The Demonic Treemen

A/N: Thank you all for the collections, comments and power tones. They mean a lot to me and I hope that this story can continue to be something that you all love and support.

Thank you.

Happy Reading!

Tow 16

Demonic Treemen.

Cheng Xiu ran towards the wooden creature. One of the Treeman's hands elongated and swiped at her, creating spikes on the side to hurt her even more.

Cheng Xiu dashed to the side.

She looked in the direction it was in only to find it not there anymore.

She saw the creature run towards her from the corner of her eyes as she ran into the woods.

Cheng Xiu ran.

The roots of its hands followed her.

The Demonic Treemen could not run as fast as a regular human and Cheng Xiu was a cultivator in this world. It was easy for her to outrun them. But the creatures made up for this disadvantage by having roots that were faster, stronger, sturdier and far more flexible than Vine monsters were.

San Zhu ran in the opposite direction and the other Demonic Treeman ran after him.

He saw Cheng Xiu weave through the woods and circle back to the place she started.

She signaled him to follow her.

San Zhu understood what she was trying to do. He was a bit disappointed that this was the solution that the college genius came up with but then again, he couldn't complain as his only solution had been to run away.

He ran towards her.

The gray expert looked on in interest. It was obvious to him that the girl was new to the gaming experience, and the man with her must have promised to carry her or something. But it impressed him how quick-witted the newbie was.

Most people who played The Other World took more than 10 dungeon quests to reach the kind of level headed playing the girl was putting in. He was sure she must have done only 3-4 quests so far given her inexperience with her fighting style, and yet she could…

His gray eyes narrowed. His eyes flitted to the other experts who were fighting the Forest Spirit and then towards the running Newbies who were creating a root barricade. Should he try poaching them to his guild before the others had a chance to see their potential?

Cheng Xiu ran faster, her legs burning. She met with San Zhu halfway to where the gray-robed man was standing.

"Brother San?"

"yeah?" he said, huffing as they ran together.

"Do you have something that can put the Treemen on fire?" Cheng Xiu asked.

San Zhu huffed and looked at her in bewilderment.

Wasn't Cheng Xiu at the Qi Sensing I Realm? Why was he the only one who was out of breath?

"Brother San?" Cheng Xiu asked wearily. She could feel a wave of resentment come from his body. She would know. She had felt this feeling towards her most of her life.

"I have a fire talisman that can do the trick!" the man in gray said.

Cheng Xiu's eyes narrowed. The man's gray eyes had a glint she usually saw in the eyes of old women who thought of how to swindle people. Old women like her grandmother.

Those eyes never meant well for her before so Cheng Xiu ignored the man.

A root got too close to her and was about to pierce her in the stomach.

Cheng Xiu swung her sword towards the root, desperate to make a distance between her and the wooden appendage. She didn't want to know what it felt like to die in the VR world if she could help it. It couldn't be pleasant.

Her sword cut right through and tore the root in half.

Cheng Xiu stilled. She stared at the cut off part of the Treeman in shock.

"Brother San," Cheng Xiu whispered. "Are you seeing what I'm seeing?"

"Yeah…" San Zhu was just as shocked. "Without Qi, their body is not stable. They are easily destructible."

Cheng Xiu slashed at another root that tried to pierce her stomach. "Yeah. I'm sure you are right."

San Zhu pulled out his Trident.

They nodded at each other and stood back to back. They started to fight off the waves of roots that came their way as they moved towards the center of the root barricade. Towards where the Demonic Treemen stood together.

Cheng Xiu slashed her way through and reached the ugly humanoid creatures.

On seeing them, the creatures screamed at the two humans and ran towards them.

Cheng Xiu ran forward, her eyes flitting towards the roots around them, just in case of a hidden attack.

They reached the Treeman.

San Zhu stabbed the creature.

Cheng Xiu slashed down her sword. It cleaved through the Treeman's body without little resistance.

[Ding!]

[Player Selafia Veritas has killed a level 3, E-Ranked Demonic Tree man, which was two levels above Player's. Well done.

Rewarded with: +1 skill point!]

Why did the system seem a bit disappointed by her.

Damned system. What did it expect her to do?

The body of the cut Treeman caught fire and burned.

Cheng Xiu stepped away and looked around to find the source of the fire.

San Zhu threw away his own Demonic Treeman's carcass and watched it catch fire and burn.

"Brother San?" Cheng Xiu called. "What-"

"It's a special effect of the title demonic," the man in gray said.

Cheng Xiu frowned as she watched the roots around her burn as well. "What do you mean?"

"When you kill any monster with the title Demonic to their name they will catch fire," the man said.

"We are cultivators who have Qi," San Zhu said with a sardonic smile. Cheng Xiu gave him a strained smile in return. Neither of them actually had Qi in real life. "The Demonic creatures are those who are Qiless. So when we kill them, they get burned by the overload of Qi to their system."

Cheng Xiu froze and looked at the burning roots. Was this the game creator's subtle hint that he thought of those who were Qiless as Demonic?

"Don't say it like that!" the gray robed man scolded with a frown on his face. "They are demonic because they lost their Qi and made a contract with a demon of the underworld to come back as beasts. They are not Qiless. They are Lifeless."

San Zhu blushed at being scolded by an expert. Even more so because it was the Master of the Phoenix Guild who was scolding him.

"I'm sorry, Master Star Phoenix."

The man beamed. "It's alright! It's alright! But you have to be careful with your words. What if a Qiless heard your words and got offended?"

Cheng Xiu looked at the man curiously. "You care about what the Qiless think?"

The man snorted. "Nope. I care about no one. But I do care about the words I say. Oh, here comes the next wave!"

Cheng Xiu sweatdropped at seeing the man float away on his sword.

"Good luck!" he shouted at them.

Cheng Xiu looked to where he was staring at.

From deep in the forest came three Demonic Treemen towards them.

"Why?" Cheng Xiu asked desperately.

"The Forest Spirit is a Boss," Star Phoenix said in glee. "Mobs will always exist wherever there is a Boss."

"I mean why do they always come towards us?" Cheng Xiu asked.

"Because we are the only ones standing on the ground," San Zhu said miserably.

Cheng Xiu wanted to cry. "In my next life, I want to be born as an MC in a webnovel so I have a skill that can help me fly."

"What if you are an MC in one?" San Zhu asked as he readied his trident.

"Then my author is brain dead for not giving any cheats," Cheng Xiu said as she cut down one of the new Treemen.

[Ding!]

[Player Selafia Veritas has killed a level 3 E-Ranked Demonic Treeman. Well done.

Rewarded: +1 Skill Point.]

Cheng Xiu felt her heart thump. "Brother San, what is the amount of Skill points I need to get a skill?"

San Zhu was still watching his Treeman burn. "For a level 1 skill, 1 skill points. For a level 2 skill, 2 skill points. It goes on like that. They don't have Ranks. And you can buy any skill you want, regardless of whether it's level 1, 2, 3 or any other. But you can only use a level 2 skill after mastering the Level 1 of said skill."

Cheng Xiu frowned as four Treemen came towards them. "Then why allow them to buy the skills beforehand?"

San Zhu sighed. "Because if someone kills you before you use your skill points then half of their reserve skill points belongs to the killer."

"That's unfair!" Cheng Xiu said.

"Wow! You are a newbie newbie huh?" Star Phoenix said from above them.

Cheng Xiu scowled. "Damned jerk. Help us, if you can. Otherwise keep quiet. Stop with your wisecracks."

San Zhu sighed. He was sure Cheng Xiu was a polite person most of the time, but there were moments like these where he was left second guessing. She must be so unbridled in here because nobody actually knows her.

"No thank you," Star Phoenix said with a laugh. "You guys are doing so well. I wouldn't want to disturb your progress."

Chegn Xiu muttered something impolite. Star Phoenix just smiled at her.

Cheng Xiu and San Zhu went back to fighting the creatures.

They fought for an hour. San Zhu had to take Energy Potions of E-Rank every ten minutes to keep going while Cheng Xiu took on bottle half way through and then went in with renewed vigor.

San Zhu was bewildered at first until he thought of a reason this could happen. Cheng Xiu had access to a better Cultivation Method than he did.

Star Phoenix who watched the two fight valiantly also guessed as such and the greed in his eyes intensified. He had never seen any cultivation methods that could help those of the low levels fight so hard for more than an hour. The fact that she took a single Energy Potion was inconsequential. Even a C-Ranked Energy Potion wouldn't help someone who exhausted their Qi as quickly as the girl did.

The recovery capacity of her Cultivation Method must be amazing.

Cheng Xiu ducked as a spiked root came her way but did not expect to be pierced through the back.

Cheng Xiu screamed and coughed blood.

Her mind clouded with pain and anger. She sliced the roots in her back like a maniac.

"Sister Xiu, watch out!" San Zhu said as he pushed the Treeman he was fighting and ran towards her.

Cheng Xiu looked up and froze.

A spiked Vine coated in blood red water rushed towards her.

She hadn't realized that they were getting closer and Closer to the Boss fight as they fought the Treemen.

Star Phoenix moved towards her still form.

"Sister Xiu!" San Zhu screamed.

Cheng Xiu shook her head and tried to roll away, but she was a level one player despite high Physic. She did not stand a chance against the Level 70 Boss.

The spiked Vine just missed her heart thanks to her attempt to jump away and pierced through her stomach instead.

Cheng Xiu was sure she would pass out from the level of the pain. A level pain that she never wanted to experience again.

And why did these things always attack her stomach? Did her stomach have some sacred jewel that she died with in her last life?

Her thoughts stopped working. Her body shook at the shock it received.

And then a blue barrier appeared around her and a red robed broad back appeared in front of her.

A/N: so, what do you guys think of this particular chapter? Too detailed? Not Enough detailed? What is it?

Do leave your opinions in comments and reviews, and share with me your valuable opinions, please. They mean a lot.

Author's Theater:

ML: hey! When am I coming into the story?

Me: how would I know? I wanted you to be the guy in gray but it turned out to be Star Phoenix! A character I deleted at the creation page!

ML: you have a writing disabi-

Cheng Xiu walks in.

Cheng Xiu: Hey guys!

ML: Yes, love?

Cheng Xiu: Who are you?

[Author starts laughing.]

ML: Your husband.

Cheng Xiu: Can we have a divorce? I don't think I am ready for marriage yet, or relationships in general.

ML was shot to death by a rejection arrow. The author was seen laughing like a hyena on the side.

(Sorry for this.)