I Became a Veteran Who Has to Stir Up Trouble to Survive - Chapter 109

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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[109] Lenar, Queen of Flowers #1
Upon reaching the domain ruled by the Flower Queen, I halted before rashly venturing further, surveying my surroundings with cautious deliberation.
‘The scale of this place is no joke.’
True to the Primordial Forest where all creatures grew to massive proportions, the flowers here towered at least five meters high.
Between the sparse blooms, vines twisted in labyrinthine complexity, forming a natural maze, while insectoid sentries patrolled intermittently throughout.
Far ahead, in the heart of the Flower Garden, rose a single Ancient Tree—undoubtedly where Lenar made her residence.
‘Giant hornets dart through the air at intervals, making aerial approach treacherous….’
I had attempted to ignite the flowers and incinerate them wholesale, but the moisture-laden air extinguished the flames almost instantly.
Relying on fortune was impossible.
I straightened and turned to Nia with a question.
“I’ve heard fragments from the Elders already, but what manner of spirit is Lenar?”
“She’s hideous!”
“Not that—I mean her combat style, her weaknesses, that sort of thing.”
“Hmm… her true form is incredibly weak! The village Elders told me, so it’s definitely true! But she commands her minions ferociously!”
A main body with feeble combat prowess, then….
Among spirits, that’s surprisingly common.
Vast mana reserves and proficiency with diverse magic, yet physical capabilities lag behind—a familiar archetype.
So Lenar is the type who actively deploys her minions in combat.
“Oh! But there’s one encouraging sign!”
“Do tell, Nia.”
“When I was here before, the flowers bloomed far more abundantly, and the Thicket was denser. But now it’s sparse and scattered.”
Upon hearing this, I grasped the implication instinctively.
‘Her mana reserves aren’t at full capacity.’
Was it the spatial magic she’d used to abduct Radi and me to this place?
Regardless of the cause, it favored us.
Radi, Nia, and I completed our preparations and advanced deeper into the Flower Garden.
To avoid entanglement in pointless skirmishes, evading the insects that patrolled the garden was our wisest course.
Thanks to Nia’s intimate knowledge of the creatures’ habits here, navigation proved manageable.
“Wait—that white creature there… it’s a Primitive Aphid. We should take a wide detour around that area.”
“…Is it a particularly dangerous specimen?”
“No, the aphid itself I could defeat alone easily, but there might be swarms of ants lurking nearby!”
“Nia! A large flying creature is approaching us…!”
“Ah, a Primitive Hornet. That one’s safe. A docile creature.”
Following Nia’s guidance, we deftly navigated the floral maze, circumventing each hazard with practiced ease.
Yet as we ventured sufficiently deep, a transmission carried through mana reached my ears.
─How pathetic and insignificant—these mortal wretches dare trespass upon my domain without fear!
Ding─!
「Lenar’s Thornvine Minions have appeared.」
「Peculiar soldiers composed of mana and vegetation! They will stop at nothing to eliminate the intruders!」
「The Flower Queen Lenar is mocking you!」
“She is certain your entire party will be annihilated before crossing even half the Flower Garden!”
“Lenar is preparing to subdue and capture you, then absorb your stats.”
A verdant form writhed and crawled out from between the bushes.
Thorny vines and petals grotesquely tangled together, mimicking human shapes.
Each creature bore an enormous flower upon its head, and where arms should have been, sharp, wart-like legs protruded.
Though they charged forward with considerable momentum, we—now accustomed to primitive monsters—found them utterly unthreatening.
Screech—!
As I brought my blade down through the center, the stem split cleanly in two.
Vine limbs immediately lashed out, but I rolled across the ground to evade and counterattacked, driving my sword into the creature’s neck.
With each merciless swing of my blade, the soldiers crumbled, scattering petals in their wake.
Clang! Clang! Clang—!
Radi nimbly maintained distance from the plant soldiers while unleashing a barrage of crossbow bolts.
Each time Bolt found its mark, the creature’s head burst apart, and those behind it decomposed into petals and scattered.
Several plant soldiers suddenly erupted from the ground to target Radi, but it was futile.
Nia kicked them away with fluid grace, and the minions bursting from the earth fell lifeless.
As Nia unleashed a tempest of strikes, her fists scattering green ichor and petals in a whirlwind.
‘…Nothing impressive.’
Just as I’d felt against the Phantom Butterfly, most of Lenar’s minions possessed pathetically weak offensive power.
Instead, they employed underhanded and irritating tactics in their schemes.
—I’ve been caught!
Suddenly, dense pollen erupted simultaneously from all the fallen soldiers.
“Toxic pollen is being released from Lenar’s Thornvine Minions!”
“Inhaling the pollen will cause your body to become paralyzed and petrified instantly!”
Beyond the magical transmission, I sensed Lenar’s contemptuous laughter.
She likely believed this scheme would secure her victory.
But as the murky pollen cleared, Lenar fell silent with a bewildered gasp.
We emerged unscathed from the pollen, each bearing a sharp needle embedded in our shoulders.
“[Pollen-Neutralizing Bee Sting] has been administered! You are now immune to all pollen for an extended period!”
‘Did she truly believe the same trick would work twice?’
I’d nearly perished to this before—preparing countermeasures was only natural.
Since I’d come to claim the Queen’s life, I’d staked my own.
With pollen no longer effective, Lenar unleashed a different form of assault.
Thorny vines suddenly erupted to bind my ankles, while hallucinogenic flowers bloomed everywhere.
But I methodically dismantled each trap Lenar had prepared, deploying my abilities with precision.
“Transformed into a Selurian Golem! Sharp thorns cannot wound this crystalline form!”
“The crystal body absorbs magical energy! Immune to hallucinations!”
“Manifested the Primitive Tarantula’s [Vibration Sense] ability! Detected an earthworm minion approaching underground, twenty meters ahead!”
“Witnessing your rapid dismantling of her traps, the Flower Queen is deeply alarmed. All stats increased by 5!”
—Pathetic.
The earthworm minion crept silently beneath the surface, but when I stomped down with a heavy thud, its body burst apart and it breathed its last.
From all directions, flowers suddenly turned their heads, casting hallucinations and debuffs, but the Selurian Golem’s body absorbed them all.
Beyond that, various magical traps activated, but I pressed forward without pause, moving steadily ahead.
The ability to counter a significant portion of Lenar’s magic.
But what truly stood out above all else was Nia’s presence.
“Not a chance!”
She charged forward without hesitation, meeting every trap and enemy head-on, shattering them with her body.
When vines coiled around her waist, she tore them apart with her bare hands; when sharp spike clusters erupted from the ground, she stomped them to pulp.
The way she unleashed a barrage of strikes against the minions pouring toward her resembled a yaksha in its fury.
Of course, she couldn’t emerge completely unscathed, but she rapidly recovered her wounds by chewing on healing pills she’d stolen from the Elder’s Treasure Vault.
I glanced at that sight and clicked my tongue in admiration.
‘No matter how I look at it, she’s a talent worth coveting….’
If I could recruit Nia into my party even after leaving the Primordial Forest, it would be ideal.
We filled in each other’s gaps as we advanced deeper into the Flower Garden.
The closer we drew to the Ancient Tree, the more I could feel Lenar’s anxiety.
The frequency of trap activations increased, and the playfulness vanished from her magical transmissions.
She was hastily generating minions to replenish her forces, and from a certain point onward, some of lower quality began appearing mixed in.
Creatures with only one arm, or ones that staggered forward without flower-heads adorning them.
‘Her magical power has depleted considerably….’
I’d arrived at the optimal moment to sever the spirit’s neck in every way.
But once we’d passed more than halfway through the Flower Garden and drew near the Ancient Tree, no more minions appeared.
‘Has she given up?’
No, that couldn’t be.
She was likely conserving her strength for the final confrontation that would soon arrive.
Maintaining vigilance until the very end, we eventually reached the base of the Ancient Tree.
A tree of overwhelming scale, its age impossible to even fathom.
Ding—!
｢You have reached the headquarters of ‘Lenar, Queen of Flowers’!｣
｢This is the heart of the domain in the depths of the Primordial Forest, which Lenar has cultivated by pouring her magical power over countless ages!｣
｢If you defeat Lenar, Queen of Flowers, you will be able to prevent the parasitic seed embedded in your body from germinating.｣
I read the text appearing in the log window and quietly clenched my teeth.
The root cause of all this. The perpetrator who kidnapped us from the Royal Capital and put us through hell now stood before me.
Having returned to human form, I stood before the massive entrance.
“…Is everyone ready?”
“Yes, Doran…!”
“Yeah!”
After exchanging one final look, we all pushed the doors open together and stepped inside the Ancient Tree.
The interior of the tree was hollow as if hollowed out by insects, and terribly dark.
Just as we were startled by the unexpectedly oppressive darkness, fairy lanterns began to ignite all around us.
Mesmerized, we looked upward and realized that high above, deep within the darkness at the very top of the Ancient Tree, a massive silhouette was positioned.
As if the entire Ancient Tree were vibrating, a cold voice flowed from that form.
─So… you’ve finally crawled all the way here. If you’re so eager to die, I’ll face you myself!
It was a voice I recognized, yet it no longer reached me through a magical transmission.
The vines that had cocooned her slowly unwound, revealing a bizarre form from within.
Eyelids reminiscent of flower petals.
Golden irises the color of stamens.
A body composed of tree roots and flowering vines, adorned with faded petals scattered across her form.
At first glance sacred, yet the malevolent expression she wore radiated an ominous, sinister aura—a corrupted spirit materialized before me.
｢I’ve come face to face with the true form of Lenar, Queen of Flowers!｣
｢Defeating a fallen spirit would surely yield a substantial reward!｣
“…The hour of reckoning has come.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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