Wood Drake

Returning to his territory, Alex hurried to the Tree of Life, clutching the Unit Token in his hand. This was the second Rare Unit Token he had obtained, and his heart swelled with anticipation. Taking a deep breath, he immediately chose to use it.

[Would you like to consume 1000 Mana to use the Unit Token (Rare)?]

Fortunately, Alex still had a little over 1000 Mana left from his previous ranking rewards. Without hesitation, he selected "Yes."

In the next moment, the token in his hand transformed into a stream of light, merging into the trunk of the Tree of Life. A shower of fluorescent particles cascaded from the tree.

[Congratulations! You have unlocked the fifth-tier Rare Unit: Wood Drake.]

The name of the new unit appeared before Alex's eyes. Just from the name alone, Alex could tell this unit was extraordinary. He immediately spent 100 Mana to recruit one.

In an instant, light flashed, and plants rapidly grew, gradually coalescing into a plant-like dragon that stood half a person tall.

[Name: Wood Drake]

[Race: Plant]

[Tier: Fifth-tier (0/250)]

[Strength: 175]

[Constitution: 175]

[Agility: 200]

[Spirit: 175]

[Skills: Phantom Dash (The body becomes a blur, temporarily doubling its speed.), Super Regeneration (The flow of natural energy greatly enhances self-healing, allowing for limb regeneration.)]

[Description: Once a guardian of the World Tree, the Wood Drake possesses the highest overall attributes among all plant-based units. Extremely fast and capable of flight, the natural crystal core in its chest serves as its life source.]

"Such high stats!"

Alex was nearly speechless as he gazed at the proud Wood Drake standing before him. Even without considering individual attributes, the Wood Drake's overall stats were on par with River, who possessed royal bloodline traits. Its Agility, in particular, was a staggering 200 points—the highest he had ever seen in a fifth-tier unit. Truly worthy of the title "Rare Unit."

With stats like these, Alex didn't even need to use Mutation on it. The Wood Drake was ready for battle right out of recruitment, saving him both time and resources.

Alex had always felt that his plant-based units were too slow, with the only melee unit being the bulky Treant Chieftain. The addition of the Wood Drake instantly filled this gap in his lineup. Most importantly, it could fly! Although it was currently in a juvenile form and couldn't carry anyone, Alex couldn't help but wonder if it would grow larger as it leveled up. Perhaps one day, it could even carry him through the skies? This thought filled him with excitement.

Alex then took a closer look at the Wood Drake. Its entire body was composed of plants, with leaves and branches adorning its head, limbs, tail, and wings. Streams of light flowed from the glowing green core in its chest, spreading throughout its body, giving it a majestic and formidable appearance.

This speed-oriented unit would be perfect for surprise attacks and reconnaissance. Considering his unit slots weren't yet full and resources were tight—and that Mutation might strip it of its flight ability—Alex decided to spend his remaining 400 Mana to recruit four more Wood Drakes, just in case. With that, his accumulated Mana was completely depleted.

Only then did Alex have time to open the Regional Chat to check for updates on the treasure chest incident.

"Hey guys, what's the situation at the mine?"

"What do you think? The chest was looted long ago. Lots of people died, including quite a few fifth-tier players."

"That's insane! Glad I didn't go."

"I heard there were Unit Tokens, resource exchange vouchers, and even a scroll to instantly upgrade your territory to fifth-tier."

"No way! An instant fifth-tier upgrade? And Unit Tokens?"

"Yeah, that's what the big shots who were there said. Apparently, the tokens were snatched by a plant-based player."

"Another plant-based player?"

The moment this message appeared, everyone was stunned. The first airdrop chest had also been claimed by a plant-based player. Could it be the same person this time? Some even began to suspect Alex, wondering if he was the one behind it. After all, which other plant-based player could snatch something from so many fifth-tier experts and escape unscathed?

But the problem was, they had no proof it was Alex. Very few people had actually seen his face, let alone recognized him. And even if they knew it was him, what could they do? Were they really going to provoke the second-ranked player on the leaderboard? So, they just vented their frustrations in the chat, and soon, the conversation was drowned out by more messages as the Regional Chat buzzed with discussions about the chest.

After reading for a while, Alex was relieved to find that no one could confirm his identity. He closed the chat channel and turned his attention to the darkening sky. Deciding not to venture out again, he set up a pot over a fire in an open area of his territory to prepare a hearty dinner, a reward for his hard day's work.

As for where the pot came from—it was something Alex had crafted in the Production Workshop using iron and copper ores. He had only discovered this feature yesterday. The workshop even had plant-based seasonings that could be made with a bit of material and Mana. It was incredibly convenient. With these tools, he no longer had to endure dry, tasteless roasted meat.

Just as he was thinking this, a notification suddenly rang in his mind.

[Congratulations! Toxic Enchantress · Ivy has reached maximum experience and successfully advanced to fifth-tier!]

"Ivy evolved?"

Alex was momentarily stunned, then filled with joy. After four days of accumulation, Ivy's experience had finally maxed out. In an instant, Ivy's massive form was enveloped in a radiant light, rapidly growing larger. The flower bud atop her head shifted from a pale purple to a vibrant pink, and her overall size increased significantly. Vines coiled around his treehouse, weaving into a net-like decoration.

Even more astonishing was the forest of giant vines outside his territory, which expanded by nearly a hundred meters. A faint pink mist now permeated the area, making it appear both mysterious and terrifying.

[Name: Pink Enchantress · Ivy (Royal)]

[Race: Plant]

[Tier: Fifth-tier (0/250)]

[Strength: 185]

[Constitution: 200]

[Agility: 0]

[Spirit: 180]

[Skills: Devour, Charming Poison Mist, Thorny Forest]

[Description: The queen of the Pink Enchantresses, Ivy's massive vines and poison mist create a domain around her, guarding her territory.]

As expected of a plant with royal bloodline traits, Ivy's base stats far exceeded those of ordinary fifth-tier units, except for Agility, which remained at zero. At fifth-tier, Ivy's ability to protect the territory had greatly improved. Not only had the forest expanded, but she had also inherited the Charming Poison Mist of the Pink Enchantress. Any enemy entering the forest would immediately fall under the mist's spell, their bodies slowly eroded. Alex wouldn't even need to lift a finger to eliminate intruders—death would come silently.

Alex was immensely grateful that he had acquired the Ancient Tree of Knowledge earlier. Without it, Ivy wouldn't have been able to level up so quickly. It seemed the Ancient Tree of Knowledge's effect of granting 1 experience point per hour to nearby plants was incredibly powerful, especially since it had no level restrictions. An ordinary fourth-tier unit could reach fifth-tier in just four or five days by staying near it. Truly a valuable asset for early-game leveling.