novelraw Chapter 54 : Servant of the Tree
Chapter 54 : Servant of the Tree
The morning sun found me sitting cross-legged in front of the tree, palms pressed together as I circulated mana through my body. My breathing slowed, steady, just like Mama taught me.
[ Mana Capacity: 23 → 24 ]
I grinned. “Good… little by little.”
“Little by little?!”
The goddess dropped from a branch, landing squarely on my lap with her hands on her hips.
“You’re too slow, caretaker! You should be at least three times stronger by now! Chop-chop!”
I groaned. “I’m not a forge hammer, I can’t just pound faster because you yell at me.”
She huffed, pointing at the soil under her tree. “Then at least give me more blooms!”
“Blooms…?”
“Yes!” Her leaf-like hair swished as she stomped a tiny foot. “Those little water flowers you make when you splash magic into the dirt. They feel nice on my roots! You need to practice more!”
A flicker lit across my HUD.
[Skill Evolution Path: Aqua Ball → Aqua Bloom]
[Requirement: Cast Aqua Ball on fertile soil 100x]
I exhaled slowly. “So that’s what you mean…”
She tilted her head. “What?”
“Nothing.” I shaped a sphere of water in my hands and pressed it into the earth. The soil shimmered faintly, a tiny sprout curling upward at the tree’s base.
The HUD blinked again:
[Progress: 47 / 100 → Aqua Bloom]
My eyes widened. “…It’s working.”
The goddess clapped her hands, beaming. “See? I told you! More! More!”
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I muttered under my breath. “Feels like I’m your servant…”
Still, I repeated the process, Aqua Ball after Aqua Ball, sweat gathering on my forehead. The sprouts multiplied, faintly glowing, their petals like little blue stars.
The HUD chimed:
[Mana Circulation Efficiency +5%]
[Affinity with Water Magic ↑]
[Bond Strengthened: Tree Goddess Vessel]
I stopped, panting lightly. She was already dancing around the blooms, fairies circling her in joy.
And despite myself… I smiled.
Maybe being her “caretaker” wasn’t such a bad thing.
I was kneeling in front of the tree again, sweat running down my forehead as I forced mana into another Aqua Ball. The soil shimmered faintly, sprouts curling up around the roots.
The goddess crouched beside me, poking my cheek. “Hmm… caretaker, your mana still tastes funny.”
I blinked. “Tastes… funny?”
She wrinkled her nose, puffing out her cheeks. “Yeah. It’s all watery and bland. Human mana. Blegh.”
I frowned. “You can taste my mana?”
“Of course! I’m a goddess! Your heart’s mana core is leaking all over when you train.”
“…Heart?”
She tilted her head. “Ohhh, right. You humans can’t see them, so you just call it a heart. Dumb.”
My HUD flickered.
[Information Unlocked: Mana Core]
[Humans → Call it “Heart” due to inability to perceive core directly]
I rubbed my temples. “So? What do you want me to do about it?”
She tapped her chin, then suddenly grinned. “Easy! I’ll just give you another one.”
My eyes widened. “Wait, what—”
Before I could react, she pressed her glowing little hand against my chest. Warmth surged into me, flooding through my veins. My body jolted, the HUD going wild.
[Elf Mana Core Granted]
[Status: Dual Core Vessel – Human (Blue) + Elf (Green)]
[Warning: Maintaining two mana cores requires double training]
I gasped, clutching my chest as the strange green warmth settled beside the familiar blue flow. It felt… alive. Fresh. Like a forest breeze in my lungs.
The goddess pulled her hand back, smiling smugly. “There! Now your mana will taste better. Blue and green mix. Yum!”
I collapsed onto my back, panting. “D-double training… you’re going to kill me…”
She poked my nose. “Don’t be dramatic. You’re my caretaker, remember? Stronger cores mean better roots. Win-win!”
I groaned. Servant, caretaker, whatever…
Still, I sat up and looked at her seriously. “If you’re going to keep bossing me around… at least tell me your name. Calling you ‘hey, goddess’ all the time is exhausting.”
She blinked, then smiled. “Ohhh! That’s true, isn’t it? Names make things easier.”
The fairies fluttered around her, whispering in a language I couldn’t understand. She tilted her head thoughtfully, then puffed her chest.
“Fine! My name is Maori. Remember it well, caretaker!”
I repeated it under my breath. “…Maori.”
The HUD shimmered faintly.
[Bond Strengthened: Maori, Goddess of the Tree]
[Dual Core Synchronization Progress: 1%]
For some reason… it felt like everything had just gotten a lot more complicated.