Vol 5 Chapter 35

Lucrecian answered playfully, cutting off a small branch in front of him with his eyes clearly curved gently, despite the angle making it difficult to see his face clearly from afar. At that light action, a destructive black energy, seemingly impossible to have originated from such a casual gesture, instantly began to spread from that spot, blackening the entire tree. It looked just like the cocoon that had rotted and crumbled when Lucrecian had escaped earlier.

[ Ahhh...! How can this be... This is imposs...! ]

'What I've applied here isn't just some ordinary poison like the ones I used earlier. This is the 'real deal'. Seeing you speak so carelessly without knowing what your opponent might be hiding, it seems carelessness isn't something only humans do, Mr. Tree with a bondage fetish.'

The small bottle that Lucrecian lightly brought to his lips as if kissing it, while standing on the writhing, suffering tree, was reflected and zoomed in on. Seeing that, Kapros couldn't help but laugh in surprise.

"That's...!"

There was the small bottle with the colorless liquid sloshing inside, the very one Lucrecian had been quite grateful for finding thanks to Kapros when they had met before. Kapros still remembered what Lucrecian had said when he had just obtained it.

It was just as he had said - though it might seem insignificant, even a single drop was a deadly poison effective against dragons. Seeing it work even on this monster-like tree that fire couldn't affect, Kapros finally realized just how terrifying this poison truly was.

As the tree lost its strength, the leaf monsters it had been controlling also seemed to lose power, falling from the sky like black masses, reminiscent of autumn leaves falling in the wind. Lucrecian, who let out a clear laugh in the midst of this scene of black leaf monster rain pouring down, with the giant tree silently rotting and crumbling at his feet as if it had no strength left to even speak, looked utterly surreal.

After sheathing his dagger at his waist, what he pulled out from between his fingers was a small, peculiarly strange-looking sprout-like branch. Surprisingly, the branch was wriggling as if trying to escape from between Lucrecian's fingers.

[ Grooaaahhh...! ]

The tree, screaming in agony as it rotted away, seemed to be announcing its miserable end. Lucrecian glanced down at the decaying, collapsing tree and was about to jump down when he suddenly stopped, flinching. The way he scratched the side of his head as if saying "oops" suggested he had remembered something he had forgotten.

'Ah, come to think of it...'

His voice was very faint and barely audible, but Kapros could just make it out with the volume turned up to maximum. Lucrecian turned around, lightly gripped his dagger properly, and as he jumped down, he cut off several branches with quick strikes. With each flash of the blade, the tree's screams grew louder, but he paid no attention.

After committing this incomprehensible atrocity, Lucrecian lightly jumped to the ground from atop the tree, caught his breath, and then turned to leave the forest.

After he had gone some distance, suddenly someone appeared, blocking Lucrecian's path. The shadow that approached Lucrecian, who didn't even show a surprised expression, spoke with a trembling voice.

'You...! To think you really survived against the divine beast... Th-that thing, where is it? You surely left a pure branch of the divine beast there, right?'

'I made an effort in my own way, so don't worry.'

Lucrecian shrugged and abruptly held out the wriggling branch he had been holding in one hand towards the shadow. The shadow, startled more than necessary, fell on his backside and retreated, fluttering backward as if about to have a seizure.

'Th-that really is... th-that cursed tree of the demon realm... truly, in this world again...!'

Lucrecian seemed about to respond to this, but his voice wasn't heard as the scene faded out. Simultaneously, the screen, which had been zooming in on the debris of the giant tree collapsing in the distance, stopped on a tender, fresh green leaf sprouting from one of the branches Lucrecian had cut off and left in a corner.

Then the screen slowly began to fade to black. However, just before the screen went completely dark, dark gray text appeared in the center. Kapros stared intently, not missing it.

[ 500 years of strange peace. The history of recurring anomalies penetrates a world without change. The time of choice will soon be revealed... ]

'This is...'

It was the most meaningful sentence among all the final phrases from the quest videos so far. Kapros kept replaying the last scene to memorize that sentence. The fourth episode video ended, leaving him with much to think about.

The next day, Kapros received his brain scan results and had an additional leg examination. The brain showed no significant issues other than mild concussion symptoms, and he was told he could receive the leg examination results by computer, so all that remained was discharge. When he said he wanted to be discharged immediately after hearing the results, the doctor gave permission, though unable to completely hide his concerned expression.

"I'll give you permission, but it's best to get adequate sleep and rest for a while even after you go home. Especially, you must not skip meals under any circumstances."

"I understand."

"By the way, do you use VT programs for long periods?"

"Pardon?"

At this unexpected question, Kapros stopped awkwardly just as he was about to stand up. The doctor was looking down at one side of the chart.

"Why do you ask..."

"There are signs of excessive brain activation even during normal times. It doesn't seem too severe, but... VT programs affect the brain more than you might think. This symptom is common among VT programmers."

"Ah..."

Only then understanding, Kapros nodded, recalling his daily life of being immersed in MIST for the past few months.

"I'll be careful."

"Yes, then please get the wounds on your neck disinfected one more time by the nurse before you leave."