After he was done looking at the status screen, Licht turned and immediately broke off further into the shaded woods. Because of his harvesting of the Ironlight tree bulbs prior, it took him a few seconds to get back into an area that was lit, as the bulbs provided nearly all of the light in the integrated section of the forest.

He also had yet to restore any of what he had just taken.

It wasn’t that Licht was forgetful, there was just no need to do so here. By merely connecting to any root or tree, Licht could send a pulse of nutrients through the entire territory.

It might seem strange that he would have so many life-giving resources at his disposal, but in reality, the trees needed very little work to sustain themselves.

Essentially, it was broken down like this:

Say a singular tree of peak maturity absorbs 10 units worth of nutrients per month. Whether through ground water, photosynthesis, or organic matter as some carnivorous plants did, the end result each month ends up being a quantity equivalent to 10 units.

Given that the same species tree needs approximately 1000 nutrient units to grow to that point of maturity, and less than ten to sustain itself for that given month, a sapling of the same species will eventually grow to maturity if afforded a steady stream of nutrients.

Ordinarily, that would take a tree decades to accomplish, but Licht had a few very handy skills at his disposal.

So, as Licht could funnel the excess nutrients produced by thousands of trees into a single point or small area, he could grow a forest rapidly.

It seemed strange to Licht that the trees could go so fast just by funneling nutrients into them, but he had long stopped questioning the actual science of his skills for the sake of his mental stability.

But coming to the forest around him, with the affinities of the Ironlight on top of everything, the growth of trees had nearly gotten out of hand for Licht to continue managing. The only reason he hadn’t expanded even more than now, was because he was hesitant to do so until he could control the Integration feature further.

He didn’t need his forest coming across something potentially helpful and instantly parasitizing it. Unusual plants and herbs had been much of his strength so far, and he didn’t want to lose that by going all in on the Ironlight.

After all, he could thank just two types of plants for giving him to get through his biggest crises.

A bigger forest couldn’t help him now anyway. His body had never really benefited from the nutrients directly anyway.

“Hah…though I’m glad I don’t have to worry about the integration affecting my own body. The skill seems to stop at least that much from happening.”

Licht’s speeding form came to a halt above the ground as he unlatched from the roots from around him.

With a fluid movement, his body came falling down from the height of the canopy down just outside of the grove’s walls.

“Movement is more stable now…I feel like the roots respond more accurately to my intentions as well.”

Licht looked around at the disappearing roots as they slithered back underneath the trees.

Obviously, it had just been mere moments since his evolution, so he was still getting used to all the new changes.

“Alright, should I do this out here, or in the lab?”

Licht wondered aloud. Since he had dropped off Hemlock, it didn’t seem like much time had passed.

“The kids are still awake probably, likely over by the residence doing their chores. I can probably go around them, but I don’t want to take the risk. No need to sneak around in my own home when I can just as well do my business out here.”

Licht came to a decision. As was his intention before all of this mess, he wanted to complete the gifts for Siya and Arjun, and with his upgraded capabilities, now was the perfect time to do so.

It would be more comfortable in his lab, but there was no tool in there that he needed for the following actions. He was a true man of the land, after all, he could quickly fashion most things out of the nature around him that he might need.

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“Alright…”

Licht set the flat of his hand against his chest, digging his fingers right into where his solar plexus was, he split open a rift there and manipulated his body for the first time since its evolution.

GLOMP

“Ehh!?”

Suddenly a mixture of sounds came out from his newly-created chest hole, a viscous liquid began to pour out from that space as it was accompanied by a chorus of dribbling and frothy bubbling.

Licht shook his head, cupping the gooey substance that had erupted from his insides.

“What is this?”

[Psychometric Observation]

[Collagenic Effusion (D-)]

“The condensation of a human skeleton into its base liquid components accomplished by the process of a rapid physical evolution. The high AF content of its environment has nurtured its material value over time, elevating it above its original rank. What before was at best a second-rate fertilizer may now be considered as a suitable ingredient for some processes of alchemy.”

Licht read the description with a mystified face.

If he was interpreting that correctly, it seemed that the skeleton he had once used as a framework for his body, had been turned into soup by the recent evolution. Licht had no hard feelings about that matter, given who the bones had originated from, but felt it a waste that the substance had gained in level since then.

“Though I don’t know anything about alchemy, it's a shame that it went up in rank.”

Because at the moment Licht didn’t see how to collect it. It was just pouring out of his chest, what was he going to do? Cup it with his hands? Licht hadn’t really gotten around to making bottles, though there might’ve been some with the leftover trader’s belongings stored in the lab…

“Are the other items alright though?”

That suddenly dawned upon him.

“Oh shit.”

Not minding the skelly jello that was pouring out of him, Licht ducked his hand deeper into his body’s hollow cavity, before finding the grasp of two familiar objects.

He sighed in relief as he pulled them out, and placed them onto the forest floor before him.

“A spear and a shield.”

Fitting, given Arjun and Siya’s personalities, at least from what Licht thought. But the goal right now was to finish these items, not judge his ability of character analysis.

“They were originally created from my body's material, making them strong enough to support both offense and defense like metal would, but what about now?”

Licht looked at his system, where the skill [Sacred Tree Body] sat tantalizingly.

What worried Licht was he wasn’t sure if it was a direct upgrade from his last body-skill. The system had said the skill had mutated, yet kept its same rank. He couldn’t be sure adding the material from his body would strictly make the spear and shield better, as he still didn’t know what the changes in his body even were.

“Yet, my instincts are telling me that I would be more connected with these items if I were to alter their composition…”

But was that a necessary thing? They were gifts for the elf kids, not his personal tools.

Licht recalled the final moments of Hemlock’s test, remembering the ding of his system notification as the priest had subdued the other serpenti beast.

“That was right…back then, I had received experience from the priest's actions, was it because of the spear?”

If that was the case, then…

Licht carefully considered the benefits at hand, weighing them against the possible consequences of working with a material he didn’t understand.

“Hmm…at the end of the day, it is not as volatile as the Ironlight wood with its ability to integrate. I have at least that much faith. The shared experience is not something I can pass up if that is my only concern, though I may be putting on some unnecessary risk, any growth in my strength from this will still ultimately directly benefit the kids as well.”

Licht finally nodded, having come to the conclusion he would move forward with his plan. Taking the shield and spear in his hands, he concentrated on the wood manipulation skill.

It was usually a subconscious process, but for something as important as manipulating his own body, manual control and concentrating was necessary. This was also part of the reason he had just used his fingers to open his chest before.

[Wood Manipulation]

“Okay…I’ll start just by replacing the surface, leaving a core of the original material behind.”

Material was uprooted and quickly shed from the exterior of Licht’s body, traveling past his forearms to bond with the equipment. Soon enough, the two items gained a new exterior, as their grainy texture was replaced with a metallic brown sheen.

Their heft in Licht’s arms grew as well, yet his body at this point was so stable he could hardly feel how miniscule the difference was.

“Okay, that should do it for now. Until they grow older, I suppose.”

The shapes of the equipment ceased their squirming at once, condensing back into their original forms with the rigidity of wood. However one would be surprised to find they also sported the weight and durability of steel.

“Nice, all I’ve got to do is wait a week now. Though that reminds me, there was another project wasn’t there?”

Licht put the equipment back into his hollow space, now having drained of the skeletal byproduct and whatever else that had previously made up his body only to be trashed by the evolution.

“I wonder if I can do it now?”