The sharp realization came a moment too late.
Just as Jade confirmed the strange pulsing shape near the tree roots—the thing he suspected was the true controller of the vines—something struck him from behind.
A violent impact hit his back.
THUD.
For a split second, Jade didn't even understand what had happened.
Then the pain arrived.
A sharp, burning sensation exploded across his back as something pierced through his clothes and into his flesh. The force pushed him slightly forward, and his breath escaped his lungs in a sudden gasp.
Jade looked down slowly.
A thick vine had stabbed directly into his back.
The thorned tip had sunk deep into his body.
For a moment, everything seemed to slow.
The sounds of the forest battle faded slightly in Jade's ears as the reality of the situation settled in.
He had been struck.
Not just scratched.
Not just grazed.
He had been pierced.
The vine behind him twisted slightly, its sharp tip embedded in his back like a hooked spear.
And then Jade felt something even worse.
A pulling sensation.
At first it was subtle.
But within seconds, it became obvious.
The vine was sucking his blood.
Jade felt a strange draining sensation spreading through his body, as if warmth was being pulled out of him through the wound.
The vine pulsed faintly.
Every pulse pulled more blood from him.
Jade's fingers twitched slightly as the realization sank in.
"So that's what it does…" he thought.
The Divine Wrath Vine didn't simply stab its prey.
It drained them.
Behind him, the vine tightened slightly, ensuring its grip would not loosen.
Jade felt the draining grow stronger.
Warmth left his body.
His heart beat harder, as if trying to fight against the loss.
Yet strangely…
Jade did not panic.
He did not scream.
He did not thrash wildly.
Instead, he stood still.
Calm.
Even though the pain in his back was intense, Jade's expression remained strangely focused.
He knew something very clearly.
"I might die here."
The thought came to him without fear.
Without hesitation.
He had entered this trial knowing death was a possibility.
And now he had stepped directly into the danger.
But Jade refused to waste the final moments if that was truly his fate.
Slowly, despite the vine draining him, Jade lifted his head.
His eyes focused forward.
Toward the thing he had noticed earlier.
The controller.
Now that he had time to look more carefully, he could see it clearly.
Hidden among the thick roots of the massive tree was a thick plant stem rising from the soil.
It looked nothing like the surrounding vines.
While the vines were long and flexible, this stem was thicker and rigid, almost like a twisted trunk.
Its surface was dark green with faint red lines pulsing beneath its bark-like skin.
But what made it truly disturbing were the eyes.
Yes.
Eyes.
Several small eyes were embedded along the stem's surface.
They slowly blinked as they stared directly at Jade.
Each eye was dark and glossy, filled with an unnatural intelligence.
And every single one of them was focused on him.
Jade realized immediately.
"That's the real creature."
The vines were only its weapons.
The plant stem itself was the core.
The controller.
The true body of the Divine Wrath Vine.
The creature stared at Jade with unmistakable hostility.
Its eyes narrowed slightly.
A deep, primal bloodlust radiated from it.
Yet the plant itself did not move.
It remained rooted firmly in the ground.
The only parts of it that moved were the vines spreading outward from its base.
Jade noticed that clearly.
"It can't move," he realized.
"It can only control the vines."
The controller's eyes suddenly widened slightly as if it realized Jade had discovered its nature.
Then something unsettling happened.
The plant's bark-like surface twisted slightly, forming what looked disturbingly like a smile.
A wicked smile.
It knew Jade had been struck.
And now it was enjoying the moment.
The vine embedded in Jade's back pulsed again.
More blood flowed through the plant's body.
The controller's red lines glowed faintly brighter as it drank.
Jade's body reacted immediately.
His skin began losing color.
His face grew paler.
The strength in his limbs slowly weakened as his blood continued being drained.
But Jade didn't collapse.
He didn't scream.
He didn't beg for help.
Instead, he continued staring at the creature carefully.
Studying it.
Analyzing it.
Even as his body weakened, his mind remained focused.
"If I'm going to die…" he thought.
"At least I should learn something."
His eyes carefully scanned the controller's body.
The thick stem.
The roots spreading into the ground.
The clusters of vines branching outward.
The glowing red lines pulsing inside it.
Every detail mattered.
Behind him, the vine continued draining his blood rapidly.
The sensation was growing colder now.
Jade could feel his strength slowly fading.
His fingers trembled slightly.
But his gaze never left the plant.
Meanwhile, the fighters watching from a distance had seen everything.
The moment the vine struck Jade, several of them winced.
One man shook his head slowly.
"He's finished."
Another sighed quietly.
"I don't think he'll survive."
A woman nearby crossed her arms, her face filled with regret.
"What a waste."
Someone else nodded.
"He had good reflexes."
Several of them had been impressed earlier when Jade ran through the vines.
For a beginner, his movements had been unusually sharp.
His reactions were quick.
His body control was good.
Many new participants froze the moment they faced something dangerous.
But Jade had done the opposite.
He had kept moving.
Dodging.
Observing.
Thinking.
That alone had impressed the observers.
But now…
It seemed to be over.
One man rubbed the back of his neck.
"What a shame."
"He had talent."
Another person sighed.
"If he had just run away like the rest of us…"
"He might have survived longer."
Someone else spoke quietly.
"If I were in his place, I would already be screaming for help."
A few people nodded.
That was the natural reaction.
Pain like that…
Being impaled and drained by a monster plant…
Most people would be shouting desperately.
Begging for assistance.
But Jade wasn't doing any of that.
He simply stood there.
Silent.
His back pierced.
His blood being drained.
Yet he remained calm.
Watching.
Studying.
Even as his skin grew pale and the strength left his body.
The observers found that strange.
One of them spoke softly.
"That kid…"
"He hasn't shouted even once."
Another man frowned.
"Maybe he's in shock."
"Or maybe he's just stubborn."
But one older fighter narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
"No."
"That's not shock."
The man looked carefully at Jade's posture.
Despite the vine in his back…
Despite the blood loss…
Jade's eyes were still sharp.
Still focused.
Still calculating.
"He's thinking," the older fighter said quietly.
"He's still analyzing the creature."
Several others looked again with surprise.
And when they did…
They realized it was true.
Jade wasn't looking at the vines.
He wasn't looking at the people around him.
He was staring directly at the controller.
At the plant with the eyes.
The creature continued draining his blood, its wicked smile still visible on its bark-like face.
The vines around Jade swayed slightly like predators waiting for their prey to weaken completely.
And in the middle of it all…
Jade stood there.
Pale.
Bleeding.
Silent.
Watching the creature carefully.
As if searching for something.
As if searching for one final answer before his strength disappeared completely.