A few more days passed and as it turns out the IceShard Devourer couldn't be more lovely; despite its monstrous appearance it was completely Docile. Even then pressed it wouldn’t hurt anyone, and it didn’t seem that it could activate its Tentacle Slap; it was as if the monster was completely incapable of violence.
“Look at this, ha-ha!” Gareth pushed his head inside the devourer’s maw. His head was surrounded by rows upon rows of blue crystalline fangs.
“Gareth, don’t push your luck.” The Spider King Cautioned.
As it turns out, like its predecessor, the monster ate plankton and only plankton. Those razor-sharp teeth and many tendrils must have been only for decorative purposes.
“I think you can leave this to me.” Gareth pulled his head out to rub the monster on its back affectionately. “I’ll train this one real good.”
“Yeah, but take care. It has that Devour perk.” He didn’t want to hear about Gareth mysteriously vanishing one day.
“Nah, it's completely Tamed. You wouldn’t hurt a fly, would you?” Gareth was using baby-talk. “No, you wouldn’t.” He rubbed the monster on the belly.
“Alright then, I guess I’ll go finish my other project.”
Gareth was so preoccupied with playing with the monster that he didn’t even reply to the leaving King. The Spider King walked all the way outside to a certain location not too far from the fortress.
The other project was equally ambitious. While yes, life struggled here on the Mountaintop sure, it didn’t mean that he shouldn't attempt to breathe some of it in the barren and frozen wastes of the Mountaintop. The humans had just finished constructing a comparatively massive igloo out of ice. The material was cheap and easily accessible, so even if the project failed nothing of much value would be wasted.
The igloo walls were thick, but they were transparent. Blue-tinted light filtered through the icy ceiling, and for some weird reason, it felt that here in the igloo there was more light than outside. Perhaps the ice condensed the sunrays like a glass lens, or even trapped a certain type of light from escaping entirely much like a greenhouse did to infrared radiation.
“Magic surely works in mysterious ways.” He scratched his head making a mental note to ask the spiders to investigate his phenomenon later.
Regardless, it was no less cold inside only brighter, and he wanted to carry on with the project. He dug a hole into the icy floor planting a sapling which didn’t belong here.
“[Evolve], [Mutate], [Imbue].” He fired all three at the plant, plus activating Acclimate and Unnatural Selection.
The target of the magical assault was no other than the rugged and ruthless BanditAgave. The plant was selected because as any good bandit did, it had two necessary qualities: being daring to challenge the danger, and it possessed strong survival and self-preservation skills. After all, FireAgave and ShadowAgave were both proof that this plant could survive in the harshest conditions.
The Spider King forced a merciless amount of mana into the plant.
“This has to work!” He shouted expending no less than 4000MP, which was almost his entire mana pool.
The plant radiated blinding light threateningly. There was a danger it could be consumed by so much MP and then just implode on itself. For that reason, he did imbue it with Reinforce. The mana has been spent and the magic was doing its job, all he could do now was step away and watch.
“You can do it!” He encouraged the plant while shielding his eyes so as not to be left blinded.
The light eventually dimmed revealing now different and transformed plant.
“It worked? Of course, it worked!” He cheered walking closer to inspect it.
Unmistakably it was still agave, but its leaves were icy blue and dotted with crystalline needles. Upon the touch the plant was also unexpectedly hard, the crystalline features had carried all over making it akin to a plant made out of glass. However, it was still alive, it was something which would grow and spread eventually.
“Well done BanditAgave. You have conquered yet another biome.” He congratulated. “For this occasion, I shall bestow you the title of…” He paused to think. “IceAgave!” He decided to stick with the established theme. “Now, grow and prosper! But before that, don’t mind if I do.” He snapped a piece of its leaf. “After all, we need to know what good you are for.”
This one, unlike its cousin FireAgave, didn’t look like it would be any good for making juice. And unlike its other cousin DarkAgave, its crystalline properties prevented the IceAgave from being used in clothmaking.
However, the experiments with IceAgave had to wait, because…
“How long has it been?” He asked trying to remember. “Higher levels, really do take long to achieve.” He looked at the message he had just received.
[Congratulations! You have reached Farming lvl 5]
[Requirements have been met (Magical Inventory). Hidden perk unlocked]
[Perk Seed Archive obtained]
With no delay, he investigated the perk. Seed Archive worked similarly to the Magical Inventory, once activated a table popped into his vision, however, it wasn’t empty. It had a list of plants he had created: TomGrape, PurpleM, FireAgave, ShadowAgave, EarthenYam, AshenClover, TrapBush, PetalBall, various mushroom variants plus all the other plants he messed with. With this perk he could expend mana to pull out the seed of the desired plant, or more precisely the magical blueprint to create the plant.
Just to test it he pressed his hand to an empty icy patch. “[Seed Archive: IcyAgave].” Magic seeped out of his hand filling the icy hole he made, and low and behold a seed was planted. “So, it still needs to be grown. I need to find a way to learn that Grow spell, that one would be extremely convenient now. Or find a way to make scrolls of it. Hmm…” He scratched his chin while looking at the planted seed.
“The number of projects only increases.” He welcomed that type of work with a broad smile. “But first, lest fill this Igloo BlueHouse,” he gave the structure an impromptu name, “with seeds!” He chugged a few potions and began planting.
The newly acquired perk consumed MP with each cast, and it was no small amount. Evidently, the seeds of magical plants were hungry for MP, because each cast cost him 100MP. If you considered that an average human had a mana pool no bigger than 100MP, the perk was rather costly. One magical plant a day for an average mage, luckily he wasn’t and average mage. He was the Monster King with 4500MP and all the MP Recovery Potions he needed. At the cost of some Toxicity he filled the Igloo BlueHouse with IceAgave seeds.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
With the knowledge that there will be more IceAgave he plucked a few more leaves from the mature plant.
“Now, let’s see what secrets you’re holding inside. [Harvest: Material].” Crystalline leaf turned into motes of light and flowed into his inventory. “[Extract: Reagent].” Another leaf was turned into motes of light.
His inventory space now held two different items, one was a material for crafting and another a reagent for alchemy. The former was IceAgave Crystal and the latter Catalysing Powder.
IceAgave Crystal granted the crafted items a Crystalline perk. The item would become more brittle, but in return it could hold more mana inside and hance be enchanted with more enchantments.
Catalysing Powder was rather self-explanatory, it decreased the amount of reagents needed to make a potion and increased the potion’s potency.
“Not too shabby.” He nodded approvingly. “Well done, IceAgave.”
…
Perhaps emboldened by the recent bout of successes the Spider King was about to do something drastic. In his hands, he was holding the MegaFarm Rabbit. The unusually plump and fat critter, much like squirrels, was bred in the farm to be used in Lamia cuisine, but also, a few of them made here to the New Hope. It wasn’t just New Hope, the spiders were shipping these rabbits to Drow and Kobolds too. And to keep the meat fresh they were kept alive during shipping.
“Stop kicking.” He reprimanded. “You’re a lucky one you know. You’ll get to live.”
The rabbit squeaked at him in discontent and displeasure.
“Now-now, there’s no need to be alarmed. I’m sure it will go well.” In one hand he held the rabbit and in the other a bunch of IceAgave Crystals. Evolving animals was a more delicate affair and the crystal was no Ice Spirit Stone, but he hoped it would work. “[Evolve],[Mutate],[Imbue]!” He chanted the chaotic trinity of monster evolution.
The natural was changed, twisted, and transformed. Magic born of chaos seeped deep into the cells of the rabbit, altering them to do the will of the Monster King. An innocent animal began mutating. With the glow of purple, its animalistic form twisted closer towards a monster. The IceAgave Crystals melted in the Monster King’s palm, the magical infused liquid seeped deep into the rabbit’s tissues further deforming the small critter, imbuing it with a Crystaline perk. Deep inside the rabbit, the remainder of the mana pooled forming a small core, no bigger than a grain, but it was the defining moment there an animal became a monster.
“It worked! [Inspect].”
Monster: IceCrystal Rabbit
HP:50
MP:10
STA:20
Active Perks
[Horn Strike]
Passive Perks
[Crystaline]
Resistances
[Ice Resistance: Greater], [Fire Weakness: Greater]
The fat drained from the white rabbit returning it to its natural sleek form. It was still mostly white, but now in the middle of its head, it had a large blue crystalline horn. Also, the ends of the limbs were no longer flesh but icy and blue crystal.
The rabbit squeaked at the King ungratefully and used the chance to dash away.
“Hey! Where are you running!” He chased after the rabbit. “I demand you to recognise my authority!”
The monster was neither Tamed nor Docile. Moreover, it wasn’t even intelligent. It was just another monster; it didn’t need any Kings.
“Hey! Come back!” The King chased the rabid through the frigid wastes and away from the walls of the New Hope.
The chase lasted an embarrassingly long amount of time. The rabbit was much faster than its fat predecessor, actually, it was way too fast for a simple rabbit. But it wasn’t simple, and it wasn’t just a rabbit anymore.
“Hey!” The King repeated for third time already.
Somewhat ironically, the rabbit found a hole to jump into, much like a rabbit warren.
“You’re not getting away.” The King jumped after the rabbit into the hole; it was large enough. “Ahh!” He began sliding through the icy surface. “Hey, this is rather deep.” The slide was taking him deep inside.
Unsurprisingly he emerged into the icy cavern, but there was surprise. “Crystals?” He looked at the massive icy pillars. “Brr, so cold!” He just noticed the frigid temperature; it was many times colder than the already frigid outside.
Threatened by the possibility of Frozen debuff he quaffed a life-saving potion while taking the better look at the nearby crystals.
“How peculiar. They practically radiate cold.” Of course, this was impossible, this wasn’t how the laws of thermodynamics worked. “But they do emit cold.” He looked at the crystal with wonder. The air he breathed flowed towards the crystal and condensed into liquid; liquified air. “Scary!” He didn’t want to go any closer. “[Inspect].”
The message told him that this was IceShard Crystal.
“Looks precious, but how do I harvest it without touching it?”
Getting any closer seemed dangerous. The crystal turned air to liquid so he risked suffocating, that was if he didn’t turn into an icicle before all that.
“Rabbit!” He noticed the critter. “What the hell are you doing?” The rabbit was munching on the crystal without any care or concern. “Ah, that’s right, you have resistance.” Yes, if he found a way to up his Ice Resistance to Greater, then he could harvest the crystals.
The rabbit didn’t care about any of that, it gnawed through crystal retrieving a peculiar dark blue stone. The rabbit stared at the King sheepishly.
“Hey, what’s that you dug?” He stepped closer despite the risk of getting Frozen. “[Inspect].” He gasped reading the message. “Ice Spirit Stone?! This is the Ice source!!!” A place where Ice affinity mana pooled and condensed. An extremely rare and valuable location. “I guess, rabbits do bring good luck.” He shrugged. “But I want that stone. Rabbit, I command you to give it to me.” He used his Aura Projection to convey the order.
The rabbit had other ideas, instead it turned away from the King and ran deeper into the IceShard Cave.
He looked at the many IceShard Crystals jutting from all over. “It doesn’t look like I can pursue. However, this is a precious find. Thank you, rabbit!” He yelled towards the depths of the cave.
The cave was full of crystals, thousands of them, and presumably they all had a spirit stone hidden deep inside.
“This is a find of a century… my first spirit stone mine.”
He rubbed his hands happily, but also because they were getting extremely cold.
“But how do I get out?” He looked back at the hole of the slippery slide and made a deep tired sigh. “If there is a way… there is a will.” He misremembered that particular saying, but it did give him the willpower to begin climbing.