Chapter Twenty-One: Declaration-Abnormal Paradise(More than half a year)

When the flames surged forth like a tidal wave, Ash honestly expected to be annihilated in a single blow. The magnitude of the skill was so overwhelming that he had already resigned himself to using the “Death-Substitute Fruit.” Yet, unexpectedly, though the damage notification was indeed alarming, it was not fatal—a single wave of fire only took away twenty points of health and finished off what remained of his basic protective suit. Ash surmised that this was likely because the Veilfire skill was an area attack, so its damage bonus wasn’t especially high, perhaps only equaling the “ordinary” attack tier of the Mutated Seed itself.

This realization greatly lifted Ash’s spirits: not only did he not have to waste his Death-Substitute Fruit, but there was now a real chance that the battered Cup of Wine Would Soon Be Stronger, having suffered both lashings and fire, might cling to life by a stroke of luck. As for Not a Sword Immortal, whose health was already at rock bottom, mere survival was the best outcome he could hope for.

The burning effect of the flames lingered, but the intense searing had faded. Ash leaned forward and charged, his stride steady as he crashed through the flaming domain and appeared before the Mutated Seed.

[Notification: You have used the active skill “Staff Technique: Skullcracker,” lowering the target’s head defense by one level.]

[Notification: You have dealt two points of damage to the “Mutated Seed.”]

[Notification: The Mutated Seed’s agility is less than four points and cannot ignore the “Weak” Slow effect. For the next five seconds, its attack and movement speed will decrease by twenty percent.]

Two points!

Compared to earlier in the battle, these two points of damage seemed insignificant, but to the Mutated Seed at this moment, they were nearly fatal.

After two rounds of shooting, it was left with only eight health—it could only withstand four more Skullcracker hits.

Ash had long since calculated this outcome.

He had abandoned the Direwolf Gauntlets—whose attack tier was “weak” but came with a doubling effect—because he judged that their stunning effect would not trigger, and even if it did, the resulting damage would still only be two points.

Yes, just two points.

After so many battles, Ash had already deduced from the notifications the damage range of his two weapons and several affixes.

The Direwolf Gauntlets dealt a fixed six points of damage. The standard telescopic baton, inlaid with the Mimic Chest’s Broken Fang, dealt four to five points. Against the Mutated Seed, whose true defense was five points, there was little difference between the two.

But with the Skullcracker skill, the baton could push the Seed’s defense from the “Slight” limit down to the “Feeble” limit—just two points of defense—making its damage not only more stable than the gauntlets, but with a chance of hitting maximum output.

With all the numbers clear in his mind, the fight became simple.

Bang!

Though the Mutated Seed had bound the two players with vines, it too was affected by its own entanglement. With the slow debuff in play, Ash easily struck its head and, by sheer luck, triggered maximum damage twice in a row.

[Notification: You have dealt three points of damage to the “Mutated Seed.”]

[Notification: You have successfully slain the mutant plant entity derivative “Mutated Seed” and earned a large number of contribution points.]

With the kill notification, Ash finally breathed out in relief, gazing at the menacing fangs frozen just inches away. He tore off the still-burning armor and tossed it aside.

Under the searing Veilfire, his basic protective suit was rendered useless, and the Mutated Seed could have easily drained his remaining health with a single bite. Fortunately, the slow effect had done its work, sparing his Death-Substitute Fruit once again.

However, Not a Sword Immortal was not so lucky after taking the Mutated Seed’s full skill barrage. Only thanks to the Death-Substitute Fruit blocking a fatal blow—and restoring half his health—did he avoid perishing in the lingering flames.

As for Cup of Wine Would Soon Be Stronger, just as Ash had predicted, she managed to endure the Veilfire. Regaining her freedom just before the fire would have consumed her, she hurried to use a potion and narrowly survived.

“Cough...cough, cough…”

The Veilfire’s effect was eerily realistic—not only scorching hot but also acrid-smelling. After it passed, Cup of Wine’s wine-red cloak, which had shielded her face, was mostly burned away.

Ash glanced over and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. He recalled that he’d seen this face—smudged with soot but still radiant—in various videos and photos related to “Titan.”

He withdrew his gaze and reached for the Mutated Seed’s drop: [Plant Partner Enhancement Fruit].

…

[Plant Partner Enhancement Fruit] (Exclusive)

Type: Special Item

Function: Increases the attack level of a plant partner with attack not higher than “Ordinary” by one tier.

Description: This item belongs to the Gardener, and was given to the Mutated Seed so it could guard the Gardener’s cottage. Any player who obtained a plant partner from the Farmer can use the Enhancement Fruit to trigger its evolution.

[Notification: This is an exclusive item—only players with “Plant Partner” may use it.]

[Notification: This item cannot be taken out of the current trial space.]

…

“As expected, I got it!”

Ash clenched his fist with satisfaction, then eagerly fed the fruit to his Level Three Peashooter.

Since the Veilfire had also damaged it, the Level Three Peashooter looked a bit wilted. But after consuming the Enhancement Fruit, it perked up instantly. It disappeared into its culture dish for a few seconds, and when it reemerged, it was fully restored, now sporting a dark steel helmet and four gun barrels gleaming with metallic sheen.

[Notification: Your plant partner “Level Three Peashooter” has been enhanced. Its attack level has risen from “Weak” to “Ordinary.”]

This perilous battle made Ash realize once again the importance of timing. Had he and Not a Sword Immortal not intercepted Thunderous Might and Lu Renjia, disrupting Cursefox’s power-up plan and then followed up to eliminate him—thus obtaining the [Skill Module Enhancement Chip]—this fight against the Mutated Seed would surely have ended in casualties. The Seed’s single-target damage simply exceeded what players could withstand.

Not only did it have devastating burst power, but also inescapable crowd control. If Not a Sword Immortal and Dot Dot Bean hadn’t intercepted the Flying Leaf Blade, and if Cup of Wine hadn’t had the Death-Substitute Fruit, she would have died here for sure.

Thankfully, Ash and Not a Sword Immortal’s efforts meant time was on their side.

Cup of Wine’s explosive output allowed the dangerous fight to end quickly. Had it dragged on, the Mutated Seed’s absurd damage could have brought them all down.

“Huh? Where’s Dot Dot Bean?” Not a Sword Immortal looked around in confusion. “That guy ran off fast—didn’t die, did he?”

“No need to worry about him,” Ash said, looking up at the second Gardener’s cottage, his gaze intent. “Entering it should complete every objective for this trial. All that’s left is to face the final boss.”

He turned to Cup of Wine Would Soon Be Stronger. “Come with me—maybe you’ll trigger the main quest.”

She glanced at Ash, as if to say she had contributed the most in the battle—so why was he acting as if she was merely tagging along? But since he had already turned away, her silent protest was wasted on the air. Staring at his self-assured retreating figure, the thrill of her narrow escape quickly dissipated. Not a Sword Immortal found the scene hilarious—it was rare to see the beautiful Cup of Wine suffer successive setbacks.

“What are you laughing at?” Cup of Wine shot him an exasperated glare, then entered the cottage, its veil of darkness finally lifted. There she found Ash reading a book. Curiosity overpowered her annoyance, and she leaned in, catching sight of the frenzied handwriting.

…

I, the Gardener, am the true master of this manor!

Whether it’s the Farmer tinkering with mechanical fusion or the Shepherd delving into the science of life—they are my enemies.

Together they stole my manor and forced me to serve them.

I tried to resist, but my strength was limited, and I could only become their servant, their slave.

For a time, I thought my life would always be this way, until one day, a change swept through the forest—a rift to an unknown realm appeared and changed everything.

I stepped into it bravely and entered a strange world called the “Wasteland.” There, I rediscovered the meaning of life and mastered the secrets of traversing time and space. When the concentration of the forest’s darkness falls below a certain threshold, the rift will appear. So I allowed the darkness to breed its swarms, secretly laid out sorcery circles, and in just two weeks, I shuttled back and forth between the worlds, never once arousing suspicion from the Farmer or the Shepherd.

The Wasteland gave me endless surprises and the hope of rebellion.

Though it may still be far away, it gave me the courage to write this vow:

the Gardener!

Master of the manor.

Hereby swear—I will begin my revenge!

Farmer, Shepherd, your exploitation ends now.

When I return, the earth of the manor will run with molten lava, the streams will ignite with darkness.

The partners who share my life will be reborn in fire.

Together, we will write your crimes in blood, and time itself will be your prison.