideous face of the Treant boss. The gaping wound oozed a dark, viscous sap, but the creature showed no signs of slowing down. 

Its massive form loomed over him, and the ground beneath Alex trembled as it prepared for another devastating assault.

If he could use or , taking down this territory boss would be effortless, but the risk of igniting a forest fire was too high.

As it stood, his current attacks were working, but too slowly. He alternated between attacking and defending, a method that was dragging the battle on and draining both his mana and stamina at an alarming rate.

Then, inspiration struck. 'If I could conjure directly beneath it, things would move much faster.' Alex thought, the idea lighting up his mind. He quickly began working through the mechanics of the plan.

'When I cast a spell, I create its magic circle in my mind while channeling mana into it. What if, instead of imagining the circle forming in my hands, I visualized it forming beneath my target?' It was a risky and untested approach, but it might just work.

The idea was feasible, though it came with a set of conditions. The target had to be relatively stationary, and Alex needed to be close enough to maintain control over the spell's placement. Plus, several other factors would need to align.

After a bit of experimentation during the battle, Alex got a rudimentary feel for the technique. He knew he'd need to freeze the boss in place to buy enough time to cast the spell.

Although the Treant could break free from the ice eventually, it wouldn't matter if he timed it just right. With a focused burst of energy, he conjured , freezing the massive boss in place.

Thick tendrils of ice wrapped around its roots and branches, slowing it down. It struggled, cracking through the ice, but it was too late—the delay was all Alex needed.

He concentrated intensely, visualizing the magic circle forming beneath the Treant's base.

"It worked!" The circle manifested, glowing dark and ominous beneath the forest floor, but it began draining Alex's mana at an astonishing speed. He could feel his reserves plummeting as the spell charged up, but if this worked, the fight would be over in a flash—literally.

The massive Poisonous Treant, still bound by the thick layers of dark ice, thrashed violently, splintering the frozen prison that held it.

Cracks spider-webbed through the ice as the Treant's immense strength slowly began to break through. Alex's eyes were locked on it, his hands trembling from the effort of maintaining the spell.

"Just a little longer..." he muttered through gritted teeth, fighting against the draining pull on his mana.

But it was already too late.