Over the next few days, we spent most of our time searching for the elusive heart severing liana. Supposedly, it could be found near this area, its distinct flowers located just below the crowns of the huge trees that made up the inner reaches of the forest.

So far, we hadn’t had much luck. Of the two lianas which resembled what we were looking for, one was a different species and another hadn’t flowered yet, so it wasn’t usable.

Either way, we weren’t about to give up. If anything, our level progressed steadily while we fought the numerous hordes that attacked us, which resulted in me reaching level 55. The monsters we ended up fighting varied wildly. Some were monkeys, some were insects or frogs… To make matters worse, they all fought in groups, and each species behaved differently. The wasps had been the most dangerous so far, since I had to block an attack for Emeri a few times. Her defensive skills were somewhat lacklustre in prolonged battles, I noticed, which meant that I had been wounded a few times.

She was always very apologetic afterward, even though I would have long since healed by the end of the battle.

Emeri had gained a few levels, too. She started at level 10 when we entered the forest, but now she was already level 23. 13 levels gained in comparison to my 8. That reaffirmed my suspicion that levels became increasingly hard to gain as you progressed.

After gaining these levels, I noticed that my intelligence had finally reached the tree hundred mark, without needing any free points, so I resumed my previous plan to distribute my points into my physical stats.

Name: Arthur Titles [Dark prodigy] Class: [Hollow essence knight] LVL 55 Strength 917 Constitution 917 Dexterity 917 Intelligence 304 Wisdom 467 Affinity 703 Free stat points 0

Skills:

Passive:

[Overloading combustion core](13%), [Dark flow sight](17%), [Cascading mana-intrusive Swordsmanship](34%),

[Sapphire Mental palace](N/A), [Dark Form](67%), [Crawling road](5%), [Weak mana sense](N/A), [Blackened essence(formative)](50%), [Hollow essence return](5%), [Essence lifespan](50%)

Active:

[Ghost apparition](43%), [Corrosive mark](9%), [Relentless orbs](15%), [Sword laser](8%), [Onyx chain wind](13%), [Aura step](78%), [Hollow manifestation](7%)

I felt a burst of strength as I distributed my stats. The air became slightly easier to breathe and I felt light. As an experiment, I slammed my fist into one of the monolithic trees nearby, only for my fist to splinter the wood and pierce through the bark. Only once my arm had disappeared into the wood up until my elbow did I realise that I was stuck. Another jerk of my upper body did the trick and freed me, though. All that was left of my effort was a fist-sized hole in the tree.

"Impressive." Emeri commented. "Those trees grew in an environment where tier 3 monsters run rampant. I imagine they're quite tough to compensate, yet you punched right through.

I rubbed the back of my head awkwardly. "I meant to shake the tree with my punch, though..." I murmured, causing Emeri to start giggling.

"I think you would need a skill for that, Arthur."

I nodded and smiled, seeing her point. In hindsight, it wouldn't make much sense for the tree to shake after a punch.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the system-notification I had been waiting for.

Ding! 300 intelligence reached! Awarded the [Eidetic sacrifice] skill.

[Eidetic sacrifice](0%)

Tier 3 skill.

Increase progression of a normal skill at the cost of a memory. The more valuable the memory is to the user, the more the skill progression increases.

Increase progression through use.

After reading the skill description, I scoffed. This was another attempt by the system to undo my sanity. Losing valuable memories for the sake of more powerful skills? How is that a worthwhile trade? Even the memories I didn’t enjoy had value. Even my negative experiences had a reason to exist. Then again… if I entered a crisis, if I had no other choice…

Argh. There was time to consider the implications of this skill at a later time. Either way, the cost of using it was immense in the long term, regardless of which memory I sacrificed. The fact that a skill like this even existed was a clear indication of the system’s cruelty. Why it would give it to me was another question, however.

I sensed a headache coming.

“Emeri, I’m going to meditate for a few minutes. Will you be fine by yourself?” I asked. This wasn’t a safe place, but I felt like I had no choice. I needed to settle my mind, instead of fighting with a stormy cloud hanging over my head.

Emeri nodded hesitantly. “Go ahead. Just don’t take too long.”

“I won’t.” I affirmed. I perceived time differently in my mental space, which would allow me to turn 15 minutes into 45.

I closed my eyes and quickly found myself in the dingy shack I was used to seeing. My repairs to the woodwork were still hanging on, but it was clear that I would eventually need to rebuild it.

I headed outside and took stock of the situation. Everything seemed fine at first glance, and my red roses were looking healthier than before. I still wasn’t sure what those represented in the first place, but whatever. Those weren’t the reason why I was here.

I headed into the little forest that had grown around my shack, and quickly found something that could be my target. I was looking for any new additions to my mental space, and this strange weed that covered the undergrowth of my forest. Their yellow stems made them stand out from the plants that were clinging too. When I was a child, my parents were farmers. Many a time, my father would warn me of these little buggers, which he called dodders. Essentially, dodders were a plant that ate the nutrients of other plants. This was a parasite.

The fact that it appeared right after I had gotten a new skill, and the corresponding temptation to use it, was no coincidence. The very idea of using it was gnawing away at my principles and morals. It had to be removed.

Over the next half hour, I worked away at removing the clingy plant without damaging what was already there. It was tough, and the plant caught on to my clothes and skin. In the end, though, I managed to pry it away from my forest.

I gathered the clump into a ball and walked out into the big nothing, before leaving it out in the middle of nowhere, where it wouldn’t find a food source and, therefore, die.

Satisfied, I left my mental space and re-joined Emeri in the real world. Rather than the mellow greeting I had been expecting, though, Emeri had a wide grin on her face and an excited spark in her eye.

“I found it!” she said. “I found a flowering liana, not far from here!”

I jumped up and gathered my things. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go get it!”

-Scene transition-

A few minutes later, Emeri and I arrived at a small pond lit up by sunlight that pierced through the canopy. The pond had an azure coloration, and it’s only occupant was a green vine as thick as my arm that spread some purple roots into the water, before climbing up one of the nearby trees. Sure enough, near the crown of the tree, a large purple flower hung upside down. Though we couldn’t smell it from down here, it was clear that the liana was flowering fully.

Happy to finally finish Agard’s request, I moved to step into the clearing, but Emeri jerked me back and crouched behind a tree root. I copied her actions with a questioning look on my face, but understood her reasoning moments later.

The sound of giant wings flapping resounded throughout the clearing, and a giant multi-coloured bird descended through the hole in the canopy. It only barely fit, but managed to, all the same. Its red and green colours reminded me of a phoenix, though its body wasn’t made up of flames like they were in the stories.

“That’s a paradise bird!” Emeri explained in a hushed whisper. With talons the size of horses and feathers the size of a house, I had a hard time figuring out why a monster of this size would be called a ‘paradise’ bird, but stranger things had happened, I supposed.

“That’s a tier 4 creature, nearly tier 5.” I warned. My weak mana sense was just barely able to pick up its signature. It felt like a blistering sun and a warm summer breeze simultaneously.

“We have to kill it.” Emeri said, determined. I did a double-take. Since when was she the one to hunt first, and ask questions later?

“What do you mean we have to kill it? Can’t we just wait for it to leave?” I asked

Emeri shook her head. “You don’t understand. Paradise birds take a mate for life. When I was here earlier, a different bird was guarding the liana. They’re taking turns between guarding the liana and hunting deeper in the forest.”

“Can’t we find a different liana then?” I asked, none too keen on antagonizing not one but two quasi-tier 5 creatures at the same time.

“Can you guarantee we’ll even find one? That it won’t be guarded by a creature of its own? We only have one option, to kill it before its mate returns.”

I sighed. “You’re sure about this? I thought you didn’t like killing monsters?” I asked, but Emeri just shook her head.

“I don’t like killing living creatures in general, but I want to save Agard’s wife. We promised we would.”

Something about the look in Emeri’s eyes told me there was more to this, but I let it go. For now.

“All right then.” I consented. “Let’s hunt us a colorful bird, shall we?”