Tristan nodded and said to Zahira, "Alright." He had decided to listen to his body. It was wise to take any opportunity to recover his vital energy before advancing through the tunnels again.
Besides, this place seemed safe for him. Thanks to the inhabitants of this village, he could rest in a spot without being surrounded by crazed, hungry beasts.
"Okay, time to eat! These mushrooms are delicious; it's been a long time since I've had one." She spoke while licking her lips. "Have you ever eaten something like this before?"
"Mushrooms?" He tilted his head to the side and looked at the small gray mushrooms on the ground. "Are they going to let you take that without any trouble?"
She shook her head. "Yes, they don't mind."
There was a gleam of excitement in her eyes as she then asked, "Can you add those things that make food taste better? Please?"
"No problem."
With that answer, she celebrated by jumping with joy.
"But is it safe to eat these things?" he questioned.
"Of course! I've eaten plenty, and I never got a stomachache."
He narrowed his eyes and looked at her suspiciously. "Isn't that because you're half-Dryad? I don't want to eat this and then see a tiny mushroom explode my intestines."
Her face clearly revealed that she hadn't considered that fact. She remained silent for a moment, wearing a serious expression. After thinking a bit, she spoke again. "Buk has eaten plenty too, so you're probably more resilient than he is."
Tristan looked at the small rabbit-salamander perched on her shoulder and had to admit she had a valid point.
"Collect the mushrooms. I'll light the fire."
He looked around at the countless humanoid mushrooms walking back and forth all the time.
"Is there any place here where we can rest peacefully?"
Zahira pointed her finger toward the tops of the giant mushrooms. "Those are the least crowded spots."
They picked a meeting point and then parted ways. Tristan collected dry pieces of wood scattered on the ground—since the mushrooms often used stones and branches to hit things or throw at someone, they were everywhere.
He climbed to the top of a large Fungelite and built a campfire. Then he opened his backpack and began organizing the spices.
It wasn't long before he heard Zahira returning.
'What the he—?' What he saw left him so surprised that he couldn't avoid cursing in his mind.
Completely against his expectations, what Zahira brought was not the small gray mushrooms but an actual Fungelite, as large as an adult human. She threw the creature to the ground, bound with the vines from her body.
The creature writhed and struggled to free itself.
Tristan quickly turned his gaze from side to side, scanning the village floor, as well as its walls and ceiling. His body was on high alert, expecting to see an army of mushrooms marching toward them.
Surprisingly, the village remained as noisy and bustling as before.
Seeing his odd behavior, Zahira asked, "What is it? Is something wrong?"
"I don't get it. Why aren't they coming to crush our heads? Don't they realize you kidnapped one of them?"
"Oh, that? They realized it but don't care," she said as if it were the most normal thing.
Tristan frowned. 'They don't care?' Suddenly, a bold idea crossed his mind.
"Don't tell me it's because of the yellow powder? Does that let us kill them without them reacting?" he asked excitedly. The thought of having the key to destroying an entire species was very intriguing.
Unfortunately, all he got was Zahira's beastly laughter.
"Heavens, no! They're dumb, but not that dumb." After a few more chuckles, she continued, "It's because of our agreement."
He remembered her mentioning something about this earlier.
"I gave them a sack of nutrients. That will enrich their lands, allowing them to grow many more mushrooms. That's why they don't care if I kill a few of them."
He listened carefully to her words, storing that information in a special corner of his mind.
"Unlike us, they have no emotional attachments. All they care about is growing and expanding their species."
"I see," Tristan said.
With his doubts resolved, Zahira approached the Fungelite and transformed her left arm into a mass of roots.
Realizing her intent, Tristan focused all his attention on Zahira's movements. He had no idea how to kill such a creature, so he was very curious about the method she would use.
Zahira flipped the creature lying on the ground onto its back, and then her arm shot downward. Her roots pierced the creature's body as if it were made of gelatin.
Watching this, Tristan was almost certain the area she targeted must be the equivalent of the solar plexus in a being with that kind of constitution.
In just an instant, her arm withdrew again, with something spherical, roughly the size of a heart, caught in her roots.
The Fungelite's movements ceased.
"Can I see that?" Tristan asked, and Zahira tossed the strange thing to him.
Running his fingers over the surface of the sphere, he felt a soft, spongy texture.
[Tyrannical Eye]
Using his diagnostic ability, he analyzed the strange organ and the creature's corpse. Tristan realized the sphere was more complex than the rest of the Fungelite's body combined. He studied it as if he were watching a film about aliens.
Tristan had to admit that he couldn't understand much about the organ's function. All he could guess, with his ignorance, was that it must serve as some sort of brain.
'Now that I know this thing exists, maybe I'll find something in the Tales that will clarify it for me.' His priority was to see if this worked for other Fungelite species; this knowledge could prove vital in the future. As for other questions, he considered them non-priorities and added them to his mental list of things to investigate when he had ample time.
"So this is their weakness?"
"Something like that," Zahira said. "If you manage to destroy a large part of their body, they'll die, but it might take some time. On the other hand, if you damage this organ in the solar plexus area, they'll wither immediately."
***
"Hmmm," Zahira made sounds of satisfaction as she ate the creature's trunk.
"The flavor is much more intense, and the texture is firmer than regular mushrooms."
She took large bites, stuffing her cheeks with the thing.
"Are you sure… you don't want to… try it?" she asked while eating.
"Maybe next time." Tristan preferred to eat the leftover bird beast he had fought earlier.
After their meal, he and Zahira sat on the ground and assumed their meditation positions.
He closed his eyes and relaxed his mind, repeating his mantras and entering a state of calm and deep concentration. Within moments, his instincts guided him toward the part of the world's energy he was synchronized with. Through his breathing, the essence of the world slowly entered his core, restoring his body's vitality.
Very slowly.
In his mind, Tristan dreamed once again of the day when he wouldn't have to spend hours recharging his core.
Several minutes later, as he was deep in his trance, he heard the sound of Zahira lying down. To his surprise, she didn't return to meditation but instead lay down, holding her pet in her arms to sleep.
"Did you already recharge your core?" he asked, surprised.
"Yes?" she replied, a bit of confusion in her voice. "Is there something strange about that?"
"Not really. I just thought it was quick."
He said that, but in his mind, he grumbled, 'How unfair. She can recharge a more powerful core in such a short time; the blood of legendary beings really is broken.'
Tristan returned to focus on his meditation.
More than six hours had passed. His core wasn't even halfway full, but he felt very good. In the past few days, he had no choice but to keep his senses alert at all times. However, in that village of strange creatures, he was surrounded by countless beings that practically ignored his existence.
He found the environment very comfortable.
Until, abruptly, his peace was torn apart by a thunderous sound.
Tristan sprang up with the agility of a cat, directing all his attention toward the source of the chaos.
He looked up and saw the rocks at the top of the cavern crumbling. From a newly opened hole, a colossal creature burst through—a monstrous centipede. Even though the beast was far away, with his enhanced vision, he could clearly see a series of strange engravings etched into the surface of its black exoskeleton.
Tristan found those symbols familiar.
'Runes?'