Half a day later, Xi En and the group arrived at their first destination.
“That’s the Bloodsucking Vine?”
Hopping off the gloomy carriage, the first thing Xi En saw was the objective of their trip, the Bloodsucking Vine.
It was a climbing plant which grew on a section of the path to the north, like an obstacle that grew across the road to block the path.
The vine’s color was stark red like blood and its growth was thriving. Its stems were entangled as the vines grew to form a low expansive green wall.
However, it was not attractive to the sight.
Xi En could clearly see the vines pulsing like blood vessels as if they were delivering something since it kept squirming which was quite nauseating.
He thought if he had witnessed such a scene when he was first summoned to this world, he would have puked.
“Is this a monster too?” Xi En murmured in disgust.
Vivian pulled the horse carriage to a halt. She walked over and answered Xi En despite him muttering to himself.
“No, it’s not. It’s just a plant that grows in places drenched in a lot of blood. It appears to be a monster with consciousness but it’s quite similar to other plants. The only difference is that it doesn’t grow by absorbing water but blood. If one gets entangled, it’s almost impossible to escape. The vine will pierce through the skin to suck out the victim’s blood, killing its prey in the process. To a lot of people, the Bloodsucking Vine poses the same threat as a monster.”
That was not all. The Bloodsucking Vine was also full of vigor and vitality besides being resilient. Once it grew, it proliferated rapidly, stopping only when it had finished sucking all the blood which had seeped into the earth. Regular sabers or swords could not cut it at all, nor scratch it even. If one got too close to the plant, the risk of being entangled and leeched was high. As such, the Bloodsucking Vine posed to be a menace in a number of places.
“It’s very difficult for the lay people to remove the Bloodsucking Vine. Whichever town it is, once the residents notice the plant growing in the town’s vicinity, the municipal council will send its army to remove it or assign the task to the Adventurers Guild lest it becomes a danger.”
Vivian patiently explained.
“As this Bloodsucking Vine grows on the only route to the northern town, it must’ve caused severe loss to the vendors and jeopardized the communication and trade between the two towns. Thus, we need to get rid of them quickly.”
As she spoke, Vivian looked at Meilica.
“Is this fine? Meilica?” she asked.
“No… No problem!”
Meilica tightened her grip on her magic staff and stole a glance at Xi En before she walked away.
Xi En raised his brows. He seemed to know what they were going to do to get rid of the Bloodsucking Vine.
“It’s quite impossible to remove the Bloodsucking Vine with the normal blades. Also, one can’t get near to the plant as it’s too dangerous.” Vivian chuckled upon seeing Xi En’s anxious look. She then said, “So, the best solution is to set fire and burn all of them, then dig out its roots to prevent it from growing again.”
Due to its high vitality and resilience, a normal fire would take a long time to get rid of the vines unless…
“We’ll use magic to burn the Bloodsucking Vine in one go.”
The moment Vivian uttered the words, Meilica who stood in front of them began her task.
“This is the Heaven’s breath…”
Meilica raised her magic staff and chanted a solemn spell as her glossy red lips moved in tandem.
“Scarlet spirit of fire, transparent principle of truth, fuel is this prayer, rise…”
Meilica no longer looked restless and nervous like she had been. It felt like she had turned into Nature’s elf as mana rolled around her when she released her voice.
“Heaven’s Fire!”
The crystal set atop the magic staff which Meilica lifted high above her began to glow.
Above Meilica, fiery flames burst forth to engulf the Bloodsucking Vine like a rain shower.
The fire turned the surroundings into a scarlet red just like the hues of sunset. The surrounding temperature shot up as in a melting furnace.
Boom! Boom!
As the endless flames engulfed the Bloodsucking Vine, the explosions from the inferno coupled with the blazing heat waves overwhelmed the climbing plant.
The red vine was completely inundated by the sea of fire as it burned.
The cries of the Bloodsucking Vine were silent as the vines struggled frenziedly in the fire. Whoever witnessed the scene would not have thought that it was just a plant. In fact, it would have been mistaken as a monster which was Xi En’s first impression.
In any case, monsters knew how to flee or retaliate when they were faced with a life-or-death situation. The Bloodsucking Vine did not have such an ability. It could only squirm in the flames as it tried to struggle free.
After a while, the vines were completely charred in the fire.
The air was thick with smoke from the intense burning of the fire’s scorching heat. The temperature hiked up tremendously.
“That’s magic…”
Xi En whose face was illuminated by the glow of the blaze said as he stared at the sight. It was hard to tell whether he was moved or simply amazed.
Although he had seen countless monsters which spat fires and lightning in the forest, it was his first time to witness magic at work.
He kept his eyes on the back of Meilica who orchestrated the magical scene.
The fire seemed like an illusion when it gradually died down as Meilica kept her magic after the Bloodsucking Vine was completely burned. The pervasive vine was completely destroyed, leaving behind a toasted ground.
“Hah…”
It was only then Meilica kept her magic staff as she heaved a sigh of relief.
“Good job.” Vivian went forward to tell her.
“Powerful magic as usual,” Diyeer commented as well.
“What an elf…” Lumiya who was hugging Diyeer’s arm casted an admiring gaze toward Meilica.
Meilica merely shook her head and said, “I didn’t do anything special. I just wielded magic like how I used to.”
Nonetheless, there was a grin blooming on her face.
It was obvious that she was not as high-strung and overwrought when she faced her partners, allowing her true character to reveal itself slightly.
Xi En wanted to step forward to congratulate her but stopped short at the look of Meilica’s face. Seeing her genuine smile, he gave up on his spontaneous plan.
“Looks like I can’t get her to teach me magic.”
It was honestly a regrettable thing but…
“Magic hmm…”
Feeling the mana that flowed alive within him and thinking about the “Magic Lift” that he had, Xi En felt he should seek the opportunity to learn some magic. Otherwise, it would be a waste of his capability.