My Milf System-Chapter 181. The Verdant Dread!

(Third Person POV)

At last, the creature Lorraine had summoned hauled itself into full view with a guttural roar that didn’t sound like it came from its lungs, but from deep within the planet’s core. Its body was a tangled mass of roots and bark, twisted into a hulking shape that barely resembled anything human. Jagged wooden spines jutted from its shoulders like broken spears. Its torso creaked with every breath, splitting open in places to reveal oozing sap and glowing, water-filled channels coursing through its core.

Two glowing eyes blinked open in the center of its knotted head—if it could even be called a head. No mouth... not at first.

Then the bark split.

Long. Vertical. Lined with wooden fangs that groaned as they spread open.

It screamed.

The sound was like a storm tearing through dead trees—howling, furious, unnatural.

Anna stood frozen for a heartbeat.

The monster loomed behind Lorraine like a god of rot and ruin, its limbs twitching with coiled violence. The air around it pulsed with magic so dense, it felt like breathing in mud. Vines snaked across the broken ground, writhing toward her boots as if tasting the air.

The arena had gone dead silent—until the commentator finally broke the tension with a shocked cry.

"NO WAY... ISN’T THAT... THE VERDANT DREAD?!" the commentator exclaimed. "I’VE NEVER SEEN ONE IN MY ENTIRE LIFE!"

Shocked gasps rippled through the stands. The cheering had stopped. People were stunned—some even frightened.

"That thing’s bad news... What even is a Verdant Dread?" Asher muttered, shifting restlessly in his seat.

"Bro... are you telling me you don’t know what a Verdant Dread is?" Adrian asked, stunned.

"Yup! No idea!"

"Let yours truly enlighten you," Adrian said, adjusting his glasses. Kira leaned in too, just as curious—especially since it was Lorraine, his crush, who had summoned the terrifying creature.

"A Verdant Dread is a kind of tree monster," Adrian explained. "It’s said to be born when a powerful mage fuses the essence of life-giving water with ancient soil. It’s a symbol of creation and decay—life twisted by rage. Only people with both water and earth affinities can summon one. And even then, it takes a ton of mana. At least, that’s what the history books say. I never thought someone in this era could actually do it! Leave it to the prodigy herself!"

"This is concerning... Is that thing just made from her magic or...?" Asher asked, wary.

"Well... nobody really knows," Adrian replied. "Some say there’s an upside-down world—a place where all summoned creatures live, waiting for the right mage to call them using compatible affinities. Verdant Dread creatures come in all sizes. Which means—"

BOOOOMMMM.

"HOLY COW—LORRAINE’S ALREADY ATTACKING!"

The deafening crash of the Verdant Dread’s branches slamming into the ground interrupted Adrian mid-sentence. The battle had begun.

Anna had no summon. No fancy spell. Nothing but her instincts.

All she could do was dodge—and think fast.

Branches whipped toward her with brutal force, one after the other, as Lorraine controlled the creature with just flicks of her wrist. Each strike came faster than the last, relentless and precise.

Anna gritted her teeth.

This fight wasn’t just impossible—it was unfair.

But even so... she wasn’t going to give up.

The Verdant Dread moved its branches like it wanted to tear Anna to shreds. Lorraine just stood before it, calm and silent, like a queen commanding a beast of nature itself. With every subtle flick of her wrist, the creature obeyed.

A massive branch whipped toward Anna.

She barely ducked under it.

Another strike came, faster—she rolled, but the edge of the branch clipped her side, sending her sprawling.

The impact knocked the air from her lungs. She hissed, clutching her ribs. Already, her passive healing kicked in, threads of warm magic weaving through her injuries. But it was slow, now. Too slow.

BOOOOM.

A second branch slammed into the ground next to her, splinters flying like shrapnel.

The crowd roared—at first in awe.

"WHOA! She’s relentless!"

"That’s Lorraine for you!"

"She’s got this in the bag!"

Anna staggered upright, sweat glistening on her brow, blood dribbling from her lip.

Another blow.

This one hit.

It slammed into her shoulder, throwing her across the arena like a ragdoll. She tumbled hard, scraping against stone and cracked dirt, her body skidding to a stop just feet from the edge of the barrier.

Gasps now.

Less excitement. More... concern.

"She’s still standing...?"

"Isn’t she just a support mage?"

"Shouldn’t she give up already?"

"This is turning into a beating..."

Even Asher leaned forward, troubled. "Maybe she should surrender. This isn’t a fair fight anymore."

Adrian said nothing. Even he was tense now.

The Verdant Dread advanced more of its branches.

Its body pulsed—glowing veins leaking sap that steamed as it hit the ground. Where the thick, golden substance touched, the earth withered, curling and blackening in seconds. A drop splashed onto Anna’s arm.

Her scream pierced the air.

She clawed at her skin as the sap burned like acid, leaving behind a patch of raw, peeling flesh that her healing tried desperately to mend.

More of it splattered around her. The decay spread to her clothes—fraying fabric, rotting boots. It wasn’t just physical damage.

The sap from the creature was rotting everything it touched. Anna’s clothes were now barely holding, some parts of her exposed.

And it hurt.

The crowd had gone quiet, now feeling ucomfortable. Ivy and Lenna watched with widened eyes, wondering why their little angel wasn’t just surrendering this hopeless match. Asher’s waifus on their sat, especially Rose sat unconcerned. If that thing hit Anna and killed her, it’d be a win for her. That would only mean Draegonoth might die as well, which didn’t sound bad.

But the same couldn’t be said for Asher. His forehead was sweating, his intestines twisting knots. He stood, and watched, ready to step in if things really got out of hand.

Anna forced herself to her knees, blood dripping from her chin. She could hear the murmurs from people, telling her to quit. That she wasn’t on Lorraine’s level. That there was nothing to prove here.

Even Lorraine’s expression hadn’t changed—cold, calculating. Watching, and waiting for Anna to finally break.

Anna’s hands trembled as she pushed herself to her feet once more.

Her vision blurred from pain. Her knees buckled. But she didn’t fall.

"I’m not..." she breathed, low, voice cracking. "...giving up."

No one expected her to keep standing. freёnovelkiss.com

She should have stayed down.

But she wouldn’t.

Because she wasn’t here to be compared.

She was here to prove she was equal.

To stand on her own.

And somewhere deep inside her, past the pain, past the rot creeping along her skin—something stirred.

She heard a deep voice speak straight into her mind.

"You want power, don’t you?"

TBC