Chapter 145: The Withered Treants


    <strong><b>━━━━━━━━━━┓</b></strong><strong><b>?( ∞ )</b></strong><strong><b>?</b></strong><strong><b>┏━━━━━━━━━━</b></strong>


    Chapter 145: The Withered Tree Spirits


    <strong><b>━━━━━━━━┛</b></strong><strong><b>?( ∞ )</b></strong><strong><b>?</b></strong><strong><b>┗━━━━━━━━</b></strong>


    Alfred simply gestured for Athena to approach. His primary weapon was a colossal sword, while Athena wielded a ck abyss axe.


    Though their weapons differed, they sharedmon ground in their approach, primarily relying on powerful shes. More crucially, there was much to learn from Alfred''s form. While Athena had imed to acquire some weaponry insights from the goblin elder and had trained herself, the guidance of a seasoned instructor was invaluable.


    At that moment, Alfred’s weapon remained sheathed, and Athena hadn’t yet drawn her ck axe.


    Without further ado, Alfred assumed a standard martial arts stance and motioned for Athena to mimic his movements. Sheplied earnestly.


    Two hours swiftly passed. When Athena finally opened her eyes, she found herself back in the base.


    Even after exiting the illusion, she could still feel a phantom pain in her calf—a lingering reminder of yet another kick delivered by Alfred.


    However, it was clear that he was an excellent teacher. Despite only two hours of training, he strived for perfection with every move.


    Upon noticing her awake, the three little creatures paid her no mind, fully absorbed in their card game. Ever since Athena had taught them how to y, they had diligently practiced on their own.


    Now, they were seasoned yers, though Paopao had suffered the worst losses, unable to triumph even with a good hand against the two opponents. Each defeat meant parting with a portion of his meagre stash of snacks.


    Next to themy a small pile of treats, all carefully hoarded by Paopao.


    Athena watched them y a round, realizing they were far beneath her level of skill. Finding it dull, she decided to step outside.


    The sky had darkened considerably, yet the sun remained stubbornly high, casting a fiery glow that did little to fend off the encroaching darkness. Instead, it seemed to take the moon’s ce, still dominating the sky.


    Such a sight could only evoke a sense of absurdity.


    The only reassuring aspect was that the base''s barrier had never faltered, its soft glow a constant source offort.


    Beyond its protective embrace, the world had turned to destion, leaving behind cracked earth and withered trees.


    With nightfall approaching, it would soon be even eerier outside.


    Athena gazed out for some time, eventually realizing it wasn’t merely her imagination—the gnarled branches of the dead trees were subtly swaying. Not due to the wind, but because they were moving of their own ord.


    They appeared to inch closer with each moment; whenever Athena pretended to look away, they advanced a few centimetres. Although the distance was minimal, given enough time, they would inevitably reach the base’s boundary.


    These trees hade to life, and they harbored ambitions that were anything but trivial. The only living beings in the vicinity now resided within the base: Athena and herpanions.


    Withered Treant


    Level: 3


    Strength: 3


    Defence: 2


    Skills: Movement, Carnivorous


    An aberration of nature!


    These withered treants had transcended their botanical origins. They no longer drew nourishment from the soil nor relied on sunlight for photosynthesis. Instead, they consumed flesh to sustain themselves. Remarkably, they no longer needed to take root; they could shift their position slowly.


    Dealing with such arge-scale collective mutation of ordinary organisms was a thankless task. Defeating these treants would yield scant experience, and what could one do with their remains? Burn them for firewood?


    At present, Athena required the corpses of a hundred creatures of level five or higher. While acquiring one hundred level five corpses might seem manageable, she pondered an unaddressed concern: would higher-level remains lead to a stronger evolution of the base?


    Observing the stirring withered treants outside, Athena opted against an attack; initiating a confrontation might send them scattering.


    Even the smallest mosquito could be considered a meal, and the defense towers required no personal involvement. Once these creatures drew nearer and realized they could not breach the barrier, they would likely cease their advance.


    Moreover, they would soon enter the firing range, at which point a few projectiles would suffice to dispatch them. Currently, the base''s defensive systems had multiplied significantly since its initial confrontation with the snowstorm beasts.


    Watching the creatures’ pace, Athena noted that even when she averted her gaze, they moved only about half a metre in a minute.


    With that, she chose not to linger by the window any longer and turned back inside.


    The game among herpanions concluded rapidly, or rather, Paopao lost rather swiftly.


    Athena discreetly retrieved the cards from Paopao’s deft paws, who let out a sigh of relief and cheered her on from the sidelines.


    ncing at the cards, she noted that luck was on her side this time; she held a small king and two twos, and the other cards were not too shabby either.


    Thanks to her superior skills, Athena handily won that round, sending Paopao into a jubnt bounce.


    In the next round, she drew a straight. Just as she revelled in her newfound fortune, she realized shecked any high cards.


    She tried to y a straight, only for Witty to discard a bomb.


    “Pass.”


    Four twos.


    “Pass.”


    A royal flush.


    …


    In the following rounds, it became painfully clear: she did not win a single hand. Whether it was a spring or a counter-spring, her luck seemed to run dry, much to the amusement of herpanions.


    Witty’s cards made her wonder if the creature had somehow evolved a skill rted to luck.


    Moreover, this unfortunate streak hadnded her with the duty of washing the dishes for the next few rounds.


    “You lot keep ying; I’ll check on the situation outside.” With that, Athena decisively returned the cards to Paopao.


    She stepped out with an air of calm, and only once the door was shut behind her did she allow herself a deep breath, feeling her spirit lift just a fraction.


    To her surprise, the withered treants had advanced considerably closer to the barrier, clustering together in rings as if attempting to topple it by sheer force of numbers.


    Their naive attempts to push against the barrier, however, would serve only to create a splendid opportunity for experience points.


    Athena silently activated all the defense towers; in an instant, they locked onto their targets.


    Then came the onught—fireballs, ice shards, and arrows rained down upon them, shattering their already feeble defense.


    The fireballs proved most devastating; a single ignited sphere would set an entire patch of withered treants aze.