Gathering Wives with a System

Chapter 592: Great Luck Of The Tree Of Harmony Finally Activates!

Nearly two hours after Isaac and Catherine entered the Fourth Area, Riener and his party finally reached the first Mini Boss chamber inside the Third Area.

Every member of the group looked battered after fighting continuously through the maze.

Their armor carried fresh damage, several people had visible injuries, and Sarah looked noticeably tired after repeatedly supporting everyone with healing magic. Despite that, they remained focused as they entered the chamber.

The area was empty.

Sarah looked around in confusion before turning toward the others.

"Did that unknown party already defeat the Mini Boss?" she asked, unable to hide the surprise in her voice.

"Let’s check the next location first. We should still be able to get the other Mini Bosses." Riener frowned and tightened his grip around the hilt of his massive sword.

Nearly two more hours passed before they reached the second Mini Boss chamber. Just like the first one, it was completely empty.

No one spoke during the journey to find the third monster. Since the Third Mini Boss could travel throughout the Third Area, it took them six hours to affirm their suspicion.

The third Mini Boss was gone as well.

Riener slowly looked around the empty chamber of Boss Monster while piecing everything together.

"There hasn’t been any announcement revealing the Boss Monster’s location since we entered the Third Area," he said quietly.

"That means the unknown team defeated all three Mini Bosses and the Boss before we even entered the Third Area," James, the tank, added.

Silence spread through the group as everyone processed those words. They had always considered themselves among the best independent parties in the Sector, and they were confident they could compete with most teams from yesterday’s Great Dungeon competition.

Yet someone else was progressing through the dungeon so quickly that they couldn’t even understand how it was possible. The gap between the two sides felt much larger than any of them had expected.

"Where did such a powerful team come from?" Sarah muttered softly. No one answered because they all wanted to know the same thing.

...

Isaac stepped through the portal into the Fourth Area before stopping in place. Catherine also froze beside him as both of them looked at the landscape spread out before them.

"This... is surprising," Catherine said after several seconds. Even with all the strange things they had encountered inside the Great Dungeon, this was something neither of them had expected.

Isaac slowly looked around while trying to make sense of what he was seeing.

"Do you think this has something to do with the good luck from the Tree of Harmony?" he asked after a moment.

Catherine continued observing the surroundings before giving a small nod. "It could be one of the reasons."

Isaac slowly looked around the Area while taking in every detail. A massive forest stretched in every direction, and the towering trees blocked much of the sky above them.

Even after seeing many strange plants, he couldn’t recognize a single species growing here.

The trees were enormous, with trunks several times thicker than ordinary trees. Their bark looked unusually sturdy, while faint traces of mana flowed naturally through every branch and leaf. The entire forest felt alive in a way Isaac had never experienced before.

Without saying anything, Isaac walked toward the nearest tree. He raised his sword and casually cut through the trunk with a single swing. The enormous tree crashed onto the ground almost immediately.

Several notifications appeared before his eyes the moment the tree fell.

Sturdy Bark Gene harvested.

Extreme Height Gene harvested.

Quality Improvement Gene (★) harvested.

Isaac studied the notifications quietly instead of moving on. The first two genes were not particularly surprising because powerful plants naturally developed unusual traits. What interested him was the Quality Improvement Gene.

Ever since awakening his Talent, every plant had provided one of those genes. Whenever he fused it into a seed before planting it, the crop slowly became better over several generations, eventually producing much higher-quality plants.

That wasn’t what drew Isaac’s attention right now. Instead, he looked deeper into the forest where movement had caught his eye. A rabbit almost as tall as his waist quietly hopped between the trees, while several thorn-covered vines grew from its back.

Isaac narrowed his eyes as he observed it.

"I don’t want to jump to conclusions. but I’m pretty sure that’s a plant-type hybrid monster," he said,

"I think you’re right. It has obvious plant characteristics in addition to being a monster." Catherine nodded with a smile.

Isaac thought of his Talent. If those creatures truly possessed plant traits, then perhaps they could also provide genes just like ordinary plants and crops.

He wanted to chase after the rabbit immediately, but he stopped himself. There was another matter that deserved his attention first, and it would only take a moment to confirm.

"You think the lumber from this forest would be valuable?" Isaac asked while keeping one eye on the rabbit. He didn’t want it wandering too far away before he finished checking a few things.

Catherine looked down at the fallen tree and inspected its wood carefully.

After a brief examination, she nodded with confidence. "The lumber here is far better than anything from the First Area. The real problem isn’t the quality, it’s bringing workers here safely."

Isaac had already been making plans for resource gathering. One of his long-term goals was to organize teams that would repeatedly enter the Great Dungeon to harvest materials like mana-rich stone, valuable lumber, and other natural resources.

That was one of the biggest advantages of controlling a Great Dungeon. As the number of cleared Areas increased, both the quality and concentration of mana increased as well. Naturally, everything growing there also became more valuable.

Unfortunately, the earlier Areas weren’t ideal for harvesting. The Second Area revolved around undead creatures, so even its trees contained lingering death energy that could slowly curse people exposed to the lumber for too long. The swamp water was worse.