Flower of Life, Flower of Death

Elias's excitement over the herb quickly subsided. When he took a closer look, he saw that it was not mature yet. It was close, so he wouldn't have to wait for long, but he could not use it today.

*This herb is probably the reason why mama tiger has chosen this cave...*

Elias looked around. There was a big rock behind the flower with a flat top. A ray of light was shining right onto it, making it look quite inviting. Elias climbed on top and got comfortable.

*System, how much cultivation base points have I saved up?*

[Ding!]

[Current amount of energy accumulated by the host is equal to 231 points worth of energy.]

*Two hundred and thirty one… I need one hundred and fifty to break through, but there is no way I can progress further with eighty one units left.*

Elias looked down on the lonely flower below.

*System, could you tell me when this flower will bloom?*

[Ding!]

[Based on previous data, it will take approximately 31 days for this flower to reach maturity.]

*A month? A month is way too long.*

Elias was educated enough to understand that there must be some kind of qualitative change to the flower that blooms compared to one that does not. But without the deep chemical analysis function of the system, he could only guess.

He sat there thinking. He could break through now and call it a day, or he could wait until the flower blooms for safety and bonus energy. If he gets struck by lightning, the healing power of the flower will be very handy. Using the Blue Alacita extract would be fine too, but he left what he had at the mountain path where he made an ambush.

*Wait!*

Elias looked towards the Bald guy's corpse.

*System, last time it was my blood that stimulated the herb to bloom, right?*

[Ding!]

[Host's analysis is correct.]

*If I use that guy as a fertilizer, maybe the time to bloom can be reduced to a reasonable length of waiting.*

Dragging the corpse here wouldn't be too hard if not for the water he needed to cross. Elias sat upright and tried to execute the breathing technique, when he finally realized that he was doing it all this time!

*Come to think of it, I feel only a bit tired even after running for a whole day long.*

He jumped down and swam back. Little tiger kept making sounds between meowing and roaring all the way until Elias came out of the water.

"Hey, don't be such a worrywart, I just took a little swim." he patted the little tiger. It instantly backed away and started trying to shake water away.

Elias walked to the bald guy's corpse. He took a closer look at him and noticed that his build was rather uncharacteristic for an ordinary worker like him. He was too well built, looking more like a bodybuilder than a gatherer or miner. It was clear that this guy had no proper warrior's training, otherwise Elias would likely already be dead. However there was no denying that bald guy's stamina was comparable to a proper warrior. Also the fact that paralytic liquid did not work on him. The only two reasons Elias could think of were either he had an antidote or he possessed a resistance to herbal effects. Considering the stamina and paralytic liquid not working it was likely that this guy has gone through body tempering procedure. This is probably where stamina, herbal resistance and more developed musculature come from.

It dawned on Elias just how much more dangerous the situation that he went through was than he imagined. Ordinary people targeting him for benefits - not that hard to imagine or deal with. People with superhuman strength? Now that's getting really dangerous. If he tried to fight the guy head on, he wouldn't stand a chance. Last time it was the system, today it was luck. But if he stays the same, next time could be the last one.

*Is he one of the Gaden's guys?*

Now that he was dead there was no way to check. Looking through the bald guy's pockets, Elias has found a whole lot of nothing. He was hoping that bald guy was one of the Gaden's goons, so he could loot something like a martial manual, or maybe some information on how the herbs for body tempering are processed. Feron's memories were rather vague, but it seemed like the signature martial arts of tribes were usually restricted to the "elite" of the tribe. Chief, elders, strongest warriors and their families would be the ones who would have access to them. Feron also was taught, but Elias couldn't make heads or tails out of a mess that Feron's memories were.

"Sigh."

*Maybe the system can help me with that?*

[Ding!]

[Currently, such capacity is not supported!]

*Wonderful.*

Now he had to drag the baldie to the flower. Thankfully, it was too early for the bald guy to go stiff, so dragging him to the water was rather easy. But it made Elias understand that he won't be able to swim with the guy in tow. He was more likely to find out how the base of the pillar looks this way. Elias racked his brain but did not come up with anything better than making a rope out of the bald man's clothes to drag him through the water. It sounded stupid, but considering the lack of options, it was his best bet.

It did not take long for him to make a makeshift rope out of baldie's clothes. There were around three meters of water, so his clothes were barely enough. Thankfully, the clothes here were made out of a very durable plant which resembled linen on steroids. The fabric could even protect from smaller animal attacks. After tying the rope against the corpse's waist, Elias jumped into the water. He quickly swam to the pillar and got onto it. He looked at the big rock there and instantly thought of tying the rope around it. This way he would only need to drag the body up without worrying about rope slipping out of his hands. The makeshift rope was obviously not enough, so he used his own clothes to extend it.

With the rope tied securely around the rock, it was time to get the body across.

"This is an incredibly stupid plan."

Elias started dragging. As he expected, it felt like dragging a rock, and he was incredibly grateful that he did not try to swim with the baldie in tow. Breathing heavily, Elias used every single bit of his strength to pull. His muscles felt like they were going to snap the next moment, but he knew that if he stopped now, it was likely that he could lose the body. So he persisted. Every pull felt like a challenge of its own, but the rope made out of clothes made it easy to see how he was getting closer and closer to his goal.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, he managed to pull the body out of the water. His arms, core and back felt like jelly. Mustering up whatever strength he still had, he dragged the bald guy's corpse to the flower, and used the herb knife to open his artery. Blood slowly started to flow, but not much.

*...*

*I forgot his heart is not pumping blood anymore.*

Elias smiled wryly and knocked himself on the head lightly. He felt stupid, but what's done is done. He dressed up and got back to the flower. The blood has formed a small puddle under the flower. Elias dipped two fingers in it and smeared across his palm.

[Ding!]

[Blood sample received. Analysis underway. ETA: 15 minutes. ]

*Fifteen minutes? It wasn't like that the last time.*

Elias got back on the rock and sat cross legged.

"Now we wait.

He focused on his breathing. Exactly 15 minutes later he heard notification about the task's progress. System has recognized the second sample. He only needed one more.

*System, what about the flower? Did the time needed for it to mature decrease?*

[Ding!]

[Based on new data, it will take approximately 13 minutes for this flower to reach maturity.]

"So fast!?"

Elias looked around.

*I wonder how this flower even grew here in the first place, there is only rock, water and sunlight here.*

Soon enough, a familiar smell filled the atmosphere. Blood stench mixed with the strong herbal smell of the flower. It was time to pick it. With a mature flower in his hands, Elias sat on the rock. He calmed his breathing, and ate the flower.

*System, begin the breakthrough!*

[Ding!]

[Preparing for a breakthrough. Activating dormant energies. Stimulating nervous system.]

Elias felt as if an electric shock went through his body. The next moment, this feeling was replaced by a feeling of burn in his abdomen. It felt as if he had swallowed fire that was consuming him from the inside. Sweat appeared on his forehead, forming crystal clear beads that ran down his face under their own weight.

[Beginning breakthrough.]

Elias felt like the fiery energy spread slowly from his abdomen to every corner of his body. It was incredibly painful, but at the same time, he would feel extremely comfortable coolness wherever the fiery energy has passed.

[Ding!]