Chapter 8: Bones of Survival
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Dawn did not break the silence.
It revealed it.
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The aurora was gone.
The sky, once painted with shifting unnatural light, had returned to a dull gray, heavy clouds drifting slowly across fractured skies.
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The rain had stopped.
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But its presence lingered.
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Water clung to leaves.
Soil remained dark and soft.
The air carried a thick scent of damp earth… and blood.
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Kael lay beneath his shelter.
Still.
Unmoving.
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His body had collapsed the moment the battle ended.
Not from weakness—
But from complete exhaustion.
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For a long time—
There was nothing.
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No thoughts.
No awareness.
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Only darkness.
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Then—
Pain returned.
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"…Ugh…"
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A low groan escaped him as his body stirred.
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His fingers twitched first.
Then his arm.
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Finally—
His eyes opened.
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The world came back slowly.
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Blurry.
Heavy.
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Then sharp.
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"…Morning…"
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His voice was dry.
Rough.
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He tried to sit up.
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And immediately felt it.
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Pain.
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Every muscle resisted.
His arms trembled under his own weight.
His back burned.
His legs felt like stone.
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"…Damn…"
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He exhaled slowly, forcing himself upright.
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But beneath the pain—
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There was something else.
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Strength.
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Not imagined.
Not temporary.
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Real.
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Kael leaned against the tree, breathing slowly.
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"…I'm still here."
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Alive.
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That alone mattered.
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For a moment—
He said nothing.
Did nothing.
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Just breathed.
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Then—
His eyes sharpened slightly.
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"…System."
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The familiar translucent screen appeared before him.
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[System Notification]
Name: Kael Thorn
Race: Human
Rank: Mortal
Age: 21
Sex: Male
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Level: 7
EXP: 0 / 70
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HP: 42 / 70
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[Attributes]
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Stamina: 10
Wisdom: 10
Spirit: 50
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[Affinity]
• Dark → Enhances absorption, concealment, and destructive energy control
• Nature → Enhances vitality, regeneration, and harmony with living systems
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[Talent]
Unification (Unique)
→ Allows integration and control of energy and matter
→ Enhances compatibility between abilities
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[Skills]
Linking Lv.2
Appraisal Lv.1
Nature Sense Lv.4
Life Transfer Lv.4
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[Status]
Fatigued | Minor Injuries
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Kael studied the screen quietly.
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"…HP didn't fully recover."
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Of course it didn't.
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This wasn't a game.
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No instant reset.
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No free recovery.
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"…Good."
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It meant one thing.
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Mistakes mattered.
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He let the screen fade.
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His gaze shifted.
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Toward the clearing.
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And his expression changed.
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It was no longer a battlefield.
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It was a graveyard.
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Bodies lay scattered across the ground.
Some twisted.
Some torn.
Some half-submerged in mud.
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Blood had soaked deep into the soil.
Dark.
Thick.
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The scent—
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Heavy.
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Rot would come next.
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Predators after that.
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Kael exhaled slowly.
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"…No time to rest."
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He forced himself to stand.
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His legs trembled slightly—
But held.
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He grabbed a sharpened stone.
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Then walked toward the nearest body.
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"…Everything has value."
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He knelt.
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Grabbed the first rat.
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And began.
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Skinning was not clean work.
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The first cut—
Too deep.
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"…No."
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He stopped.
Adjusted.
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Second attempt—
Shallower.
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More controlled.
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The hide peeled slowly.
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Uneven.
Messy.
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"…Too rough."
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He continued.
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Second body.
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Better.
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Third.
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Cleaner.
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By the fifth—
His movements changed.
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More precise.
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More efficient.
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"Like this…"
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Cut.
Peel.
Separate.
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Fur in one pile.
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Leather in another.
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Meat set aside.
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Bones—
Carefully preserved.
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The smell grew heavier.
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Blood.
Wet fur.
Decay beginning.
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Kael ignored it.
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"…Everything matters."
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Time passed.
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The sun climbed higher.
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The light remained dull.
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Muted by the clouds.
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Sweat formed across his skin.
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His hands grew sore.
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His fingers stiff.
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But he didn't stop.
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One body.
Then another.
Then another.
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Each one—
A resource.
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Eventually—
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The last one was done.
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Kael leaned back slightly.
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Exhaling.
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"…Done."
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But that wasn't the end.
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His eyes shifted.
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To the meat.
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"…Next."
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He stood slowly.
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Walked back to his shelter.
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The fire pit remained intact.
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Charcoal still faintly warm.
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"…Good."
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He rebuilt it carefully.
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Layering wood.
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Spacing branches.
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Controlling airflow.
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"…Steady burn."
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Too strong—
Burns the meat.
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Too weak—
Rot sets in.
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He sliced the meat.
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Thin strips.
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Consistent size.
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Then hung them above the fire.
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Smoke began to rise.
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Thick.
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Sharp.
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The smell spread quickly.
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Kael wrinkled his nose slightly.
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"…Not pleasant…"
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"…But necessary."
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He adjusted spacing.
Turned pieces slowly.
Maintained heat.
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"…Food is survival."
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Not strength.
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Not power.
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Survival.
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Hours passed.
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The process was slow.
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Deliberate.
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But when he finished—
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The meat had changed.
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Dry.
Preserved.
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Stable.
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"…Good."
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He stored it carefully under shelter.
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Away from moisture.
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Away from open exposure.
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Then—
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He turned.
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Toward the remains.
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"…This isn't enough."
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If left exposed—
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Something stronger would come.
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Drawn by scent.
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Drawn by death.
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Kael picked up his spear.
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"…Then I remove it."
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He walked to a point between his shelter—
And the outer edge of the clearing.
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Chose the ground carefully.
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Then—
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He began digging.
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The soil was soft—
But heavy.
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Each thrust required effort.
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Each movement drained energy.
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"…Keep going."
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Minutes passed.
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Then more.
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The pit formed slowly.
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Deep.
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Wide.
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His arms burned.
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His breathing grew heavier.
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But he didn't stop.
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Eventually—
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It was enough.
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Kael dragged the remains.
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One by one.
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Dropped them inside.
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Then covered them partially.
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Not sealed.
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But concealed.
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"…That will delay it."
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Not permanent.
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But enough.
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He leaned on his spear.
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Breathing deeply.
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"…Still more to do."
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His gaze shifted.
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Toward the bones.
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And his eyes sharpened.
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"…Tools."
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Survival—
Was not just endurance.
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It was preparation.
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And now—
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He had materials.
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He stepped forward.
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Picked up a rat skull.
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Examined it.
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"…Teeth."
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Sharp.
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Naturally pointed.
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"…Useful."
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He sat down.
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And began extracting them.
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Slow work.
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Careful work.
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Some broke.
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Some slipped.
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"…Too much force."
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He adjusted.
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Reduced pressure.
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Focused.
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One by one—
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Clean teeth were collected.
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The pile grew slowly.
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Then—
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Kael looked at the branches nearby.
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"…Now combine."
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And his eyes sharpened slightly.
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"Link."
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Energy moved.
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Controlled.
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Precise.
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The first arrow formed.
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Clean.
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Stable.
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Kael picked it up.
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Balanced it in his hand.
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"…Good."
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Then—
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He continued.
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And didn't stop.
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The fire crackled steadily beneath the shelter.
Smoke drifted upward, twisting through the damp air before dissolving into the endless curtain of rain.
It hadn't stopped.
Not once.
Not since it began.
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Kael sat quietly beneath the shelter, back resting against the rough bark of the tree.
His breathing had stabilized.
His body had recovered enough to move.
But his focus—
Remained ahead.
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His eyes slowly lifted.
Toward the tree.
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"…It's different."
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The faint glow from before had deepened.
Not brighter—
But denser.
More… alive.
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It wasn't just emitting energy anymore.
It was gathering it.
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Kael stood slowly.
Every movement controlled.
Measured.
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"…System."
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A translucent screen formed before him.
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[System Notification]
Name: Kael Thorn
Race: Human
Rank: Mortal
Age: 21
Sex: Male
Level: 7
EXP: 0 / 70
HP: 70 / 70
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[Attributes]
Strength: 10
Agility: 10
Stamina: 10
Wisdom: 10
Spirit: 50
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[Affinity]
• Dark
• Nature
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[Talent]
Unification (Unique)
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[Skills]
Linking Lv.2
Appraisal Lv.1
Nature Sense Lv.4
Life Transfer Lv.4
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[Status]
Recovered
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The panel faded.
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Kael stepped closer to the tree.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
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"…You're not done yet."
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His hand pressed against the bark.
Warm.
Alive.
Responsive.
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He closed his eyes.
Focused.
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"Life Transfer."
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At first—
The flow was controlled.
Steady.
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Then—
It changed.
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The tree pulled.
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Not violently.
But instinctively.
Hungrily.
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Kael's eyes snapped open.
"…So you need more…"
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He didn't resist.
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Instead—
He guided it.
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"Take it."
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Life energy surged outward.
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Everything he had gathered—
From the swarm.
From the hunt.
From survival itself—
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Flowed into the tree.
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The reaction was immediate.
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The trunk pulsed.
A deep vibration echoed through the wood.
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The ground beneath him shifted slightly.
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Roots expanded.
Spreading deeper into the soaked earth.
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Kael's Nature Sense activated on instinct.
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And what he felt—
Was no longer just a tree.
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It was a network.
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Roots stretching outward—
Meters…
Then dozens of meters…
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Drawing in energy.
From soil.
From water.
From the constant rain.
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"…It's feeding from everything…"
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The glow intensified.
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Branches extended outward.
Leaves thickened.
Their color deepened into a rich, vibrant green.
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The air around the tree changed.
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Warmer.
Denser.
Alive.
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Kael's breathing grew heavier.
"…Almost… too much…"
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His energy reserves dropped rapidly.
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But he didn't stop.
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"…Finish it."
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The tree pulsed again.
Stronger.
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Then—
Everything went still.
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Silence.
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Even the rain felt distant for a moment.
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Kael stepped back slightly.
Breathing hard.
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"…Did it work…?"
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A screen appeared.
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[Target Information]
Name: Life Fruit Tree (Mature)
Type: Plant (Mutated)
Rank: E+
Level: 10
HP: 400 / 400
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[Attributes]
Durability: 14
Growth: 15
Vitality: 18
Perception: 10
Spirit: 12
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[Mutation Stage]
→ Fully Matured
→ Stabilized life-energy core formed
→ Capable of sustained energy production
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[Traits]
• Life Fruit Generation
→ Produces high-quality Life Fruits periodically
• Vital Domain
→ Emits a passive field that accelerates healing and stamina recovery
• Root Network Expansion
→ Absorbs energy from a wide underground area
• Natural Symbiosis
→ Enhances nearby plant growth and vitality
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[Weakness]
→ Fire (High effectiveness)
→ Excessive harvesting
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[Status]
Awakened
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Kael stared at the screen.
"…Awakened…"
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Then—
He felt it.
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Not through a skill.
Not through the system.
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But directly.
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A presence.
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The tree.
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Alive.
Aware.
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Not thinking.
Not speaking.
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But recognizing.
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A soft pulse brushed against his senses.
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Calm.
Stable.
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Connected.
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"…So you finally woke up…"
Kael murmured.
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The tree responded.
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A faint ripple.
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Warm.
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Not hostile.
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Not demanding.
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Just… present.
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Kael exhaled slowly.
"…Good."
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Then—
His attention shifted upward.
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The branches.
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Fruits had formed.
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Not small.
Not faint.
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Large.
Dense.
Radiating soft, steady energy.
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Kael reached up.
Plucked one carefully.
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It was warm in his hand.
Heavier than expected.
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"Appraisal."
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[Item Information]
Name: Life Fruit (Mature)
Type: Consumable
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[Effect]
→ Instantly restores HP to full
→ Restores stamina completely
→ Accelerates regeneration for a short duration
→ Removes minor toxins and internal damage
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[Properties]
→ High purity life energy
→ Stable and safe
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[Warning]
→ Overconsumption may cause imbalance
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[Status]
Fresh
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Kael let out a quiet breath.
"…This changes everything."
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He didn't rush.
Didn't strip the tree.
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Instead—
He harvested carefully.
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Six fruits.
No more.
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"…Sustainability matters."
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He stored them safely.
Wrapped in leaves.
Placed within reach.
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Emergency supply.
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Then—
Kael leaned back against the tree.
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The Vital Domain activated around him.
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A soft warmth spread through his body.
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Muscles relaxed.
Pain faded.
Energy returned.
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"…Efficient…"
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He closed his eyes briefly.
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Not sleeping.
Just feeling.
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The rain continued to fall.
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Unchanging.
Relentless.
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Feeding the ground.
Feeding the roots.
Feeding the world.
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Kael opened his eyes again.
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"…It's not stopping."
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His gaze lifted toward the sky.
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"…This isn't weather."
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"It's a phase."
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The system flickered.
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[System Notice]
Adaptation Period Remaining: 4 Days 12 Hours
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Kael narrowed his eyes.
"…So until this ends…"
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"…the rain continues."
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A quiet understanding settled in.
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"This world is being reshaped."
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"Prepared."
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His grip tightened slightly.
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"…And when it ends…"
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He didn't finish the thought.
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But instinct told him—
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Something else would begin.
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Something unknown.
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Something worse.
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Kael stood.
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His body—
Recovered.
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His mind—
Focused.
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His base—
Upgraded.
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His resources—
Stable.
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And now—
He had something more.
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A source.
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A living ally.
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He looked at the tree once more.
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"…Grow stronger."
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A faint pulse answered him.
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Kael turned toward the forest.
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Rain falling steadily around him.
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"…Now I move forward."
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Not just surviving.
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Expanding.
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Hunting.
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Preparing.
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Because time—
Was still running.
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And this world—
Was far from done changing.
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Behind him—
The Life Fruit Tree pulsed softly.
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Awakened.
Alive.
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And feeding—
On the endless rain.
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