Year 30 Month 5
The monsters are restless, constantly fighting among themselves. Two-headed crows are the primary invaders; other monsters are banding together to resist them, but it seems futile.
A few days later…
A massive tremor shakes the trees. Several mountains, hundreds of meters tall, also trembled before collapsing into the forest. The aftermath was devastating, and monsters fled the epicenter in a hurry.
As if a powerful monster had appeared there.
At first, I thought it was just a natural disaster, like tornadoes or earthquakes. All we had to do was wait it out quietly.
But.
Could it be this enormous monster shaking the forest?
The four-legged creature walked leisurely, yet the sheer force of its steps sent tremors through every living thing in the forest.
[Lord of Miasma, Lv. 120]
Level 120! This was far beyond my reach—and incredibly dangerous!
Suddenly, the Thunder Wolves, who had remained silent until now, dashed toward the monster with remarkable speed.
("For our king!")
("Die like the monster you are!")
("Kill the usurper!")
The wolves charged forward like moths rushing into an intense flame. The monster quickly spotted the glowing black and blue figures and opened its mouth wide.
"...?"
A laser beam swept across the wolves, creating a massive cloud of dust that rose over the forest before settling back to the ground.
What?! Monsters can shoot laser beams now?
That's terrifying!
As the sky cleared from the forest's gusty winds, the gaze of the Lord of Miasma focused intently on a specific spot in the forest. As if it were looking directly at a certain tree.
Was it me?
I began sweating… sap.
No? Wait, is it targeting the mana source near me?
A strange suspicion arose in my mind.
"...Damn."
The monster turned in my direction and charged.
I immobilized all my battle chrysalises and advanced my worker chrysalises as barriers, but the monster swiftly annihilated them all.
Irritated, the Lord of Miasma opened its mouth again... and a blinding red beam of light filled my vision.
Am I… going to die like this?
My consciousness began to fade as my roots were destroyed. No… "annihilation" felt more accurate in this situation.
In a final effort, I activated my skill [Royal Seed].
[You have died.]
Year 31 Month 2
...
Year 32 Month 6
...
Year 33 Month 8
[Royal Seed in progress…]
[Mental and physical reconstruction...]
Year 34 Month 3
[Host status: 99.95%]
[99.96%]
[99.97%]
[99.98%]
[99.99%]
What?
I'm still alive?
Looking at the once-lively forest, now a desolate wasteland, I felt an overwhelming sense of despair. All my efforts had been reduced to ashes.
But.
It didn't really matter. I had survived an attack akin to a natural disaster. As long as I lived, I could rebuild my territory.
Yeah, it could have been worse—
Ah? The mana source!
Searching for it, I froze.
Why… The mana source, which had been a vast underground lake of blue liquid, was now… dry. As if someone had used a straw to drain it entirely, leaving no trace behind.
Stretching my roots, now reduced to the size of a vegetable, I felt an agonizing emptiness. The realization hit me hard.
Was the Lord of Miasma utterly devoid of empathy?
While crying internally, I sensed energy—or rather, a faint trace of it—deep within the now-empty hole. It was almost colorless.
If I hadn't extended my roots just a bit further, I never would have felt this faint mana buried deeper in the earth. It was… mana.
Some mana still remained?!
Perhaps the Lord of Miasma had only drained the visible portion. There might still be an unknown reservoir underground.
This was just a theory, but the clear sensation of mana below made it seem plausible. I wanted to connect with the mana source immediately, but my body—shrunk to the size of a potato—restricted my movements.
Redirecting my thoughts, I surveyed the surroundings. Black grass, a dark and foggy atmosphere.
Urgh…
I had to start rebuilding my territory from scratch. Trees, chrysalises, purifying the land.
Well… at least the terrain was relatively flat.
Planting trees in all directions seemed like a good idea.
Let's do this the brute force way!
I used my skill repeatedly, scattering seeds in every direction to maximize coverage.
In moments like this, I wished my chrysalises were here... but alas. Sometimes you have to get your hands dirty to get the job done.
Year 35 Month 8
Ah? The crows are back. They descended in large numbers, claiming territory from some miasma beasts. The crows launched ferocious battles against the others immediately.
It reminds me of the good old days.
Year 36 Month 3
The cube in my subspace started blinking violently. The sensation was so strong that I had to take it out. Gently handling it, the blinking finally ceased.
What triggered this reaction?
After pondering for a while and failing to find an answer, I gave up, nursing a headache.
Then, by sheer coincidence, the crows headed in my direction. I quickly stashed the cube back into my subspace.
I spotted hundreds of three-headed crows.
Damn… Do these crows have radars in their brains?
Year 37 Month 0
[Level up]
Yes! I reached level 35.
That was fast, but my body still felt immature. No, rather than immature, "growth" seemed the more appropriate term here.
The Royal Seed's effects accelerated my growth, allowing me to catch up to my former state before losing my original body.
But no matter.
What mattered now was the humans who had entered the forest!
My first encounter with intelligent life!
I was eager to meet them peacefully, but… the situation didn't seem ideal for a friendly introduction.
They appeared to be in dire straits.
"Keep running if you want to live! Otherwise, become food and buy time!" shouted a young girl.
A girl with black hair and round cheeks.
"Damn it… If I had to be reincarnated, why couldn't it be in a romance world? My handsome prince and riches?! Not a godforsaken fantasy world!" she cried, urging the other humans to keep moving.
But part of what she said left me confused.
Huh? Reincarnation?
Unexpected words from such a small girl…
No, it could be an old man inside.
Let's not jump to conclusions.
"Chrysalises! Engage!" I commanded, and my battle chrysalises leaped from the trees, splitting the chase in two. The monsters were quickly intercepted by my soldiers.
Several crows hovered behind them. ("What the hell! Brother's going to kill us!")
Another crow shouted. ("Get out of our way!")
("Do you want to die?!")
The crows were enraged that their prey was escaping their hunting grounds. They knew that failing to return soon would mean being devoured by their older kin.
Noisy birds.
The chrysalises, defensive from the start, swiftly turned the tide of battle, forcing the crows to retreat. After a few curses, they disappeared into the sky.
[Level up]
I'm now level 36.
The feeling was familiar, like the previous 36 advancements. Usually, it took several crows to level up, but these monsters must have been strong, granting a lot of experience.
"Ah… It's over now. We're going to die? Maybe suicide would be quicker. Ending up with a monster worse than the crows? A Soul Tree? I'm dreaming, aren't I?"
The little girl—or the reincarnated soul—was rambling.
Calling me a monster? Why curse me?
"Hey! I'm not a monster! So stop thinking about dying!"
But the girl continued muttering, so I slapped her lightly with one of my roots. Her wide eyes met mine.
She looked stunned.
"Huh?"
"S-Stay behind us, madam!" Several men stepped between us, wielding sticks that had come from nowhere.
Hey… those are my dead roots.
"You must leave immediately! Only you have a chance to survive, unlike us! So live!" the men said through gritted teeth.
They were prepared to throw themselves at the "monster" before them.
However…
One light slap made them all collapse.
Malnourished. Exhausted.
How could such weaklings hope to stand against someone like me, who had spent decades in a hostile forest, fighting monsters daily until solitude became my only enemy? Huh?
The young girl, now standing, frowned.
"Hm. Can Soul Trees communicate with people? No… In my previous life… That's impossible," she murmured.
I didn't catch her words because she had stepped back.
"Hey… Why don't we talk? I mean, between reincarnated souls. What do you think?"
Her eyes widened in surprise!