Acquired the Skill 'Predation'
Gotcha.
Quaddddududuk! Roots erupted from all sides like explosions, tightly wrapping around the straw cicada monster.
Patsutsutsu! It flapped its wings frantically, but the firmly coiled roots held strong.
But...
I stared at the straw cicada monster.
This isn't the end of it!
I poured strength into the roots.
And then—
Chwaaaaaak! The straw cicada monster was flung sideways.
Thud! The ground shook.
No, it wasn't just any ground. I'd softened the soil with Land of Abundance, then asked the water spirit to fill it with water.
Now it was a deep, soggy mud pit.
I recalled a memory from my past life. A summer day when rain poured like a waterfall. Under the eaves, I saw a cicada struggling. Its wings caked in mud, unable to fly, just flapping helplessly on the ground.
Mud will ground its wings. That was the plan for this straw cicada monster too.
Patsutsu! Just as expected.
Embedded in the mud, the straw cicada flapped its wings, but the more it thrashed, the more mud clung to them.
Squelch. Squelch.
Patsu.Patsu... Its wingbeats slowed.
Its two legs were already broken from the crash.
Yes!
I couldn't hide my excitement and immediately started Nutrient Absorption.
Juuuuuuk!
That was the moment.
Ptooey! The straw cicada twisted its proboscis and spat something out.
Suddenly.
Ugh!
The instant it hit my root, agony exploded. Sizzle. Sizzle. Like the root was burning away.
Poison?
A cicada spitting poison? Does that even make sense?
The immense pain sapped the strength from my root. The straw cicada didn't miss the opening.
Patsutsutsu! It twisted its body, crawled out of the mud, and thrashed to rip the roots free.
Patsut!Patsutsut!
No!
Too late. It shot into the air.
At least its wings were still caked in mud.
Patsu.Patsut. Wingbeats definitely slower now. Legs dangling broken.
But...
It's flying.
Slower, but flying.
Monsters are different, huh.
Not going down easy.
I tensed my roots taut.
A feeling hit me. This fight... it's going to be tougher than I thought.
Round 2 began.
Patsutsut! The straw cicada dove straight for my trunk.
I desperately thrust up roots.
Kwajik! They barely caught the proboscis.
But it didn't end there.
Ptooey! Poison spit from its proboscis. The hit root snapped off on the spot.
Ugh...
I gritted—well, whatever passed for teeth—and extended another root.
Chwaaak! It snagged a leg clean.
Patsutsu! But the straw cicada twisted free fast, shredding the root with its sharp legs.
The tearing sensation shot up to my trunk.
It hurts...
But I couldn't just sit there.
I kept extending roots. One from here. One from there. One from behind. From all directions.
Patsutsut! The straw cicada ascended, spraying poison downward.
Ptooey! Ptui! Two more roots burned away.
This poison's the worst part.
The spirits watching anxiously from the side shouted.
"Hey! Up there! Behind you!"
I pulled roots underground while surging others up elsewhere.
Before the straw cicada could react.
Shwaaaaaak! A Spirit Power Enchant-infused root slammed its side.
Puuuuk! Solid hit.
Black smoke billowed from the straw cicada's body as it wobbled.
Yes!
Patsu!Patsut! It steadied itself mid-wobble with frantic flaps.
Then counterattacked immediately.
Ptooey! Poison flew toward my trunk.
Block it!
I raised roots like a shield.
Sizzle. Sizzle.
Three roots melted where the poison hit.
It's fine. Trunk's safe.
Patsutsu! Meanwhile, the straw cicada looped back around.
Slower speed now. But proboscis still aimed at me.
I hid roots deep underground.
And waited.
The moment it dives.
Patsutsutsu! It started its plunge.
Now!
Quaddduk! Roots burst up—not head-on, but diagonally.
Patsu! The straw cicada twisted away, but...
That's not the goal!
I flung mud from the root tip onto its wings.
Patsut! A scream-like sound.
Ptooey tooey! Poison burst reflexively.
Sizzle. Sizzle.
Another root burned.
Aaah, it hurts!
But I gained something too. Thicker mud on the wings.
Just a bit more.
The straw cicada's wingbeats flying through the air visibly slowed. Turning speed off too. Like it was barely holding together.
Stamina's draining.
And mine was too.
Wonder how long I can last.
Honestly, it was rough. My whole body screaming.
But I have to.
We're almost there.
That instant.
Patsut.Patsut. The straw cicada's wingbeats slowed dramatically.
Just a bit more.
I'm hurting too, but whoever drops first loses.
Ptooey! Poison flew.
Weaker than before. One root burned, but vitals safe.
Meanwhile, I extended roots from all sides.
Hurled them at the slowed straw cicada.
Puuuk! Hit square on the head.
Patsu.Patsut... Wings even slower.
Body trembling, staggering, then...
Thud. Crashed to the ground.
Now!
Quaddddududuk! Roots exploded upward from everywhere.
Wrapped wings tight. Trunk. Legs. Proboscis. Everything.
Tighter, more thorough than before.
Ptooeeey! Tried to spit poison, but with proboscis wrapped, it only melted some roots.
Not letting go.
I dove straight into Nutrient Absorption.
Juuuuuuk! Something rapidly drained from the straw cicada's body.
Way richer than that brief taste earlier. Stimulating, with a sharp bite.
The poison, maybe. Still tasty, though.
Slurp. Sluuuurp.
Its struggles stopped.
Then—
Cr crunch! It crumbled away.
...
I stared blankly at the spot.
I won.
For real.
I won...
Roots everywhere—cut, burned, snapped. Barely any intact.
Without that pit, I'd have lost for sure.
As that thought crossed my mind, the spirits swarmed in.
"You okay?!"
"You're hurt bad!"
"You won!!"
Thanks to you guys. The mud was key. Appreciate it.
"Right?! We were awesome!"
"Mud was the strategy!"
"Yeah! Without my water!"
The spirits giggled excitedly.
As I watched them fondly, a window popped up.
Poison (Lv. 1)
Generates poison.
Bloodsuck (Lv. 1)
Absorbs life from living beings to recover HP.
Oh.
Two new ones.
Poison?
From that proboscis-spitting straw cicada, huh. Seems useful.
Its poison was a real pain in combat.
And the other skill.
...Bloodsuck.
The function's great. Roots like this now, and I'll get hurt plenty more.
Recovery skill's handy.
But...
Kinda like Nutrient Absorption?
Both absorption-based. Having two similar ones feels redundant.
They're different, sure... Nutrient Absorption steals skills. Bloodsuck heals.
Hmm. Can I use both at once?
Or better, merge them...
As I thought that—
Infinite Growth
Huh?
Nutrient Absorption + Bloodsuck
What?
Fusion?
And then the window appeared.
Predation (Lv. 1)
Maximizes nutrient and mana absorption efficiency. Absorbed energy can be used for recovery. Chance to acquire unique skills from absorbed lifeforms. Higher levels increase skill acquisition probability.
I stared blankly at the window.
Predation. Nutrient Absorption and Bloodsuck merged into one.
Better absorption. Recovery. Skill steals intact.
Jackpot...
This is my combat style perfected.
I fluttered my leaves.
Love it!
At that moment, at the entrance to Pirel Forest.
Hoofbeats halted as the search party stopped.
Leading them: First Imperial Princess Ashelia.
Her eyes sharpened as she gazed into the forest from her horse.
A forest she'd visited before. But something felt different.
Ashelia silently turned to the side.
"Do you sense something?"
There stood a girl with long pink hair: Saintess Lillia.
She'd had her eyes closed atop her horse. Now she slowly opened them.
Her sky-blue eyes turned to the forest.
She spoke softly.
"I feel it."
A quiet voice.
"A sacred power."
Ashelia's eyes narrowed.
She feels it? Then the Oracle's Protagonist must be in Pirel Forest after all.
"Where?"
Lillia gazed deeper into the forest instead of answering.
"Not sure exactly where."
Her sky-blue eyes sparkled.
"But definitely inside."
Definitely...
Ashelia's gaze sharpened.
"Then let's go in."
With that, Ashelia's search party entered Pirel Forest.