Fairy Tail: I Don't Want to Be the Guild Master-Chapter 473: Twisted Treeline

Below stretched a sweeping expanse green grasslands, crisscrossed by glittering rivers and rimmed with soft hills. The sky overhead was a bright, impossible bluem its color even more surreal due to the presence of two suns, hanging in opposite directions like celestial ornaments.

And scattered across the heavens... were islands. Actual floating islands, drifting slowly in the sky, some ringed by waterfalls that defied gravity, their streams looping mid-air before vanishing into the clouds.

If Rhodes weren’t in a very real, very dangerous free fall, he might have taken a few minutes to marvel at this fantasy-like world.

But as things stood, he was plummeting, and Take Magic was dead.

No summons. No wings. No teleportation.

His only option was to brace for the crash.

He twisted his body, angling to land feet-first, planning to roll and disperse the impact, but from this height? He wasn’t sure his bones would agree with the plan.

And then, on instinct, half out of desperation, half out of habit, he shouted:

"Warm!!"

A low, familiar grunt answered almost immediately.

"Grrrr?"

Rhodes nearly cried with relief.

The giant white furball materialized in mid-air below him, blinking in sleepy confusion. His big, round body wobbled, and his soft ears twitched as he looked up.

Warm had just finished his nap in a sunny orchard moments ago. Being used as a landing cushion was not in today’s plan.

Still, seeing his master falling from the sky like a dropped potato, Warm did what he always did: be reliable.

Thump!

Thump!

Rhode crashed directly onto Warm’s back. The creature’s plush body compressed like a marshmallow under pressure, and with a muffled groan, he flattened into an oval.

"Grrrrrrrrrr..."

His eyes swirled. His tongue lolled. He looked deeply betrayed by the universe.

Rhodes groaned into the fur. His insides felt scrambled, but he was alive. That alone made him sit up, wincing but thankful.

After catching his breath, he gently patted Warm’s back. "Thanks, buddy. You saved my life. Again."

Rhode couldn’t help but feel thankful that Warm had become such a fat, fluffy cushion.

"Hmph~" Warm grunted once more, clearly unimpressed. Seeing that there was no food around and no pats incoming, the lazy beast vanished on his own, leaving Rhode to land on the ground with a light plop.

Rhode tried to stand, but the moment he shifted his foot—squelch—he slipped slightly.

"Huh? What’s this sticky, slippery stuff?"

He looked down and realized he’d landed on some strange, bulbous rock. But as he followed the surface with his eyes, the "rock" curved forward... and he saw claws, giant claws.

Wait a second.

His survival instincts kicked in. He flailed backward, rolled away, and crawled a short distance before turning back to take a better look.

What he’d mistaken for rock was actually the bulging belly of a massive frog, no, a gigantic frog. It lay sprawled on the grass, its round eyes spinning as if still dizzy, and its massive head shifted slowly, trying to rise.

"Oh crap," Rhode muttered and bolted in the opposite direction.

But just a few seconds later, a massive shadow loomed over him.

He stopped dead in his tracks and took a few steps back in alarm. With a thud, the giant frog landed in front of him, cutting off his escape. It turned around and locked its large, unblinking eyes directly on him.

"This... is not good—!" Rhode raised his hand to summon, but the attempt fizzled out. His Take Over magic was completely unresponsive.

He flexed his fingers and attempted a quick glyph with Script Magic. Nothing.

He glanced at the pendant on his chest. "Should I bring Warm back out to fight?" he muttered, but quickly dismissed the thought. "He’s not even as big as this thing’s head..."

Panicking, he cycled through his summons:

"Summon! Brambleback! Blue Sentinel! Rift Herald! ScuttleCrab! Voidgrubs!"

Not a single response.

He gritted his teeth and finally tried, "Summon... Murk Wolf!"

This time, his pendant flickered, finally, a reaction. A faint green glow pulsed from it.

But he had no time to celebrate. The frog let out a low croak and raised its front claw, slamming it down toward him.

Rhode dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the massive blow. The ground shook violently from the impact. If that hit had landed... he probably would’ve been smeared across the field.

"At least it doesn’t use its tongue to attack..." he muttered under his breath, quickly repositioning.

Just as the frog prepared to strike again, a ghastly green magic circle flared to life beneath Rhode.

From it emerged three wolf-like figures.

Rhode blinked.

Wait... those aren’t the usual Murk Wolves.

The size distribution was the same, one larger wolf, two smaller, but none of them had two heads like the original variant. Instead, their fur shimmered in shades of eerie grey and pale green. Their eyes burned like ghost-lanterns.

Upon closer inspection, Rhode finally noticed something strange about these summoned wolves.

Their limbs were disturbingly thin, with barely any flesh clinging to the pale bones. Segments of their tails were exposed bone, almost like vertebrae strung together. The faint green glow in their eyes pulsed eerily, giving them an undead-like aura.

They felt oddly familiar, but he couldn’t quite recall where he had seen them before.

Still, this wasn’t the time to dwell on it. With no better option, Rhode gave the command.

"Attack!"

Despite their creepy appearance, the wolves responded instantly, darting forward without hesitation toward the monstrous frog looming before them.

The giant frog croaked thunderously and slammed its massive front claws at the incoming wolves.

The wolves scattered like shadows. The largest one darted in head-on while the two smaller ones veered to the flanks, agile as smoke. The moment the frog’s paw struck the ground, the two flanking wolves launched themselves upward, clamping down on the beast’s arm with their sharp fangs.

Smack!

With a powerful jerk, the frog thrashed its arm and sent both wolves flying.

Rhode’s heart tightened, these summons looked so fragile. Would they shatter on impact?

But to his surprise, the wolves tucked and rolled, and within seconds, both were back on their feet.

’They’re tougher than they look.’

Meanwhile, the larger wolf tried to seize the opportunity while the frog was distracted, lunging straight for its throat. But the frog twisted, caught it mid-pounce with a heavy claw, and knocked it away as well.

The three regrouped, standing in a loose triangle formation around the frog. Their jaws bared, shoulders low, they circled slowly, eyes locked on their target.

’Too difficult,; Rhode thought. ’Three isn’t enough.’

He raised his pendant again. "Summon! Krug! Summon—Murk Wolf!"

Krugs didn’t appear.

But another trio of wolves materialized, identical in appearance to the first group, and just as eerie.

Now he had six.

They immediately joined their predecessors, flanking the frog in a tighter ring.

Rhode took a deep breath and extended his senses into the magic network that tethered him to the Summoner’s Rift, but something felt off.

This... wasn’t the familiar three-lane Rift.

He could feel it. The flow of the terrain, the echo of the wild monsters, it was completely different.

"Wait... this isn’t Summoner’s Rift..."

He suddenly recognized the feeling. The spatial structure was tighter, the jungle shallower, and only two primary lanes emerged in his mind.

"This is, Twisted Treeline? The 3v3 map?"

Rhode blinked, momentarily stunned.

This map had been long forgotten, even by players in his past life. Few ever played it, and most only remembered it for its weird pacing and quick matches. It had once hosted the Hexakill mode, but was eventually shelved and abandoned.

And now... it was his only connection.

He grit his teeth.

’So that’s why everything feels off. The summons are different. The terrain is different. The creatures are unfamiliar. Did that vortex twist my magic and connect me to an alternate plane, this Treeline?’

’Is the Rift still out there somewhere? Can I return to it?’

His thoughts drifted back to Mira and Elfman.

’Did they get pulled into that vortex too? Or... did they just see me vanish into thin air?’

’Are they safe? Are they looking for me?’

His gaze sharpened as he turned back to the fight. The six summoned wolves were now circling, harassing, and leaping in and out of the frog’s range. The creature had already sustained multiple wounds, bleeding from its arms and legs, but its massive size made the damage seem minimal.

Rhode clenched his fists.

’I can’t let my thoughts wander now. First, I need to take this monster down and secure my safety. Then—’

He paused.

’If this is Twisted Treeline... what other wild monsters were on this map?’

His eyes widened in frustration.

’What were their names? Damn it, I hardly ever played this mode!’

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