"The Green Forest Earl's war general! Back in the day, it was with this very thing that he fought his way up from a mere soldier, eventually becoming the ruler of the entire province!"
The white-haired middle-aged man's eyes flickered with excitement and greed as he locked his gaze onto the grotesque green tree-man.
As the tree-man lunged at him, the man merely shook the tattered bell in his hand.
Ding-ling-ling~
A crisp chime rang through the air, and in an instant, the ferocious expression on the tree-man's face vanished.
Its movements came to an abrupt halt, and the violent aura surrounding it was subdued by an invisible force.
To everyone's surprise, the tree-man did not continue its attack. Instead, it walked toward the white-haired man at a steady pace, its expression calm, behaving like an obedient pet.
It was clear that while the dilapidated bell could disrupt the minds of ordinary people, its true power lay in controlling this grotesque tree-man.
"Hm?"
The white-haired man's gaze swept over Lynn, and a sinister smile curled on his lips as he spoke in a cold voice:
"Oh, I almost forgot about the last loose end. Finish him off!"
As soon as his words fell, the tree-man's face once again twisted into a savage expression. Like a raging beast, it charged toward Lynn with incredible speed, its limbs pounding against the ground like massive stones, generating a terrifying momentum. It was like a green lightning bolt streaking straight for him!
Lynn had originally planned to feign submission to gather more information, but now that his opponent had ordered the tree-man to attack, there was no longer any need to continue the act.
"Ice Arrow!"
Without hesitation, Lynn let out a low chant, instantly gathering the surrounding energy particles.
In a flash, an ice-cold arrow shot out from within him, carrying a chilling frost as it hurtled directly at the white-haired man!
The white-haired man had been eagerly anticipating the tree-man's victory over Lynn, but at that moment, an unprecedented chill surged toward him.
"A wizard apprentice?! Impossible!"
Shock flashed across his eyes. He had never imagined that the last surviving team member would turn out to be a wizard apprentice one with formidable power, at least at the second level!
Would a second-level wizard apprentice take a job delivering goods for mere mortals, just for the sake of a few measly coins?
Confusion filled his mind, but there was no time for further thought. The ice arrow, brimming with destructive force, was already upon him.
The arrow struck his face with lightning speed. In his final moments, the white-haired man's eyes were filled with horror and disbelief.
He could even see his own twisted, terrified expression reflected on the icy surface of the arrow, but there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Boom!
The ice arrow shattered his head upon impact. Ice shards and blood sprayed into the air, mixing into a gruesome display of crimson and frosty blue. The stench of death spread across the battlefield.
Moments later, the white-haired man's corpse collapsed stiffly to the ground, reduced to a mess of frozen remains and blood, turning the once-tranquil mountain road into a macabre canvas of horror.
Yet, in his final moments, his heart burned with rage and unwillingness.
With his last breath, he howled inwardly, his only remaining wish being that the Green Forest Earl's war general would prove to be strong enough to tear that damned second-level wizard apprentice apart.
He had not attempted to defend himself, nor did he hesitate to unleash his magic on Lynn.
If the tree-man was truly as powerful as the legends claimed, it should now be ripping Lynn to shreds, dragging him down into the depths of hell alongside him!
However, to his bitter disappointment, Lynn showed no sign of panic.
Lynn stood his ground firmly, exuding absolute confidence.
He reached out and tapped the Heart of Floral Language pendant around his neck, channeling his mental power through it.
"Heart of Floral Language!"
At that moment, green vines and blossoms burst forth from the earth as if they were alive. They did not shield Lynn; instead, they surged toward the tree-man, wrapping tightly around its body and trapping it in place.
With no one else around, Lynn did not need the Heart of Floral Language for protection he used it to imprison the tree-man instead.
The vines rapidly coiled around the tree-man, sealing off any chance of movement.
"A physique of 5? That's roughly at the level of a knight…"
Lynn observed the tree-man's strength through his crystal ball, slightly surprised by its physical power.
From within the cocoon of vines, frantic pounding and slamming could be heard the tree-man was struggling with all its might.
It was undeniably powerful, its strength on par with that of a knight.
Lynn had already taken note of the tattered bell's effect earlier. Now, with the tree man subdued, he walked over to the white-haired man's headless corpse and picked up the bloodstained bell.
He wiped it clean with the man's robe before channeling his mental power into it once more.
Ding-ling-ling~
The chime echoed in the air.
From within the cocoon, the sounds of violent struggle gradually subsided.
However, Lynn did not immediately dispel the vines. Instead, he issued a quiet command:
"Attack!"
Boom! Boom!
The tree-man suddenly began thrashing wildly against the vines, producing deafening noises.
Lynn, unfazed, gave another command.
"Stop attacking."
Instantly, all movement ceased.
Lynn was now certain he had fully gained control over the tree-man.
Only then did he allow the Heart of Floral Language's vine cocoon to dissipate.
Like mist fading into the air, the vines receded, revealing the grotesque tree-man within.
Lynn carefully examined its appearance.
The tree-man was not particularly tall, standing only about 1.2 to 1.3 meters. Its entire body was covered in rough, twisted branches, its form disturbingly ugly.
Even with its now-calm expression, its hideous features made it an unsettling sight.
Its arms and body, though slender, possessed immense strength, seemingly composed of an incredibly sturdy wooden structure.
Its gnarled, monstrous face looked as if it had been chiseled from deadwood, evoking an eerie sense of dread.
"This thing isn't alive… it's dead…"
Lynn's eyes narrowed slightly.
He frequently used his crystal ball to scan his surroundings, and the cargo box containing the tree-man had been with him all along.
If the tree-man had been a living creature, he would have detected its presence long ago.
Now certain of his hypothesis, Lynn swiftly retrieved some enchanted containment tools from his spatial storage and expertly sealed the tree-man within them.
His intuition had been correct this tree-man was not a living being, but some sort of magical construct, an entity controlled by the spell.
"The Green Forest Earl… and a second-level wizard apprentice…"
Lynn began searching the white-haired man's corpse and was surprised to find a substantial collection of items on him.
Although he lacked a spatial storage device, his robe contained several pouches filled with valuables.
Thinking about it, this wasn't unexpected.
Most wizard apprentices he had previously slain had been preparing for battle, so they typically did not carry precious belongings with them.
But this white-haired man had not been heading into war hence, he had brought his valuables along.
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