As his vision adjusted to the light beyond the bushes, Zion froze.

A large empty space opened up in front of him, and at its center stood a colossal mushroom-like structure, easily twenty yards tall.

Its cap curved like a dome, semi-transparent and faintly glowing. Root-like tendrils extended from its base, merging with the forest floor.

Beneath the cap sat a hollow, natural chamber. Dense vegetation surrounded the structure, yet none of it dared grow too close, as though repelled by an invisible pressure.

"...Wow," Zion muttered, mouth wide open.

[Host,] Uriel's voice echoed through his head. [Focus on the chamber beneath the cap.]

Zion blinked, snapping out of his daze, and lowered his gaze.

And just as Uriel said, at the very heart of the mushroom, he spotted a tiny fungus glowing with a pristine blue light.

His breathing slowed as he stared at the tiny glowing fungus.

"So that's it…" he murmured.

[Correct,] Uriel replied. [And its energy levels aren't low, making it well above the average for mid-grade herbs.]

'Is that so?' Zion thought, a wide grin forming on his face.

He took a few steps forward, eyes darting around the place.

'Wouldn't there usually be some beast protecting this?' he thought, tilting his head slightly.

[Affirmative,] Uriel said, its voice trailing hesitantly, searching for an answer.

Yet, nothing happened as he got closer and closer to the herb.

Finally, a strange sensation crept up beneath his boots. It didn't feel like he was being sucked into the ground, but it still felt as if something was happening.

As he crouched down to grab a handful of dirt, Uriel's voice suddenly echoed through his head.

[Host, hurry towards the herb,] it said, setting off alarms in Zion's head. [The herb is sucking energy and nutrients from anything that approaches it using the ground.]

Zion's eyes darted to his boots, noticing his soles had thinned to near nothing while standing still.

'Shit,' he cursed, raising his head.

He dashed towards the herb, feeling the strange suction grow stronger with each step he took.

The grass he stepped on immediately darkened and crumbled, like it had been there as bait all along.

Zion gritted his teeth and pushed forward, ignoring the sensation of his soles disintegrating beneath him. He could feel it now, the plant had begun drawing energy directly from his body.

As he crossed the edge of the hollow chamber, the sensation abruptly changed.

The suction completely vanished.

Zion stumbled forward, catching himself just before falling.

He took in a deep breath, his eyes locked on the glowing mid-grade herb.

"Well," he muttered, scratching his head. "That explains why there weren't any creatures nearby."

The chances were high that they had all been absorbed by the herb as they approached it, which also explained its above-average energy.

[Host lost 4% energy in those few seconds.]

Zion chuckled slightly, shaking his head. "I'd be lying if I said I didn't prefer it this way. Who knows how strong the creatures guarding or longing for this herb would've been."

His gaze drifted back to the massive mushroom, eyes lingering on the tendril-like roots embedded in the soil.

[The energy-drain function originates from its root network,] Uriel continued. [Host shouldn't have any trouble removing it from the ground.]

'That's nice,' Zion thought.

He reached into his bag, pulling out a containment capsule included in the items Calder had handed him.

"Uriel, can this contain it?" he asked, unsure what quality the capsule was.

[Just barely,] Uriel replied instantly. [The box could break on the flight back.]

Zion narrowed his eyes slightly, nodding once. "Got it," he said. "At least it's better than nothing."

He crouched down near the mushroom, carefully digging the soil under it. Finally, he raised a small pile of dirt from the ground, on top of it, his mid-grade herb.

Just as he placed the herb inside the containment box, the colorful lights from the massive mushroom dimmed.

Zion raised an eyebrow, but quickly finished locking the box and storing it away.

He straightened, his eyes darting around as the massive mushroom died alongside the suction roots.

'The suction should be completely gone now,' he thought, taking a few steps outside the hollow chamber.

As expected, the herb had been the power source for the suction. Once gone, the root network wouldn't function anymore.

"...Guess that's that," he mumbled, a large smile growing on his face. "I actually managed to get the herb…"

He paused, scratching his head.

"Uriel, what do we do now?" he asked. "It'd be too suspicious if we left after gathering so little information."

Uriel remained silent for a moment.

[Host is correct,] it finally responded. [We should search the surrounding area for additional creatures, or record the location of another herb for the Mercenary Guild.]

Zion nodded slowly. "We'll head back to the ship first, then," he said. "Recharge, take a short break… and come back prepared."

His eyes lingered on the massive mushroom for a moment longer, its former beauty nowhere to be seen.

Finally, he let out a quiet sigh and turned around.

He walked up to the edge of the dense forest, mind churning on what to do with the herb once he got back.

Just as his hands touched the leaves to brush them away, the forest ground shook all around him.

"...What?" he muttered, confused.

[Host! Be careful!] Uriel's voice echoed through his head in panic.

Before he could react, the branches in front of him moved back. Then, a thick branch soared towards him at rapid speed.

Zion quickly raised his arms in front of him, covering them in scales.

The thick branch hit him like a freight train, sending him flying back several yards.

"What the hell was that…" he gritted his teeth as he pushed himself off the ground.

[Host, we are in big trouble,] Uriel's voice came through once again.

At the same time, the ground all around Zion trembled.

Zion glanced around, watching tree after tree push themselves out of the ground.

[At least five hostiles appeared so far, with more still coming,] Uriel continued, its voice low. [And all of them are C-rank Ents.]

For a second, Zion's face was one of disbelief—then it completely drained of color.

The bark on the trees in front of him cracked apart as massive limbs rose from the ground. Roots snapped free, and hollow eyes opened within the wooden figures, staring straight at him.

'This… can I even survive this?'

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