rpbooks Chapter 29 : The Disappearing Ancient Tree
Chapter 29 : The Disappearing Ancient Tree
The Disappearing Ancient TreeBecause there were still other people present, many of her skills couldn't be used.
For Cecilia, this should have been a highly disadvantageous situation.
However, ever since equipping the [Rose Maid] set and receiving the several-fold enhancement from [Maid Outfit Mastery], her current panel stats could only be described as explosive. Her attack alone had already surpassed two thousand, and her dual defenses were close to a thousand points. Against such an ordinary elite monster, she simply didn't need to use any skills at all.
Cecilia's movement speed was far too fast. Everything happened in a flash of lightning—before anyone could react, a ghostly figure in a white dress had already leapt high, heading straight for the giant hound's head.
In just a moment—a mere instant—thanks to her astounding dynamic vision and extreme proximity, Cecilia and the gigantic demon hound locked eyes.
Its gaze was uncommonly cruel, colder than any loyalty that a canine should have. Bloodied gums peeked out at the corners of its mouth; together with its rotting frame, it resembled a vengeful ghost that had just climbed out of a grave.
Facing this, Cecilia felt no fear, nor any hesitation. The image of a whack-a-mole game flashed through her mind, while the sharp tip of the table knife glinted under the moonlight. With a swish, it sliced through the air with a shrill, cleanly carving down from the giant hound's head!
She had struck!
Because she passed by so quickly, Cecilia couldn't even clearly see which part of the hound she had hit; she only felt the subtle sensation of the blade slicing into flesh. It didn't feel like a slaughter, but rather like elegantly cutting into a juicy, rare steak at a candlelit table.
The next second, the pained, high-pitched howl of the giant hound erupted behind her. It sounded as if its tail had been crushed by racing car wheels, the hide, flesh, and hard bones all ground into bloody pulp laced with bone shards.
Immediately after, under the utterly shocked gazes of Dawn's Light and Yuewu, thick black blood sprayed out, and two large numbers—one red, one white—floated slowly above the hound's head.
-3976!
-550!
The first number indicated a physical critical hit, while the second was the weapon's passive true damage.
Without using any skills, Cecilia had merely delivered a very ordinary slash, but it nearly killed the elite monster with 6,000 HP on the spot!
Yet, the battle wasn't over. After the giant hound's furious upward howl, more than a dozen smaller demon hounds strode out from behind the hillside, their bodies low and their stance menacing, squaring off against the group.
Although their size and level weren't as high as the first demon hound, these monsters were still around level thirteen or fourteen on average. Even Dawn's Light and Yuewu, two of the national server's top-ranked players, felt their scalps go numb at the sight.
Their gazes unconsciously shifted to the silver-haired girl in a maid outfit standing confidently with a dagger in hand—their respect and awe for Cecilia climbed to another level.
Compared to these monsters, was this person perhaps the real monster?
With another long, ferocious howl from the giant hound, a more intense battle erupted.
The dozen or so small demon hounds split into two groups. One group charged at Dawn's Light and the others, while the other rushed straight toward Cecilia.
Dawn's Light swiftly drew his giant sword and used [Charge] against the oncoming hounds as he gave instructions to Yuewu behind him: "I'll tank the damage, you focus on taking out the small ones quickly, then we'll go help Ceci—"
Before he could finish, Dawn's Light was abruptly stunned.
A dozen meters away, Cecilia looked calm as ever, having already driven her table knife into the back knee of the giant hound.
With just a sliver of HP left, the hound was instantly slain. Simultaneously, with a sharp sidekick, she sent a lunging demon hound tumbling away again.
-973!
"She doesn't need any help over there—just take care of yourself first."
Yuewu also drew out her exquisitely styled short staff. As she chanted a skill, a frosty crystal began to form at the tip of the staff.
"Ice Spike!"
At the conclusion of her chant, dozens of icy arrows shot out from the tip of the staff, spreading rapidly all around with a piercing cold. Monsters struck by the spikes were instantly frozen, their movements turning sluggish.
Dawn's Light followed up immediately, unleashing a War Cry that reduced the defense of nearby demon hounds, then wielded his giant sword vigorously, using [Blade Storm]. The HP of several surrounding demon hounds plummeted.
Aside from the rather useless bystander boy, everyone present was an elite in the current national server. With Cecilia drawing most of the aggro, along with strong damage from Yuewu and Dawn's Light, it took only two or three minutes for the first wave of monsters to be annihilated.
Cecilia strode to the corpse of the giant hound and gathered the loot: aside from some materials, there was a rare blue necklace.
She glanced at its stats—rubbish. It was of no use to her, so she tossed the necklace casually to Dawn's Light.
"You two can divide this among yourselves."
Dawn's Light was somewhat pleased—even though equipment prices on the market had dropped, accessory items like necklaces and rings were still rare. If they found a real spender, selling it for over a hundred thousand shouldn't be an issue.
With Cecilia decked out in purple gear, she naturally wasn't interested in blue equipment, but for others, this was a real treasure.
However, before Dawn's Light could put the necklace in his bag, Yuewu had already snatched it away, subduing him with a cold snort: "Half each. I'll sell it and split the money fifty-fifty with you."
Since Yuewu had far more contacts than he did, Dawn's Light had nothing to object to and simply nodded.
With that small episode over, the group continued ascending toward the hilltop.
There was only one narrow, winding path leading up the mountain. The red-brown soil was soft and slippery, sinking half a foot deep with every step, making progress incredibly hard.
After only a few dozen meters, Yuewu—the most pampered of them all—couldn't help but start complaining, frowning and muttering under her breath: "What kind of awful terrain is this? It's even worse than my grandma's garden after rain!"
"Your grandma's garden doesn't have world-class bosses. Bear with it—just a few more steps and we'll reach the boss,"
Dawn's Light comforted her, glancing up at the mountaintop.
He hadn't intended to look—but when he did, Dawn's Light's expression froze.
"Wait! Something's wrong!"
Cecilia paused in slight confusion, then calmly asked, "What's wrong?"
"The tree at the top... it's gone..."
Staring at the mountaintop, Dawn's Light spoke blankly.
Hearing this, Cecilia instantly furrowed her brow. It had only been a few minutes; how could a perfectly fine tree suddenly disappear into thin air?
If the Bloodletting Tree was gone, there would be no Heart of Bloodthirsty Tree, and naturally, she wouldn't be able to forge the [Magnificent High-grade Vampire Flintlock Pistol]. The importance of this boss to Cecilia was self-evident.
With this in mind, she hurriedly lifted her head, looking up to the summit.
Sure enough, just like Dawn's Light said, where the tree canopy had been, there was now nothing—utterly empty.
"Could it just be the terrain, blocking our view...?"
A new idea occurred to Cecilia. When they had seen the ancient tree from the foot of the mountain, they had a different angle. Now, being halfway up, it was possible that the mountain itself was obstructing their sightline.
To test this, Cecilia decided to give it a try.
Her gaze shifted to Dawn's Light at her side, and after estimating her own height, Cecilia spoke expressionlessly: "Uncle, could you crouch down a bit?"
"Huh?"
Dawn's Light was confused—if he couldn't see the tree when standing, how could crouching help?
"Ce-sis told you to squat, just squat! Why so many questions?"
Yuewu muttered discontentedly, giving Dawn's Light a gentle kick.
"Alright, alright..."
Dawn's Light sighed helplessly; his tall, 1.85-meter frame slowly crouched down. "And then?"
Cecilia scrutinized the bear-head pauldrons on both of Dawn's Light's shoulders, hesitated for a moment, then carefully lifted her black Shoes-clad right foot and gently stepped onto them.
Seeing this, Yuewu understood what Cecilia wanted to do. She moved forward to help steady Cecilia while Dawn's Light was still baffled, allowing Cecilia to successfully stand on Dawn's Light's shoulders.
Holding her dress in one hand, Cecilia's face turned slightly red as she whispered, almost inaudible, "... Alright, you can stand up now."
"Huh?"
Dawn's Light widened his eyes in disbelief at everything that had unfolded over the past minute.
What on earth?
Cecilia is standing on my shoulders now?
She's wearing a dress... if I look up, then... would I...?
But before he could finish that thought, Cecilia's voice drifted down coldly from above, laced with suppressed killing intent, as if she could read his mind:
"Uncle, if you dare look up, I'll camp the Main City resurrection point every day, kill you on sight, and won't stop until all your equipment's dropped."
A chill ran down his spine, and Dawn's Light immediately dismissed all inappropriate thoughts.
They hadn't known each other long, but he knew Cecilia always meant what she said.
With the mud already slippery under his feet and a whole person now standing on his shoulders, it was even harder to stay stable. Dawn's Light steadied his knees and, after much effort, finally managed to stand up, hoisting Cecilia three meters into the air.
Standing on Dawn's Light's shoulders, Cecilia narrowed her eyes and gazed toward the mountain top—unfortunately, she still couldn't see the trunk of the ancient tree.
Such a huge tree—it seemed to have suddenly evaporated into thin air, leaving nothing behind, as if there had never been anything there at all.
Unwilling to give up, Cecilia got an even bolder idea.
Her knees bent, until the hem of her white skirt almost brushed Dawn's Light's face. Her slender legs in white stockings hovered just above his face. Dawn's Light squeezed his eyes shut, caught between agony and enjoyment, even as a sense of foreboding slowly rose inside him.