Chapter 67 - 63: The Terror of Humanity

Chapter 67: Chapter 63: The Terror of Humanity

With a resounding first victory, the Guards erupted in triumphant cheers.

Lian, who had commanded them to this victory, was lifted by the Guards and tossed into the air.

"Long live Lord Lian! Long live the Ice Witch! Long live Green Shade Territory! Long live the Southern Army!"

Cobb watched this scene with a gratified smile, his thoughts turning to the old Lord, Moria.

’Lord Moria, you were right,’ he thought, wiping his moist eyes. ’Lord Lian can truly bring hope to our Green Shade Territory.’

In truth, if they had relied completely on the power of the Ice Witch, Sophie, the battle could have been over in a third of the time.

But Lian had been unwilling to do so. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Sophie to over-exert her Magic Power; rather, he wanted all the Guards to acclimate to this kind of combat, to regain their confidence, and at the same time, to instill a fear of human armies in the Tree Monsters.

After acknowledging the Guards’ enthusiasm, the army began to make camp on the spot and clear out Area 1.

Father Simo and Nun Sally acted as medics, helping to treat the wounded and cleanse their injuries of contamination.

"How many casualties did we take this time?"

Inside a hastily erected tent, Lian asked Captain Cobb.

"Three dead, 52 seriously wounded, and 207 with minor injuries."

Even as Cobb reported the numbers, he himself found them hard to believe.

After all, they had been facing the vicious Tree Monsters, whose very name struck terror in people’s hearts—a fear even greater than that for Goblins and Skeleton Monsters.

This was because Goblins and Skeleton Monsters did not feed on humans, whereas Tree Monsters and Corpse Monsters relished human flesh.

Cobb had once led an army to clear the border of the Bone Forest. He had brought a force of 10,000 men back then, but they had suffered more than fifty percent casualties just to clear a small perimeter—the area that was now the Border Village.

Cobb had thought these numbers would make Lian proud, but Lian showed no sign of joy.

In fact, according to Lian’s original plan, it should have been possible for all the Guards to get out alive. Minor injuries were unavoidable, but there shouldn’t have been any serious wounds like severed limbs.

But unexpectedly, the Tree Monsters had mobile Hearts of the Tree Monster inside them.

’This was my mistake,’ Lian thought. ’I still don’t know enough about the Tree Monsters. If I had asked more experienced veterans or Adventurers, perhaps I would have known.’

Not only could Tree Monsters burrow underground to escape, but adult ones could also detach a Heart of the Tree Monster from their bodies.

Lian had only ordered Sophie to freeze the ground to cut off the Tree Monsters’ escape route, but he hadn’t been able to stop the Hearts of the Tree Monster from attacking his men.

Even the wisest make mistakes, and this was his first time commanding such a battle. This wasn’t a game; mistakes on the battlefield were inevitable.

All he could do was learn from the experience and avoid making the same mistake again.

"Lord Lian, this is already our greatest victory in the Bone Forest. Why aren’t you happy?"

Cobb asked, puzzled.

"No, this isn’t the greatest victory. This is just the beginning. From now on, we will make the Tree Monsters live in a Nightmare of enslavement."

Lian said gravely.

Cobb’s eyes gleamed. He clenched his fist, placed it heavily over his chest, and gave Lian a standard military salute.

"I, Cobb, pledge to follow you, my Lord, and cleanse the Bone Forest!"

Lian clapped Cobb’s shoulder. "Let’s go. Time to see our prisoners."

The two of them left the tent and walked toward the area where the prisoners were being held.

Along the way, Lian saw many Guards stripping the bark from Tree Monsters that hadn’t been completely burned.

"Cobb, what are they doing?"

"Lord Lian, the bark of these Tree Monsters is a precious medicinal ingredient. It can treat the fevers common in the forest, relieve pain, and repel insects. It’s just that these materials are very difficult to obtain, so most people don’t know about it."

Cobb explained. In truth, this was information known only to old veterans who had fought Tree Monsters frequently.

Lian’s eyes lit up, as if he were watching one of Green Shade Territory’s pillar industries being born.

’I guess I can’t just burn them anymore,’ he thought. ’What a waste to destroy all this bark!’

The Hearts of the Tree Monster were currently locked in cages. When they saw Lian approaching, they instinctively began to tremble.

They weren’t inexperienced young Tree Monsters who hadn’t seen the world. They had seen Three-star Knights before, but never one with such incredible Speed and formidable Power.

In the long life of a Tree Monster, it only reaches adulthood at 50, which is when it can grow a Heart of the Tree Monster.

And these Hearts of the Tree Monster came from trees that were at least a decade old; you could say they were old Tree Monsters that had weathered many storms.

In their eyes, Lian was an anomaly.

But they never expected that what Lian did next would be their true Nightmare.

"Their sap causes people to lose consciousness if it gets in a wound?"

Lian asked.

Cobb nodded. "Yes, so you have to be extremely careful during battle."

"Any other side effects besides unconsciousness?"

Lian asked again.

Cobb shook his head. "Just a temporary loss of consciousness, lasting about half an hour to an hour."

’Isn’t this a natural anesthetic?’ Lian mused, stroking his chin.

He had Cobb prepare a large wooden barrel, then donned his Armor gauntlets. He reached into a cage and grabbed a Heart of the Tree Monster, which trembled as it looked up at him.

Lian gave a cruel smile, then wrung the Heart of the Tree Monster out like a wet towel, squeezing all the viscous fluid from its body.

The Heart of the Tree Monster let out a pained, miserable shriek.

But its suffering was far from over.

After confirming that no more sap could be squeezed out, Lian began to pull and stretch its limbs. He confirmed its body had excellent toughness and elasticity—comparable to Luffy from the Otherworld—and then and there, he peeled off a layer of the Heart of the Tree Monster’s skin.

This layer of skin, Lian was willing to call it a rubber substitute, a pseudo-rubber. In the future, it could not only be used for wheels, but also for making shoes, conveyor belts, and even mattresses. The applications were extensive.

If it could be mass-produced, this would become another pillar industry for Green Shade Territory.

In a world without oak or rubber trees, the skin of the Heart of the Tree Monster was the best substitute. Its processing cost was lower than the other two, and it was also very convenient to use.

In the end, the Heart of the Tree Monster was left a bloody, mangled pulp, but Lian still wasn’t done with it.

He continued the extraction process until the flesh was utterly useless.

The barrel now contained about 400ml of thick sap—the absolute limit for a single Heart of the Tree Monster.

Seeing the tragic fate of their comrade, the other Hearts of the Tree Monster in the cages looked at Lian with even greater terror, trembling uncontrollably.

Lian didn’t spare them just because they were afraid. He had Cobb bring a squad of elite Guards to observe.

He processed ten Hearts of the Tree Monster in a row, until the barrel was filled with the green liquid.

If any happened to resist, he simply pierced their heads. In the end, the result was the same whether they were dead or alive.

"Gather the Hearts of the Tree Monster that died on the battlefield. Do what I just did: separate the sap and the skin."

Lian commanded.

Cobb nodded grimly and led the Guards to carry out the task.

That night, the miserable shrieks of the Tree Monsters echoed throughout the lands north of the Bone Forest.

And on that day, the Tree Monsters learned for the first time just how terrifying humans could be.