The World Is Overflowing with Monster, I’m Taking a Liking to This Life

Chapter 164: Treant Subjugation Mission

Im currently walking around in the streets of the towns Safety Zone.

With the increase in the level of the mayors Town Development skill, electricity has been restored inside the entirety of the Safety Zone.

Now, its 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.

(Im 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 cityscapealong with a myriad of giant trees.

Even though Ive 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.

Theyll be tentatively called Treants since theyre 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.

(Its a bit late to be saying this, but monsters also need proper rest, huh)

They dont spawn endlessly like in games.

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

Theyre living things that require food and rest.

(Then again, that wont 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, theyre more effective at night.

(If anything, arent Momos 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.

Were almost at our destination.

Im the only one who has come out.

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

Its because they dont have the necessary skills to take action in the dark.

Even if they did, they wouldnt 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-sans.

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

(Treants are almost Ichinose-sans 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.

Whats more, the effect becomes stronger with increased distance.

Even if she tries to attack, she wouldnt 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.

Theyre 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 cuteI mean, quite imposing.

She took a step back only when I told her that she could rush over using Momos 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 dont forget to place clones of Aka at certain intervals.

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

Were almost there

Our destination should be just around the corner.

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

Its an ordinary park that can be seen anywhere.

However, theres 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 theyre rather annoying monsters, theres 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.

Ill be utilizing this property to subjugate the Treants.

Theres a method of distinguishing between Parent Treants and Children Treants, but thats for another day.

( Flowers have not bloomed yet.)

I check for whats 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 doesnt 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 its because Ive gained levels. Maybe its 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 Im 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.

Its almost as if someones 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 didnt 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.

Its 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.

Theyre 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,.

Lets put my back into this.

[1] Think of them as fungi.