Chapter 331: Afraid of Pain!
Numerous figures surged out from beneath the water.
They held sharp daggers, gleefully poking holes in the bottoms of various boats.
Soon, the orc soldiers noticed water flooding into their boats, filling faster and faster.
Panicked, the orcs began shouting loudly.
Some started paddling faster, hoping to reach the shore before their boats sank.
However, the boats ran aground and sank just as they neared the bank!
The orcs frantically tried to jump off the boats to escape.
Eager murlocs waited below, ready to attack as soon as the orcs fell.
Orcs, hopeless in water, floundered briefly before drowning outright.
Even those who managed to swim were greeted by eager murlocs with a nasty surprise.
The regular murlocs followed orders obediently.
The more intelligent dragonblood murlocs, however, eagerly awaited further gifts from their great master.
Thousands of orcs sank to the riverbed, without even a bubble rising to the surface.
The orcs on the opposite bank, who had been riled up moments before, were now dumbstruck by the sight.
Staring at the wide Danube River, their minds went blank.
Now what?
Swim across?
The orc commanders, who had been bellowing orders, fell silent.
They watched helplessly as dozens of small boats crossed to the other shore.
Many soldiers on the boats stayed in position on the river.
Armed with crossbows, they mercilessly fired at the orcs on the bank, who lacked adequate ranged weapons.
Already weakened by the treants' attacks, the orc soldiers were struck from both sides, quickly scattering in defeat.
With nowhere to run or hide, they met a miserable end along the riverbank.
The orcs on the east bank roared in frustration and cursed, voicing their anger over their comrades' tragic fate.
"With voices that loud, they might as well try singing!"
Matthew muttered, flinging a spinning fireball.
"Here's a little warmth for you!"
A series of explosions drowned out the orcs' curses, replaced by wails and terrified chaos.
In mere moments, over 20 fireballs bombarded them, scattering the gathered orc soldiers.
"Double spell enhancement? Impressive!"
"Long-range casting—clearly, he's put in significant practice."
"Fast casting speed—is it instant-cast?"
"No, that's Matthew!"
"A mid-level arcanist? Impossible!"
"He hasn't even multiclassed as a mage…"
"A natural-born arcanist? Figures..."
"Arcanists are strong but mostly insane."
"It's those very 'insane' arcanists making the Netheril Empire stronger."
"Let's retreat; we have other tasks."
"Agreed, but how did he know our plan?"
"From his preparations, there must be a diviner assisting him!"
"A diviner? Likely so!"
"..."
Watching the orcs retreat, Matthew paused, thoughtful and wary.
These orcs' bizarre behavior mirrored the group that attacked Bay Territory.
"Could someone be controlling them?"
"If that's true, things just got interesting."
Once again, Matthew sensed deeper meanings behind recent events.
The enemy's actions, seemingly scattered and obscure, actually hinted at crucial information.
Their motives went beyond targeting just him!
"It seems the fluctuations in fortune truly involve more than just fate."
Feeling he'd gained valuable insight, Matthew curiously observed the blood-stained roots retracting, dragging orc corpses back underground.
To him, the gruesome sight was strangely natural.
The game interface had already provided Matthew with all he needed to know.
Supernatural Great Oak, challenge level 22+!
That simple description left Matthew deeply impressed.
Matthew had encountered supernatural magical creatures before.
Following the first magic tide, life across the material plane ascended to a higher level.
Yet even with legendary creatures appearing frequently,
a supernatural creature with a legendary-level challenge rating remained exceedingly rare.
This indicated the Great Oak's formidable combat ability and extraordinary nature.
What puzzled Matthew was why such a powerful entity struggled against orc soldiers, whose average level was below 3.
"Isn't this the headquarters of the Divine Punishment organization? Even they're under attack?"
343 surveyed the chaotic shore, glancing at the towering Great Oak and continued:
"The Divine Punishment organization is a famous druid group, known for producing numerous powerful and renowned archdruids."
Matthew understood.
Any druid organization surviving in the Netheril Empire surely had serious skills and strength.
"This Great Oak is well-known too; it's over 5,000 years old, predating human presence in this region."
"It has one curious trait—it's afraid of pain!"
Matthew's mouth twitched at the thought of a mighty, ancient Great Oak fearing pain…
The roots retreated underground, leaving small, inconspicuous holes.
Treant guardians rooted back into the ground, becoming trees once more, as their weapon-inflicted wounds healed quickly.
Matthew observed the treant guardians' abilities, admiring their rapid recovery method.
Unfortunately, they couldn't shift into tree form to recover during combat.
Leon charged forward eagerly.
Though the crisis had passed, he wouldn't feel secure until he saw his sister safe.
Fortunately, the Great Oak sensed their approach, clearing a path through plants and thickets.
Walking along this cleared path, Matthew felt as if he were inside a vast living being.
Along the way, he spotted elite orc corpses, mangled and clearly strangled to death.
Evidently, while the Great Oak feared pain, it feared death even more!
Before long, Matthew finally saw Rebecca, whom he hadn't seen in months, as well as the unexpected sight of Old Li from the East.