Chapter 36 – Floor 6. This is Unfair!

A gray flash cuts through the air.

Thwack!

The axe wasn’t particularly sharp, but it was sufficient to cut off several plant stems that were wriggling and flailing in front of me.

The Predator Vine, with its severed stem ends, writhed from the shock and stretched out its tendrils, struggling violently.

“Hey, I know plants don’t feel pain, so stop overacting, will you?”

I had seen a paper about plants feeling pain once, but heroes don’t study such things, so I decided not to know that.

Whoosh-!

‘Wow, it really is hard to see.’

To be honest, the Predator Vine wasn’t that strong.

Its attack power was low and its defense was weak, so I could probably handle up to three at once if I tried.

The only problem was that it remained silent with its camouflage that wasn’t really camouflage.

The Predator Vine and other plant-type enemies were difficult to spot, so there was a high chance of being ambushed if I walked carelessly, thinking no enemies were visible.

I drove in, taking a vine that was whipped at me on my back.

Thwack!

A sound like being hit with a stone came from my plate-reinforced protective vest, along with a shock that made me catch my breath, but there was no pain worth calling damage.

If there’s no pain that would stop my movement, there’s nothing to worry about.

I pulled my arm back to its limit and launched a horizontal slash with maximum force toward the Predator Vine’s stem.

[You dealt 21 damage to the Predator Vine.]

[You defeated the Predator Vine.]

With that, the animal-phobic plant that had been moving alive collapsed powerlessly.

‘Since no blood splattered, it feels like I’m just weeding.’

The strong fresh scent was exactly like the grass smell I encountered every holiday when I went down to the countryside for grave maintenance, which made it feel even more so.

It wasn’t that I enjoyed seeing blood, but this grassy smell that stimulated my nose wasn’t something I’d particularly liked since childhood, so I slightly furrowed my brow.

“By the way, I might have gotten stronger?”

Of course, the predatory plant series was the weakest position of enemies in this area, but it was encouraging that I could take them down without damage.

After wiping off the green juice from the axe blade that defeated the Predator Vine and placing it back in the holster, I looked around the clearing.

Though I called it a clearing, it wasn’t much different from a corridor—just walls made of grass with a bit more space between them, and the same low weeds covering the floor.

There were no boxes or items dropped either, so it was pretty much a bust.

I guess I should be thankful that at least there were no traps.

I went back the way I came.

***

“Hnngh!”

Splash!

The tube splits and the digestive fluid inside spills onto the ground.

The Predator Vine, spilling digestive fluid that looked like clear water on the outside, writhes and flails its vines wildly.

Needless to say, plants don’t have joints, so reading the trajectory of their attacks was extremely difficult.

But just as a whip is a difficult weapon to use, the Predator Vine, with limbs that are essentially whips, has major limitations in retracting and launching attacks.

With its attack power not being high either, it’s an opponent that can be easily defeated by getting close while taking a manageable amount of damage.

But if their numbers increase, it’s a different story.

“Fuck this!! Advanced corporations should immediately clear all jungles and proceed with large-scale plantations!”

The reason I’m advocating for the dystopian tree approach is…

『Predator Vine』Level: 9

Health: 17/53 ■■■□□□□□□□

【One of the mysterious plants inhabiting this maze-like rainforest. It absorbs organic matter that falls into the oval-shaped tubes attached to its stem, but occasionally hunts directly.】

『Predator Trap』Level: 9

Health: 51/51 ■■■■■■■■■■

【One of the mysterious plants inhabiting this maze-like rainforest. Its shell-like pincers catch touching creatures and slowly digest them.】

『Predator Flypaper』Level: 9

Health: 37/60 ■■■■■■□□□□

【One of the mysterious plants inhabiting this maze-like rainforest. It immobilizes prey with sticky mucus secreted from its unusually shaped mouth.】

…

…

…

Predatory plants looking like pitcher plants, Venus flytraps, sundews, and so on filled the room.

Slash!

Even if I cut down one, the autonomous plants that had been waiting their turn nearby and behind, drooling digestive fluid like saliva, approached.

My arm, having swung the axe wildly, was going numb, and the axe, covered in sticky juice I couldn’t wipe off, felt like it required more and more force to cut through the vines.

“If I survive this, I’ll become a vegan!”

What cruel things did plants do to vegans that they only eat plants?

I decided to join their path. Bye-bye homemade burger. Bye-bye sirloin steak.

“No, that doesn’t seem right!”

Let other vegans exact my revenge. I cannot give up steaks that are crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, and dripping with juices.

Splat-!

“This… fucking…! Won’t this let go?! I’ll sue you! Don’t think you can’t be sued just because you’re a plant!”

In a moment of carelessness while beating at the pincers that were repeatedly opening and closing in front of me with my axe:

My left arm got stuck to the flypaper that adhered to my protective vest, sealing my movement.

It seemed like I could drop it if I applied force, but if I spent time dealing with this, I’d either fall into those tubes full of digestive fluid and become marine soup, or get caught in those pincers and become marine jelly.

This situation didn’t arise because I went insane and decided to do a drive hunt.

The culprit of this disaster was a stepping trap placed in front of a box about 5 meters away. The trap’s pedal, which had been hidden by soil and grass until stepped on, was now annoyingly protruding.

A summon trap.

Among traps, it causes the least direct damage to players, but it’s ranked #1 on the list of traps players hate to step on, the Jack Of All Trades.

A trap that summons enemies that appear on the current floor with a 33% probability per cell in a 5-cell radius around the player, creating a perfect situation to die by being overwhelmed.

That’s why, if you’re not proficient in area attacks, when you step on a summon trap, you need to clear your mind and prepare to break through.

Of course, in reality, most people died there.

Thanks to the peculiarities of this region, the difficulty of summon traps was among the lowest, but even so, I thought the spike traps or explosion traps I’d seen so far would be better.

Slash!

I cut off the stems of the flypaper stuck to my body and arm, took a step back, and pressed against the wall.

One arm sealed. At least a dozen enemies remaining.

It was too costly a trade just to open one box.

‘Fuck it. Should I just use Fireball?’

I could certainly sweep away all the enemies, but I’d be burning brightly too, and at best I might end up looking like Two-Face.

Despite that, it was the easiest and most convenient method, but my choice was different.

“Wanderer!”

As I called that name, a warrior holding a rusty red greatsword was summoned right in the middle of the swarming predatory plants.

The Wanderer gripped the greatsword close and pulled her arm far back.

『Crescent Slash』

As the Wanderer took her stance, the predatory plants rushed toward the newly appeared nutrient, trying to subdue her by binding her arms and legs with stems and leaves.

Grip- Despite the rope-like thick plant stems tightening around the Wanderer’s arms, legs, abdomen, and neck, she didn’t show the slightest disturbance.

Slash-

The slash that traced a crescent moon tore away the stems restraining her as it was released, and the leaves of the predatory plants, cut in half at the waist, flew into the air.

『Full Moon Slash』

A consecutive slash following that semicircle.

Once again, the plants were greatly torn, piling up on the floor to form a small hill while emitting a disgusting grass smell.

Like that, with just two slashes, five plants were cut down.

Thanks to her brilliant performance, the number was reduced by about a third, but still, close to ten plants were wriggling their tendrils instead of tongues, trying to devour me.

‘Next time, I’ll definitely visit with cement…!’

Rekindling my righteous anger towards ㅇㅇ, I placed my hand on my holster.

***

Splash—

Teleportation scroll.

A scroll inscribed with magic that teleports to a random location on the floor where it’s used.

Most people avoid using it because you never know what dangers await at that random location, but there are moments when its value becomes extremely high.

When you’re in immediate danger of death.

The teleportation scroll, which allows you to postpone the situation and hope for a better outcome, was essentially like a spare life in such situations.

That’s why it’s evaluated as the absolute counter to summon traps.

Of course, there were not infrequent situations where there were enemies waiting or traps at the teleportation location, resulting in immediate death and a return to Floor 1.

Nevertheless, I had no choice but to use it in this situation where I couldn’t afford to be picky.

If I had continued fighting there, I would have certainly died!

“Blrglp! Of all places, you send me into water…”

The place I arrived after tearing the teleportation scroll was a pool with water up to my waist.

The tropical rainforest area called Osiris’s Maze is about 80% spaces filled with grass, but occasionally there are sections filled with water.

And predatory plants didn’t appear in such waters.

A large shadow passes underneath the water, dancing slightly.

However, another type of enemy existed.

“Oh shit…!”

Splash!

A fish leaps out of the water, opening its jaws wide to bite my face.

The identity of this fish, with a snout and teeth resembling an alligator’s, was:

『Alligator-Toothed Fish』Level: 11

Health: 63/63 ■■■■■■■■■■

【A fish with a head similar to an alligator’s. Usually docile, but this one seems to have gone mad.】

I couldn’t avoid the attack that shot like a bullet as it explosively pumped the muscles hidden within its hard scales, especially in water that came up to my waist.

So instead of offering my face, I thrust my arm into its jaws.

The protective vest only protected my torso, including my abdomen and back. There was no protection for my arms.

I grimaced as I felt the hard teeth digging into the flesh of my arm.

It seemed there was more than one unwelcome guest here who wanted to eat me.

“AAAAAAAARGH!!!”

[You received 21 damage.]

[You received 16 damage.]

This is unfair!