Treants usually had it very easy in the forest. Relying on their own magic and the roots of other trees in the ground, the entire forest was their domain. Wherever they wanted to go, they could reach simply by extending their root systems.
However, the entrance to the cave was a small clearing. Once they crossed it, there were no more tree roots to leverage. If a Treant wanted to move, it had to retract its root system into four short legs and shuffle clumsily across the ground, limping along so slowly that it took forever just to cover a short distance.
Seeing the Treant barely budge after shuffling for ages, Erich couldn't help but say, “Go on in. What are you standing around for?”
The Treant scratched the ground a couple of times with its branches but failed to write anything, shrinking back innocently.
The surrounding Treants stared silently at Erich, their eyes practically accusing him of being a bully oppressing the lower-class trees.
Erich felt completely uncomfortable under their collective gaze.
“Fine, fine,” he sighed, walking over to lift the Treant, roots and branches alike, onto his shoulder. He thoughtfully carried it over to the cave entrance. “See? There you go.”
The Treant shot him a resentful look that clearly said, “Who told you to carry me?” Even so, it ultimately behaved, limping its way into the cave entrance and quickly disappearing into the darkness.
Erich retreated back into the group of Treants.
The way the surrounding Treants looked at him grew even stranger. It was as if his act of carrying their companion had carried away the very last shred of their dignity. Yet, intimidated by the lingering dread of his fireball, not a single tree dared to make a sound. They could only silently touch branches, muttering to one another in a Treant language that Erich couldn't understand.
Erich didn't bother paying them any mind, leaning against the nearest large tree to wait.
After waiting for a good while, a brisk rustling sound echoed from inside the cave. The Treant poked half its body out, its branches swaying rhythmically, and the sounds it made were much lighter and cheerier than when it had first gone in.
Though Erich didn't understand the Treant language, he could still grasp the general meaning: the danger inside was gone.
Logically, his job was done. But after a moment's thought, Erich decided to go in and take a look himself. It wasn't that he didn't trust the Treants. It was just that if there happened to be any stragglers hiding inside, it wouldn't be good if his Treant brothers got hurt. He, Erich, had always been a loyal and righteous person.
Erich conjured a ball of fire for himself and walked into the cave, staff in hand.
The cave mouth was already quite wide, and after just a few steps, it opened up even further into a spacious cavern. It was clear that the spiders had indeed made this place their home; there were many remnants of spider activity on the cave walls, though they were now burned to mere charred outlines.
Spider carcasses lay scattered on the ground, most of them shriveled and deformed from the heat, while many had been reduced straight to ash. The entire cavern was filled with the smell of roasted spider—not exactly pleasant, but not entirely unpleasant either, just a bit burnt. Upon closer sniffing, there was even a hint of a savory aroma, which seemed quite similar to the smell of roasted spiders in the Abyss.
Erich circled the cavern, picking through a few relatively intact spider carcasses.
For magical beasts like spiders, their mana cores were usually hidden in the cephalothorax. With practiced skill, he cut open a few and retrieved several decent-quality mana cores. They were translucent, shimmering slightly under the firelight.
Mana cores were the most valuable parts of magical beasts. Based on the quality of these few, they could probably fetch one or two gold coins.
As for the spiders' exoskeletons, they would have fetched a good price normally, since the shells of second-tier magical beasts were always in high demand on the market. Unfortunately, Erich hadn't held back at all with his fireball. After exploding at the entrance, it had exploded deep inside, and then he had even funneled oxygen in to keep the explosions going. The exoskeletons were basically scorched black, crumbling to dust with a gentle squeeze, leaving them completely worthless for recovery.
Still, getting the mana cores made the trip worthwhile.
Having finished looting the corpses, Erich was in a good mood as he strolled out of the cave, humming an unfamiliar tune.
Outside the cave, the Treants, who had re-rooted themselves along the edge of the clearing, were also in high spirits. Each one stretched its branches in an exceptionally cozy posture. After having their home stolen for so long, it had finally returned to its rightful owners.
Upon seeing Erich emerge, the Treants swayed their branches in unison, as if thanking him.
Erich waved his hand, about to exchange a few polite words, but the Treants had already sprung into action.
They gathered together, their branches intertwining as a warm, gentle energy surged from between them, flowing through the ground and air straight into Erich's body.
Erich felt a warm current pour into his body. It was incredibly cozy and comfortable, just like taking a hot bath in the dead of winter, drying off, and then sliding into a bed that someone had already warmed up in an air-conditioned room.
While Erich was still basking in that warm current, a notification popped up on his panel.
【Obtained Skill: Friend of the Treants Lv. 1】
【Friend of the Treants: You have gained the friendship of the Treants. Affinity for life magic has increased.】
Erich looked at the panel and nodded in satisfaction. Although he didn't know exactly how much benefit this 'increased affinity for life magic' would bring, a free skill was a free skill.
He waved to the Treants. “Goodbye, partners. Don't forget to draw me that map.”
The Treants crowded together, their trunks intertwining to quickly weave a line of large characters:
【You can count on us.】
Erich gave them a thumbs-up, turned, and headed toward the third floor.
Behind him came the soft rustling of branches, the Treants' own way of saying goodbye.
Erich didn't look back, merely waving his hand once more.
Meanwhile, at the entrance to the second floor.
Celine and Irene emerged from the stairway, stepping onto the soil of this dark forest. They were the fastest among this batch of freshmen, having encountered no real obstacles along the way, smoothly passing through the first-floor labyrinth to reach the second floor.
But the sight before them left both of them stunned.
According to the rudimentary map provided by the academy, this floor was supposed to be a forest. Yet at this moment, not far from the entrance, a massive area had been burned to a crisp. The ground was scorched black, and even the surrounding dead trees were reduced to half-burnt charcoal, with a faint burnt smell still lingering in the air.
Irene checked the map again, confirming they hadn't taken a wrong turn, before speaking in confusion, “Isn't this supposed to be a forest? Why is there a bald spot?”
Celine's gaze swept across the scorched earth, her expression turning a bit more serious.
“It seems something we don't know about has happened here. Stay alert.”
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