Unholy Player
Chapter 198: Growing

Chapter 198: Growing

As Adyr’s energy body descended beside the second tree on the empty clearing, his eyes landed on the strange rooster perched silently beneath it, letting out irregular, chaotic sounds.

It was the same rooster that the Null Maggot had claimed as a host, feeding off its senses. Due to the Spark’s secondary trait, its body had undergone visible mutation. Its once-bright yellow feathers had dulled into a sickly, dark hue, and its size was nearly double that of the others.

The rest of the roosters nearby appeared normal. Evidently, the Null Maggot’s influence, restrained by the [Sanctuary] field, remained confined to the single host. That was fortunate.

Finding a suitable spot, Adyr took a shovel and dug into the soil, carving out a small pit wide enough to hold the seed and the energy crystals.

He placed the seed at the very bottom with precision, then carefully poured in 1,000 level-2 energy crystals, layering them to fully encase it. Once done, he sealed the pit with earth and stood still.

"How long does it take to mature?" he muttered, knowing it shouldn’t take long.

Less than a minute passed before the soil began to tremble faintly. Then, without warning, the change began.

A single green shoot burst through the earth, rising steadily. But this was no ordinary sapling.

Thin, translucent veins ran along its length, glowing faintly as if pulsing with inner light. As it grew, leaves unfurled like crystalline petals—sharp-edged, vibrant green, and semi-transparent, shimmering faintly as they caught the dim light. The bark formed in smooth, layered spirals, its surface appearing polished like darkened obsidian threaded with veins of emerald.

In mere seconds, the ethereal tree stood at full height. It gave off no scent, no sound—just an unnatural stillness, as if nature itself had paused to observe its presence.

Adyr didn’t move. He simply watched, eyes narrowed, absorbing every detail in silence.

"Mother Tree, huh," he murmured with meaning. According to the description, this thing was supposed to be as old as the gods who created the world, but aside from its strange and beautiful appearance, Adyr didn’t sense anything particularly supernatural.

"Maybe it’s still young," he speculated.

Just then, a flicker of movement among the crystal-like green leaves caught his eye.

A small green bud emerged, swelling rapidly. Within seconds—just like the tree—it had grown to the size of a clenched fist, transforming into a deep crimson fruit with a polished, crystal sheen.

"Why is everything about this tree made of crystal?" Adyr chuckled quietly. Once he was certain the fruit had ripened, his energy body lifted smoothly through the air. He reached out and plucked it from the branch.

After a brief inspection—and realizing it resembled no fruit he’d ever seen—he brought it to his mouth and bit into its crystalline surface.

A sharp crunch echoed as the fruit cracked between his teeth, releasing a cool, refreshing liquid that filled his mouth and slid down his throat with a soothing ease.

The act of eating it was oddly pleasant. But the taste? Not so much.

Adyr’s expression tightened.

The fruit had no clear flavor—just a raw, unripe bitterness that lingered on the tongue, like biting into a still-green quince.

Noticing no immediate changes in his body, he pushed past the unripe taste and kept eating.

Despite its crystalline exterior, the inside was soft and juicy, with no seeds at the center.

He took large, quick bites, finishing it entirely—until finally, a system message appeared before him.

[You gained 1 free stat point.]

"Good." If his energy body had a face, a faint, satisfied smile would’ve been visible.

With a treasure like this, he could grow stronger just by sitting still—no effort, no risk. Of course, to keep earning a fruit each day, he’d still need to find a way to secure the 10 energy-valued crystals required.

"Still, it’s not something I can rely on in the short term. I should keep focusing on leveling up my talents." After one last glance at the tree, Adyr withdrew his energy body from the Sanctuary.

In his room, he stripped off his upper layers, grabbed only his swords, pulled open the heavy curtains, and stepped out through the glass doors into the enclosed courtyard to begin his sword practice.

Meanwhile, dawn was breaking on Earth. Waking up early while the rest of the house remained asleep, he quietly prepared breakfast for Niva and Marielle and left a note on the table, mentioning he’d headed out early to visit the Player Headquarters. After changing clothes, he stepped outside.

His goal was to raise all of his talents to level 3 before the Legacy Domain opened. That meant putting in extra effort—starting before sunrise, even if no driver or transport had been arranged to pick him up at this hour.

So, he ran.

Cutting through the dim streets alone, he moved at full speed.

At one point, he had considered buying a private vehicle. Technically, he still lacked a legal surname, but with his status recognized, getting a driver’s license wouldn’t have been a problem.

Yet now, sprinting through the empty roads at full tilt, he realized—he was already as fast as a car.

[Talent Recognition: "Runner (Lv1)" confirmed.]

- Talent has been identified based on sustained high-speed movement and repeated traversal behavior.

- Proceed with registration to the Status Panel?

- Cost: 1 Energy

- Reward: 1 Free Stat Point

The system also seemed to agree with him—it sent a message. But unfortunately, with no available slots, he had to ignore it.

I can still buy one for Marielle and Niva, Adyr thought, feeling the cold, heavy morning air striking his face as he ran.

Marielle, especially, had to go to work every day and relied on public buses to get there. Having her own car would be a big improvement in her daily life. She was also about to begin treatment for her missing arm. Even with mutant-tech support, it wasn’t something that could be fixed in a day—she’d need to go in regularly for therapy.

His mind kept drifting through scattered thoughts as he ran, keeping himself occupied—until finally, the massive, jet-black building of the Player Headquarters came into view, rising into the sky like a towering coffin.

Without breaking a sweat, he didn’t bother changing clothes. He headed straight to the elevator and rode up to the Talent Training floor.

VR simulations were the best option to hone existing talents, so he entered a training room and selected a simulation tailored for the talent he planned to level up first—[Tactician (Lv2)], the one he judged to be the easiest.

Of course, thinking it was easy didn’t mean it would come without challenge. To gain an edge, he activated one of the VR console’s advanced features.

First, he opened a chess program on one display, setting the AI to its highest difficulty. As the game began, he shrank the window and slid it to the edge of his vision.

Next, he launched another tactical game, reminiscent of Go from his old world, but with slightly altered rules. He set it to the highest level as well, minimized the interface, and placed it alongside the chess window.

He then opened several puzzles and additional strategy games, filling his entire field of view.

With everything running simultaneously, he began playing them all at once, his mind focusing coldly on patterns, probability, and efficiency.

***

A/N: Thanks for the golden tickets here is bonus Chapter.

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