Chapter 50 - Newfound Power

I crouched down next to the black plant. The entire thing was black, but there was a large fruit the size of an apple. My hand felt it, it was very soft. Lined across the stalk that held that fruit were many wilted flowers.

In total, there were ten of these fruits. My hand held the fruit and pulled it from the stalk.

After a bit of hesitation, the fruit was tossed into my mouth. The fruit was very soft and chewy, with a strong taste of honey.

The experience was pleasant, but the sweetness was a little too strong.

Though before my stomach really wanted something, right now my hand was holding my mouth to prevent myself from vomiting.

Now that I think about it, something that fed a lizard that size must have been dense.

After the urge to vomit disappeared, the effects of the fruit kicked in.

My body became akin to a furnace, the heat emitted surely matched what the fire spell could output.

As uncomfortable as it was, it was nowhere near how it felt after eating the peppers.

My muscles suddenly expanded, which ripped apart my skin. My limbs were twitching as was my eyelid.

Though the process wasn't painful there was a lingering fear in the back of my head that eating these fruits would suddenly make me gigantic like that lizard king.

After all, if that occurred my body wouldn't fit through the tunnel and I would just be awkwardly stuck.

Thankfully, my worries did not come to fruition.

The fruit had an even stronger effect on my mind.

Unlike my body which was plummeting into a hot summer, my mind dipped into an ice cold winter.

My mind felt clear. While my vision barely reached a few meters ahead of me, my mind could sense almost every nook and cranny.

There was a clear pulsating coming from behind the wall. The feeling was comforting and every time the pulse passed through me my blood would flow faster.

My mind attempted to push aside the walls to the floating crystal, but they remained as if they were unmoveable.

Hmm...

My eyes were cast onto the other nine fruits. Just the thought of eating another one made me feel sick.

However, the effects really were too good. My hand plucked each fruit from the stem and wrapped them with the cloth that used to hold the crystal to my arm.

After one last look at the barren hill, I left.

My new destination was the hole where the crystal was.

Along the way, my stake was on the ground. The stake had a long split down the middle and was no longer sharp. Yet, my hand picked it up and tucked it away in my coat. My steps continued forward.

Upon reaching the hole, my eyes widened and my pupils constricted.

The crystals scattered in the tunnel were calling out to me.

It seemed that whatever these crystals were, had an affinity with me now.

Every step my foot took, my heart beat a little faster.

The pulsating became clear and my mind felt more ethereal.

Once the floating crystal came into view, the pulsating was at its strongest.

The waves made me feel like my whole body was doused in water.

My steps stopped in front of the crystal and my eyes just looked at it.

There was a light pulling sensation from my pocket.

The gemstone from the three-horned demon was pulled out.

My eyes watched as the gemstone slowly floated towards the crystal.

Once the gemstone was in contact with the crystal it twitched violently and appeared to be absorbed by the crystal.

The surrounding crystals in the cave trembled soon after and the pulsating stopped.

Huge chunks of crystals were broken off from the cave walls one by one. They gravitated towards the crystal and were absorbed.

All that was left were bare walls in the ten meters surrounding the crystal.

My hand reached out for the crystal and it gravitated towards my hand, gently falling into it.

While holding the crystal, my steps went back down the tunnel.

The crystals along the way were attracted towards the crystal in my hand.

Sometimes the crystals would collide with my hand which was annoying, but they were soon absorbed all the same.

Upon reaching the exit, my eyes widened and my pupils constricted.

My figure appeared on the other side and I walked back down the tunnel.

When a fork was in front of me, my head looked left then turned to the right.

Climbing that canyon wouldn't be too difficult with my new strength, but it was probably better to just teleport out using my initial entrance.

Along the way was a lone mace on the ground. My foot kicked it aside and I kept walking.

Soon there was a mound of snow in front of me. There was no opening.

My hand rubbed on my chin for a few seconds, then my eyes closed.

The pulsating of the crystal returned, sending the snow flying out of the hill, revealing the shine of the sun.

My figure disappeared from the dark cavern and appeared on the ground.

All snow within ten meters of me was blown away.

The snow on top of trees was thrown in the sky, revealing bright green leaves.

The ground was dry and uneven but devoid of any snow.

...This was rather flashy.

The crystal stopped pulsating and a thick layer of snow fell. Mana rushed to fill the empty space, and the strangely familiar feeling of mana came back.

Hmm...

What was there to do now?

...The pedestal.

Surely the crystal in my hand would not break like the gemstone right?

Well, first up is the village.

My mind was able to analyze the terrain and figure out the general direction I last used to get to the village.

There was a two-horned demon in front of me.

My presence was not hidden, thus the demon easily noticed me and charged.

The crystal left my hand and hovered above it.

My fingers reached out when the two-horned demon got close.

Before the demon swung its saber, a small gemstone was pulled out of its chest.

The demon stumbled backward. It was clutching its chest, and its skin slowly changed from black to red.

Its body stiffened as it fell back and no longer moved.

My eyes inspected the gemstone in my hand.

My mind tried to pull mana from it and a small soft stream of mana flowed into my arm.

My hand held it next to the floating crystal, but there was no reaction.

After tucking it away in my pocket I continued forward while the floating crystal followed behind me.

There were quite the amount of demons on my way there, but to avoid trouble my figure sneaked past them.

Well, until my eyes were laid on a three-horned demon.

My curiosity was simply too strong to not test out my strength.

The three-horned demon saw me and roared.

The demon rushed towards me, its steps shaking the earth.

The height of this demon was nearly three times mine and the mace it had was almost as long as he was.

It was also very fast and was not lumbering as one would expect.

The demon was ready to swing the mace and when it had just enough reach, let loose.

It would not be difficult to dodge the incoming mace, but that was not my intention.

My right hand balled into a fist and was thrown at the demon's mace.

Most of my strength was put into that punch.

The demon's mace flew backward and the demon stumbled back.

As for me, my hand had a few bloody holes in it and my body was thrown back a meter or so. Thankfully, the wounds scabbed over quickly.

The demon roared, but this time it enlarged.

The demon's whole body expanded, with red marks similar to veins lined across its body.

It stopped growing once it was one and a half times bigger.

The mace it was holding also enlarged to fit its size.

...Although my strength had increased by quite a bit, it seemed that these three-horned demons really are no joke.

However...

The demon had charged at me once more, but before it got close, the crystal above me began pulsing.

The snow around me was blown away and the demon suddenly stopped.

It had suddenly shrunk along with its mace, back to its normal size. The mace fell onto the ground while the demon's skin went from black to red.

It was not spasming as hard as I thought it would, but fell to its knees and was unable to move.

I gradually approached the demon.

When I was in arm's reach, my hand plucked out the gemstone from inside the demon.

As my eyes were admiring the gemstone, the demon fell down on its face.

It seemed the power dynamic had changed.