Gauss and his companions standing at the center of the arena suddenly noticed a dramatic change in their surroundings. A beam of intense light shone down from above, illuminating the central platform. The towering spectator stands surrounding them materialized with faint projections of tall insectoid figures, followed by a deafening wave of cheers erupting from all directions.
In that instant, their three-member team seemed to have traversed endless time and space, transported to the glorious era before the ancient kingdom's fall, now participating in a grand beast-slaying trial watched by countless spectators. The insectoid projections appeared incredibly lifelike down to the smallest detail, so realistic it was bewildering.
Gauss slightly furrowed his brows. Everything felt... excessively real. In his daze, he looked down at his own body and seemed to see it covered in pristine white carapace and segmented limbs.
"Gauss... Gauss!" Aria's call pierced through the noise, snapping him out of his trance. "Prepare for battle!"
"Right." Gauss shook his head vigorously to dispel the strange dizziness. Losing focus before battle was never a good sign. He forced himself to concentrate on the spot where the light converged.
Sure enough, soon enough, a bizarre plant-type monster took shape within the luminous column. "Not a Man-Eating Flower?" Gauss raised an eyebrow. This was actually within his expectations. Ever since that peculiar insectoid sound conveyed the concept of a "trial," he had suspected the enemy's strength would likely correlate with their team's capabilities.
But what exactly was this monster? Gauss searched his memories but couldn't recall any similar descriptions from the texts he'd studied. Seizing the moment while the monster stretched its body, he quickly glanced at Aria and Serlandul. "Do either of you recognize this creature?"
"Never seen it before."
"Likewise unfamiliar."
"Stay alert." Before entering, the three of them along with Urfen and the bird had already been protected by Gauss Field. Unfortunately, the field couldn't currently be applied to clay creatures, or he would have cast it on the four spiders as well.
Now, the monster's full form was finally revealed—a massive entity that blurred the line between plant and animal. Its twisted, withered thorn-woven torso dragged behind it a dozen dark green, nearly black flexible vines studded with spikes, each tail approximately 3-5 meters long, while its front body measured about 4 meters in length, standing roughly as tall as an adult human.
More unsettling was the faint yellow mist that clung to its body like a living thing, damp and writhing. Though its exact classification remained unclear, the ferocious aura it emitted clearly surpassed that of the Man-Eating Flower, confirming Gauss's suspicion that the trial monster's strength related to the participants. Whether it corresponded to professional rank or actual combat capability remained unknown.
"ROAR!!!" An ear-splitting bellow tore through the air, sending shockwaves rippling outward. The Thorn Behemoth struck first, violently whipping one of its vine tails forward—the razor-sharp crimson spikes at its tip launching like a storm of metal projectiles!
"Swish! Swish! Swish!" The spikes shredded the air with piercing shrieks, each capable of effortlessly embedding into the ground, leaving countless pockmarks. Fortunately, both Serlandul and Aria riding Urfen possessed decent movement speed, quickly scattering in opposite directions. Any spikes that did hit were absorbed by the blue ripples of their protective fields.
Gauss reacted the fastest, dodging the attack completely. After confirming his teammates' safety with a quick glance, he felt slightly reassured. His White Wand glowed as it gathered energy. "Magic Missile!" He decided to test the creature's resilience with this quick, long-range spell while forcing it to cease attacks and relieve pressure on his allies.
"Boom!" The Thorn Behemoth sensed the spell forming at his wand and, as the missile approached, several vine tails instantly interposed themselves in its trajectory. The spell detonated prematurely! The powerful blast instantly severed the intercepting vines. Yet before Gauss could react, green fluid gushed from the broken ends as new vines regenerated at visible speed.
"Remarkable regenerative abilities," Gauss noted mentally. Moreover, the tails might not be its true body? The beast showed no pain response to having its vines destroyed—perhaps it lacked pain receptors entirely? Was it immortal? This too required verification.
Gauss's hands moved faster than his thoughts. "Fire Bolt!" As a cantrip, its casting speed was naturally quick, further enhanced by Gauss's various buffs—the spell formed in the blink of an eye. "Whoosh—" The flaming arrow streaked through the air, leaving a fiery trail. Thɪs chapter is updated by 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡•𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢•𝕟𝕖𝕥
"Fizzle!" The arrow penetrated the yellow mist surrounding the behemoth before colliding with its thorn-covered body—only to be completely blocked without piercing through. Moreover, the flames were rapidly extinguished under the yellow mist's influence, suggesting the vapor provided protective properties. Fire attacks wouldn't achieve the same results against this plant-type monster as they typically did.
Gauss's successive assaults successfully drew the behemoth's aggro. As all its vine tails turned toward him, Gauss remained perfectly calm—everything was proceeding according to plan. "Shine!" Serlandul's blessing spell enveloped him in radiant light. The warm golden glow made him feel as if soaking in a hot spring, with all his skills and abilities receiving varying degrees of enhancement.
A Level 3 priest's buffs were truly extraordinary. Every time he experienced this, Gauss felt grateful that recruiting Serlandul had been an exceptionally wise decision. However, the blessing could only last 1-2 minutes in intense combat, requiring Serlandul to continuously renew it.
Activating Monstrous Strength and Enhanced Leap under the blessing's influence, Gauss's leg muscles erupted with power, his figure leaving afterimages across the battlefield as he evaded the torrent of spikes chasing him. With the behemoth's attention firmly on him, Urfen and the four clay spiders circled around to its rear and launched a fierce assault.
Urfen's gleaming claws tore through the air with a whistling sound, slashing at the vulnerable junction between the beast's torso and vine tails. Meanwhile, the four fearless clay spiders adopted even more aggressive tactics. Led by the white spider, they agilely scaled the behemoth's back, their sharp appendages digging into crevices between the withered thorns as they climbed upward.
"ROAR!" The Thorn Behemoth, initially focused entirely on Gauss, became enraged by these sudden attacks. While Urfen and the spiders' assaults weren't lethal, they proved as irritating as a swarm of flies, driving the creature to frenzy. Its attention instantly shifted from Gauss to the small nuisances creating minor wounds on its back.
It swung its tail violently at the clay spiders on its back. "Bam!" The spiders proved remarkably perceptive and agile, narrowly dodging each strike at the last moment. Combined with Urfen's intermittent harassment, the behemoth's focus remained divided. Observing this, Gauss grew thoughtful. This trial monster seemed to have obvious decision-making deficiencies—easily distracted by new threats. Even elite goblins would know to prioritize the strongest target.
This wasn't about intelligence but basic combat instinct—something even goblins possessed. "Crunch!" One clay spider failed to dodge in time, smashed into paste against the behemoth's back. Gauss remained unconcerned—still within his clay magic's effective range, the shattered fragments quickly reformed, clinging stubbornly to the monster like a persistent parasite.
"Probably approaching Level 4?" Gauss assessed while closing in on the creature. He estimated it as "approaching" Level 4 because while its destructive power and aura surpassed typical Level 3 monsters, its tactical shortcomings held it back. Overall, it hadn't exceeded his control—similar to how that all-Level 1 adventurer team had faced a Level 2 monster with certain weaknesses, allowing it to pressure but not quickly eliminate them.
This time, with a Level 3 priest in their party, they'd drawn a monster between Levels 3 and 4. Though this remained speculation. Several minutes passed in this manner. Gauss leaped aside to avoid a vicious lash from the behemoth, using the moment to hurl his replenished clay spiders while retrieving supplies from his Storage Bag to recover stamina.
Throughout these minutes, Gauss continuously probed the behemoth, testing its reactions while his summons and Aria's Entangling Roots kept it occupied. This allowed close-quarters observation for weaknesses. As for why he hadn't activated Ghost Form—caution dictated conserving energy for a decisive strike rather than risking exhaustion.
From these tests, the Thorn Behemoth showed no obvious weaknesses beyond its poor decision-making, coupled with terrifying regeneration—wounds healing almost instantly. Like undead, physical attacks proved ineffective, while fire attacks fizzled out immediately. "Serlandul, another blessing please," Gauss called to the priest currently tending to Urfen.
"Of course." As fresh golden light enveloped him, Gauss's fatigue vanished again. Then, in a flash of insight, he noticed a previously overlooked detail—his eyes lighting up with realization. Among the dozen thick tails, one had remained completely motionless throughout the battle, never attacking even once! While other tails regrew their expended spikes, this one's spikes remained unchanged—as if merely decorative.
This glaring inconsistency could only mean one thing—it was deliberately concealing this tail because it held vital importance. Only Gauss's exceptional intelligence and meticulous observation could have spotted this ruse. All pieces fell into place—he'd found the weakness: that motionless tail.