NOVEL WEB Chapter 181
Chapter 181. World Tree
From underground, Sakimori escapes outside, frowning.
[We’ve only been here for a few hours.]
It’s incredibly unreasonable. I don’t understand why more trouble arises just as we’re about to defeat the trapped enemy. We were about to uncover the enemy’s secrets.
[Indeed, it’s strange. It’s as if they anticipated our actions…]
Shizuku also looks troubled and trails off. She never expected monsters to appear at that moment.
[That primitive spirit machine. I knew it was bad news at a glance, but I didn’t think it had enough energy to cause a dungeon to emerge so rapidly.]
As Shizuku tilts her head in confusion, I ask while running through the alleyway towards the main street.
[Was that really so bad?]
[Normally, no problem. The issue was the World Tree that absorbs energy. It must have been rooted throughout the city. If we compare it to the monster cores you’ve obtained so far, those are like fully processed energy crystals that don’t leak any power, whereas this was like a raw nuclear fuel rod.]
[Spreading not radiation but mana?]
[Worse than that. It spreads contaminated elements, rapidly increasing dungeon occurrence rates. The contamination level keeps rising. It’s a prototype element type that was quickly abandoned. The World Tree directly absorbs that energy and strengthens itself.]
Shizuku breathes heavily, uncharacteristically passionate.
[Even if it absorbs crystallized spring flowers, it won’t be contaminated. The dungeon occurrence would only be at a level where mana is absorbed. However, the core of the spring spirit was black. It was contaminated. Someone must have processed it roughly.]
It’s terrifying. Narashino City must have been celebrating their newfound power, swinging around fuel rods, unaware of the contamination beneath their feet.
But did Narashino City create such processing machines? The word “contamination” deeply concerns me.
Ignoring my doubts, Shizuku ponders.
[…Maybe…]
Seeing me tremble, Shizuku has an epiphany. Her expressions often signal something beyond my worst expectations.
[Probably, Narashino City had already become a dungeon! It’s the type where even if you build a city on it, you wouldn’t notice! It’s a rare dungeon with a boss, a Dungeon Master, who can spawn monsters and change terrain at will. It’s a rare type that hides while gathering power.]
[What? A monster that can freely alter the dungeon?]
If such a dungeon exists, humanity would lose. At the very least, if I became that Dungeon Master, I could quickly exterminate humanity.
As I make a displeased face, Shizuku comes close enough that our noses almost touch, excitedly continuing.
[There are rare types that can create dungeons at will. But to change terrain and create monsters, everything has to reset, so there’s a chance to defeat them during reconstruction. Usually, they were easy to defeat, but some enemies were tough.]
Her expression shows it’s a rare enemy. Shizuku, unusually excited, snorts.
[As long as we power up, it should be fine, right? Just keep enemies away during reconstruction.]
Why are they easy to defeat? I think having a Dungeon Master makes it stronger.
[The thing is, dungeons without a Dungeon Master are stronger. They use extra energy, so they’re easily defeated. Keeping enemies away during reconstruction counts as terrain change, so it’s pointless.]
I understand why terrain changes are useless. But what do you mean by “fancy”? Is that bad? Noticing my confusion, Shizuku continues.
[The monster formations were fancy and strong, but too few. They gave intelligence to all monsters, making them fall into our traps and die. And the more they tried to create a strong dungeon, the longer reconstruction took, leaving the boss alone in an empty field, making it easy to defeat with a camera setup.]
I smile wryly at Shizuku’s explanation. It’s surreal. If they rebuild from scratch, they lose easily.
If it’s a plain field, it’s advantageous. Monsters can be strong without being noticed, and if they pretend to be a World Tree, no one will suspect they’re the boss.
[So, an emotionless computer is strategically better… That’s probably true. Reality is harsh.]
Yes, that’s true. If I became a Dungeon Master, I’d want to remodel dungeons, create new monsters, and might even start welfare programs. Humans can’t resist. I’d get taken down while remodeling.
Dungeon Masters with intelligence would have desires, just like the World Tree monster stopped hiding.
Machines, moving according to set parameters without complaints or desires, are stronger. At low levels, a Dungeon Master might be better, but at high levels, a machine-operated dungeon is stronger. Dungeons are insidious. Shizuku says humanity is destined to lose.
A mechanically operated dungeon, under a game master giving precise instructions, is efficient and cost-effective. High-level dungeons, with intelligent boss monsters, are ultimately more troublesome.
Something about this story feels off. It almost makes sense, but something is wrong. Is this true? Were there really Dungeon Masters?
I observe Shizuku as we run, but she doesn’t seem to be lying. But she might not be telling the whole truth. Maybe she’s been given false knowledge. I need to think this through when we calm down.
For now, I set aside my doubts and step onto the main street, which is a scene from hell. Treants, ugly wooden dolls, rampage, trucks are crushed by tree roots, shops are overgrown, and people are impaled by wooden spears, screaming and fleeing.
“Help me!”
“Monsters!”
“Mommy!”
Screams, shouts, and cries fill the air.
“What do we do, bro? Where do we run?”
“Be quiet. I’m thinking.”
Panting, Tatsu, who followed me, looks around in fear. I glance at him and narrow my eyes.
The treants’ mana suggests they’re almost B-rank. They’re quite strong. Ordinary people can’t handle them.
As I think about what to do, a truck arrives and soldiers jump out. I realize what this means, but it’s too late to stop them, and they won’t listen in this emergency.
“All units, commence anti-monster combat!”
“Yes, sir!”
Following the leader’s orders, the soldiers take out crystals and scrolls.
[Spring Spirit Summon]
The soldiers, confident, summon Spring Spirits. But…
The asphalt shatters, and wooden spears attack the Spring Spirits. The soldiers are startled as the spirits are easily defeated. The treants, appearing from the air, attack the soldiers, killing them one by one.
“This can’t be!”
“They’re strong!”
“Captain!”
Some soldiers use magic, some shoot guns, some fight with knives, but magic bounces off the treants’ bark, bullets barely pierce the wood, and knives leave shallow cuts.
The power difference is too great; they can’t even fight. The soldiers can’t protect the townspeople or themselves.
Blood splatters, pools of blood form, and lifeless bodies increase.
Damn it. The treants had already figured out the Spring Spirits’ weaknesses. The spirits’ mana connection was fragile, so their cores were easily targeted and destroyed. This doesn’t work on real monsters. The Spring Spirits were failures.
[This is a dungeon that creates dungeons, a higher level. The World Tree has become a Dungeon Master! I only knew from books, but a desireless World Tree is a troublesome Dungeon Master.]
[We should’ve realized something was wrong when we heard about self-purifying water.]
I click my tongue, cursing my carelessness. I should’ve suspected it from Shizuku’s first explanation.
[Look! An Ancient Treant. Its combat power is A-rank. Defeating the boss might yield a rare treasure chest.]
Shizuku points to the center of the city, the World Tree, her eyes sparkling.
[A seemingly convenient boss for humanity.]
I recall past memories while looking at Shizuku. A dungeon is part of nature.
“Woooooo!”
The air trembles, a roar from the World Tree. The roar alone makes my body shake.
[An A-rank’s max stats are 10,000. The Ancient Treant’s stats are unknown. We shouldn’t fight it, unfortunately.]
Shizuku, disappointed, lowers her shoulders, but her eyes gleam with a predatory light, considering how to defeat it.
She’s probably hoping I’ll suggest attacking it.
Shizuku, indifferent to the dying people around us, focuses solely on dungeon conquest. Her attitude is fitting for a spirit machine designed for dungeon conquest. She probably thinks the screams are just noise.
I have no choice. If we don’t defeat the enemy, Narashino City will fall. I’ll try to meet Shizuku’s expectations.
“Tatsu, step back. Support has arrived from the commander.”
“Oh, okay?”
Tatsu moves a bit away from me, and I raise my hand.
“Come forth, Kou.”
A three-dimensional magic circle responds to my mana.
“Chuu.”
With a cute squeak, a transparent giant serpent is summoned.