I’ve had to do quite a number of preparations for today actually. First, I had to put away all the unneeded belongings from my ‘Dimension Home’ to the storage room in the mine. Then in order to keep thieves from coming in and stealing from me, I blocked the entrance with earth magic.
After I finished storing my belongings and ensuring that it’s safe, I then went on to train to increase the space of my ‘Dimension Home’ spell that I’ve learned from Sebasu-san. When I first tried expanding it, I felt the burden on me increase. But leaving it to the abundance of my magic power, I was able to repeat the expansion several times as I tempered myself at the same time. In the end, I managed to create a space equivalent to the size of the first floor of my store in Gimuru. Now I’m not exactly privy to the treants’ sizes, but I reckon a space this size would be able to fit in a considerable amount of lumber.
Currently, I’m at the south gate of Gimuru, standing here by myself as I wait for the others.
“Are they not coming yet?” [Ryouma]
I’m standing here, looking around me, but not one of them is in sight. At that, I couldn’t help but wonder whether they’re coming or not. But then as I thought that, I saw, from a considerable distance away, the figures of Raypin-san and Asagi-san, walking towards me.
“Good morning, Raypin-san, Asagi-san!” [Ryouma]
“Good morning, de aru.” [Raypin]
“Good morning, Ryouma. How are you, de gozaru?” [Asagi]
“I’m alright.” [Ryouma]
After that, we rendezvoused with Miya-san and the rest. Then we got on the carriage with two horses that was prepared by the guild master. Soon as we got our food allowance, we set off. Incidentally, the carriage we were lent, was freight-class, driven by Mizelia-san.
We continued like this for some time until we finally reached a plain with trees growing here and there. It was a tranquil and heartwarming scenery. And within that was the object of the request we accepted. Oh and by the way, the leader this time around happens to be Asagi-san.
“Then Miya and I along with Wereanna’s group will be responsible for defeating the treants. Raypin and Ryouma will be in charge of transporting the defeated treants. At the same time, Raypin will also be in charge of looking for treants and watching our perimeters. Lastly, Ryouma, you won’t mind escorting Raypin, right, de gozaru?” [Asagi]
Hearing that, I responded with a nod, indicating that I don’t have any problems with it. Although that’s how the plan basically is, it’s not like I won’t be fighting at all. After all, everyone's already aware that the reason I participated in this request is because I wanted to accumulate experience in regards to fighting treants. So it’s a given that I'll also be getting some fighting experience.
After that, we talked a bit about what to watch out for regarding the treants and their weaknesses.
The treants attack by whipping their branches from above, and their weak point is the lump that looks like a human’s face on their body. Hitting that or around it will greatly damage it, but if you cut it off or break it from below its face, you can kill it. Since our objective this time is to gather lumber, it’s important to minimize the damage on the treants as much as possible.
While there’s no need to fuss too much about not damaging it, it’s important to keep it in mind.
And should the case where a higher variation, an elder treant, appears, then it’s all the more important to take caution. Elder treants move extremely slow, but the branches they move are far thicker than the normal treants, causing it to have just that much more power behind each attack. But more than anything, the elder treants are able to use earth magic. So with that and its ability to stop movement with its branches and vines, it’s the natural enemy for vanguards.
After that, distinguishing between treants and other trees can only be done by spotting its face. So if the face is located in a blind spot, then distinguishing becomes very difficult. But fortunately, the treants possess a significant amount of magic power. So with the ‘Magic Perception’ skill, it’s possible to tell them apart by figuring out which tree is emitting magic power.
Lastly, although I’m digressing here, the treants are apparently able to move. They’re slower than slimes, but they can uproot themselves and creep about slowly.