Mr. F had spent the past few days carefully planning how to protect his territory from intruders. He knew that in the future, many people would try to spy on him, attempting to uncover the secrets of his mountain. Without proper defenses, it would be too easy for them to succeed. Furthermore, the magical plants he intended to cultivate here would likely attract all manner of creatures. Stone-hornet nests could be drawn to the magic in the vines, their deadly stingers seeking both fruit and flesh. Fire-moles might gnaw at the roots of the vines, and sky ants could swoop in, snatching the ripened fruits right from the stems.
The territory was vast, far too large for Mr. F to protect on his own. He needed guardians, but humans were out of the question. He could never trust them to keep the secrets of the mountain safe. Should the existence of these magical plants be revealed, the place would soon be crawling with thieves.
Mr. F had devised two potential solutions. The first was to venture into the forest in search of metal-honey bees. If he could track a hive back to its queen, he might be able to convince her to relocate to his mountain. The bees were fiercely territorial and would attack anything not marked with their pheromones. They could not only protect his vines but also pollinate them, and the magical honey they produced could be sold or used in various alchemical recipes.
However, the downside was that high-ranking metal bees were rare in this region. Even if he found a queen at Rank 5, the worker bees would typically be one or two ranks lower, limiting their ability to fend off larger threats. Moreover, it would take time for the queen to grow stronger, rendering the hive ineffective in the short term.
This led Mr. F to his second idea: harnessing his newly developed ritual for awakening plants. By adapting it, he hoped to create Rank 4 or Rank 5 awakened plants, with the ultimate goal of producing a Rank 6 guardian plant. Such plants would be far more reliable than bees, as they could defend the mountain with minimal oversight. But the ritual would need to be adjusted—perhaps even combined with his original soul-binding ritual.
With his mind set, Mr. F flew north into the dense forest. After about five minutes, he arrived at a part of the woods where he had previously spotted Titan Flytraps, large carnivorous plants known for growing to impressive sizes. Their nectar was potent enough to lure small animals into their deadly jaws, and their sharp teeth could easily tear through flesh.
He uprooted several of them with his magic, carefully preserving their roots. He decided to conduct his experiments here in the forest, sparing himself the trouble of transporting failed attempts back and forth. After shielding the area from unwanted eyes, Mr. F began preparing the ritual, using ten of the Titan Flytraps as his test subjects.
He inserted Rank 4 souls into the plants, using the basic version of his ritual to see how they responded. To his surprise, five of the ten plants successfully awakened, immediately reaching Rank 4. Although they were still relatively weak, Mr. F flooded them with mana, causing them to grow rapidly. What had once been small, 50-centimeter-tall plants now towered at 3 meters. These must be their combat forms, he thought, recognizing that Titan Flytraps could alter their size depending on the situation.
But as he performed the ritual, he noticed several areas that could be improved. Drawing upon his years of refining his soul-binding technique, Mr. F made subtle adjustments to the ritual, carefully balancing the integration of mana and soul energy without compromising the plant’s integrity. He tried again with ten more plants.
This time, seven of the plants awakened. Encouraged, Mr. F tweaked the ritual further. However, his next batch saw only four successful awakenings, indicating that his recent modifications had disrupted the delicate balance. Determined, he continued to refine the process, running experiment after experiment. By the time he had performed 100 trials, he had managed to achieve an 80% success rate for Rank 4 plants.
Satisfied but aware that he still had much work to do, Mr. F burned the remains of the failed plants and turned to the surviving 60. "Return to your normal size and wait here," he commanded. The plants shrank down, obeying his will. Thanks to their Rank 4 souls, they possessed a low level of intelligence, akin to that of a two-year-old child. They would remain dormant until he returned.
Mr. F nodded approvingly and flew back toward the mountain. As the first rays of the sun touched the horizon, he landed near his treehouse. The Array Masters had already begun working on the second anchor point, and among them was Lena, assisting in setting up the preparations.
He observed their progress throughout the day as they constructed the remaining anchor points. By evening, they had completed all the nodes and decided to rest, leaving the final assembly for the following day.
As dusk settled, Mr. F conducted his usual inspection of his students’ progress. Albert had successfully ground 12 beast crystals into fine powder, while Betty had produced three new catalysts. Pleased with their progress, he returned to the Titan Flytraps for the next phase of his experiments.
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This time, he aimed to awaken Rank 5 plants. Using the original version of his ritual, only two out of ten plants awakened, but he wasn’t disheartened. When he applied his improved version, three plants successfully awakened, showing progress. However, it became clear that higher-ranked souls required a more refined ritual. After another hundred attempts, he achieved a 40% success rate for Rank 5 plants.
Reflecting on his struggles, Mr. F realized how fortunate he had been to awaken the sapling with a Rank 7 soul. It was an exceedingly rare event.
As dawn neared once more, Mr. F returned to the mountain to witness Bjorn and his team activate the mana-gathering array. The anchor points had been securely placed—two in the river, two on the mountain. Once activated, they would be immovable.
Bjorn positioned himself between the first two pillars, stretching out his arms. Magical energy flowed from the pillars, forming shimmering lines that connected to his hands. Sweat beaded on his brow, and after completing the first connection, he took a brief rest before establishing the remaining links.
Once all the connections were in place, the Array Masters stood in the center of the formation, channeling their collective mana into the system. Slowly, the energy began to circulate, gaining speed with each passing moment. After an hour of effort, the array fully activated. The anchor points glowed a bright gold, and the mana density in the air increased dramatically.
Cheers erupted among the workers, proud of their accomplishment. Despite being a Rank 4 array, it was one of the largest they had ever constructed. The success felt monumental.
Mr. F approached them, his expression softer than usual. "Thank you all for your hard work. I know Gustav has already arranged for your payment, but I promise to show my gratitude in the future."
The workers were taken aback by Mr. F’s humility. They had expected cold indifference from someone involved in such high-level dealings with Gustav. Bjorn stepped forward, grinning. "Well, we certainly wouldn’t say no to a bottle of wine when your vines start producing."
The other workers didn’t understand the significance of Bjorn’s words, but Mr. F did. He promised him a crate from the first batch.
As the Array Masters prepared to depart, Lena said her goodbyes to Albert and Betty, a hint of sadness in her voice. She had enjoyed her time here, away from the structured life of the city. "You can visit us anytime," she told Betty.
Betty glanced at Mr. F. She wanted to extend the same invitation, but she knew the secrets of the mountain were too valuable to allow Lena free access. Instead, she promised to visit her in the city when the time came.
Once the Array Masters had left, peace returned to the mountain. For Albert and Betty, the departure felt bittersweet, but for Mr. F, it was a signal that the time had come to continue his plans.
Mr. F still had three Rank 6 souls in his possession and found himself pondering whether it was worth attempting to awaken a Rank 6 plant. Such a plant could serve as the final line of defense against intruders when he wasn’t present. He was confident that the 40 Rank 5 plants he had already created could overwhelm several Rank 6 magicians if they attacked together, but they would sustain heavy losses in the process.
He walked back to the cluster of Titan Flytraps. As he approached, the plants swayed gently, their movements an eerie imitation of a greeting.
He made up his mind. “All right,” he muttered to himself, steeling his resolve. "I'll try this once. If it fails, then so be it."
Mr. F prepared himself for what could be the most important ritual he had conducted so far. He closed his eyes and began meditating, forcing himself into an optimal mental state. His mind had to be clear; any distraction could result in catastrophic failure. After a few moments, his breathing slowed, and his thoughts became sharp and focused.
Next, he erected a barrier around the area, isolating the Titan Flytrap and the soul from any outside influence. Unlike his previous experiments with Rank 4 and 5 souls, this time, Mr. F incorporated the array used for the Rank 5 soul and added four additional Rank 5 souls as fuel. This would give the ritual the extra power it needed to handle the Rank 6 soul.
The magic in the air thickened, vibrating with an intensity that made the atmosphere feel heavier. Mr. F could feel the pull of the Rank 6 soul as it began to be drawn toward the Titan Flytrap. So far, everything was proceeding smoothly, but he knew the real challenge would come once the soul made contact with the plant.
When the soul finally merged with the plant, Mr. F held his breath. Outside the barrier, a light drizzle began to fall, but there were no violent lightning storms like when he had used Rank 7 souls in the past. That was one of the key differences between the two levels of souls—the Rank 6 souls didn’t trigger the same cataclysmic responses from the elements.
Even so, the process was draining. Mr. F found himself pouring half of his remaining magical energy into the Titan Flytrap just to stabilize the ritual. The plant trembled, straining as if struggling to contain the immense power of the Rank 6 soul.
After what felt like an eternity, the ritual finally ended. Silence filled the air. Mr. F stood still, his heart pounding in his chest as he waited for any sign that the ritual had been successful. For a moment, all seemed well. The plant stood tall, its leaves twitching ever so slightly. But then, after about 40 minutes, something went wrong.
The Titan Flytrap began to wilt.
Panic gripped Mr. F. He immediately began channeling more of his magic into the plant, trying desperately to stop the decay. He could feel the Rank 6 soul still bound to the plant, but something was wrong. No matter how much magic he fed it, he could only slow the withering process. The plant showed no signs of recovery.
His heart raced as his mana reserves dwindled. He was running out of power, and the plant was on the verge of death. It was then that the familiar chime echoed in his mind, and before his eyes, the shimmering symbols of the system appeared.