Chapter 78: Tree Fist

On a tall shrub, I hid my figure among the dense branches and leaves, quietly observing the opposite side. The lazy crow on my shoulder, unlike its usual carefree demeanor, was carefully examining the surroundings.

I had been in the Dark Forest for five days. During these five days, I had come to thoroughly detest this place. The towering trees layered the sky, blocking out the light and making me truly feel the meaning of the word "darkness." Swamps, mud, and decaying branches and leaves were everywhere. Without even mentioning the hateful guests from hell, just the forest's original inhabitants—countless giant venomous spiders, pythons, and insects—kept me busy enough. I believed that even the king of the jungle, the most outstanding Amazon, would not want to stay in such a hellish place for a moment longer.

Yesterday, I finally found the tree that Cain had mentioned—the Tree of Enifus.

On the hilltop not far ahead, the Tree of Enifus stood out remarkably. It was probably the only tree in the entire Dark Forest that was completely bare, radiating a strong magical aura. It was hard not to notice it as it stood like a king on the high hill, overlooking the entire Dark Forest, dominating the entire slope. Within a few hundred meters of it, not even a blade of grass could grow.

However, my target was not the tree itself, but the few monsters that dwelled beneath it—Tree Fist, a mini-boss, and its four followers. In addition, at the bottom of the hill, there were several camps of Blade Demons, numbering in the thousands.

The additional attribute of Tree Fist made me gasp in shock—it was exceptionally fast! The elite Moon Clan member I encountered last time was already formidable, let alone a mini-boss level monster?

Faced with such a formidable lineup, I spent a whole day on this tree without finding a good strategy. I did think of a crude method, and I was planning to implement it.

The Blade Demons at the bottom of the hill were easy to deal with. As the king of the Dark Forest, Tree Fist's sustenance was naturally provided by the Blade Demons below. Every morning, the Blade Demons had to go out to hunt enough food for Tree Fist, or they would be eaten for breakfast.

After a large number of Blade Demons left, the remaining ones were no longer a threat. I did not want to engage in a prolonged battle with them; I just needed to ensure that their numbers were not enough to trap me. My goal was to lure Tree Fist away and into the forest to surround and defeat it.

To implement this plan, I carefully estimated Tree Fist's speed, escape routes, and various potential accidents. It wasn't until the third morning that I began to execute the plan.

I summoned all the pets I could, and after my mana was fully replenished, the Blade Demon army had already been out for some time. I gritted my teeth, no longer hesitating, and ordered the other summoned creatures to stand by. I drank a potion and transformed into a werewolf, then charged forward alone.

With the speed of a werewolf, the remaining Blade Demons at the foot of the hill could not stop me. I rushed up the hill, and the Tree Fist on the hilltop had already noticed me. It roared and charged down with its four followers. The ground trembled with each step of its massive body, and the earth seemed to vibrate slightly.

Seeing that I had attracted Tree Fist's attention, I quickly turned around, bypassed the Blade Demons behind me, and ran back into the forest.

"Thud, thud, thud..." The heavy footsteps followed closely behind. Tree Fist and its followers charged at me with terrifying speed, kicking aside the Blade Demons that couldn't get out of the way, and even trampling them into meat paste.

Although the followers gained some speed from the mini-boss, they were clearly not as fast as Tree Fist. Soon, the four followers fell behind. This was exactly what I wanted. The four speed-boosted followers were troublesome, and I needed to deal with them first before focusing on the boss.

Once Tree Fist entered the forest, I sent out the five ghost wolves, the venomous flower vines, and even the three crows to attack the four followers. I had the Oak Sage follow me at a distance, and the remaining two crows stayed by my side, dragging Tree Fist deeper into the dense forest.

This was part of my plan—to attract the boss's attention and have the other summoned creatures deal with the followers. It was a necessity, as Tree Fist's speed was too fast. Only by transforming into a werewolf and using the forest's advantage could I barely keep up with it.

Tree Fist's speed was indeed very fast. Even though I had anticipated it, I was still surprised. Despite the numerous shrubs and giant trees in the dense forest, its speed was still slightly faster than mine.

However, I was not worried. I immediately cast an Ice Armor on myself. During the casting, my speed naturally slowed, and Tree Fist quickly caught up, delivering a powerful punch to my right shoulder. Even with my gold leather armor, I lost over twenty points of health. However, the Ice Armor slowed Tree Fist enough for me to pull away. Ha, I wouldn't have provoked you without at least an 80% chance of success.

I did not dare to run too far, as the summoned pets could not be too far from their master. Otherwise, they would be forced to follow due to the contract. So, I could only circle around the area with Tree Fist. Now, I just had to wait for the venomous flower vines to finish off the followers and come to my aid.

During this time, the werewolf transformation wore off once, and the two crows I left behind finally came in handy. One of the crows bravely charged forward, pecking at Tree Fist, but was swatted away like a fly, crushed into the ground, and stomped to death. Its death bought me time to transform again. I could only give the dead crow a regretful look—there was no choice; someone had to be the cannon fodder in this world.

Soon, the venomous flower vines and the others sent a victory signal. I was overjoyed and quickly turned to join them.

When I saw the ghost wolves, I was relieved. The battle was already won.

Although the werewolf transformation was not yet ready, it was no longer needed. I immediately canceled the transformation and found that I still had some mana left. I thought for a moment, and the next moment, a concentrated ball of fire began to form in my palm. As Tree Fist approached from behind, I suddenly stopped, turned around, and threw the molten rock at it. I thought that even if Tree Fist could barely dodge, it would still fall flat on its face. To my surprise, it punched the molten rock.

Damn, do you really think you're invincible?

Without a doubt, the molten rock exploded. An 8th-level second-tier skill, when hit directly, was no joke. Even Tree Fist was blasted away by the explosion, and the scorching debris that hit its body burned its brown-black fur, making it look like a giant black gorilla.

The effect of the molten rock was excellent. Not only did it blast Tree Fist away, but it also took out about one-fifth of its health. At this moment, the ghost wolves arrived. Among the nine summoned creatures, three crows were either dead or had fled, but the ghost wolves were all intact, though injured. The venomous flower vines had only been hit a few times and were not seriously harmed.

At this point, I used the last bit of mana to transform into a bear, and with the summoned creatures, I charged at Tree Fist, starting a fierce battle.

Despite having seen the ghost wolves' exquisite tactics before, I still had to praise them. They reminded me of the scene in the animal world where hyenas hunt an injured elephant on the African savanna. These ghost wolves were even more ferocious and cunning. They used the forest's advantage to attack Tree Fist from blind spots, tightly biting its arms, legs, or waist. When Tree Fist regained its senses, they did not linger, leaping away before it could counterattack, leaving deep wounds on its body. Even when occasionally hit by Tree Fist's wild punches, they could stand up again, their injuries only fueling their ferocity. Thanks to them, they drew part of Tree Fist's attention, reducing the pressure on me and the venomous flower vines.

When Tree Fist was down to a sliver of health, I, as the tank, still had half my health left, and the venomous flower vines were still lively. However, one of the five ghost wolves was caught by Tree Fist during its final struggle. Before I could cancel the summon, it was thrown against a tree, its head shattered, and it fell to the ground, dead. The other four were also panting and covered in wounds. Their bravery had brought them significant casualties, and half of Tree Fist's damage had been inflicted on them. Seeing their blood-soaked bodies, I suddenly understood why so many protagonists in other worlds liked to have a wolf as a pet.

These five ghost wolves had accompanied me for over a month in the Rogue Camp, and we had developed a deep bond. How could I just abandon one of them? Now, seeing one killed, I was filled with rage. I raised my right arm and, with all my strength, slapped Tree Fist's head. The claws on my palm seemed to tear through space, and before the air could even whistle, my hand had already sliced through Tree Fist's head, creating a spray of blood and debris. On the ground, Tree Fist, which had only a sliver of health left, now stood alone, its head completely gone, and blood gushed out, staining the surrounding area red.

"Awooo..."

Seeing Tree Fist dead, the remaining four ghost wolves howled mournfully. Their cries were sorrowful and heart-wrenching, and I couldn't help but roar in anger. As summoned creatures, their fate as cannon fodder was already determined. Why was my heart still so sad? Hadn't I reminded myself countless times that in this cruel world, emotions were a burden?

As if in response to the howls, one of the ghost wolves suddenly emitted a brilliant light, illuminating the dark forest like daylight.

The howls and the light shocked the entire Dark Forest, but with the king's blood still warm and its body still intact, no monster dared to approach.

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(End of Chapter)