The Tree Spirit Maiden's Might

A flash of light faded, revealing a third-tier Elven unit from the Warcraft race: a Tree Spirit Maiden. Her body was wrapped in fresh green leaves. Below the waist, she had the body and four legs of a deer; above it, she looked like an elven girl holding a wooden spear. She appeared before Donald.

He had summoned a Tree Spirit Maiden because, compared with the other Elven units, her deer-like body made her seem more like a creature from another world. And against a mage, a Tree Spirit Maiden with innate magic immunity was undoubtedly the right choice.

The old mage stared in shock and cried out:

"You're actually a Summoner?"

Ordinary mages were already scarce, and other mage professions were even rarer. It was difficult to find even one rare mage among hundreds. Summoners, meanwhile, had been in decline for many years, and none above the Bronze rank had appeared on the continent in a long time. The rare ones people occasionally heard about were low-ranking Summoners no higher than Black Iron. They had decent combat ability, but without a proper lineage of instruction, they struggled to grow stronger.

The old mage was already bitterly regretting his actions.

Summoners were among the few Professional classes capable of overcoming stronger opponents and even challenging those of higher ranks. What's more, summoned creatures from other planes had all sorts of strange abilities. With enough equipment or outside support, forget a Black Iron Mage like him—even a Bronze-rank mage could be caught off guard!

"My Tree Spirit Maiden! Defeat the enemy before you!"

The old mage was still stunned, but Donald's summoned creature didn't hesitate. As a perfectly loyal summon, she had been brought into being by Donald and was bound to him by an inseparable bond of souls. The moment she appeared, the Tree Spirit Maiden carried out her master's command, attacking the old mage ten feet away!

"Yes, my master!"

The Tree Spirit Maiden's delicate voice sounded in Donald's mind. She was speaking through a mental message. At the same time, she flicked her poisoned wooden spear, and a javelin-like bolt of green energy shot from the weapon toward the old mage!

The old mage finally came to his senses. In his panic, he cast the spell all mages were best at: Mage Armor.

Mages were even frailer than ordinary people, who were already not very strong. Without a quick and sturdy defensive spell, they could easily fall victim to a sneak attack by a close-combat Professional.

As a first-level defensive spell, Mage Armor was therefore the first defensive spell most mages learned. Its power increased somewhat as the caster grew stronger, making it a favorite among mages.

A third-level Mage Armor blocked the energy bolt. But the natural poison on it, along with the Tree Spirit Maiden's ability to dispel magic, quickly wore the shield down after only a few attacks.

The old mage had no choice but to form another shield to fend off the Tree Spirit Maiden's ranged attacks, which came every two seconds or so. The old mage, who had just considered himself an expert and planned to teach Donald a lesson, could now only defend himself, with no chance to counterattack.

"No wonder you're a peak Black Iron Mage, Master Snow. Even your rolling form is so practiced! We apprentices could learn a lot from you!"

The Tree Spirit Maiden showed no mercy as she pressed her advantage. The old mage's years of combat experience were serving him well; despite being at such a disadvantage, he managed to avoid being knocked down, though he looked utterly wretched. But Donald's leisurely taunting from behind the battlefield nearly made him spit blood!

Such a peculiar summon, with such powerful combat ability, left everyone watching in shock!

In the Warcraft game, players usually called Tree Spirit Maidens "little deer." Their attack power wasn't particularly high compared with other units, but they had one major advantage: innate magic immunity.

As descendants of the demigod Cenarius, these charming tree spirits were playful and lively. Unlike their cousins, the Centaurs, who excelled at archery, they were smaller and better suited to life in the forest, where they protected the woods and nature with poisoned wooden spears and lances.

Tree Spirit Maidens could dispel magic and were unaffected by the elements and magic power. They were therefore immune to negative magical effects, while most beneficial spells couldn't affect them either. As a result, pure elemental spells and other attacks made of energy couldn't harm the tree spirits.

Of course, their delicate bodies were much less able to withstand physical attacks. That was the trade-off. Otherwise, wouldn't a mere third-tier unit be Invincible?

But Donald's summons were already a cut above wild beasts of the same rank in this world. As elite units of one of the four great races, their combat sense and intelligence far surpassed those of third-tier wild monsters. They could even hold their own against fifth-level beasts. A squad of third-tier units could hunt fifth-level beasts without a problem.

So what chance did a low-ranking Elemental Mage with only a Black Iron-level strength and a few simple damage spells have against a Tree Spirit Maiden with magic immunity and poisoned javelins—especially after she'd seized the initiative? It was a one-sided slaughter!

Donald hadn't even summoned a second creature or used the Scepter of Negation's skill. He watched the old mage get battered by the Tree Spirit Maiden. Just as the old mage was about to call for a surrender, she knocked the words right out of him with a Spear of Nature. He couldn't even admit defeat and leave!

"Fight back, Master Snow! Use your spells to defeat that brat and his summoned monster!"

Faced with the old mage's pleading gaze, young Master Sodo, his face taut with tension, didn't understand what his companion meant. He kept cheering him on, still hoping for victory.

In the end, Baron of Red Maple couldn't bear to watch any longer. The middle-aged merchant didn't want a mage getting hurt on his estate.

"Sodo, I think Mage Snow is getting on in years and running out of strength. Why don't you concede for now? Losing the wager is no big deal, but it would be bad if Mage Snow got hurt."

Prompted by Baron of Red Maple, Sodo stared in disbelief at the old mage, who was exhausted and could barely hold on.

Only after realizing that his family couldn't afford to lose a mage did he force himself to call a halt.

The one-sided match had left Donald feeling thoroughly satisfied. He'd finally vented his anger! But he didn't want to kill the old mage. Although they had signed a contract for a formal match, killing a peak Black Iron Mage as an apprentice would inevitably be seen as an arrogant provocation, angering the local mages. That would be disastrous for his future plans. Ruining his grand plans over a jealous old mage would hardly be worth it.

"My Tree Spirit Maiden! Stop attacking and return to your master!"

Donald gave a quiet command, and the summoned Tree Spirit Maiden stopped attacking and returned to his side, ready to guard against the old mage's enraged sneak attack.

Mage Snow's clothes were in disarray, his robe torn in several places, and his forehead and arms scraped from rolling around to dodge the attacks. Even Baron of Red Maple felt sorry for him. He could imagine what lay ahead: a high-ranking Black Iron Mage had been defeated by an apprentice. His future was easy to guess.

At last able to catch his breath, the old mage raised his staff, wanting to kill the apprentice and avenge his humiliation. But when he saw the summon standing ready with her weapon, he realized he had no chance of winning. His face turned first green, then purple. Finally, he lowered his staff and said dejectedly:

"I lost!"

"How could this happen? How could this happen..."

Hearing those words, Sodo looked utterly miserable. He'd been so sure of the wager, yet Master Snow had lost. He felt as if he could die.

He was only the son of a baron. Although his family owned a vast territory, none of its wealth would end up in his hands. Over the years, he'd used his father's and the Viscount's names to extort at least three thousand Gold Sol from merchants, but he'd already squandered most of it. Now he had only the thousand Gold Sol he'd put up for the wager.

He could try to renege, but Baron of Red Maple was there as a witness, and Sodo couldn't bring himself to do it. Besides, with the summon beside Donald watching him like a hawk, he didn't dare make a move. One careless step, and he could end up with a hole in his body.

"Forget it! My life matters more than the money. If I run out, I can just go get some more from those merchants!"

There was no doubt that Lord Gerry's son was a fool. Sodo hadn't even noticed Baron of Red Maple standing nearby, grinning like a sly old fox who'd just stolen a chicken.

Red Maple Town wasn't under the jurisdiction of Viscount Macbeth, the lord of Giant Stone City. Baron of Red Maple had always kept his relationship with the governor at arm's length. So when Lord Gerry proposed a marriage alliance, he'd never given a definite answer. In truth, he was hoping to put it off for as long as possible.

As for the ideal husband for his daughter, the merchant noble, who put profit above all else, wanted an outstanding young man from one of the Kingdom's great noble families. An alliance with a great noble family would ensure that no one else could covet the wealth of the Red Maple Baronial Estate.

Baron of Red Maple, an experienced man of the world, had long since guessed Viscount Macbeth's intentions: to annex and gradually absorb the vast noble estates of North Shire, then become a true Highlord ruling over the whole region, like several other great nobles in the Kingdom, rather than a mere governor in name, appointed by the Kingdom.

But the nobles' attachment to their lands was strong, and the Macbeth Family had made little progress with its plans over the years. House Merlinar was the only success. Unlike the Merlinar Knightly Estate, which they had annexed years ago, Red Maple Town had only been established a few decades ago and was flourishing. The Merlinar Family, by contrast, had already been in decline. Old Knight Merlinar was nearing the end of his life, and his heirs were either too young or worthless. That had given their rivals an opening.

After getting a taste of the Merlinar Knightly Estate, Viscount Macbeth couldn't help setting his sights on the most prosperous noble territory in North Shire: the Red Maple Baronial Estate.

Annexing the Red Maple Baronial Estate without drawing the nobles' criticism was nearly impossible. So they had to find another way. Their plan was to arrange a marriage.

Baron of Red Maple had only one daughter and no male heir. Whoever married his daughter would inherit the barony and the title. Once they secured the right to inherit, they could gradually take over Red Maple Town's businesses. By then, things would fall into place, and even if Baron of Red Maple changed his mind, he wouldn't be able to make much of a fuss.

The shrewd Baron of Red Maple naturally had no intention of letting them annex his lands. He'd met Lord Gerry's plan with polite evasions, never giving a direct answer but never refusing either. He'd dragged things out, and even now there was no result.

The leatherworking craft in Lord Gerry's territory had come from its former rulers, the Merlinar Family. For centuries, their goods had sold throughout the Kingdom, and they had even supplied leather armor to the royal army. Though it wasn't top quality, it was still considered fine.

The middle-aged merchant had long wanted a share of the business, but he'd never found a way in. Now, with a leather workshop about to fall into his hands, he was delighted!

"With Sodo being the spendthrift he is, he won't go to his father and get scolded over losing the wager. He'll probably find a way to mortgage one of the workshops in his territory to me behind Lord Gerry's back. If I get that workshop, I can finally enter the leather trade, another profitable business."

Thinking this, the middle-aged merchant found the foolish Sodo much more agreeable.

Leaving aside the unscrupulous merchant's schemes, Donald had won the wager and first tucked the bag of Magic Beast Cores into his arms. To be safe, he actually stored it in his Space Mark, where no one could see.

As for the remaining five thousand Gold Sol, they filled a large chest. He left it beside him for the time being, with Clinton keeping watch, so he wouldn't reveal his Space Mark ability too soon.

Sodo and his companion had come to show off, but this time they'd been thoroughly defeated, losing both the wager and their dignity.

"You may have won this time, but next time won't be so easy! Just you wait!"

Sodo looked wretched as he threw out a threat. Unable to stand the sight of Donald, the victor, grinning smugly as he accepted the winnings, he and Mage Snow—who looked both ashamed and furious—said their farewells to their host and hurried away.

Only then did Donald dismiss the summoned Tree Spirit Maiden, returning her energy to the Book of Truth.

Hearing Sodo's threat, Donald sneered to himself. "Next time? There won't be a next time. Soon, you won't even be worthy of looking me in the eye. Just give me a little more time..."

As the miraculous summon vanished before him in a scatter of lights, a feverish glint flashed in Baron of Red Maple's narrowed eyes.

"To defeat a formal peak Black Iron Mage while still an apprentice—this talent isn't merely promising. He's a genius. It seems the Merlinar Family will rise again before long. If I can't form ties with a great noble family, a genius mage would also be an excellent choice for the future of my barony! And Sodo, that good-for-nothing, thinks he can marry my daughter? Hmph. Does he really think I don't know what that Viscount is planning?"

Thinking this, the middle-aged merchant grew even more amiable toward Donald. He even sent someone to invite his daughter, Theoline, to meet their young guest.

Now it was Donald's turn to make a hasty escape.

To be fair, though she wasn't a peerless beauty, the Viscount's daughter was an attractive girl, both in his previous life and in this one. No wonder Sodo had kept pestering her!

But Donald had already decided that Baron of Red Maple was not someone he should get too close to. Naturally, he didn't want to become entangled with the man's daughter, either. After meeting the young lady, he quickly gathered up his spoils and took his leave.

Baron of Red Maple, amusingly enough, assumed Donald was simply a shy young man who'd grown bashful at the sight of his beautiful daughter. He had already begun thinking of making him his son-in-law.