episode_0054

“Met the creator of the Tower?”

Shaela and I were deep in conversation.

The topic was about the initials of the Tower’s creator.

“The Tower’s creator has been hiding since fighting with his colleague and being saved by Atalixia.”

The Tower’s creator’s initials.

Conflict with colleague Estel.

Atalixia’s rescue and escape.

I explained the background of the Tower, where the creator went into hiding, Atalixia died, and Estel became the owner of the Tower.

It’s like a hidden myth of the Tower.

“So, the one called Initial there told you that your essence is the World Tree?”

“Yes.”

“Haha… Why did the atmosphere suddenly become heavy? Do you remember how flustered you were when he suddenly asked if you were a monster?”

“…Forget about that.”

“You’ll remember it for the rest of your life~ It was quite cute.”

“……Anyway.”

After that, Shaela and I discussed various things.

Atalixia’s intentions.

The credibility of the Initial’s story.

Speculations about who Estel is.

Each one’s thoughts on the Tower.

And what to do next.

What seemed daunting to handle alone became easier with him by my side.

And so, we came to this conclusion.

“We need to expand our territory.”

We live our lives our way.

We’ll strengthen ourselves to succeed Atalixia in case of any danger in the city, but we won’t interfere in the Tower’s conflicts as the Initial desires. Even if we do, it will be much later.

For now, we’ll continue living as we have been.

Protecting this place is overwhelming enough.

A satisfactory conclusion.

“Alright~ I’ll go for a walk and come back. I’ve made plenty of fruits.”

Shaela went on a food hunt under the guise of a walk.

I expanded my territory to fully control Atalixia’s Misty Forest.

We moved as usual.

However, ever since absorbing Atalixia’s dimensional roots, I’ve started feeling a subtle sensation, though I’m not sure what it is yet.

And so, after two more days passed.

“Finally, is it time?”

The time had come for a new body modification to awaken.

Misty Forest, Day 132.

Crack!~

Finally, the emotional moment arrived.

I examined each of the five modified bodies that emerged from the fruits.

1. A human with a tail and bloodshot eyes.

A mix of Cardaphion and Swallios’s genes, but they seemed scattered.

2. A humanoid creature with a large eye on its belly.

Swallios’s genes were well expressed, but it had a grotesque black skin.

3. A humanoid creature with tentacle-like fingers.

A simple failure in controlling the tentacle genes.

4. A human with scales.

The body became stronger and tougher, but Swallios’s genes almost disappeared.

5. A seemingly ordinary human.

Strong physical strength and well-expressed Swallios traits, but the skin on the face sagged and looked incomplete, indicating a short lifespan.

Not a bad result overall.

No masterpieces, but useful data.

I removed the tentacle traits and made them more human-like.

Moreover, subjects 2 and 5 can use Swallios’s abilities for manipulation, hypnosis, and brainwashing. We can further develop this.

It’s a shame that the regeneration ability didn’t match well with the human body, so I couldn’t apply it.

Perhaps with more research on regeneration abilities…

Therefore.

Swoosh.

Excluding sample 2, I buried the rest under the house for reabsorption. Maybe next time, I can make them even more human-like.

Now, onto…

Swish.

I approached the fruits a bit further back.

Five fruits with specific body parts made separately and mixed with suitable genes were waiting quietly.

These are not living beings.

They are fruits that cannot awaken.

They are nothing more than organic items.

Therefore.

Pour!

Swoosh.

Tearing open a fruit with his hand, he pulled out something from inside.

Swoosh~

A human arm emerged.

Covered in scales and inscribed with unique mana circuits, it was an arm that couldn’t be considered alive, but was functioning as a battery, powered by the sturdy veins and skeletal structure.

Expected lifespan: about a day.

And the ability of this arm was…

*

Outside the village.

Somewhere in the misty forest.

Paaahk!!!-

An energy wave shot out from the hand, swallowing a whole tree.

As expected…

Just by injecting mana into the living arm like a staff, a specific array appeared on the palm, emitting a powerful beam.

The energy attack used by slave hunters.

Among other emission abilities.

By merging with other body parts and aligning them to the appropriate areas, it was possible to generate overwhelming power.

Although the arm couldn’t withstand the impact and broke…

This was a great discovery.

Creating a living weapon.

Moreover, there were still four more items left.

Drip drip.

Lifting the living weapon from the ground with the stem, he carried it in his hand.

This time, the creature to be tested was a head.

A fierce red-eyed puppy-like creature.

More accurately, a monster head mixed with the genes of a Cardepyon and a mist forest monster.

This creature was similar to the weapon just now.

Grabbing the head and forcibly opening its mouth.

Injecting mana like this…

Gooook!!-

A ball of light gathered at the mouth,

As it absorbed more mana than expected, he continued to inject it as desired.

Gohoooook!!-

The light became even more intense.

Unlike the beam that had just been fired, it felt much more powerful.

Firing.

Kwagwagwagwag!!!!-

Kwaaaaa!!!-

The expanded light extended straight ahead by 1m. The breath lasted for about 4 seconds and could be redirected in the middle.

This attack was much more powerful than just now.

No, it was stronger than all my other attacks.

It wasn’t comparable to a real breath, but this level of power was enough.

However.

Pussh.

Fssss…

With one attack, the living weapon couldn’t withstand the force and melted halfway.

Since it was a creature whose lifespan would end in a day or two anyway, it didn’t matter, but there was a significant limitation.

Improvement was necessary.

Durability and lifespan needed to be increased.

More experimental data needed to be collected.

Swoosh.

Next, he raised something squishy.

This time, the living weapon was a tentacle stem mixed with the genes of Swallios and Dryads.

It resembled a mace.

A long tentacle stem could be held as a handle, with countless thorn tentacles protruding in all directions from the central spherical shape.

Despite its appearance, it was too squishy to be used as a blunt weapon, but it could emit mucus upon impact and stick to the target to release a secondary venom.

The handle tentacle could stretch due to inertia, and if handled well, it would become a formidable weapon.

Well… this one also has a usage period of a day.

The rest were similar.

Having groundbreaking effects, but unable to withstand overload and quickly destroyed.

Still, he was satisfied.

Ideas were pouring out.

Lowering the effectiveness, allowing self-regeneration with nutrients and mana, and integrating with Volcan might create a decent weapon.

Although mass production was difficult, if only the elves of Shinmok were armed with such weapons…

His enthusiasm surged.

There was a long way to go.

More research was needed.

Therefore, he returned home and once again created five new fruits.

This also required many trials and errors.

Let’s complete it step by step.

“Moochan~ I brought food!”

Wriggle wriggle!~

Shayla returned from her walk.

Once again, the chubby stem danced its way back, merging with the floor of the house as it pleased.

That’s the spirit I gave Shayla.

I think I named it ‘Chan’…

Resembling Shayla, it would merge with the floor of the house and contribute nutrients as it pleased.

However.

“…Now you’re openly asking to be fed.”

“Ah!… Th-that was just a joke. Well~”

“Fine. I know walking is just an excuse. I brought it for you.”

“Oh? You knew?”

“Isn’t it strange that I didn’t notice?”

“Hmm… Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now. Chan! Eat a lot and grow up healthy!”

“…I’m not a child, you know?”

“But you’re a plant, right?”

“……?”

Shayla chuckled softly, retrieved the stem, and wore it like a bracelet.

A happy face.

But soon, it crumpled.

“Ugh… W-what is that?”

His gaze fell on a Swallios-modified flesh sample in the corner.

An experiment with a large eye on its belly.

The lower body was covered with stem clothing, but the large eye on the belly remained exposed.

Perfect timing.

Disruption.

Hallucination.

Hypnosis.

Brainwashing.

Sensory amplification.

Even though it was a failed creation, this eye could mimic Swallios’ abilities.

I really wanted to test it out.

“…Why are you smiling at me?”

“I wanted to show you the greatness of that body.”

“Huh?….”

If it were Shayla, she could easily resist the hypnosis ability and express her thoughts.

“It’s faster to experience it than to talk about it. Feel it once.”

In a flash!!

She quickly drew out the mental abilities of the eye.

After all, the opponent was a goddess.

There was no way to resist.

She went all out.

Sssss!-

It seemed like a sound was coming from her body.

A faint red aura emanated from the eye, and an intangible force enveloped Shayla.

“Huh?….”

“How does it feel? You should know.”

Shayla blinked her eyes for a moment.

Of course, my abilities couldn’t penetrate Shayla’s mind, let alone stay there for a moment.

“What did you just do to me?”

“That was the ability the tentacle monster I caught used on me last time. It can hypnotize, brainwash, control the body, change thoughts and emotions, induce hallucinations, or enhance senses. It’s still weak, but… is it okay?”

“……”

Embarrassment.

Was it something she imagined?

His face turned red.

“What is it? Why aren’t you answering?”

“W-what, what strange ability… What were you trying to do to me with that ability?”

“Hmm?”

Nervousness.

What mode is this?

“You can’t do anything to me. I just quickly showed you the ability because it wouldn’t affect you.”

“…Is that really all?”

“Is that not enough?….”

Phew~

A sigh.

At the same time, Shayla quickly turned around.

“Well~ It wasn’t anything special. I’m going for a walk.”

“A walk?… You just went.”

“Just. I want to go again.”

With a nonchalant evaluation, he left the house and the stem plumped up again as it merged with the main body.

Suddenly curious, Shayla read the memory of when the stem merged with the main body.

In Shayla’s memory.

‘I wonder… Should I have let it catch me?’

She was muttering to herself.