Chapter 298. Reaching The Second Energy Sub Cycle! Level 30! [AotSC] (Patreon)
Content
The time Liu Shu needed to Level Up this time around was much shorter. Even though she needed to cross a sub-cycle, she was accustomed to it already. The process for it came as naturally as breathing. Hence, only four months later, Liu Shu recovered her consciousness. ‘Ugh~, it feels so nice to sleep for so long. I can just fall back and focus on my own existence~.’
Liu Shu focused on her mind and then giggled. ‘Hm, now, my favorite part! System messages! Throw them at me, System!’
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Level Up!]
[Aether +8, Physique +10, Anima +9, Willpower +11, Destiny +100] x5
‘YAH! MORE!’
[Accessory Level Up!]
[Accessory Level Up!]
[Accessory Level Up!]
[Accessory Level Up!]
[Accessory Level Up!]
[Aether +36, Physique +40, Anima +40, Willpower +40, Aether Mana Shards +1512, Phoer Body Shards +1692, Anima Energy Shards +1692] x5
‘HEHEHE. MORE!’
[<First Energy Cycle> Upgraded! Receiving Stats!]
[Aether +225, Physique +300, Anima +225, Willpower +300]
[<First Energy Cycle> Upgraded! Unlocking Potential!]
[Aether Resonance +9%, Physique Refinement +12%, Anima Affinity +9%]
‘Wahahaha! Now we are do-’
[<Physique Refinement> has reached a threshold!]
‘Huh?’
[<Physique Refinement> has reached a threshold!]
‘... I understood the message! Why are you repeating it? I am confused about what this is.’
[System Hint: Your <Physique Refinement> has reached over 100%. You are going to unlock the true potential of your body.]
‘Woah! True Potential? That sounds great~. Why is it this way?’
[System Hint: Creatures are born with too much latent potential. Hence, to prevent beings from overusing their own energy, the System locks away their true abilities until their <Aether Resonance>, <Physique Refinement>, <Anima Affinity>, or <Mental Palace> reach 100%.]
‘Oho~. That’s interesting! What are mine right now?’
[Affinity Percentage: Aether Resonance (79), Physique Refinement (107), Anima Affinity (92), Mental Palace (0)]
Our World Tree exclaimed as if she was hurt. ‘Gah! 0% Mental Palace. QAQ!’ Looking at the rest, she noticed how much worse her Aether Resonance was. ‘Hmhm~. Well, when I reach Level 40, I will probably unlock Anima Affinity, and then at Level 50, Aether Resonance…’
Liu Shu paused and muttered to herself. ‘Level 50… It sounds so far away, but I am already Level 30!’ Then, she asked. ‘So, what can I do now that my <Physique Refinement> has reached over 100%?’
[System Hint: The System recommends trying to use your body.]
‘Wah… So lazy.’
[...]
Ignoring that for now, Liu Shu opened her System page and looked inside.
***
Name: Tianlian Liu Shu
Titles:
<Awakened>
<World Tree>
<Forest Ruler>
<Defender>
<Wonder Tree Building>
<Seedling World Builder>
<World Tree Town>
<Perfect Cycle>
<Touched By Dimensions>
<One With The World>
<Galactic Overlord>
Hidden titles: [10]
Race: World Tree (?)
Energy Method: Basic World Energy Gathering (Gathers experience pointsLevel per day(Complete Energy Cycle+1).)
Level: 30 [0/95,710]
Aether Mana Cores: 22.72/22.72 (2,272,907) (+81,900/Hour)
Phoer Body Cores: 36.88/36.88 (3,688,244) (+132,800/Hour)
Anima Energy Cores: 31.98/31.98 (3,198,068) (+115,200/Hour)
Attributes: Aether 4121 (1665+2456), Physique 5814 (2200+3614), Anima 5427 (2170+3257), Willpower 3490 (2230+1260), Destiny 3000 (3000)
Affinity Percentage: Aether Resonance (79), Physique Refinement (107), Anima Affinity (92), Mental Palace (0)
Resistance Percentage: Aether Resistance (61), Physique Resistance (67), Spiritual Resistance (66), Mental Resistance (64)
Summoning Affinity: Summon Cost (-64%), Summon Enhancement (+20%), Summoning Invoking Time (-64%), Summon Upkeep (-64%)
Talents:
<Enchanted Land (D- Rank Level 2 [145,870/839,900])>
<Runic Living Wood City (D Rank Level 2 [225,800/395.200])>
<World Tree Calling (D- Rank Level 2 [84,500/248,900])>
<Nature's Gift (D- Rank Level 3 [450,144/839,900])>: <Low-Rank Delicious Berry (D- Rank)>; <Low-Rank Phoer Berry (D- Rank)>; <Low-Rank Mana Berry (D- Rank)>; <Low-Rank Energy Berry (D- Rank); <Low-Rank Breakthrough Berry (D- Rank)>; <Low-Rank Resonant Berry (D- Rank)>; <Low-Rank Refinement Berry (D- Rank)>; <Low-Rank Affinity Berry (D- Rank)>; <Low-Rank Palace Berry (D- Rank)>; <Energy Cycle Berry (D Rank)>; <Cerulean Bloodfruit (D+ Rank)>
<Weeping Willow’s Aether Barrage (E+ Rank Level 4 [94,450/1,152,000])>
<Land Modifying (E+ Rank Level 4 [354,000/1,152,000])>
Passive Skills:
<World Tree Heart (A Rank Level 1 [50/589900])>
<World Tree Eye (C Rank level 3 [1,958,000/3,888,000])>
<World Tree Wisdom (SSS Rank Level MAX)>
<Cerulean Bloodsap (B- Rank Level 2 [118,500/1,990,700])>
<Charm of the Seedling (E+ Rank Level MAX])>
<Living Roots (D- Rank Level 3 [0/31200])>
<Minor World Builder Aura (D- Rank Level 3 [10,500/839,900])>
<Mind Echo (D- Rank Level 3 [28,900/839,900])>
<Runic Coverage (D Rank Level 2 [254,000/395,200])>
Accumulated Experience: 349,660
Currency: Sylvanium Shards [5454], Etherium Shards [2578], Ascendium Shards [7546], Celestium Shards [7898], Cognium Shards [6923], Lir [220], Tyn [399], Bren [429], Syl [157], Arbor [0].
***
After seeing the changes, she couldn’t help but be delighted. ‘Crazy… I think that Level 40s are already too weak to deal with me, right? I wonder if I can face Level 50s…’ A touch of arrogance grew in her heart. ‘My stats are crazy high, so I should be able to… no?’
She placed those thoughts on the back of her mind, and her gaze landed on her level. ‘95,710 to Level up… That’s too much. Experience Points keep scaling up… Now, with 300,000 I can barely Level up 3 times…’ She looked at the 340,000 Accumulated Experience Points and hummed. ‘If we take into account the daily gains and my previous accumulated experience, I should have around 300,000… Where did the other 40,000 come from?’
[Wisdom: Hostile creatures have become much more common after you expanded the domain.]
‘... So you killed 40,000 Experience Points worth of creatures.’
Suddenly, a voice reached her.
“You actually did it.”
Liu Shu heard the myriad of voices from the edge of her domain, and she looked over at that part. “Oh! Lakeborn! How have you been doing? Is everything okay~?”
Lakeborn Forest answered, their voice not too interested in that talk. “We’ve been good. We were able to accumulate enough to reach Level 40. However, we have not started the process yet.”
Liu Shu was surprised. “Oh? Why not? Are you not eager to become a World Tree again?”
“... We were eager in the past. However, we have misgivings right now. Moreover, reaching Level 40 doesn’t guarantee us regaining our World Tree status.”
“Misgivings…” Liu Shu guessed and commented. “Is it related to me?”
Lakeborn Forest answered without holding back. “Indeed. It is related to you. We’ve felt your aura, we’ve felt your strength, and we’ve felt your influence. Only we, at our prime, would be able to win a conflict against you. If we were to become a World Tree now again, our existence would end right there and then.”
Liu Shu giggled. “Well~, that would be the case unless you allowed me to assimilate you. It’s not like I will retrain how you spread as long as you respect my roots!”
“...”
“HEY! What’s up with the silence!?” Liu Shu harrumphed. “You promised that you would think about it when I link with Fortuna! I managed to assimilate it, so you need to think about it!”
“... Noisy.”
Then, Lakeborn Forest cut her connection with her, making Liu Shu pout. “Tsk, Lakeborn is so… so… What would be the word?”
“Cranky?”
“Hawah!?” Liu Shu made a cute, startled sound, which made the other being who talked to her laugh.
“That was cute.”
Liu Shu exclaimed, scolding the creature who spoke. “Fortuna! Don’t surprise me like that!”
Fortuna chuckled slightly and commented. “How are you doing? I just woke up from my nap~.”
Liu Shu chuckled. “A half-a-year-long nap!”
“Huh?” The older World Tree asked, baffled. “What do you mean half a year?”
Liu Shu answered, laughing. “Well, literally! You were asleep for more than half a year~! There was a war in the middle, and now… Well, I don’t know. I just woke up as well.”
Fortuna muttered. “That’s a long nap… Probably the longest one I’ve had related to Leveling up.”
“Really?” Liu Shu was somewhat surprised. “I needed so long last time to Level up; half a year suddenly feels like not that much.”
Fortuna sighed. “Your sense of time is screwed. While I admit that we, as World Trees, take longer, this was still too much for our current level. Only when World Trees start approaching Level 40 and 50 does the Leveling Up time increase substantially.”
Liu Shu muttered. “I see… I am quite different from other World Trees, eh? So strange.”
Fortuna couldn’t help but pause. Only when she was deeply connected with Liu Shu could she feel many things that she previously couldn’t. Liu Shu’s aura was different at a fundamental level as if the race of this being was not a World Tree but another completely different kind of creature altogether. ‘She is so… unique. Her energy pulse is closely related to nature, but it has something more.’
Liu Shu used <World Tree Eye>, and her gaze opened. Her new Level and strength, adding to her newfound control over energy, allowed Liu Shu’s perception to become incredibly profound. “Oh! You’ve regrown the area that was destroyed by the city! You’ve even expanded it~... Ah!”
An excited exclamation escaped Liu Shu as she looked toward the lake where Tree was. “Tree is inside my walls! Hello Tree!”
The slow but gentle and soothing voice of the largest Willow Tree by the lake’s side reached Liu Shu. “Liu Shu… Your voice is like a gentle breeze in spring.”
“Hehehehe.” Liu Shu giggled happily and shyly. “Your voice is much clearer as well! What Level are you, Tree?”
The Willow Tree answered gently. “Level 26… The creatures of the forest take good care of me.”
“Oh! That’s so nice to hear!”
Tree naturally had access to all of Liu Shu’s buffs, and since the Rose Fairies also knew Tree’s importance through Amapola and Flor, she was greatly taken care of.
Liu Shu asked Tree about her day-to-day activities, and well, since Tree was a tree, the answers were quite monotonous. Every day, Tree would just wake up, absorb nutrients, and peacefully interact with nature around her. When a creature would bother her, she would just kill them, and rarely, she would hunt fish to get nutrients.
Liu Shu found that quite nice, and she commented. “Now that the wall has gone beyond your lake and you, you’ll be protected inside of my city. I’ll grow a few Tree Houses around you as well and perhaps create a neighborhood so that you have a fun time!”
Tree answered gently and softly, like always. “Go ahead. If that’s what you want.”
Liu Shu hummed when she heard that. “There is another thing I want, though. If you ever feel uncomfortable about something, you must tell me!”
Tree answered after a moment of silence. “I will.”
“Great!” A happy giggle escaped Liu Shu. “Now~, let’s see how tall I’ve grown!”
Liu Shu expanded her gaze and then looked at herself. After she did so, even her physical mouth fell open. ‘What in the Branches Above!? I am over 500 meters tall!’
The World Tree’s accelerated and exponential growth started to show up, and from now on, it would only speed up.