The air was saturated with the sickly sweet scent of the flower, contrasting with the earthy dampness of the twisted roots.
Tristan stared at the monstrous orchid. The thick roots at the base of its body moved like tentacles, and each of its petals was larger than an adult human. Its shape was odd, subtly resembling a gaping mouth with exposed teeth.
The ground beneath his feet seemed alive, pulsating in response to the roots spreading through it.
He clenched his fists in apprehension, channeling more essence through every part of his body. The roots around him rose into the sky, reaching several meters high, then bent and plunged toward Tristan.
With a swift motion, he slashed at the roots binding his foot with his black blade. Leaping to the left, he narrowly avoided being impaled. The roots pierced the soil as though it were sand.
There was no time to feel relieved to escape death. He was completely surrounded. There were more roots coming for him than he could count, all ready to tear him apart.
His survival instincts were sharper than ever.
Running and leaping, Tristan moved like a professional acrobat, dodging every attack from the plant monster.
"I need to grab my backpack and get out of here," he thought, turning his gaze toward where his backpack was. His vision was hindered by the orchid's roots sprawled across the area, but after focusing, he spotted it, though it wasn't in the same place as before.
Tristan's face twisted in disdain.
Rummaging through his belongings, he noticed a familiar small figure.
The smooth, white-skinned creature with pink undertones—the same one that had lured him into this deadly trap—was now playing with his blue crystal, a memento from one of his most dangerous battles.
Noticing Tristan's glare, the rabbit-salamander turned its head toward him. The beast's lips curved in a peculiar way, reminding Tristan of a smile.
"That bastard," Tristan thought.
Watching the scene, he found it odd that the rabbit wasn't being attacked. "Is the plant monster ignoring it because it's too small? Or is this creature intelligent and working with the rabbit?" Whatever the answer, it would have to wait; for now, he needed to figure out how to stay alive.
He looked at the monstrous flower, wondering if he could get close to the creature—and if so, whether there was a way to kill it. 'Damn, what's the biology of plant monsters?'
Searching his memories, he found no relevant information. He had only been educated about the societies and cultures of other races.
'Is cutting the stem enough? Do I need to destroy all the roots? Or do I have to eliminate the entire body?'
Tristan forced those thoughts out of his mind. Against an unknown threat, the best course of action was to retreat and gather more information later.
The sound of something slicing through the air reached his ears. Abruptly, he turned his body. A root was swinging horizontally toward his legs like a whip, trying to knock him down.
With his body on high alert, Tristan jumped into the air, twisting to evade the attack. But then, a thinner, more subtle root swiftly wrapped around his hand. The red orchid hurled Tristan's body against the ground as though he were a toy.
The impact was so severe he almost felt his bones break. Tristan coughed, spitting out a bit of blood.
Another root quickly approached, wrapping around his neck like a snake.
He struggled to breathe, but no air reached his lungs. Furious, he gathered his Dark Essence at his fingertips. The creature's body was abnormally tough, surprising Tristan, but it inevitably began to disintegrate under the Dark Essence. With a strong tug, he tore the root from his neck.
Tristan gasped for air, feeling the relief of oxygen filling his lungs.
His eyes blazing with fury, Tristan grabbed a nearby stone and hurled it with all his strength toward the damned rabbit. If he could kill it, he might grab his backpack and escape this mess.
Enhanced by vital essence, the stone crossed the distance to the small beast in an instant.
Suddenly, just as the stone was about to strike, roots in the area moved, forming a wall around the rabbit.
His attack was effortlessly repelled. The rabbit only noticed what had happened a few seconds after the collision. When the wall dissipated, the creature gestured angrily at him.
"The orchid protected that bastard. They're definitely connected. But why would a Verda…"
Out of the corner of his eye, Tristan noticed something approaching, cutting his thoughts short. Quickly, he bent backward. Passing just in front of his eyes were thin, pointed structures resembling thorns.
Turning his face toward the source of the thorns, he saw someone—or something—emerging from the trees.
"It seems the thief is putting up a fight this time," said an inhuman voice. It sounded like a hiss, but a careful listener could detect a subtle feminine tone.
"What the hell is that?" Tristan thought, his eyes landing on one of the strangest beings he had ever seen. At first glance, it looked like a bipedal weasel beast covered in roots, but on closer inspection, he realized the roots were part of its skin.
Its ears were also missing, replaced by two lilac flowers.
He noticed the strange creature carrying the carcass of a large bird on its back.
The creature raised its arm toward Tristan. Among its brown fur, thorns grew until they reached the size of fingers.
"How dare you attack my home and my pet?! Normally, I let Bob handle everything, but this time I'll deal with you myself!" It adjusted its posture, readying to throw something at Tristan.
'Home? Pet?' So many new and absurd details left Tristan's mind reeling, but at that moment, only one thought came to him.
"You really talk!" he said.
The creature's mouth opened, its eyes widening as if frozen in time. After a few seconds, its mouth moved again. "You… you can talk?"