NB : The end of Chapter 5 was missing, so I reuploaded it.
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?"
Then, the young girl widened her eyes! She was surprised.
"That's amusing," I revealed my inner thoughts.
"Oh?! Are you also a reincarnated person? Like me, from the modern world?" She started to get excited, twisting around in delight, completely forgetting the previous scene.
This little girl was very intriguing.
"Are you really a girl?" I wondered, seeking confirmation.
"Huh? Of course I am! You didn't think I was an old man, did you??" she complained, buzzing around me like a bee.
It seemed she wasn't a crazy person with strange delusions. That was a relief. It's important to understand people's delusions.
She suddenly stopped and asked as if remembering something important. "Which country are you from? The United States? France? Korea? Japan?"
Names of countries from my previous life continued to pour out.
"I'm from… China. And you?" I recalled warm meals. It had been several decades since I reincarnated here, and I felt my memories fading. Was it a natural rule to forget the past...?
"Ahah? China? That's a beautiful country! I traveled there with my aunts for my fourth birthday. I'm from Japan. We're like distant cousins, aren't we?" she insisted as if it were significant.
"Yeah, if you say so."
Anyway, whether she was American or Japanese, it didn't matter to me. We were in another life, and the nationality of our past life had no value here. Chinese nationalism? Nonsense.
Besides, wasn't reincarnation a familiar concept in Japan? Maybe she knew more about it than I did. I used to read novels in my youth.
Night finally fell, and we ended our discussion. The people accompanying Nuga fell asleep after finding a suitable spot.
Some stayed seated on wooden logs that served as makeshift chairs. Their gazes were somewhat empty and dark. A little darker, and I'd feel like they were about to commit suicide.
"You really came at the perfect time," admitted Nuga. "We lost so many people along the way. Some of these people are the last members of their families. It's a sad but inevitable thing."
Nodding at Nuga's words, which sounded wise compared to her appearance, I handed over some fruits harvested from my trees. Anticipating potential problems, I had dedicated an entire field to growing fruit, so food wasn't an issue.
In just three hours, a fruit ripened. It was a rapid growth cycle.
"Oh? It tastes like watermelon. A little sweet!" Nuga quickly ate many fruits, like a glutton deprived of food for an entire day.
"Slow down a little." Nuga choked for a moment and patted her chest.
I handed her some water.
"You've got to enjoy life. Now that we have food, why hold back?" she laughed.
It was somewhat understandable. Crossing the forest with scarce food was exhausting. And the only available food was called "monster." How many humans could fight monsters with weak powers?
Speaking of which, I didn't really know the strength of humans.
"Our strength, huh?" Nuga looked away.
That expression was a bit telling.
"So humans are weak in this world, huh…" Was this a world without magic? But why did monsters possess traits like skills? Humans with technology could probably rival these monsters.
I mean, a lead bullet could surely bring down a monster like the Blitz Hound with just one shot.
Nuga quickly explained. "Well, we're the only race without mana." So, there were various races… "Elves, lizardmen, dwarves, dryads… These are the main dominant races in this world, and we humans… I guess we're persecuted," she said before taking another bite of the fruit.
The juice dripped to the ground but was quickly absorbed by the roots.
"That must be hard."
They must have lived as slaves.
I hadn't experienced it, but I could somewhat understand their perspective. It explained the somber expressions of the people around us.
Nuga nodded. "Anyway, the fate of humans is cruel. Either we become slaves, or we're sacrificed in the other part of the world."
"The other part of the world?" I asked.
Nuga seemed confused but quickly nodded, understanding my situation. "Yeah, as a tree, your sources of information must be limited."
She thought for a moment before continuing. "This world consists of five continents, including the central one where we are now. The middle of the continent is divided by what we call the Eastern Boundary."
"Of the four continents outside of this one, one has fallen to the demons, while the other three are dominated by the remaining races."
Quickly connecting the dots, I realized there was a demon race, which, like in novels, was naturally malevolent.
"The central continent is still unexplored. The western half is ruled by colonials, and the east by miasmic monsters. Currently, the remaining races and the monsters have a peace treaty."
"So, the Lords of Miasma are the rulers on the monsters' side?"
"Exactly," Nuga laughed.
Hmm. This world seemed difficult to grasp.
Humans were persecuted.
Races divided the world and governed.
Monsters occupied half of the central continent.
And demons invaded the world.
What kind of plot was this?
The sounds of monsters, roaring and croaking, echoed throughout the peripheral forest. The humans immediately grew anxious.
"Wh-What's that?"
"An attack?!"
Nuga panicked, but I quickly calmed her down by showing her the situation.
Crows and wolves had invaded my territory, and my chrysalis soldiers immediately seized the opportunity to eliminate the monsters. It was resolved in just ten minutes.
"You… Are you an irregularity in this world?"
It was a question I had once asked myself. But the answer didn't matter much anymore. The only thing that mattered was surviving.