Chapter 44: Treant HuntIn the morning, we finished breakfast and are now exploring the outskirts of the Forest of Death.
Heath-san’s party and my party will split up into two groups to hunt for Treants.
「Takumi, you be careful!」
「Yes Heath-san, please take care as well!」
Bringing spears, we will pretty much explore the outskirts of the forest.
If a Treant is found, we will switch to axes.
Oh right, I should ask Sophia how to identify Treants.
「Sophia, have you fought Treants?」
「Yes, plenty of times. The forest is the territory of us elves.」
「Is there a way to identify them?」
「Yes, we ask the spirits to tell us. However, I think that if it’s you, Takumi-sama, you might be able to distinguish between normal trees and Treants that camouflage as trees if you use Magic Perception attentively.」
「I see, thanks. Let’s do our best in our search.」
「......Takumi-sama, please look at the tree a little bit to the right 20 meters ahead. Maria, look carefully too.」
I carefully observed the area that Sophia pointed to, and I could sense a clump of magic power from a single tree over there.
「Is that it?」
「Yes. That is a Treant.」
I pointed to a tree and was told I was right that it is the Treant.
Ahh, yeah, I might not have realized it if I didn’t have Magic Perception, but I might have still made a mistake had my Magic Perception not been fairly high.
「I’ll go first.」
I took out the axe I always use from the item box, brandished it and covered it entirely with magic power, closed the distance and swung it downwards.
Kaaaaaaaaaan!!
『Guooooooーー!!』
〈The 「Axe Technique」 skill has leveled up〉
〈The 「Logging」 skill has leveled up〉
The blade of the axe dug deep into the root and a face appeared on the trunk of the tree. The camouflaging Treant cried out in pain.
Tentacle-like roots thrust out from the earth and attacked me but they were lopped off by Sophia and Maria’s magic steel axes. I used that chance to swing my axe a lot.
Kaede cut up the tentacle-like roots that were sticking out of the ground with her threads as if the roots were tofu.
『Guoooooooooーーーー!!』
Its trunk struck over and over by axes, the Treant shrieked and was defeated.
Batan!!
「Fuu, my axe is made of steel so it’s hard to make magic power flow through it. I can’t cut.」
「Our magic steel axes cut exceptionally.」
「My Axe Technique and Logging Skills have leveled up.」
「Kaede did good?」
「Kaede was amazing too.」
I pat Kaede’s head as I praised her.
I should have made my axe magic steel too.
「Well then, let’s cut off the extra branches.」
「「Yes!」」
「Okaaay~!」
I gave the two Magic Steel Hatchets and we cut off the branches.
The cut branches which had become Treant Wood were then stored in the Item Box.
「Alright, next time let’s use Wind attribute magic.」
On the next Treant we found, Sophia and I attacked it with a succession of Wind Cutter. The roots that stretched out from the ground in the Treant’s desperation were cut by Maria’s axe and Kaede’s threads.
Wearing the ring of magic invocation, the power and accuracy of the magic increased and the Treant was killed.
『Gtaaaaaaaaーー!!』
〈The 「Wind Attribute Magic」 skill has leveled up〉
〈The 「Wind Attribute Magic」 skill has leveled up〉
「It looks like the axe is more effective than magic.」
「Let’s see, we can take it easy because we can see through a Treant’s camouflage, so let’s use it to train with both the axe and magic.」
For Sophia to say this, our compatibility with Treants must be good.
After that, I borrowed the Magic Steel Axe from Sophia, and hunt for Treants with Maria and her axe. Sophia cuts the roots that come up from the ground with her sword and attacks with Wind attribute magic in a hit and run tactic. We hunt Treants one after the other.
Sophia and I alternate roles midway, cutting roots with a sword and feinting with Wind Cutter.
Kaede’s threads easily cut through the roots of the Treant. She is playing a very active role in this.
〈The 「Axe Technique」 skill has leveled up〉
〈The 「Logging」 skill has leveled up〉
〈The 「Swordplay」 skill has leveled up〉
〈The 「Swordplay」 skill has leveled up〉
〈The 「Magic Swordsman」 job has leveled up〉
〈The 「Magus」 job has leveled up〉
Around the time we were supposed to join up with Heath-san’s party, several roots more than twice as thick as any we’ve encountered until now shot up from the ground we were walking towards.
I promptly cut it off and backstepped once to recover.
「Takumi-sama! It’s an Elder Treant!」
I took out the axe and cut the roots as I listened to Sophia’s shouts.
Elder Treant is a monster subjugation target recommended at Rank B. It is by no means an enemy that we should be fighting. In the first place, it’s a monster that isn’t supposed to appears in the forest edges.
Status
Age: 15 years old
Job: Magic Swordsman Lv8, Magus Lv9
( Magic Bestower Lv32, Carpenter Lv16, Alchemist lv56, Blacksmith Lv58, Tailor Lv40)
Level: 64
Condition: Healthy
Vitality: 710
Magic Power: 880
Strength: 360
Agility: 320
Stamina: 420
Dexterity: 340
Intelligence: 420
Unique Skills
Appraisal EX
Item Box EX (Concealed)
Passive Skills
Superhuman Strength Lv3
Insight Lv3
Poison Resistance Lv2
Paralysis Resistance Lv2
Evade Lv2
Body Control Lv2
Increased Magic Power Recovery Speed Lv1
Active Skills
Spear Handling Lv7
Axe Technique Lv5
Swordplay Lv7
Throwing Lv4
Taijutsu Lv5
Matoujutsu Lv5
Enemy Search Lv3
Presence Detection Lv5
Stealth Lv4
Tame Lv1
Enhanced Physical Abilities Lv5
Magic Perception Lv7
Magic Power Manipulation Lv9
Light Attribute Magic Lv7
Fire Attribute Magic Lv5
Water Attribute Magic Lv5
Wind Attribute Magic Lv6
Earth Attribute Magic Lv8
Ice Attribute Magic Lv1
Lightning Attribute Magic Lv1
Time-Space Attribute Magic Lv3
Bestowal Magic Lv5
Alchemy Lv8
Smithing Lv7
Woodworking Lv6
Carpentry Lv4
Foraging Lv5
Logging Lv5
Dismantling Lv4
Mining Lv4
Metalworking Lv5
Sewing Lv3
Cooking Lv2
Divine Protection of Goddess Norn ( Concealed )
Familiars
Arachne Unique Species ( Kaede )
Titles
Giant Killing
***