Phong discovered the real value of Berserking Strawberries by accident.
Not during farming.
Not during a crisis.
During sparring.
Alex had been driving herself hard.
Three psychic constructs became four.
Four became five.
Then six.
Her split focus sharpened every day.
She could now hold a rapier, 2 shields, a vajra, and a secondary blade at once without obvious strain.
The sixth – a bow – still flickered sometimes.
But it stayed.
The Greencap Captain remained her benchmark.
Level 47.
Battle-hardened.
Disciplined.
Then that afternoon changed things.
Out of curiosity, and also to test her limit, Alex bit into a Berserking Strawberry just before the spar began.
For one minute, her stats doubled.
Unlike Snow Lime and Stoic Garlic, the buff granted by Berserking Strawberry was transformative.
The air around her warped.
Her telekinetic constructs moved almost as fast as her very thoughts, and her thoughts were accelerated as well.
The captain's spear met a shield, another one bashed him on the back before he could react.
Her rapier moved faster than the eye could follow.
The vajra struck with the force of a wrecking ball.
For the first time, she broke his defense cleanly.
Pinned him.
Blade to throat.
Silence.
The Bunny Captain blinked.
Then laughed.
"Unfair."
Alex smirked.
"Temporary."
The minute ended.
Her body swayed as the debuff hit.
Extreme weakness.
Her constructs vanished at once.
The captain caught her before she hit the ground.
"Dangerous fruit."
"Yes."
She grinned weakly.
"Worth it."
"Do not become dependent on it. Dull your instinct."
"Noted."
She didn't gain levels from sparring.
None of her fights with the Troll King or the Greencap Captain gave experience.
But her control improved at a frightening pace.
Her mind learned faster than the system gave stats.
Which meant she was becoming deadlier even without leveling.
That night, when the debuff fully settled in, Phong realized something.
For once, they were on even ground.
Alex lay in bed dramatically weak.
Not acting.
Actually weak.
Her stats suppressed.
Reflexes dulled.
Stamina limited.
Phong looked at her carefully.
She looked back.
A slow smile spread across her face.
"Fair fight?" she asked softly.
He grinned.
"Finally."
For the first time ever, he did not feel like he was wrestling a polar bear.
He did not feel like he was sprinting uphill.
He didn't need Stoic Garlic.
Didn't need overdrive.
He could move at his own pace.
Meet her naturally.
Answer without panic.
And when it ended, he wasn't gasping like a man who had just survived a boss fight.
He was... steady.
Alex blinked at him, mildly offended.
"You look too fine."
He shrugged with fake innocence.
"The system says I live in extreme weakness. Welcome to my world."
Later she sent a cute, dramatic pouting emoji to the group chat.
No explanation needed.
The replies came instantly.
Dominic:
[Farm boy didn't turn into a wet noodle this time?]
Janet:
[What did you do?]
Phong:
[Someone used the strawberry in her spar.]
Jake:
[Finally, balance patch for our farmer.]
Selena, meanwhile, had other problems.
She dropped a video into the chat.
Vanessa.
Cackling.
Holding a massive Metal Build kit like she had just found forbidden treasure.
Selena typed:
[WHY did you introduce her to Gunpla?]
Phong stared at the screen.
[She was curious.]
[She hasn't slept properly in two days.]
Vanessa's laughter echoed through the video.
Nyx immediately asked if she could get a robot too.
Phong muted the chat for a while.
Back in Camp Stymphalian, the basil and dill grew steadily in dungeon soil.
Unlike the combat plants, these herbs did not mutate in obvious ways.
Their mana absorption was subtle.
Richer leaves.
Stronger smell.
The lime-oak seemed to steady their growth instead of twisting it.
At the decoy camp, now officially renamed Camp Harpy by the Greencap civilians, agriculture expanded quickly.
Rabbit carpenters reinforced the irrigation channels.
Carrot rows spread neatly across the ordinary dirt.
Strawberries grew in organized patches.
Phong traded Alerting Carrots for normal strawberries.
He made one rule very clear.
"Berserking Strawberries are not casual snacks."
The rabbits agreed with solemn seriousness.
Overdrive fruit was for war.
Not dessert.
Camp Harpy ran smoothly.
Civilian bunnies worked the fields when humans were not around.
Knights rotated through perimeter watch.
The alliance deepened quietly.
With tensions stable for the moment, Phong finally brought it up.
A break.
On the surface.
In Lyon.
During Halloween.
Séline replied at once from Floor Two.
[Oui.]
Camille, already at camp, practically bounced.
[Yes. We will host properly.]
It was sound strategy.
Public Halloween crowds meant anonymity.
Costumes meant cover.
Media attention was currently fixed on:
The collapse of the Farmer Guild.
Josh's disappearance into Floor Three.
The Greencap conflict.
Production-class deaths.
Olen's optics were unstable.
It was the perfect time to step sideways.
Dominic took over planning at once.
"Couple costumes," he declared.
He already had ideas.
Phong and Alex.
Him and Janet.
Jake and Jack.
Matching themes.
Ridiculous themes.
Coordinated themes.
Séline promised to scout local events in Lyon.
Camille offered family contacts for safe housing.
Vanessa and Selena had to decline.
Too visible.
Too tied to dungeon research.
Too likely to attract the wrong eyes.
They sent exaggerated envy into the chat.
Selena:
[Enjoy croissants and freedom.]
Vanessa:
[Bring me limited-edition French kits.]
Nyx demanded a witch costume.
Bruno wanted to be a knight.
Rico insisted on something "mysterious and tactical."
That evening, Phong lay under the lime-oak and looked up through autumn-tinted leaves.
He had not expected any of this.
Alliances.
International travel plans.
Couple costumes.
Level 30 mechanics.
Dungeon diplomacy.
He had started as a level 1 farmer with moletatoes and angry chillies.
Now he was coordinating cross-floor politics and Halloween logistics.
Alex walked over and sat beside him.
"You look thoughtful."
"Just thinking."
"About?"
"How strange this all is."
She rested her head on his shoulder.
"Strange is good."
He smiled faintly.
For now, they would take the break.
Strengthen bonds.
Laugh.
Disappear into Halloween crowds in Lyon.
Let Olen stew in the mess he made.
Because sometimes the best move was stepping away just long enough to come back stronger.