Little Nepenthes

A «Little Nepenthes» (リトルネペント) was a level 3 plant monster found on the 1st Floor of Aincrad.

Appearance
Despite being called Little Nepenthes, there was nothing little about this predatory plant as it was a meter and a half tall. Its lower body consisted mostly of countless roots that were used to move around. It had two arm-like vines with pointed leaves attached to either side of its body, just above the roots. The center of its head held a wide red mouth with viscous liquids dribbling out of it as it opened and closed.

There were three distinct types of Little Nepenthes. The most common of the three was the normal Little Nepenthes with no distinct features. A second type of the Little Nepenthes was mostly the same as the first, except that it also had a red flower blooming from the top of its head and would drop a «Little Nepenthes's Ovule», the quest item needed to complete the «Secret Medicine of the Forest» quest. The third type of Little Nepenthes had a red fruit attached atop its head instead of the flower. If damaged, the fruit would emit an odor that would attract other Little Nepenthes to their location, almost guaranteeing death to all low-level players that were present.

Attack Patterns
The Little Nepenthes' attack patterns consisted of three variations. The first two consisted of the monster using its dagger-like vine leaves to either swipe or lunge at its target. The monster also possessed a special corrosive spray attack that could reach targets up to five metres away. The corrosive spray dealt substantial damage both to a player's hit points and their gear's durability, as well as impeded the unlucky player's movement due to the stickiness of the liquid it expelled. However, the spray's area of effect was limited to thirty degrees in front of the plant. Since the monster signalled its spray attacks with a clearcut pre-motion, consisting of the monster puffing its pitcher, it was relatively easy for a player to jump out of the way if they timed their moves right. On the other hand, since Little Nepenthes were primarily specialised for the offensive, they had weak defence against player attacks on them.

First Day


The Little Nepenthes were the main monsters to be fought during the «Secret Medicine of the Forest» quest. Kirito and Coper, two former beta testers, fought some of these monsters to find one who drops the item that would help them fulfill the quest. After more than a hundred of the monster were killed, two Little Nepenthes, one with a flower and one with a fruit, appeared. Kirito managed to kill the one with the flower and obtain the quest item. Coper, however, activated the trap of the one with the fruit in an attempt to Monster PK Kirito and steal the item. However, his plan of using the «Hiding» skill to avoid danger backfired and Coper was killed by the numerous monsters that arrived while Kirito managed to fight his way out.

Trivia

 * The Little Nepenthes' weak point is the part where its pitcher segment connects to its stalk.