Chapter 142: Walk in the Park

Chapter 142: Chapter 142: Walk in the Park

The next morning, as first light filtered across the central nexus, Squad 07 and Harvey’s team gathered around a rustic wooden table created by Rowan’s Gardener abilities. Over steaming cups of herbal tea and fresh domain fruits, the two leaders spread out their maps for a thorough intelligence trade.

Rowan adjusted his Enchanted Straw Hat, laying out the field reports for the West and East zones:

Fire Domain (West Quadrant) Breakdown

Terrain: The Ignis-Root Cedar forest features living trees infused with pure fire mana. Do not hack them down with physical force, as severe mechanical impact causes the superheated trunks to detonate like high-tier bombs.

Monsters: Watch out for 30-meter Ignis-Drake Vipers slithering through the burning canopy.

Boss (Ghor’lok, Level 19): Relies heavily on high-canopy agility to dive-bomb targets. At 30% HP, its Infernal Core Overload coats it in liquid magma armor that reflects melee damage. Flash-freezing with high-purity elixirs forces a thermal shock that hardens its casing, leaving it wide open.

Water Domain (East Quadrant) Breakdown

Terrain: Submerged marble ruins and flooded citadel channels that impair standard movement without high-tier aquatic buffs.

Monsters: Packs of Tide-Stalker Siren Drakes (Lvl 12), Drowned Trench Sentinels (Lvl 13) with armor-eroding water jets, and Brine-Crust Abyssal Crushers (Lvl 14).

Boss (Vael’thor, Level 19): Uses a waist-deep Tide-Bending Domain and a pull-in Maelstrom Vortex. At 30% HP, its Abyssal Overcharge electrifies the water and fires homing hydro-blades. Solid root control—like Rowan’s [Vines of the Thorns]—is essential to anchor the backline and expose its chest core.

Harvey listened intently, taking detailed notes before leaning forward to share his team’s findings on the North Quadrant.

Wind Domain (North Quadrant) Breakdown

Terrain (The Skyward Steps): A chain of floating basalt landmasses suspended over an endless abyss, connected only by invisible updrafts and shifting gale-force bridges. Gravity-altering boots or wind-anchoring spells are mandatory.

Monsters: Zephyr-Claw Harpies (Level 13) that try to knock vanguard units off cliff edges, and Gale-Rift Hawks (Level 14) using invisible sound-barrier strikes.

Boss (Anemoi, the Tempest Monarch - Level 19): A massive wind-spirit creature perched atop the highest floating spire.

Abilities: Fires crushing pressure pulses that throw frontline defenders backward, and creates localized dust storms to blind archers.

Berserk Phase (30% HP): Triggers Gale Barrier Overdrive, surrounding itself with a hurricane-force wind wall that reflects incoming physical arrows and projectiles.

"If your archer aims for its eye during the wind-wall cast, you can interrupt the channeling," Harvey advised, nodding toward Mirei.

"Solid intel," Caelen noted, resting his hand near the Edge of the First Warden as the two parties stood up and shook hands, fully prepared for their respective upcoming quadrants.

***

Harvey let out an appreciative whistle, doing the mental math on the 24-hour boss respawn timers. Rowan’s sharp tracking meant Harvey’s team wouldn’t waste time waiting around in empty domains—they could march straight into the West Quadrant to fight Ghor’lok right now, then navigate the flooded citadel just in time for Vael’thor’s 4 PM window.

"That timing is golden," Harvey admitted with a grin, slinging his broadsword across his leather scabbard. "We’ll head straight for the Fire Quadrant while it’s wide open. Good luck with the Earth domain—don’t let those tectonic shifts crush your footwork."

With a final exchange of respectful nods, Harvey’s group turned and set off toward the scorched western archway, their cloaks fluttering in the lingering heat haze.

Rowan turned back to Squad 07, eyeing the southern archway. The moment they approached the border, the ambient air grew noticeably dense and heavy. Low, rhythmic sub-bass vibrations hummed through the soles of their boots as massive, floating landmasses of jagged granite and obsidian plates slowly ground against one another in the distance. The South Quadrant was a brutal, shifting maze of crumbling canyon walls and crushing gravity wells.

"Alright, team," Rowan said, adjusting the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat and resting the Hoe of the World-Tiller casually over his shoulder. "They’ve got the north wind, and they’re hunting fire and water next. That leaves the earth domain for us."

Caelen rolled his shoulders, resting a heavy hand on the leather-wrapped grip of the Edge of the First Warden. Next to him, Barney checked the heavy grounding spikes built into his vanguard boots, ensuring his plate armor could lock into the rock at a moment’s notice. Seraphina handed out glowing amber vials of Terran Stability Elixirs to nullify sudden seismic shockwaves, while Princess Lyra and Mirei took up flanking guards.

With their plan set and their boots secure, Squad 07 crossed the threshold, stepping directly onto the vibrating, stone-bound causeway of the South Quadrant.

***

The moment Rowan’s boots crossed the threshold into the South Quadrant, a profound resonance rippled through his chest. The heavy gravity and oppressive subterranean pressure that usually slowed invaders down melted away instantly. Instead, the subterranean root networks, ancient mineral veins, and living stone hummed in welcoming harmony with his Gardener of Eden authority. To Rowan, the crushing elemental domain didn’t feel like a hostile battlefield—it felt like stepping back onto home soil.

While Caelen and Barney braced themselves for a grueling crawl against tectonic horrors, Squad 07 soon realized they were essentially along for a peaceful walk in the park. Rowan casually led the formation, adjusting his Enchanted Straw Hat with one hand while resting the Hoe of the World-Tiller over his shoulder.

The flora and earth whispered their secrets directly into his mind. Subterranean burrowers were pacified or rooted before they could even break the surface, and jagged basalt walls parted smoothly, forming clear pathways through the treacherous canyon maze.

The squad barely had to raise a weapon. Rowan swept through the entire domain almost single-handedly, his mana flowing through the soil like water returning to a dry riverbed.

By the time they reached the central arena, the quadrant’s apex guardian—a gargantuan Titan-Crust Colossus forged from iron-slate and compressed seismic crystals—stumbled out to challenge them. But against a Level 20 Gardener of Eden, the stone leviathan stood virtually no chance.

Rowan drove his hoe into the ground, unleashing a gentle yet overwhelming pulse of earth-manipulation that converted the colossus’s rigid basalt armor into soft, fertile loam. Dense, ancient tree roots erupted from deep within the bedrock, wrapping tightly around the titan, shattering its seismic frame, and retrieving the glowing Earth Core in a matter of minutes.

Rowan caught the stone gem as it floated toward him, checking his timing. It was barely 12:30 PM.

"Well, that was smooth," Rowan said with a relaxed grin, tossing the third core into his spatial inventory. "Let’s head back to the nexus. I think we’ve earned a proper campfire barbecue for lunch."

Back in the neutral safety of the central nexus, Rowan set up a grand cookout. The mouthwatering aroma of sizzling domain meats marinated in fresh garden herbs, sweet grilled spirit corn, and chilled fruit nectar filled the air, giving Squad 07 a well-deserved feast as they celebrated securing three out of the four elemental cores.