Nine-Headed Hydra Tree

His eyes tracked the casting animations of the Treant Overlords. Mid-stride, his mind processed the combat data flashing across his retinas. The *Thorn Bind* spell lacked the inescapable mechanics of a hard crowd control ability. It functioned as a targeted ground cast. A few moments ago, his own carelessness and the overlapping arcs of three synchronized spells had boxed him in. Now, armed with this tactical insight, he adapted.

When a lumbering Overlord raised its wooden arms to channel the spell, Varek shifted his weight. He stepped to the left, tracing a millimeter-perfect line just outside the blooming green radius on the dungeon floor. The thorny vines erupted from the dirt, snapping their jaws at empty air. He raised the Thunderstorm Bow. The bowstring snapped with a sharp twang. An arrow buried itself deep into the caster's core.

Lightning arced outward upon impact. The electrical current chained through the swarming Warped Treants, illuminating the dim forest with flashes of blue light. The chaotic bursts amplified his damage output, tearing through corrupted sap and splintering thick bark. Varek weaved back and forth, turning the battlefield into a deadly dance. Every time a glowing green circle formed beneath his boots, he slid out of the danger zone before the roots could manifest.

He dodged and fired, letting the innate rhythm of the game take over. Hordes of enemies dissolved into floating motes of light.

*Ding! You have leveled up to Level 9. Attribute Points +5.*

A warm glow cascaded over his avatar, washing away the fatigue of the fight. Gaining a full level within a single labyrinth stage represented an unprecedented pace. Better yet, the steady pulse of his Revival passive pumped health back into his health pool, erasing the lingering damage from his earlier mistake.

Far removed from the virtual bloodshed, a massive screen illuminated a luxurious offline meeting hall. Inside the real-world headquarters of the Highreach Guild, Highreach Guard stood near the head of a polished obsidian conference table. He hit playback on his datapad. High-definition footage of Varek’s solo boss run filled the room, casting a flickering light over the gathered elite members.

Lupus, the guildmaster and a veteran archer, leaned forward in his leather chair. His gaze remained glued to the movements on the screen.

"The raw damage value commands respect, sure," Lupus said, his voice echoing in the silent room. "But his technique? That is the terrifying part."

Lupus paused the video as Varek interrupted a boss's cast. "Look at those interrupt timings. Look at the spatial awareness. Even if you halved his attack power, his mechanical battle sense alone guarantees he solos this boss."

Highreach Marauder crossed his arms. "Guard, what is the endgame with showing us this footage?"

"I need an assessment," Guard replied, rubbing his neck. "I threw a ten-million-a-year contract at him. He rejected the offer without a second thought."

Lupus let out a sharp scoff. "A lowball offer. With mechanics like his, he is no random nobody. He likely pulled tens of millions annually in the competitive PC gaming era." Lupus stood up, pacing the length of the table with his hands clasped behind his back. "With *Dusk of Divine Lords* gaining such global traction, his skills and battle sense easily justify a yearly salary of one hundred million. Factor in the strategic impact he brings to our guild's momentum in these early stages? You could comfortably push that number to two hundred million without blinking."

Guard swallowed hard, nodding. "Understood. Lupus, mobilize our members in the Novice Settlement. Get them grinding the Warped Thicket labyrinth. Push every player in our ranks to attempt the Level 10 Warped Treants."

"Done," Lupus agreed.

"One more thing." Guard smirked, swiping his screen to cast his character sheet onto the main display. "Look at my current stats."

Lupus squinted at the glowing numbers. His jaw dropped. "A 5,800 health increase? Boosted magical resistances? The unique set bonuses alone..." He looked at Guard. "How much did this Treant gear set cost you?"

"Four hundred thousand dollars," Guard said with pride. "That includes the thirteen-piece set and a dedicated power-leveling service straight to Level 10."

Lupus stared in stunned silence. A single Level 10 elite piece fetched around twenty thousand. Thirteen pieces should have commanded a fortune. "The Glacial King sold this to you?"

"Yep."

"Then he must possess immense wealth in the real world," Lupus concluded. "To part with such a game-breaking early advantage so cheaply... he simply does not care about the money."

Lupus misjudged the situation. Varek was far from rich. He just needed immediate cash to secure a future for his sister. Furthermore, Varek knew a grim truth: real-world currency would lose all value and become useless paper when the Alarite catastrophe struck the globe in five short years.

Back inside the dark confines of the Warped Thicket, Varek pushed through the magical threshold into the labyrinth's third stage. Before him stood an intimidating gauntlet: four Warped Treant Kings.

*Warped Treant King (Black Iron Boss): Level 10.*

*HP: 186,800.*

*Attack: 598.*

*Skills: Summon Treants, Revival, Vine Bind, Thorn Shield, Vine Cage.*

Facing four Black Iron bosses simultaneously required flawless execution. Varek drew his bow, aiming for the nearest target. The string sang.

*Critical Hit!*

*-1685*

He clicked his tongue. Despite the stat boosts provided by his Thunderstorm Bow, their hell-level bark defenses mitigated the impact. His critical strikes amounted to mere dents in their health pools, significantly prolonging the brawl.

Worse, their overlapping magical abilities threatened to turn the arena into a death trap. The enhanced *Vine Bind* possessed near-instant execution, with lethal roots emerging directly from the earth.

The four towering bosses lumbered forward. Green light flared around their twisted roots. They triggered *Vine Cage* in unison. Overlapping rings of lethal magic blanketed the ground, cutting off every escape route.

Instead of retreating from the magical onslaught, Varek opted for a suicidal strategy. He lunged forward, charging headfirst directly into the bosses' basic attack range. He knew the cast times. He knew exactly how much punishment his avatar could take.

Thick wooden fists slammed down.

*-598*

*-597*

*-598*

He intentionally tanked over two thousand points of physical damage straight to the face. But the risky positioning paid off. He slipped past the rising magical cages and secured the perfect angle. His fingers flew across his bowstring, loosing arrows that shattered the casting animations of two Treant Kings.

Relying on his stacked health pool and the rapid healing from his Revival passive, he kept his footing. He backpedaled into a tight circle, aggressively kiting the towering monstrosities. Methodically, he chipped away at their thick bark armor. As long as he avoided the immobilizing roots, his health sustain prevented any sudden death.

The first Warped Treant King let out a hollow groan and collapsed into splinters. The remaining three fell in rapid succession until the arena fell silent.

Knowing from memory that the labyrinth system calculated and distributed all rewards strictly upon instance completion, Varek ignored the lootless third floor.

He stepped boldly through the final glowing portal.

Varek emerged into the fourth and final stage of the dungeon. A thirty-foot behemoth dominated the center of the arena. Its massive canopy swayed ominously, blocking out the artificial sky above. Countless thick vines whipped through the air, churning the wind into a howling gale.

At first glance, it resembled a monolithic part of the environment rather than a monster. But the system UI flared to life, casting a red hue over his vision and confirming his worst fears.

*Nine-Headed Hydra Tree (Bronze): Level 10.*

*HP: 1,528,000 / 1,528,000*

*Attack: 1,358*

Varek narrowed his eyes, adopting a predator's glare as he scanned the boss's staggering stat sheet. An astronomical health pool of over one and a half million points stood between him and victory. Yet, as his gaze fell upon its abilities, a wave of surprise washed over him.

This monstrous entity possessed only a single, cryptic skill: *Withered Tree Reborn.*