Guttural snarls echoed through the woods, the sound of gushing water bringing about a sense of tranquility. The students took calculated and precise steps to avoid alerting any life forms nearby.
Dio's display of strength and confidence boosted the morale of most students; they were now dead serious about what they were here to do. Eventually, they gained a certain amount of trust in themselves and began to slowly move out on their own.
Up until now, the group had only encountered goblins and kobolds, which basic coordination and teamwork could easily surpass. However, upon reaching a certain depth into the forest, the shaking ground and vibrating pebbles gave them a hint of their upcoming battle.
Pushing past the branches of the trees—that were dense enough to block the sunlight—bluish hands reached out and struck the ground in front of them. Immediately, the sword and shield users stepped out and stood in the front line. This was basic protocol: those who specialized in defense, blocking, and parrying were better suited for taking the brunt of the damage, while those who had explosive combat prowess were safer to do their jobs from the back lines.
However, immediately after the hand struck the ground, the Troll collapsed on itself and fell to the ground. Stabbed in its back was a giant sword that was nearly twice the size of Drake's claymore. Green and blue blood oozed out as another giant figure emerged from the shadows.
Reaching for the hilt of the sword was an enormous hand that resembled a human's, but it was tainted with some sort of black substance. The figure was nearly the same height as the troll, but it boasted more muscles and width. Laughter and snickering ensued and echoed all around the group, who were now overwhelmed by the unfolding of events.
"Step back! Now!" Ember's voice screamed once he registered what the figure was. However, it was too late; even if the enormous creature moved slowly, its companions certainly didn't. Red, orange, black—tiny creatures of differing colors—zapped around, blasting the ground with explosions.
One of these spells was directly aimed at Dio, who barely had any time to respond. In a last-ditch attempt, he created a magical barrier in front of John and Judas, but barely managed to form one for himself. The explosion broke through the shield and sent him flying back tens of meters. His body pushed through the trees and branches until sunlight eventually hit his face.
"So pretty…" things slowed down, and his eyes caught a glimpse of the sun. On both his sides were thick, dark green trees. The clouds looked like they were trying to hide the hydrogen giant, and the backdrop of a deep blue sky made the scene so much more picturesque.
"Huh?" Dio misunderstood as his body plummeted to the river below. His reality collapsed as he braced for impact. Shattering the surface tension of the water along with his own bones, Dio completely lost consciousness before floating away.
Meanwhile, at the point of combat, Ember ordered the seniors to evacuate everyone as he engaged with the Giant. He was visibly disturbed at its appearance, but the snarling imps particularly went after the students, making it difficult to focus only on the Giant.
"Fend them off and fall back! Do not engage, just stall!" Ember screamed as he blocked the sword with a barrier. Birds and other miniature life forms were desperately escaping the scene as the impact of the sword clashing into the barrier flattened all the trees around them.
For a change, the sunlight could finally fall upon where they were, revealing the grotesque features of the Giant. It had deep wounds and cuts all over its body; its facial features were disfigured as the black substance oozed out and wrapped around its body.
At the same time, one of the magical bolts shot by the students pierced the black imp's body, instantly disintegrating it. Imps were particularly notorious for their explosive damage, but their constitution was on the weaker side. They were easy to deal with, but their advantage lay in their size and numbers.
Noticing the students' capabilities, Ember's mind was put at ease as he finally began to take the flow of the fight into his hands. "Fall," he whispered; his voice reverberated all across the surroundings, and the next second, the Giant was brought to its knees. The flattened trees seemed to go deeper into the ground as cracks began to form all around him.
He gripped his fists, and a dark purple aura enveloped his limbs. With a slight run-up, Ember launched a front kick into the Giant's stomach, sending it flying back. He punched his aura-enveloped fists together and jumped around in his spot. "Come at me, you son of a bitch!"
On the other hand, Dio's body finally washed up on land. With enough strength to open an eye, he found multiple round, colored blobs of jelly all over his body. They had big, round eyes that gleamed through their translucent bodies.
"Urgh…." He was in no condition to fight anyone. Nevertheless, pushing past his limits, Dio dragged himself to a nearby tree and propped himself against it. He looked at the giant jellies bouncing towards him before they finally jumped onto the cuts and wounds on his body. Slowly but surely, the injuries were healing quicker than normal.
"Slimes…?" Dio groaned out loud as he placed his hand on one of the slimes. They were generally harmless and attacked only when disturbed or attacked first. But they were particularly useful to an alchemist due to their mana affinity. What was happening to Dio was simply that these slimes forcefully drew out his mana in order to heal his wounds.
"Thank you…" He forced a weak smile as he noticed the slimes jumping around in joy. They were excited, almost as if they had their favorite snack.
"They deem you as friendly," another voice spoke out. The tree he propped his back against slowly began to move before finally standing in front of him. "Cute creatures…"
"…..A Dryad…" Dio muttered as he cursed his luck. For a second there, a part of him wished he'd bought that lucky charm sold in one of the stalls of Thresh Old. If only he had that figurine of a blue-haired boy with purple eyes, he would've had better fortune.