Today, we were exploring the 20th Floor. Naturally, we used the teleportation door to get there. It seemed Masso-san had pulled some strings for us, so Lowell was spared from being hauled off in a straw mat.
The 20th Floor was a forest area, just like the 10th Floor. However, the atmosphere was entirely different. While the 10th Floor felt like a dense jungle, this place was a forest of shadows. It wasn't that it was night all day long, but even at high noon, the area was shrouded in an unnatural gloom that left everything perpetually dim.
We had several reasons for visiting this floor, but our primary objective was securing wood. Specifically, we needed material for the life-sized bodies for Allen and the others. While we could have built their forms entirely out of steel, such a construction would be far too heavy and ruin their agility. Since I had the means to obtain the materials, I wanted to give them the best bodies possible.
In any case, I had already intended to challenge the deeper floors to raise our levels and gather magic stones for status enhancement potions, so the timing was perfect.
Being forest terrain, trees grew everywhere, but there was no point in simply felling them. Items generated by the dungeon—outside of specific gathering points—dissipate the moment they lose their form. Conversely, wood could be harvested from gathering points, but my target today was something else: the timber dropped by Fear Trents.
"Is that the man-eating grass? And is the one blooming at its base the attraction flower?"
"That's it! Tort, you've gotten much better at telling them apart!"
"Yeah. Though I still can't quite identify them at a glance while we're on the move."
Since I had taken the Terrain Traverse training at the Adventurer's Guild, I had become slightly better at distinguishing terrain traps. That said, spotting them with the same precision as dungeon traps was still a challenge. To begin with, the Terrain Traverse skill focused more on how to handle hazards rather than how to find them. While it could mitigate negative effects, discovery ultimately relied on the observer’s own eyes. My knowledge had certainly increased, though, and I could now vaguely sense which areas were likely to hide a trap.
Fortunately, when it came to forest terrain, I had an excellent instructor in Spira. If I continued to gain experience on this floor, my skill level would surely rise, and my discovery precision would improve along with it.
"Everyone, stop! It’s a monster!"
『Nuoh!? That tree?! I didn't even notice!』
As we walked through the eerie forest, Spira suddenly called us to a halt. A monster, apparently. Even so, I couldn't tell where it was at all. It seemed even Shiroru hadn't noticed until it was pointed out; he began barking "waf-waf" toward a tree to our front-right. It looked like an ordinary, unremarkable trunk, but judging by the reactions of Shiroru and Spira, it had to be the enemy.
Perhaps sensing that it had been discovered, the monster disguised as a tree began to stir sluggishly. A section of its bark warped and twisted, shifting into the distorted face of a creepy old man. It was a Fear Trent—a B-Rank monster with high durability and, despite its appearance, surprising agility. We had avoided a disaster thanks to Spira, but I’d heard that its surprise attacks from a state of mimicry were brutal. Since its actual movement speed wasn't that high, however, escaping it usually wasn't difficult.
Of course, running wasn't an option this time. We needed to harvest wood from it, after all.
"Wait, wait! Allen, everyone, get back!"
Just as the battle was about to begin, the Petit Golems charged toward the Fear Trent. I hurriedly reined them in. Ever since they had transitioned into their doll bodies, the Petit Golems had become strangely bellicose. I wondered if their temperaments were being influenced by their new appearances?
The influence wasn't limited to their personalities, either. Their movements and thought processes seemed affected by their physical forms. Allen and Milly had become much more agile, while Shara’s tactical decision-making in response to orders felt sharper. Pino... hadn't changed much, really.
Regardless, challenging a Fear Trent with palm-sized bodies was far too reckless. They probably wanted to gather the wood for their new bodies themselves, but I had to ask them to be patient. We could have switched them to their work bodies, but those weren't exactly designed for combat.
Once the Petit Golems had retreated, we officially joined the fray. The Fear Trent's arsenal included long-range attacks where it launched leaves like blades, mid-range attacks where it sprouted roots like spears from the ground, and close-range strikes where it swung its thick branches like clubs. It was a formidable opponent with very few openings.
However, we had grown stronger as well. Even against a B-Rank monster, we could hold our own as long as we were only facing one.
"Hah!"
The opening move was Halfa’s Shock Voice. The impact scattered the incoming leaves while dealing direct damage to the Fear Trent. A heavy, creaking gugogogo sound erupted—the Fear Trent's scream, perhaps. The demonic tree writhed, shaking its canopy wildly, and a shower of leaves rustled to the ground. It was clearly working.
『Nuoooh!』
Shiroru followed up with a Lightning Strike. However, it didn't seem to do much. It couldn't be helped; apparently, the Fear Trent's bark possessed a natural resistance to attribute magic. Shiroru seemed to just be testing the waters; he immediately ceased the lightning and switched to a physical charging attack.
I tried attacking with my fire bird-shaped golem. Despite its magic resistance, I thought it might burn simply because it was a tree. No such luck—the golem was extinguished the moment it touched the Fear Trent.
Fire was definitely the correct attribute, though. Lowell proved as much. He slipped through the Fear Trent's lashing branches and slashed at its limbs. He must have activated his magic sword the moment he tore through the bark; his blade, which lopped the branch clean off, was suddenly wreathed in a brilliant, roaring flame.
Identifying Lowell as the primary threat, the Fear Trent began to concentrate its attacks on him. Buffeted by a relentless wave of leaves, roots, and branches, even Lowell was forced onto the defensive.
"Big Bro! I've got you covered!"
Spira countered the onslaught with a Tree Attribute Barrier. The attacks from the roots and leaves were almost entirely neutralized. Deprived of its reach, the Fear Trent had no way to stop Lowell. His Flame Magic Sword continued to hack through the monster, piece by piece, until it finally vanished into nothingness.