God had planted a tree, and the name of that tree was his very own.
"That angel did say that this place... is a reward for being a faithful servant. Although this is far outside anything I've ever thought would be a reward, I guess it's true. I never expected that the verse that promises, 'no mind has conceived what God has in store to those who loved Him' would have an Isekai clause... This place... That tree... that fruit... It was all prepared for me...!" Thane smiled as he felt great relief. The fears that he previously felt seemed to vanish.
The weight of everything he bore on earth, the bills, the social concerns, the loneliness, and even the yoke of the great commission was no longer applicable here.
Even in his dark circumstances of being in a cave, in the middle of a dark forest, he felt peace.
"Welp... Might as well watch TV." Thane decided.
The glowing screen dimmed for a moment, then burst into vivid color again. The narrator's voice dropped to a reverent whisper as the camera panned over the glittering fruit called Wallaby's Journey.
"Ambrosia. A fruit of legends. There were Five trees that have existed in this world. Four were known, but one remained in secret. It was never found, for it was planted in the weakest of soils, where magic was weak. And to the local warriors, this forest was dangerous and this place a secret. In all the eons that passed, no one knew a budding ambrosia tree grew. And this tree would bear only one fruit in all the eons of its existence. All those who have tasted this fruit have grown to have astounding destinies. They leveled fortresses, conquered kingdoms, and reigned over their kingdoms as this fruit gave them great longevity!"
The image zoomed in as soft music played. Harps, gentle bells, and a deep hum that vibrated in Thane's bones.
The show shifted, now displaying the vast silhouette of a great beast falling through a thunderstorm.
"Dunkar, once a terror among the clouds, crashed into the western jungles of Velithra, wounded, exhausted, and close to death."
The camera showed of a battle in the sky between a dragon and a man riding an eagle. Then, one fell. The dragons looked strangely cartoonish, as a caption read on the side, 'Re-enactment only'.
"Huh? Re-enactment? What for? Couldn't you have shown the real thing?" Thane frowned.
Thunder boomed as the scene depicted a heavy storm showering over the drawn dragon.
The art became more and more lifelike at each flash of lightning, until finally, it showed a scene of Dunkar stumbling through a dark jungle, battered and scorched, smoke trailing from his injuries. His emerald scales had immed, tail dragging behind him, eyes half-lidded.
"That was when he saw it. In the deepest heart of the Forest of a Thousand Form Beast... A tree."
The tree emerged like a dream. It shimmered with runes and glowed with inner light, as if it had swallowed a tiny star.
"Ambrosia."
The camera held on the fruit. Dew sparkled on its skin.
"Dragons are not mindless beasts. They are creatures of ancient design. And Dunkar... had evolved and grown to be far beyond his common kin. He could speak, reason, remember, and plan. He was no mere beast. Dunkar was a Named Dragon!This isa title reserved for Dragons of Great Power that all the kingdoms recognized and would fear to engage in battle!"
Thane gasped. "Named dragon...?"
The voice continued, solemn.
"Dunkar knew what the fruit was. Knew its power. He knew it could grant eternal vitality, strength beyond comprehension... perhaps even divinity."
The screen now showed time-lapse sequences of Dunkar flying through storms, ambushing monsters in the distant oceans, wrestling wild leviathans.
"To feed the fruit, Dunkar hunted far beyond Velithra. He brought down titanic beasts, demons, spirits, and even other creatures of Catastrophe and fed their essence into the roots of the tree."
Dozens of magical creatures were shown. Lava giants. Massive octopus creatures and even boats that were larger than Dunkar were shown on the screen as it was being carried by the dragon.
"But it never matured."
The tree glowed faintly in each clip, but never changed.
"Ambrosia... does not ripen so easily with the lifeblood of many powerful creatures. It would have taken Dunkar another ten years to make this fruit ripe. But even then, it would never reach its highest potential!"
The music dimmed. The forest was quiet. A gust of wind blew through the leaves.
"It needed... magic. Divine magic." The narrator whispered again.
A silence lingered, thick as fog.
Then—
Bright colors. Fast motion. A loud whoosh sound was heard, and suddenly a face appeared on the screen.
"TIRED OF SWORDS THAT BREAK MID-BATTLE?!"
Thane jumped from the sudden scene that vastly changed the slow-paced and dramatic storytelling style.
A commercial blasted across the screen. Metal clanged. Dust flew. A warrior held up a glimmering blade that glowed blue.
"I used to carry rusted steel. Now? I use theExcaliblade! One slash, and even shield golems cry for their mamas!" the warrior said, flexing. A caption could be seen below the man.
It read, 'Erogros, Sword Captain of Sanctus Luminara.'
The screen showed rapid cuts of various swords shattering in slow motion while the Excaliblade carved clean through everything from steel boulders to flying gargoyles.
"What the fragment?! Why is there an ad here?! I thought this was premium TV!"
Another testimonial played: "Thanks to Excaliblade, I cleaved through a hydra's head! My team got wiped out, but I got its head and paid off my student debt. Now, I'm a local hero!"
The caption could be seen below and read, 'Ysvain, Adventurer of the Gravulkar.'
A glowing BUY NOW button pulsed at the corner.
"Huh? I can buy it? Hmm... Well, that makes sense. Maybe I can buy it..."
Thane saw the price, and it was worth 200 Gold Coins.
"Well, I don't have that much yet..."
He used the remote and quickly clicked Skip Ad.
The screen dimmed again, and the narrator returned, grave and cold.
"But then... the fruit was stolen."
A silent pause.
The jungle appeared again. Shadows moved. The camera zoomed in through trees, then over bushes, before stopping at the image of a ragged-looking boy—thin, dirt-smudged, and trembling.
On the upper right, another caption appeared, but instead of Re-Enactment, it said 'Actual Footage'.
"Thane Weakarm," the voice said. "A fifteen-year-old slave boy. His job was to carry the bags of mercenaries. A risky business but a necessity in this world. Exhausted and tired, he journeyed with a group of mercenaries whom he considered to be his family."
Thane's heart stopped.
"Wait. What?"
The camera showed a memory-like scene. The boy was his current self! He was walking with a group of brutish, laughing men. Despite being a slave, the boy seemed happy and dreamed of being an actual mercenary one day.
"That's me!" Thane exclaimed.