Chương 136: Chapter 119 – Rootborn Incarnation

For several seconds Cade ignored the rain falling around him as he stared at the System message in his mind. There was a lot to process, but the Title [A Legend in the Making] was the easiest place to start. The flat +15 to every stat was nice, but the +15% bonus to every stat was insane as it would continue to benefit him as he progressed on his Path. Creating a Legendary skill before evolving to E-rank had to be a serious achievement to warrant that kind of reward.

Between all of his Titles, he now had an 80% bonus to almost all of his stats. Vitality was higher at 85% thanks to the extra boost from [Shepherd the Young]. Most people in the Tutorial probably didn't have many Titles. Some might not have any at all. And even if they did, Cade doubted many of them had stacked percentage bonuses like he had. They didn't even qualify for the Coreless Titles he had gained, since those required not having a System Core in the first place. That thought led to another question.

What even were Titles? How did accomplishing something like creating a Legendary skill give him more stats? Was the System modifying his body somehow? Was it the Record acknowledging an achievement and granting a reward? Cade exhaled slowly. Sitting in the middle of a swamp inside his Core realm and questioning the deeper mechanics of reality probably wasn't the best use of his time right now. He shifted his attention to his new skill, [Corebound Incarnation].

The fact that he gained a Legendary skill by forming a body in his Core realm felt absurd. It also felt undeserved. Cade had not exactly planned to create a Legendary skill. He had stumbled into the process, guided by that vast presence he felt after he tried to merge with the Great Tree. Without the assistance of whatever that was, he doubted he would have been able to create the skill. The System had counted [Corebound Incarnation] as his achievement, and technically it was. He had taken the final step.

He had shaped the incarnation with his own will and Law. But he had not found the path on his own. Next time, he would. Before he evolved to E-rank, Cade would create a Legendary Skill through his own understanding, his own Laws, and his own will. Only then would he feel like he truly earned the Title. That promise eased some of the discomfort he felt, enough for him to turn his attention back to the skill itself.

The description of the skill was interesting and the wording made it clear that his current wooden body was only one possible incarnation. Forms could vary based on the essence and Laws used in their creation. That meant this wasn't a single fixed body. Cade looked down at himself, then focused back on the skill description in his mind. This body had been formed from the rain and lightning transforming the pure essence his consciousness had embodied. He had shaped it by his will and his Law Seed of Renewal.

Considering all of that, a plant-based body made sense. But what about other combinations? Could he create an incarnation using pure essence and his Law Seed of Dissolution? Dissolution's principle was that all things may be broken down. How would he create a body from a Law focused on breaking things apart? Cade mentally shoved that question into the ever growing pile of stuff he needed to test later. This form was good enough for now.

He dismissed the notification and lowered his gaze, finally taking a proper look at himself. His body was made of light brown wood, shaped into something close to human. His arms had the right proportions, and his hands each had five fingers. Thin lines of darker grain ran just beneath the surface of his wooden skin, following paths that reminded him of veins. His chest and stomach were sculpted from layered wood in the same general shape his real body had taken after reforging himself with the Stormsap Crucible.

A thick growth of leaves hung from his head, forming something that almost resembled hair. And of course, he was naked again. At this point, he was starting to think this realm was fundamentally opposed to clothes. But clothing could wait. He needed to get back to the reason he entered his Core realm in the first place: speaking with Vorduun and Varosk as well as checking up on Aquelion.

"Okay," Cade said. His voice came out rough and dry despite the rain soaking into his wooden form.

"Let's see what this body can do." As soon as he tried to take a step, he felt the ground beneath him tremble. He waited, and a moment later, he felt another tremor roll through the mud beneath his feet. Thump. Thump. Thump. A smile tugged at his wooden face. He knew that rhythm. There was only one creature in this realm that was large enough to cause the ground to tremble as it moved.

"Varosk," Cade said, the sound was like two pieces of bark scraping together. He turned toward the direction of the thumps and took his first step. Or rather, he tried, but his foot did not move. Cade looked down and found thin roots extending from the sole of his wooden foot into the mud below.

"Oh, come on." He pulled harder and the roots tore free with a series of tiny pops that sent an uncomfortable shiver up his leg. He lifted his other foot and ripped those roots free too. Then he tried to walk. His knee resisted bending. Cade lurched forward, arms flailing as the wooden joint creaked like an old branch under too much weight. His ankle stiffened, and he fell face-first into the mud. Right, the skill did say that each avatar had its own capabilities and limitations.

Apparently, an incarnation grown from a tree wouldn't move like my own body. He pushed himself carefully up from the mud, his wooden joints groaning as they struggled to bend. Each movement required his full concentration, but after a few moments, he managed to get back on his feet. When he took his first real step, his balance felt wrong. His body was too light in some places and too heavy in others. His weight shifted awkwardly, and he struggled to put one foot in front of the other.

Moving as a [Rootborn Incarnation] was much harder than he had expected. After a few stumbling steps, Cade got a better feel for it. The movement remained awkward, but it slowly became manageable. The swampy forest around him grew with surprising speed. Green shoots pushed through quenched ash. Young trees stretched upward, leaves unfurling beneath the falling rain. Mist still clung low to the ground, and multicolored lightning continued to flicker within the clouds above. Cade followed the rhythmic thumping.

It took nearly ten minutes of slow, uneven walking before he finally saw the giant golden toad. Water streamed down Varosk's warty skin, and he was much larger than Cade remembered. The old toad had been big before, but now he looked like he had at least doubled in size. Cade cupped his hands around his mouth.

"Hey, Varosk!" The words scraped out of his throat but the First Elder did not react to the sound. Cade grimaced and tried again, pushing more force through whatever was working as his vocal cords.

"Varosk!" The sound came out louder this time and his voice smoothed slightly. Varosk turned and his gaze fixed on Cade. The golden toad stared at him for a long moment. Then he hopped, clearing the five meters between them in one smooth motion. Varosk landed directly in front of him, the impact sending another tremor through the ground. Cade's stiff wooden legs failed to adjust in time. His arms windmilled once, then he toppled backward into the mud.

Varosk leaned over him, amber eyes narrowing with intense curiosity. Cade stared up at the giant toad.

"Since when did you get so big? Is that a First Elder thing?" Varosk gave a low, thoughtful croak.

"Hmm," the First Elder said.

"I have not seen life take this form before. Tell me, little one, what are you?" Cade struggled to get back to his feet, joints creaking as he pushed himself up.

"This is going to sound strange, but I'm not actually a plant." Varosk blinked slowly.

"You certainly look like a plant." Cade looked down at his wooden body, then back up at Varosk.

"Okay, that's fair. It's me, Cade. I just have a different body right now." Varosk's eyes narrowed further.

"How does a plant know that name?" Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. Cade sighed, which came out as a dry rasp through his wooden throat.

"No, really. It's me, Cade. I bound the Dungeon Core to my soul and used it as my own Core. I can't exactly come in here with my human body because the Core is sort of inside that body now." Varosk remained silent, his eyes growing more intense by the second. Cade could practically feel the skepticism radiating off him.

"If you are truly the human youngling," Varosk said, "then tell me how we first met." Cade stared at him.

"Is this really necessary?" Varosk did not blink.

"Fine," Cade said.

"Pearl thought I was a deformed ash tortoise and brought me to you. Then you made me eat your translation mucus so we could talk." He paused.

"Which, by the way, tasted very metallic. I didn't get a chance to mention that before." For a heartbeat, Varosk remained perfectly still. Then he let out a deep, croaking laugh that shook the wet leaves around them.

"So it is you," Varosk said through a chuckle.

"The human Cade, wearing the body of a plant."

"This body wasn't my first choice, but it's better than floating around as a disembodied consciousness."

"Fascinating," Varosk said as he leaned closer, studying Cade's form.

"I thought I would never see you again after you left this realm."

"Yeah," Cade said.

"A lot has happened."

"I suspected as much." Cade glanced down at himself, then around the clearing.

"Did Aquelion give you my message?"

"The Viscount indicated that you were fine, but he did not relate more than that. He seems to be more interested in playing with some root than actually forming his own Core or learning from either myself or Vorduun." Varosk shifted, then turned slightly.

"Come. Climb onto my back." Cade blinked.

"What?"

"As the First Elder, I have duties to attend to. And seeing as you can barely stand, let alone walk, it will be easier if I carry you. You may explain what happened while I work." Cade looked at the giant golden toad's back, then down at his stiff wooden legs. Honestly, walking had been terrible.

"Yeah, okay. That works." Climbing was not much easier than walking, but Varosk lowered himself enough for Cade to awkwardly scramble up and settle onto the toad's broad back. Varosk began moving immediately and the first hop nearly threw Cade off. He grabbed onto a fold of warty skin and held on for dear life.

"A warning would have been nice."

"You are the one who chose a body poorly suited for movement," Varosk said.

"I didn't exactly choose this form. Well, I kind of did, but–""That does not matter," Varosk said, interrupting Cade mid-sentence.

"Tell me what has happened since you left Cynthia's Legacy." Cade exhaled and did just that. As Varosk moved through the rapidly growing swamp, Cade told him what had happened since they last spoke. He explained binding the Dungeon Core to his soul, refusing the System's offer of a replacement Core, returning to the Tutorial and killing Richard, finding his old group and other surviving humans, defeating Kharvaxis, and creating his new incarnation.

He also told Varosk about the Great Tree's condition and his hypothesis about where his essence had been coming from. Varosk listened as he worked, weaving the mists around them, calling down lightning ahead, and breathing new life into the once-desolate ash. All the while, he hopped at a pace that belied his massive form. Eventually Cade finished telling the Elder about everything that had happened. For several long moments, Varosk said nothing. Then he released a low, thoughtful croak.

"There are many things we must discuss. The first is your decision to bind the Dungeon Core to your soul and use it to forge your own Core," Varosk said.

"Yeah, I figured it would let me return to the Tutorial while also preserving this realm and its inhabitants," Cade said. Varosk landed beside a shallow pool, sending ripples across its surface.

"The Cycle of this realm continues. Its denizens remain alive. And the Viscount still has a place where he can form his Core. Therefore, your actions succeeded."

"That's good."

"Yes," Varosk said.

"Unless you die." Cade blinked.

"What?"

"If this realm now exists within your Core, and your Core is bound to your soul, then your death would cause the destruction of everything contained within it." Cade did not like the sound of that, though he supposed it made sense. Cynthia's Legacy had survived because he had taken it into himself. That meant its continued existence depended on him also continuing to exist.

"No pressure or anything," Cade said. Varosk's throat pulsed with a low croak.

"You have already given this realm more time than it would have had without you. Had you not bound the Core to yourself, this place would have ceased to exist once Aquelion forms his own Core." Cade didn't know what to say to that.

"So live as you wish," Varosk continued.

"Walk your Path. Take the risks you deem worthy. Risk is part of every creature's Path. If you fall, then you fall. I will have no regrets." Cade looked down at Varosk's broad golden back. That was strangely comforting.

"No regrets, huh?" Cade asked.

"None," Varosk said.

"Only gratitude for the time I do have." Cade exhaled slowly.

"I'll try not to get us all killed anyway." Varosk gave a soft croak that might have been amusement.

"You also said you can enter this realm by willing your consciousness into your Core."

"Yeah. I don't fully understand how it works, but I can do it."

"That concept feels familiar," Varosk said slowly.

"Like something I should remember from my past life, but it hasn't crystallized yet." The old toad let out a soft sigh before continuing.

"I still need time to fully digest the memories granted to me as First Elder. Let's continue on. You said that you can enter this realm and observe with just your consciousness, but you require this… incarnation to actually interact?"

"Yeah, I had some help figuring that out a bit before I found you," Cade said.

"After I tried merging my consciousness with the Great Tree and nearly lost myself in it." Varosk stopped mid-hop and settled onto the wet ground. He turned one amber eye back toward Cade.

"You merged your consciousness with the Great Tree?"

"I tried to. Figured I could use some of its life essence to create a new body, but it did not go well. There were so many sensations. I couldn't handle it all. Right as I was on the verge of being overwhelmed, a presence led my consciousness away and guided me toward creating the [Corebound Incarnation] skill." Varosk looked toward the distant canopy rising above the mist.

"The Great Tree provided you with more of its wisdom and guidance." Cade frowned.

"What do you mean? I destroyed the old Great Tree. Then I grew a new one. The new Great Tree shouldn't have a consciousness."

"Did you receive a notification for destroying it?" Cade opened his mouth, then stopped. He thought back to the fight with Sildraxa, to how he had used his [Flames of Desolation] and created an Ashen Vortex so large that it devoured the Great Tree in his attempt to cleanse every last bit of corruption from this realm. He remembered going through every notification afterward.

"No," he said slowly.

"I don't remember getting one saying that I destroyed the Great Tree."

"Then you did not destroy it completely," Varosk croaked.

"Somehow, part of the Great Tree must have survived your cleansing." Cade went quiet as the pieces shifted in his mind. If the Great Tree's body had been destroyed but no notification had appeared, then it must have anchored itself somewhere else.

"The rhizome!" Cade exclaimed.

"The original Great Tree embedded a Primordial Heartwood Rhizome in my body after I used my blood to power the Stormcaller's Trial for Pearl. When I grew the new Great Tree, I grew it from the rhizome within me. If the Great Tree was as wise as you keep saying, maybe it transferred part of itself into the rhizome. Maybe it used me to escape Sildraxa's corruption."

"That is possible," Varosk said.

"It witnessed what you could do. Perhaps it gambled that you could cleanse the corruption that had plagued this realm for countless Cycles. Or perhaps it saw you as a method to escape this realm entirely." Cade was quiet for a moment. He wasn't sure how he felt about being used as an escape plan by an ancient tree. On the other hand, the Great Tree had never been hostile towards him. It had never tried to take over his body or mind. It had guided and helped him. Its presence had to be what he felt before.

"I don't know how I feel about that," Cade admitted.

"But it has helped me out quite a bit. Between the body reforging, the rhizome, and the [Corebound Incarnation] skill, I guess the least I could do was carry part of the Great Tree's consciousness for a while." The old toad let out an amused croak, then shifted direction and resumed hopping. After a few more hops, Varosk's tone grew thoughtful again.

"Now, the other thing we need to discuss is this wilting you described."

"The Great Tree looked drained," Cade said.

"The branches are sagging, the leaves are turning brown, and there is less life essence moving through it than before."

"That is concerning," Varosk said.

"The Great Tree is linked to the realm. If you have been pulling essence from your Core, then it is possible you have been drawing from stored essence rather than generating new essence through your soul."

"That was my hypothesis."

"But if you were drawing from the Core's stored reserves, the essence should have come from the realm as a whole. Not solely from the Great Tree," Varosk said. Cade frowned.

"So why does the Great Tree look like a plant that hasn't been watered in weeks?"

"I do not know," Varosk said.

"Perhaps you somehow drew essence directly from the Great Tree itself, but that should not happen unless you and the Great Tree are linked more closely than you have described." Cade stiffened and Varosk noticed immediately. The old toad stopped again as one enormous amber eye turned back toward him.

"Ah," Cade said.

"Yeah. I may have forgotten to mention something. In my defense, a lot has happened and we haven't had a lot of time to talk."

"Clarify." Cade exhaled.

"Well, when I regrew the Great Tree, I gave it part of my Law Sprout."

"What do you mean?" Varosk asked.

"I tore off one of the roots from my Law Sprout of Inviolable Self and willed it into the new Great Tree. I was trying to help it grow stronger and resist outside influences like Sildraxa. At the time, I thought the realm would continue on when I left, and I wanted to give the new Great Tree the best chance to survive. I figured having part of a Law that could help it resist being corrupted or controlled would be useful." Varosk remained silent.

"It hurt like hell," Cade added.

"But at the time, it felt like the right thing to do. That's why the Great Tree has those void-black streaks running through the trunk. They came from the root I grafted into it." Varosk released a low, rumbling hum.

"Is that everything?" Cade grimaced.

"Not exactly. My Core is also bound to that same root." Varosk's throat sac expanded outward. Cade rubbed the back of his wooden neck.

"When I was in my soul space, it just felt like the Core needed to go there. So that's where I put it." For several long seconds, Varosk said nothing. Then he slowly turned and continued hopping through the swamp.

"Some of what you have told me makes far more sense now," Varosk said.

"If everything you say is true, then you have indeed linked yourself to the Great Tree. If a root of your Law Sprout extends into the Great Tree, then a part of your soul also extends into this realm." Cade stared at the back of Varosk's head.

"What?"

"Think of it plainly. Your Law Sprout is rooted in your soul. You tore away part of that root and grafted it into the Great Tree as it regrew. Then you bound your Core to that same root. You are directly connected to the Great Tree through your soul and your Core." Cade looked forward and saw the Great Tree rising ahead through the mist.

"That is likely why you were able to bind the Dungeon Core to your soul in the first place," Varosk continued.

"The bridge already existed. You merely anchored the Core to it." Cade sat with that for a moment.

"So is that why I didn't have to connect my physical or metaphysical channels to the Core?" Cade asked.

"What? How did you claim the Dungeon Core as your own then?"

"When I bound the Core to my Law Sprout, it connected to my channels on its own. I didn't have to manually link anything. It just… happened."

"I have never heard of a creature connecting their Core to their soul before connecting it to their channels," Varosk said.

"Your method of Core formation was unusual. Maybe my fragmented memories will have some answers for you, but as of right now, what you did is… unique." Varosk fell silent for a moment.

"It is an area worthy of study," the First Elder croaked.

"But not now." The mist thinned ahead, revealing the base of the Great Tree. Even from here Cade could see the droop in the branches above. Varosk's tone grew heavier.

"For now, we need to determine whether you have truly been using the Great Tree's essence."