CHAPTER 1249: FOREST TEAM (PART 2)

The situation Adam found himself in was unique for him. It wasn’t the first time he had worked with monsters; something similar had happened with the serpents at Fallen Ring Castle, but then everything was on a much larger scale, although now the level of power was significantly higher.

The Red Bloom was a much greater threat than Arnoth and Kreyna had been.

However, it was unknown whether she would earn as worthy a place in Adam’s story as Arnoth or the Crimson Monarch had.

The Dark Blobs, Garrah, and the Thorn Hunter were not the first monster allies, but unlike the serpents, they were all very different, yet pursued the same goal—to free their forest from the Red Bloom’s influence.

Sure, many other monsters were wandering around the bright bonfire, most of them following Garrah, who, before the Red Bloom, was something of a forest elder, not only in terms of strength, but also in terms of respect for his figure.

The Dark Blobs and the Thorn Hunter were the strongest fighters, one quiet, the other noisy. This was well known to every monster, and now that Adam understood this, he realized he was in big trouble.

’Their auras... If the three of them attacked me, I’m not sure I could win without using my trump cards...’ Adam thought before tearing a piece of white, sticky fruit from the stick.

Sweetness filled his mouth, but his gaze remained deep and thoughtful.

’At the same time, they are unable to destroy the Red Bloom barrier? Perhaps they can do it, but after that, they will not have the strength to defeat her. Hmm, even though they are all Elders, the Red Bloom definitely surpasses them.’

Adam realized that even though at the K4-Level, the monsters’ strength was basically divided into three categories, it still didn’t reflect the monsters’ exact strength.

Between one Elder and another, there could be a huge difference in strength. It was a difference that decided who would die and who would survive, both for another monster and for the Phantom.

Garrah, the Dark Blobs, and the Thorn Hunter sat around the campfire not only to eat sweet, roasted fruit. It was Garrah’s desire to bond their team and create some kind of fighting spirit in the little time they had.

Strangely enough, it worked. Especially after Silvana joined their conversation.

After the fruit was finished and the flames died down, they moved on to discussing their plan.

"I see." Silvana nodded deeply, looking at the simple drawing on the ground that she had made with a stick based on Garrah’s story. "So, besides the Red Bloom main barrier in the center, there are four more crystals in different parts of the forest?"

Garrah nodded deeply.

"Yes... These crystals... Unlike the outer barrier, they are directly connected to the Red Bloom through its roots and energy. Breaking a crystal is quite difficult... Each of them is also protected by its own barrier, but... they are much weaker than the outer and inner ones."

"Hmm?" Adam raised an eyebrow. "Then what’s the problem? I mean, you’re definitely strong enough to destroy the crystals."

Garrah nodded again. "It’s all about the Red Bloom guards. There are only four of them, just like the crystals, and in essence, they are not monsters... They are part of the Red Bloom.

"Thus, their strength and regeneration depend on the Red Bloom’s energy. Moreover, if she wishes, she can move all the guards to one spot, as they can grow from her roots."

Adam tilted his head. "Are these guards really that strong?"

Garrah was about to answer, but the Thorn Hunter beat him to it.

"That’s not the point. It’s impossible to kill them permanently while the Red Bloom is alive. She can restore them in a matter of seconds. That’s quite a long time, sure, but it’s not enough to break through the barrier and destroy the crystal. Also, we managed to break the crystal once. It took a lot of effort, but the Red Bloom restored everything in just an hour."

After some more explanations of details and nuances, Adam nodded in understanding.

"Got it. You don’t have enough firepower. You just don’t have time to destroy all the crystals, dealing with the guards over and over again."

Garrah sighed heavily. "Unfortunately, you’re right. Maybe if we gave it our all... we could do it... But... then what? In our exhausted state, there’s no way we can defeat the Red Bloom..."

Tap.

Silvana tapped her stick on the ground, like a teacher wanting to get her students’ attention.

"Don’t worry. We don’t need a complicated plan. Garrah, you wanted to split up, since you now have four strong fighters instead of three, but I don’t think that’s a good idea."

"Hmm...?" Garrah looked at her in surprise. "Why...? That was our problem... There wasn’t another monster in our forest strong enough to destroy the Red Bloom crystal..."

Silvana bit her lip.

"If your ally was another monster or any other K4-Phantom, I would agree with you, but you have Adam. You’ve seen what he’s capable of when it comes to destroying barriers or piercing armor. That’s Adam’s signature."

"Yes... That’s true... But... Adam’s abilities are already part of the plan... He will destroy the Red Bloom’s main barrier."

Silvana shook her head.

"The three of you will expend too much energy to destroy one crystal each, considering the constantly regenerating guards. You said it took the Red Bloom one hour to restore the crystal, right?"

The Thorn Hunter glanced at her.

"She can do it faster. Maybe in just thirty minutes..."

"Well..." Silvana traced a circle with her staff, marking the boundaries of the forest. "Considering your level of strength, abilities, and speed, that’s more than enough time.

Then, she turned to Garrah, staring intently into his amber eyes.

"Garrah, I think you should go for each crystal as a team. If the other monsters can help by distracting the guards at the other crystals, let them. With the three of you and Adam, you will destroy all the crystals in a matter of minutes."

Adam said nothing, he just smiled to show he was ready.

After all, it was his Operator’s plan.