Chapter 189: Botanist or Assassin?

A brutal impact came from above. Luke threw himself sideways on instinct. Something slammed into the ground where he’d just been, a shockwave burst outward, hurling him into the trunk of a tree.

[Forest Minotaur – Lvl 52]

Luke hit the ground and rolled, coughing hard. “Shit…”

The minotaur stood there, staring him down. It drew a deep breath through its nostrils, and Luke understood what it was doing. It was smelling him on purpose. Then the beast charged, holding a massive double-bladed axe glowing with natural runes.

Luke unsheathed his kukris. The first blow came down with brutal force. He dodged back, narrowly avoiding the strike, and blocked the follow-up with his offhand blade. The creature roared. Its left hand slammed into the ground, forcing Luke to leap aside. But the monster came at him like a raging bull. Luke shifted into mist mid-air.

The minotaur barreled through his ethereal form only to blow a violent gust of wind from its lungs, dispersing the fog and forcing Luke to rematerialize. He hit the ground hard. The minotaur was already mid-leap, axe raised high. Luke brought up both kukris just in time to block, the clash sparked violently on impact. The difference in strength was undeniable.

The creature’s eyes burned orange. Its mouth opened and he saw the glow gathering.

“…Ah, fuck.”

Luke flung himself backward. A blazing torrent of fire erupted from the minotaur’s jaws, tearing a straight line of destruction through the forest floor. Trees behind Luke ignited in an instant, roaring with flames. No time to think. He reached into his bag and grabbed a sealed flask, black glass, waxed top.

“Let’s see if this crap actually works!”

He hurled it. The flask shattered against the minotaur’s chest, releasing a plume of sticky, smoking gray liquid. The creature screamed, stumbling back. The substance sizzled and burned, his shadow mixture, the acidic blend he’d created using Dark Blood. The minotaur shrieked, staggering. The acid wasn’t strong enough to kill but it bought Luke a few precious seconds.

He backed off quickly, trying to calculate his next move. But then… he felt it. A subtle tremor passed beneath his feet. Trees in the distance began to sway, parting slowly as if something massive was forcing its way through.

“Oh shit…”

He barely had time to feel satisfied about the corrosive flask before she arrived. The giant serpent burst from the jungle, carving a path like a living avalanche. Luke recognized her instantly: The Beast Lord.

The creature that had been hunting him since that first encounter. And now she had heard the minotaur’s screams.The monster slithered closer, its head weaving between branches. Golden eyes locked onto the minotaur, still writhing in pain. She paused. Sniffed. Then began sniffing the entire area. But Luke was no longer there.

He was sprinting through the jungle with everything he had. One hand smeared Green Camouflage Mud across his body, masking his scent. The world around him dissolved into chaos. His breath ragged. Branches tearing at his clothes.

The serpent’s roar echoed behind him. He knew. The Beast Lord was hunting him. Ever since that first stare. Since the moment he dared to survive. Luke wasn’t just an intruder anymore. He was a potential threat and the creature knew it. He ran farther until he found an old, hollow trunk. Without hesitation, he dissolved into mist and slipped through a narrow crack in the wood. Inside, total darkness. He waited. Silent. Invisible.

***

For a long while, Luke stayed hidden in absolute silence, listening to the sounds of the forest. Even though the Beast Lord hadn’t found him, the risk hadn’t passed. The creature was massive enough to flatten entire groves just by slithering through them. But it didn’t happen. The monster moved in the opposite direction.

Luke silently thanked the camouflage mud for masking his scent. When he was sure it was safe, he emerged from the hollow trunk. This part of the forest was filled with towering trees, tall as buildings. He scanned the area, trying to catch a glimpse of the Beast Lord, but the serpent blended naturally with the jungle, her colors vanishing into the foliage like a true apex predator.

He let out a long breath. It was clear now he couldn’t return to that region to gather more plants for his experiments.

“If that snake finds the cave, I’m dead. She’ll never leave…”

***

Luke arrived back at the cave after spending nearly half a day in the forest. Samael was nowhere in sight. There were times he simply vanished. According to him, it helped “stretch out” the limited time he had with Luke.

Kalysto folded her arms the moment he walked in. “Where have you been? Lady Artemis was hungry.”

Luke let out a tired sigh. “She’s always hungry…” he muttered.

Kalysto still wore the soulbound necklace, but the storage enchantment was linked to Luke. Only he could withdraw or store items from it.

Right on cue, Artemis’s voice echoed from within, bright and cheerful as ever: “Hey, Luke! How was the expedition? I heard last time you picked up some… rather interesting plants.”

Luke paused. “If you’re talking about the Energizing Catuaba, it was purely for scientific purposes. I repeat: scientific.”

“…What?” Artemis asked, confused.

“Never mind.” He looked away, dodging the topic entirely.

Kalysto stared at him. Serious. Silent.

Luke raised his hands in surrender. “Alright, alright. I’ll feed your ‘lady.’”

He walked to the table, grabbed the dishes, and touched the necklace around Kalysto’s neck. The food vanished, stored inside.

“Mmm… this smells amazing!” Artemis said from within, already delighted.

“I did my best, Lady Artemis,” Kalysto replied with a serene smile.

Meanwhile, the hungry soul made exaggerated noises of pleasure, like she was dining in a plane of gourmet ecstasy.

“By the way, Luke… I’ve been respecting our agreement, okay? I didn’t eat any of your food.” A pause. “Well… maybe one or two things. But I really tried.”

Luke just shook his head, too tired to argue. Instead, he made a beeline for the lab. He tossed the satchel onto the workbench and began unloading plants one by one, organizing them by species, color, scent, and texture. But the most important specimen was still sealed in the special case: the Noctora Heart-Rot. He left it untouched for now.

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Instead, he walked over to the cauldron, now cooled. Carefully, he took a metal ladle and began transferring the dark liquid into glass vials. One… two… four vials in total.

Mental note: Need more flasks. Throwing acid breaks one every time.

Over the past few days, Luke had been studying the effects of his acid. It wasn’t powerful—more like boiling water on skin—but it was still a weapon. As he sealed the final vial, a system notification blinked into view.

*Your profession [Botanist of Mother Freya] has reached Level 10! (Bonus attribute points acquired)*

[You have acquired a Profession Skill]

A new window opened in the system interface. Luke raised an eyebrow. Now he had choices. The first ability, he immediately recognized its origin.

[Plant Sensor (Uncommon)]: Allows the botanist to detect the presence of plants in a nearby area by sensing their natural signatures as sensory echoes. The skill also enables filtering by specific plant types, functioning like a botanical sonar.

“Plant sonar, huh…?” He crossed his arms.