Phase 10: Monster Appeared
The moment the trio plus beast pet stepped into the dungeon, a blast of fresh air entered their nostrils. It was the scent of vigorous vitality of plant lifeforms, flowers, grass, trees... They couldn't help but take deep breaths which made their lungs feel so comfortable.
All around them is a dense overgrowth of shrubs. The grass under their feet reach up to their waist. You could barely see the edge of the greenery but the map in their vision is being updated as they move too. The whole terrain has been changed from a simple garden to a maze-like structure with no end in sight.
Kent took the lead in opening up a clear pathway by chopping the tall grass around them. Marie followed behind him while Ally and H20 flank the end on both sides. Their eyes surveyed the surroundings vigilantly. In a normal dungeon, there are traps and monsters, as well as hidden treasure chests as long as you know where to look. Although this is just a beginner-level dungeon, they took their time in exploring while staying alert for enemies.
It didn't take long for them to meet the first opponent. H20 had rushed out from the back of their loose formation to attack a vine making a sneak attack. Ally immediately spotted the enemy. It was a vine with tendrils formed from an ivy plant. Immediately afterwards, a few more vines showed up. Kent brandished his swords and cut them off while Ally focused on finding its true body. Her only skill <Bind> is not useful in this situation. However, H20 is highly perceptive and just as the fifth vine appeared, H20 was able to determine the source it came from.
H20 bit viciously onto the retreating vine and tried to pull out the enemy's main body. The vine however, was retreating and slowly dragging H20 backwards. All three of them followed H20 closely behind as they fend off the vines. Ally didn't think her Elder Staff could work as well as a sword but she was able to break the vine with force as long as she hit it with enough strength. Marie used the sword with her left hand while Kent was the MVP by swinging both swords in his hands agilely and he alone destroyed three of the attacking vines.
After a while, they could finally see the ivy plant monster about ten steps away from them. It was wrapped around a moderately tall tree and the main tendrils on its body was emitting a green light.
<Green Ivy> <Level 2>
HP: 72/100
All of them could see the information displayed when they identified the monster. They could see the red dot on the map as well which represents the enemy. No, it's not enemy, but enemies. They are now faced with 2 monsters instead of one. Where's the other one?
Kent had already made his move. The Green Ivy monster was wrapped around the trunk of a tree and the vines were almost as thick as his own arms. However, he was fearless as he approached with nimble steps and slashed at the monster. In just a few seconds the health points of the Green Ivy is left less than a quarter of it original value. H20 is also attacking its main body with his claws.
However, just as they thought the enemy will be defeated, its health points start rising back rapidly. Instant recovery? Ally's eyes turned to look closely at the willow tree's trunk. As expected, the tree itself is also an enemy. It probably has a special skill that enables it to be undetected or hide so that it won't be discovered unless actively attacked.
"Retreat!"
Just as Ally shouted, the Willow Tree made its move. Its low branches suddenly extend and slam towards Kent. H20 was more agile and had faster movement speed than Kent so the moment Ally shouted it had jumped backwards towards her. Kent, however, was in the middle of attacking and could not retreat in time. He could only try his best to dodge.
"Watch out!"
Marie was not the main attacker and was vigilantly staying away from the main battlefield while watching over their group's stuffs. She is just a supporting member. However, watching her husband in danger made her panic. She made a step closer to drag him back but it was too late.
While Kent successfully dodged the tree's attack, his foot was caught by one of the ivy vines. He was in a half-standing pose and lost his balance almost immediately as he was dragged by his ankle towards the tree.