As Ren moved through the Secret Realm, he began collecting genetic samples from every plant and animal near him.
For common low-level materials like these, killing was usually unnecessary.
A single leaf, flower, drop of sap, strand of fur, bit of blood, shed scale, or shell fragment was often enough to count as a usable genetic sample.
These kinds of materials were common and had almost no money value, so most explorers ignored them unless they specifically needed them.
Ren, however, collected everything carefully.
Unlike the Bloodline Pathway and the Plant Pathway, which usually forced cultivators to choose a more limited future direction, the Bloodline Plant Lord Pathway was different.
It could absorb a large number of genetic samples.
That meant Ren did not need to decide his evolution path this early.
The more samples he gathered now, the more choices he would have later.
He took out a special storage box from his ring.
This box had a preservation effect that could stop materials from deteriorating too quickly after collection.
After opening it, Ren started moving through the forest while using SCAN again and again.
The first plant he found was growing beside a tree root.
Its leaves had patterns that looked like tiny flames, and its flowers were shaped strangely, almost like small bees.
Ren activated SCAN.
A faint screen appeared in front of him.
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NAME: Fire Bee Plant
DESCRIPTION: A plant with fire-shaped patterns on its leaves and flowers resembling bees. When stirred by wind or touched lightly, it produces a soft buzzing sound similar to a bee.
DANGER LEVEL: None (Changes with Ren's Pathway Stage)
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He carefully clipped one leaf and one flower, then placed them into the storage box.
A little later, he found another plant growing around a dark stone.
Its stem was pale blue, and tiny droplets formed at the edges of its leaves even though the air around it felt dry.
He used SCAN again.
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NAME: Frost Dew Stem
DESCRIPTION: A low-level plant that naturally gathers cold moisture into dew-like droplets. Commonly found in shaded areas with rich energy.
DANGER LEVEL: None (Changes with Ren's Pathway Stage)
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Ren collected one droplet in a small vial and cut off a short piece of the stem.
Then he moved on.
Not long after, he spotted a vine wrapped around a tree.
The vine was thin and purple, and its surface pulsed faintly as if it were breathing.
He scanned it too.
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NAME: Pulse Vine
DESCRIPTION: A low-level vine that absorbs ambient energy in slow rhythmic pulses. Its sap contains mild vitality properties.
DANGER LEVEL: Low (Changes with Ren's Pathway Stage)
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Ren cut off a small section and gathered a little sap before storing both away.
The fourth plant was stranger.
It looked like a patch of grass at first, but each blade had silver lines running through it, and the tips gave off faint sparks when they brushed against one another.
SCAN
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NAME: Spark Reed Grass
DESCRIPTION: A low-level grass-type plant that stores faint traces of lightning-attributed energy inside its blades. Often grows in groups.
DANGER LEVEL: None (Changes with Ren's Pathway Stage)
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Ren crouched down, clipped several blades, and placed them into the box.
Further ahead, he found a dark green flower growing near a rotting log.
Its petals were thick, and a sweet smell drifted from it.
Too sweet.
Ren narrowed his eyes and used SCAN.
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NAME: Sleep Mist Blossom
DESCRIPTION: A low-level flower that releases a mild sleep-inducing fragrance when disturbed. Pollen has faint mind-calming properties.
DANGER LEVEL: Low (Changes with Ren's Pathway Stage)
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"Good thing I scanned it first."
Holding his breath, Ren quickly cut one petal and sealed it in a small pouch before putting it into the storage box.
The sixth plant was rooted near a patch of wet soil.
Its leaves were round and dark, but the veins inside them glowed faintly red, like little streams of blood.
SCAN
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NAME: Blood Vein Leaf
DESCRIPTION: A low-level plant with leaves that carry minor blood-attributed energy. Often grows in moist places rich in decaying life energy.
DANGER LEVEL: Low (Changes with Ren's Pathway Stage)
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Ren's eyes lingered on that one for a moment.
That sounded closer to his pathway than the others.
He carefully harvested two leaves and moved on.
After collecting several plant samples, Ren shifted his attention toward the small creatures around him.
The first one was perched on a branch above him.
It looked like a bird, but its wings had scales mixed with feathers, and its eyes were too round and too bright.
Ren used SCAN.
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NAME: Glasswing Chirper
DESCRIPTION: A small bird-like creature with semi-transparent wings and a sharp territorial cry. Feathers contain trace wind energy.
DANGER LEVEL: None (Changes with Ren's Pathway Stage)
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Ren waited until it flew away, then picked up two feathers it had left behind.
Further ahead, he saw a rabbit-sized beast nibbling on a glowing mushroom.
It had two tails and short horn-like growths near its ears.
SCAN
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NAME: Twin-Tail Moss Hare
DESCRIPTION: A small beast that feeds on moss, fungus, and low-level spirit grass. Fur contains minor wood-attributed energy.
DANGER LEVEL: None (Changes with Ren's Pathway Stage)
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Ren moved slowly, waited for it to hop away, then collected a bit of fur stuck on a bush.
The third animal was near a shallow pool.
It had a flat lizard-like body and four glowing blue lines running across its back.
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NAME: Rippleback Lizard
DESCRIPTION: A low-level reptilian creature that stores small amounts of water energy in its scales. Common near ponds and damp forest floors.
DANGER LEVEL: Low (Changes with Ren's Pathway Stage)
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Ren waited until it crawled behind a rock, then picked up one shed scale near the water.
The fourth creature looked like a squirrel, but its tail was much too long, and tiny sparks jumped across its fur whenever it landed.
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NAME: Static Tail Squirrel
DESCRIPTION: A fast-moving low-level beast with fur that stores weak lightning-attributed energy. Often active around high branches and dry bark.
DANGER LEVEL: None (Changes with Ren's Pathway Stage)
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Ren found a few strands of its fur caught on rough tree bark and collected them.
The fifth animal was crawling along the underside of a broad leaf.
It looked like a beetle, but its shell shimmered green and gold in shifting colors.
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NAME: Shimmer Shell Beetle
DESCRIPTION: A low-level insect with a reflective shell that absorbs small amounts of sunlight energy. Shell fragments are sometimes used in low-grade crafting.
DANGER LEVEL: None (Changes with Ren's Pathway Stage)
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Ren waited until it moved off, then picked up a small fragment of shell lying nearby.
The sixth one was the oddest so far.
He saw it drinking from a puddle between roots.
It looked like a fox cub, but it had no fur on its legs, and thin vine-like growths curled around its tail.
Ren immediately used SCAN.
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NAME: Vine-Tail Ember Fox
DESCRIPTION: A low-level beast with mild fire and wood affinity. Tail growths allow it to sense ambient plant energy in its surroundings.
DANGER LEVEL: Low (Changes with Ren's Pathway Stage)
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Ren's eyes sharpened.
"That one's interesting."
He didn't try to get too close. Instead, he waited until it left and then found a few reddish hairs caught near the roots where it had passed.
Those went into the storage box too.
By the time he finished, the box already contained a neat collection of low-level plant and beast samples.
As he moved farther away from the safer route and deeper into the forest, he naturally found even more samples.
Ren stayed careful.
He did not rush.
Every few steps, he checked the surroundings, the ground, the branches, and the direction of nearby movement.
Even so—
The attack still came too fast.
The bushes on his left suddenly shook.
A blurry green figure shot out from inside them and rushed straight at him.
Ren's pupils contracted.
There was no time to step back properly.
His body moved almost on instinct.
He raised his arm and tried to parry with his fist technique.
The impact hit a moment later.
Bang!
Both figures slid backward.
The attacking creature skidded around nine or ten feet across the ground.
Ren himself slid back around five or six feet, boots digging into the soil before he finally steadied himself.
Only then did he see what had attacked him.
An oversized mantis.
It stood about four feet tall, eerie green in color, with a thin but hard-looking body. Its forelimbs were long, curved, and blade-like, and from the edges of those blades dripped a purple liquid.
Ren's eyes immediately moved downward.
The liquid had landed on the grass and soil.
It was hissing.
The grass blackened almost at once, and the ground itself gave off a faint smoking sound as it corroded.
Poison.
Ren's gaze flickered briefly to his gloves.
The only reason his hand wasn't already damaged was because of the protection from the gloves Alex had given him.
Cold sweat flashed down his back.
If that thing had landed directly on his skin, this fight would have turned bad immediately.
Without wasting even a second, Ren used SCAN.
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NAME: Venom Blade Mantis
DESCRIPTION: A low-level ambush-type insectoid predator. Possesses sharp forelimbs coated in corrosive venom. Prefers sudden close-range attacks from foliage and brush. Fast initial burst speed. Weak endurance compared to sustained combat beasts.
DANGER LEVEL: Medium (Changes with Ren's Pathway Stage)
KNOWN TRAITS:(Only displayed when Danger Level is Medium or higher)
1. Blends extremely well into green and dense forest environments.
2. Possesses explosive burst speed during its opening attack.
3. Blade limbs are coated with corrosive venom.
4. Vulnerable to heavy direct impact if struck at the Joints.
5. Movement speed drops after its first failed ambush.
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All of that took only two to three seconds.
And during those same seconds, the mantis had already recovered from the slide.
Its blade arms lifted slightly.
Its body lowered.
Then it rushed again.
Ren reacted faster this time.
He used his Basic Foot Technique to shift diagonally instead of retreating straight back. The mantis's blade arm sliced through the space where his chest had been a moment earlier.
Too close.
Way too close.
Ren twisted his waist and threw a straight punch at the side of its body.
Thud!
The hit landed, but the mantis's exoskeleton was harder than he expected. The force still made it stagger sideways, but not enough.
Its other blade came up instantly.
Ren barely pulled back in time.
The tip of the blade still grazed the outer layer of his suit, leaving a thin smoking line on the surface.
Ren's heartbeat sped up.
This wasn't training.
The speed, the danger, the pressure—everything was different when the thing in front of him actually wanted to cut him open.
The mantis clicked its jawparts and circled.
Ren exhaled once, forcing himself to calm down.
The scan result flashed in his mind.
Fast first strike. Weak endurance after failed burst attack. Weak against direct heavy impact if timing is correct.
Good.
That meant he didn't need to out-slash it.
He needed to survive its fast attacks, avoid the venom, and hit it cleanly.
The mantis moved again.
This time, it didn't leap straight.
It darted to the side first, then lunged in at an angle.
Ren's body reacted with the Basic Evasion Technique he had practiced in the room. It was still only at Beginner, but it was enough to make him instinctively shift his upper body and foot placement instead of panicking.
The blade passed in front of him.
Ren stepped in immediately instead of away.
That surprised even him.
His right fist drove forward with all the force he could gather.
Waist.
Shoulder.
Leg drive.
Impact.
Bang!
This punch landed harder than the first.
The mantis's body jolted.
One of its feet left the ground.
Ren didn't stop.
He followed with another strike, shorter this time, aiming lower.
The mantis reacted fast and cut downward.
Ren pulled his arm back and the blade missed by inches.
The ground where he had been standing split and hissed from the venom.
Ren clicked his tongue and stepped back two quick times.
The mantis was slower now.
Not slow enough to relax.
But slower than that first burst.
The scan had been right.
Its best speed was in the ambush.
After that, it was still dangerous, but manageable.
Ren changed his breathing.
Steadier.
Shorter.
He adjusted his footing and started circling as well.
The mantis rushed again.
Ren sidestepped.
Blade.
Twist.
Counterpunch.
The fist clipped its side.
The mantis turned sharply and slashed low.
Ren jumped back awkwardly and almost lost balance.
That would've killed him in a real chain attack.
He recovered just in time and forced himself to stay focused.
No room to think about mistakes later.
Fight first.
Reflect later.
The mantis attacked one more time, slightly slower now, but still fast enough to be deadly.
This time Ren saw the opening.
He let the first blade come close.
Then he shifted half a step inside the attack line instead of fully avoiding outward.
Risky.
But it worked.
The mantis's reach became a problem for itself at that distance.
Ren drove his fist straight into the joint area near the base of one blade arm.
A cracking sound followed.
The mantis gave a sharp screech and stumbled.
Ren's eyes lit up.
There.
Now.
He stepped in hard and threw two more punches into its center mass before it could recover.
The first punch staggered it.
The second sent it falling sideways into a cluster of roots.
The mantis tried to rise, blade twitching wildly.
Ren didn't let it.
He closed the distance and brought his fist down with all his weight behind it onto the upper body where the head and thorax met.
Crack.
The creature jerked once.
Then stopped moving.
Ren stood there breathing hard, staring at the corpse.
His arms hurt.
His pulse was pounding in his ears.
For a few seconds, he didn't move at all.
Then he slowly let out a breath.
"Damn."
That had been close.
Closer than he liked.
If he hadn't trained those past few days,
If he hadn't had the gloves,
If he had panicked at the first strike,
This would have gone very differently.
Ren looked down at the dead mantis again.
Then he opened his status screen.
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NAME: Ren Valis
Age: 18
Talent: Bloodline Plant Lord
Lifeform Tier: 1
Evolution Pathway Level: Germination Stage
Skills: Basic Fist Technique (Proficient), Basic Foot Technique (Proficient), Basic Evasion Technique (Beginner)
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No change yet.
Fair enough.
One real fight wasn't enough to push a breakthrough by itself.
Still, the fight had shown him something important.
His training was real.
It worked.
Ren crouched beside the mantis carefully.
This time, killing was necessary.
And unlike the harmless low-level samples from before, this thing's materials should actually have some value.
He took out the storage tools again and looked at the corpse.
"Alright," he muttered.
"Let's see what I can get from you."
(Author Note: If you enjoyed the chapter, please vote, rate, and leave a comment if you can. Your support really helps the novel grow and motivates me to keep writing. Thank you for reading!)