226 – Little Treant

“Gaah gaah!”

After reviving the wight with a use of [Soul AppendmentFake Life], my partner starts to show interest in the remains of the abyss.
I try to get her to stop, but it seems she really wants to try and eat it.
She must be really hungry.
I attempt to leave, but she resists, making it difficult to walk the way I want to, so I end up approaching it.

Fearfully, my partner brings her head close to the abyss’ corpse and sniffs it.
Scrunching her eyes closed, she sticks out her tongue and gently draws her mouth closer to the abyss.

Then, just before her tongue touches it, her eyes open.
Her eyes and the dead abyss’ eyes meet.

“Gaa…”

Her tongue’s movement stops.
Letting out a lonely cry, she pulls her head back.

… As expected, no matter how hungry you are, this isn’t something to eat.
That makes sense.
If she sank her teeth into it, I didn’t know what I would do.

Trembling, my partner looks at me, looking like she is about to cry.
I know you’re really hungry, but we’ll be able to eat something much nicer in just a bit.
The tribute’s still waiting for us at the shrine.

I leave the abyss’ remains and continue exploring the forest.
There’s no way that all the tribute’s meat is going to be as gross as that thing.

It would be great if there was an E or F-ranked monster to raise the wight’s level.
That way should be able to cure its habit of falling apart all the time.

I glance back at the wight behind me.
It looks up at me with its two empty eye sockets… I wonder if it’s able to eat anything? Nah, it shouldn’t be able to.
It’s clearly got no digestive organs.
It’s all bone, after all.

While searching, I come across a mole-like monster and an owl-like monster, but both run away too fast.
The mole dives underground as soon as it senses me, and the owl uses a skill or something to hide its presence.

My impression is that, because of how dangerous the monsters in this area are, they are split between parasites like the abyss, and those that are fast at running away.
Come to think of it, even though most of the manticore’s stats weren’t too high, its speed was something else.
Does it need its speed to run away from something? … If something much stronger than the manticore is lurking around, it might be a hassle.

However at this rate, it’s looking unlikely I’ll find a monster I can safely make the wight fight.
If it was just hunting for food, I’d be able to manage somehow, but capturing a monster without killing it and making the wight fight it would be… Yeah.

I stop and look back at the wight.
Copying me, the wight also stops.

This forest might be a bit too high level for the wight… If only there was some quick-and-easy way to raise the wight’s level.

Looking at the wight, an idea suddenly strikes me.
There is a way.
I just need to create a monster the same level of the wight using [Soul AppendmentFake Life].

A-although, controlling life and death with[Soul AppendmentFake Life] is… But then even if it moves, a lump of meat is obviously not alive, so I think it should be ok.
If I transform it into a monster that looks nothing like a living organism it won’t be like I’ve blasphemed life.
So it’s safe, yeah.

This way I can have the wight fight a monster around the same level as it right away, and if it looks like it’s struggling I can just step in.
Wow, this really solves everything.
I just need to find something that looks easy to fight.
Something that won’t be strong even after transforming into a monster…

Peering around, I spot a small tree that can’t be more than a few years old.
It’s the pleasant color of new growth, not yet having thick bark or many leaves.
It looks suitable.

I rush over to the sapling and look down at the wight, indicating the sapling with my jaw.
“Do you think you can fight this?”, I try to ask the wight.
Understanding my intention, it nods its head.

“Guoh”, I cry, facing my partner.

“Gaa…”

She hungrily gnashes her teeth.
A-after this, I’ll start hunting for real.
You can even eat the next meal.
The poor wight will keep falling apart at this rate, which is a bother for you too, right?

“Gaah”

My thoughts must have gotten through, because my partner turns to face the sapling and uses [Soul AppendmentFake Life].
A black light envelops the sapling.

【Normal Skill [Soul AppendmentFake Life] has risen from level 2 to 3.】

As the black light clears away, I see a face-like cavity on the sapling.
It uproots itself, scattering earth around.

“Gi, higii!”

The sapling’s mouth tears open, letting out a war cry.

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Species: Little Treant

Condition: Cursed

Lv: 1/5

HP: 7/7

MP: 6/6

Attack: 1

Defense: 2

Magic: 3

Speed: 1

Rank: F

Characteristic Skills:

[Dark Attribute: Lv -]

Resistance Skills:

[Physical Resistance: Lv 1]

Normal Skills:

[Take Root: Lv 1] [Clay: Lv 1]

Title Skills:

[Servant of the Evil Dragon: Lv -]

‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐‐

I-it’s a success.
Wow, I really can just make as many followers as I want.

Its attack and speed are low, but its HP and magic are high.
It looks like it would work well as a support-type.

Now that I look at it, I can’t help but become attached to it.
I really want to know how it will develop as it gets stronger.
Plus, it has that title skill, so it shouldn’t be hostile to me.
It might be best to change our plans.

“Gao…”

By the time I call out to the wight, it had already begun to move.
As the wight draws near, the treant swings at it with the downwards slash of a branch, but the wight dodges around behind it.
Without pause, the wight embraces the treant.
From the wight’s body, a black mist leaks out.

The treant writhes, trying to shake off the wight.
But the wight clings on.
Piece by piece, bones fall to the ground.

“Gii! Gii! Higii!”

Gradually, the treant’s movements slow, its body surface growing darker.
Finally, it stops moving completely.
As the treant stills, the wight stops releasing its black mist.
It seems it was an HP-stealing skill.

The withered treant looks like it has been starved of water for a long time.
Its leaves have changed color completely.
and, as a gust of wind blows, its limbs fall to the ground.

Trapped in indecision, I had only watched over the fight in a daze.
When I finally come to my senses, the wight is happily approaching me, dragging its missing body parts.

Y-yeah… n-no, this is where I should honestly praise its hard work.
I just need a second to sort out my feelings.