"Research? How many more unicorn girls do you want?" Midgard looked at him like she'd just discovered he was that kind of person.
"What are you imagining?" Leonard said without expression. "Don't you think a potion that can turn Magical Creatures into humans has serious research value?"
"What research value? It's just to satisfy the curiosity of weirdos like you." Midgard shrugged.
Leonard couldn't help shaking his head. "You should talk to Marcus more. Or go find Damocles… actually, forget Damocles. His brain works fine for brewing potions, but when it comes to judgment he's hopeless. Otherwise he wouldn't have chosen Wolfsbane Potion as his research focus."
"So what are you trying to say?" Midgard asked, puzzled.
"Obviously, we should study how this transformation works." Leonard lifted his chin toward her. "Ever thought about whether, in your Werewolf form, you count more as a human or more as a Magical Creature?"
Midgard's gaze stiffened and her expression turned serious.
Little unicorn Claudia's face also grew solemn. She wrinkled her tiny nose, sniffed, and stared straight at Leonard.
The smell of pancakes.
That warm, sweet scent was coming from Leonard's chest.
Claudia swallowed and quietly reached out her tiny hand.
"So you realized it too." Leonard slapped away the hand reaching for his chest. "Maybe that potion really could solve the werewolf problem."
"Solve the werewolf problem…" Midgard muttered, looking from stern-faced Leonard to the teary-eyed Claudia. "Did you hurt her? Shouldn't you comfort her?"
Leonard turned and saw Claudia holding her little hand, eyes full of tears and ready to spill. His stern expression collapsed instantly.
"Sorry, little Claudia. I must've hit you by accident. I'm sorry. Here, have some pancakes…!" Leonard babbled apologetically as he comforted the little unicorn. It took a long while before she perked up again, hopping around while nibbling tiny bites of the pancake.
Maple syrup dripped down her small fingers, and Leonard had to pull out a handkerchief to clean her up.
Watching Leonard fuss over Claudia with such care, Midgard couldn't help teasing, "Didn't expect you to be this good at taking care of someone. You're already doing great—why do you need me?"
Leonard shot her a look. "I can handle simple things, but I don't have time to look after her. She's too innocent and has a lot to learn. And some things… aren't really appropriate for me to teach."
"Oh~" Midgard dragged out the sound knowingly. "No wonder you called me. Fine, leave her to me. I'll teach her well."
"Don't bully her. Tone it down. Claudia's a bit scared of you—and you know why." Midgard's quick agreement made Leonard uneasy. "Also, she's still very innocent. Don't teach her anything weird."
"Relax, I get it, I get it." Midgard waved him off. "Just trust me."
Leonard fell silent, reluctantly nudging the pure-eyed, muffin-nibbling Claudia toward Midgard.
The werewolf issue… that could wait. Claudia had already finished the potion, and there was no second bottle for now.
The more pressing problem was that he was starting to regret this. Midgard's strange expression didn't inspire confidence at all.
But since he had no other choice, he could only watch as Midgard, wearing an odd grin, picked Claudia up and carried her aside. They began whispering to each other—who knew what strange things she was teaching her.
Leonard looked over at them, resisted the urge to eavesdrop, shooed away the unicorns around him, and went to tend his plants.
The Bitterthorns had matured, and Leonard had already received the system notifications.
[Plants in your botanical garden: Enhanced Bitterthorn (Dragon Scale Enhancement), Enhanced Bitterthorn (Acromantula Venom Enhancement), Common Bitterthorn (Dragon Blood Enhancement), Common Bitterthorn (Acromantula Venom Enhancement) have matured]
[You gained experience: 500 + 500 + 250 + 250 = 1500 Experience Points]
[Current Intermediate Botanist (1441/2000)]
[You gained 1 Enhancement Point]
[You gained a new innate skill: Forest's Eye]
[Forest's Eye: All plants act as your eyes. By actively communicating with them, you can access their vision. The range depends on the size of the forest.]
Leveling up still granted the usual enhancement point and an innate skill.
Forest's Eye allowed Leonard to perceive everything happening in every corner of the forest—whether it was a dung beetle being crushed or an entire group of creatures migrating. Nothing escaped him.
"Mass planting really does level things fast." Leonard smiled, satisfied, as he looked at the fully grown Bitterthorns.
At this rate, once the entire botanical garden matured, he could probably gain at least two more levels.
With the enhancement point in hand, Leonard opened the system to check the next upgrades.
Since unlocking [Ability Sharing], he hadn't looked at what the following enhancements were.
Under the [Ability Sharing] node were still two offensive branches and two defensive branches leading to the next node.
Their effects were very different—the offensive ones were unique, while the defensive ones were familiar.
The defensive branch was simple: both upgrades granted an extra chance to absorb magic—essentially immunity to one more spell—and also strengthened Magical Frenzy and Self-Destruct.
The offensive branch, however, offered something new.
The first offensive upgrade was called [Second Strike]. Every three attacks, the plant's next hit would strike an additional time.
It sounded like a common game mechanic, but in reality, it seemed to involve some peculiar timing behavior. Leonard hadn't tested it yet, so he wasn't certain how it worked.
The second branch was even more interesting: [Internal Combustion]. Each plant attack would add one stack inside the target. Once five stacks were reached, the target would detonate and take damage.
This ability clearly synergized with [Second Strike]. Together, the two could rapidly build up stacks and trigger an explosion.
Leonard still didn't know exactly how [Internal Combustion] triggered. How did stacks accumulate? Was grazing contact enough, or did it require a solid hit?
He would need to experiment before drawing conclusions.
But compared to these offensive upgrades, Leonard preferred the defensive branch. Without hesitation, he activated one of them.
His plants already hit hard. Increasing damage wasn't the priority. Boosting survivability mattered more.