Breaking from his usual routine, Victor didn’t bother to check on the comments from the online community after posting the update. Instead, he rose from his seat and started walking, making his way toward the exit of his office.
“By now, I’ve stopped asking where you are off to,” Lizbeth commented. She was busy at work doing the heavy lifting of the update, especially with the integration of the new streaming platform.
In response, Victor let out a smug smile and said, “Heh, Everything I do has its purpose,” to which she scoffed. “Anyway, time waits for no one, and there’s much to be done.”
Thus, he went to his destination, the Magic Botanical Garden, to check on the magical plants. One of the trump cards required by the mission was there, after all.
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In the meantime, even without Victor looking at the screen, the official website forum was busy with netizens commenting on the latest update announcement.
ProcrastinatingPanda: “First! Hahaha, That makes it two times in a row!”
Hornycrab: “Shit! I’m just a second late, but the second spot is also nice.”
DigitalMagicianPatrick: “Whoa, not even two weeks have passed since the last update! I’m 100% certain the devs are under a certain substance.”
Gigglebelly Grumblefart: “Hmm… Playing the good guys is exciting and all, but can I join the bandit side for a change? 🤔”
KuroUsagi: “Joining the bandits is tantamount to betraying the academy. You might be expelled from the academy if you do that. No, I think you will likely get banned, considering that the headmaster has a game master privilege.”
Gigglebelly Grumblefart: “Oof, didn’t think of that. Guess I’ll stay on the straight and narrow then.”
MsMelody: “Uh, I wonder what if the villagers are safe…”
MikeIsHandsome1000x: “Same here.”
Locktekei: “Well, let’s just hope for the best.”
Storm Bringer: “Still, being able to stream in-game is something to highlight. Imagine being able to earn money while playing your favorite game — oh wait, I’m already doing that lol.”
Locktekei: “Master, please teach me your ways. That’s the dream life right there.”
Storm Bringer: “Well, if you pay me enough, I will make a course just for you.”
Castlefrost: “Holy shit! Doesn’t this mean that we can watch others doing things? You know, like those immersive VR novels from Korea about a decade ago.”
Prominence: “Can I watch MsMelody, Princess_Tomato, and Auralise doing their ‘private matters’? (͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)”
MsMelody: “Wh-What?! 😳 😳”
Princess_Tomato: “If you dare do that, there will be no food for you!”
MissRichLadyAuralise: “You! Don’t even think about it! (◔‸◔ )っ✄╰⋃╯”
Prominence: “Urgh. I can feel the emoticon…”
MikeIsHandsome1000x: “Are you guys blind?! The most exciting part about this update is obviously the Spell Generator 1.0! We can finally create our own signature spells! That’s a game changer!”
Aphrodie96: “Hehehe, I can finally summon slimy tentacles. Plus, isn’t this update the perfect time to use it?”
ButaYaarou: “Tentacles? You fool! Why summon tentacles when you can summon humanoid spirits? If you can control your mana precisely enough, I bet you can summon loli spirits. Hehe…”
Prominence: “@ButaYaarou Dude, you must be another of my lost brothers. How come we’ve never met in real life before? Though, I prefer older spirits. #iykwim.”
GiveMeTheNuclearCode: “Have you guys forgotten the mind control spell?”
SirLaughsALot: “Screw the FBI; I will catch these degenerates and put them in jail myself!”
ButaYaarou: “Everyone, run! 🏃 🚨”
Satellite: “But guys… have you seen the system requirements for the spell generator? It’s more resource-intensive than any 3D rendering software. The compiling time alone could take days! Whoever designed this is either insane or extremely sadistic.”
Storm Bringer: “I see both sides of this. Yes, the complexity might seem pointless, but let’s look at it from a different angle. If they make it too easy for us to have our own signature spells, then it would lose its significance. Not only would all sorts of useless spells be created in droves, but the value of other spells would also plummet, which in turn make the in-game market crash. Therefore, what the developers are doing is more logical than you might think.”
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
ZeroXScyth: “Precisely. However, this will give rich people with high-end gaming rigs more advantage than anyone else, similar to those crypto miners. Although luckily, my setup is pretty good, haha.”
Stickman_Just_Passing: “Damn, this game’s taking ‘pay to win’ to a whole new level altogether.”
SuperNovaX: “Watching other rich peeps flaunt the spells that we can only dream of while sucking our thumbs in the corner. I can already imagine that…”
Squadzell: “So what? While you guys are sucking your thumbs in the game, I will be stuck on the forum, still waiting for my chance to even play the game. It’s maddening not having the qualification yet! Aaaahhh!!”
I_Am_Not_A_Godzilla: “Ha! You people never believed what I said, and now you’re seeing the truth yourself. The game company has now shown its teeth; it’s only a matter of time before they tighten their grip and drain every last bit from you.”
GladiusZone: “Shut up! We don’t need your rubbish opinion.”
I_Am_Not_A_Godzilla: “Oh, you’ll see. They’re more cunning than you think..”
The guy “I_Am_Not_A_Godzilla” was still adamant about digging for the truth behind the game and the game company. Nevertheless, the rest of the people seemed to be fed up with his antics and ignored him, as though he didn’t exist.
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Victor, having neglected the Magic Botanical Garden since acquiring the building, finally made his return to the place. It was not that he didn’t care about this place, but he thought that there was no need to focus on it at that moment. However, that was no longer the case right now.
Stepping into the vast greenhouse, Victor headed straight for the central attraction — the Starlight Absorbing Tree. Despite his absence, the daily harvesting of mana crystals from the tree had been meticulously handled by the place’s manager before being taken by Lizbeth to be sent to the virtual shop for sale.
“Master, you are back!” A small green creature adorned with a mushroom-shaped hat hopped excitedly as it voiced its greetings. “What can I assist you with today?”
“Mm, I’d like to check on the progress of the plants I’ve cultivated,” Victor replied, his gaze settling on the six Starfruit Saplings. Their growth was impressive, with each sapling now sporting leaves and standing about twenty centimeters tall — a remarkable rate of growth for magical plants. “It seems you’ve done well in caring for them.”
“Naturally! It is my responsibility, yes.” Lumispora, the manager of this place, chirped, spinning around joyously.
Victor praised it with a thumbs-up, then walked closer to the mana crystal-producing tree and accessed the System shop. Given the current situation, magical plants that required special care or were primarily used for alchemy were useless in this fight, primarily due to there being no Alchemists in their ranks. What he needed most at this juncture was—
“—Something like this.”
Dreamweaver Ivy Seeds
Dreamweaver Ivy is a rare and mystical plant that emits a potent hallucinogenic pheromone. When its small, star-shaped flowers bloom, they become the primary source of the pheromone, which is powerful enough to ensnare even a seasoned official Magus in a web of paranoia-inducing hallucinations.
Cost: 20 AP
Once, Victor had learned about this magical plant’s properties from a tome, and it was extremely rare around this kingdom. On top of that, the hallucinations it induced could cause deep paranoia and unsettling distortions of reality. Victims often reported heightened anxiety, distrust, and the feeling of being watched, which could sow chaos among enemy ranks. Unfortunately, to effectively ensnare such a large force in a hallucinatory state, he would need a substantial quantity of the plant.
In addition, relying solely on this plant would be insufficient to resolve the root of the problem. Graviel and his accomplices were powerful acolytes. Despite not yet achieving Elemental Adept Magus status, as parts of Magus families, they were equipped with various family techniques, spells, and means. Relying on a single tactic would be dangerously naïve. As such, Victor added another plant for purchase to enhance his approach:
Carnivorous Man-Eating Seeds
A fearsome flora and as menacing as its name suggests. This dangerous species has large, gaping maw-like structures, lined with rows of sharp, needle-like teeth, capable of snapping shut with astonishing speed and force that could break even steel. It grows extremely quickly.
Cost: 20 AP
Victor noted that the majority of offensive and fast-growing magical plants sold in the System shop were priced uniformly at 20 AP. It appeared that what determined their value was the quantity of seeds yielded from a single purchase. Consequently, he decided to acquire five sets of seeds each.
Tightening his muscles, Victor interacted with the holographic screen to complete his purchase. Subsequently, the Starlight Absorbing Tree shimmered impressively, unveiling ten buds that blossomed into two distinct seed varieties. The first type was unassumingly small, while the second resembled marbles but with thorns encircling them. Overall, he received an ample quantity of each type, enough to fill two adult handfuls, respectively.
Victor stored them in his interspatial ring and thought, These seeds should be enough to cover a large patch of land in the forest. Still, I should plan this carefully.
As opposed to scattering them randomly along the path to the chasm, it would be wise to concentrate them in a single location where his adversaries were guaranteed to cross. On the one hand, this approach would enhance the effectiveness of the trap. On the other hand, it wouldn’t become something that would bite back at him later, especially when talking about unsuspecting and reckless players.
“But regardless of that, do I have merely a meager 190 AP left now?” Victor let a long, despondent sigh before smiling wryly and taking his step toward the exit of the greenhouse. Time was of the essence in planting these seeds. They required sufficient growth time to be effective when needed. The Carnivorous Man-Eating plants were responsive to mana and would grow extremely quickly, but the Dreamweaver Ivy required some time to flourish and bloom even with its fast-growing characteristic. And both of these two types of magical plants worked well together — a kind of symbiotic relationship.
“—Goodbye, Master!”
The sudden sound of Lumispora’s voice caught Victor off guard, causing him almost to jump backward. “Whoa! You really surprised me there!” All the thoughts swirling in his head had made him forget about its peculiar existence.