Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System-Chapter 45: Terrifying Fire Mage Sprout

Just as the previous battle had proven, the Fire Mage Sprout did not hesitate once it found a target.

Its ember-lit core flickered sharply as it fixed its aim on one of the Armored Kobold Warriors standing beyond the wall of flame.

After a brief moment of calculation — almost like a living siege weapon adjusting its trajectory — the plant mage released a Fire Bullet.

The Armored Kobold Warrior, who had been barking threats toward Vikram, suddenly fell silent mid-snarl.

"What... happened?" Vikram muttered in confusion.

Less than half a second later—

"GRAAAAAAAARRRHHHHHH!!"

A hideous, throat-ripping scream exploded from Kobold’s mouth.

The blazing projectile had pierced straight through the creature’s torso.

It entered above the left ribs, burned through flesh and bone like molten iron, and burst out beneath the right ribs in a spray of scorched blood and sparks.

The impact was so fast that the Kobold didn’t even react at first.

It lowered its head slowly, staring blankly at the smoking hole in its chest, as if trying to understand how such a thing could exist.

Then its legs gave way.

THUD.

The armored body crashed onto the cavern floor, motionless.

The sudden death immediately alerted one of the nearby Kobold Scouts.

It spun around, letting out a confused, high-pitched yelp.

But at that very instant, the Fire Mage Sprout had already shifted its aim.

The second target was locked.

The Scout froze for a fraction of a second as instinctive terror surged through it. Then it began barking wildly — sharp, panicked cries echoing through the cavern.

Yet panic could not save it.

SWOOSH!

A crimson streak tore through the dim air.

The Fire Bullet struck the Kobold Scout square between the eyes in less than half a second.

The terrifying kinetic force combined with intense heat melted straight through its skull.

The projectile entered the forehead and blasted out from the back of its head in a spray of charred bone fragments.

Its frantic barking stopped instantly.

The body went limp and collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.

Seeing two elites fall almost effortlessly, Vikram’s chest filled with exhilaration.

A fierce smile spread across his face.

At this moment, he truly felt his team was invincible.

This dungeon... I can clear it.

Across the flames, the Dragon-Scale Kobold Priest barked angrily at the remaining warriors, its scaled face twisted with fury as it glared at Vikram.

A sudden realization flashed through his mind.

This Priest... its reaction speed is terrifying.

But now, that thought no longer shook his confidence.

He had four Sprouts.

Together with him, they were five fighters.

The enemy side had only four elites remaining.

More importantly — until now, Guardian Sprout and Warrior Sprout hadn’t even truly entered battle.

Vikram’s gaze sharpened.

He tightened his grip on the bow.

"It’s your turn now," he murmured.

It was finally time for his frontline plant warriors to shine.

Meanwhile, the Fire Mage Sprout had already shifted its blazing focus toward the last Kobold Scout standing closest to their position.

Through the dim flicker of dying flames, Vikram could clearly see the creature’s condition.

Its left eye was nothing but a bloody ruin.

The eyeball had long been destroyed, leaving behind a wet, hollow socket, while a deep horizontal gash split across its furry face like a cruel scar.

Vikram instantly recognized the wound.

That had been his earlier blind shot.

It hadn’t killed the Kobold... but it had crippled its vision and shattered its confidence.

At that moment, the Heavy-Armored Warhammer Kobold, another Iron-Armored Kobold Warrior, and the wounded Scout emerged one after another from the smoke and shadows.

All of them were still clad in armor. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

It was obvious they had remained vigilant even while resting, not daring to remove their protection in such a dangerous dungeon.

The one-eyed Kobold Scout barked wildly, its remaining eye burning with furious hatred.

But fury meant nothing before overwhelming firepower.

What answered its rage... was a blazing Fire Bullet.

SWOOSH!

A sharp tearing sound split the air.

A streak of red light flashed like a meteor fragment.

In less than half a second, the projectile slammed directly into the Scout’s chest.

Its metal chestplate offered no resistance whatsoever. The moment the Fire Bullet touched it, the iron softened and melted like wax, allowing the burning projectile to punch straight through flesh and bone.

The bullet burst out from its back in a shower of sparks and charred blood, continuing forward several more meters before finally losing momentum and dropping onto the cavern floor.

The Kobold Scout didn’t even get the chance to release its rage.

Its body stiffened, then weakened instantly.

With a miserable, broken howl, it collapsed lifelessly onto the ground.

Vikram stared at the scene in genuine astonishment.

In this single engagement, more than half of the elite enemy force had been wiped out by the Fire Mage Sprout alone.

Until now, the Guardian Sprout and Warrior Sprout had seemed almost like decorations on the battlefield.

But witnessing the purple-grade plant mage dominate the fight awakened something deep inside them.

A silent surge of competitive instinct.

Without waiting for orders, the two blue-grade sprouts suddenly leapt across the fading fire barrier.

The Guardian Sprout moved first.

Using its familiar battle rhythm, it slammed its vine-forged shield directly into the Iron-Armored Kobold’s face with explosive force.

The impact staggered the creature instantly.

Before it could even regain balance, thick vines lashed out, hooking around its legs and tripping it heavily to the ground.

The Kobold crashed onto its back with a dull thud.

It tried to rise, vut it never got the chance.

The Warrior Sprout was already there.

Its hardened vine blade flashed in a clean, ruthless arc.

In one decisive motion, it separated Kobold’s head from its body.

Even at the moment of death, the Iron-Armored Kobold never understood what had just happened.

At that same instant, the battlefield trembled under heavy footsteps.

The Heavy-Armored Warhammer Kobold finally charged forward like a raging beast.

Most of the fire barrier had already dissipated, leaving only scattered tongues of flame licking the stone floor.

It ignored the plant sprouts completely.

In its bloodshot eyes, there was only one true threat.

Vikram.

To the giant Kobold, the logic was simple:

If Vikram falls... everything ends.

But while the Heavy-Armored Warhammer Kobold was charging straight toward him like a raging iron beast, Vikram’s attention was not on it at all.

His gaze was fixed entirely on the Kobold Priest.

Until now, he still had no idea what kind of abilities that strange, green-scaled creature possessed.

That uncertainty was far more dangerous than a brute with a hammer.

By the time the Heavy-Armored Warhammer Kobold closed the distance to barely twenty-five meters, its massive footsteps were already shaking loose dust and pebbles from the cavern ceiling.

It raised the warhammer high.

The killing blow was about to fall.

But fate did not grant it that wish.

Before the giant Kobold could even swing, the Guardian Sprout burst forward.

With a thunderous crash, its vine-forged shield slammed into the Kobold’s torso, violently disrupting the momentum of its charge.

At the exact same moment, the Warrior Sprout darted in like a streak of green lightning.

Its hardened vine blade thrust upward, and pierced directly into one of Kobold’s eyes.

The Heavy-Armored Warhammer Kobold immediately released a horrific scream.

"GRAAAAAAWWWWRRRHHHH!!"

The sound echoed through the mine like tearing metal.

Blinded and disoriented, the giant monster staggered backward, clutching its ruined face, unable to open its eyes through the flood of blood and agony.

Before it could even regain balance, the Warrior Sprout shifted its stance and aimed for the neck, launching another lethal strike.

But even in its chaos, the Heavy-Armored Kobold’s battle instincts remained terrifying.

At the final instant, it raised its left arm defensively.

SWOOSH!

The vine blade carved downward with brutal force.

Though it failed to reach the neck, the strike still tore halfway through muscle and bone, embedding deeply into the armored forearm.

The Kobold’s entire left arm was nearly split apart.

Its combat ability was instantly crippled.

"What a shame..." Vikram muttered under his breath.

But while he sighed, the two plant warriors had no intention of stopping.

They pressed the assault mercilessly.

The Guardian Sprout rammed forward again, shield smashing into the giant’s chest to keep it off balance.

At the same time—

SWOOSH!

The Warrior Sprout’s blade flashed once more.

This time it ripped through the iron plating on the Kobold’s thigh, punching straight through flesh and emerging from the other side in a spray of dark blood.

The Heavy-Armored Kobold let out another blood-chilling howl and staggered violently before collapsing onto one knee... then crashing fully onto the ground.

But to the plant warriors, its fall meant nothing.

It was still alive. And therefore still a threat.

The Warrior Sprout struck again without hesitation.

SWOOSH!

Another clean thrust.

Its blade pierced the other thigh completely, pinning the monster’s massive body in place like a nailed beast.

The fallen Warhammer Kobold writhed on the stone floor, releasing a wretched roar filled with rage and humiliation.

It was as if it were cursing Vikram, cursing him for hiding behind his "subordinates," for not facing it in what the beast considered an honorable duel.

But Vikram showed no reaction at all.

His eyes never left the Kobold Priest.

To him, the real battle had not even begun yet.

Meanwhile, the Fire Mage Sprout also ceased its attacks.

Only two enemies remained alive — the crippled Warhammer Kobold... and the mysterious Priest.

Like Vikram, the blazing plant mage silently turned its focus toward the green-scaled figure.

The Healer Sprout, unsure what role to take now, simply continued releasing gentle waves of vitality, steadily restoring the stamina of both the Guardian and Warrior Sprouts.

Vikram finally glanced once toward the fallen giant.

The Heavy-Armored Kobold was grievously wounded... but not yet dead.

And somewhere ahead in the dim cavern, the Kobold Priest was still watching.