Right at Azrael's feet, thin branches surged from the ground and wove themselves into a small bonsai tree. Its trunk curled into an S, crowned by a neat half-dome of leaves.
He tested it, feeding more mana into the bonsai as he crafted a spear-like branch. At his command, it shot forward, snapping out faster than he expected.
No wonder it hits hard. Conditional Sphere is A-Rank.
Within minutes, the bonsai outgrew its pot and stopped looking decorative. It became a real tree, reaching toward the Conditional Sphere's ceiling.
"It should make enough oxygen for you to stay in here for days, maybe weeks," Mary said. She passed through the Conditional Sphere's impregnable, invisible barrier like it wasn't there and drifted down in front of the tree.
To be safe, Azrael stayed inside a little longer to test her claim. Just like she said, it kept growing, producing oxygen and absorbing carbon dioxide.
"That covers one weakness," Azrael said with a wide sneer.
The moment he tried to shove the spear-like branch beyond the sphere, he hit the limit. Outside his zone, he lost control of it.
"That doesn't mean I can't attack out there," Azrael said.
Mary nodded. "Right. You can still extend the branch and keep it moving in a straight line."
More confident now, Azrael rubbed his hands together. "Let's start the real hunt, Kaya!"
Nearby, the alien woman's tongue kept tasting the air. She'd already spotted snakes slithering in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to strike. Unfortunately for them, Azrael was faster.
He let the sphere drop and noticed another difference.
"The tree stays behind. Nice," he said.
Without the skill active, he couldn't control it anyway.
Leaving it behind, Azrael pushed deeper into the forest. Behind him, the tree became an oddity, one no creature seemed eager to mess with.
—
Kaya kept her distance, spear ready. Azrael baited the Shadow Forest Snakes into striking the invisible shell, then skewered them with a conjured branch.
With every kill, using the Forest Law became easier.
Now he could form a waist-high tree in the blink of an eye and use its branches to attack. Each time he raised a new one, Kaya's eyes lingered for a few seconds before she refocused on her job.
A wave of dizziness rolled through him. "Ugh, I'm getting dizzy…" Azrael pressed a hand to his temple and squeezed his eyes shut.
"Mana shortage. You've been at it for a while," Mary said. "Take a break."
"Yeah."
Azrael raised another Conditional Sphere around himself and Mary, and a fresh tree sprouted inside it. Azrael lowered himself onto the grass and closed his eyes, aiming for a short nap, but sleep didn't come easily. Adrenaline and excitement still ran too hot through his veins.
I'm finally making real progress, but my average stats keep dragging me down. I killed 26 Shadow Forest Snakes and caught 10 alive, so my dungeon should be pretty satisfied too. And I still can't access the Dungeon Panel from outside.
Annoying as it was, he couldn't go home or back to his dungeon without restarting the whole adventure from scratch. He still needed a stronger variant of the Shadow Forest Snake, one that would push him past his limits.
With Azrael resting, Mary turned to Kaya.
"I noticed you keep staring at Azrael's trees. Is there a reason?" she asked.
"It reminds me of legends I heard a lot as a kid," Kaya replied, her voice edged with melancholy. "My Beastblood Clan has warriors with different beast lineages. Those lineages were bestowed on us by an elven clan that, for reasons unknown, was erased from the world's history. Master Azrael's new skill reminds me of them."
"I see." Mary nodded solemnly.
Then she glanced at Azrael, her face turning smug, her eyes twinkling. Jackpot.
If he opened his eyes right now, he'd see her smiling like the mastermind behind the scenes. And how could she not? His new skill was a score, the kind that could make him even more prominent than she'd expected. It was also a strong card for winning new allies in this world.
Sudden movement made Kaya spring up from the branch she'd been sitting on. She stared into the spaces between the trees.
A heartbeat later, the woods darkened, as if someone had draped a black curtain over the world.
Terror flashed across her face as the realization hit.
But we aren't close to the River Damases… a monster boss shouldn't be here.
"Wake up, Azrael. A monster boss for your first floor has come out sooner than we expected," Mary said as she floated up, clutching her umbrella.
Azrael opened his eyes and pushed himself upright. "I didn't even recover much mana… My Conditional Sphere can stay up until it's destroyed, but I doubt I can summon another one right now, let alone grow another bonsai. Should we ditch this place? I hate it, but let's be real."
"The reality is that you're one of the candidates for the Third Lord's seat, and I'm her creation. Special circumstances require special methods, and I shall deploy them now," Mary said, her baby face lit with pride.
Inside the sphere, a 5-gallon water jug appeared out of nowhere and slammed down with a heavy thud. The liquid inside wasn't clear water, but a bright blue fluid.
Azrael swallowed hard. Don't tell me you're about to make me drink all of it.
"Drink it all and completely refill your mana. We're taking a new pet back home today!" Mary said with a straight face, ready to help Azrael reach his first milestones.
Azrael's face went ashen.
She said it. You little bully!