Ethan looked shocked. He clearly saw the roots of the giant banyan tree move swiftly toward him, forcing him to stay on high alert.

He dodged several of the attacks aimed at him, swinging his sword in horizontal and diagonal arcs, cutting through the long greenish-brown roots heading his way.

The attacks were effective in stopping the tree's assault but didn't reduce much of its HP. Worse, every second that passed added 1,000 HP to the monster's health bar.

If Ethan didn't attack it with continuous combos, he wouldn't win.

[Varnash the Eternal Banyan (Lv. 225) || HP: 136,898/155,000]

Thirty seconds went by, and the monster's HP had nearly refilled. Ethan was still struggling—he had no item that could reduce its insane regeneration rate.

"Neryss. Lyodra!"

[Aggressive Mode: Soul Servant]

[Neryss Abyssborn (Lv. 10) || SR Rank || Passive → Aggressive || 1000 MP]

[Lyodra Vulkanis (Lv. 10) || SR Rank || Passive → Aggressive || 1000 MP]

Ethan's two soul servants appeared, radiating bright red and blue light. Within seconds, Neryss and Lyodra transformed into their perfect adult forms.

"Help me take that monster down," Ethan ordered firmly.

Both nodded and flew forward, easily destroying the tree roots that lashed toward them.

From his position inside the village, Ethan could now clearly see the monster's HP drop little by little as Lyodra and Neryss unleashed relentless attacks.

When the monster's attention focused on his soul servants, Ethan seized the moment. He swung his sword sideways again, releasing a crimson slash straight at the creature.

The monster failed to dodge, and Ethan's skill hit its branches, trunk, and roots all at once. A crimson explosion erupted with streaks of red lightning.

BLAST!

[Varnash the Eternal Banyan (Lv. 225) || HP: 86,000/155,000]

The attack was effective—the monster's HP dropped significantly while Neryss and Lyodra kept attacking without pause.

Ethan had only a few minutes left before their aggressive mode deactivated.

He had no other choice. He stabbed Bloodblade Ashura into the ground, channeling his energy into the sword. The effect of Bloodflare Cataclysm activated instantly.

Blood poured from the spot where the sword was driven into the earth, flooding the entire village in a vivid illusion created by the skill.

All enemies within range suffered from reduced strength. The banyan monster's root attacks slowed down, though its HP regeneration remained.

This was Ethan's best chance. He gained an ATK and AGI boost for 20 seconds, along with a lifesteal effect that constantly restored his HP no matter how strong the enemy's attacks were.

He dashed forward, leaping high as he swung his sword, slicing and burning through the tree roots. His attacks inflicted serious damage on the banyan monster, but the regeneration was still too fast.

Fighting alongside Neryss and Lyodra, Ethan charged closer to the monster and unleashed a wild barrage of basic attacks.

He slashed horizontally, diagonally, stabbed forward, and struck down from above. Green sap spilled from every cut he made on the banyan's trunk—proof that his attacks were working.

[Varnash the Eternal Banyan (Lv. 225) || HP: 25,000/155,000]

Ethan jumped back quickly, then swung his sword with all his might. The powerful slash caused a massive explosion thanks to the ATK boost from Bloodflare Cataclysm.

[Varnash the Eternal Banyan (Lv. 225) || HP: 0/155,000]

Success!

A bright green light shone from within the monster's branches. Ethan's eyes widened—he knew exactly what that meant.

It wasn't a good sign.

BLAST!

Varnash the Eternal Banyan unleashed its final attack—self-destruction. A huge explosion erupted near Ethan, Neryss, and Lyodra.

The blast shattered the dome of roots, sending violent winds and searing green flames that tore into Ethan's body.

He couldn't escape. The force threw him far as he tried to shield himself with a defensive stance, but such a default defense technique was no match for the self-destruction of a legendary-class monster.

"Argh!"

He crashed hard, his body smashing through three house walls. The explosion also brought down the village rooftops, and the debris fell over his battered, bleeding body.

[WARNING!]

[EthanArk (Lv. 63) || HP: 3520/20,850] [!]

[HP below 25% of total HP]

[Immediate recovery recommended]

"Ugh…" Ethan groaned, unable to move, trapped under the wreckage.

A shard of wood had pierced through his body, worsening his condition. His face was pale, his body covered in wounds, and his vision started to blur.

Am I dying? Am I going to die again?

I've got no strength left. The wood stuck in me keeps draining my HP.

Ethan struggled to find a way to stay alive. To recover his strength, he had to restore his HP.

He summoned five Level 3 HP potions and drank them all at once. His condition slowly improved, but his HP kept dropping since he was still impaled by the wooden debris.

[EthanArk (Lv. 63) || HP: 14,520/20,850]

His strength began to return. He pushed with all his might against the rubble pinning him down, shouting as he shoved the debris aside.

"HAAAAAH!"

He managed to clear the wreckage, but the wooden shard was still lodged in his abdomen. Staggering, Ethan limped out of the ruins, groaning in pain before collapsing sideways.

The more he moved, the worse his wound became, and his HP dropped rapidly. The warning panel appeared again—this time, for the last time.

"S-Sera…"

He tried to call out Seraphelis's name to activate her aggressive mode and help him remove the wood, but his voice faded. He was too weak to even speak.

He couldn't summon Hissy—the snake was too far away. Neryss and Lyodra were both on cooldown after using their aggressive modes.

Ethan was completely alone, facing the reality of his own death.

"I… I'm going to die…"

His hands barely moved, his face turned pale again. Removing the wooden spike from his stomach would take strength he no longer had.

He gave up. Even reaching for a healing potion was impossible. His vision dimmed once more.

Damn it. I shouldn't have come to this village.

Within seconds, Ethan collapsed in the middle of the abandoned village road, accepting the fact that he would die miserably—not from the monster, but from the explosion's aftermath and the wood still piercing his body.

All he saw was darkness. The village was silent, no one left but him.

He could only whisper an apology to Ashley—because he had failed.

This… hurts. And it's so cold.

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