Chapter 3: The Root Barrier and the Branching Path
The day of fast travel passed, followed by a night spent under the stars, broken only by the low, flickering shield of green light Master Thorne projected around their small camp. Liam was exhausted, but mentally energized. He had discreetly leveled his Basic Breathing skill to Level 3, simply through the sustained, demanding effort of the hike.
The second morning, the environment began to change drastically. The trees were unnaturally large, their bark covered in luminous fungi, and the scent of ozone and rich, damp humus filled the air. Liam's Level 2 Mana Sense registered the shift instantly; the emerald shimmer of ambient Mana was denser here, almost visible, like an enveloping fog.
"We are entering the Citadel's direct sphere of influence," Apprentice Sylva explained, her hand resting near a pouch at her waist. "The Sylvan Lands are saturated with life-Mana. It fuels our arts."
Around noon, they reached an abrupt halt. The forest path they were following was completely sealed off by a massive, organic wall. It was a dense, interlocking weave of ancient roots, thick as a man's torso, forming a barricade over twenty feet wide and eight feet high. The roots were gnarled and dark, looking less like a natural obstacle and more like a deliberate, living defensive structure.
Master Thorne turned, his gaze sweeping over Liam and the other two candidates who had been picked up along the way—a quiet boy with Neutral Affinity and a nervous girl showing a weak Fire Affinity.
"This is not a test of strength," Thorne stated, his voice ringing with authority. "It is a test of connection. The path is blocked by the Citadel's passive defenses. To enter, you must appease the path. You may use only your affinity, if you possess one, to clear a way for yourselves. The one who creates the clearest path will be the first to reach the Citadel."
The other two candidates looked terrified. The Neutral Affinity boy tried pushing the roots; they wouldn't budge. The Fire Affinity girl hesitantly tried to conjure a tiny spark, but it fizzled, the sheer dampness of the roots absorbing the heat instantly.
Liam knew this was his chance. He walked up to the wall, placing his hand flat against the cold, fibrous root structure.
This is too large for Level 0 control. He had to commit.
He closed his eyes, ignoring the others, and focused all his attention inward, commanding the System.
Basic Plant Control (Active): Lv 0 (45/100) - The ability to influence small, rooted plant life.
Action: Targeted Influence - Major Root Restructuring.
He imagined the heavy, dark green liquid—his Mana—coursing through the roots, lubricating the joins, and softening the woody fibers. He didn't try to push the wall; he commanded the roots within the wall to realign themselves—to snake apart and form a gate.
The mental drain was immediate and intense, far surpassing the gentle thrum of his earlier practice. His Mental Power began plummeting like a stone.
Crack!
A sound like straining leather echoed as the roots protested. Liam felt the power flowing out of him, raw and uncontrollable, but effective.
"Open!" he mentally roared, pouring the last of his current reserves into the effort.
The roots in front of him slowly, reluctantly, began to twist and untangle, pulling away from each other like thick, sleeping snakes. A gap, just wide enough for a person to squeeze through, formed in the center of the wall.
Liam swayed, his head dizzy with the sudden exhaustion of his mind. He opened his eyes, staring at the small, dark tunnel he had created. He had done it.
Basic Plant Control (Active): Lv 0 (45/100) -> (100/100) -> Level Up!
Basic Plant Control (Active): Lv 1 (22/200) - You can now influence small plants and manipulate the density and direction of minor, nearby earth elements.
Mental Power: 0.8 / 5.2 (Critical MP: Entering Recovery Stasis)
The Level Up notification was followed by a more profound change. The skill's description had expanded. It wasn't just about plants anymore. Earth elements. This confirmed the user's initial premise: his Nature Affinity was foundational, encompassing both flora and soil.
Master Thorne let out a low chuckle. "Impressive, boy. Most impressive for a raw Candidate. Go. Pass through and rest."
Liam, still trembling slightly, squeezed through the gap. As he passed, he saw the roots immediately begin to coil back, closing the gap behind him. He stumbled a few steps into a clearing, sinking onto a moss-covered log, initiating the critical MP recovery phase.
Apprentice Sylva followed him through, her expression inscrutable. She didn't offer aid, only critique. "You overexerted, Liam. A Wizard must always maintain a reserve. However, you succeeded. And what you achieved was not simple plant control; you manipulated the structure of the earth holding the roots together."
She pointed to the ground. "Your affinity path is the Geomantic Path, Candidate. You command not just the life, but the soil, mud, and stone from which life springs."
While Sylva waited for the other Candidates to fail and be ushered through by Thorne's less subtle magic, Liam focused on his system. He needed to understand the new scope of his power.
New Foundational Path Identified: The Geomantic Path
New Skill Created: [Basic Soil Manipulation (Active)]
Skills:
• Basic Plant Control (Active): Lv 1 (22/200)
• Basic Soil Manipulation (Active): Lv 0 (0/100) - The capacity to slightly alter the moisture content and stability of a small volume of nearby loose earth.
He had a new tool! The system was clearly guiding his specialization.
Just as the sun began to dip toward the horizon, casting the forest in long, gold-and-green shadows, Master Thorne appeared with the other, defeated Candidates.
"We travel no further tonight," Thorne announced. "But look ahead, Candidate Liam. You earned the view."
Liam looked up. Through the thinning trees, nestled deep in the valley, was the Sylvan Citadel.
It was not a traditional fortress of stone and brick. It was an impossibly colossal tree—a living, ancient redwood, thousands of feet high, its upper branches piercing the clouds. Buildings, terraces, and towers were grown into the bark and limbs of the tree itself, glowing softly with captured Mana. Roots the size of ships spread outward, disappearing into the surrounding forests. It was breathtaking, imposing, and profoundly magical.
Liam felt a fresh wave of determination. He was no longer on a dirt road. He was standing on the threshold of power.