He didn't even bother hopping onto Shyra this time. Leo twisted his body toward the canopy and bolted forward—like a bullet spat out of a .50 calibre barrel, raw urgency propelling each stride.

But the Elk seemed even more determined. Though it didn't try to block him, a surge of thunderous power rippled off its legs. A row of crackling arcs burst to life across its limbs, and in the next heartbeat, its figure blurred, leaving a jagged trail of fading lightning drawn across the air.

The golden energy around the canopy completely diminished—revealing exactly what he'd been searching for.

The "canopy" wasn't a canopy at all but a single low-height tree, its branches jutting in all directions in a wild, chaotic lattice. At the absolute centre stood a three-meter-tall, roughly four-meter-wide glowing tree—or rather, an overgrown shrub swollen with vitality. Tulip-like flowers encircled it in clusters, each bloom shining brighter than the tree's own luminescence. They closely resembled the core embedded in the golem, as if they were the ones being plucked out and directly put into the golems to power them.

The moment Leo laid eyes on it, system text flickered into his vision.

Titanbreath Lotus — Low Yellow-Tier Treasure

The Titanbreath Lotus grows from a Titanbreath Sapling after reaching Yellow Tier, becoming a radiant, energy-swollen tree whose bark and leaves emit a faint glow as if brimming with contained power. It demands immense ambient energy to continuously produce Earthpulse Heartstones—stable energy fruits used for foundational body strengthening and powering low-tier constructs. Upon reaching Yellow Rank, a lotus-shaped bloom forms at its crown, and with every minor advancement, it generates an exceptionally rare vitality-rich fruit known as an Earthpulse Lifecore. These Lifecores surge with pure life force, greatly enhancing constitution, recovery, and long-term physical resilience, making them priceless treasures sought across Velerath.

As the description suggested, Leo did indeed spot a lotus-shaped flower perched on the crown of the plant—though its view was partly obscured, blocked by something in fornt, camouflaging it. If it weren't for the system description, he would have completely missed it.

Then—

Thump!

A new notification snapped into place.

<Complete Analysis of Beast Complete>

Updated Information:

Evergrowth Rootspire Behemoth (Mid 3-star) — Super Bloodline [Intelligent – Juvenile]

When Leo's gaze shifted past the lotus, he spotted another entity—a tree, or something tree-like, looming behind it. Its trunk was thicker than its own stout vines, nearly two meters across. A jagged, zigzagging mouth split the front of its body, yet it had no eyes. Dozens of thick roots curled out of the ground, forming a protective cage around the lotus as it pulsed faintly, like something mystical was taking shape at its heart.

"This—this is an intelligent beast!" Leo breathed, voice tight with disbelief and adrenaline.

The system itself had stated the beast possessed intelligence, and after everything he'd seen so far, it made perfect sense. Nothing else could have orchestrated this setup with such intent.

"So those golems… are its constructs?" he muttered, scanning the surroundings. His gaze caught on a rough, mine-like opening carved beside a tree trunk, leading downward into the earth. A hidden lair.

Before he could process further, the Elk shot forward again—bolting like a condensed lightning strike, aiming straight at the treasure-laden shrub.

The moment the tree-beast sensed it, the jagged mouth curled upward in a disturbingly human, evil-looking smile.

And in the next instant, the mine-like cave entrance erupted, stone and dirt blasting outward.

What burst out of the mine made the Elk skid to a halt, hooves dragging through the soil and carving deep furrows. Even Leo's eyes widened at the monstrous thing that stepped into the light.

A hulking construct—nearly fifteen meters tall with shoulders four meters wide—forced itself through the shattered entrance. Dust cascaded off its stony plates as it straightened. And at the centre of its chest, arranged in a perfect circular lattice, rested—

"Ten cores!" Leo blurted, voice cracking with disbelief.

Rock Golem (Low 3-star) — Magical Construct

The Elk stared up at it, ears flicking back. Even with its towering antlers, the beast looked small before the construct—barely half its height.

But the golem didn't grant it a breath of hesitation. It's first step hit the earth like a falling boulder. The entire canopy trembled, loose leaves raining down as it surged forward with heavy, earth-shaking strides.

The Elk let out a sharp exhale—an explosive snort that blew the settling dust away from its muzzle. Lightning crawled across its antlers again, crackling in sharp, white-blue veins of power.

Then it launched.

The golem, enormous and heavy as a mountain slab, could not react in time. The Elk blurred past, a streak of electric brilliance.

BHAM!

One of the embedded cores flashed, projecting a shimmering turtle-shell barrier. It absorbed the Elk's strike completely, the shield cracking and shattering into fragments of dissipating energy. A rebound blast erupted from the impact point—but the Elk twisted its head aside, kicked once off the golem's chest, and flipped away just out of range.

The rebounded force washed out in a spreading shockwave, a low rumble that pushed dust outward. By the time it reached Leo, it was nothing more than a warm gust that ruffled his hair.

"This Elk…" Leo murmured, watching the beast launch. "Even without the system marking it as intelligent, it knows—it went straight for the cores."

He tightened his grip on the dagger at his side.

"So maybe to be considered 'intelligent,' a beast has to cross some threshold on the system's scale… whatever that scale even is. But then—what about the wolves? They cooperate, retreat, and coordinate hunts. If they don't count as intelligent, then just how smart is this tree monster for the system to label it so?"

Leo's mind raced, and then the answer struck him like a spark in a light bulb.

"The golems!"

He stared at the construct again, pulse quickening.

"It can create golems that have their own energy source. That means… it has some kind of Earth Manipulation—or a creation ability that directly forms constructs! And it's intelligent enough to automate them."

As if hearing his thoughts, the tree-beast's zigzag mouth twisted into a visible frown. Its trunk shuddered, bark rippling as though it exerted force. The mouth shifted slightly off-centre, angling toward the battlefield—like it was trying to focus, aligning its attention with precision.

And then the change was unmistakable.

The golem suddenly moved smoothly—faster. It pivoted mid-step and extended both arms toward the Elk, which was still descending from its evasive kick.

Ding!

Puppet Rock Golem (Low 3-star) — Magical Construct

Leo felt the final piece slot into place.

"This monster… it directly controls the golems when they're in tight situations," he breathed.

"That's why they get the Puppet prefix!"

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