Now that I'm back here, my only goal is that eye. It seems to be related to the Dark God mentioned earlier, and it also appears to be injured. This is a perfect opportunity for me.
As I started recreating the map of this area, I noticed that it had expanded significantly.
Is this place still growing...?
I felt a bit uneasy but kept moving forward. Still, there's one place I need to visit first.
It didn't take long for me to arrive.
The place I came to is that same tree from before. It has the ability to generate Dark Power, and the eye is currently using it to heal. So if I want to take the eye, the first thing I need to do is cut off its supply.
This will definitely piss it off, but I'm not worried because while I was scanning the area to make the map, I accidentally picked up two extremely powerful energy signatures.
They're seriously strong!
I have to admit that.
But their direction was clearly heading toward the eye, so I assume they also intend to snatch it away. So, I changed my plan. Instead of fighting for it head-on with such a huge risk, I'll wait for the right moment and swoop in to steal it.
Even if I can't get the eye, I'll still be able to absorb a large amount of Dark Power to boost my stats.
Just thinking about it gets me all excited.
I moved in to absorb the rest of the tree. It had already been mostly drained by me before, so it didn't take much time. And even though it was nearly dry, the Dark Power was still flowing out like a waterfall.
This is amazing!
"Wait a sec! Are you sure it's okay to absorb that much?" Seina shouted in panic.
Relax.
Look…
I'm still perfectly fine, aren't I?
"Even so, it's better to be a bit careful."
Haizzz...
Seina always worries too much.
I reassured her with a few words and then resumed my task. While I was still happily absorbing the Dark Power, a sudden, violent tremor shook the area, making me stagger a little.
What the heck??
Did something incredibly powerful just collide and cause an earthquake across the whole region??
After thinking about it for a bit, I was sure it was those massive energy fluctuations I felt earlier. Chances are, they've started fighting each other already.
If that's the case, then this is a rare chance for me, because if they came for the eye, then it must be engaged in battle right now.
Knowing this made me absorb the Dark Power even more frantically. I don't know how long had passed, but by now, the tree in front of me looked like an old man drained of all life.
And then…
BOOM!
It completely collapsed.
Suddenly, a gaze swept toward me, filled with killing intent, and I immediately knew that the eye had realized I was stealing its food. But even after waiting for a long time, it didn't show up.
Looks like it's in trouble.
Hey, Seina, is there a way to observe the situation where the eye is?
"Let me try."
Seina began using the Inference system.
"Got it!"
Oh, come on, spill it already…
"At the eye's location, I see two more beings. They're all fighting each other. It's basically a three-way free-for-all."
Huh...?
I figured it was in some kind of trouble, but I didn't expect others to be involved. This also means I now have more competition.
Hey, can you see what those two beings look like?
"Yes, and one of them is someone we know."
Nani?
Who?
"It's a dragon."
Oh, it's that one!
I've only ever encountered one dragon, so there's no way I'd mistake it.
What's it doing here?
I wonder if it still remembers me. We did go through some battles together, after all...
"It probably remembers how you stole its prey."
Ack!
Then I hope it doesn't remember me.
What about the other being?
"I… I'm not sure..." Seina's voice wavered slightly.
Huh?
You're not making any sense here.
"I don't really know how to describe it… Its entire body is black and covered by a massive cloak. Its face is a mask, but I get the feeling that there's nothing behind it except those glowing red eyes. Also, I can sense an incredibly dense amount of Dark Power coming from it."
Nai wa??
Dark Power? Could it be... the Dark Witch that the Spirit Queen once mentioned?
Hmmm...
That makes sense. Since the eye has the ability to absorb Dark Power for its own use, it must have some kind of value to the Dark Witch.
Ugh...
Just when someone this strong shows up, how the heck am I supposed to compete...?
Hey Seina, what's the current situation over there?
"It's a bit chaotic, but the Dark Witch is fighting the dragon, and the eye keeps trying to escape. But every time, it gets forced back—can't get away."
Looks like they're keeping each other in check. That means I still have a small window of hope. But why does that dragon want the eye too...?
"Actually, it doesn't look like it. The dragon has tried several times to directly destroy the eye, but each time the Dark Witch blocked it."
Oh? So it wants to destroy the eye??
Hmmm...
Their goals are different, so that might buy me some more time. For now, I should check if there's anything else around here that contains Dark Power so I can absorb it, and then figure out my next move.
I keep having this feeling that the eye is extremely important, but for now, I can't worry about it.
So I started moving around again, occasionally finding some leftover plants or roots to absorb. Every now and then, I felt a malicious gaze watching me, but it couldn't do anything more since it was in a critical state itself.
I also need to find a way to deal with those two beings, because from what Seina has reported, they're extremely powerful and definitely won't let me snatch away their prize so easily.
Seina, you're still observing, right?
"Mm-hmm."
Keep me updated on the situation constantly.
"Don't worry."
"Ah...!"
Nai wa?
What's wrong, Seina?
Suddenly, Seina let out a startled scream, which made me jump too.
"I think we've been discovered." Seina spoke with a slightly trembling voice.
What? If it's just the eye, we can ignore it.
"No, not that! It's the Dark Witch."
Nani??
What did you do??
"I didn't do anything! I was just observing as usual, but that damn witch, even while fighting, suddenly turned straight toward me. The moment his eyes met mine, I felt like my soul was about to disintegrate."
Nai wa!
That terrifying??
I stopped absorbing Dark Power and immediately ran a full scan on Seina. The result was beyond anything I imagined—her soul had been tainted with a small amount of Dark Power.
If I hadn't noticed and cleansed it in time, she could've ended up pushing daisies.
Though she's technically my parallel will, we've basically become separate entities at this point—just sharing the same body. And after a long time of development, she's gradually becoming an entirely new soul of her own.
It's kind of complicated to explain, but that's the gist of it.
I quickly helped her remove the Dark Power, but Seina still didn't seem fully recovered.
Looking at her expression—confused, scared, anxious—my mood was affected too, all due to the resonance between us.
To think just one look could be that terrifying…?