Chapter 312: The Terrifying Bonded Plant

Chapter 312

The Terrifying Bonded Plant

The images from Ellie’s long-forgotten past reappeared with significance, combined with the words left by the synthesized voice for her to ponder. Finally...Ellie began to make some sense of things.

“Awake now?” Her small eyes blinked slightly, revealing the handsome face of the eldest young lord looking at her with concern. Ellie couldn’t help but smile. She knew how much he cared for her, and because of that, she found this world she was sent to by accident to be a rather pleasant place to live.

“Apologies for making you worry.”

“At least you realize it. Who takes a nap in the middle of a test? Do you know how worried everyone was!?”

“Aman...”

“What I said was true, Brother. I almost went crazy with worry!!” Right now, even if Owen chided him, Aman wouldn’t stop complaining. He was genuinely terrified, just like his brother. Previously, wasn’t he intended to destroy the walls of the room completely? Aman himself felt the same. Though the girl answered the question correctly, there was no signal, and Ellie disappeared just like that. Who wouldn’t be scared?!

“If you’re worried, just say so. Why complain like an old man?” Ellie sat up, teasing Aman for acting childishly, although she knew how much he cared for her.

“Did you call me an old man? And what do you call fainting all of a sudden?” Aman crossed his arms and leaned in to challenge her, fearlessly. But before he could say more, he was thrown far away.

His eyes widened in shock. Luckily, his brother hadn’t been too rough, only tossing him away from his girl.

Ellie watched Aman, who seemed to have lost his voice in surprise, and shrugged, smiling mockingly. Who told Aman to bully her in front of this big "golden leg"? It wasn’t surprising he got thrown out.

“You’re really unfair to me, Brother,” Aman grumbled. Their banter was amusing. Owen chose to ignore his troublemaking brother, focusing instead on making sure the girl was truly safe. After giving Ellie some time to recover, the Setter family was finally ready to proceed to the next test. No one asked what the reward was, even though Owen’s people would have to inform him later. This matter wouldn’t be known by others.

Aman and Koross also didn’t reveal what powers they had gained, so Ellie didn’t need to explain what she had received either. Eventually, they passed the grueling intelligence test and moved on to the next stages, which focused on combat. It seemed that everything would conclude with this final stage.

For instance, in the previous intelligence test, if a selfish person had their subordinates answer questions and die in their place, the few remaining survivors would advance by sacrificing their comrades. However, they would face another enemy in the next stage, which was an extremely difficult stage.

The enemies in the final stage matched the number of entrants, meaning it was a one-on-one battle. However, Owen didn’t want to waste any more time. They had been in this test for a long while, and he believed that many had gained enough experience points to be rewarded after completing it. Besides...the enemies they faced were all level 5 “Naemorhedus.”

Owen ordered his men to eliminate the beasts before them in one fell swoop, so the battle was intense. Even Owen joined the fight, as the sheer number of level 5 beasts was overwhelming. Considering there were nearly 2,000 participants, they faced over 2,000 level 5 beasts!!

Though Owen’s team engaged the level 5 beasts, many still slipped through. Owen’s team had only a little over a hundred people, and despite their skill, they couldn’t handle all 2,000 level 5 beasts.

Boom, boom, boom!!

The sounds of explosions and the use of botanic spell terrified the hunters. It shouldn’t be forgotten that they were only used to fighting level 2-3 beasts. Suddenly, jumping to level 5 was unthinkable.

In front, a fierce massacre took place, mirrored by the deadly struggle behind. In this stage, loss was inevitable. With such overwhelming numbers, many fled in terror. Aman, Koross, and the other skilled hunters tried to fight back, but their power wasn’t sufficient.

Finally, the field of soporific plants was in full bloom. Despite the hunters of the Setter family trying to drink antidotes, they ultimately collapsed, lying unconscious on the vines of those flowers.

"Ellie!" Aman called out, his eyes conveying the urgency. No matter what secrets she had, now’s the time to use them. He knew that if nothing was done, it would lead to a bloodbath for the Setter family.

However, Ellie was already doing something! She didn’t intend to let everyone die, but she was waiting for the right moment.

"Come out, “Black Fairy”." At the girl’s command, a small grass sprout began to emerge from the field of Naemorhedus’s Drowsy plants.

The little one was pitch black, a creeping plant that could extend anywhere, with its roots embedded in the girl’s body, growing alongside her. Unlike the Purple Mushroom, which could digest and absorb life force, or the little Apple that used poison to enhance its power, this grass could absorb magic power for itself. Therefore, Ellie waited for the Naemorhedus to turn the area into a botanic magical field first. After that, her little Black Fairy would fully benefit from it.

- Black Fairy, Level 0 (Special): Attributes - The Black Fairy grass can grow rapidly with magic power. It has a formidable skill that instills fear in many living creatures.

Action Panel

Option One: Absorb all magic power.

Option Two: Hide in shadows and darkness to attack enemies with sharp thorns.

Option Three: Gather magic power and transform into a Black Fairy to devour enemies.

Option Four: Create a Black Fairy Field. -

Ellie examined the details of her little Black Fairy, which now showed a small symbol on her chest, a fairy the size of her palm with jet-black wings. It looked more terrifying than adorable.

“What is that?” Aman still didn’t understand what Ellie intended to do. Moreover, he had never seen such a power before. But after this, he would surely be terrified of Ellie’s new abilities!

“Option One: Absorb all magic power.” Ellie didn’t bother explaining, simply giving the urgent command. The little Black Fairy swiftly slithered out. In just 1 second after Ellie’s command, its vines had already extended over 4 meters, and the botanic magic power creating the Naemorhedus’s Drowsy plants began to dissipate.

Within a 4-meter radius around Ellie, the enemy’s botanic magic power was absorbed. At the same time, the level of the little Black Fairy quickly increased to level 1. Its speed increased significantly, rapidly extending its reach.

“Duchess Ellie has dispelled the beast’s magic. Hurry! Move the unconscious back within the domain!” The Setter family members, adept at survival, quickly carried their comrades into the area where Ellie’s power could reach. Of course, Ellie didn’t intend to limit her domain to just that. Don’t forget that magic power was the perfect nourishment to develop her little fairy. If she missed this chance, when would she ever get such an abundance of power again?!

“Watch out!!” Aman prepared to jump in and protect Ellie again after seeing a Naemorhedus target her as a threat that needed to be eliminated. However, this time, Ellie was no longer afraid!

Boom!!

A Naemorhedus’s fire spell aimed at Ellie was intercepted by the blossom of her little Black Fairy, which had absorbed enough magic power to bloom into another little fairy. When more magic power approached, the little fairy reacted like a plant reaching for sunlight, opening its small mouth wide until it became frighteningly large.

The little fairy transformed into a wide-mouthed demon, but its power level was still too low. Even though it consumed magic power, a level 1 plant couldn’t handle a level 5 beast.

“That! Is your plant dying?” Aman was greatly alarmed, thinking Ellie sacrificed her plant to protect him. However, the girl only smirked.

“You’re overthinking it.” Although the Black Fairy had been charred, within just 3 seconds, the destroyed flower was replaced by another vine, and there were now more than before. There were now 2 Black Fairy flowers from 1 flower that had been destroyed. In other words...the little fairy had transformed the attacking magic power into its own power. Sacrificing 1 flower to create new ones wasn’t a loss at all.

“W-What is that?” Aman wasn’t the only one shocked. Others in the family who had fled near Ellie were equally astonished. Seeing so many unconscious people gathered around her, Ellie decided to use a skill she hadn’t thought she’d need.

“Option Five: Blow up the Toxic Wind Bomb to neutralize poisons.”

Fwoosh!!

A black poison mist spread around. The Setter family members initially thought they were about to be poisoned. Their reaction was swift, and they quickly drank antidotes, thinking the Naemorhedus had more tricks up their sleeves. However...as the toxic wind spread within a 10-meter radius, the unconscious people started to regain consciousness. It turned out that the drowsiness-inducing poison had been neutralized!

“Did you do that?”

“Yes, but I can only use it twice a day. This is the first time, so I’ll save the second for emergencies. Those who aren’t helped now will have to rely on antidotes.” Even though Ellie explained her limitations, her help within the 10-meter radius revived more than 300 unconscious Setter family hunters. Remember, the 10-meter radius was significant, and many had taken refuge under Ellie’s care, meaning she saved more than half of them.

“What kind of bonded plant is this? Or did you get it as the reward when you disappeared just a moment before? It nullified magic attacks and even handles poison! Heh, heh, heh. You’ll be the most formidable opponent from now on!”

Certainly, Aman was correct. Someone with the ability to counter magic attacks was too terrifying. However, he didn’t know that Ellie also had her little Blue Apple to defend against physical attacks. If Ellie could fully develop all 3 of her bonded plants, she would indeed become invincible!

“Even so...we still can’t defeat these level 5 beasts. So, we just have to hold out as long as we can?” The worry voiced by the family member was accurate. They could only buy time for their survival, relying on the eldest young lord’s men to protect them. There was nothing else they could do. Attacking with magic power would only draw more attention to themselves.

“Are you out of your secret cards already?” Aman, excited by the powers of his future sister-in-law, asked again. Despite his envy, he wanted Ellie to use more of her abilities.

Well...The stronger she became, the more it confirmed that his brother’s wife was truly amazing!!

Ellie shot him an annoyed glance. Aman was all talk and no action, despite his earlier promise to protect her. Didn’t he just boast to his brother about it?

Though slightly irritated, Ellie knew Aman had been doing his best. She wasn’t sure what power he had gained from the previous test, but it likely required time to develop. Besides, he was using a newly acquired level 6 dagger to fight as best as he could. However, the enemy’s overwhelming power and speed made it impossible for an ordinary person to face them directly, so hiding and defending was the right choice.Ellie wasn’t relying solely on her magic power. She also used a high-level magical rune she had received from the eldest young lord earlier to create a barrier protecting everyone. Without it, they would have perished already. This experience made her realize the true power of runes. One day, she aspired to become a powerful rune creator as well!!