Chapter 17 – What Lives Within the Swamp

As he lay there in the mud, unmoving, he called out to the system inwardly, and the notification screen flickered before his eyes.

You have defeated: [Crimson Pitcher Devourer Lv. 18]

Class Leveled Up: [Druid Lv. 14 > Lv. 16]

Talent Points gained: +4

Battle Tokens earned: 800

Multiple Skills Leveled Up. Check Skills status.

Alert: You have reached Level 15. New skills may now be selected from your Class Tree.

Then he checked his status and noted down any increases in skill effectiveness.

…

Level: 16

Talent Points: 12

BT: 2210

Class: Druid – First Awakening

Arcane Path: Sealed

Health: 174/650 | Spirit: 190/410 | Mana: Locked

Physical Condition: Weak Human Vessel (Mild acid burns, two cracked ribs, two broken ribs, torn left shoulder, cracked forearms)

Spirit Core Stage: Seed Formation

Skills: Seedling (F) LV.12, Thorn Whip (F) LV.13, Minor Shapeshift (F) LV.7, Barkskin (F) LV.5, Seedling Companion (F) LV.8, Nature’s Wrath (E) LV.8, Potioncraft (D) LV.3, Basic Swordsmanship (F) LV.5, Cat Form (F) LV.5, Rejuvenation (F) LV.5, Static Strike (E) LV.6, Follow Me! (F) LV.1, Spectral Wolves (D) LV.4, Entangle (F) LV.2, Healing Flow (C) LV.3

Feral Skills: Prowl (E) LV.2, Claw Strike (F) LV.5

…

Static Strike and Claw Strike had the biggest jumps in levels. It seems whatever influenced the battle the most grew that much faster, though Rejuvenation and Healing Flow had grown as well, likely because they had to mend such severe wounds, and the healing wasn’t done yet. Healing Flow might level up further. He concluded, satisfied, and opened the Skill Shop while remaining still.

[Cure Poison (E) 3TP], [Grow! (D) 5TP], [Thornshot (F) 2TP], [Feral Roar (F) 2TP], [Wind Spear (E) 3TP], [Stoneguard (E) 4TP]

[Cure Poison (E) 3TP] – Pour spirit energy into your target, cleansing it from poisons up to E rank in strength or reducing the potency of poisons above D rank by 35%, up to B rank. Can be used once a day on a designated person. Spirit Cost 200.

[Grow! (D) 5TP] – Become one with the forces of nature, command the natural order, and pour your will and energy into plants, guiding them to grow, adapt, and become stronger.

Skill effect scales with level and tier.

No Spirit cost but requires a significant level of energy control.

[Thornshot (F) 2TP] – Summon thorn bullets and fire at your enemies. Shoot up to 6 projectiles per cast. Damage scales with tier and level. Costs 80 Spirit per cast.

[Feral Roar (F) 2TP] – While in feral form, unleash a roar imbued with spirit energy and your willpower, causing enemies weaker than you to flee in fear and empowering allies, increasing their overall speed by 10%.

[Wind Spear (E) 3TP] – Shape the winds into piercing spears under your control that detonate on impact into a storm of sharp wind blades. Each spear costs 90 Spirit to conjure.

[Stoneguard (E) 4TP] – Command the earth beneath you, raising a two-meter-tall and wide wall for protection. Costs 150 Spirit to cast.

Most of these look great… But looking at it objectively, some are non-negotiable. I’ll take Cure Poison and Wind Spear, that leaves me with six more points. Hmmm. I’d like access to Earth spells as well, but this Grow skill has far too much potential. Let’s hope I can pick the rest later.

He made his decision and spent his points, leaving himself with only a single point to spare.

Like that, he grew a little stronger while his body still lay in the mud, absorbing the abundant spirit energy in the surroundings. Most of it went into healing his wounds, while the rest was split between his seed and Sprout, who had climbed onto the nearest tree, standing watch for any predators that might wander too close.

***

Almost an hour passed before Maximus rose from the mud, his wounds healed, his bones mended, and his skin regrown. A few scars remained on his forearms, needing time to fully fade; some of his ribs still ached, and his shoulders felt tight, but he confirmed that his health had recovered and he was no longer in immediate danger.

“That was way too close for comfort. Just what is this place… Damn that guard!” he cursed as he knelt beside the plant’s floating corpse and scanned it with his Mana Sense.

He followed the flow of mana through its veins until he found its core, an emerald sphere pulsing with natural energy, roughly the size of an egg. He carved it out carefully with his kitchen knife and then traced the mana further until he located its leafy, heart-like organ, which he extracted with equal care.

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[Crimson Pitcher’s Spirit Pump]

A plant-like organ used to circulate mana and spirit energy through the body of the Devourer plant.

Due to the immense amounts of stored nutritional viscous liquid refined by both mana and spirit energy, it can be used as an ingredient in body-strengthening elixirs.

Quest Created: Collect all ingredients of a Rare Body refining elixir, successfully prepare it, and reforge your weak body.

Ingredients found: 2/4

Rewards: 5 Talent Points, Strengthened Body

“Oho! Finally, one of those quests appeared again! Let’s see, what are the other ingredients?” He focused inwardly on his trove of knowledge, his soul feeding Maximus’s mind with secrets long discovered by Aurelius.

He stood there for a moment until a spark of light flashed within his gaze. With these ingredients, there are two possible recipes: the Crimson Glade Decoction and the Nectar Marrow Serum. Both should strengthen this weak body from the inside out and help me increase spirit energy absorption and storage. But I don’t want to do just that. Since this body is a blank canvas, I should aim for something greater, a foundation for both mana and spirit within a single vessel. I’ll call it the Primordial Physique… And it will be my very first step into the unknown. He clapped his hands together, a smirk forming on his lips.

If there was one thing Maximus loved, it was research and the creation of something entirely new. And now, he was about to step into something he had never attempted before.

“To do this properly, I’ll need to find an ingredient containing pure mana and something containing pure vitality. The Blood Orchid contains pure spirit energy gathered over the years; the Pitcher’s Pump contains liquid purified by mana and spirit energy. Now I need true, untainted mana, and something to bind it all together while also keeping me alive through the process.” He laughed loudly. “Oh, my stars, this is exciting!” He grinned as he stored the massive plant’s corpse, whether for potioncrafting or selling later, he wasn’t about to let it go to waste.