Chapter 32: Abyss’s Little Scheme
“A great person once said, ‘Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.’ If I don’t learn from my esteemed elders, absorbing your wisdom and experience, I can’t improve,” Abyss said, his tone sincere. “So, Masters, please, don’t hold back. Show me your greatest achievements, so I can learn from them.”
“Hmm, that’s a valid point,” the Druid who had challenged him earlier said, his tone softening. Abyss’s subtle flattery had appeased him.
“Alright, then let’s begin. Who will go first?” the old elf who had initiated this gathering asked, looking around.
A human Druid, his hair white but his skin surprisingly smooth, his pockets filled with various items, stepped forward. His apparent youth was due to the rejuvenating effects of nature magic. He looked at the others, his chest puffed out with pride.
“I’ll go first. Consider this a warm-up. Let’s all demonstrate our skills, then discuss them,” he said.
The other Druids nodded in agreement.
Leona, sitting in the treehouse, pondering her role, suddenly heard Abyss’s voice in her mind. “Leona, can I borrow your ears?”
She looked down, their gazes meeting. After a moment of hesitation, she climbed down and approached him, tilting her head slightly, offering him her ear.
Abyss, momentarily surprised by her obedience, flicked her earlobe playfully, much to the annoyance of the Druids, who were preparing to begin their demonstration.
“Ow!” Leona exclaimed. “What was that for?!”
“I just needed to borrow your hearing, not your actual ear,” Abyss said through their link. “Although your ears are quite soft and adorable, this isn’t the time for playing.”
Leona blushed, then asked, “Borrow my hearing? But why…?”
“He’s planning to learn their spells,” Rebecca said, having seen through his plan. “By listening to their incantations, he can analyze their magic. But… against high-ranking Druids, it might not be that easy. Their spells are often personalized, modified to suit their own styles. It would be obvious if he simply copied them…”
“Don’t worry,” Abyss said, his outward expression calm as he watched the human Druid begin his demonstration, his mental voice reaching Leona and Rebecca. “I’ve been studying magic since I could talk. Once I understand their spells, I can modify them to suit my own style. It’s a basic skill. I just need to stall for time, observe their methods, and then my own demonstration will be flawless.”
If any other mage heard his words, they would likely slap him. A sixteen-year-old calling himself a veteran mage, claiming that instantly modifying another mage’s spells was a “basic skill”? And yet, coming from him, it sounded almost plausible…
“My specialty is botany. I’ve spent my life studying plants and their manipulation. I’ll demonstrate my skills now—of course, I’ll keep it small. I don’t want to disrupt the environment or disturb my fellow Druids,” the human Druid said, retrieving a small pouch from one of his many pockets.
He pulled out a tiny, triangular seed, barely larger than an ant, and tossed it onto the ground. Then he began chanting.
As his incantation progressed, the seed sprouted, a tiny root anchoring itself in the soil, quickly absorbing nutrients and mana from the surrounding environment.
The soil around the sacred tree was incredibly fertile, the mana density incredibly high. The seed thrived, its stem growing rapidly, its leaves unfurling, quickly transforming into a morning glory vine. But that was just the beginning.
The vine snaked across the ground, growing thicker, reaching the Druid’s leg, then twining around it, spiraling upwards as he continued chanting. The vine, initially as thin as a blade of grass, quickly thickened to the width of a bowl.
Then, a startling transformation occurred. The tip of the vine swelled, then split open, revealing a large, snake-like head, its eyes absent, its mouth filled with sharp teeth, a long, tentacle-like tongue dripping with viscous saliva. The morning glory had become a monstrous creature.
“This is my own creation, a spell that transforms a morning glory into a powerful beast, capable of both movement and combat. The high mana density and the fertile soil accelerate its growth. At my full power, I can create hundreds of these,” the Druid explained proudly.
But his explanation didn’t seem to impress the other Druids. They remained silent, their expressions expectant.
“I can use these creatures for rapid transportation—and then, they burrow into the ground at their destination and decompose, enriching the soil, revitalizing barren lands,” he continued, explaining the spell’s secondary effect.
“Ooh!” the Druids exclaimed, impressed.
Abyss nodded. He now understood what they valued.
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