The wind had changed.
It carried with it a scent Ren hadn't smelled before—metallic, bitter, and vaguely fungal. Moss bristled on his shoulder, making a low, uneasy sound deep in its throat.
Ren stepped carefully now. The system had guided him to the foot of the elevation zone known as Skyroot Chamber, but to reach it, he'd have to cross a stretch of forest called Bloodroot Ridge.
He didn't like the name.
And neither did the forest.
[Environmental Warning]
Zone Status: Toxic Growth Detected – Sporeborne Activity Active
Recommended Tools: Antitoxin Tincture, Basic Wind Filter, Companion Veil
You have none of these.
Activating Forest Veil (Moss): Partial Resistance Applied
"Better than nothing," Ren muttered.
Bloodroot Ridge lived up to its name quickly. The soil turned darker. Veins of crimson ran beneath the bark of the trees like infected blood. Fungi bloomed in thick clusters, many of them moving subtly as if breathing.
It wasn't just the visual grotesqueness—it was the sound.
Silence, broken occasionally by wet, clicking noises.
New Encounter: Sporeborne Drifter (Lvl 8)
Status: Dormant
Aggression Trigger: Light, Noise, and Body Heat
A warning flashed in red across his interface.
He crouched low and scanned ahead.
In the middle of a clearing, resting against the twisted roots of a blood-colored oak, was one of them. Human-shaped, but not human. Its limbs were too long, and fungal blooms had erupted from its back and shoulders like parasitic wings. A distorted breathing sound echoed from its cracked chest cavity.
Ren didn't move. Not yet.
He opened his inventory panel for the first time in a while. It felt like pulling open a drawer in an old house.
[Inventory Panel]
• Rusted Knife
• Echo Shard (Verdant Defense)
• Fragmented Journal Page
• Luma Companion Anchor
• Unknown Seed Core (Locked)
The knife wasn't enough. Not for something like that.
"Moss," he whispered. "Can you distract it?"
Moss let out a tiny warble and shimmered slightly—activating Distract Pulse. The shimmer moved to the left side of the clearing like a thrown sound. The creature reacted instantly, snapping toward the illusion, lurching forward with unsettling speed.
That was all the opening he needed.
Ren dashed across the edge of the clearing, keeping low. His boots slid slightly in the wet dirt, but he didn't fall. The far side led up—toward a slope laced with tangled roots and spore sacs pulsing with a sickly green light.
[Contamination Level: 14%]
Exposure: Manageable. Duration Limit: 20 minutes.
Climbing the slope was like wading through a fever dream. His skin itched. His breathing grew shallow. Once, he nearly slipped into a pit of fungal webs.
But the system kept feeding him data.
New Objective: Skyroot Entry Point – 112 meters
Caution: Guardian Entity Detected – Type: Elder Sporevine (Lvl 9.5)
He made it to the crest of the hill, panting. Ahead, nestled among the roots of a dead titan tree, was a stone structure half-swallowed by rot. Pale blue light flickered faintly from within.
Skyroot.
But guarding it—coiled like a serpent and breathing spores from its ridged bark-skin—was the Elder Sporevine.
It didn't have eyes, but it turned slightly in his direction, sensing him.
Ren pulled up his panel. The Root Armor ability was ready, but five seconds wouldn't be enough. He had Moss's Echo Tether, but that worked best on already weakened enemies.
And then he remembered something.
System: Would you like to consume the Unknown Seed Core?
Warning: Effect unpredictable. Compatibility – 76%
He stared at the notification. It had been in his inventory since that first true echo.
Now might be the only moment reckless enough to justify it.
"Yes," he said aloud. "Do it."
Seed Core Consumed. Initiating Graft…
Grafting Success: 76%
New Ability Unlocked – Thorn Pulse (Mid-range burst / 3 charges per day)
Status: Instability – Moderate Fatigue on Use
Ren's veins lit briefly with gold light. His fingers tingled. His vision sharpened.
He didn't wait.
The Elder Sporevine began to move, its vines stretching like arms, releasing a cloud of noxious spores.
Ren raised his hand and triggered Thorn Pulse.
It shot forward like a spear of light, slamming into the creature's side and tearing open a bundle of root-flesh. A shriek ripped through the clearing.
He rolled to the side, activating Root Armor just in time to block a flailing vine swipe. It cracked against the wooden shield, splintering both vine and protection.
Moss struck next—launching Echo Tether. The golden line slammed into the wounded vine mass, anchoring it to the broken stone wall nearby.
The creature couldn't move.
Ren didn't hesitate. Second Thorn Pulse—straight into the core glowing beneath its neck.
The beast withered. Folded in on itself. And died.
The clearing grew quiet again.
Enemy Defeated – Elder Sporevine (Lvl 9.5)
XP Awarded: +380
System Sync Progress: +2%
Drop Acquired: Sporevine Heart (Crafting Material) | Fragmented Echo Key
He stood still, breathing hard, heart racing. Moss nuzzled against his cheek briefly, a soft hum of approval passing between them.
He stepped toward the Skyroot chamber.
The doors parted on their own, revealing not another ruin, but something stranger—floating crystals, humming softly, and an enormous root structure suspended mid-air like a heart waiting to beat.
Skyroot Chamber Accessed
System Upgrade Available
Synchronize with Root Memory?
He didn't hesitate this time.
"Yes."