Upon receiving the results from Appraisal, Bastion raised an eyebrow—it was indeed a monster skilled at camouflage! The Disguised Treant he faced was a defensive tank type, not very powerful offensively. Still, treants were often found in groups.
He threw Appraisal at the other trees nearby and confirmed his suspicion—there were dozens of Disguised Treants lurking around him.
Perfect timing, Bastion thought with a grin. With so many treants here, I won't have to waste time hunting down other monsters.
With Bastion's silent permission, Pyra dashed toward the nearest Disguised Treant, her claws extending into razor-sharp blades as she tore into its bark.
Crack!
Splinters flew, though the treant's health bar only dropped to about one-third, showing its resilience. Startled by the attack, the treant dropped its disguise, shedding leaves and launching them at Pyra like blades slicing through the air.
At the same time, white roots extended from the treant's body, burrowing into the soil and triggering a green glow as its Bronze-tier Life Recovery skill activated, quickly replenishing its health.
Pyra, intrigued by the challenge, leaped gracefully, weaving through the air to avoid the flying leaves. As the last leaf blade passed, she landed directly in front of the treant.
With a flick of her fiery tail, she unleashed her newly acquired Flame Tail skill.
Whoosh!
Her once soft tail ignited into blazing flames, striking the treant's trunk with a loud crack. The impact splintered the bark, spreading cracks across its surface like a spider's web. The flames quickly engulfed the treant, reducing it to a pile of charred wood.
A notification popped up:
[Congratulations! You defeated a Level 5 Disguised Treant and gained 211 XP.]
[Loot obtained: Treant Root ×1]
"Such a powerful single-target skill…" Bastion marveled. Pyra's divine bloodline truly set her apart, with innate strength that outmatched even advanced summons. Two Gold-tier skills at her level made her an incredibly formidable partner, even for a high-level Beast Summoner.
Pyra didn't pause. She charged at the next treant, her tail once again blazing as she struck.
[Congratulations! You defeated a Level 5 Disguised Treant and gained 211 XP.]
[Congratulations! You defeated a Level 5 Disguised Treant and gained 211 XP.]
One by one, the Disguised Treants fell. Just as the last treant crumbled, Bastion noticed a notification that stood out.
[Congratulations! You defeated a Level 5 Disguised Treant and gained 211 XP.]
[Loot obtained: Treant Shield ×1]
An equipment drop? This was rare. Typically, monster drops in dungeons consisted of materials that required crafting into equipment by specialized artisans. Directly dropped gear was uncommon, and if it did appear, it was usually of high quality.
Excited, Bastion retrieved the shield from his inventory.
[Treant Shield]
[Type: Shield]
[Class Restriction: Guardian-type classes]
[Required Level: 3]
[Grade: Iron]
[Effect: Constitution +5]
[Special Ability: 5% chance to reduce damage by 50% when attacked.]
It's a small treasure! Bastion thought, admiring the shield. For an Iron-grade item, it not only boosted Constitution but also came with a rare damage reduction ability. Unfortunately, it was limited to Guardian-type classes, so Bastion couldn't use it himself. He placed it back in his inventory with satisfaction.
He continued hunting the remaining treants in the area, but none dropped further equipment. Just as he and Pyra prepared to leave, he heard a rustling above him.
Looking up, he saw a massive snake coiled in the branches, flicking its tongue in his direction. Its yellow eyes, each the size of a fist, glared at him, and the thickest part of its body was wider than two people put together.
Bastion quickly cast Appraisal.
[Forest Python (Elite)]
[Level: 6]
[Strength: 53]
[Mental Power: 23]
[Agility: 48]
[Endurance: 150]
[Skills: Constriction (Bronze), Tail Strike (Iron)]
This python was one of the top predators in Initiation Dungeon. With an endurance stat of 150, any creature caught in its coils without sufficient firepower would be crushed to death.
The snake, despite its massive size, moved swiftly. It dropped from the tree, coiling around Pyra in an attempt to crush her.
Bastion could see the muscles ripple beneath the scales as it prepared to squeeze the life out of her.
But it was too late. Pyra had already slipped free, leaping out of range just before the coils tightened. A moment later, her fiery tail whipped through the air and struck the python's head.
Crack!
The snake's skull shattered under the force, splitting apart in a spray of scales. Even with its 150 points of endurance, the python was no match for Pyra's Flame Tail skill.
[Congratulations! You defeated a Level 6 Forest Python (Elite) and gained 387 XP.]
"Elite monster XP is fantastic!" Bastion said, feeling a renewed sense of purpose. "Let's keep going! Let's see if we can clear out every python in this forest!"
---
Meanwhile, in another section of the dungeon…
"I found a Level 3 Thunder Rabbit. Its speed is 38!" a student shouted.
"Quick, get over here! Don't let it escape!" Ryan commanded. He held a longbow wreathed in flames, his confidence apparent as he drew the bowstring, forming a full arc. He loosed the arrow, aiming at the rabbit.
Whoosh!
The rabbit moved in a blur of lightning, leaving a shadow where it had been as Ryan's arrow missed completely. The rabbit dashed toward Ryan, aiming to tackle him.
"Ice Spell!" shouted Elena, arriving just in time. She cast her spell with perfect timing, coating the rabbit in frost and slowing its speed, reducing its health by one-fifth.
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Ryan rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the rabbit's attack, though he was left covered in dust, looking thoroughly disheveled.
Finally, the last member of their team, a shield-bearing swordsman, arrived and blocked the rabbit's next charge. The healer girl chanted, creating a shield that absorbed the rabbit's attack.
The swordsman taunted the rabbit, drawing its attention and taking blow after blow on his shield. Seizing the moment, Ryan drew his bow and fired several arrows in rapid succession, finally taking the rabbit down.
Panting with relief, the group members cast irritated looks at Ryan. His reckless actions had almost gotten them all in trouble.
Brushing off the dirt on his clothes, Ryan tried to save face. "I thought you guys were closer. I wouldn't have started if I'd known you were still behind."
"But hey, I did take down almost half of its health with that shot."
"Hmph, well, it was a good hit," one of them muttered reluctantly, recalling the class change phenomenon Ryan had experienced.
With the mention of his phenomenon, the others relaxed a little.
"Alright, let's keep moving," one of them said. "We might need to camp here tonight."
"Let's aim to hit Level 3 before dark!"