Chapter Seventy-Four: The Power of Nature

"Maple, what's wrong?" Yoyo looked around, noticing that even the guards escorting the caravan seemed tense.

"There might be some trouble ahead. Yoyo, since you don't have divine magic, you'd better hide," Warrior Maple began arranging the positions of the other three teammates.

The players weren’t inexperienced anymore, nor were they foolish; after almost a month, they’d picked up basic combat knowledge and didn't need Zhao Xu to explain positioning.

Zhao Xu quietly opened his backpack, touching the mark on his back to confirm it was still there, which allowed him to relax a little. Among the three trump cards Antinoia had given him, one was attached directly to his back. It would activate if he got into trouble or triggered it himself. As long as he didn’t use the resurrection stone, the remaining cards would be part of his reward. So, each time Zhao Xu used one, he was essentially borrowing against future rewards.

But Zhao Xu was confident; as long as he wasn’t instantly killed, once he activated the mark on his back, he’d have at least 250 minutes to deal with most situations. His strongest impression of this mark was that Antinoia had spent the cost of a legendary spell to accelerate its creation from twenty-three days to twenty-three minutes. That was just to speed up the process, not counting the materials or expertise required. Antinoia, having locked onto his physical state, wasn’t affected, but Zhao Xu knew his character had lost twenty-three days of lifespan for nothing.

Thinking that he might achieve immortality in the future, he didn't mind the cost; otherwise, waiting more than half a month for the mark would have been foolish.

"O mighty Guardian of the Forest, we mean no offense. Please permit us to pass, and accept these treasures we offer." At that moment, Roya finally called out from the front. His voice echoed through the forest, and his attendants hurried forward carrying the prepared chests.

"Guardian of the Forest?" the Wanderer whispered.

"Druids. I suspect there’s a secret circle of druids around here. I only learned the route just now; otherwise, I could have prepared ahead," the bard Antarctic Frog sighed.

Fighting a single druid was easy, but facing a group was much more troublesome. Arthur always said that all druids were kin. Even the most fearless players in Arthur wouldn’t dare destroy woodland at will.

"That can’t be right; druids wouldn’t stop a caravan without reason. Is there something wrong with the goods?" the priestess asked, staring directly at the wagons. But the goods were all tightly wrapped in oilcloth, not a hint of their contents visible.

"Could it be animal pelts, tiger organs, or bear gall?" Rainbow the Wanderer speculated, uneasy.

"No, don’t underestimate these gang members. Would they knowingly walk into a tiger’s den?" the bard Frog disagreed.

Zhao Xu remained silent in the corner, but his opinion of this team rose. When faced with danger, they could analyze rationally instead of panicking—a sign of competence.

Suddenly, a lion's roar erupted through the forest.

"It's the druid’s animal companion," Rainbow said quickly. Thanks to his scouting and listening skills, he had already pinpointed the direction of the lion before Zhao Xu and the others.

"What kind?" Zhao Xu asked urgently.

"A lion," Rainbow replied, confused.

But Zhao Xu didn’t need to ask further.

Many guards in the caravan began to tremble; even Maple, the warrior player, struggled to breathe calmly. It wasn’t that something strange appeared ahead, but all around them, the ten-meter-tall oaks were rising up, transformed into towering treefolk. Nobody dared to make a move, afraid a single sound could trigger a massacre.

Then the oak treefolk began waving their arms, animating the surrounding silent oaks. Like mitosis, the treefolk multiplied, and soon their numbers swelled to forty or fifty. The overwhelming pressure of sheer numbers wore away at everyone’s nerves.

Zhao Xu, used to grand spectacles and able to keep calm, still couldn't help but grumble: Was this really necessary?

This time, he didn’t even need a knowledge check; by sheer luck, he recalled the content he’d studied while improving his Nature skills.

"Hey, bard, how did such a massive oak army appear without any warning? If this spell is so powerful, wouldn’t it easily crush those player armies?"

But the bard Frog had just failed his lore check, and hadn’t invested in Nature skills, so he could only remain silent in the face of such a situation.

"They were hiding there from the start," Zhao Xu explained.

Immediately, the others focused their attention on him.

"Impossible! My scouting skill is level two, with a +2 perception adjustment. How could I miss such obvious treefolk with a +4 bonus?" Rainbow protested loudly.

"Treefolk have a racial bonus of +16 to stealth in forests," Zhao Xu replied calmly.

Even if their natural stealth is negative, the racial bonus puts them far above beginners like Rainbow.

But just then, everyone’s attention was drawn to the front.

A druid, riding a ferocious lion, emerged from the depths of the woods. Behind him, the jungle was shadowy and indistinct, clearly concealing more people. The druid’s face was ancient and rugged, as if barely containing a raging fury; his leather armor was entwined with vines, while the lion at his feet showed its fangs.

"What level is a lion-riding druid?" Maple asked, intimidated by the scene.

Most level one druid players could only ride horses, herd dogs, or maybe camels—far from lions.

"Seems like level seven?" Priestess Yoyo tried to recall.

Zhao Xu glanced at her and smiled to himself; relying on memory instead of skills was a weakness.

Not wanting the group to underestimate the druid and the treefolk army, he spoke: "That’s a ferocious lion—only a level ten druid can have one."

He then looked at the oak treefolk and explained, "These treefolk were summoned by a level six druid spell—‘Oak Guardian.’ Each treefolk can summon two more like itself. Don’t underestimate them; these are challenge rating eight monsters."

The players might not grasp the concept of treefolk, but when Zhao Xu mentioned challenge rating eight, all the level one players understood. Challenge rating was Arthur’s suggested encounter level, meaning four level eight adventurers were recommended to face such a monster.

Though after the Cataclysm, these ratings weren’t always accurate—combat power could vary wildly even within the same challenge rating—but it was still a useful reference.

"Looks like we should plan to escape," Maple whispered.

The druid hadn’t spoken yet, but this display was hardly an invitation to peaceful negotiation.

Intimidated by the druid’s presence, Roya raised his voice again: "Honored Druid, please let us pass. I am willing to pay a fee to preserve nature, and I guarantee—"

"Get out!"