Day 14
A rabbit wandered near my core. It crept closer with each passing second, unaware of its inevitable fate.
It stopped a few feet away from me, probably avoiding the multiple carcasses littering the forest floor.
The thread reached out before I consciously decided to send it. It pierced the rabbit's chest, and a white light flowed from it into my core. The rabbit did not even have time to struggle.
I absorbed its spirit, and my reconstruction advanced, though only a little.
Since I had discovered my soul-draining abilities, I had been experimenting and documenting the results:
1. Creatures that are more powerful generally give me more energy.
2. The strength of a being's soul can be graded through color: White, Pale Blue, Blue, Cyan, Silver, Yellow, Orange, Red, and Gold.
Day 15
Most of the dead bodies around me had begun to decay. I could tell from the flies hovering above their corpses.
However, the first creature whose essence I had drained remained fresh, as if it had not died at all.
'Strange, if you ask me. Maybe it has something to do with its species?'
Inquisition.
『Mist Scale:
An insect-type creature that feeds on energy.
It creates a shroud of mist within which it hides to ambush its prey.
Its scales are extremely durable and absorb energy from their surroundings.
Rarity: A』
'Huh?'
I stared at the display. I had expected it to reveal the other screen, the one filled with information about the specific creature.
'Could it be that the detailed screen only appears for creatures with souls? It would seem so.'
Despite having learned something new, I did not discover the reason for the Mist Scale's inability to decay.
Day 17
For the past few days, carnivorous creatures had been appearing around me, attracted by the flesh of the dead surrounding me. Since these were predators, I had been absorbing their souls every time one approached. I could not let an opportunity pass me by.
"Physical Body Restoration: 33.917%"
'Even though I'm receiving a steady supply of souls, their quality tends to be on the lower side. It'll take another two or three weeks to completely restore my form.'
'I cannot remain complacent. I must find a way to increase my absorption.'
I thought about it for a while. Then it hit me: to increase my absorption, I would have to actively hunt for creatures to drain.
I began moving my thread outward as far as it could go. I estimated its reach to be about fifteen feet from my core.
That was quite a distance, but I needed to go further. I tried with all my might, yet the thread would no longer extend.
'So much for that idea.'
I retracted my thread.
'What else can I try?'
I tested whether I could draw the surrounding energy toward myself, but that also failed.
'There has to be something I can do!'
I sighed, looking at the trees around me. The ruined path was no more. The trees that had been demolished were replaced by new life, and the ground was covered with grass and shrubs.
'Hmmm. I wonder.'
Seeing the trees grow so much in such a short amount of time reminded me of their roots—tools they use to draw nutrients from the earth.
'What if I could do the same?'
I extended my thread again, but this time I reached downward. As it went deeper, I separated it into multiple strands, mimicking the roots of trees.
The separated strands reached nearby tree roots. I expected them to sap energy from the trees; instead, they linked to the trees themselves.
As more and more trees became linked with my strands, I felt my consciousness spreading toward them, as if I had taken them over.
I could feel their leaves swaying gently in the wind, their roots drawing in nutrients from the ground. I could even feel their leaves absorbing energy from the sun's warm rays.
'What is this?'
I could feel the trees as if they were extensions of myself.
"Flora genetic code has been obtained."
'Huh? What?'
A massive amount of information rushed into my mind. I could barely understand half of it as it flowed into me.
'What am I supposed to do with all this? It's too much.'
I felt my mind trying to process everything, but I could not handle the strain.
"Mental integration failing. Mental state has begun deconstructing."
'What? No! I have to do something quick.'
I felt my mind slowly being consumed by the information bombarding it.
'Inquisition, do something!'
"The Aspect of Morbid within the Law of Inquisition has heard your plea."
"The Aspect Solitude isolated the mind."
"The Aspect Craft has been used to repair the mind."
"Genetic Information can be stored within Inquisition. Do you accept? Y/N"
'Yes!'
"Genetic Information has been stored within the Law of Inquisition."
I finally felt my mind ease as the information left my head. Everything felt normal again.
"The Law of Inquisition has analysed Genetic Information. The Aspects Spiritual Alteration, Magic, Oath, Generosity, and Depraved have been mimicked in tandem with Genetic Information to create the new Aspect: Life Thread."
'A new Aspect? I wonder what it does.'
"The Law of Inquisition is currently unavailable."
'What? Why?'
I tried again, but the same message appeared in my vision.
'Is it due to all that information? It's probably still analysing everything.'
I thought about the sequence of events that had just played out.
'I called out to Inquisition, and one of its Aspects responded. Could it be alive?'
I shook the thought away.
'Of course not. That would be ridiculous.'
I returned to my earlier experiment. After obtaining the Genetic Information of the trees, I could connect with them much more easily now.
I could feel the energy they collected being shared through the roots.
'Hopefully this will speed up the process.'
Day 20
This was my twentieth day in core form, and I had just discovered something new.
As a result of my experiment, I was able to create a link between the surrounding trees and myself. At first, I had simply thought I shared their energy and senses, but now I could also control them.
It started in the morning as I saw the decaying bodies of the animals around me. They had begun to be eaten by maggots, and although I could not smell it, I knew they had rotted.
I wanted to remove them from my vision—the sight made me gag. As I thought about it, the roots of the nearest tree rose up, breaking through the hard earth, grabbed a nearby body, and dragged it below.
At first, I thought the tree had come to life, but I quickly realized that my shock had made me hysterical.
I tested this new ability of mine, commanding more roots to take away the remaining bodies around me. The only one I left was the Mist Scale that refused to decompose.
With the forest floor relatively clean, I experimented further with my control over the trees. I could even move their branches.
Day 21
I decided to put my new power to more practical use.
If I could move the roots, I could also use them to hunt.
I extended my awareness through the root network, feeling the tremors of small creatures moving through the undergrowth. A squirrel-like animal with shimmering fur hopped near the edge of my range. Without hesitation, I sent a thick root coiling upward. It wrapped around the creature's leg before it could squeak.
I pulled it close—close enough for my thread to reach.
The white light flowed. The creature went limp.
"Physical Body Restoration: 34.201%"
'Pathetic. But efficient.'
I repeated the process throughout the day. A lizard with iridescent scales. A small rodent with too many teeth. A bird that had landed on a low branch, unaware that the branch itself had become my servant.
Each soul added a fraction of a percent. Not much, but more than waiting for predators to stumble upon me.
By nightfall, I had drained a dozen small creatures.
Day 23
The forest had grown accustomed to my presence. The roots moved like serpents beneath the soil, and the creatures—those that remained—learned to stay away.
But something else was coming.
I felt it before I saw it: a subtle vibration in the air, a dryness that crept into the morning mist. Then the mist itself began to thicken, not from weather but from intent. I knew what this meant, I had already played this game before.
'Not again.'
From the eastern edge of my perception, shapes emerged. At first, only a few—three, then five, then a dozen. Violet chitin gleamed in the filtered sunlight. Mandibles clicked in unison.
Mist Scales. A whole swarm of the bastards appeared as if from thin air.
And they were all heading directly for the preserved carcass of the first one I had killed.
'Of course. They can sense their dead. As if I didn't already have enough on my plate or woes.'
The first wave of creatures lunged toward my core. They ignored the trees, focused entirely on the carcass—and on me.
I did not wait.
Roots exploded from the earth like grasping hands. The nearest Mist Scale screeched as thick wooden coils wrapped around its segmented body. I squeezed. Chitin cracked. Green fluid leaked from its joints. Then my thread pierced its core, and its soul joined the others.
"Physical Body Restoration: 37.504%"
Three more rushed past the first. I slammed a heavy root down on one, crushing it against the forest floor. Another root coiled around a second and dragged it underground. The third reached within a few feet of my core before a dozen thin roots impaled it from below.
'They're fast, I admit that, but mindless in every sense of the word.'
They attacked carelessly in straight lines.
'Utterly predictable.'
For a moment, I thought I was winning.
Then the mist parted.
She was twice the size of the others—no, three times. Her carapace was not violet but deep crimson, marked with silver scars. Her mandibles were longer, sharper, and dripping with a viscous fluid that hissed where it touched the soil. Six legs ended in claws that dug deep furrows into the earth. And her eyes—four of them, burning with amber light—were fixed on me.
'And of course they brought their queen with them. How generous.'
The smaller Mist Scales halted their advance, retreating behind their matriarch. She clicked once—a low, screeching sound that vibrated through the roots and into my very core—and the swarm parted like a dark sea.
The mist around me thickened
She took a step forward.
Then another.
The ground trembled beneath her weight.
I extended my threads into every root, every branch, every living plant within my domain. The trees groaned as I pushed them beyond their natural limits. Roots coiled beneath the surface, waiting. Branches bent low, ready to strike.
'If I lose here, there will be nothing left to rebuild.'
A chuckle escaped from me.
'As if I I'd lose to a swarm of measly mindless insects.'
My internal chuckle grew into a full-blown cackle.
'Come at me, bitch! Walk to your death if you dare!'
The queen lunged.
And I met her head on.