Creating A Succubus Army In A Fantasy World!-Chapter 108: Trial Phase 1! (3)

Creed lunged.

His spear pierced the air, slicing forward with flawless precision as he executed his technique, Pierce.

Boom!

It was a peak-stage 2 spear technique, refined to a level where the treeman should have been unable to dodge it.

The strike was fast, sharp, and brutally efficient, cutting through space like an arrow loosed from a god’s bow.

The tip of his spear was mere inches away from its target, and then, the treeman dodged.

Barely.

It twisted its massive, wooden body at the very last second, avoiding a direct kill, but it wasn’t unscathed.

The spear tore through part of its side, leaving a grievous wound—sap and wood shards spilling from the deep cut.

Creed blinked.

What?

That should have been impossible!

By all logic, the treeman should’ve died right there. He had the advantage in every single way; strength, speed, technique. There was no reason why this thing should still be alive.

Unless...

Creed narrowed his eyes. Was this thing protected by plot armor?!

The thought made him pause for half a second before shaking it off. No. That was ridiculous. But still, something about the way this thing kept escaping death was unnatural.

Creed’s lips curled upward. "Alright then. Let’s see just how long you can last."

He tightened his grip on his spear and attacked again.

Strike after strike, Creed’s spear sliced through the air, aimed at critical points; the neck, the chest, the head. Yet every single time, the treeman just barely avoided fatal damage!

It wasn’t that it was faster than him. It wasn’t.

It wasn’t stronger than him. Not even close.

It wasn’t even a martial expert. And yet, it kept surviving!

One moment, Creed’s spear was aimed straight for its heart, the next, the treeman tripped over a root at the perfect time and his spear missed by half an inch.

Another moment, Creed went for a headshot, but somehow, a random gust of wind made a branch fall at that exact second, blocking just enough of the attack to let the treeman escape with only a scratch!

Creed couldn’t believe it. ’You’ve got to be joking.’

What kind of insane survival luck was this?!

He’d fought powerful beasts with various unique fighting styles, and none of them had ever been this lucky!

Creed’s expression darkened. ’Fine. If you want to live that badly, let’s see if you can survive this!’

This time, Creed stopped holding back.

His Stage 2 aura exploded, enhancing his physical abilities even further. His spear was coated in Stage 2 Spear Intent, its edge so sharp that the air around it seemed to shrink away in fear.

And then; lightning.

Sparks crackled around him as he infused his strikes with Stage 2 Lightning Intent. Violent arcs of electricity danced across his body, amplifying his speed and power.

But Creed wasn’t done yet.

One more layer. He activated Stage 1 Space Intent.

His entire body shimmered for half a second, and then he vanished.

The treeman, still sprinting for its life, suddenly found itself face-to-face with Creed, who had teleported directly in front of it.

Its glowing yellow eyes widened in pure horror.

Creed’s spear shot forward. The treeman made one last, desperate attempt to dodge, but this time, there was no escape.

SHNK!

The spear pierced clean through its chest, pinning it to a nearby tree.

For a few seconds, the treeman twitched. Its fingers clenched and unclenched. Its glowing eyes dimmed.

And then, it fell completely still.

Creed exhaled, feeling the tension in his body ease. He pulled his spear free, watching as the treeman’s massive body slumped forward, lifeless.

It was finally over.

Creed glanced down at the fallen creature, feeling an unexpected twinge of pity.

It had fought so desperately to survive.

For a moment, Creed couldn’t help but reflect. His entire path was one of strength and domination. He had always believed that the strong would thrive and the weak would perish.

Yet this treeman had proven something interesting. Sometimes, sheer will to live could delay the inevitable.

It wasn’t enough to change the outcome. But still...

It was impressive.

He was still lost in thought when a sound came from his right.

Instantly, Creed’s body moved on instinct. He spun, spear raised, eyes sharp.

And then, he saw Amara. She stood there, arms crossed, expression unreadable.

Creed stared at her for a moment before sighing. He lowered his spear and turned away.

Honestly, he wasn’t surprised to see her.

They had entered the dimensional rift at roughly the same time so it made sense that they’d be in the same general area.

He had already guessed this might happen. But that didn’t mean he planned to work with her.

He wasn’t interested in teaming up with anyone other than his summons. Especially not with her. So, he simply walked away.

As he moved, his mind had already begun planning his next steps.

The trial was simple: reach the ferry in 72 hours.

That might seem like a long time, but in reality, it wasn’t. He needed to map out the area, figure out the safest and fastest route to the shore, and prepare for any hidden dangers.

He had no idea what creatures lurked deeper in this forest or what obstacles lay ahead. A direct path might not even be an option. He needed information first.

So, his first priority was...

He stopped.

Something felt... off. Slowly, he turned his head and saw Amara. Still following him.

Creed blinked. ’...Why was she still here?’

He frowned.

At first, he had ignored her presence, thinking she’d get bored and wander off. But as the minutes passed, it became clear that she wasn’t going anywhere.

Fine. She was forcing his hand. He stopped walking, turned on his heel, and stared directly at her.

"...What are you doing?"

Amara didn’t answer. She just stood there, arms crossed, staring.

Silence. Pure, heavy, suffocating silence.

Creed stared back.

She stared harder.

Creed’s eyebrow twitched. A crazy thought popped into his mind.

Was she mute?

No, that didn’t make sense. He had definitely heard her talk before. Maybe she was a bit weird, but there was no way she had lost the ability to speak in the past few hours.

So, what then? Was she some kind of dumb idiot? The thought made him chuckle, before instantly getting more annoyed.

What the hell was this? Without another word, he turned around and kept walking.

Maybe if he ignored her, she’d get the message.

Two minutes passed.

Then five.

Then ten.

Amara was still there. Still. Freaking. Following him!

Creed almost lost it. His expression darkened as he spun around fully, facing her head-on.

"What. Is. It?"

This time, she actually spoke. "Let’s team up."

Creed almost choked.

What?! Did she just say that with a straight face?!

After literally calling him a gold digger two months ago?!

For a second, Creed didn’t even know how to respond. His brain short-circuited.

Then, he laughed.

It wasn’t a happy laugh. It was the kind of laugh that came from someone who had just seen something so ridiculous that they had no choice but to react.

Still chuckling, he turned around and started walking again, throwing a sharp, cold response over his shoulder:

"No."

The rejection felt strangely satisfying. A few months ago, he had made a promise to himself.

Back then, he had been at his lowest, looked down upon, and branded a parasite just for wanting to survive. But he swore that the next time they met, he would stand on his own feet.

And now?

He had already fulfilled that promise. He was no longer a nobody. He was strong enough to carve his own path.

So why in the world would he team up with her now?

Satisfied with his answer, Creed picked up the pace, only to turn around a few moments later and see that she was STILL following him!

He stopped so suddenly that the wind rushed past him.

"...You’re still here?!"

Amara didn’t even flinch. She just shrugged.

"If you don’t answer me properly, I’ll just keep following you around like this."

Creed twitched. He almost sparked. Was she serious?! Was she actually serious?! Why was she so annoying?!

For a brief moment, he imagined himself picking her up and launching her into orbit.

Creed inhaled deeply and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"...And why, exactly, do you want to team up?"

Amara tilted her head. "Because it benefits both of us. We’re both strong. Together, we can pass this trial easily."

Creed narrowed his eyes.

Was she being genuine? Or was this some kind of ploy?

He studied her face carefully, looking for signs of deception. There were none.

Creed sighed. This was so frustrating.

If this trial wasn’t being monitored, he would’ve just beaten her up and left. But since they were being watched, that would probably count as breaking the rules.

So, there were only two options.

Either he let her follow him around like a lost puppy for the next three days...

Or he agreed to team up and set strict rules.

Creed sighed again, rubbing his temples. "Fine."

Amara smirked. She won.

Creed pointed a stern finger at her.

"But there are rules."

Amara raised an eyebrow. "What rules?"

"I make the decisions. You follow them. You can argue, but the final call is mine."

She shrugged. "Fine by me."

She stretched out her hand. "Deal?"

Creed gritted his teeth before reluctantly shaking her hand.

Just as he did—

DING!

Their dimensional bracelets vibrated with a notification.

A blue holographic message appeared before them.

[Announcement! Candidate Alan Snow has just defeated a Peak Stage 5 Treeman Chieftain!]

[He has triggered the conditions for automatic qualification and has been removed from the trial.]

Creed froze.

Amara did too.

For a moment, there was silence.

Then, Creed blinked. "...Who the hell is Alan Snow?"