Chapter 24
“How could this happen…?”
This kind of awakening scene never appeared in the original story.
Moreover, the only being that awakened in the Forest of Spirits was Lyria….
[Wendy, I’ll buy you some time. You’ve always saved us. I believe you’ll do it again.]
While I was momentarily lost in thought, Yeriel’s voice flowed directly into my mind.
And then—
“Yeriel turned into a tree!”
The twins, amazed by Yeriel’s transformed state, shouted out.
“He’s a tree.”
Xenon, showing little surprise even though a teammate had turned into a tree.
“Give me back my Yeriel!”
Lyria, who must have missed the transformation process while staying at the rear, seemed ready to chop the tree down as she jumped up, almost in tears.
“You idiot, that tree is Yeriel!”
Eden, trying to hold back Lyria, explained.
From the reactions of my teammates, it seemed that I was the only one who could hear Yeriel’s voice now that he’d become a tree.
“Is communicating with chosen individuals another one of your abilities, Yeriel?”
I glanced sideways at Yeriel, and he trembled slightly, shaking his thin branches as he spoke.
[Yes. I think I can communicate with others too, but for some reason, it feels a bit easier to communicate with you, Wendy.]
He didn’t know why, but for the moment, communicating with me was more convenient, he said.
I replied, feeling a bit unsure.
“Alright.”
Whatever it is, it’s fine. That’s not what’s important right now.
“Is there any skill you can use right now?”
At my question, he seemed to ponder for a moment, his pale pink leaves swaying gently, then nodded.
[Hmm.]
Well, it seemed like he did.
He couldn’t actually nod like a human now that he was a tree.
[I think I have one. A skill that’s perfect for this situation.]
Transformed into a white tree, Yeriel gently waved the tips of his branches.
[Blossoming of the Western Sky]
Suddenly, the entire area was filled with a sweet floral scent, and blooming petals scattered in all directions.
“Ah….”
“This is…”
The wounds that had been lingering on the bodies of those touched by the petals began to heal.
In the sudden flower breeze, the intense tension among the gathered survivors eased a bit.
[As I transformed into a tree, I can now bloom more flowers. The Altruism Flowers are blooming too, so communication should go more smoothly.]
The Altruism Flowers were not something that appeared in the original story.
However, just by the name, it was likely a flower that could evoke goodwill in people.
‘So how do I use this?’
I needed to think of a way.
Usually, those who undergo an awakening maintain their maximum potential for a short duration, ranging from a few minutes to even tens of minutes.
In other words, Yeriel’s awakening was successful.
But once his awakened state ended, he would revert to a near Lv.1 seedling.
So I needed to come up with a solution immediately.
Before Yeriel’s awakening ends, I had to do something—anything!
“Thanks to this, the pointless fighting has slowed down a bit.”
Xenon murmured beside me.
His words snapped me back to reality.
Yes, there were those here who didn’t need to fight.
The “Spirits.”
Their survival depended on escaping from the rulers.
The reason the Spirits attacked Xenon was simple.
They likely thought it was better to attack Xenon and secure a “safe zone” than to remain in indefinite fear.
I decided to target that aspect.
I needed to show them that cooperating with us was more advantageous for the Spirits’ survival than attacking us.
“Yeriel! Can you make the flowers bloom more brightly and intensely?”
In response to my question, Yeriel’s branches shook vigorously.
Soon, the petals that had been drifting gently began to swirl in the wind, as if dancing.
“Xenon!”
Hearing my call, Xenon, who had been standing with his back turned, turned his head.
“When I give you the signal, act scary toward them.”
“It doesn’t particularly appeal to me.”
Ignoring Xenon’s indifferent reply, I pressed on.
“Sylvester.”
I extended my hand toward Sylvester, who was nearby.
“You’ve got that gift from your mischievous constellation, right?”
Sylvester’s constellation was Hermes, the Talented Trickster.
As Hermes’ avatar, he should have received relics for early gameplay.
Some high-ranking constellations greatly valued their avatars.
They would endure the cost of lowering their own rank to gift powerful relics to their avatars.
Among them, Hermes was known as a constellation that cherished his avatar dearly.
“Can you craft a loudspeaker using the Junk Workshop?”
Sylvester’s eyes widened as if asking how I knew that.
I simply gave him a small smile.
“I don’t know how you figured that out…”
He hesitated, fiddling with his hands, then eventually nodded.
“Since it’s a request from a pretty elder sister, I’ll do it. Just wait.”
It was a positive response.
And not long after—
Sylvester handed me a horn-shaped loudspeaker he had made.
<Incomplete Loudspeaker>
One-time use item
[Allows your voice to be clearly heard by all living beings in the vicinity.]
“Duration: 3 minutes.”
“Thanks.”
I nodded my head slightly in gratitude.
Sylvester’s cheeks reddened slightly.
Slowly, I lowered my gaze to look at the people.
The Incomplete Loudspeaker was a one-time-use item with a time limit, but it worked.
‘This is more than enough for now.’
Without further delay, I activated the loudspeaker before the time ran out.
{Ahem. Spirits, please listen to me for a moment.}
The loudspeaker’s performance was exceptional.
The crowd, who had been entranced by the spectacle Yeriel created, turned their attention to me.
{I understand your fear, Spirits.}
Trying to persuade the rulers was impossible.
{I understand why you have come here.}
Rulers had to kill Spirits to survive.
So, for those who attacked us—the remaining half—bringing the Spirits to our side was the goal.
{Surely, waiting in constant fear of ambush was more unbearable than attacking us and leaving this place quickly.}
I paused, taking a breath before continuing.
“What?”
“You, hiding behind strong allies, think you understand us?”
“Hypocrite!”
As expected.
I didn’t think everyone would react positively.
However—
“She’s right.”
“All we wanted was to survive…”
Some of them agreed with my words.
‘This is the crucial part.’
Taking a deep breath, I signaled to Xenon with my eyes.
Though reluctant, he placed his hand on the sword at his waist.
{But the ones you intend to attack!}
For dramatic effect, I placed one hand on Xenon’s shoulder, drawing the crowd’s attention to him.
{And us, his allies, are not weak.}
Xenon, under their gaze, let out a dark aura, exuding a thick killing intent.
“Mon…monster…”
“How is that possible at such an early stage when everyone’s stats are nearly the same?”
The crowd froze momentarily.
They were right.
Everyone had roughly equivalent stats at this early stage.
So why did he seem like an outlier, as if he had emerged from somewhere with superior abilities?
It was something I had wondered about once, too.
Summoning items, asking others to hit him.
From Xenon’s perspective, I must have seemed just as odd.
‘For now.’
I decided not to dwell on it.
Moreover, Eden had already created a black spear and was holding it threateningly.
‘He’s quick to catch on.’
{Of course, if you all attack us at once, we won’t be able to withstand it.}
Even they wouldn’t believe such an obvious lie.
But what if it was a believable lie, a convincing fabrication?
{If you attack us, we have the ability to inflict critical damage on about 20% of you.}
Xenon drew his sword slowly in time with my words, and the sharp energy around him grew thicker.
{If the petals of these healing flowers, which were bloomed out of kindness, turned into blades and scattered, how many of you would be left standing to attack us?}
[Um, Wendy, that’s actually impossible….]
Yeriel’s voice, flustered, echoed in my mind.
I placed a reassuring hand on his trunk, set the loudspeaker aside, and smiled as I shook my head.
“It’s a bluff.”
[A…a bluff?]
Of course, Yeriel didn’t have such an ability.
Even if he did, he wouldn’t have the personality to use it like that.
But so what?
They don’t know that, right?
{So instead of attacking us, help us. We can be your shield.}
With that statement, the loudspeaker’s effect ended.
‘Good timing.’
After all, the Spirits’ survival requirement was to “endure.”
If they realized that enduring with our protection was more advantageous than attacking us—
“That’s a bold offer, miss. Fine, I’ll believe in this side!”
Allies would start to form.
“I…I don’t want to take unnecessary risks.”
Said a timid-looking man.
“I’m against violence too.”
Said a kind-faced middle-aged woman.
“I’ve always been annoyed by those rulers, whether they’re called that or losers!”
Added a brash man.
Encouraged by my actions, the Spirits began to step forward from the crowd, one by one.
Success.
At the very least, I had halved our enemies.
And now, those who were once our enemies had become our allies.
“Woooah!”
“Peace wins!”
The balance of power in the forest, which had been tilted unfairly toward the rulers—
[The constellation, Hell’s Orator, is growing tired of this situation.]
Was gradually shifting back toward equilibrium due to the presence of the defector.
—
Read More at – GENZNOVEL.COM!!
PLEASE JOIN OUR DISCORD AND SUBSCRIBE THE ROLE TO RECEIVE LATEST NOTIFICATIONS!!
Click here -> https://discord.gg/S8c2kGVr2g
Comment