Cyril Sarnath
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Chapter 191
🕑 Added 2023-10-27 18:53:10 +0000 UTC"We can't trust her," Kora whispered.
That much was a given, and Keynes was surprised Kora even felt the need to verbalise it. He kept his focus on Sophia, who was smiling cynically.
"So, what's it going to be? Are you in or out?"
"Okay," Keynes finally said, sensing tension emanating from Kora's aura. "And as a token of good faith from us, know that the Grand Druid wasn't pleased with Zephyr."
"I'm aware," Sophia replied.
"Maybe you are," Keynes added, not convinced that she knew it.
Turning his back on Sophia, Keynes walked away, Kora and their guardian following him. Once they were out of earshot, Kora questioned him. "Why did you agree to help her?"
"Because if I refused, she'd act against us out of spite."
"She'll betray us," Kora said.
"Yes, and we'll be prepared for that," Keynes responded.
"That's sound logic," their guardian interjected. "It's wise to keep enemies close. Additionally, acquiring such information didn’t come cheaply for her. You'd need a lot of favour points for me to share it."
"I agree with the logic," Kora said, "it's just her personality that makes me want to punch her. Her priorities for spending favour points also don't inspire confidence."
Upon returning to their tree house, the guardian asked them to wait outside. With the completion of the mana garden challenge, guardians were now authorised to assist the contenders with their gardens and tree houses. This assistance, however, would last only until the next challenge was announced, giving them just three days to benefit from it.
"Your work on the tree house is acceptable," the guardian said, a hint of amusement in his voice. "You're on the right track, but you're missing nuances that truly make a difference. Often, it's the little details that separate mediocrity from excellence. To excel, you have to not just follow patterns or techniques in gardening, but also understand the world around you and give it what it needs."
"Sounds like focused gardening," Keynes remarked.
"Focused gardening? What's that?" the guardian inquired.
"I spent time with some of the world's best gardeners. They explained three prevalent methods: the natural method, where plants are dictated by the environment; the standard method, which is commonly used everywhere; and the focused method, where the environment is so rigorously controlled that even the breeze is artificial," Keynes elaborated.
"Interesting," mused the guardian, stroking his green beard. "Your methods aren't wrong, just incomplete and inefficient. The natural method can only be as good as the environment allows, so you'd need to find an extreme environment for exceptional results. Good luck with that. As for the focused method, it would work well because plants prefer stability. However, the ultimate method you should aim for is druidic gardening."
So it was called druidic gardening. Something to explore in the future.
The guardian swiftly moved through their tree house, mumbling incantations, touching surfaces in a seemingly random pattern. But it didn't end there; Keynes sensed the guardian manipulating his spiritual aura as well. The level of precision astounded him. Multiple threads of the guardian's aura moved simultaneously. All these actions together painted a vivid picture of druidic gardening for Keynes: it was communion with nature.
The dream tree responded, and the air shifted, becoming infused with new scents and a fresh vitality—and was that essence? Yes, it was. Though not a substantial amount, finding essence outside of killing rift and dominion monsters was rare. The changes extended beyond the physical realm; even the dream tree's spiritual aura transformed into a soothing balm.
Exiting the house, the guardian continued his ritual in the backyard. He stroked plants, sniffed them, blew air at them, dug his hands into the soil, and sprinkled it around.
"I'm not sure about this," Kora said, joining Keynes. "It doesn't seem related to gardening."
"And yet," Keynes gestured at the various patches of plants. Some flourished, while others withered. Their backyard was rapidly transforming into a vibrant mosaic of flowers, fruits, and vegetables.
That night, they lay outside on the grass, immersed in the serenity of their new natural sanctuary. They felt not just accepted, but part of something greater than themselves.
***
The marketplace lay outside the village inhabited by the Children of the Forest. Contenders were allowed to interact with the Children here, but conversations were strictly limited to trade. The Children in the marketplace appeared different from those they'd encountered earlier; a sense of maturity and solemnity marked their demeanour. Their offerings ranged from physical items like seeds and potions to aid in exchange for quests. These quests weren't part of the System and typically involved fetching specific ingredients from the wild areas of the Inner Sanctuary.
This was the only place where contenders were permitted to use violence, but only against monsters and solely in self-defence or as part of a quest. Needless destruction of nature would result in disqualification.
Keynes and Kora accepted a quest to hunt a shadow-stalking sparrow. They arrived at the edge of a tall, dark forest that stretched like a man-made wall. The forest emanated an aura of danger, which Keynes and Kora chose to ignore. Their guardian bade them farewell, unable to accompany them inside. He had warned them earlier that while the monsters inside were capped at Level 5, the forest could augment their power, pushing them far beyond that level.
"Ready?" Keynes asked.
"I am," Kora replied. Unlike Keynes, she wore several pieces of armour, together increasing each of her attributes by 10 points. While Keynes hoped to train his attributes naturally, Kora had no such reservations and followed the guardian's advice.
Stepping into the forest felt like entering another world. Their vision was immediately obstructed, prompting Keynes to activate [Night Sight]. Besides the oppressive aura, the air felt heavier, tinged with a sharpness that kept them alert.
"Kora," Keynes said.
"On it." She activated [Nature Aura] along with [Mind Fortress] to counter the forest's oppressive atmosphere. Surprisingly, her time with the mana garden had honed her skills to the extent that [Mind Fortress] was barely necessary. The key was controlling the diameter of the aura with precision, keeping it within a threshold her Mind attribute could handle.
Next, she reversed the flow of information. [Nature Aura] usually informed her about her surroundings. To make the skill work as she intended, Kora had to impose her will on the world around her through [Nature Aura]. It wasn't easy; nature resisted domination. But with her Talent, she managed it.
The forest seemed to freeze. Then, with an almost imaginary sigh, the oppressive aura retreated to the boundary of Kora’s [Nature Aura]. The air became fresher, the darkness less oppressive.
Trees with claw-like spikes began to retract their barbs under the influence of [Nature Aura], no doubt hiding some sinister intent. The sight was mesmerising, but Alice caught Keynes' attention in time.
Monsters are approaching from your left, she warned. Snakes with a strong earth affinity.
Snakes with earth affinity... Sounds like earthworms.
Very funny, she said. Don’t complain if things go south.
"We have company," Keynes informed Kora.
"Already?"
"Yes, but let's wait for them to make the first move. I don’t want the Grand Druid to claim we were the aggressors."
"Fine by me."
The two earth snakes didn't attack. They avoided entering the perimeter of [Nature Aura] after their initial foray, seemingly repelled by Kora’s influence.
As they ventured deeper into the forest, Alice kept a lookout for the shadow-stalking sparrow. Thanks to his Trait of Shamanism, Keynes extended his spiritual senses to a range of over fifty metres.
Spiritually, the forest remained hostile. Entities moved in a realm beyond normal perception, some with a spiritual presence rivalling that of the dream tree. The forest made Keynes ponder the kinds of spiritual worlds that might exist inside rifts. Hidden rewards had already suggested that rifts contained secrets, and he was eager to explore these mysteries. He also looked forward to finally levelling up.
"I'm going to step outside your aura," said Keynes.
"Why?" Kora queried.
"I want to test some things."
"Okay."
Exhaling, Keynes felt the oppressive aura and the darkness of the forest envelop him once more. His focus was on the spiritual realm. Would a guardian's druidic techniques work here? he pondered. But the idea seemed unlikely; he wasn’t sure how to fully embrace the spiritual world without putting himself at risk.
As if sensing his vulnerability, the earth snakes lunged. Keynes dispatched them with use of [Spiritual Wraith] and [Mana Shot]; they were only Level 3. Moments after their demise, their bodies turned to black soil and were reabsorbed by the earth.
With [Spiritual Wraith] activated, Keynes felt more at ease; even the trees pulled back their malevolent auras, alleviating the darkness and the tension in the air.
Despite its menacing aura, this forest felt tamer than the forest outside the Inner Sanctuary. Most of the monsters they encountered here either ignored them or fled. The ominous atmosphere also receded as the variety of trees changed. Clearly, a specific type of tree was responsible for the initial dread.
However, the relentless attacks from the earth snakes persisted. These annoying nuisances attacked at every opportunity. They dispatched hundreds with minimal effort and increasing doubt. What's the point? Keynes wondered.
Eventually, they reached a stream at the bottom of a steep gorge, its water as black as ink.
Shadow-stalking sparrows hunt near here, Alice advised. Be cautious; their perception seems high.
Kora took a seat on a fallen log as Keynes scouted the gorge. Planning to use [Spiritual Wraith] to silently approach and capture the bird, he noted the sun at its zenith. They had ample time to complete their quest.
***
"You said it would be a piece of cake!" Keynes exclaimed.
"I never said that!" Kora retorted.
After Keynes had captured a shadow-stalking sparrow, the unexpected occurred: the ground shook, and a potent spiritual presence surged from below.
Earth Elder Snake (Rare; Earth)
Level: 5
Abilities
[Progenitor] – Spawn two Lesser Earth Snakes (ACTIVE).
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[Cursed Existence] – Earth Elder Snake temporarily gains attributes if its Lesser Earth Snakes are killed (PASSIVE).
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One With Earth – an ability to move through earth unobstructed (INNATE).
Details
The Earth Elder Snake is a massive creature with a diameter of one metre, displaying sheer arrogance by engaging only with opponents it deems worthy. Mysterious and elusive, its heart holds the unique power to transform any soil it encounters into fertile terra preta.
Despite Keynes’s use of [Spiritual Wraith], the Earth Elder Snake attacked him anyway. Either its perception was keen enough to penetrate the skill's veil of spiritual invisibility, or its intelligence was more aligned with the guardians than with common monsters. This encounter served as another reminder of the dangers of relying on a single skill.
The snake manoeuvred underground, partially masking its spiritual signature but not entirely, which allowed Keynes to pick up a general sense of its location. The problem was that the snake only surfaced to attack, retreating quickly afterward. The forest added another layer of complexity. Keynes had to dodge tree spikes and avoid being entangled by vines. To make matters worse, his mind was under constant mental attack. Although his Pure Body buff provided some protection, the forest's assaults were relentless.
Instead of retreating, Keynes chose to escalate. He released his full spiritual aura, forcing even Kora to distance herself further.
Amid the chaos, Keynes couldn't help but marvel at the forest's reaction to his spiritual presence. Trees quivered as if in anger, leaves and vines recoiled. For some unknown reason, the Dark Forest rejected Keynes, and his potent aura seemed to injure the very nature around him. While he didn't yet understand the specifics, he intended to find out.
Standing still, he awaited the snake’s next move. Far from being intimidated, the snake's spiritual aura surged, rivalling Keynes's in intensity and clearly aligned with the element of earth.
Despite its keen senses and arrogance, the snake was ultimately predictable. It lunged directly from below, falling right into Keynes's trap. Keynes ascended to compel the snake to expose more of its body. At the last possible moment, he activated [Chaos Aura], targeting the snake's head. Since Chaos had become a buff, Keynes's control over the aura had improved dramatically. In less than two seconds, the snake's head vanished into vapour, leaving its headless body coiled around the trees.
The influx of essence was considerable, but Keynes was more intrigued by the snake's heart, which purportedly had the power to turn any soil into terra preta.
"Your aura is practically cheating," Kora said, approaching the snake's lifeless body as Keynes began his search for the coveted organ.
"I agree," Keynes replied, then silently cursed. The Earth Elder Snake's heart was encased within a rib cage of earth-hardened bones.
Take some of the bones too; they feel valuable, Alice advised.
Keynes agreed, but their Ancient Treasury ring couldn't yet accommodate such a volume, and their dimensional pouches were already filled with miscellaneous items, skills, and raw materials.
"Help me here; we'll take as much as we can carry," Keynes instructed Kora.
They couldn't take much given the snake's size, but they were satisfied with their haul. Now, they had to decide what to do with it. Fortunately, their guardian was waiting where he had left them.
"Earth Elder Snake? A commendable find. It only targets prey it considers worthy," he remarked.
"Not the smartest move," Kora observed.
"One shouldn't expect rational behaviour from monsters," the guardian said, to which Keynes almost cited the Father as a counterexample but held his tongue. "However, the Earth Elder Snake's behaviour serves a purpose. If it succeeds in killing its target, the corpse becomes high-quality fertiliser. In return, the forest grants various blessings to the snake, creating a symbiotic relationship."
"The System didn't mention that," Kora noted.
"I'm sure that's intentional," said the guardian. "The System is designed to foster growth through adversity."
"What should we do with these materials?" Kora shifted the topic.
"You have three options," the guardian replied, peering into the dimensional pouch filled with the snake's remains. "Sell them to the Children for favour or components. Utilise them in your own garden, if you understand how—raw materials can be problematic. Or take them with you when you leave the Inner Sanctuary. As for the heart, keep it secret and use it in the competition; terra preta will give you a significant edge."
"Unless someone else defeats another Earth Elder Snake," Kora interjected.
"Unlikely," the guardian shook his head. "Keynes only managed it because of his exceptional spiritual sense and unique aura. Most physical attacks are ineffective against earth-affinity creatures. Even if someone else does manage, you still have the first-mover advantage. Reap the benefits while you can."
