episode_0055

Foggy Forest, Day 133

Tree Trunk House

“Koo-hee-hee… hee-hee…”

Shayella let out a strange laugh.

The intertwined Flame Tree in the center of the house was soon to be completed.

Given her strong attachment to the Life Tree she had created before, it seemed like she had high expectations for the Flame Tree.

What kind of effect will it have?

“Stop laughing and come out.”

“Why? Is it done? Is it finally ripe!?”

Shayella asked eagerly, her eyes gleaming with greed even though they were covered by a blindfold.

“When are you going to take off the blindfold?”

“Hehe. Why? Do you want to see?”

“I thought you still haven’t fully recovered.”

“If you just want to see, you can be honest~”

“Fine.”

Swish.

She approached the Flame Tree closely.

She could feel that the fruit was ripe.

It looked like a demon fruit with a strange purple pattern on the outside, but inside, it contained a very soft pink flesh.

There was a mysterious power emanating from it.

If fed to a clone, it might become significantly stronger without any modifications.

Drip~

There were a total of three fruits.

She dismantled one of the pillars and lifted the fruit the size of a watermelon with both hands.

“Wow… it’s a radiant color. Is that it? Do we just eat it?”

“…Wait a bit.”

Shayella immediately leaned in close.

Without hesitation, she peeled off the thick outer skin of the fruit.

Crunch.

Squish~

A fist-sized pink flesh was revealed.

At first glance, it looked like a peach, but it had a perfect spherical shape and contained a very powerful energy.

“Look at how smooth the texture is.”

“Now eat it.”

“Alright!!”

Shayella grabbed the fruit eagerly.

But instead of eating it right away, she playfully rubbed the fruit on her cheek with a wide smile.

“Aww, it’s so cute~”

Swish, swish.

She caressed and felt the fruit.

“…Are you planning to eat it?”

“Of course. Where should I taste it first!~”

Waaah~

She took a big bite.

At the same time, a part of the fruit melted and flowed into Shayella’s mouth, seeping into her body.

“What… what is this. It’s not liquid or gas, but it fills my mouth and flows into my body with this refreshing energy!!…”

Waaah!!

Another bite.

Once again, the part that touched her mouth melted and seeped into Shayella’s body.

It was a fascinating sight to behold.

Is the concept of eating this correct?

“How does it taste?”

“It’s insane!!! This is absolutely insane!!! Amazing!!!!”

This was Shayella’s biggest reaction so far.

There was no trace of her goddess-like dignity.

Waaah~

“Yum yum.”

But it didn’t feel bad.

Feeding her the carefully crafted fruit…

Wait, did I just think of it from a very plant-like perspective?

Anyway.

How much stronger did this make her?

“How does your body feel? Do you feel recovered?”

“Recovery? Hm!… Maybe I’ve recovered a bit?”

“Can’t you tell me properly?”

“Well…”

She evaded the answer again.

This guy. He never tells me how much she has recovered whenever I ask.

If he keeps doing that…

“If you don’t tell me, I won’t make any more fruits in the future.”

“Oh, no!!!”

“Then tell me about your body condition.”

“Are you curious about my body?”

“…Your tone seems off?”

Why is she blushing?

Fortunately, Shayella didn’t tease her further and just spilled the beans.

“Sigh~ I have no choice. I’ll tell you.”

“Is there a problem?”

“No, it’s not that. I… honestly, I don’t even know my own body right now.”

“You don’t know?”

“Well… I haven’t fully recovered, but it seems like the limit of my strength is increasing compared to before.”

“Hmm?”

“Your fruit is making me stronger for the future. In the past, I didn’t see any effects no matter what I ate, but since the resurrection, my limits have been increasing every time I eat the fruit.”

“Can you overdo it and recover?”

“Kind of. It’s more like purifying the curses that have ruined my body, which seems to be expanding my limits. That’s why I’m deliberately suppressing my recovery. It seems like there won’t be any effect if I recover.”

“Curses?”

“It was a curse that even I couldn’t break, but your fruit purified it. Your fruit strengthened me while I was under the curse. So, I’m in a state where my recovery is less. I have to stay like this in the future.”

“Interesting… it’s a vague state.”

“Exactly.”

“So, how much stronger can you get?”

“Unfortunately, it didn’t increase significantly. At first, it was just recovery.”

“But the limits of the future… how do you know that?”

“By intuition? That’s why I asked for another fruit to test it.”

“Then, how was the effect of the Flame Fruit?”

“I told you. It was insane. The effect was much greater than when I ate the Life Fruit. It felt like I became 1-2% stronger.”

“Just 1%? Wait, if 1% is enough for you…”

“It’s the power to break through the walls of a space battleship with a punch and kill Alberto.”

“So, the 1% you mentioned back then wasn’t a lie…”

“Hehe. You’re starting to realize my greatness now.”

His brow furrowed involuntarily.

He had expected it since he subdued Kardephion with two punches last time, but he couldn’t accurately measure the level of power.

He needed a more proper unit of measurement.

For example…

“In your current state, how many of those guys like Kardephion do you think you could defeat?”

“Hmm, that’s a tough question. If we assume those bastards are very good at teamwork, maybe around 20? If they’re reckless, I could easily handle over 30. But if I get hit, I’ll be hurt too.”

“In a fully recovered state?”

“Well, I don’t know. Those guys might need a slightly harder hit for me to send them packing in one blow, so I won’t know until I fight them. But I don’t think I’d be too scared even if they come at me in a group. As long as they’re not divine beings.”

“Phew…”

He was speechless, overwhelmed by the thought.

He was considering whether he could barely defeat one of them by using both his main body and his avatar.

Not afraid even if they come in a group?

Of course, there were surely beings stronger than Kardephion in the ruling class, so it was difficult to gauge the exact level.

But still, the difference was clear.

Being able to face dozens of beings that could destroy a country by themselves.

What on earth…

“Well… eat more fruit and get stronger.”

“Hehehe. Of course. If you offer the fruit well, I’ll protect you well.”

“…I feel reassured…”

Something.

He felt doubtful about getting stronger.

He felt like no matter what he did, he would be weaker than this guy.

And would he keep getting stronger as he ate more fruit? Endlessly?

“So, can I eat that too?”

Shayella pointed to the Flame Fruit, which was in a state of two remaining pillars.

The answer was immediate.

“No.”

“Why?”

“That’s mine. I was planning to feed it to a suitable body I made. Or maybe to an Elven of the Divine Tree.”

“Ah… that’s a shame. Can’t I just eat it?”

“If I have the time, I’ll make more for you. By then, there will be a much wider variety of fruits.”

“Really!?”

“Until then, don’t recover.”

“Don’t worry. I’m completely controlling it now. My body won’t recover unless I want it to.”

“That’s quite impressive… anyway, since your domain is expanding rapidly, you’ll be able to make more next time.”

“Hehe. Mm-hmm~”

Swish~

Shayella’s smug mode.

He approached me from behind, seeming pleased, and placed his hand on my shoulder.

“…Why are you making that sound again?”

“Because I’m proud.”

Tap tap~

Warm and friendly response.

It’s not too bad in a strange way.

No, I’ve gotten used to it.

Every time Shael ate a fruit, she expressed her joy with that thick, hearty voice.

It’s hard not to be happy when the creator who used to have no room for growth is getting stronger than before.

And… she’s kind of cute too.

*

Day 135 in the Misty Forest.

The thick trunk of a house tree stretching for tens of meters.

The village spanning 500m and the trunk barrier.

The main root system reaching a radius of 1km.

Separated trunks spreading out to a radius of 5km.

By focusing on that, my senses greatly expanded, and I could feel the forest’s view.

I just felt it.

The clarity of nature.

Perhaps because I realized the existence of spirits.

All the views of the separated trunks in the distance are now clearly visible.

Monsters passing by.

New shoots sprouting.

New humans being discarded.

I could see the entire ecosystem at a glance.

It dawns on me again that I have become a much stronger and broader presence than before.

I may still be weak against ruler-class beings, but with my main body, avatars, and subordinates, I might be able to handle one.

But facing a city is still far beyond my reach.

I can only rely on Shael.

I need to gather more power.

Therefore.

Swoosh.

I focused on all the trunks at the edge of the territory.

Until now, I had the elves plant separated trunks to expand the territory.

It’s a very good method, but as the territory expands, it becomes inefficient. I have to move further and the expansion speed is decreasing.

I can’t keep doing this forever.

I have to move myself.

It’s not difficult.

Now that I have grown significantly and realized the spirits, I can control the separated trunks that are far away more easily and extensively.

Thump!

Swoosh~

At the end of the 5km radius.

I split the trunks at the edge of the territory into multiple pieces.

The separated trunks scattered further away than the territory and rooted back into the ground at a suitable distance from the existing territory.

The spirits are helping me.

It’s not too difficult when I concentrate.

Although a lot of nutrients were consumed as they were far away, it will come back as a greater reward.

The daily nutrient production will gradually increase.

Swoosh~

I watched as the territory expanded.

I could feel the forest ecosystem in real-time.

The view expanding more and more.

Monsters chasing humans.

Slave hunters capturing humans.

Space distorting and people falling.

Perhaps because the territory has expanded, I could see all the unusual scenes that are usually hard to see.

[Kashian. Move a little to the right. There are humans over there.]

[…Yes!]

The third Kashian, who was patrolling the forest.

He was ordered to rescue the humans.

They will be tamed again in the village and reborn with great power.

With a clear goal, there is no hesitation.

Let’s grow faster.

To protect my village.

Swoosh.

I turned my gaze to the center.

This time, I carefully examined the main tree.

A giant tree that grew over tens of meters.

It’s a very big tree, but compared to Atalixa, it looks much smaller.

It was originally a creature that had been around for hundreds of thousands of years.

It will take a lot of time to catch up.

But before that.

Swoosh.

Rustle….

I examined the top branches.

It’s a subtle feeling as if the space is fluctuating.

It’s a sensation that I started feeling after absorbing Atalixa’s dimensional trunk.

The more I concentrate, the more I can grasp the feeling.

How should I control this.

What kind of phenomenon is this.

Let’s focus.

On the newly blooming ability.

On this subtle and fascinating sensation.

If I put in the effort…

Swoosh-

It felt like the trunk pierced something.

*

Somewhere on the 1st floor of the Tower.

A desolate land.

Thud!!

A trunk sprouted.

At first glance, it looks like a healthy plant, but when you check the roots underground, the story changes.

The stem seemed to extend into another world as if piercing through space.

And so…

Mu-chan’s stem reached the first floor.