The yellow fruit was translucent similar to the ability embryo, but it was shaped like a fist-sized heart instead. A murky yellow, hexagonal crystal was embedded in the centre. A symbol floated inside that indicated what the fruit was. Noah was unable to read the symbols himself, but that didn't mean he could not identify the fruit.

What is this heart-shaped fruit? It looks like it has an effect similar to the other fruit.

[Tier Two Ability Upgrade. Promotes the User's lowest ability by two tiers, increasing the effect. To a maximum of tier 5 - Mythos.]

Noah was stunned. This fruit was even more precious to him than the ability embryo. This garden of horrors was filled with mind-boggling treasures. The ability upgrade wasn't even listed in the Store during the [Trial Phase]. It must be extremely rare. Noah didn't hesitate as he chose to immediately absorb the fruit without discussing it with Lyn first. The boy didn't object as he watched the yellow lifeforce enter Noah's body, transforming into a purple colour as it travelled up his arm as the fruit disappeared in a flash of light.

[User's lowest ability upgraded, an effect enhanced.]

[Rare Earth Element ability: Earth Manipulation +2.]

"What was that fruit?" Lyn asked.

"It was an ability upgrade. It improved the tier of my common ability to rare. We should check the other plants in the garden to look for more!" Noah said excitedly.

"Yes!" Lyn agreed.

The two returned to the overgrown garden of horrors. The first plant the pair examined was the pruned down herb bush glowing with pink lifeforce. Noah activated his newly upgraded [Earth Manipulation+2] ability to unearth the plant's roots, growing out from between the emaciated ribs of a mummified corpse. The plant violently reacted as it drained the remaining moisture from the carcass, visibly causing the skin to pull tighter. The herb bush had been intentionally planted into a vertical incision above the corpse's heart as it grew from its chest.

"You said that was Granny Yaga's twin? How could someone be so ruthless to a person who shares the same face?" Noah asked rhetorically.

"Granny was kind when she first fostered me and my sister along with Grandpa Finnigan. It was the same before the Arrival and at the beginning of the Trial Phase. She only changed after she was bitten by the soulless over there. We were afraid that she was going to become one after her eyes turned black. But she became something worse," Lyn bleakly answered while indicating the ominous black mushroom patch.

"Can you control the plant to leave the wound? I don't want to desecrate her body any more than we already have by digging her up. You may be able to coax it out without damaging her body," Noah said to Lyn.

"I can try…" Lyn replied reluctantly.

"Forget I said anything. I shouldn't have asked you to do that," Noah said as purple-lifeforce began to gather at his hand.

"Wait, I'll do it," Lyn said resolutely.

Blue-lifeforce appeared under the surface of Lyn's skin as he interrupted what Noah was about to do. The blue light entered into the pruned herb bush, overcoming the pink colour as the lifeforce laced together. The plant's roots began to twitch as it moved like a puppet on a string, emerging from the cut in the mummified corpse's chest. The plant suddenly resisted control as the pink lifeforce surged brighter, ripping the incision hole larger. Lyn's face drained of colour as it became pale from horror as he lost control.

"Don't panic. Take your time," Noah reassured him.

The interwoven blue light grew brighter as Lyn regained control. The roots exited the cut one by one. Lastly, a glowing, translucent pink root, thicker than the others emerged. It had a murky hexagonal origin crystal merged into it with the unique trademark symbol displayed. The herb bush struggled against the [Flora Manipulation] ability, releasing a burst of luminous pink pollen. Noah didn't hesitate to shield his lower face with his shirt as he withdrew the fire escape axe from his [Zero-Space Dimension Ring]. He dashed toward the struggling plant, swinging down with the axe to sever the glowing root.

The result was far more dramatic than the ivy and oak tree's reactions. Pink-lifeforce flared through the herb bush, burning it into ash. Noah picked up the glowing root from the dirt. Obviously, it held different properties to the unusual System-fruit.

It's strange. I haven't received lifeforce from my Omega role for any of the plants we've harvested, despite them seeming to behave with intelligence. The System must not consider them creatures.

"What is that?" Lyn asked, interrupting Noah's thoughts.

[Grade One Origin Root: Subconscious Link. Allows a user to enter the subconscious mind of another User to access their memories.]

[An origin root has the chance to be naturally formed when the host absorbs multiple abilities from Users. It will combine the effects to create a unique property in the host.]

[Supplying the origin root with lifeforce will cause the host to regrow and to allow harvest.]

"It's called an origin root, it's only grade one. It's the reason the plant Granny Yaga burnt has the property of accessing someone else's memories!" Noah replied after the System volunteered more information than usual.

"What can it do now?" Lyn asked.

"It can regrow if you give it lifeforce. It'll be useful to you for your ability. You take it," Noah said while handing the glowing pink root to the boy.

"Thank you, which one do we look at next?" Lyn said as he accepted it.

"Those mushrooms look dangerous. We will look at them last. First, we need to bury her," Noah said, indicating the mummified corpse.

He glanced inside the chest cavity. It was empty. All of the mummified corpse's organs had been consumed by the herb bush as nutrients. Noah activated his [Earth Manipulation+2] ability to open the earth to form a deep grave, laying the remains to rest.

The pair moved to a nearby flower bush, glowing with white light. They met minimal resistance as they uncovered its roots. The plant didn't have any System-fruit or origin roots, only a dull white, hexagonal origin crystal entangled among the roots. It was different from a blank User's crystal that was clear but glowed with white light. The crystal itself was an opaque white. It was the same for the other plants they dug up until only the dangerous-looking mushrooms remained. The pair divided the dull origin crystals before they approached the blackcap mushrooms cautiously.