Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System-Chapter 42: Power Of Fire Mage Sprout

Vikram slowed his breathing deliberately.

He synchronized each inhale and exhale with the rhythm of his steps, minimizing unnecessary sound as he moved forward.

Behind him, his Sprout Team instinctively adjusted their pace to match his silent advance, moving like living shadows within the darkness.

After roughly forty to fifty meters, the narrow passage abruptly widened.

The oppressive tunnel opened into a vast underground chamber.

A subtle change in airflow brushed against his skin, and Vikram immediately felt that breathing had become easier.

He narrowed his eyes slightly, forcing them to adapt faster.

This time, thanks to his enhanced physique and sharpened perception, his vision adjusted in just over ten seconds.

The scene before him gradually revealed itself.

It was a huge cavern — easily large enough to accommodate sixty or seventy people at once.

Its structure was irregular and roughly circular, with jagged natural stone formations creating uneven walls and ridges.

High above, a narrow natural shaft pierced through the ceiling, allowing faint traces of cold daylight and fresh air to seep inside. Because of this opening, the cavern did not feel entirely suffocating.

The darkness here was lighter... and the oppressive pressure that had haunted the tunnel was noticeably reduced.

Perhaps due to the cavern’s unique structure, wind currents were weak. Only the occasional brief puff of air brushed against Vikram’s face before disappearing into stillness once more.

"I’ve reached the main cavern..." he thought silently.

Then his gaze shifted.

On both sides of the cavern, faint flickers of light danced against the stone walls.

Near the ground beside it, someone had deliberately carved out a shallow stone tray.

Inside that tray, a single candle burned steadily.

The small flame swayed gently, trembling like a fragile soul — yet it never extinguished.

To his right, at nearly the same distance, another dark tunnel mouth waited silently.

There too, at about knee height, an identical stone tray held another quietly burning candle.

Neither flame was bright.

Neither flame went out.

The dim, wavering glow of the candles chased away just enough darkness to reveal shapes... yet at the same time, it deepened the cavern’s eerie sense of mystery.

In that silent underground world, the faint candlelight felt less like illumination — and more like an invitation.

The flickering candlelight gave Vikram an uneasy feeling.

It was the kind of dim, wavering glow that easily reminded one of ghost stories — of spirits blowing out lamps in abandoned places.

Yet no matter how unsettling it felt, it was still light.

And in such a suffocating underground world, light meant safety.

Light drove away darkness. Light weakened fear.

At the same time, it also reassured him that oxygen still existed here.

As long as the candle flames burned steadily, he would not have to worry about suffocating in the depths of this mine.

Maintaining a cautious pace, Vikram continued advancing along the passage.

Behind him, his Sprout Team followed in silence, their movements disciplined and alert. Guardian Sprout stayed slightly ahead on the flank, shield ready. Warrior Sprout moved low and swift like a lurking predator. Healer Sprout trailed quietly, releasing faint healing particles that stabilized Vikram’s breathing and fatigue.

Vikram himself kept his breaths slow and controlled.

He could feel it instinctively, he was getting closer and closer to the Kobolds.

His right hand tightened around the grip of his hunting bow.

Every muscle in his body gradually tensed.

---

After advancing another forty to fifty meters, passing two narrow turns and three more dim candles, Vikram suddenly froze.

He raised one hand slightly, signalling his Sprouts to stop.

Then he held his breath.

A faint but rhythmic sound echoed from ahead.

Clang... clang... clang...

It was the unmistakable sound of metal striking metal.

Vikram slowly crouched and moved forward another step, peering into the open space ahead.

A vast underground chamber revealed itself.

The ceiling here was roughly five meters high, and the area was even larger than the main cavern he had just crossed — wide enough to hold eighty or ninety people.

Vikram did not dare breathe too loudly.

His eyes quickly locked onto the scene more than forty meters away.

There, over a dozen strange creatures had gathered.

Two of them stood in the center, locked in fierce combat, while the others surrounded them in a loose circle, shouting and cheering like spectators in a brutal arena.

Vikram’s heartbeat unconsciously accelerated.

Kobolds.

This was the first time he had ever seen such monsters with his own eyes.

He carefully observed the dog-headed, man-bodied creatures.

From behind, their torsos looked mostly human — broad shoulders, hunched backs, muscular arms gripping crude spears and stone blades.

But their lower limbs were distinctly canine.

Their knees bent in a reverse angle compared to humans, giving them a slightly crouched and predatory posture even while standing still.

Most of their bodies were covered in coarse brown fur mottled with black spots.

Their heads resembled hyenas more than wolves or dogs — rounded ears, elongated snouts, and wide jaws that seemed built more for tearing flesh than speaking words.

Vikram narrowed his eyes and watched them for a while.

Only after carefully adjusting his angle did he finally get a clearer count.

One... two... three...

He silently counted each moving figure.

... eleven... twelve... thirteen... fourteen.

Fourteen Kobolds.

The realization made his mind sharpen instantly.

If this dungeon world followed any form of evolutionary logic, then these creatures were most likely closer to hyenas in ancestry than to wolves or other canines.

Their posture, skull structure, and aggressive social behavior all hinted at pack-oriented survival instincts.

Vikram lowered his body further, hiding in the shadowed edge of the tunnel entrance.

His gaze flickered between the cheering Kobolds and the two still fighting violently in the center.

A brutal internal duel.

Perhaps a training ritual.

Or a dominance challenge.

Either way, it meant one thing.

They were distracted.

Vikram slowly exhaled through his nose.

Fourteen enemies... In an open cavern... With narrow tunnels for retreat routes...

His fingers gently brushed the bowstring.

In his mind, countless possibilities began forming at once.

"How should I kill them...?"

He soon noticed that one of the Kobolds stood out from the rest.

This Kobold was taller than most of its companions. Its legs were longer, and its posture straighter, giving it a height of nearly one and a half meters.

A sheathed dagger hung at its left hip, while in its hands it gripped a loaded crossbow, the bolt already set in place.

Just the sight of that weapon made Vikram’s pupils contract slightly.

A ranged unit... dangerous.

Behind this crossbow-wielding Kobold stood two even more imposing figures.

Both of them were clearly elite fighters among the group.

One was nearly 1.55 meters tall, broad shouldered and thick-muscled. It wore an iron chestplate along with a leather tasset that protected its thighs. In one hand it carried a brutal-looking hand axe, and every few seconds it bared its fangs and let out a low roar, as if urging the fighters in the center to finish quickly.

The other Kobold was not as bulky, but it gave off a far more dangerous aura. Its height was just over 1.5 meters, yet its movements were calm and measured. A long sword, nearly eighty centimeters in length, rested across its back. New-looking iron armor covered its torso, and in one hand it held a candle, quietly observing the duel with narrow, calculating eyes.

This one looked like a veteran.

After observing them carefully, Vikram completed his assessment in silence.

The one with the crossbow is the biggest threat. The two armored ones are also troublesome. The rest... are just prey.

He counted again in his mind.

Fourteen Kobolds. His lips curled faintly. Not impossible. Time to kill them.

---

Vikram quickly ran through a combat plan.

The Kobolds were gathered in the open chamber, while he and his Sprout Team were still concealed in darkness at the tunnel’s edge.

That alone gave him a decisive advantage.

Fire Mage Sprout will strike first. A sudden burst attack can instantly eliminate one target.

When the rest react in confusion, Vikram himself would shoot down two more in quick succession.

After that, Warrior Sprout would charge in to finish several weakened targets, while Guardian Sprout blocked any counter-assault.

Healer Sprout would maintain stamina flow so none of them slowed down.

The distance between them and the Kobolds was over forty meters.

With their shorter, crouched legs, even if the Kobolds noticed the ambush immediately, it would still take them eight to ten seconds to close the gap.

That meant Vikram had a no-contact kill window.

He calculated rapidly.

Twelve to sixteen seconds of free attack time... Maybe even twenty if everything goes perfectly.

If he maintained peak efficiency, one kill every two to three seconds, he could eliminate six to eight Kobolds before the melee even began.

By then, Fire Mage’s flames would already be spreading chaos through their ranks.

Any survivors who reached them would be intercepted by Guardian Sprout’s shield control and cut down by Warrior Sprout’s finishing strikes.

In essence... It was a matter of timing and precision.

A battlefield equation.

Vikram slowly exhaled, calming the slight excitement rising in his chest.

His preparations complete, his eyes sharpened like drawn blades.

Then he gently raised his hand in the darkness. A silent signal.

Fire Mage Sprout, standing just behind him, lowered its vine-forged body slightly as ember-red energy gathered within its core like molten sparks about to erupt.

The moment he sensed Vikram’s intent, the Fire Mage Sprout did not hesitate.

He merely pointed a single finger toward the Kobold holding the crossbow.

That gesture was not a simple indication, it was like the pulling of a trigger of a gun.

A streak of compressed flame shot forward.

It was a bullet made of fire. It tore through the darkness at terrifying speed.

Before Vikram even had time to lift his bow—

"BAM!"

The Kobold archer seemed to sense danger for a split second. It halted mid-motion and instinctively glanced sideways toward Vikram’s direction.

But that was all it could do.

The flaming projectile pierced straight through its forehead with brutal precision.

Shock froze on its face.

Its body stiffened... then collapsed like a puppet with cut strings.

Everything happened in less than a second.

The surrounding Kobolds, even the two armored elites behind them, failed to react. 𝗳𝗿𝐞𝕖𝘄𝗲𝕓𝗻𝚘𝚟𝕖𝐥.𝚌𝕠𝕞

Even Vikram himself stood momentarily stunned.

"What the hell...?" he muttered under his breath, eyes wide.

He had expected power, but not this level of speed and lethality.

Before he could even issue another command, the Fire Mage Sprout had already entered continuous attack mode.

Another blazing bullet ripped through the air.

Then another.

Then another.

Within moments, the two armored Kobold warriors were struck down in succession, their iron plates useless against the penetrating heat and explosive force.

Flames flashed like meteor streaks in the dim cavern. Each shot was precise. Each impact was fatal.

The Kobolds began to fall one after another, their formation collapsing before they even understood they were under attack.

Only when several bodies had already hit the ground did the remaining Kobolds finally react.

They turned in panic toward the tunnel entrance where Vikram and his Sprout Team stood.

One Kobold let out a furious, trembling scream.

"Aaaarrrrrgggghhhh!"

But the cry had barely echoed before a fire bullet blasted through its throat.

The creature was hurled backward, rolling across the stone floor while letting out pitiful yelps.

"Yelp... yelp..."

The miserable sound faded quickly.

It died like a beaten stray.

---

Vikram stood frozen for a moment.

He looked at the burning Kobold corpses. Then at the Fire Mage Sprout. Then at Guardian Sprout, Warrior Sprout, and Healer Sprout behind him.

Only now did he truly understand.

The difference between Blue-grade Sprouts and a Purple-grade Sprout was not just strength.

It was the rank of existence. The blue ones were warriors. The purple one... was a battlefield commander.

All his careful calculations, timing windows, and tactical estimations had been rendered meaningless.

This wasn’t a battle. It was a one-sided slaughter.

"The power... is insane," Vikram whispered, unable to hide his amazement.

He had estimated based on the Kobolds’ height, build, and expected movement speed, trying to create a balanced combat strategy.

Reality proved far simpler.

The Fire Mage Sprout alone was enough to wipe them out.

In the blink of an eye, thirteen Kobolds lay dead. Only one remained alive.

It was Kobold wearing a leather kilt. The creature stood trembling, eyes unfocused, clearly unable to comprehend what had just happened.

Its hands shook as it raised its weapon weakly.

Then it suddenly screamed toward the deeper tunnels of the cave, as if sending a desperate signal.

A warning. Or perhaps a call for help. Moments later, its strength gave out. Its knees buckled. And it collapsed heavily onto the cold stone floor like others.