Fusion with Sephora: Benefits

"My heart?" Dan asked Bastien again, who seemed to be growing impatient.

"Yes, I promise everything will be fine," Bastien urged.

Dan took a deep breath, holding the sword tightly. As he prepared to pierce his heart, memories of how he was attacked in the restroom and how he gained his first special ability flooded his mind. He thought, Maybe this is one of those special occasions where I won't die. He pointed the sharp edge of the sword at his heart, exhaled for about three seconds, and then finally thrust it in.

The moment the sword pierced his heart, Dan lost consciousness. His energy core began to change rapidly; the golden dragon circle in his core darkened and emitted an unusual energy. As Dan struggled through the fusion, white matter started to ooze from his mouth.

"Oh no, my queen, we are losing him!" Bastien trembled as he looked at Queen Sephora helplessly.

"I'm already beginning to feel better," Queen Sephora responded, speaking for the first time in decades.

"My queen!" Bastien shouted and ran out, announcing, "The queen is getting better! She finally responded!" The colony erupted in celebration, while Dan remained unconscious, battling for survival.

Queen Sephora extended her hand from the bed and grasped Dan's firmly, helping him complete the fusion. After ten minutes, Dan stopped vomiting the white matter but remained unconscious.

"It is done. I am now his contracted slave, and I share in his energy core," Queen Sephora sighed. "He also has access to my powers, and if he dies, I die too."

Sephora wasn't entirely happy about the fusion. She had been a queen her whole life, only to end up as the contracted slave of an alchemist. She cursed the day those warriors discovered her colony and forcefully took her white light, which was essentially her soul. Without it, she was useless, like a vegetable; hence, she needed to fuse herself with a powerful warrior who could withstand the torment involved in fusing with an ancient elf to regrow her white light by feeding on the warrior's energy core. The downside was that she would forever remain the slave of that warrior, and her entire colony would be subjected to protecting the warrior. Because if he died, they too would perish.

"He's awake," Sephora said quickly and ordered Bastien to get help so they could properly welcome their new master.

The entire colony gathered to pay their respects to Dan as he awakened after the fusion. Queen Sephora presented him with a 10,000 km space ring, capable of housing the entire Sophora Tree.

The Sophora tree possesses powerful healing abilities, making it a valuable asset for Dan on his journey as a warrior.

After Dan finished absorbing the Sophora tree into the 10,000 km space ring, the queen returned to her resting chamber to continue cultivating her white light, aiming to regain her full power. Meanwhile, Bastien became Dan's right-hand man, leading him to the tree that had emitted the powerful energies drawing him to the Sophora region.

The tree was a mix of red and silver. As they approached, reptiles began to emerge from the ground. These creatures guarded the tree's treasures from the rest of the colony. Only the queen had access to its treasures, but as Dan neared, the reptiles cleared a path for him. This didn't surprise Bastien, since Dan and the queen now shared a soul.

"Normally, these reptiles wouldn't grant you access to the Tree of Forbidden Fortune, but because you and Queen Sephora fused earlier, they will give you the same privileges as they would the queen," Bastien explained, emphasizing the benefit Dan had gained by fusing with the queen before approaching the tree.

The tree was called the Tree of Forbidden Fortune because its treasures were rare and could cause serious havoc in the wrong hands. The tree produced new deadly and powerful treasures every year, including the silver gemstones. As Dan touched the tree, five silver gemstones appeared in front of him, alongside a katana, a golden egg the size of a mature human head, and a shiny blue seed.

Bastien's mouth dropped open as he saw the treasures. "Master, these are all heaven-level treasures," he said.

The mysterious dagger from MSU that had given Dan his special ability, Acid Secretion, was a low-level weapon. Now, compared to these heaven-level weapons, Dan was simply amazed as he wondered what these treasures could do for him.

Weapons were typically categorized into low, average, high, heaven, elite, and supreme levels. Earth researchers speculated that there might be even higher levels, but these were the identified tiers. A heaven-level weapon was truly a forbidden fortune!

Bastien quickly advised Dan to thank the tree and prepare to exit the portal so he could complete the main challenge that brought him to the tunnels. He promised to explain all the heaven-level weapons Dan had acquired once they left the tunnel, noticing the curiosity and wonder in Dan's eyes.

Dan returned to the original path leading to the tunnel's exit, placing Bastien into his space ring alongside the rest of the colonists as he prepared to face Winifred again. There was no denying they would cross paths—Dan now had five of the thirteen silver gemstones produced in each tunnel of the Arcane Passages every year.

As Dan advanced toward the tunnel's exit, he saw Winifred sitting nearby, waiting for him.

"I see you have the remaining five gemstones, preventing me from crossing over," Winifred said with a malicious smile. "Now, hand them over," he demanded.

"What if I say no?" Dan chuckled.

"Then I'll take them myself," Winifred wailed.

AaaaaAAAAAIIIIIEEEEEEEE!

AaaaaAAAAAIIIIIEEEEEEEE!

AaaaaAAAAAIIIIIEEEEEEEE!

Winifred's expression quickly changed when he realized that the wailing sound had no effect on Dan—he knew there was trouble. The Sophora tree was acting as a shield, protecting Dan's mind from the banshee's wail.

Winifred tried to escape, hoping to find a better way to subdue Dan, but before he could get far, Dan hurled a fast-moving fiery ball at him, paralyzing him instantly.

"A Symphonist, thinking he could defeat an alchemist without a challenge," Dan laughed, watching Winifred try to crawl away. "I bet you're one of the geniuses from Pushi Land, but it's just too bad you crossed paths with me," Dan smiled. "You won't be proceeding to the final stage." With those last words, Dan placed his hands on Winifred, corroding his soul with potent acid.

"Aaaarrrggghhh!" Winifred screamed in agony as his soul corroded, fragments of it retreating back into his body.

Dan retrieved the eight gemstones Winifred had left behind and found a place to rest, preparing to absorb all thirteen gemstones.