The World Is Overflowing with Monster, I’m Taking a Liking to This Life - Chapter 164: Treant Subjugation Mission

Chapter 164: Treant Subjugation Mission

I’m currently walking around in the streets of the town’s “Safety Zone”.

With the increase in the level of the mayor’s “Town Development” skill, electricity has been restored inside the entirety of the “Safety Zone”.

Now, it’s bright enough for people to go out even at night.

However, the moment I wander out of the border, the world is once again encompassed by the darkness of the night.

(I’m glad that I have the “Night Vision” skill…)

With “Night Vision” on, my field of view would remain the same even in the dark.

What I see is the sight of a collapsed cityscape—along with a myriad of giant “trees”.

Even though I’ve evolved, the “trees” blend in with the landscape so naturally that I have trouble being “conscious” about them.

(That goes to show how troublesome these monsters are.)

I continue walking about while being “conscious” about the “tree” monsters, which I will henceforth be calling “Treants”.

They’ll be tentatively called “Treants” since they’re monsters made of wood.

I can occasionally hear the sounds of monsters and birds.

Oh, a reaction from “Enemy Detection”.

(These are… Goblins?)

The presence that I feel originates from a group of Goblins.

Looking towards their general direction, I see several Goblins sleeping under the shadows of some dilapidated houses.

They appear to be resting.

A lone Goblin is keeping watch of the surrounding while sitting on top of a rock.

(It’s a bit late to be saying this, but monsters also need proper rest, huh…)

They don’t spawn endlessly like in games.

Neither can they stay operational 24 hours a day like convenience stores.

They’re “living things” that require food and rest.

(Then again, that won’t stop me from hunting them.)

I can crush them with the Item Box, but I wish to avoid making too much noise.

“Momo…”

“Wan!”

I call out to Momo who is hiding in the “Shadows”.

The “Shadow” beneath my feet rapidly extends itself and binds around the Goblins.

Shadow-type skills can be utilized even in the dark.

In fact, they’re more effective at night.

(If anything, aren’t Momo’s skills deviating from “Shadow” and becoming more like “Darkness”?)

Also, her race is known as “Dark Dog”.

That means she might eventually learn the skills that the Dark Wolf had.

Our Momo should be capable of doing that.

Before having the chance to cry out, the “Shadow” squeezes them to the point where the Goblins breathe their last breaths.

“Good. Thank you, Momo.”

“Wan!”

I praise Momo by stroking her head when she emerges from the “Shadow”.

She seems happy by it.

“We’re almost at our destination.”

I’m the only one who has come out.

Ichinose-san, Rikka-chan, and Nishino-kun are house-sitting at the base.

It’s because they don’t have the necessary skills to take action in the dark.

Even if they did, they wouldn’t be of much help against the Treants.

It might be slightly offensive to Nishino-kun and Rikka-chan, but their abilities are quite subpar compared to mine and Ichinose-san’s.

Also, our enemies this time around would putIchinose-san at a disadvantage.

(Treants are almost Ichinose-san’s complete counter…)

According to “The Right to Question”, Treants also have the skill “Cognitive Impediment”.

However, although its name is the same as the one Ichinose-san has, its effect is slightly different.

The Treants’ “Cognitive Impediment” makes it so that others do not recognize them as “enemies”.

What’s more, the effect becomes stronger with increased distance.

—Even if she tries to attack, she wouldn’t know what to aim for.

A sniper like Ichinose-san would face such a predicament.

On the other hand, if she tries to snipe at close proximity, Ichinose-san will be recognized as an enemy and targeted.

They’re too incompatible.

(It was pretty taxing trying to persuade her…)

Ichinose-san did not want to have me go by myself and insisted on following me.

Ichinose-san who had puffed cheeks as she stared at me without letting go of the hem of my clothes was honestly quite cute—I mean, quite imposing.

She took a step back only when I told her that she could rush over using Momo’s “Shadow Migration” if something unexpected happens to me.

I saunter slowly around the town for a few minutes.

Although I encounter several monsters, I defeat them all without much problem.

Fortunately, the monsters I encounter are only at the level of Goblins and Skeletons.

For now, I want to avoid fighting Golem-class or Death Knight-class monsters as much as possible.

I also don’t forget to place clones of Aka at certain intervals.

This is to secure an escape route in case things go horribly wrong.

“We’re almost there…”

Our destination should be just around the corner.

After a few more minutes of walking, I arrive at my desired location.

It’s an ordinary park that can be seen anywhere.

However, there’s a giant “tree” growing at the center of this park.

(Its appearance is identical to the description provided by “The Right to Question”… So this one is the “Parent”?)

Not only did “The Right to Question” inform me about the Treants’ characteristics, it also told me about its ecology.

According to “The Right to Question”, Treants are not independent entities.

Instead, they can be interpreted as “colonies” of monsters.

Among the Treants, there are individuals that act as the colonies’ “Parents”.

These “Parent” Treants branch off their roots and increase their numbers by allowing “Children” Treants to grow somewhere else. [1]

The “Children” Treants would silently hunt for their preys during their development stage and mature to be “Parent” Treants.

By repeating this process, the Treants increase their population more and more.

Although they’re rather annoying monsters, there’s a way to exploit the parent-child relationship that Treants have with one another.

The roots of “Parent” Treants and “Children” Treants are said to be connected until the latter grow sufficiently.

These interconnected roots act like umbilical cords that send nutrients to babies for their growths.

These roots separate when the “Children” Treants mature.

That also means that they will stay connected until the “Children” Treants have grown up.

I’ll be utilizing this property to subjugate the Treants.

There’s a method of distinguishing between “Parent” Treants and “Children” Treants, but that’s for another day.

(… “Flowers” have not bloomed yet.)

I check for what’s been bothering me this entire time.

Thankfully, this “Parent” Treant has yet to “Bloom”.

“Time to get to work.”

I take “that” out from the Item Box and proceed to approach the “Parent” Treant

The Treant doesn’t react at all to my advances.

(I felt a sense of dread previously when I tried to harm one of them…)

Such feelings are much fainter now.

Maybe it’s because I’ve gained levels. Maybe it’s because I can properly perceive them after my “Evolution”.

Regardless of which one it is…

“—Eat this!”

I pour a generous amount of liquid from the plastic tank to the base of the “Parent” Treant.

The liquid quickly sinks into the ground.

Just as I’m about to finish emptying the plastic tank, I sense a reaction.

“~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!?!?”

ZAZAZAZAZAZAZAZAZAZA.

The “Parent” Treant starts to show signs of struggling.

Its thick trunk bends, its numerous branches tremble, and its leaves sway back and forth.

It’s almost as if someone’s writhing in pain due to a headache.

The Treants around it also begin to buzz.

(…It really works.)

I was rather skeptical about it, but it turned out to be true.

One of the weaknesses of Treants that “The Right to Question” had mentioned.

The plastic tank just now contained nothing special except “herbicides”.

I used one of the more concentrated ones from the market, but I didn’t expect the Treants to show such a wild reaction.

“…Oh.”

“Enemy Detection” is reacting.

The reactions are from the Treants which have lain dormant until now.

Since I can clearly sense their presence now, it means that the Treants recognize me as their “enemy”.

“~~~~~~~~~~~~!!”

A mysterious sound echoes around me.

It’s like the sound of a blackboard being scratched.

Is this the “voice” of a Treant?

Similar sounds can be heard from the surrounding area around the “Parent” Treant.

ZAZAZAZAZAZAZAZA.

The ground shakes heavily.

Gigantic “roots” appear through the grasses and the paved asphalt paths of the park.

They’re all pointed at me, wriggling uncontrollably like tentacles.

“This is where it truly begins…”

The Treant subjugation mission will commence in earnest from here on out,.

Let’s put my back into this.

[1] Think of them as fungi.