Corrupted Tree Demons, creatures residing in the Corrupted Forest, and the only monsters found here.
They belong to the Fairy Species, inherently vicious, preying on living beings who stray into the Corrupted Forest — both common animals and lost wanderers appear on their menu.
The Soul Spark has a tremendous allure for Corrupted Tree Demons; consuming it can enhance their strength. Hence, you'll often find multiple Corrupted Tree Demons guarding a Soul Spark as it matures.
If one intends to harvest a Soul Spark, confronting the Corrupted Tree Demons is inevitable.
"Hissss!~"
Parker, perched on Lynch's shoulder, suddenly grew agitated. Fixated on the Corrupted Tree Demon ahead, it flicked its tongue repeatedly with mounting restlessness, eagerly sending Lynch signals to request permission to enter battle.
"Calm down first."
Lynch suppressed Parker's impatience; knowing one's enemy and oneself ensures a hundred victories. Before the fight begins, it's wise to thoroughly assess the opponent's strength.
With that thought, he retrieved a bean pod bottle, fetched a purple bean and hurled it toward the tree trunk ahead.
The bean struck the trunk with a 'bang,' unleashing a small cloud of purple smoke. Amid the dust, a peculiar plant began to rapidly grow along the tree trunk.
It was a mushroom, roughly the size of a human fist. Its pale purple cap was speckled with large, deep purple spots. The stem was short and stout, and at the front was a mouth-like opening resembling that of an octopus.
Little Spraying Mushroom.
This was one of Lynch's modified biological creations, inspired by Earth video games' Little Spraying Mushroom with raw materials sourced from the basic Magic Plant — the Poisonous Mushroom.
The Poisonous Mushroom, upon sensing danger, produces large quantities of corrosive venom to defend itself.
Lynch leveraged this principle to extensively modify its internal structure, compressing the venom and confining it within a defined range. Additionally, he fitted a spray gun conduit into the mushroom's stem, enabling the venom to be projected externally.
Under Lynch's Spirit Imprint control, the Little Spraying Mushroom swiftly locked onto the crawling Corrupted Tree Demon ahead. Its stem visibly contracted, then expanded, launching a pale purple bubble from its mouth-like opening aimed toward the target.
The seemingly innocuous purple bubble burst on the Corrupted Tree Demon, dousing its body in pale purple liquid. Instantly, sizzling sounds began echoing, and large swathes of the tree demon's body began to decay.
"Ah!!!" The tree demon let out a piercing, agonizing scream, clearly severely wounded.
Lynch glanced at the damage inflicted on the tree demon and quickly began an analysis.
The energy from the Little Spraying Mushroom's attack was negligible, barely registering at a factor of one. The corrosiveness, roughly equivalent to three times the potency of sulfuric acid, easily inflicted damage on the Corrupted Tree Demon, highlighting its low defenses.
Its defense level was roughly equivalent to that of an average human.
"Help!"
"Help me! A powerful enemy is trying to steal our treasure! Someone come help me!"
Meanwhile, the Corrupted Tree Demon screamed hysterically.
Accompanying its cries, rustling noises emerged from the treetops. Soon, seven or eight more Corrupted Tree Demons crawled out, reminiscent of menacing rats emerging from dark corners, instilling a palpable discomfort.
"Protect the treasure!"
"Eliminate the enemy!"
The newly arrived Corrupted Tree Demons howled as they swarmed toward the Little Spraying Mushroom. In response, guided by Lynch, the mushroom swiftly unleashed venomous bubbles to counter-attack.
However, the sheer number of enemies overwhelmed it. After repelling just two tree demons, the remaining ones quickly drowned the mushroom, tearing it apart into pieces.
"26 seconds."
Having observed closely all along, Lynch promptly made his judgment: "Their attack power is mediocre, barely hitting a power coefficient of 1, equivalent to an adult male's strength."
"Attack methods are rather simplistic, primarily relying on biting."
"No Extraordinary Talents detected thus far."
After this comprehensive analysis, Lynch understood the disparity between his strength and the enemy's, confirming his earlier estimations. With that, he released Parker from his shoulder.
The Fire Dragon Lizard was a highly aggressive and combative creature. Having been itching for action earlier, it immediately sprang forth like an arrow, diving straight toward the tree trunk.
"Pop pop~ crack!"
Despite its palm-sized frame, Parker's basic attributes all exceeded a factor of 3. Combined with several Talent Effects, its overall combat prowess was comparable to that of a human knight.
Against these tree demons — combat-level mere equals to ordinary humans — Parker was akin to a ravenous wolf entering a flock of sheep.
Two Corrupted Tree Demons were instantly shredded by Parker's claws.
Much like splitting wood, the tree demons' bodies lacked organs or viscera, only showing concentric rings like tree growth rings. Instead of blood, a viscous, semi-transparent fluid resembling tree resin oozed out.
"Ah! Ah!!"
Groaning painfully, the injured tree demons fell to the ground, their shattered bodies twitching in the dirt before eventually falling silent.
The battle raged on.
Facing an immense power gap, the mere handful of remaining tree demons stood no chance. Either torn apart by Parker or fatally bitten, all seven or eight enemies were scattered across the ground in under two minutes, marking the end of the fight.
"I...curse you..."
The last Corrupted Tree Demon glared venomously at Lynch before succumbing, lifeless.
Lynch approached.
First, he took out a cloth bag and transformed his Magic Wand into a pair of fire tongs, carefully selecting relatively intact parts from the fallen tree demons for preservation.
Corrupted Tree Demons held research value, and since the opportunity was present, he wouldn't miss gathering some materials. These components might come in handy for future biological modifications.
Once done, Lynch moved to the Soul Spark and retrieved a prepared container to store it.
"Soul Spark 1/10."
Gazing at the blue flower inside the glass receptacle, Lynch grinned to himself with a self-deprecating remark.
His journey continued.
Having successfully gained experience from this initial endeavor, Lynch repeated the process for subsequent encounters. Carefully avoiding dangerous plants while meticulously searching the forest, he discovered a second Soul Spark within half an hour.
Employing the same battle tactics—surveying the enemy, then dispatching Parker to take them out—the second Soul Spark was successfully obtained.
Next came the third... then the fourth... and fifth...
By late afternoon, luck brought Lynch to a withered oak tree where he discovered two Soul Sparks at once. Though this time faced with slightly more Corrupted Tree Demons, they posed no significant challenge for him.
After a decisive battle, Parker effortlessly eliminated the tree demons.
"Just one more..."
As Lynch packed away the two Soul Sparks, he pulled out a handkerchief to wipe sweat off his face. After an exhausting afternoon of combat, his mission was now one Soul Spark short.
"Let's try over there."
Lynch promptly set his sights on an eastern slope, the surrounding area already thoroughly scavenged. It was high time to switch regions.
Navigating through a marsh filled with intertwined Thorny Demon Vines and Screaming Fruit Trees, Lynch soon reached the slope.
Climbing to the top and gazing downward, his eyelid twitched involuntarily.
Below stretched a desolate, expansive plain, its black soil dotted with countless withered oak trees, resembling a vast blackened graveyard.
Yet, amid this eerie landscape, clusters of blue flames flickered, swaying in the night wind—upon closer inspection, they were unmistakably Soul Sparks.
Scattered like stars, uncountable, the hillsides were blanketed by them.
Lynch's jaw dropped: "Holy... Hell!"
If he had known about such a location earlier, why waste time wandering the forest like this...
Lynch felt immeasurably bitter about the afternoon's effort.
"Huh? What's that?"
At that moment, his gaze was drawn to the plain's center—a peculiar old oak tree.
Though also withered, this oak tree was noticeably larger than the others, its age seeming far greater. Surrounding it were the most Soul Sparks, dozens shimmering brightly.
More strikingly, embedded into this tree's trunk was a stunning blue gem, glimmering brilliantly amidst the darkness.
"That... that's..."
Lynch's eyes widened, his heartbeat racing wildly.
His advanced foundational knowledge quickly identified the gem as a priceless Magic Material worth tens of thousands of Magic Stones—
"Soul Crystal!!!"