After lunch, the two of them started training. Elric, who still couldn't use the Tree of Life, had to keep practicing to get it to wake up. Sila, on the other hand, could already use his, so he spent his time sharpening his fighting skills and martial arts.
Sometimes during their training, Elric would talk with Mr.Chowicz. He'd talk about things he knew, like what was in the demon realm, and Elric tell stories about the human world. Since he kept up with news and was interested in such stuff, he always had something to talk about.
Pretty soon, his relationship with Mr. Chowicz, his mentor, got a lot better. Sila also tried to get closer to Elric and talk to him. They exchanged a few words here and there, but Elric didn't really pay him much mind.
About three days had passed since they started training. Since he didn't need a special place to practice, Elric just trained on his own room, not bothering to go to the training square. Most of his time was spent trying to awaken the Tree of Life, but it still wasn't happening.
When the one-week deadline arrived, he had to go to the hospital for more treatment. Whether he was lying down, sitting, bathing, eating, or even just waiting in line at the hospital, he kept trying to awaken the Tree of Life.
He decided to ask more about his treatment. He found out that in the Pink Desert, there was something called 'dripping sweet poison.' It would quietly get into your body without any immediate symptoms, but it would cause harm over a long time. That's why he needed continuous treatment for a while.
When he asked about the cost, he learned it added up to 6 cerulean Stones and 5 Drops—a really high price. Luckily, he could pay after the treatment was done, which would take about four or five more sessions.
Compared to when he first got to this city, he was slowly getting used to it. Because of that, he could move around more quickly without getting lost. Still, he mostly chose to stay in his room since he had pretty much explored everywhere already.
After a week, the emblem on his right hand changed. Its patterns got more complex and messy. From what he'd heard, it seemed he had less than three weeks before he'd be forced into a narrative.
When he asked Mr.Chowicz, he learned that if he didn't go into a narrative on his own, he'd be pushed into one when the time came. The narrative would be random, and no one would know how hard it would be. Harder ones offered better rewards and longer breaks before the next forced entry, unlike easier ones.
But who would willingly risk their life like that?
That's why most people contacted the Survivor Guild to book narratives. Some narratives had been entered many times, which led to people buying and selling information about them at different levels.
Money problems were still bothering Elric, and he was really stressed about it. He asked Mr.Chowicz for advice and learned he could take jobs from guilds. So, he decided to try getting work from the Historical Guild he had joined before.
Unfortunately, all seven guilds were closed at the same time, leaving only basic services like medical contact or narrative reservations available. Of course, the Historical Guild was closed too.
This made Elric uneasy. It felt like something bad was about to happen. Just the week before, when he visited the Guardian Guild and the Infiltrator Guild, they had been tense and holding meetings. And now, all guilds were shut down?
Not wanting to bother Mr.Chowicz, he decided instead to borrow about 2 cerulean Stones from Sila, just in case his own money ran out.
Train, train, train—over and over, like a blind man with no clear path. Mr.Chowicz had said his most talented student took one month, while Sila took one month and two days. So Elric's nearly two weeks of training felt like nothing compared to others.
That night, Elric went to sleep as usual. Sometimes he dreamed of his peaceful past. This time, he dreamed about his first day in high school, when he was bullied because of his eyesight. Even though his parents later got him LASIK surgery, as he got older, he realized how silly he had been back then.
I really was a terrible son…
The more he thought about it, the more he missed them. Why did he have to end up like this? He didn't understand anything. What were his parents doing now? Were they watching him… or had they started to hate him so much they didn't care at all?
Thinking back on his life, he realized how much he had gone through. Even though he felt heavy and sad, he kept moving forward, step by step. He knew himself well—he tended to think negatively, but he also knew how much his parents loved him.
When he thought back to the narrative of the peaceful village, and the village chief who felt the same anger he did, he couldn't help but understand. Sometimes Elric wanted to let go of his hatred, but he just couldn't.
And that… was him.
Yes, that was himself.
He woke up with tears in his eyes. Without thinking, he turned his left palm upward. He felt something there. As he focused, something started to sprout.
It was the thing he had been waiting for all this time.
Yes… it was the Tree of Life.
Finally… he had done it.
Elric couldn't hide how happy he was. But soon, he started to wonder—why now? He had tried for so long without feeling anything, yet suddenly, in one night, he succeeded.
Lexecon stood for the abstract of virtue, and demons were the opposite—the abstract of evil. So what was the Tree of Life? No one ever talked about it.
Last night, he had thought about his past self, trying to figure out who he was. Maybe that had led him to something.
"Maybe… it's just about accepting myself?"
Acceptance was incredibly hard—difficult even to start thinking about. The village narrative was all about anger, but deep down, the village chief just wanted to be accepted. He had never gotten it, not even from his adoptive parents.
Maybe the village chief couldn't accept himself either.
Still, Elric didn't think about it for long. Right now, he wanted to see what his Tree of Life looked like. Would it have leaves? Fruits? Would it grow into something big?
With that in mind, he immediately called it up again.
Now that he had awakened it, he could use it freely with his thoughts, unlike before when he couldn't even get it to start.
The Tree of Life gave off a faint glow. Only one root had sprouted—much fewer than the usual three. When he looked at the leaves, there were only a few dozen, when there should have been almost a hundred. The trunk was thin, which meant low mana. There were no branches at all, so he couldn't use any elements. As for fruits of potential, there were only two.
It showed a clear picture—he had absolutely no talent.
Even though the Tree of Life could grow, its first form often showed what your future would be like—whether it would be bright or dark.
And his… clearly pointed toward the dark.
The orange Lexecon he had chosen was still floating next to the tree.
Just as Elric was about to lose hope, he felt something twisting in his right hand, like it was hungry for something.
Why does my right hand feel so strange…?
Could it be time to go into a narrative?
Normally, the left hand stood for the abstract of virtue—the Tree of Life and Lexecon—while the right hand stood for demonic power, the abstract of evil. That's why the Tree of Life only showed up in the left hand.
The right hand… was the countdown to entering a narrative.
As he looked at his right hand, he felt a strange sense of 'familiarity'. He turned his palm upward out of habit.
And then.....
Something appeared.
It was another Tree of Life.
He had a Tree of Life in his right hand.
No one had ever had this before.
He had two Trees of Life.