episode_0002

[Suck it up!!]

Drip…

Swoosh.

I pulled out the stem.

In front of me stood a girl whose appearance had become haggard. It was because she had been fed my blood.

“Ugh… you damn…”

Swish-

Surprisingly, the wound where I had sucked blood was regenerating.

Indeed, quite an unusual fellow. He dares to target my entangled stem.

However.

“Haaa….”

Soon after exhaling a sigh, he opened his mouth with a calm demeanor.

“…Hey. You don’t plan on killing me, right? I’ll forgive you for sucking my blood so let’s have a chat, shall we? Are you listening to me?”

I am the absolute authority now.

He knew that and yielded first.

Asking for a conversation first.

Swoosh~

Tuck.

I placed the stem on his shoulder.

The conversation was what I desired.

I want to know what this place is. We must confront each other, him and the man.

[Who are you really?]

As our bodies touched, his telepathy reached me.

I cautiously murmured the words I wanted to say.

‘As you can see, I’m a plant. Can you really hear me?’

[Look at this. You understood me but pretended not to? And you even sucked blood on purpose?]

Strangely, we could converse.

He understood my words.

‘It was the best option for me.’

[Haa… I’ve seen all kinds of crazy things. I can read you like a book. You weren’t originally a plant, were you? Plants can’t speak.]

‘You’re right.’

[Hmm~ Quite fascinating, isn’t it? Anyway, it worked out well. I was terribly lonely. So, let’s start with introductions. I’m Shaela. What’s your name?]

‘Kim Woochan.’

‘Woochan?’

‘…It’s Woochan.’

‘Alright. Moochan. Let’s start exchanging questions now.’

‘No, you go first and tell me everything.’

Swoosh.

I deliberately ignited another stem in front of him.

[If it weren’t for this state, you wouldn’t have survived. No, you don’t even have bones.]

‘Tell me if you don’t want to die.’

[Well, I don’t think you’ll kill me, do you?]

‘……’

[You’re planning to use me anyway, right? So, we should both-]

Pwoosh!!

“Kyaaah!!!”

There’s no need to give up the upper hand.

There’s plenty of time left; I can just suck his blood and come back tomorrow.

Drip~

I greedily absorbed more of his sweet blood.

“Stop!! Please stop!!! I’m really going to die!!!! Please talk!!”

Pop~

I withdrew the stem.

His pale skin caught my eye.

Drip….

“Don’t tempt me again!!”

‘Then speak. Why are you trapped in a place like this?’

“Haa… I’ll tell you once, listen well.”

Shaela gave up trying to figure me out and began her story with a sigh.

“I am a god from a ruined world.”

It was a somewhat grandiose tale.

Shaela was sold dearly as the goddess of a world defeated by an invasion, and now, as you can see, she has become an experiment.

Do you believe it?

‘You don’t look very godly.’

“I’ve lost all my power. If you see my true form, you’ll be disappointed.”

‘Even then, you lack dignity.’

Silence.

“The lunatic attacks and sucks blood recklessly. What dignity should I maintain?”

‘Hmm…’

“And prejudices. If people accept them, anyone can become a god. Don’t mistake me for a great being. Unless you’re like me, most are just scraps.”

‘…I’ll believe you.’

‘I’ll trust you?’

“Ugh… why are you so unlucky?”

This world.

God.

My perspective expands.

The world feels fantastical.

No, I had already suspected from the moment I became a moving plant.

I was driven out of the well.

The outside world was vast indeed.

That’s all there is to it.

Once again, it’s not surprising at this point.

Let’s move on to the next question.

‘Who is that man experimenting on us?’

“Alberto. A mad machinist, as you can see. He’s also one of the tower’s caretakers.”

‘Tower?’

“…It’s a place that absorbs worlds.”

“What do you mean by ‘absorbing worlds’?”

“I don’t know. I’m a victim too. If you’re curious, ask that guy named Alberto directly.”

“Can you defeat this Alberto guy?”

“Defeat him? Probably.”

“How can I free you?”

“Hmm… Asking about something you know nothing about. Are you also an experiment? If I release you, will you kill Alberto? Is that what you want?”

“Yes. Is it possible?”

“Don’t you have any intention to hide?… Fine. It’ll be quicker to converse this way. If you have the stamina, it might be possible even if you’ve weakened. You still need to get that in order.”

“Then let’s give it a try.”

“Hmm?”

Swoosh~

The stem extended to cover the entire room.

There might be a device somewhere controlling confinement. That needs to be found.

“Muchan, it’s good to make an effort but stop now and go back. He’s coming.”

“He? Alberto.”

“If someone like you gets caught wrongly, you’ll die instantly, right? I recommend going back to your room without even thinking of watching. Come back later.”

“…I’ll return later.”

Ssshhhh!!

Quickly retracted the stem.

“You coward. Running away so fast.”

Zing~

As all the stems were retracted through the vent, Shaela’s room opened.

A man dressed in a gown appeared.

I’m curious about what happens next…

Following Shaela’s advice, I returned all the stems to their original positions. I don’t know how the enemy might detect me.

Now is the time to retreat.

*

Quietly checked my body.

Numerous intertwined stems on my body with small leaves blooming here and there.

I can control even those leaves.

Hide them.

Bloom them.

Make them flat.

Or bundle them up.

I may be a plant, but I am alive and can move more freely than animals.

If only I weren’t trapped here.

Zing~

“Kuh~ My treasure. Are you growing well?”

Alberto entered the room.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to notice my meeting with Shaela as he sprayed a bottle containing black liquid on me as usual.

“Grow quickly and bear fruit. It’s the blood of a Black Dragon, so powerful poison and mana will seep in. I’ve fed you all kinds of poisons, so something extraordinary should emerge. There’s hardly anything as expensive as poison. Keh heh heh.”

Poison?…

Drip drip~

Black Dragon’s blood entered from the roots.

There was no pain.

It was just delicious.

A familiar taste.

Perhaps I’ve been eating poison every day.

Shaela’s blood was delicious too…

Was there poison in that too?

Chiiing~

Steam emanated from the stems.

The toxicity spread throughout my body.

It felt refreshing and relaxing, making me feel good.

Interestingly, I could control substances presumed to be toxins. In other words, I could regulate toxins, water, and nutrients within my body.

Because this was possible, I could freely grow and shrink my body.

“I’m looking forward to how you will change in the future.”

The man sprayed several more substances, injected syringes into the stems, and administered unidentified drugs before leaving.

Checked my body again.

I could feel myself getting stronger in real-time.

What the man gave me wasn’t just nutrients; it was energy itself.

For example, the blood of the Black Dragon.

Tremendous energy could be felt.

Probably what the man referred to as mana.

I could feel mana circulating freely in every nook and cranny of the stems.

And where the energy accumulated most densely.

My main body.

A small bean.

I’m not sure if it’s a bean, but a small, hard sphere the size of a fingernail is my main body. Nutrients and mana are compressed and stacked here.

Overflowing vitality.

If I could manipulate this energy…

I tried moving the mana at the same time as I thought.

Swoosh-

It moved slightly.

Mana followed my will.

It was similar to moving plant stems.

Therefore, I made an effort to control mana as much as possible.

Shaela’s blood alone is not enough.

To escape from this place, I need to build up my own strength.

Training begins.

*

Swoosh!!

“Ack!!”

“Just a little more to feed on.”

[What the hell! Giving me blood every day, what’s the reason for drinking it!! This is blasphemy. Blasphemy, I say!!!]

Five days have passed since training began.

During this time, I consistently sent out tendrils to suck Shaela’s blood.

Feeding from the man alone is insufficient.

I desire faster growth.

Hence, my alternative plan.

Shaela’s bloodsucking.

Slurp slurp~

“Ugh!! It feels awful. Slow down!!”

Squelch!!~

I extracted a tendril. Pale Shaela glared back unpleasantly.

Naturally, he would be furious.

Being mocked unilaterally.

“Will you keep doing this? Not going to escape? With this body, I can’t even fight, you seem to be trying to get stronger, but no matter how much you try to increase your strength, you’re just a rookie to him. Just a guy with a bit more power.”

“I understand.”

“If you know, then stop feeding me? If you stay trapped any longer, you might not be able to fight at all.”

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know how to release you. Instead, I’ve prepared a gift.”

“A gift?”

Swish.

I concentrated nutrients and mana on a tendril in front of him.

Sizzle~ Pop!!~

“Huh?”

A fruit formed.

Alluring crimson.

Resembling a cherry tomato.

An ability acquired through training.

The fruit desired by the man. I could now create it myself.

No need to worry about toxicity.

It’s been neutralized beforehand.

A fruit packed with cleanly condensed essence inside the body. Presumably, it will taste delicious and brim with vitality.

At worst, it’ll be death if it goes wrong.

“Eat.”

“What… How do I know what this is before eating it? What if something goes wrong?”

“You’re not in a position to question that, are you?”

“…I want to hit you.”

“Like this?”

Smack!!

“…!!?!”

I slapped Shaela’s cheek with the tendril.

A sharper sound echoed than expected.

“You, you!….”

“…Sorry. I was just pretending to hit you, but it’s not easy to control the tendril as it grows longer. So, I ended up hitting you.”

“Grr… You’ll see once I’m free. You’re dead. Completely. Grrr!!……”

“Well, then I guess I can’t release you.”

“…Haha! Why so serious? It’s a joke. A joke!! Huh? Why take everything so seriously? We’re in the same boat. Let’s get along well.”

A very swift change in attitude.

Master of social life.

Is this a goddamn miracle?

First.

Thunk!

“Chomp!!”

Without delay, I shoved the fruit-bearing tendril into his mouth.

“This is real!!……….”

A very angry face.

But only for a moment.

…Munch munch.

“Oh!!?”

His mouth moves uncontrollably. After savoring the taste by chewing thoroughly, he reluctantly swallowed the fruit down his throat.

“…Hey. Got any more?”

“…You seemed to really dislike it just now.”

“When was the last time I had proper food? I’m hungry.”

“The bottom line is, is it tasty?”

“No, well… for energy recovery-”

Crackle~ Swoosh~

A faint green light emanated from Shaela’s body.

Even he looked surprised, his eyes widening.

“Huh. My body healed?”

“What’s going on?”

“The stagnant body… Huh. Is this a miraculous recovery?”

“If it’s just physical recovery…”

“No, no. This isn’t just that!!! This is insane. It’s not just healing. It’s not the kind of recovery you’d expect. It’s just a fingernail-sized area, but it clearly healed!!!”

“I’m not sure…”

“Hey, give me more. If I really release you, are you confident you won’t mess things up here? Since eating everything that looks good is what messed it up, give me a bit more.”

“No. Because everything that looks good has been smashed. I need time.”

“How much longer do I have to wait?”

​

“At least a week.”

​

Even at the mention of a week, Shael smirked.

​

“Alright then, it’s settled.”

​

His first smile she had ever seen.

A very self-assured expression.

​

Then he said,

​

“Let’s escape that day.”