Chapter 224: Bingo
’Shit...’
Ruvian inwardly cursed.
But before the Bloodvine could reach him, a hand suddenly wrapped around his waist.
It was Yerin.
She stepped into his side and turned with all the momentum she had. Her arm tightened around his waist while her other hand caught hold of his belt, guiding his body along with hers as she spun.
The world tilted.
Ruvian barely had time to react before both of them were pulled clear of the Bloodvine’s path. They tumbled across the grass together, their bodies rolling over the ground as the force of the movement was gradually absorbed by the earth beneath them.
Swish!
A sharp hiss swept past.
The crimson vine tore through the space they had occupied only a second before, cutting through the air with enough force to send blades of grass scattering in its wake.
Their roll finally came to a stop.
Yerin rose into a low stance almost immediately, one knee bent and one hand resting on Ruvian’s shoulder to steady him until she was certain he had regained his balance. Only then did she let go, her eyes never leaving the Bloodvine ahead.
"You alright?" she asked.
Ruvian blinked as he steadied his breathing.
’...Did I just get... she — ah, never mind.’
He quickly pushed the thought aside and gave a small nod.
"Yeah. Thanks."
Meanwhile, Horren, who had been positioned further back, had a much easier time reacting. The moment the crimson vines burst from the earth, he had already seen their path.
His feet shifted lightly across the grass as he stepped out of their reach, avoiding the strike without much difficulty while keeping his bow firmly in hand.
Ruvian slowly exhaled.
His gaze lingered on the countless, thick, crimson vines that now twisted across the clearing, their slick surfaces writhing over the torn earth like living veins.
’First hunt on the island, and we run into a Wretched-rank. Haha, what incredible luck.’
But now that he knew what kind of Voidspawn he was looking at, the scattered fragments of memory in his mind finally began to fall into place. He had read about the Bloodvine Strangler before. It was never the kind of predator that hunted its prey with claws or fangs.
No, instead, it lived like a parasite.
Once it found a suitable host, whether beast, bird, or even a person, it burrowed into the body and slowly spread through the muscles and blood vessels. Its vines replaced what had once been living flesh until nothing remained of the original creature except an empty shell.
The body was kept almost perfectly intact. Because of that, from a distance, it looked alive enough to fool anyone that was careless.
’That Crestbeak Fowl had already been dead for a long time. It was nothing more than bait. We almost walked straight into it.’
Shima was already moving.
Another crimson vine swept toward her, but she lowered her body and easily slipped beneath it. As she rose from the motion, pale arcs of lightning began to crackle along the edge of her falchion.
She swung.
The enchanted blade carved through the nearest vine in a single smooth slash. Lightning burst across the cut as the thick tendril split apart, its severed half twisting wildly before falling onto the torn earth like a dying serpent.
"The heart!"
Shima shouted.
Her eyes swept across the clearing as she continued searching the writhing mass of vines.
"Find its true body! The gem-like core! These vines are only its reach, not its life. It won’t die until we destroy its heart!"
Ruvian’s gaze sharpened.
’Shima is right. We need to find its heart.’
The Bloodvine Strangler hid beneath the earth while its tendrils spread outward like the branches of a tree. Cutting them apart would buy time, but it would never end the fight.
’The real body has to be somewhere below the surface.’
Keeping that in mind, Ruvian reached into his dimensional storage.
[The Endseeker] appeared in his hand.
Almost at the same time, he cast [Body Enhancement], allowing mana to spread through his muscles and bones until strength flowed steadily through every part of his body.
Before he could move, Yerin’s voice rose above the chaos.
"Don’t stay in one place! Keep moving!"
Her eyes swept across the battlefield before settling on him.
"Ruvian! Cover Horren!"
Without waiting for a reply, she stepped forward.
Her sword slid free from its scabbard with a clear metallic ring. The instant the blade was drawn, flames burst to life along its edge, wrapping the steel in blazing orange fire.
She turned her head just enough for everyone to hear.
"Training against the simulation array isn’t the same as a real battle."
"Stay on guard at all times!"
Ruvian tightened his grip around [The Endseeker].
The crimson vines continued to lash across the clearing without pause, twisting through the air as they reached for every opening they could find.
Shima held the front line. Every vine that tried to coil around her arms or wrap around her throat was cut apart before it could tighten its grip. Yerin also fought beside her, her sword burning brightly with each cut she made.
Further behind them, Horren remained calm. His bowstring thrummed in a steady rhythm as arrow after arrow flew into the writhing mass of vines.
Standing beside him, Ruvian intercepted every vine that slipped past the front line.
[The Endseeker] moved through the air as he cut down each tendril that reached toward him or Horren — keeping the vines at bay while giving Horren the space he needed to continue firing.
’This is getting nowhere...’
Ruvian frowned.
The battle had settled into a fragile balance.
The Bloodvine Strangler continued its relentless assault while the four of them held their ground.
Ruvian could have cut through every vine in sight and it would have meant nothing if the heart still pulsed somewhere out of reach. He found himself cursing in his head, wondering just how they were supposed to dig a knife into the thing’s life-thread.
Then, he took a deep breath, trying to cool his head.
After that, he tracked the strangled movements of the Crestbeak Fowl hanging above them, suspended like some grotesque marionette in the Strangler’s grasp.
’We need to kill the heart. But how are we supposed to do that? How are we going to pull it out if it was buried—’
And then the thought came, almost an accident.
"...Buried.’
He quietly echoed the word.
Once as an observation and the next one as an answer.
’Wait. That could work.’
The idea took shape almost as soon as it appeared.
If they could expose the Bloodvine Strangler’s true body, the fight would end much faster. His wind magic could lift the creature from the ground, but that alone would never be enough.
The Strangler’s roots were buried deep beneath the earth, gripping the hardened soil and tangled stones with relentless force. A simple pull would accomplish nothing more than shaking the vines above the surface.
’We need to break the ground first.’
Only after loosening the earth could his wind spell tear the creature free from its hiding place.
Ruvian continued searching for a way to make that happen while his sword intercepted another crimson tendril.
Then a familiar voice rang across the battlefield.
"Ha! You lot are having all the fun without me? You better not!"
Arlok came charging back into the clearing, his boots pounding against the ground with every stride. His poleaxe rested across one shoulder as though the blow that had sent him flying moments ago had been little more than an inconvenience.
Ruvian’s eyes immediately settled on the towering warrior.
His thoughts raced.
Then everything connected.
The strength needed to shatter the hardened ground....
It was him!
With that, the plan finally clicked into place. Ruvian let out a devious smirk.
’Bingo.’
──────── ✦ ────────
[Chapter 224: Bingo]
