Icy Thistle (Rui)

As Ram continued to explore the village, a distant, eerie howl pierced the serene atmosphere.

He turned toward the sound, his instincts telling him something was wrong. Moments later, Ling Xi appeared by his side, her expression grave.

"The cursed monsters are here," she said, her voice tinged with urgency. "Move, gather with the other wood spirits."

Ram nodded and followed Ling Xi to the village center, his heart pounding a heavy rhythm against his ribs.

As they arrived, he saw a large group of dark masses beginning to emerge at the edge of the village. The cursed monsters were twisted, formless, grotesque beings like large slimes.

They had the ability to possess dead bodies, injured, or those with low strength, making them their own.

The monsters' bodies pulsed with corrupted dark purple energy, and their eyes glowed with an unnatural dark green light.

As they approached, the ground beneath them seemed to wither and die.

Ling Xi raised her hand, her voice ringing out with authority. "Everyone, prepare for battle! fight with all you have! Don't let them touch you, and don't let them near the Heartwood Tree!"

Thousands of wood spirits answered her call, a determined glint in their ethereal eyes.

Ram felt a surge of energy course through him, the shared consciousness of the forest filling him with a fierce resolve to protect their home.

The air crackled with anticipation as countless wood spirits, big and small, young and old, prepared for the coming onslaught.

Hundreds of cursed monsters surged forward, their dark energy crackling and spreading like an evil lightning storm.

As Ram joined the battle, fueled by Groot's power coursing through his Bio-Armor, enhancing his abilities and heightening his senses. 

Thick, root-like vines, easily tens of meters long, erupted from his hands.

He lashed out with them, the vines wrapped around the twisted forms, trying to contain the dark energy that was corrupting everything it touched.

However, the moment the vines touched the bodies of the monsters, to his horror, their bodies easily split into multiple parts oozing through the gaps, reforming moments later, completely unharmed, and from what he knew, this was still a low-level monster. 

Worse yet, the cursed energy began to creep up the vines the moment they made contact, spreading a sickly purple blight toward him.

"F*ck," Ram swore, watching the curse power spread rapidly.

Just as despair threatened to engulf him, a cool wind whipped around him, slowing the spread of the curse power.

He hurriedly cut off the vines that were attached to his hands. The severed vines quickly turned purple and withered away. 

Ram hastily retreated and saw a wood spirit appear nearby, resembling a young elf, wearing delicate leaf-like armor.

She had a refined face, high cheekbones, full lips, and slightly elongated, almond-shaped eyes that conveyed a sense of wisdom and calm, glowing with a soft inner light, framed by long, dark lashes.

Her hair was a deep green, flowing gracefully around her face and shoulders. She wore a crown or headdress made of large, vibrant green leaves, adding to her natural appearance.

The leaves on the crown were arranged intricately, creating a striking and majestic look. 

Around her, there were two large, crystalline thistles with frost-covered spines that floated, adding to her magical aura.

The thistles had a spiky yet beautiful appearance, with a soft blue hue that contrasted with her green foliage.

It was she who had used her ability to stop the spread of cursed power on the vines, giving him time to cut them off.

As he looked at her, an attribute panel appeared in front of his eyes:

[ Name: Icy Thistle (Rui)]

[ Race: Wood Spirit]

[ Level: Silver (99%)]

[ Quality: Rare]

[ Physique: 17]

[ Spirit: 52.9]

[ Description: A humanoid wood spirit, evolved from ancient Icy Thistle with crystalline, frost-covered branches and leaves. Its body combines the essence of a spiritual plant with the chilling power of ice, creating an ethereal and chilling presence.]

[ Skills:

 [Frosted Barrage]: The icy thistle blooms around her can release a flurry of icy projectiles, dealing piercing and ice damage to enemies, with a chance to freeze or slow down their movement.

 [Glacial Thorn]: The icy thistle blooms around her and can conjure and launch sharp, frozen thorns from its body, dealing piercing and ice damage, potentially causing bleeding and freezing targets.

 [Cold wind Embrace]: The icy thistle blooms around her summons a cold wind that sweeps from its body, freezing everything in its path, slowing down, and causing damage to enemies over time, while also potentially creating slick, icy surfaces.]

[ Talent:

 [Icy Bloom]: Upon activation, the Icy Thistle can make multiple crystalline, ice-covered thistle flowers bloom around it, once every 5 minutes.

 - These blooms can generate a continuous chilling aura, which can be used by Icy Thistle for attack or defense.

  - The higher the number of blooms, the stronger the power of skills when using thistle blooms. However, the blooms dissipate once the spiritual power supply is cut off.]

With a dazzling smile, Rui moved beside him, her hands weaving in the air.

"Greetings, brother Ram, I'm Rui," she said, her voice as pleasant as a tinkling stream. "Sister Xi sent me to assist you."

Hearing her voice, Ram was slightly taken aback by her words and immediately thought about Ling Xi, who had gone deep into the monster horde at the start of the battle.

"Well, thanks, Rui, for helping me there," he said, his voice tight. "Do you know where Ling Xi is?"

Although he was concerned about Ling Xi, he couldn't help but be impressed by Rui's attributes.

According to the description, she seemed to have evolved from a spiritual plant called Icy Thistles, a plant he had heard about before.

It only grew in places with ice and snow all year round and was very popular among professionals or monsters with ice abilities. 

It was said that potions made from Icy Thistle cores could improve ice affinity significantly, with a low probability of awakening new skills or talent to control ice.

He never expected such a sought-after plant to survive and become a wood spirit. But looking at the talent and skills she had awakened, her potential was evident.

Although her physical attributes were low, her spirit attributes were very high, similar to Tier 4 professionals.

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