Mysterious Fog World: Eldritch Nexus

Name: Mighty Oak Tree

Level: Sequence 9, Peak-Stage

Description: Eating the Mighty Oak Acorns will increase strength.

The tree produces acorns every three months, 3000-5000 per harvest.

After eating 100 acorns, the strength increase will be equivalent to the extreme strength of rank 1 of the extraordinary sequence.

Likewise, 200 acorns are needed for rank 2, 300 for rank 3, and so on.

Thus, a total of 5500 acorns are needed up to rank 10. After that, eating more will have no effect.

To get the complete extreme strength of a rank, the user needs to be at least that rank or above.

If the rank is less, the user will only get up to a minor strength increase for the next rank.

As Drake read the description of the Mighty Oak Tree, he knew they had found a treasure—one that would massively increase the strength of his followers. The tree’s potential was immense, promising to enhance the territory’s power significantly.

He turned to Samantha and praised her for bringing the trees to the territory. “You’ve done an excellent job, Samantha. Finding these trees is a significant achievement for us.”

Samantha nodded, her expression one of satisfaction mixed with relief. “Thank you, my lord. There were only ten such trees in the vast fog zones, hidden among many normal oak trees. It wasn’t easy to find them.”

She explained that from the clues she found, the minotaurs usually ate the acorns when they couldn’t find meat. This consumption was the reason behind their immense strength. However, because the trees were mixed with the normal ones and were very difficult to distinguish, the acorns from the Mighty Oak Trees were often mixed with acorns from other trees. The weakest minotaurs, tasked with foraging, unknowingly distributed these powerful acorns, thereby increasing the tribe’s overall strength.

Samantha shuddered at the thought of what might have happened if the minotaurs had discovered the true value of the Mighty Oak Trees. “Fortunately, they died without realizing their significance,” she said.

What she didn’t know was that one minotaur had discovered the secret. This minotaur, initially one of the weakest tasked with foraging acorns, had a more developed brain than its brethren. After noticing a sudden increase in its strength and conducting a few experiments, it concluded that the acorns were the reason.

The minotaur didn’t know the locations of other Mighty Oak Trees but knew that the one it found was special. Consuming the acorns continuously, it grew strong enough to kill the rank 1 tribe leader and took over as the new leader. Through many hunts, it eventually reached rank 2. If not for the world event, it would have soon reached rank 10 in strength.

Drake pondered this information, realizing how close they had come to facing an even stronger enemy. ‘We were fortunate,’ he thought. ‘But now, these trees will be our strength.’

Drake ordered all the residents who were free to collect all the Mighty Oak Acorns as quickly as possible. The acorns, once gathered, amounted to more than forty thousand. Those acorns were indistinguishable from the normal acorns.

He decided to reward everyone in the territory with enough acorns each to reach rank 1 extreme strength for their hard work. He also sent ten thousand acorns to his mother. The remaining acorns were kept in reserve for new followers, with plans to distribute more as the trees produced additional acorns in the future.

The reason they were not given a hundred each was because all of them already had major strength due to their level up to rank 1 and needed to increase that strength to the extreme hence fewer acorns were needed. A hundred acorns were only required when there was no increase in strength in a path, then to attain the extreme strength for the rank, a hundred acorns were required to be consumed.

By the time the acorns were collected, Diana and Fiona had completed their transformation. The ice encasing them cracked and fell away, revealing their new forms. A faint ice aura surrounded them, the air within a meter around them covered in a thin layer of frost.

After absorbing the crystals, their ice mastery had been forcefully increased to level 20, of the advanced stage. They had comprehended the ice aura, and extreme ice manipulation had replaced their ice manipulation. Their physical appearance had subtle changes; their platinum blonde hair was now longer, and their fluffy white tails had faint blue streaks.

They willed the aura off and approached Drake, kneeling before him. “Thank you, my lord, for giving us this opportunity,” they said in unison.

Drake looked at them with satisfaction. “This is what you earned. Keep on working hard,” he said, his voice filled with authority and encouragement.

“Yes, my lord,” they replied together, their voices filled with determination.

Drake watched them rise, feeling a sense of pride in his followers. Their transformations symbolized not only in their growth but also in the strength of the entire territory. The journey ahead was still challenging, but with each step, they were becoming more formidable.

After that, Drake waited for everyone to finish their work. Once they were done, he gathered everyone and distributed a hundred acorns to each. Those who didn’t know about their effect were shocked to hear about it.

“This is your reward for your hard work,” Drake announced, his voice strong and clear.

Everyone knelt and thanked Drake for his generosity. The gratitude in their voices was palpable, a testament to their loyalty and respect.

Without wasting any time, everyone, including Drake, began eating the acorns. The taste was earthy and slightly bitter, but no one cared. They focused on consuming acorns as quickly as possible, knowing the next wave would start in less than forty-five minutes.

It took everyone more than twenty minutes to eat all the acorns. The effects began almost immediately; they felt slightly stronger, but the full transformation would take about an hour. They returned to their positions, waiting for the next tide while their strength continued to increase.

When ten minutes remained until the wave, Drake was asked if he wanted to continue. He accepted without hesitation.

Ten minutes later, intense vibrations signaled the approach of the new monster horde. Everyone, except for Samantha, left to intercept it before it reached the territory. The ground trembled under the weight of the approaching monsters, a palpable sense of danger in the air.

As the horde came into view, they saw more than two hundred rank 1s and twenty-five rank 2s among the monsters. The vast horde was divided into three distinct groups: corrupted dwarfs, evil eyes, and lava giants.

The lava giants were the smallest group, but they had the highest concentration of extraordinary monsters. All were extraordinary, with more than a hundred rank 1s and eight rank 2s. The giants towered above the other monsters, their bodies radiating intense heat and molten lava.

Everyone was divided into groups to deal with the enemies. The two ice foxes, Diana and Fiona, intercepted the lava giants on their own. This was the perfect opportunity to test their new strength.

The rank 1 lava giants were no match for them. With their advanced ice mastery and extreme ice, as soon as the lava giants came into contact with their ice, they began to freeze. Within seconds, they were encased in ice and shattered by the fox women’s attacks, ending their lives swiftly.

Diana and Fiona quickly defeated the rank 1 lava giants and found themselves face-to-face with the eight rank 2 lava giants. The air around them grew frigid as they cast the Glacial Mist spell. Their advanced ice mastery allowed them to harness stronger spells, and the temperature plummeted.

The lava giants began to cool down, their molten bodies hardening into rock. This drastic change slowed them significantly. Taking advantage of the situation, the foxes cast another spell, Ice Shard Barrage. Sharp ice shards, each more than ten centimeters long, rained down on the lava giants.

The giants roared in agony as the ice shards relentlessly pelted them. The sound of cracking ice and the giants’ pained cries filled the air. A few lava giants managed to close the distance between them and the fox women, throwing powerful punches. Diana and Fiona conjured ice shields that absorbed the blows. Although the shields eventually shattered under the onslaught, they provided enough time for the foxes to create some distance.

Separating, Diana and Fiona targeted the lava giants individually.

Diana reached a lava giant that was indiscriminately punching everywhere, its eyes blinded by the shards. She dodged its wild attacks and maneuvered behind it. With swift precision, she cut the tendons on its legs, causing the giant to fall to its knees. Seizing the opportunity, she climbed onto its back and decapitated it with a powerful sword strike.

She quickly moved to another giant. As it punched down at her, she blocked the punch with her sword, her increased strength making it manageable. Taking advantage of its slow recovery, she closed in and touched the giant. From the point of contact, ice rapidly spread, encasing the giant. She had used the spell Frozen Touch, turning the giant into a statue of ice.

While Diana dealt with her opponents, Fiona had already downed two giants. The remaining two giants attempted to sandwich her and punch her simultaneously. She swiftly created ice walls on both sides, stopping their punches. She then formed a series of ice platforms, jumped onto them, and reached the top of the ice wall. From her vantage point, she swung her sword, slicing the lava giant’s hand in half.

The giant recoiled in pain, and Fiona took advantage of the moment. She jumped onto its arm, ran up, cut off its head, and landed behind it gracefully.

The last giant charged at her, its speed because of her previous attacks. As it ran towards her, she conjured an ice spike and hurled it at the giant. Unable to dodge in time, the spike impaled its stomach. Roaring in agony, the giant tried to pry the spike out. Fiona didn’t waste a second; she fired another spike, this one piercing its throat and ending its life.

As she turned, she saw Diana had also finished dealing with her opponents. The battlefield was littered with the remains of the fallen lava giants, their bodies shattered and encased in ice.

Diana and Fiona regrouped, their breaths visible in the cold air. “We did it,” Diana said, her voice filled with a mix of relief and triumph.

“Yes, and with time to spare,” Fiona replied, her eyes scanning the area for any remaining threats.

Meanwhile, another group intercepted the corrupted dwarfs. Each dwarf stood less than five feet tall, clad in thick metal armor and wielding either a two-handed great hammer or a hammer and shield. Despite their heavy armor, the fox women quickly overpowered them. Their new strength allowed them to defeat the rank 1 dwarfs with ease, and even the rank 2 dwarfs fell after some effort.

The battlefield rang with the clash of metal on metal as the fox women’s enhanced abilities turned the tide. One of the fox women, her muscles rippling with newfound strength, swung her blade with precision, cutting through the dwarfs' defenses. The dwarfs fought valiantly, but their efforts were in vain against the relentless onslaught.

The last group was the evil eyes, curse-type monsters with a large central eye and numerous tentacles dangling beneath. They had little to no physical capabilities but possessed strong mental powers. Normally, tens of thousands of evil eyes would pose a serious threat, capable of leveling an Extraordinary territory, let alone a mortal one.

Each evil eye could cast various curses on its targets—slow, fear, confusion, sleepiness, paralysis, weakness, disorientation, and more. Typically, each evil eye had only one type of curse, while the extraordinary ones could wield two. Those monsters mostly acted as support, attacking from behind other enemies, but the stronger ones were capable of killing their enemies without relying on others.

The effectiveness of their curses depended largely on the psychic resistance and mental fortitude of the target. The higher the resistance, the weaker the curse's effect.

Fortunately for the residents of Myst Haven Territory, their abilities were rendered useless. Having experienced death and revival tens of thousands of times, their mental fortitude was off the charts. This resilience turned the tide, making the most dangerous monsters of the wave the weakest for them.

The fox women archers, along with a few other fighters, targeted the evil eyes. Arrows flew through the air, finding their marks with deadly accuracy. The evil eyes’ curses had little to no effect, merely glancing off the mental defenses of the seasoned fighters. Despite their overwhelming numbers, the evil eyes were the first to be annihilated.