Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System-Chapter 46: Clearing The Dungeon

Meanwhile, Vikram glanced once more toward the Heavy-Armored Warhammer Kobold.

The monster was still alive... But only barely.

Its massive body was now little more than a broken shell of iron and flesh. Both legs had been shredded, deep wounds tore across its torso, and one arm hung uselessly at its side. It could no longer even crawl properly.

On the cold stone floor, it writhed weakly while the Guardian Sprout and Warrior Sprout continued to torment it with relentless precision.

If the creature had been capable of calm thought at this moment, it would surely have fallen into complete despair.

Its raw physical strength had been terrifying.

By Vikram’s estimation, in a fair close-combat duel, this Heavy-Armored Kobold might have rivaled him... perhaps even surpassed him.

But war was never about fairness.

Vikram had his Sprout Team.

And because of that, he didn’t need to shoulder every battle alone.

He simply watched in silence as the two plant warriors methodically dismantled the once-fearsome boss.

Kobold’s howls of rage gradually weakened... from furious roars... to hoarse cries... and finally to faint, broken whimpers filled with helplessness.

It was no longer a warrior. It was prey waiting to die.

Seeing the moment had come, Vikram calmly raised his hand and signaled.

The Warrior Sprout understood instantly.

It stepped forward, vine blade lifting into the air, ready to perform its most favored execution.

A single clean strike. Head separated from torso. Battle concluded.

But just as the blade began its downward arc, The Dragon-Scale Kobold Priest moved.

Every tortured cry of the fallen giant had clearly been gnawing at the priest’s nerves.

Until now, it had remained strangely passive, as if waiting for the right instant.

And that instant had finally arrived.

With a sharp, guttural chant, the green-scaled creature thrust out its clawed hand.

From the ground itself, a thick twisting vine erupted, coiling upward like a living serpent.

CLANG!

The vine struck the Warrior Sprout’s blade mid-swing, forcibly halting the killing blow.

Vikram’s pupils contracted.

"Magic..."

So that was it.

At last, the mystery was solved.

The Kobold Priest wasn’t merely a ritualist, it was a plant-aligned spellcaster.

For a brief moment, surprise flashed across Vikram’s face.

But just as quickly, that surprise turned into relief.

Because if it controlled plants... Then it would naturally be weak against fire.

And suddenly, its earlier hesitation during the flames made perfect sense.

All of Vikram’s lingering doubts vanished.

His expression hardened.

Without another word, he lifted his hand and gave a final, decisive signal.

To the one who would end this dungeon. The Fire Mage Sprout.

The instant Vikram gave the signal, the battlefield shifted once more.

The Warrior Sprout did not hesitate.

Even though its previous strike had been blocked by the sudden appearance of the priest’s magic vine, it had already stepped into perfect killing range.

With a sudden twist of its vine-forged body, it wrenched its blade free from the restraining magic vine and changed its angle of attack mid-motion.

Instead of aiming for the neck... It struck downward.

SWOOSH!

The hardened vine blade plunged straight through the Heavy-Armored Warhammer Kobold’s exposed throat, sliding between gaps in the broken iron plates.

For a moment, the giant froze.

Then—

"Ghhh... Aaaarrgghhh...!"

A choking roar burst from its throat as blood sprayed across the cavern floor.

Its massive hands clawed uselessly at the blade lodged in its throat, legs twitching in violent spasms.

But the strength that once made it terrifying was already gone.

The Warrior Sprout gave a sharp pull.

RIP!

The head of the Heavy-Armored Kobold rolled across the cavern floor, iron helmet clanging hollowly against the stone before coming to a stop in a pool of its own blood.

The giant body convulsed twice... then fell silent forever.

The battlefield now had only one true enemy left.

The Dragon-Scale Kobold Priest.

Seeing its strongest protector die so miserably, rage and fear twisted together in its reptilian eyes.

And this time... It was no longer calm.

Its slit-like reptilian pupils burned with fury. It slammed its scepter into the ground and let out a shrill, ancient chant.

From the cracked rock floor, thick thorned vines erupted violently, writhing like living serpents. They coiled around pillars, lashed toward Vikram, and even attempted to entangle the sprouts.

Plant magic.

Wild. Chaotic. Furious.

For a moment, the cavern became a jungle of moving thorns.

But Vikram’s gaze didn’t even shift. Because behind him... The Fire Mage Sprout had already begun moving.

Its bark-armored body glowed from within, as if molten light was flowing through its veins. Ember-red energy gathered rapidly at the center of its chest, swirling faster and faster.

The Kobold Priest sensed danger and tried to retreat, frantically chanting to summon more plant magic.

Too late.

Vikram’s voice rang out like a command from a battlefield general.

"End it."

The Fire Mage Sprout opened its vine-formed mouth.

"FWOOOOOSH—!"

A blazing Inferno Breath erupted forward like a raging dragon’s flame.

The torrent of fire swept across the cavern, instantly incinerating the magical vines into drifting black ash.

The Dragon-Scale Kobold Priest let out a shrill, terrified howl as the flames engulfed its body.

But due to the Green scales in his body, the fire didn’t do major damage.

Still, its scepter melted in its grasp. Its ritual feathers ignited like dry leaves.

Seeing this, Fire Mage Sprout changed its tactics.

Instead of releasing flames recklessly like before, it lowered its body and spread its arms. From its bark-like torso, several crimson-glowing vines slowly extended, hissing with heat.

This time... it wasn’t planning to burn from the outside. It was going to invade.

The Kobold Priest sensed danger and shrieked, scales tightening across its body like layered shields.

Its dragon-blood lineage made its defense terrifying — ordinary fire would only scorch the surface.

But the Fire Mage Sprout had no intention of playing fair.

In a flash of motion, one blazing vine shot forward like a spear.

SHRRAAK—!

It struck the priest’s open mouth mid-chant.

For a split second, everything froze.

The vine forced its way past the fangs, piercing deep into the throat.

The priest’s eyes bulged in shock.

Then—

Flames erupted from inside its body.

A muffled, distorted scream tore out.

"GGRR—KRRRAAAAA—!!"

The dragon-scales on its chest began glowing red... then orange... then white.

Cracks spread across its scaled skin like a breaking furnace.

Smoke burst from its nostrils. Fire leaked from between its ribs.

It staggered backward wildly, clawing at its own throat, trying to tear the burning vine out.

Too late.

The Fire Mage Sprout clenched its arm.

BOOM.

A violent internal explosion rippled through the priest’s torso.

Flames burst outward from its mouth, eyes, and chest wounds like volcanic vents.

For a horrifying moment, the Kobold Priest looked like a walking lantern of fire.

Then its body collapsed inward... turning into a charred, hollow shell that shattered as it hit the ground.

Silence.

Only drifting ash and the faint glow of dying embers remained.

The thorn jungle withered instantly.

The cavern suddenly felt vast... empty... defeated.

Vikram slowly lowered his bow.

His sprouts gathered around him, steam rising from their vine-bodies after the intense battle.

The dual-boss chamber of the Kobold Dungeon...

Had finally fallen.

As soon as the Dragon-Scale Kobold Priest’s charred body shattered into ash, a clear mechanical voice echoed directly inside Vikram’s mind.

[Congratulations, Warrior. You have cleared the Epic Kobold Dungeon.]

[Title Obtained — Kobold Conqueror (Purple)]

A faint purple radiance wrapped around Vikram’s body like a silent coronation.

Before he could even examine the title’s effects, space itself twisted.

The cavern floor beneath him dissolved into drifting light.

In the next instant, Vikram and his Sprout Team were forcefully teleported out.

When his vision stabilized, he found himself once again standing on the snow-covered ground outside the ancient ruins.

But something was wrong.

The entrance that had once resembled a mine passage was now reverting... Stone by stone... rune by rune...

Back into the Wolf Spirit Ruins.

A deep, vibrating hum spread through the frozen air.

It was low at first, like the distant growl of a slumbering beast, then gradually intensified until even the snow beneath Vikram’s boots trembled.

Ancient runic patterns carved across the ruin walls began glowing faintly.

They pulsed in slow rhythm... as if responding to a heartbeat hidden somewhere deep underground.

Dust trickled from the high arches.

Cracks spread across weathered stone bricks.

The entire ruin seemed to awaken from a thousand-year sleep.

Then— ROOOAAARRR—!!

A thunderous roar exploded from the summit of the structure.

Loose stones cascaded down like a landslide. A violent shockwave rippled outward, scattering frost and dead leaves across the wasteland.

And suddenly...

A pillar of blinding silver-white light erupted from the very core of the Wolf Spirit Ruins.

It shot upward like a divine spear, tearing through the grey sky and illuminating the endless snowfields.

The frozen world, which had moments ago been silent and lifeless...

Now it looked like a stage beneath a celestial spotlight.

---

Far away, inside a crude stone shelter half buried in ice, several Survivors noticed it.

"Look! What is that?!" A young man pointed through the broken window, his voice filled with shock.

Everyone inside instinctively stopped what they were doing.

Their eyes turned toward the distant horizon.

Even through snowfall... even across mountains...

The pillar of light was impossible to ignore.

"It looks like an anomaly..." A bearded survivor whispered, his tone trembling between fear and excitement. "Maybe... some kind of treasure has appeared."

A lean hunter tightened his grip on his bow.

"Then what are we waiting for?" His eyes gleamed with dangerous determination. "In this world... opportunities belong to the brave."

In the harsh Wasteland, where survival meant constant struggle...

Such a phenomenon could only mean power... resources... or destiny.

Greed ignited like wildfire in many hearts.

Some Survivors began gathering their gear immediately. Others hesitated... torn between fear of the unknown and the temptation of fortune.

But one truth was certain.

The moment that pillar of light pierced the sky...

The balance of the surrounding territories had quietly begun to shift.