The scroll orbiting Richter fired volley after volley of crimson bolts, but these creatures were proving unusually elusive. Until now, every enemy Richter had faced since the System's arrival had belonged to the Beast class—creatures that, while dangerous, still bore some resemblance to Earth's wildlife. These two were something else entirely.

  The first creature had no defined form—just a mass of shifting earth, dust, and loose rock that slithered across the forest floor like a living landslide. It moved without limbs, yet struck with force; a faceless elemental force held together by sheer will and mana. No eyes, no mouth—only motion and weight. A raw embodiment of terrain turned hostile.

  [Earth Elemental]

  Description: These elementals have shed their humanoid shape, existing instead as amorphous masses of soil, stone, and debris. They rumble and grind across the forest floor, each movement shaking the ground and announcing their presence with the sound of shifting stone and cracking roots. They grow larger as they absorb surrounding earth and detritus—an unstoppable force of nature that expands with every step.

  Level: 4

  Class: Elemental

  Riding atop the elemental was something far stranger.

  The second creature was a twisted approximation of a humanoid—woven from bark, vines, and flowering branches. Where a face should have been, there was only a mask of knotted wood and moss, with glowing green eyes peering out from beneath. Its limbs were too long, its joints unnaturally flexible. Every movement was unsettling. It looked as though the forest had tried to mimic humanity—and failed spectacularly.

  [Verdant Effigy]

  Description: This rare variant of Nature Elementals typically forms deep within ancient forests saturated with high concentrations of mana. Unlike their more primal counterparts, these entities possess heightened intelligence, granting them the ability to control and manipulate lesser elementals with strategic intent.

  Level: 7

  Class: Elemental

  As the two elementals circled Richter, he was forced into constant motion, narrowly dodging each attempt to trap him. The Verdant Effigy repeatedly summoned vines from the forest floor, lashing upward in an effort to ensnare him. Richter knew that if even one took hold, the Earth Elemental would follow with a crushing blow that would end the fight—permanently.

  Richter had defeated some of the weaker Earth Elementals before engaging this pair—the true guardians of the rare chest.

  It turned out the earth and rocks weren’t their true bodies. Each elemental had a core—its true heart—though it wasn’t always hidden at the center. Despite lacking true intelligence, these beings possessed a basic survival instinct, learning to conceal their core in unpredictable locations. This made it difficult to identify a critical point of attack.

  Given the sheer size of the Earth Elemental in front of him, Richter assumed targeting the Effigy first made the most tactical sense. It was smaller, offered fewer places to hide a core, and seemed more vulnerable. But he was wrong. It was anything but an easy target.

  The Effigy had complete command over the Earth Elemental, using it like a living shield. Every Tri-lance from Richter’s scroll, every precisely aimed knife throw, was intercepted. Walls of dirt and stone erupted on command, forming instant barriers that deflected his attacks with frustrating ease.

  Richter ducked behind a half-formed mana barrier as another vine whipped through the air just inches from his head. Sweat clung to his skin, his breath ragged with effort. "You're kidding me with this!" he growled, rolling to the side as a boulder-sized chunk of earth slammed into the barrier and shattered it.

  He summoned the scroll closer with a flick of thought, but even its rapid-fire volleys were being stonewalled—literally. He hurled his dagger with a burst of mana-infused force, only for another wall to rise and catch it midair.

  "Fine," he muttered, reaching into his pouch. He pulled free a mana potion, popped the cork with his teeth, and downed it in one bitter gulp. The cooldown timer appeared instantly. "Waste of a potion, but sure—let’s keep playing tag with Mother Nature’s worst mistake."

  His grip on the scroll tightened as he sent it high, seeking a better angle. "Come on, think, Richter. You’re not just throwing spells—you’re smarter than this."

  Standing still on the forest floor wasn’t an option—not with vines constantly reaching and the elemental’s weight turning soil into unstable terrain. He needed space. Time.

  The scroll darted ahead, firing a barrage of Tri-lances to draw the enemy’s attention. It wasn’t meant to land a hit—just to buy him a few seconds. Richter sprinted to the side, sweat flying, eyes scanning the battlefield.

  “Alright… stupid idea time.” He raised a hand and cast his first mana barrier—not as a shield, but angled low in front of him. He leapt.

  His foot hit the surface with a thud, and the barrier cracked under the impact. Another cast. Another step. Each barrier appeared just in time for him to vault again, forming a makeshift staircase through the air. They groaned and shimmered beneath his boots, clearly never intended to support a full body.

  “Don’t break, don’t break, don’t—” crack—“Knew it!”

  But it worked. He was mobile, unpredictable, and rising fast—too fast for the Effigy to adapt immediately. From above, his angles widened. The Earth Elemental’s cover had limits, and Richter was about to exploit them.

  With a sharp inhale, Richter summoned his dagger to hand and hurled it downward. The weapon spun in a tight spiral, aimed directly at the Verdant Effigy’s twisted frame. At the same moment, the scroll flared with red light behind the elemental and unleashed another burst of Tri-lances, attacking from a completely different angle.

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  The Effigy hesitated. It had been managing to block one assault at a time—but two converging attacks from opposite directions? That was too much. The barrier it raised caught the Tri-lances—barely—but it left the dagger unguarded.

  Richter watched as the blade slipped through a gap in the Effigy’s defenses, embedding deep into its shoulder. A split second later, the mana-infused energy detonated—an eruption of compressed force that tore through bark and vine. A chunk of the Effigy’s upper torso exploded in a shower of splinters and green mist, sending fragments of its floral armor tumbling through the air. It didn’t fall, but the damage was severe—its frame twisted with the blast, and jagged vines recoiled in pain as the creature let out a soundless screech, echoed only by the twitching of moss and leaves across its back.

  “Finally,” Richter muttered through gritted teeth, already forming his next move.

  The Effigy’s eyes flared with pulsing green light. In its pain, it unleashed a violent surge of mana into the Earth Elemental below. A ripple of green energy coursed through the massive creature, causing it to tremble and groan.

  Then it detonated.

  With a roar like tearing mountains, the Earth Elemental exploded outward—chunks of rock and clods of earth erupting in every direction. The detonation wasn’t total obliteration, but a rapid compression, the elemental shrinking rapidly into a dense, unstable core. Shrapnel flew through the clearing, tearing into trees and soil alike.

  One boulder, the size of Richter’s chest, slammed into the mana barrier he stood on. The barrier shattered instantly.

  He fell.

  The impact knocked the breath from his lungs as he crashed into the forest floor. Pain exploded in his ribs. Before he could move, thick vines snapped up from the ground, coiling around his arms and legs. He gasped, winded, helpless.

  The Verdant Effigy, no longer astride her mount, stepped forward with eerie precision. The now-compact elemental—barely half its former size—rolled beside her like a boulder seeking command.

  She raised a hand, and it began to move, rumbling toward Richter.

  “Not… done yet,” he wheezed.

  Above them, the scroll still hovered—forgotten, silent, and deadly.

  With a pulse of thought, Richter triggered the command. The scroll responded instantly, rotating sharply in the air. Its crimson glyphs flared like burning eyes as it locked onto the approaching elemental.

  The Verdant Effigy didn’t react in time.

  Three Tri-lances burst forth in a flash of light and shrieking heat, aimed not at her—but at the compact Earth Elemental she’d forced forward like a battering ram.

  The impact was devastating.

  The first lance cracked the elemental’s outer shell, sending fractures spiderwebbing across its surface. The second and third struck the same weakened point, detonating in quick succession. The resulting shockwave hurled the now-broken core backward—straight into the Effigy’s side.

  You have slain [Earth Elemental Level 4], You have gained bonus Exp for slaying a foe of a higher level.

  She stumbled, vines flailing, her balance thrown off by the unexpected impact. The ground beneath Richter trembled as her control slipped, the vines restraining him slackening just enough.

  He summoned his dagger.

  It snapped to his hand, dripping with residual mana.

  ""Ha! What now, bark-for-brains? Looks like your little pet rock just crumbled." Richter taunted, a sharp grin breaking through the pain.

  Still winded but fueled by adrenaline, Richter stabbed into the loosened vines and forced himself upright. The scroll above him whirled again, charging another volley.

  The tide had turned.

  Vines shot from the ground, and Richter barely managed to throw up mana barriers around himself in time. But the Effigy had learned—it wasn’t aiming for him. Instead, the scroll was the target. Multiple vines lashed out, tearing through the hovering parchment with ruthless precision, rending into its glowing surface.

  Yes, the scroll would regenerate—but it would take time. For now, it was out of action. Richter winced. He really needed to sort that grimoire out. Once he got back to Lakeside, he’d use the palehide leather and make his first proper attempt.

  The scroll’s light sputtered and dimmed, slashed and bleeding mana as its glow faded. Richter staggered upright, chest heaving. No more distractions. No more cover fire.

  With a strained breath, he recalled the scroll—its damaged fragments dissolving into light and vanishing into the red gem on his ring.

  Now it was just him… and the creature that looked like the forest’s idea of a man. Twisted. Intent. Advancing.

  Richter braced himself. The Effigy raised its arm, and the forest responded. Vines erupted around him like a trap closing. He summoned a mana barrier—then another—each one blocking a strike, each one cracking harder than the last.

  He dropped into a crouch, hurling up another translucent shield. It caught the next vine, but barely. The barriers weren’t holding. They weren’t meant for this.

  Another vine struck. A flash of blue, a snap like breaking glass. He was forced back again, summoning shield after shield, each thinner than the last.

  “She’s not letting up,” he growled through clenched teeth. “This is going to break me.”

  Then his mind flashed to the last skill selection—the one he hadn’t taken.

  Sanguine Barrier.

  He’d passed on it. Too risky. Too costly. But now… he thought of the way he activated his scroll—offering mana, and sometimes more.

  Richter focused, reaching not with thought, but memory. The feeling of the scroll feeding on him. That familiar, painful draw.

  A blue barrier shimmered to life in front of him.

  A vine smashed into it—and shattered it instantly.

  Closer.

  He took a breath, bracing for impact—and reached deeper. A sharp sting pricked through his chest as a sliver of health was siphoned. The next barrier flickered into place—blue for a heartbeat… then glowing crimson.

  The vine hit—and held.

  The barrier pulsed red, stable and solid.

  Richter stared at it, eyes wide.

  [Mana Barrier – Common] → [Sanguine Barrier – Uncommon]: By combining both health and mana, conjure a reinforced, translucent barrier that absorbs a significant amount of incoming damage. Skill durability scales with Wisdom, Intellect, and Vitality.

  If the vines had struck, he would’ve lost health anyway—so right now, the risky spell was his best option.

  It confirmed a theory he’d long suspected—existing skills could evolve without spending a precious skill choice, if the circumstances were right and the intent strong enough.

  The next wave of vines struck, but the crimson barrier didn’t falter. It shimmered, flexing under the pressure, then rebounded with a pulse of raw energy that made the Effigy recoil.

  Richter saw his chance.

  He dropped the next barrier low, not to block—but to launch.

  With one fluid motion, he vaulted off the glowing shield, summoned his dagger mid-air, and hurled it with all the force he could channel. The blade blazed with mana as it cut through the air, straight toward the Effigy’s exposed chest—where the earlier explosion had torn away its protection.

  The dagger struck true.

  The impact rocked the Effigy, and then it happened: the mana-infused core embedded within the blade detonated. The explosion tore upward through its body, shredding vines, splintering bark, and blasting apart the wooden frame like a dead tree struck by lightning.

  The creature let out one final, silent shriek—then collapsed into a heap of twitching roots and withered leaves.

  A sharp chime rang out.

  You have slain [Verdant Effigy- Level:7] You have gained bonus Exp for slaying a foe of a higher level.

  [Level Up: Healer Level 4 Achieved]

  [Level Up: Healer Level 5 Achieved]

  [Level Up: Human Level 4 Achieved]

  Stats allocated

  Richter hit the ground hard, rolling through leaves and broken vines. He came to rest on his back, chest heaving, arm limp from the throw. His dagger was gone—somewhere in the smoking heap.

  “Remind me… never to pick a fight with a tree again,” he wheezed.

  Then, slowly, painfully, he smiled.

  Two full levels from a single fight—he'd earned every point of it. But there was no time to dwell. Richter remembered Liam’s advice: grab the reward before something else does. He moved to the rare chest without hesitation and threw it open, the glow casting sharp light across his blood-streaked face.