Chapter 34 - Vitality, Witch’s Awakening

Chapter 34 Vitality, Witch’s Awakening

Inside the castle.

Richard took the Heart of the Treant out of the system’s inventory and played with it in his hand.

“System, appraise this thing for me!” Richard commanded in his mind.

Immediately, the system’s notification sounded:

[Heart of the Treant: there are three ways to use it:

Long-term wear: It can extend lifespan, heal hidden injuries in the body, and improve physical fitness.

Direct consumption: Grants a special ability, [Vitality].

Bury in the ground: It will cultivate a new Treant, available for your use.].

“System, explain the Vitality trait!”

[The Vitality trait increases your attack power by up to 1.5 times, but slightly reduces your accuracy.].

Richard pondered for a moment.

In practical terms, it seems to be like gaining a sudden boost in power. However, with the increase in strength, there might be a lack of control, leading to missed or less precise hits.

He thought about it—it didn’t seem like much of a problem.

For instance, when facing the Treant earlier, if his attack power had been 1.5 times greater, even if his sword didn’t pierce its mouth, he could have cleaved the Treant in two, achieving the same effect.

He could even take a straightforward, brute-force approach.

When his strength reaches a certain limit, he could unleash a punch that covers all evasion angles, and even if it’s slightly off, as long as he’s fast enough, the enemy won’t escape.

Moreover, if the deviation is minimal, wouldn’t it be possible to offset the side effects of this trait by investing future attributes into accuracy?

Richard decided not to pass up on this choice.

Even if the downside couldn’t be completely negated, over time, as he got better at predicting the direction of his deviations, he could find a way to work around it as if the deviation didn’t exist. Sёarᴄh the nôvelFire.net website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

As for the third usage method, he dismissed it. He’d seen what the Treant looked like—it was too ugly.

He didn’t want something that unattractive appearing in his territory.

After all, this was where he lived, and he preferred his home to look like a place fit for people.

With his decision made, he raised his hand and swallowed the Heart of the Treant.

At that moment, a strange power surged through his body.

Richard’s face lit up with surprise; this trait wasn’t a mandatory passive but could be activated freely on the battlefield.

This meant that if he thrust his sword and it was just about to hit the enemy, or even in the instant it connected with their body, he could trigger the Vitality trait to unleash a 1.5x attack boost without any risk of deviation!

He then began to inspect and appraise the other loot.

The Treant’s bark could be used to craft scrolls capable of recording the witch’s spells.

This meant that even if he didn’t know the spells himself, he could have the witch record them, allowing him to use different techniques in critical moments.

Thinking of the witch at home who was in the process of awakening, Richard couldn’t help but smile.

As for the Treant’s branches, they could be used to make magic wands, or special bows and arrows—excellent materials, indeed.

According to the description, if crafted into a wand, it would naturally suit witches using water, earth, or other specific elemental magic. If turned into a bow, it would release arrows imbued with these elemental forces.

Even in forests where bows are less effective, arrows fired from this bow could still perfectly lock onto enemies.

He decided to keep them for now, thinking about what kind of magic wand to make later.

…

Outside the door, Cinderella stood hesitantly, not daring to face Richard.

It wasn’t that she was afraid of him, but rather that her own body had undergone some unbelievable changes.

First, she noticed her body had started to change mysteriously. Her chest was growing again, becoming larger, and her skin had become smoother.

Something even more bizarre happened that morning.

She reached out to pick up a cup of water, but as soon as she touched the deer-bone cup, it turned into a crystal goblet.

Cinderella was stunned.

Now, her face showed even more fear.

Cinderella paced anxiously outside the door.

She wanted to confess to Richard but was afraid that if she did, he might drive her away.

If he really cast her out, wouldn’t that mean she’d lose Richard forever?

She had long since lost hope in this world.

Before meeting Richard, she always remembered her mother’s words—to be brave, to keep her courage.

She thought she could always have the strength to face anything, always follow her mother’s guidance.

But now, she realized she was wrong.

The power of love sometimes overwhelmed the convictions within her.

Because this love came from her very soul.

It was a battle with herself.

The reality was that she was cursed, and she couldn’t find the strength to assure herself that she wouldn’t turn Richard into crystal.

Nor could she imagine facing a world without Richard.

If I had never known light and hope, I might have been content to live in darkness forever.

But now, it was different—she had met Richard.

He was her faith, her support, her everything.

Without realizing it, Richard had replaced her belief.

And when she realized that, she firmly believed that her mother’s words were meant to bring her happiness, but once she found her happiness, if a conflict arose, she would undoubtedly choose love.

The more she thought about it, the more conflicted she became. She sat down on the ground, her face full of despair.

Even as she sat, she dared not touch the stone floor with her hands.

“Gods! Why must you put me in such a dilemma?”

She wailed in her heart, and the tears she had been holding back finally broke through her tough exterior, streaming down her increasingly radiant face!