Chapter 482: Ambush

The battle was about to erupt.

Greta had been a Witherer for only a short time, so many of her combat habits still followed her Druid days.

She swiftly summoned the twisted, chilling natural power within her.

【Wild Shape】.

Moments later, she had transformed into a massive Bear-Man standing two and a half meters tall.

Interestingly,

the dark leather clothing on Greta's body also changed, now covering the Bear-Man in a simple, rugged leather armor.

Luo De was slightly surprised.

A rather suitable magical item for a Druid.

There was a half-wolf Druid named Ojia in the forest; though I'd never seen her true form, she definitely never wore clothes.

Back to the battlefield.

In contrast to Greta's use of transformation,

the Snake-Man Dane was entirely different.

He hid like a backline mage, sneaking into position to cast twisted natural power.

As the spiritual frequency quickened,

green vegetation around Dane withered and rotted rapidly.

At the same time,

Blackened, decaying vines burst from the ground, coiling together to form a dozen humanoid figures of rotting vines.

He grinned wickedly and reached out into the air toward a nearby large tree.

He sucked in vast amounts of natural spirituality; the tree instantly withered.

His body was like a sewer ditch, corrupting everything.

Pure natural power entering and leaving him instantly turned cold and malevolent.

He cast 【Tree Skin】 on himself and the Bear-Man Greta before him.

"Mr. Luo De, if you'd brought those seven-tier forest dwellers with you, I might actually respect you a bit."

The Snake-Man Dane sneered.

"Since you're acting on impulse and came alone, I'll gladly teach you proper etiquette when facing an eighth-tier."

Luo De smiled.

Judging by the spiritual intensity he was casting, he estimated it was around 330 ke.

Not even close to Vergil, the half-elf at Axe Beach.

Probably just a watered-down eighth-tier who'd barely leveled up.

This snake's voice was slimy and damp, like a maggot in a sewer.

Even before you graduated from Bahadur Magic Academy, just seeing your ugly face made me want to punch you.

Fuck, you dare suck the life out of a tree right in front of me?!

【Sacrificial Sword】 drew.

The Black Slime slid swiftly over his right hand; 【Black Gold Coating】 instantly turned the golden longsword into a Didiao yet luxurious black-gold blade.

All sword skills +2;

Sword wielder's strength increased by 10%;

Sharpness increased to 80.

He shattered the ground and charged forward aggressively.

Directly confronting the roaring Bear-Man Greta.

"Mr. Luo De, given my relationship with Vivian, rest assured—I'll only make you suffer a little. I hope Vivian won't feel sorry for you when she sees your swollen face!"

Ten minutes later.

Tattered bear fur, vines, and fragments of enchanted leather armor lay scattered across the ground.

Some were buried deep in soil; others stained red with blood.

Luo De stood at the center of the battlefield, unharmed, his eyes filled with mockery.

To his left, the Witherer Greta had reverted to human form, collapsed on a rock, one hand shielding her exposed chest now bare from the shredded armor; even with her bruised and swollen face, her shame, fury, and terror were unmistakable.

And straight ahead, not far,

at the end of a long drag mark, the Snake-Man Dane lay still.

He spat out a small mouthful of blood foam, his face twisted in pain.

Then, trembling, he pushed himself up, staring at Luo De in disbelief: "You—you."

I'm an eighth-tier! How did I lose to a mid-seventh-tier, especially when it was two-on-one?!

"Stop saying 'you.'"

Luo De noticed dirt and blood on his boots.

He picked up a scrap of fabric Greta had dropped.

Hmm, this pattern looks like a corset. Whatever, any cloth will do.

He rubbed twice—kakak.

Fuck, now it's even dirtier.

These were specially made for me by Xiao Ke, damn it!

Well, actually, not exactly special.

She gave a pair to every shoe-wearing person in the forest, but Luo De guessed she sewed them just to spite him.

Luo De flicked the soiled corset fragment at Greta's face.

The little thing dared not speak, lowering her head in furious humiliation.

"Given that you and Vivian still showed some courtesy, I held back. Otherwise, with your two pathetic levels, I could've cut down ten of you alone."

Though humiliated and enraged, neither doubted him.

This man had taken at least three hits of 【Energy Drain】, 【Muscle Wither】, and 【Plague Ray】.

Yet, like expired aphrodisiac pills, he'd suffered not a single ill effect—and had just shattered a gem shield worth five thousand Jin Along with one sword strike.

Luo De removed 【Black Gold Coating】.

The black-gold reformed into its soft state and zipped back along the hilt into his arm.

The Slime, Little Black, has the 【Clingy】 trait—it seems he doesn't like using this skill much.

"Two things."

Luo De sheathed his sword as he spoke:

"One: Never set foot again in Shi Ying Town or the Windwall Forest. Don't absorb any trees from Dusk Hill. No Witherers are welcome here—I don't care who you are. Two: Tell the Bahadur lot to stay away from Shi Ying Town. I don't trust them—not one bit. Understood?"

The air seemed frozen, broken only by distant bird calls.

"Good."

Luo De didn't feel awkward—he answered himself.

His gaze swept over the two.

He saw that 【Wisp of Despair】 had already taken effect.

【Wisp of Despair applied successfully】 *2

【Additional Skill Effects:

1. Despair Mind;

2. Life Drain;

3. Summon Demigod;

4. Despair Domain (condition not met).】

【Begin creating 'Spore Nucleus'?】

【Spore Nucleus: Consumes the target's soul and spiritual energy to form a nucleus, extractable by the caster. The nucleus's size and quality can elevate the consumer's energy tier to varying degrees.】

"Oh?"

No need to hesitate—start creating.

But then,

I used this skill before on Dark Elves.

But their souls were controlled by the Infernal Duke, so the Spore Nucleus effect never triggered.

Now it seems quite effective.

Still,

it feels like a human cauldron—kinda evil-looking.

Luo De shook his head.

Tools aren't good or evil—it's the user that matters. I'm a five-good youth; what's wrong with that?

Thinking thus,

he stopped caring about the two Witherers.

He cast a Flight Spell and floated slowly into the forest.

Greta and Dane remained sprawled on the ground, watching until Luo De vanished completely.

They suddenly looked at each other, then instinctively averted their gazes.

(End of chapter)