#132
Interlude (4)
In the depths of a calm mind, the heartbeat of the world is felt.
Thump thump—
The warm sunlight pouring down, the cool breeze blowing gently, the earth wrapping around in a cozy embrace, and the fragrant plants releasing their scents.
All the elements of nature pulse with life, gradually intertwining with oneself, becoming one.
Even a shy blooming flower, the gentle breeze teasing it, and the river flowing indifferently by…
Inside me, they were not separate entities.
The union of all things and me.
The wind blows. Right now, I was the wind.
The branches sway. Right now, I was the tree.
A leaf fallen into the river began to drift down. Right now, I was the river.
I was the very essence of nature—
—I was the world itself.
“Ugh—? Sigh!”
Harris, who had been taking a pleasant nap under the shade of a tree, suddenly propped himself up, swallowing the drool at the corner of his mouth.
‘Ah… I fell asleep while just lying down for a bit. But what in the world was that bizarre dream?’
With a drowsy lethargy felt throughout his body, he tilted his head in confusion.
He had slept a lot and occasionally dreamt, but this strange kind of feeling was new to him.
However, it didn’t seem to be just a silly dream…
《The entity has achieved the necessary conditions for growth. The skill “Nature Affinity” evolves into the special skill “Nature Assimilation.”》
An unexpected system message appeared before Harris, waking him from his slumber.
“Hmm?”
Startled, Harris blinked in surprise.
Of course, he had been training consistently, but to think that a skill would evolve while taking a nap!
The timing was incredibly coincidental.
‘Well, since I’ve been influenced by the World Tree ever since arriving at Drasha, it was about time for some growth.’
However, there were minor side effects that came with this skill evolution.
‘…Ah. Even doing nothing feels bothersome. Already feeling lazy, and now I feel even more intensely lazy…!’
His immersion into nature had drastically increased, and so had his laziness.
Though his affinity and power over nature surged even more, this level would make it impossible for an ordinary person to carry on with daily life.
Had it been anyone else but Harris, they would have likely chosen to embrace nature and become one with it before realizing how much they had grown.
‘If that happens, would it be called a natural death? No, that’s not important right now.’
“Ugh—.”
Suppressing the desire of his body to drop to the ground and become one with the earth, Harris forced himself up.
The mental energy spent in the process increased slightly, but it was still nothing compared to what other avatars experienced.
The Heart of the Undead King and Hoon, who holds the Death of the Abyss.
Heinz II, who sucks the blood of various dimensional vampires.
Heinrich, who constantly maintains a passage to the Holy God.
Harley, who has embraced the genes of monsters and the madness of the abyss.
In terms of consumption, these different entities significantly outweighed his own.
It was just a slight increase in what he needed to be mindful of.
‘Let’s see, it seems I still have plenty of time before assembly. Shall I test out what I just gained?’
Harris glanced at the branch of the World Tree he held in his left hand, raising the bow he named ‘Themis.’
This forest was part of the training grounds belonging to Drasha Academy, so continuing his training here was no problem at all.
…Of course, he had dozed off for a moment while resting, but since his skill had grown, he definitely hadn’t slacked off.
He would prove his achievements right here and now!
“Hoo—”
As Harris took a deep breath, the swirling wind gently embraced his entire being.
Unlike the storm forcibly summoned by Harley through the “Heart of the Bone Dragon,” this wind was a natural phenomenon without any compulsion.
Though it was a natural occurrence, it was far removed from scientific theories, yet that was the law of this world.
And residing within that law were beings who were embodiments of nature.
Crackle! Whoosh—!
Wheeing! Vwoooom—*
The spirits appearing in the air, each showcasing their uniqueness, were exactly that.
The lightning spirit Watt, the fire spirit Kali, the wind spirit Pascal, the sound spirit Decibel.
Despite having contracted with him not long ago, they had matured quickly, all rising to intermediate levels, his lovely companions.
‘Then, let’s go for maximum power.’
As he drew strength from within, natural energy began to gather around Harris.
The spirits drawn forth by “Spirit Magic” swelled with presence as they absorbed the energy amplified by “Child of the World Tree.”
Up to this point, it was the same as before, but…
Vwoooom—
As his right hand pulled back the empty bowstring, natural energy was drawn in and condensed, forming an arrow.
This process was happening much faster and smoother than before.
‘To become one with nature… Am I gaining the ability to manipulate the energy around me as I please?’
With the power of “Nature Assimilation,” it felt as if there were no limits, as natural energy began to gather endlessly, but surely one skill couldn’t have made all limitations vanish.
“Hari—! Huh…?”
Just then, he heard someone call his name, but since it was a familiar presence, he easily disregarded it.
He couldn’t afford to be distracted right now.
Gathering, condensing, merging with existing arrows.
He continued to repeat that simple process.
After a brief moment, as the task of concentrating energy became slightly burdensome and he was about to give up…
The gentle energy emanating from Themis in his left hand began to blend Harris’s energy with the energy around him.
At that moment, the ‘High Elf’s Bracelet’ on his right wrist started to emit a soft light, harmonizing with it.
‘…This should be enough!’
An arrow formed with a concentration of natural energy beyond his initial expectations.
He added the final touch to it.
Crackle!
The lightning spirit perches on the arrow shaft.
Whoosh—
The fire spirit settles on the arrow tip.
Vwoooom—!
And finally, enveloping it all was the wind spirit and sound spirit.
“~~♪”
Along with Harris’s light humming, an arrow shot forth by “Fairy Justice”—
——!
Crossed the air in a beam of light without making a sound.
And it struck a target that exceeded at least 1 kilometer in the distance in the blink of an eye.
Puhwaaa—!
The delayed aftermath swirled through the bushes and messed up his hair, but Harris remained unfazed, his sparkling eyes fixated only on the distant target…
‘This is more than I expected? It probably wasn’t just the skill that did this; items are definitely a boost!’
Moreover, if he used the wind spirit not to enhance attack but to suppress the flow of air, it seemed that he could achieve an even more discreet and perfect sniper shot.
Of course, when it comes to battles between masters, concealing the flow of energy is crucial, but he felt he could manage with “Nature Assimilation”…
Just then, as Harris was evaluating the effectiveness of his newfound power while gazing at the completely pulverized far-off magical target…
“Harris! What was that just now! How did you do that?”
A sudden female voice snapped him back to reality.
“When have you gotten so strong! I thought you must’ve been training instead of sleeping!”
The familiar voice that he had unintentionally ignored while focusing on gathering energy was now chattering beside him.
Lowering the bow slightly, Harris turned his head toward the owner of that familiar voice, inadvertently flinching.
“While it’s great to be working hard, we really should start heading out soon to avoid being late for the assembly, right?”
The blue-haired, blue-eyed elf woman, Shafiron Silvesty.
She looked at him with her usual round eyes, but something was different this time…
‘No, everything except her face is different!’
The familiar appearance of someone completely unfamiliar.
Her sturdy yet comfortable travel outfit and boots were entirely appropriate, and the neatly tied hair for mobility, along with the backpack and various gear adorned all over her body, were certainly not out of place.
One could say it was a prime example of travel wear.
However…
“Um, Miss Shafiron? I heard you’re going to prepare supplies from the envoy level, so why do you have all that…?”
He had no idea where to start critiquing her.
Her outfit was battle-ready, with metal plating on both the front and back of her boots, and belts wrapped tightly around her waist, shoulders, and legs had various items and pouches hanging from them.
Moreover, seeing that her body was bulging in many places suggested that there were quite a few hidden secret pockets.
And even if they were filled with items, making them completely unsecret…
‘Plus, that backpack, is it a Spatial Dimension Magical Equipment? It looks quite sizable, and yet she carries all that heavy load on her back?’
The huge backpack completely overshadowed her petite figure, radiating an overwhelming presence.
She looked as if she were gearing up for an expedition into the wild.
Harris glanced at his own simple backpack lying next to him.
There was a stark contrast: just some simple clothes and a few travel items.
“Hehehe, what are you talking about? You were the one who always said to be thoroughly prepared for emergencies, Harris.”
Shafiron proudly wiped under her nose, beaming.
After being included in the envoy group, she had sought advice regarding the Ion Continent.
Offering high-quality tea leaves made from World Tree leaves in return.
So when she came all nervous about heading to another continent, he shared various tips with her, and now it seemed that had been a bit excessive.
It was somewhat exaggerated since, as a mercenary, he had dealt with situations a bit more dramatically…
“Look at this! It was tough to gather, but with this, even if the ground suddenly collapses and we’re buried underground, we can endure for a long time…”
With an excited face, she started boasting about her preparedness.
However, even with her thrilled expression, the dark circles under her eyes were impossible to conceal; no matter how one looked at it, she did not appear to have gotten enough sleep.
She looked like a kid who had a hard time sleeping the night before a field trip.
“And these are emergency rations! They’ve been made to withstand for years with extremely extended preservation periods… Ah, are you worried about the weight? Don’t worry! Both the backpack and all the gear have weight-reduction spells cast on them…”
Harris quietly observed her as she chattered on without pause.
Thinking about it, this would be the first time Shafiron would be stepping outside the capital of Drasha.
Yet, her first outing wasn’t just leaving the capital or even the Elven Kingdom; it was an expedition outside the continent.
‘Looks like she had a lot of expectations.’
As he stared at her blankly, she seemed to notice his gaze, and her mouth formed a sly smile.
“Hmm, you noticed, Harris? I can’t be underestimated after all!”
“…?”
“This outfit was specially tailor-made! Based on Dryad silk from my mom… um, my mother, and using rare metals commissioned from dwarves…”
Immediately jumping back into excitement, Shafiron continued talking.
Perhaps it was because they had become fairly close recently, but she was showing a side of herself that he had never seen before, one that was far from her usual prickly demeanor.
“…Ah, has it already gotten this late? Come on, hurry up! How long are you going to stay there? This time, we’re moving with an envoy from another country; we absolutely can’t be late!”
As she excitedly prattled on, she suddenly checked the time and, with a start, grabbed Harris’s arm to rush him.
Then she glanced at the simple bag he had packed, tilting her head.
“Harris, isn’t your luggage too simple? Even though you’re a veteran… Um, well, since I’ve prepared all the things in pairs, it should be fine! Hehe, if any situation arises, make sure you rely on me!”
With that, she strutted ahead, showing off her confidence as they headed toward the assembly point.
“Alright, let’s go. We’re prepared for any situation, so there’s no need to worry!”
And so, Harris walked alongside her, who was bubbling with excitement and nervousness, as though they were off to a picnic.
‘Anyway, after moving through the ‘Forest Path’ of Laforey, we’ll immediately use the gate at the shrine, so carrying all that won’t matter.’
Though he thought this to himself, he didn’t vocalize it.
Hmmm~♪
With her backpack swaying behind her, Shafiron hummed a tune.
‘Well, let her enjoy the mood. That’s the duty of a gentleman and an adult.’
And that was what transpired just before they set off for the Ion Continent.
And, of course…
There would be no occasion to use the supplies she had prepared up until the time they reached Rosellia Temple.
