Wizard: Starting from Escape from the Thorn Garden

The moment Kate stepped into the Corruption Garden, she felt as if she had fallen into a huge, rotten, and viscous biological cavity.

The cold, deathly silence of the shadowy corridor was completely banished, replaced by a suffocating heat and humidity.

The air was no longer a gas, but more like a pot of thick soup simmering with highly poisonous herbs, pressing heavily on everyone's chest.

The world before my eyes was shrouded in a morbid fog that flowed with purple-green light.

With visibility less than twenty meters, the fog itself seemed to have a life of its own, swirling around the intruder in wisps, carrying a cloyingly sweet, putrid stench, trying to penetrate through pores, mouth, and nose.

Each breath felt like inhaling scorching sand, sending a burning stinging sensation through her lungs. Elena's Star Purification Field formed a thin, silvery-blue halo around her body, struggling against the corrosive miasma. The edges of the halo emitted a constant hissing sound of corrosion.

Beneath our feet lies a layer of humus covered with a thick, slippery, dark green moss.

Stepping on it is like stepping on the entrails of a rotting beast, producing a muffled "gurgling" sound, and thick juices will splash up slightly, emitting an even stronger stench.

From time to time, tiny, pulsating, purplish-black vines emerge from these mosses, tentatively coiling towards the intruder's ankles.

Vegetation is the dominant element here, and also the greatest terror.

Huge, pus-filled, tumor-like cap-shaped fungi are everywhere, with shimmering purple spore clouds constantly drifting from beneath their caps, like a deadly swarm of fireflies.

The twisted trees have long lost their original shape; the trunks are like melted wax figures, flowing with amber-colored sap, while the branches have turned into sharp bone spurs or wriggling tentacles.

The vines are no longer plants, but more like venomous snakes: there are "strangling vines" covered with sharp barbs, "bone-corroding vines" that secrete strong acidic mucus, and "man-eating flowers" whose petals are like serrated mouthparts that open and close constantly.

The ubiquitous, subtle sounds formed the eerie background of the decaying garden: the crackling of spores bursting, the viscous wriggling of slowly growing plant tissues, the dripping of sap, and the indescribable hissing of creatures from afar.

The light comes from the glowing fungi, the flowing venom, and the eerie phosphorescence of the fog itself, creating a bizarre yet lifeless atmosphere.

What made the seed of origin in Kate's spiritual sea tremble slightly was the wisp of pure evil thought that permeated the air and was mixed with the highly toxic energy!

This negative energy, condensed from countless thoughts of death, pain, and madness, is like a poison to ordinary people, but for the Blood-Eating Vine and the Seed of Origin within his body, it is an excellent tonic.

"This hellhole...it's ten times worse than what Instructor Liria described!" Rhodes cursed under his breath. The flame patterns on his body appeared dim and lifeless in the poisonous miasma. He had to expend extra magic power to maintain a thin layer of molten fire shield to isolate the omnipresent corrosion.

Even Sophia's skin, covered in rock armor, felt a slight stinging sensation from the seeping poison gas.

"The concentration of poisonous miasma exceeds the standard, the mental pollution index continues to rise, and the erosion of abyssal energy has begun to affect the stability of the shield."

Elena's voice came through the communication talisman, carrying an unprecedented solemnity. Her nebula crystal light struggled to create a small, relatively clear space in the thick fog.

"Evan, Senior Sophia, your energy shields are depleting 30% faster than expected. Kyle, Serena, visibility is too low, increasing the risk of shadow jumps."

"Roger that. Kyle, Serena, narrow the reconnaissance range and focus on close-range threats. Everyone, maintain formation and advance slowly."

Kate, your vine perception is advantageous in vegetated environments. Pay attention to energy fluctuations underground and within plants!

Evan's commands were clear and swift, his Wind Staff wreathed in a bluish light, ready to dispel any approaching poisonous mist or insects.

The team immediately adjusted their formation.

Sofia stood at the forefront, her rock armor fully extended, like a slowly advancing road roller, forcibly carving a path through the slippery humus and shattering the tiny vines that tried to entwine her.

Rhodes and Evan protected the wings. Rhodes's molten battle aura formed a scorching barrier, burning the falling spore cloud and the small poisonous insects that approached. Evan manipulated the airflow to disperse the overly dense poisonous fog and maintain basic visibility.

Kyle and Serena moved like shadows blending into their surroundings, staying close to the path Sophia had cleared. Their daggers and shadow threads were ready to strike at any moment, eliminating any hidden threats or suddenly appearing poisonous insects.

Elena, positioned at the center of the group, activated her Star Purification Field to neutralize the pervasive mental pollution and abyssal corruption, providing her teammates with the last line of defense for their souls.

Kate was positioned slightly behind, but he played a crucial role – being aware of the environment and controlling the situation, while also secretly “reaping” the spoils.

Kate was highly focused.

The Seed of Origin operates at full power, combining its spatial perception with the Blood-Devouring Vine's instinctive sensing of life energy, like the most sophisticated radar, scanning everything around it.

In every encounter, the moment the target was killed, a faint, greedy throbbing would emanate from the Bloodthirsty Vine pattern on his right arm.

He subtly guided the vines, and in the gaps between clearing the battlefield or controlling the corpses, they quietly pierced the cores of the corpses of those recently dead shadow creatures, corrupted magical plants, and even highly poisonous insects, like the most hidden roots!

As a lurking worm, its throat slit by Kyle's Shadow Silk, convulsed and died, Kate's vines quietly wrapped around its corpse. A faint but pure malevolent energy, imbued with a cold and cunning intent, was instantly devoured by the Bloodthirsty Vine, flowing into the Sea of ​​Spirit, where it was firmly locked and transformed by the golden roots of the Seed of Origin.

Kate felt a barely perceptible sense of solidity emanating from her mental sea, and the suppression of the Bloodthirsty Vine seemed to have strengthened slightly.

The recorder on my wrist didn't react at all; this trophy was clearly not recorded.

He accurately "saw" a seemingly harmless giant fern in front of him, whose broad leaves concealed dozens of poisonous thorns poised to strike.

"Five meters to the left front, a giant poisonous fern, with a launch port under its leaves!" Kate immediately warned.

Without hesitation, Sofia slammed her fist into the ground. The shockwave shattered the area, along with the roots of the poisonous ferns, causing the thorns to lose their support before they could even be launched.

The vines coiled around the shattered roots, drawing upon a trace of the plant's dying, painful resentment.

The Seed of Origin detected subtle movements and energy gathering deep within the humus beneath its feet.

"Underground! Three meters deep, two corrupted burrowing worms, accumulating energy and spewing out acid!" Kate whispered.

Rhodes reacted extremely quickly, slamming his fists into the ground with flames. "Molten Burst!" The violent flame energy poured into the ground, accompanied by two muffled thuds and a shrill hiss. The humus swelled up into two charred bulges, and the threat was gone.

Kate's vines, like serpents, burrowed into the still-twitching insect corpse, absorbing the malevolent energy from the earth, energy filled with violence and greed.

Continuing forward, in a seemingly calm depression, Kate sensed a high concentration of paralyzing gas accumulated within.

"Avoid that depression; the fog color is wrong, there's a strong paralyzing toxin deposited there!" The team immediately changed their route.

As he passed the edge of the depression, he keenly sensed the malevolent thoughts contained in the mist that could induce despairing illusions. The Blood-Eating Vine silently formed a weak devouring force field around its body, absorbing these unclaimed negative energies like a filter.

Despite their careful maneuvering, the malice of the Corruption Garden remains ever-present.

The toxins permeating the air continue to erode the shield and spirit; even the smallest wounds exposed to the air will quickly become infected, swell, and fester.

Kate relied on the Bloodvine's tenacious vitality to resist the erosion of her body, but the mental oppression grew heavier and heavier.

The energy gained from devouring malevolent energy and his stronger control over the Bloodthirsty Vine became his unique advantages in this environment.

Just then, Kyle, who was scouting ahead, sent back even more dire news:

"Three hundred meters ahead, the concentration of poisonous fog has increased abnormally, and a large-scale life reaction has occurred... It's a swarm of insects. Their numbers... are difficult to estimate, and they are moving in our direction!"

Swarms of insects! In the Corruption Garden, this often means a deadly war of attrition, characterized by poison, agility, and terror, but it also means—a huge amount of points!

"Halt! Condense the defenses!" Evan immediately ordered.

The team quickly formed a defensive circle by setting up their backs against a relatively hard boulder covered in hardened fungal patches. Sophia activated her rock armor to the fullest extent, Evan's wind wall spun around them, and Rhode's body was engulfed in a blazing aura of fire, forming a scorching semicircle.

Elena's Starshine Purification Field contracted but became more solid, attempting to prepare for the upcoming mental shock.

However, the poisonous fog was too thick. Even with Rhodes's flames and Evan's wind wall, visibility remained poor.

All that could be heard was an increasingly dense, chilling buzzing and rustling sound, surging in from all directions like a tide, but the enemy's specific form could not be seen.

"Shadow of Thorns, mobilize! Reconnaissance mode!"

A sharp glint flashed in Kate's eyes, and he no longer hesitated. With a slight thought, the light in his dimensional bag flickered continuously.

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!

Twenty "Shadow of Thorns" puppets, resembling centipedes and covered in dark green, metallic-sheen carapaces, shot into the thick fog like arrows.

They move swiftly and silently, their six pairs of strong appendages gliding effortlessly over the slippery humus and twisted rhizomes, their serpentine bodies deftly weaving around obstacles.

The puppet's core worked at full capacity, sensing changes in environmental toxins and fluctuations in life force, with information continuously being transmitted back through the mental connection marked by Kate.

In an instant, a clear map of the battlefield situation formed in Kate's mind!

[Target confirmed: Corrupted Venomous Wasp Swarm (dominantly level 3 mid-game, with a small number of level 4 early-game worker wasps)]

[Quantity: Approximately 3,000 units in the core cluster, with scattered units continuously gathering in the perimeter]

[Characteristics: Individuals are approximately the size of a fist, with a dark purple carapace speckled with yellow spots. Their mouthparts are retractable venomous stingers, and their tail stinger can fire paralyzing poisonous spikes. They fly at high speed, attack in swarms, and their venom has a strong nerve-paralyzing and flesh-dissolving effect.]

[Threat Mode: Approaching dive attack range! Attack routes: Left flank 40%, front 30%, right flank 30%]

[Special Threat: Abnormal mental fluctuations detected in the core area of ​​the swarm, suspected to involve a command-type individual (peak level 4?)]

"Left flank! Dive at a 40-degree angle! Largest numbers! Slightly slower on the front and right flanks! The queen is suspected to be located slightly behind the core!"

Kate's voice rang out urgently through the communicator, while simultaneously sharing the distribution of the bee swarm and the abnormal mental fluctuations sensed by the Shadow of Thorns with her teammates.

"Roger! Rhodes, reinforce the left flank fire barrier! Sophia, prepare rock spikes to deal with the frontal assault! Kyle, Serena, the right flank is your responsibility, clear out any stragglers that get close! Prepare to focus fire on the Queen Bee!" Evan instantly adjusted the deployment.

Almost at the same time as Kate's warning, the thick fog on the left was torn apart!

A massive cloud of venomous wasps, emitting a piercing buzz, swooped down on the left flank of the formation like a cascading waterfall of venom!

"Burn it for me!" Rhodes roared, and his molten fire battle aura, which had been gathering momentum, surged toward the left flank like a volcanic eruption!

The crimson wall of flames instantly expanded!

The hundreds of venomous wasps at the forefront crashed headlong into the sea of ​​fire, crackling and exploding, instantly turning to ashes.

A pungent, acrid smell, mixed with the fishy odor of evaporating venom, filled the air.

Kate's wrist recorder vibrated slightly: [Killed Corrupted Venomous Bee (Mid-Level 4) x 1][Killed Corrupted Venomous Bee (Mid-Level 4) x 1]... The notifications continued. Although the score per beet was low, the number of beetles was large, and the score was steadily increasing.

However, there were too many bees!

Although the flame barrier is fierce, its range is limited.

More venomous wasps, like a fearless suicide squad, emerged from the edge of the flames and the gaps above, their venomous stingers gleaming coldly as they pierced the crowd!

Just then, several thorny shadows lurking in the low-lying fungus thicket on the left wing moved!

"Shadow of Thorns - Poison Mist Barrier! Activate!"

Kate gave the command through her mind.

The tiny venom sacs at the core of those thorny shadows ruptured instantly, and the highly concentrated neurotoxin was activated by a specially made atomization array!

laugh--!

Several thick, pale purple paralyzing mists suddenly exploded in the path of the rushing bee swarm!

The area is not large, but the location is extremely tricky, covering the weak area at the edge of the flame barrier!

The venomous wasps that rushed into the poisonous fog seemed to have hit an invisible wall, their movements instantly becoming stiff and sluggish, and the frequency of their wing flapping dropped sharply!

Many even lost their balance and tumbled towards the ground.

The paralyzing toxin was highly effective against the swarm, buying Rhodes valuable time to recover!

At the same time, it also created a large number of slow-moving live targets!

"Well done!" Rhodes perked up and immediately reduced some of the flames, concentrating his power to sweep away the paralyzed bee swarm.

Several giant rock spikes summoned by Sofia suddenly sprang up from the ground, stringing together another swarm of bees that was charging head-on like a string of candied hawthorns.

The kill notifications on the recorder sounded like a rapid drumbeat.

However, the battle was not over yet.

The swarm of bees seemed to have been provoked and became even more aggressive.

Instead of charging blindly, they began to rapidly gather and disperse in the air, forming small vortices that took turns impacting all directions of the defensive perimeter.

Even more disturbing is that their poison needle attacks have become more strategic, with some targeting shield energy nodes and others spraying corrosive venom to weaken Sophia's rock armor and Rhodes' flames.

"That source of mental fluctuations is interfering with the bee colony! It's trying to break their coordination!"

Elena's voice carried a hint of urgency as her purifying field exerted all its strength to resist the mental interference caused by the swarm's collective buzzing.

"Kyle, Serena! Lock onto Kate's shared mental node! Attempt to clear it!"

Evan immediately gave the order.

Kyle and Serena's figures flickered several times in the thick fog, attempting to approach the anomalous mental node marked by the shadow of thorns, located behind the core of the swarm.

But the swarm of venomous bees acted like loyal guards, immediately sending out an elite force to entangle the two. The dense stings and venom spray made it difficult for them to move an inch, and they struggled to parry with their shadow threads and daggers while dodging at high speed.

The recorder started displaying the message "[Killed Corrupted Venomous Beetle (Level 4 Early) x 1]", but the dash speed was severely slowed down.

"No! There are too many of them, we can't break through!" Kyle's cold voice carried a hint of anxiety.

As the defensive perimeter began to crumble under the relentless onslaught and corrosion of the swarm, Sophia's rock armor developed more white patches from the venom, Rhode's fire aura was severely depleted, and Elena's purification field was also on the verge of collapse.

A resolute glint flashed in Kate's eyes!

"Senior Aiwen! Cover me! Shadow of Thorns, execute the targeted detonation protocol! Target: Mental Node and Core Guardian Swarm!"

Kate shouted sharply, activating the last five Thorn Shadows that were in reserve!

"Understood! Wind Chains - Binding!" Without hesitation, Evan unleashed a blinding blue light from his Wind Staff!

Several cyan wind ropes, much thicker than before, emerged like giant pythons, not to attack, but to roughly entangle and slap, forcibly disrupting and gathering a large swarm of bees in the direction Kate pointed!

This created a momentary opening for Thorn Shadow's dash!

Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!

Like five dark green lightning bolts, the five thorn shadows took advantage of the chaos created by the wind cables and sprang up from the ground at an astonishing speed, heading straight for the core of the swarm that Evan had forcibly gathered together!

Along their path, Kate directed other thorn shadows to unleash paralyzing stings, clearing away obstacles.

The swarm of bees seemed to sense a deadly threat and began to buzz even louder, trying to intercept the five inconspicuous little creatures.

Countless poisonous stingers shot towards them!

Clang! The Thorn Shadow's shell was struck by the poisonous spikes, making a crisp sound. The tough, mutated blood-devouring vine carapace and metallic coating provided valuable protection, but cracks still appeared.

However, they were fearless!

Just as they were about to rush into the core of the gathered swarm, the cores of the five Thorn Shadows simultaneously lit up with a dazzling red light!

"Activate Ultimate Command: Overload Purification!"

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

Five blinding white lights exploded violently at the core of the bee swarm!

The first to erupt was a highly concentrated neurotoxin, instantly turning the core area into a purple paralyzing zone, causing the venomous wasps within the range to freeze instantly!

Immediately following was the overload explosion of the Thorn Shadow energy core!

A chaotic energy shockwave swept across! But that wasn't all!

Kate pre-injected "purification bombs"—optimized by the Seed of Origin and mixed with moonshine moss purification matrix and trace amounts of stardust—into two of the Thorn Shadows!

Om-!

A pure energy shockwave, carrying the faint glow of starlight and the clear light of moonlight, spread out following the explosion!

This purifying power is completely incompatible with the abyssal pollution of the Corruption Garden, like cold water poured into hot oil!

Chi Chi Chi -!

The venomous bees swept by the purifying energy had their abyssal pollution patterns on their bodies dim instantly, and their carapaces emitted a burning sound!

In particular, the locked mental node—a slightly larger queen bee with dark gold fangs covered in strange psycho-sensory synapses—let out an extremely shrill screech!

The mental energy field surrounding its body trembled violently like water with a stone thrown in it, and then instantly dissipated!

The intense pain and impending death caused the pure crystal core that had condensed within its body to fluctuate and dissipate violently, like boiling water!

Without unified command and the spiritual support of a core leader, the entire swarm instantly descended into chaos!

The once tight formation collapsed, and the venomous bees rushed around like headless flies, their attacks becoming completely chaotic, and they even started colliding and biting each other!

The core area, hit by the triple attack of paralyzing poisonous fog, energy explosion, and purifying shock, suffered heavy casualties!

At the height of this chaos, Kate's Bloodvines stirred!

Several vines, like greedy venomous snakes, precisely avoided the chaotic battlefield and silently wrapped around the queen bee, who was severely injured, her spiritual core shattered, and struggling frantically!

The tip of the vine pierced deep into its body, reaching the walnut-sized, dark gold crystal core that was losing its protection due to a mental breakdown and was dissipating!

A torrent of evil thoughts, far purer and more powerful than before, filled with resentment, madness and a desire for domination, surged into the Bloodthirsty Vine like a breached dam, instantly flowing into Kate's mental sea!

The golden roots of the Seed of Origin danced wildly, greedily devouring and transforming this powerful energy like a gluttonous feast!

Kate felt a sudden jolt in her mind, as if she had been injected with a stimulant. The analytical ability of the Seed of Origin, the suppression of the Blood-Eating Vine, and the precision of her control over the Moon Shadow Essence were all significantly enhanced at this moment!

At the same time, a feeling of satisfaction and excitement emanated from the Bloodthirsty Vine patterns on his right arm.

[Absorbing pure malevolent energy, energy conversion in progress...] The Seed of Origin issued a cold notification.

"An opportunity!" Evan's eyes flashed with a sharp light!

Kate's "extra meal" was only for a moment and did not affect the overall battle situation.

"Rock Wall - Split!" Sophia seized the opportunity and slammed her fists into the ground! A thick rock wall instantly rose up, splitting the chaotic swarm of bees in two!

"Molten Flame - Incinerate!" Rhodes, seething with rage, unleashed all his remaining battle aura! The raging flames, like an angry dragon, swept towards the larger and more chaotic half of the bee swarm that had been separated!

"Wind Blade - Strangulation!" Evan's wind blade precisely cut into the other half of the swarm, focusing on strangling those individuals that were trying to reorganize or escape.

With the pressure on Kyle and Serena reduced, they were like tigers among sheep, their shadows and daggers precisely reaping the remaining elite guard bees!

[Defeat Corrupted Venomous Bee Queen (Level 4 Peak) x1, gain 20 points.]

Kate's wristband vibrated strongly as a warning.

Kate wasn't idle either. His vines shot out like venomous snakes, precisely entwining several survivors who had been weakened by the purification impact and were trying to sneak up from the side. He injected neurotoxins, ending them instantly.

The recorder kept adding kill notifications.

The battle ended in just a few minutes.

The ground was covered with charred, melted, and broken venomous wasp corpses, emitting a strange odor that mixed with a burnt smell, a fishy sweetness, and a faint purifying scent.

The violent buzzing in the air disappeared, leaving only the poisonous fog still flowing silently and the heavy breathing of the crowd.

Of the twenty Thorn Shadows, only a handful remained on the outer perimeter for guard duty. The five that launched the core assault all self-destructed, and the others suffered significant damage.

But their sacrifice ensured the team's safety and a generous reward of points.

Kate silently felt the lingering effects of the immense malevolent energy that had been transformed and absorbed in her spiritual sea. The Seed of Origin's control over the symbiote was stronger than ever before, which gave her more confidence for the even more dangerous journey ahead.

He quickly retrieved the not-yet-completely-damaged Thorn Shadow, while picking up the remains of the dark golden queen bee that Kyle handed him, as well as several larger queen bee crystal cores containing pure poison and spiritual power.

[Item: Corrupted Queen Bee Core (Fragment)] [Characteristics: Contains pure neurotoxin source material and chaotic mental energy; can be used to make potent paralyzing/mental interference potions or to cultivate highly poisonous magical plants.]

他查看了一下万象记录仪：[总积分更新：击杀腐化毒牙蜂（4级初期）x 87，获得积分87点；击杀腐化毒牙蜂（4级中期）x 15，获得积分75点；击杀腐化毒牙蜂后（4级巅峰）x1，获得积分20点；团队协作击杀其他目标，按贡献获得积分18点。]本次战斗累计获得积分：200点。

This was an extremely fruitful harvest, largely thanks to the precise positioning of the Thorn Shadow and the high amount of points earned by the Queen Bee herself.

"Kate... your little gadget has done a great job."

Rhodes, panting heavily, looked at the mess on the floor and the points jumping on his wristband, and patted Kate on the shoulder with lingering fear and excitement.

If it weren't for the Shadow of Thorns, the losses and points gained in this battle would have been disproportionate.

Evan also cast an approving glance: "Reconnaissance, interference, location, breaking the deadlock... their effectiveness far exceeded expectations. Whatever materials are needed for repairs, we'll prioritize supplying them to you."

He glanced at Kate's wristband and clearly noticed the huge amount of points she had earned.

Kate nodded, but her gaze was fixed on the thicker, seemingly alive, swirling purple-green poisonous fog ahead of the group.