Jaswant took a deep breath, steadying himself.
A glowing quest window floated before him — three new sub-quests had been assigned.
Beneath the list, a faint message shimmered:
Important Notice: These quests are not permanent.
They may change depending on the situation.
If danger increases, they can be modified.
New quests may also be added in the future.
Jaswant's gaze fixed on the first sub-quest:
"Raise your level from Lv. 8 to Lv. 10."
He clenched his fists.
"Alright," he murmured, "let's begin."
He closed his eyes, focusing on the rhythm of his breath.
Silencing his thoughts, he released a long, steady breath and spread his hands toward the ground.
A soft green glow began to spread beneath his feet — lines of energy emerging from the soil, twisting into living roots.
The scent of damp earth filled the air.
"Focus," Jaswant whispered.
The first wave rose — an intense surge of energy coiling around his hands like living vines.
His veins shimmered like emeralds; his heartbeat pulsed in rhythm with the heartbeat of the earth.
The nearby trees trembled in response, and the flowers bent under the pull of his power.
Then, suddenly, the intensity spiked — the ground cracked open, revealing glowing green roots beneath.
The force made Jaswant stumble back, gasping. His limited control was barely holding.
A system panel flickered before him:
[Elemental Output: 74% capacity reached]
[Synchronization Rate: 51% — Instability Detected]
"Still unstable…" Jaswant muttered, gritting his teeth.
"I need more control — or this power will consume itself."
He tried again — slower, steadier this time.
Instead of forcing the energy outward, he let it flow and return, like the rise and fall of a tide.
The green light deepened and softened with each breath — calm as ripples on still water.
Minutes turned into hours.
When he opened his eyes again, the sun was tilting westward, its harsh heat fading into gold.
The day was slipping away, yet Jaswant's every attempt still ended in failure.
He had trained for hours, pushing himself to the limit, but his power kept slipping out of his grasp.
Even so, he refused to stop.
Fatigue crept through his body — his pace slowed, his muscles trembled — yet he continued.
And strangely, as his strength waned, his energy began to flow more smoothly.
A faint smile tugged at his lips.
"So… my exhaustion is helping the flow, not hardening it. It's becoming more refined."
Panting, he added, "At least my fatigue isn't wasted."
Jaswant's energy had always been fierce, untamed.
But as his stamina drained, the intensity softened — and what remained was pure, steady, mature.
He steadied himself, changed the seal of his hands, and struck toward a nearby dry tree.
This time, the power was focused, controlled.
The light burst from his palms, piercing through the trunk and out the other side.
Jaswant drew a deep breath — and as he did, the air shifted.
A new notification appeared before him, but before he could read it, a cold gust swept past.
It didn't belong to the calm afternoon.
Jaswant's body tensed.
Every instinct screamed — something was wrong.
He slowly turned his head.
The edge of the garden looked darker — as if someone had stolen its light.
The same thicket where he had once glimpsed that mysterious figure now seemed denser, deeper.
"That feeling again?" he muttered, narrowing his eyes.
Something shimmered in the shadows — not fully body, not fully spirit, but something in between.
"Show yourself," Jaswant commanded, stepping forward.
A moment's silence — then a faint, rasping whisper echoed:
"Bearer of the Temple of Lost Memory… why have you awakened Amravati's light?"
Jaswant's heartbeat quickened.
He scanned the garden, but no one was there — only a faint, wavering silhouette.
"Who are you?" he demanded. "Answer me!"
A tired laugh replied — hollow, distant, as if carried from another world.
"I… was a guardian… of what you now seek to revive.
But your kind forgot us.
The Divine Groves are dying — and so are their guardians."
"Guardians?" Jaswant frowned. "There are others like you?"
The shape flickered, briefly becoming clearer — a tall figure draped in a tattered cloak, eyes glowing like dying embers.
"We were once bound to the roots of five sacred trees.
But corruption is devouring us… twisting what we were.
Find the Withered Grove — before it devours everything else."
Jaswant stepped forward.
"What is the Withered Grove?"
The voice trembled, as if something tried to silence it — and the figure began to fade.
Before disappearing completely, it spoke one last time, voice cracking:
"It is the reflection of Amravati's fall…
A place where creation itself turned against its nature.
It lies beneath your world — beneath the forest that bleeds though it appears green."
Jaswant froze, stunned.
Before he could ask anything more, the figure dissolved like dust.
"Wait!" he called. "Tell me where to find you!"
But only the rustling of leaves replied — and the dark energy that lingered slowly seeped into the soil.
The system's voice echoed again:
[Warning: Unknown Entity Detected — "Guardian of the Withered Grove"]
[New Sub-Quest Unlocked: Investigate the corrupted life-source near the Bloodstained Forest]
Jaswant's eyes widened.
"The Bloodstained Forest… it must be that place."
He looked at his palm — the mark of the Santāna Tree pulsed softly, reacting to the name.
---
By the time Jaswant returned to the mansion, evening had fallen.
The long corridors were silent — only the soft chime of wind bells whispered outside.
Sitting in his room, he stared at his glowing hand.
That whisper echoed again and again in his mind:
"Find the Withered Grove before it consumes the rest."
Even now, he could still sense a faint dark presence near the garden — unseen, yet lingering in the air.
He opened his system panel.
Three quests shimmered before him — he had advanced from Lv.8 to Lv.9, but the task remained incomplete.
One more level to climb.
The second sub-quest glowed brighter than the rest:
Sub-Quest 2: Purify a corrupted life-source.
Target: The Bloodstained Forest.
Jaswant closed the panel, determination setting his features firm.
"So that's where I'll head next…"
He picked up his dark green cloak — the same one he wore when he first awakened his power.
As he stepped toward the window, a cool breeze brushed his face.
Far beyond the hills, on the horizon, a faint crimson shimmer pulsed — like an open wound upon the earth.
Jaswant knew — whether it was the Withered Grove, the corrupted life-source, or the truth behind Amravati's fall — this journey would not be easy anymore.
---
As the night was growing darker.
Clouds had swallowed the stars, and a strange heaviness filled the air — as if some unseen warning was spreading all around.
Jaswant stood at the edge of the forest.
Before him stretched a blood-soaked woodland, its trees groaning as though cursed by some ancient malediction.
The leaves gleamed crimson, releasing red dust with every gust of wind, spreading a nauseating metallic stench through the area.
The ground was damp — but it was neither water nor mud — it was the decayed fluid of life itself.
He looked at the glowing mark of the Santāna Tree on his palm.
It shimmered faintly, as if trying to speak to him.
[System Warning: High-level corruption detected.]
[Status unstable. Maintain elemental control.]
Jaswant steadied his breath.
"So this is the place…"
And he stepped forward.
The moment he entered the forest, the atmosphere changed.
No birds sang, no wind stirred — only a deep, suffocating silence filled the bloody air, making the scene even more terrifying.
Black scars ran across the trunks of trees, as if they had been burned by fire.
There was a faint odor of decay — like that of rotting souls.
Feeling disgusted, Jaswant covered his nose.
After a moment of adaptation, he knelt and pressed his glowing palm to the ground.
A wave of green energy pulsed outward — but as soon as it touched the soil, it turned black.
"The ground here is alive…" he muttered, voice trembling, "but it's rotten from within."
Suddenly, something rustled in the bushes.
A whisper — followed by a long, moaning voice.
"You… why have you returned… bearer of the Santāna Tree…"
Jaswant turned.
From between the trees, something crawled into view.
It wasn't human.
Its body was made of soil and roots, but thick, blood-like liquid ran through them.
Dark mist leaked from its hollow eyes, and every step left a stain upon the ground.
The System reacted instantly —
[Corrupted Guardian detected]
[Level: Unknown]
[Status: Hostile]
Jaswant raised his hands, shifting the seal's pattern.
Vines of deep green energy coiled around him, rising from the earth — the Santāna Tree's essence had awakened within him at the sight of the corrupted guardian.
In a cold, firm voice he declared,
"If you were once the protector of this forest… then I shall free you!"
The guardian roared and slammed the ground.
The earth cracked open, releasing black, thorned, poisonous vines.
Jaswant spread his hands and whispered —
"Santāna: Veil of Rebirth!"
Before the black vines could strike him, green light encircled him.
The vines touched the aura — and burned to ash.
Two powers — Life and Death — stood against each other.
Every clash shook the ground, the air humming with energy.
The forest itself trembled and screamed as the two forces collided.
[Elemental synchronization rising — 68%… 73%… 79%]
Jaswant's eyes gleamed.
"Let's end this cat-and-mouse game!"
He slammed his hands to the ground.
Roots burst forth, surrounding the guardian, binding it tight.
But before the vines could completely restrain it, the guardian unleashed another wave of black vines.
Jaswant was forced to break his attack to dodge — otherwise he'd be ripped apart.
He quickly summoned the Destructive Pinch of the Soul Manipulator God, directing it at the incoming vines.
They exploded midair, releasing a toxic red mist that filled the air with a choking stench.
The poisonous fog was so thick that Jaswant could barely see.
Activating Dual Harmony, he created a shielded aura around himself, preventing the poison from entering his body — though visibility remained near zero.
The guardian took advantage of this.
A sudden energy blast erupted toward Jaswant — he sensed it just in time and leapt aside, but the shockwave still struck him, sending him sprawling.
Coughing blood, he groaned in pain.
His eyes burned crimson.
[Vitality rapidly dropping.]
[Host unable to sustain current flow.]
[Estimated time to unconsciousness: 40 minutes.]
"Forty minutes?" he gasped. "I need to finish this—fast!"
He activated the Divine Perception, piercing the fog.
Through heightened sight, he could now sense every movement, every energy pulse.
Steeling himself, he drew a sigil and shouted —
"Temple of the Golden Memory — activate!"
A soft golden light radiated from his hand, growing brighter until it blazed like a sun.
The beam struck the guardian, engulfing it completely.
The corrupted being screamed —
"No… release me… let me go!"
Moments later, its voice faded into the crimson fog.
As the golden light dimmed, Jaswant glimpsed a fading silhouette dissolving into mist.
Then, from within that shadow, a faint white glow flickered — intensifying as the guardian's final scream echoed through the woods.
At last, its form crumbled into dust, leaving only pure light behind.
That light, wrapped in gold, drifted into Jaswant's palm.
[Congratulations host: Corrupted Life Source — purified.]
[Sub-Quest 2nd — Completed.]
Jaswant sighed deeply.
"Rest in peace—"
But before he could finish, the ground trembled.
Roots tore free.
Something massive was awakening below.