How To Suck Honey With Extras [EN]: Chapter 301

334. The Revival of the World Tree (3)

“Now is not the time to admire… Keuk…”

She clicked her tongue.

Ting!

In the end, the attack was deflected.

Instantly, I quickly flew towards her.

I reached out my hand, and she, without a moment’s hesitation, understood my intention and grabbed it.

I firmly grasped her cold, lifeless hand.

“Moving!”

Activating Transfer.

The World Tree’s resistance seemed to interfere with space itself, preventing us from jumping between floors, but movement within the same floor was possible.

We ascended straight up to the ceiling, and the roots that were targeting us swept through the area like a torrent.

Truly disgusting.

“Heumi… how scary.”

The problem is that simply changing our location isn’t enough to shake them off.

The roots changed direction as if chasing us, soaring upwards.

“Annoying… Salamander, burn them.”

As expected, fire is perfect for trees.

The summoned Salamander descended, creating flames.

Whirr, whirr, whirr!

Any attack works, at least for the first strike.

The tree roots were burned by the Salamander’s flames and quickly turned to ashes.

“…Let’s escape in this gap.”

However, we can’t let our guard down.

The next pursuit is coming right away.

The Salamander blocked them, repeatedly wielding flames, but the burning area gradually decreased.

It’s gaining resistance to fire.

That damn characteristic.

“First, we need to shake them off…”

Any means is fine; stopping the pursuit is the priority.

‘…They’re detecting my and her presence, right?’

Heat? Or are they monitoring us through other means?

Let’s test them one by one for now.

I lowered the surrounding temperature and used Silence magic in conjunction to reduce our speed.

But they still chased us relentlessly.

Even fire doesn’t work anymore.

“Salamander, good job! Sprite, Fluorite. You guys block them!”

At the same time, a net of lightning and shadows spread out, blocking the roots.

“At this rate, we’ll be caught.”

“I know!”

I need to use a method before that happens.

‘Presence… presence. Right…’

There’s something to test.

I immediately consumed points to acquire an ability.

Ability acquired.

As soon as I activated the ability, a strange shimmer flickered around our bodies for a moment and disappeared.

And the pursuing roots stopped.

“…What is this?”

“It’s a temporary measure.”

Through several tests, I confirmed how that attack was detecting our location.

And I used it with the conviction that this ability was effective.

“Unbelievable… it’s like awakening a skill you didn’t have. We should have tested that from the beginning…”

Averting Elles’ gaze, I coldly glanced to the side and gestured.

“Don’t blindly trust this too much.”

“…I see. So, stealth isn’t perfect either?”

“It’s meaningless if the opponent notices. Well… there’s also magic to disguise appearances, but these beings are sensitive.”

If they were detecting our location by other means, I would have chosen a different method.

“I can switch to other methods if necessary, but I don’t really want to use them.”

Because I want to use the points elsewhere.

“…Heum, then shall we go up in the meantime?”

“No. There’s something I need before that.”

“Tell me.”

We have no choice but to cooperate anyway.

She quietly listened to what I had to say.

“What do you need?”

There’s no need to hide it.

I decided to tell her what I needed right away.

A countermeasure against the World Tree.

There is one effective method, although difficult to achieve.

“I need something from Kmel’s… the materials of one who reached the pinnacle of black magic.”

“…What is it?”

“Demon Summoning.”

Her movements stopped.

She wasn’t alive to begin with, but she really looks like a corpse when I see her like this.

“I need the Demon Summoning materials. That’s the only hope… to send us up there.”

I don’t care about the means or methods.

“So, I’m going to use this.”

I took out the key I received from Kmel.

There’s no time to hesitate.

Even at this moment, those guys are climbing this tree.

Of course, they have the ability to do so.

“Let’s hurry and gain power.”

* * *

Sylvester couldn’t accept the current situation.

Everything should have been going smoothly.

Take back the seized imperial castle and smoothly leave for the next journey.

That should have been it.

But it started to go wrong.

Even the betrayal of the Third Prince wasn’t something to be flustered about.

Even before Eilon warned me, I didn’t really trust his humanity.

But…

‘Ernil? Why?’

I couldn’t understand that decision.

Ernil Alfrens… I thought that name might have some connection to that Lich [undead creature often associated with powerful magic].

Even if I asked Eilon, he might tell me, but I vaguely guessed the answer without bothering to ask him.

If she turned away in anger at Kmel’s demise, I would understand.

But that wasn’t it either.

‘…Anyway, she’s up there.’

Sylvester barely managed to calm his mind and infiltrated the rapidly growing World Tree.

Of course, it was close, and he almost got thrown out, but it was possible because someone helped him.

“Thanks for your cooperation, Cruse Elfamant.”

“There’s no need to thank me. I just judged that it was more efficient to seek cooperation at that moment,” Cruse, the mage who was guarding the surroundings nearby, replied coldly.

“It seems you knew about the ecology of the World Tree?”

“I just heard it from my teacher.”

“That’s enough.”

She’s showing a cold attitude, but it can’t be helped.

We don’t know each other that well.

In the first place, if there wasn’t Eilon in the middle, we might not have even talked to each other.

“…Hey.”

“You don’t have to worry about Eilon; he probably got out on his own.”

She said as if she noticed what I wanted to say.

Well, I believe that my companions are safe as well, so we’re in the same boat.

“You trust that guy.”

“Don’t you trust your party?”

“…Huh?”

Sylvester widened his eyes as if asking what I meant.

“When you ask if I trust them, of course… um?”

For a moment, why couldn’t I say it easily?

I know the reason.

It’s because of Ernil’s attitude.

Clearly, Eilon said something in that nuance during Ernil’s last action.

Whether he would continue to make the same mistakes.

“…I understand that you have a lot to say about his secrecy. He probably knew something in advance again.”

On the other hand, Cruse showed an attitude of acceptance, saying it as if it were nothing.

“Looks like you’re used to it?”

“It’s not been a day or two. And Eilon has helped me. So, I have to keep some loyalty.”

“Unexpected…”

I thought she would present a more practical basis, but she said it was loyalty.

“…It’s no use talking about someone who’s not here. Rather, let’s confirm the purpose. Are you really going to go up there like this?”

“That’s obvious. …I have to go and ask again in person.”

“Then I’ll cooperate.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? …No, before that, why are you going up?”

“I’m involved, and I owe that damn Lich a debt. …I don’t know the details, but I can’t just sit back and watch.”

Is that damn Lich referring to Kmel?

I didn’t bother to ask because I sensed that she wouldn’t tell me.

Anyway, cooperation is necessary to go up.

Without Cruse’s magic, I can’t block the pursuit of those roots.

Conversely, she has difficulty making agile movements while focusing on magic.

I’ll need a guard to fill that gap.

“So, how are you going to find the way?”

“…I can roughly guess.”

Sylvester spread his palm and briefly chanted a spell.

Soon, a small needle made of blue mana was created, and it shook here and there before pointing to one place.

It’s a magic that finds objects or directions.

“Mana dowsing? No… before that, you could use magic?”

“I can only do simple magic. My teacher was quite strict. He taught me this much, saying I wouldn’t die if I did this much.”

But I don’t use it in battle.

No, I don’t even think about using it.

In the first place, the skill he mainly refines with his heart is the sword.

More than that, it’s not common to use swords and magic together.

There are cases like Eilon, but that’s definitely not common.

That boy is unique.

“But exploration magic won’t be effective?”

“Actually, I didn’t tell you, but I basically leave some… insurance for my companions.”

“Insurance?”

“As a precaution in case we fall apart…”

When acting as a group, there are often cases where we get separated due to unexpected situations.

Whether it’s an attack or a disaster, unintended crises are always there.

“I leave traces… on their belongings.”

“I see… so mana dowsing…”

Cruse muttered, admiring and somewhat fed up at the same time.

“…You’re surprisingly thorough.”

To put it nicely, he’s thoroughly prepared, and to put it badly, it might be too much.

It means that he can always find out where any of his companions are and pinpoint their location.

I know the reason, but psychologically, I thought it was a little creepy.

‘Even Eilon wouldn’t do that much.’

I thought it was strange.

That’s because Eilon had previously told Cruse about his assessment of Sylvester.

“I thought you were a cold type.”

“What do you mean?”

“…No. It’s nothing.”

Cruse pretended not to know anything.

“Anyway, let’s hurry.”

* * *

First of all, Elles confirmed that my guess was somewhat correct.

“As you said, Kmel Alfrens did indeed research not only black magic but also the summoning theory of demons and other high-ranking beings.”

“That’s great.”

I thought there would be one.

I immediately tried using the key.

Then, a dedicated space connected directly to the key opened, and countless libraries were visible.

“…He left an absurd gift.”

Admiring, I quickly looked for and skimmed through only what I needed because there was no time.

“But why do you need a demon?”

“There are several reasons. The biggest problem is that I need to get a means to fight Ernil and… this damn tree.”

Unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do with the means I currently have.

I can somehow land one or two attacks, but if it becomes a long-term battle, I’ll definitely lose.

Frankly speaking, Ernil can easily suppress people like us just by using this World Tree as a shield and engaging in a siege.

“…Therefore, there are two ways.”

I held up two fingers and.

“One is to use the poison that rotted the World Tree in the past.”

After all, the ultimate herbicide is herbicide.

“…That. I cannot allow it.”

“Even if you glare at me so fiercely, there’s no way to get that poison anyway.”

To be exact, Lepishi knows, but it’s a bit cumbersome to get the ingredients, and above all, I don’t want to use it.

In the original story, the method Sylvester used was the reproduction of that poison.

However, its power was so heinous that he also felt guilty.

“About one bottle of that would rot the entire tree and turn the area into a land of death.”

“Even if it is possible to manufacture, I cannot allow that.”

“I know. So, we should pretend that doesn’t exist.”

I really should consider that side when there’s no other way, but there’s no need to tell the truth honestly.