Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
When Celia woke up a second time, it wasn’t from a pleasant dream. No, what woke her was the uncomfortable heat.
She quickly got up and moved away from George’s side. Celia looked at George, whose skin had turned red, with morbid fascination.
George’s body was emitting large amounts of steam.
A terrifying amount of heat radiated from his body. The temperature in the surrounding air rose sharply, forcing Celia to protect herself with magic.
The plants around George, be it grass or fallen leaves, also began emitting heat.
As the temperature rose further, Celia sensibly retreated to a safe place.
She knew that this was just the beginning. The real terror had yet to come.
“This is scarier than the last time. You’re becoming stronger again, George.”
Observing George’s condition, Celia looked around warily.
But she soon discovered that there was no need for her to be on guard because there wasn’t even a single bug in sight.
“Speaking of which, I haven’t seen any wild beasts or monsters since we got here. Does this forest just not have any?”
She quickly suppressed her doubts however, and focused on George.
Even though she only looked away for a brief moment, the temperature around George had already risen to a point where it was visible even to the naked eye.
Fwoosh ~
Flames engulfed George, and the leaves and grass too self-combusted. Scorching flames began to spread in all directions.
Celia was prepared for this. She moved her fingers through the air, and upon completing the spell, a magic circle appeared with George at its center.
The Barrier of Defense was the advanced form of the barrier spell. It was superior to the regular barrier spell in terms of both strength and scale, and thus offered greater protection.
This was one of the few intermediate spells Celia knew.
Enveloped by the defensive barrier, the fire no longer ran rampant.
All she had to do now was wait patiently.
Although he was engulfed in a sea of flames, George didn’t feel any heat.
In fact, he felt wonderful.
The evolution process was not a painful one. Quite the contrary; it was very pleasurable.
As far as the subjective experience was concerned, George found it more pleasurable than any form of entertainment he had ever known.
Mentally and physically, George could feel himself growing stronger.
It was an addictive process.
Once the evolution ended, George opened his eyes with a look of longing and regret.
Stretching languidly, George took note of his present condition. His energy was depleted and he was feeling peckish. But otherwise, he felt better than ever.
Looking around, George noticed the charred ground and chuckled.
“Big commotion this time huh.”
“I’ve picked some fruits for you. Once you’re done eating, quickly put on some clothes. We’re leaving.”
Without him noticing, Celia had already got the magic pot set up.
The aroma of fruits from the magic pot caught George’s attention.
He reached for the pot subconsciously but was immediately stopped by Selia.
“Put on your clothes first.”
“What does it matter? I still have armor on don’t I?”
Despite saying that, George obediently accepted the clothes from Celia.
George removed the charred armor, and the moment it landed on the ground, the armor cracked into many pieces. This saddened George somewhat. He felt as if someone had broken his favorite toy.
Celia passed the magic bowl to George after pouring soup into it and said,
“What’s there to be sad about?”
Ordinary armor was useless to George. It was decoration at best.
Magical armor on the other hand was actually useful, albeit also more expensive. But George would rather spend that money on food.
After draining the bowl of apple juice, George said,
“It just feels like a pity. I like how that one looked.”
“Can’t say I relate.”
Celia didn’t know what was so nice about a suit of armor.
After scooping a bowl of apple juice for herself, Celia’s eyes scrunched up in satisfaction.
“Delicious!”
Savoring the sweet and sour taste of the apple juice, she couldn’t help but exclaim,
“This is the first time I’ve tasted Ruro Fruits that’s this delicious.”
“I’ve eaten most of the Ruro fruits in this area, I wonder if there are more elsewhere.”
“You want to get more?”
Hearing George’s words, Celia was a little surprised. But it made sense if she thought about it.
“Might as well.”
They were already here. It’s not like that divine tree in the center of the forest was going to go anywhere. They could investigate it any time, there was no hurry.
If that was the case, they might as well take the time to make proper preparations that’ll help make the investigation go smoother.
“Do you think if you ate all the fruits in this forest, you’ll evolve again?”
“If we add the Chiropteragon from before to the menu, it shouldn’t be an issue.”
Even though he had just evolved recently, George still couldn’t forget about that Chiropteragon.
“That quickly?”
George’s answer surprised Celia.
She remembered George telling her that after every evolution, the energy required for the next evolution would be much greater than the previous.
Having just undergone an evolution, Celia had thought that even with all the fruits in this forest, it would take at least a few more years of amassing energy before he could evolve again..
George wasn’t surprised by Celia’s reaction. “Don’t you feel it?” he said with a smile.
At Celia’s puzzled gaze, George continued,
“In addition to its size, the energy contained within each Ruro fruit here is also quite astounding.
“If we’re talking about potency, they’re just as good, if not better than the stamina potions we’ve got.”
Stamina potions could rejuvenate and even strengthen the user. But they were also highly addictive.
This was especially true for low-quality stamina potions. They had little potency but very strong side-effects.
But the Ruro Fruit, being a product of nature, was more gentle on the body and did not have such side-effects.
Upon hearing George’s words, Celia gave herself a once-over and was surprised to find that her magic store was not only fully-replenished, but had even grown in size.
She had been maintaining the defensive barrier until George finished his evolution. By right, it was impossible for her magic power to be at full capacity.
Celia exclaimed in surprise, “You’re right!”
“Yea, so we should level up around here first and then go investigate our target.”
After this evolution, George’s perception had become even more terrifying. He had a feeling that if they went deeper now, they would most likely encounter danger.
“If even the Ruro Fruits are so magical. I suspect that the monsters living in this forest would also be much stronger than those outside.”
As such, just to be safe, they should level up first before proceeding. They could not afford to be careless in unknown territory.
Adventurers must never risk their lives. You only live once!
Meanwhile, Albert had also successfully passed through the tunnel. And when he saw the ethereal scenery before him, he couldn’t help the surprise that colored his face.
“So this is what the mountain range looks like on the inside!”