Alex hadn't anticipated that his territory would attract a monster of the third tier or higher. There, perched on a boulder just outside his domain, stood a massive lion with fiery red fur and a muscular build.
[Name: Blaze Lion]
[Race: Beast]
[Tier: Third]
[Strength: 32]
[Constitution: 27]
[Agility: 30]
[Spirit: 29]
[Skill: Flame Aura]
[Description: A ferocious beast among lower-tier creatures, capable of basic fire manipulation.]
With average attributes nearing thirty, this creature far surpassed the second-tier Thornvine in power. How could such a formidable monster appear here? Alex was baffled. But when he saw the Blaze Lion leap down from the boulder and head straight for the corpses of the black wolves, it all made sense. The beast had been drawn by the scent of blood.
As expected, the Blaze Lion fixed its gaze on Alex for a moment before slowly approaching the wolf carcasses. It began devouring them ravenously, completely disregarding Alex's presence. This, however, sparked an idea in Alex's mind. While fire was a natural counter to plants, he was still within his safety period. As long as he didn't leave his territory, he was safe. Why not seize this opportunity to try and take down the Blaze Lion? If he succeeded, the rewards would be immense. The more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed.
Seizing the moment while the Blaze Lion was distracted, Alex immediately ordered the Thornvine and Thornvine Grass to attack. In the next instant, the air was filled with the sound of whipping vines as thorn-covered tendrils shot out from the fence, speeding toward the Blaze Lion several meters away. The vines moved even faster than before.
The Blaze Lion, mid-feast, noticed the commotion and raised its head abruptly. With a roar, it spewed a burst of flames at the oncoming vines. The once-menacing tendrils were instantly scorched black, collapsing to the ground. Fire truly was a natural counter to plants. However, Alex noticed that the second-tier Thornvine's vines hadn't been completely destroyed—only the outer layer was charred. Its 22-point constitution had clearly played a role.
The Blaze Lion's spirit attribute was 29, which determined the power of its flames. Even with the elemental advantage, it couldn't instantly destroy the Thornvine. This was Alex's chance. His eyes lit up with determination. While plant-based units had lower attack power in the early stages, their naturally high constitution gave him a shot at taking down a third-tier monster. If the Blaze Lion couldn't finish him off in one strike, and he had plenty of healing and a safe zone to fall back on, he could wear it down!
"Continue the attack!" Alex commanded. The second-tier Thornvine, with its healing ability, quickly recovered and stood back up. In a flash, it wrapped its vines around the Blaze Lion's legs, the thorns digging deep into its flesh.
"Roar!" The Blaze Lion bellowed in rage, its body once again erupting in flames. It tried to burn through the vines, but they retracted just in time, avoiding the fire. Its flame ability clearly had a cooldown period. Once the flames subsided, the plants regained the upper hand.
The two Treant Guardians rushed forward, their wooden spikes striking fiercely. The Thornvine and the first-tier Thornvine Grass also joined the assault, sending a barrage of vines to entangle the Blaze Lion's body, dragging it toward the fence. Inside the territory, the three Flower Sprites continuously cast their healing spells, diligently tending to the plants' injuries.
The Blaze Lion struggled desperately, breaking free from the vines and slamming into the fence. But the safety zone prevented it from entering the territory. The vines were relentless—every time it tore one off, another would immediately wrap around its body, tightening its grip. Combined with the Flower Sprites' healing and the toxins from the thorns, the Blaze Lion's movements were gradually restricted.
Finally, the second-tier Thornvine seized the perfect moment. Its thorny vines slashed across the Blaze Lion's most vulnerable spot—its throat.
"Gush!" Blood poured out instantly. Enraged, the Blaze Lion went berserk, knocking back the two Treant Guardians and tearing through the vines. Only the second-tier Thornvine, with its robust constitution and healing ability, managed to hold on, but it was on the verge of collapse. Cracks kept appearing on its vines, only to be repaired by the Flower Sprites and its own regenerative powers. It felt like it could snap at any moment.
Alex watched nervously, his heart in his throat. Fortunately, the Blaze Lion's strength began to wane as it lost too much blood from the severed artery and succumbed to the toxins. Its struggles grew weaker, and it could no longer summon its flames. This gave the Thornvine a chance to recover. One of its vines coiled around the Blaze Lion's neck, digging deep into the wound.
The Blaze Lion tried to resist, but it was too weak. It could only writhe as the vine tightened, cutting deeper into its flesh. Finally, with a mournful roar, it collapsed to the ground.
[Congratulations! You have successfully slain a third-tier Blaze Lion. You have gained 15 Mana.]
Hearing the voice in his head, Alex was ecstatic. He had actually managed to kill a third-tier monster! Though his methods weren't exactly honorable, he had done it! The Thornvine, as the main damage dealer, gained ten experience points, equivalent to killing ten second-tier monsters.
Alex also noticed that only the unit that landed the killing blow gained experience. The other units, except for the healers who earned extra experience from healing, saw no change. Still, he was thrilled.
"Quick, drag its body inside," he ordered, sending the second-tier Thornvine to retrieve the corpse. It and the Flower Sprites were the only ones still in decent shape. The first-tier Thornvine Grass and the Treant Guardians, on the other hand, were in rough shape—their vines were torn, and they were badly injured, looking utterly drained.
The battle had been brutal. Thankfully, the healing abilities and the Flower Sprites had prevented any casualties. Otherwise, Alex would have been heartbroken.
After dealing with the Blaze Lion's corpse, Alex checked the Thornvine's stats.
[Name: Thornvine]
[Race: Plant]
[Tier: Second (10/25)]
[Strength: 22]
[Constitution: 23]
[Agility: 10]
[Spirit: 18]
[Skills: Nature's Breath, Vine Whip]
[Description: The lowest-tier plant summon, capable of basic movement.]
As he had expected, the Thornvine's attributes had improved after gaining experience, making it stronger than before. Based on this, the maximum attributes for a second-tier unit should be around 25 points.
"Now all I need is stone," Alex muttered to himself. He pulled up his territory information and saw that the 10 Mana required for the upgrade had been obtained from killing the Blaze Lion. All he needed now was 100 units of stone, and his territory would advance to the second tier. Once that happened, he would also ascend to the second tier, significantly boosting his strength.
Stone wouldn't be a problem. His territory was near a mountain, and stone was abundant. He simply had to send the Treant Guardians and the Thornvine to gather some. Soon, he mobilized all the movable units and got to work. In less than half a day, they had collected the required 100 units of stone and returned to the territory.
The Tree of Life seemed to sense its impending upgrade, its branches swaying and scattering specks of glowing light.
[Upgrade territory?]
The voice in his head prompted.
"Upgrade!" Alex didn't hesitate.
In the next moment, the entire territory was bathed in a dazzling light. The fence expanded rapidly, transforming from wooden planks to sturdy stone pillars. Even the Tree of Life grew to a towering height of twenty meters, its branches and leaves covering half the territory, creating a serene, almost idyllic atmosphere.
At the same time, Alex felt a surge of powerful energy flowing through his body, enhancing his strength, senses, and reflexes to a whole new level. He was certain that if he encountered those first-tier black wolves now, he could punch them to pieces without even needing a weapon!
"This is the second tier? Incredible!" Alex couldn't help but marvel. He then turned his attention to the territory information.
[Territory Name: Tree of Life]
[Territory Tier: Second]
[Territory Durability: 250/250]
[Recruitable Units: Plant-based]
[Recruitment Capacity: 10/20]
[Territory Description: The foundation of a lord's survival, equipped with various functions. Destruction of the territory core results in the lord's demise.]
[Upgrade Requirements: Wood (250/250), Stone (3/250), Mana (5/50)]
[Note: Plant-based territories self-supply wood.]
The upgraded territory not only had increased durability but also expanded its recruitment capacity by ten units. However, what truly delighted Alex was the next announcement in his mind.
[Territory successfully upgraded to the second tier.]
[Unlocked second-tier unit: Explosive Mushroom]
[Unlocked Territory Skill: Recall (Allows the return of a specified summoned unit, refunding half the Mana cost.)]
A second-tier unit! And a territory skill! Alex hadn't expected the upgrade to unlock new features, let alone two at once. He had been worried about the recruitment limit being filled with first-tier units, but the "Recall" skill was a game-changer. Additionally, he noticed that recruiting a second-tier unit cost 5 Mana, which he had just enough of.
Without hesitation, he initiated the recruitment. In a flash of light, a fiery red mushroom covered in spores appeared before him.