Vikram put away the Iron Sword and turned his attention to the system notifications that had appeared after the battle.
One after another, the messages floated before his eyes.
[Congratulations on defeating one Wolf Guard with the assistance of your Guardian Sprout, Warrior Sprout, and Healer Sprout.]
[Congratulations on defeating one Elite Wolf Guard with the assistance of your Guardian Sprout, Warrior Sprout, and Healer Sprout.]
[Congratulations on defeating one Elite Wolf Guard with the assistance of your Guardian Sprout, Warrior Sprout, and Healer Sprout.]
Then the reward notifications followed.
[Reward: Plant Essence +15, Spikevine ×1 (Green)]
[Reward: Plant Essence +30, Spikevine ×2 (Green), Thornvine ×1 (Blue)]
[Reward: Plant Essence +30, Spikevine ×2 (Green), Thornvine ×1 (Blue)]
Three consecutive reward messages appeared in front of him.
Seeing this harvest, Vikram's mood immediately improved.
"Five Spikevine… and two Thornvine."
"That's not bad at all."
Just as he finished speaking, more notifications suddenly popped up.
[Ding: Guardian Sprout Combat Experience has reached the requirement. Level Up Initiated.]
[Ding: Warrior Sprout Combat Experience has reached the requirement. Level Up Initiated.]
"Huh?" Vikram's eyes immediately lit up.
The two little fellows had finally accumulated enough combat experience after so many battles.
He quickly turned his head to look at them.
The Guardian Sprout was standing beside him with its shield planted firmly on the ground, as if guarding its commander. Meanwhile, the Warrior Sprout held its vine-blade proudly, its small body swaying slightly with excitement.
At this moment, faint green light began gathering around both of them.
Tiny particles of light floated around their bodies like fireflies.
The Guardian Sprout seemed especially excited, stomping its tiny vine-like feet on the ground and banging its shield twice as if celebrating.
"Clang! Clang!"
The Warrior Sprout was no less enthusiastic.
It waved its vine-blade in the air repeatedly, almost as if it were practicing sword swings before its upcoming promotion.
Vikram crossed his arms and watched with interest.
"So you two are finally leveling up."
He couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction.
These two little guys had been following him through every hunt since the beginning. Without them, killing many of the Crimson Creatures would have been far more dangerous.
Their growth naturally made Vikram happy.
Just as he was about to check their new status panels and then plant the newly obtained Thornvine and Spikevine, he suddenly stopped.
Looking down at himself, he realized that his clothes and body were still stained with the blood from the earlier battle.
"…Forget it. I'll check everything after a shower."
He turned and walked toward the Treehouse.
With the water tower already storing plenty of clean water, taking a quick wash was no longer the luxury it once was.
However, just as he was about to step inside, a notification suddenly popped up on his interface.
A private message.
[Divya: What exactly will it take for you to return my necklace? What do you want? Just give me a straight answer, okay?]
Vikram was originally planning to send a reply and go take a shower. But when he looked down at the bloodstains all over his body, a mischievous idea suddenly appeared in his mind.
Without hesitation, he took a photo and replied.
[Vikram: I was just attacked by a Crimson Creature and I'm almost done for. Your necklace might never be returned.]
[Vikram: [Image]]
In the photo, Vikram's arms and chest were covered in dark red blood. His face was also smeared with blood, and through the crimson stains one could vaguely see the owner's handsome and refined features.
His appearance truly looked like someone who had just barely escaped death.
"Ah!"
Even though Divya had seen plenty of bloody scenes from hunting animals these days, this time she still felt a wave of nausea rise in her stomach.
The photo looked far too real.
Before she could calm down, another message arrived.
[Vikram: Now that I'm at my wit's end, young lady, could you perhaps give me a medical kit to help me regain my health? I will definitely repay you handsomely once it's done.]
Divya stared at the picture of the "half-dead" Vikram for a while.
Her fingers hesitated above the interface. After a short moment, she sighed and made a decision.
Soon, a trade request appeared.
[Trader: Divya, Traded Item: Medical Kit, Required Item: None]
Vikram was momentarily stunned when he received the trade.
He hadn't expected Divya to give him the medical kit so easily. And not even wants the necklace back. For a moment he even wondered if she really believed his act.
In fact, after analyzing Vikram's personality with her best friend last time, Divya had already come to a conclusion.
This guy wasn't actually a bad person. He was just extremely bored and liked to tease people for fun.
Thinking about the conversation now only strengthened her judgment. Divya was not stupid.
If Vikram were truly on the verge of death, there was no way he could calmly type so many sentences.
His tone clearly showed that he was playing with her.
But the blood on his body didn't look fake either. Even if he wasn't dying, he must have gone through a fierce battle and probably had plenty of small injuries.
Giving him the medical kit could be considered returning the favor from last time.
Soon, Vikram sent another message.
[Vikram: Aren't you going to take advantage of the situation and demand your necklace back?]
[Divya: Do you think everyone is as selfish as you?]
[Vikram: Then I'm deeply moved.]
[Divya: If you're really moved, hurry up and return my necklace.]
[Vikram: If you want it back, then fine. I'll return it to you. Consider it a gift. There's no need to trade anything.]
A trade request immediately appeared.
[Trader: Vikram, Traded Item : Pure Gold Necklace. Required Item: None]
Vikram thought the trade will be confirmed.
[Trade Cancelled]
Vikram blinked in surprise.
[Vikram: Why did you cancel it?]
After a brief pause, Divya finally replied.
[Divya: I'm going to sleep.]
With that, the chat interface closed.
Vikram stared at the empty chat window for a moment before shaking his head helplessly. She didn't even gave the reason.
---
"Such a childish scoundrel..." On the other side, Divya muttered under her breath.
The necklace belonged to her late mother. It was something she had desperately wanted to retrieve ever since losing it.
Yet, when Vikram had actually offered to return it, she had instinctively cancelled the trade herself.
She didn't even know why she had done it. She still wanted the necklace back, but she no longer felt the same urgency as before.
Perhaps it was because the necklace was currently in Vikram's possession.
For some inexplicable reason, she believed he would never lose it, damage it, or let anyone else take it.
The thought made no sense. Yet, before she realized it, she had already accepted it deep within her heart.
Shaking her head, Divya stopped thinking about it.
---
Meanwhile, Vikram simply used a bucket of water to rinse himself a few times.
The water flowed down his arms, washing away the sticky bloodstains and dirt from the battle.
Only after the smell of blood had completely disappeared did he feel comfortable again.
After changing into clean clothes, Vikram walked back into the Treehouse. Of course the clothes were also rewarded from the treasure box.
The Guardian Sprout and Warrior Sprout were still standing nearby, their bodies faintly glowing as the leveling process continued.
Seeing them, Vikram's interest immediately returned.
"Alright… Let's see what changes you two little guys got."
He opened the system interface and began checking the status panels of the Guardian Sprout and Warrior Sprout.
The system panel slowly expanded before Vikram's eyes.
First, the information of the Guardian Sprout appeared.
[Guardian Sprout (Blue)]
Type: Defensive Mobile Plant Unit
Status: Level 2
Growth Potential: High
Upgradeable: Yes
Plant Essence Generation: 15 Per Day
Combat Experience: 2
Level Up Requirement: Combat Experience 20
Upgrade Requirements:
• 150 Plant Essence
• Reach Level 5
• Guardian Combat Experience 50
Description: A semi-autonomous defensive plant warrior born from the Plant Life System. Its body is formed from hardened vines and bark, granting it exceptional durability and resilience. It specializes in frontline defense, protecting allies and disrupting enemy attacks while working alongside the Warrior Sprout to overwhelm enemies. Its intelligence and autonomy increase with evolution.
Abilities:
• Shield Bash: Uses its heavy vine-forged shield to smash enemies, knocking them back and interrupting their attacks.
• Vine Whip: Extends a long, flexible vine from its body to entangle or trip nearby opponents, briefly restricting their movement and creating openings for the Host and allies to act.
• Shield Arm: Possesses a specialized shield-like arm capable of blocking moderate physical strikes and protecting the Host or nearby allies. By raising the shield into a defensive stance, it can greatly reduce incoming damage and provide stronger protection to those behind it.
• Territory Regeneration: When inside the Host's territory, the Guardian Sprout slowly regenerates its durability using ambient plant energy from the land.
Evaluation: Your Guardian Sprout has finally learned how to stand between you and danger. With its improved defenses and ability to control the battlefield, perhaps you can finally stop treating every enemy attack as a personal invitation to get yourself beaten senseless.
---
The moment the panel appeared, the green glow surrounding the Guardian Sprout gradually faded.
Its body had clearly grown slightly larger than before.
The bark-like armor covering its body looked thicker, and the round shield attached to its arm had also become noticeably wider.
"Clang!"
As if proud of its upgrade, the Guardian Sprout lifted its shield and slammed it against the ground once. The sound echoed through the Treehouse.
Vikram nodded with satisfaction.
"Not bad."
Then the second panel appeared.
[Warrior Sprout (Blue)]
Type: Offensive Mobile Plant Unit
Status: Level 2
Growth Potential: High
Upgradeable: Yes
Plant Essence Generation: 15 Per Day
Combat Experience: 0
Level Up Requirement: Combat Experience 20
Upgrade Requirements:
• 150 Plant Essence
• Reach Level 5
• Combat Experience 50
Description: A semi-autonomous plant warrior created by the Plant Life System for offensive combat. Its body is formed from flexible yet hardened vines, allowing it to move swiftly and strike with precision. It excels in offensive combat and at finishing weakened enemies, working alongside the Guardian Sprout to overwhelm and eliminate enemies. Its intelligence and autonomy increase with evolution.
Abilities:
• Wooden Sword: Forms a hardened wooden sword from its plant body and wields it in one hand for swift and precise close-range slashes. The sword is hard and sharp enough to cut through flesh and light armor.
• Vine Lash Attack: Uses its other hand to extend and control a powerful vine, allowing it to whip, strike, entangle, restrain, or pull nearby enemies. The vine can also propel the Warrior Sprout forward, allowing it to deliver powerful downward strikes.
• Close-combat Movement: Moves rapidly during combat, allowing it to approach enemies, evade attacks, and maintain pressure. Its root-like vines can briefly anchor to the terrain and propel its body forward, improving mobility and repositioning during battle.
• Relentless Assault: When an enemy is weakened or injured, the Warrior Sprout increases its attack speed and continuously pressures the target, making it more effective at finishing weakened enemies.
• Territory-bound Regeneration: Can regenerate within the Host's territory, allowing it to gradually recover from damage while remaining connected to the territory's plant energy.
Evaluation: An impressive improvement. This Warrior Sprout has grown into a capable combatant, with enough strength and speed to overwhelm weakened enemies. As for you, Host, perhaps you can finally stop being the weakest fighter on the battlefield and let your Plant Warrior handle the actual fighting.
---
The Warrior Sprout was even more excited than the Guardian Sprout.
Its body glowed briefly before the light disappeared.
The vine-blade in its hand had become longer and sharper, the edges now resembling a real sword. It waved the blade twice in the air.
"Swoosh! Swoosh!" The sound of cutting wind could even be heard.
Then the little fellow proudly stood beside Vikram like a soldier awaiting praise.
Vikram couldn't help chuckling. "You two seem pretty happy."
At that moment, the Healer Sprout, which had been quietly floating nearby, slowly drifted closer.
Soft green particles scattered from its leaves and landed on the other two sprouts. It looked as if it was congratulating them.
The Guardian Sprout tapped its shield again. The Warrior Sprout spun its vine-blade once.
Seeing this lively scene, Vikram leaned against the Treehouse wall and crossed his arms.
"With all three of you getting stronger… Hunting will become much easier from now on."
His gaze then shifted toward the seeds he had obtained earlier.
Thornvine ×2
Spikevine ×5
"Before sleeping… I should plant these first."
After all, if they were planted tonight, they would mature tomorrow.
He first took out the two Thornvine seeds.
Walking toward the entrance of his Territory, he crouched beside the existing Thornvine barrier and planted them carefully into the soil.
The moment the seeds touched the ground, faint green light flickered as the Plant Life System began nurturing them.
Soon, two small vine shoots slowly emerged from the soil, their thin tendrils already instinctively stretching toward the nearby Thornvine cluster.
Vikram stood up and looked at the defensive line in front of him.
The thorn-covered vines had already begun forming a dense barrier around the entrance.
"Good… After planting these two, only eight Thornvines remain before the entrance can be completely sealed."
Once the Thornvine defense line was finished, the entire entrance would become a natural wall of living thorns.
Anyone trying to break through would first have to deal with a forest of entangling, bleeding vines.
After finishing the entrance defense, Vikram returned toward the farming area.
He took out the newly obtained Spikevine seeds and began sowing them along the outer edge of the farmland.
Since the farmland stretched roughly 50 meters long and 25 meters wide, the front side still needed protection.
The Spikevine plants were perfect for this purpose.
Each Spikevine could cover roughly one meters of ground, and when triggered, their sharp spikes could suddenly erupt from the soil to injure or slow intruders.
Vikram planted them with small gaps between each position, leaving enough space for the other agricultural plants he planned to cultivate in the future.
He also wanted to plant the seeds he had collected. However, he hadn't done so yet because he wasn't sure how they worked. Unlike ordinary crops on Earth, these seeds came from the Wasteland, and he didn't know whether they could simply be buried in the soil or if they required special conditions to germinate. Rather than risk wasting them through trial and error, he decided to wait until he obtained more information before planting them.
Soon, several small green sprouts appeared in the soil.
"These should be enough for now," he muttered.
With the Thornvine guarding the entrance and the Spikevine gradually forming a defensive line around the farmland, his Territory was becoming safer day by day.
Standing there for a moment, Vikram looked across the land.
The Treehouse, the warehouse dug into the mountain, the water tower beside the Aquaheart Root, and the expanding farmland.
What was once just a temporary shelter had slowly grown into something much larger.
"This place… Is finally starting to look like a real territory."