HARVEST

What I saw astounded me. The tree from yesterday was enormous, with a trunk so broad that it would take three people to wrap their arms around it. Today, it is as frail as burned cool wood, falling off the tree at the first sign of weakness and with no leaves remaining on the limbs.

I realized that my physical wounds were healing quickly, which gave me more strength.

Is it a result of my ability? I pondered.

or

Is it because I dreamed of a radiant human form?

I was thinking hard about it.

I used to believe and learn that my expertise was in plant and food harvesting, but I'm not sure anymore.

My instinct tells me that the luminous human shape from my dream is also related to my skill, so I think I need to reevaluate how I use it.

I've given it a lot of thought, and I've chosen to look into new possibilities, see where my special set of skills might take me, and determine whether or not the glowing human shape is related to my expertise.

I decided to test my abilities on a nearby living tree.

I yelled "Harvest."

My body sent mana toward the tree of my choice, bestowing upon it a radiant aura.

The tree started to grow quickly as the luminous aura faded and new leaves, branches, and even fruits started to appear. It was a very miraculous experience to witness.

It was the first time a tree had experienced such an effect.

I've harvested fruit from trees before, but this was a whole other level.

Previously, there was only a slight increase in leaf size, and neither fruit nor branches were subject to my power. It is unable to produce more leaves, branches, or fruit.

Now, though, it seemed as though the trees were reacting to my presence and expanding quickly in front of my eyes.

But I couldn't help but wonder why the tree I had been sleeping on had become so thin.

I can take whatever life I have given to trees and use it for my survival and progress, my intuition tells me.

Vengeance, if it is possible, is not far off.

I put my hands on the trunk and my fingertips started to tingle as a strong wave of electricity swept through me.

The tree was starting to lose its life; its rotting, overripe fruits were coming off, and its leaves were whittling away. My mind was clearing and my mana was growing.

My body was getting stronger, and my ideas were becoming more coherent.

Since I've woken up, I've changed entirely.

I am 17 years old now.

When it was my turn to be recruited as a soldier two years ago, I placed my handmade gadget—a translucent, ball-shaped device. The mana device started to glow white. My head was suddenly overflowing with information at that very instant. I know exactly what my skill is capable of.

When I revealed my skills to the soldiers, they were not impressed, as I was only a stage 1 mage with no experience.

However, I didn't give a damn. My ability guaranteed there wouldn't be a food scarcity during the winter, which made my mother and the villagers pleased.

I now sense that my abilities are capable of more.

I continued to play around with trees to see what more I could get away with.

I found that the more mana a tree possesses, the more I can absorb and the stronger I become. I came to understand that my powers far exceeded my wildest expectations and that I could give plants access to the mana I had stored within my body to support their growth.

Mana is normally kept in the heart, but I've found that it's stored all over my body.

It is exceptional rather than typical.

I can therefore develop my strength and power in ways that others cannot.

I could feel the mana moving through my whole body. It was accumulating within the muscle. abdomen, heart, brain, and lungs—among other organs—all gave me a fresh lease on life and vitality that I had never known before.

I began to gather all of the energy around me and condense it within my body.

I shut my eyes and made a connection with the energy that was within me. I began to concentrate and condense energy into my muscles, bones, and blood vessels.

I discovered that all life had died around me as soon as I opened my eyes. since I had absorbed all of its energy. 

I began cautiously and soon noticed that the nearby plants were regenerating energy and bringing the dead back to life. The surrounding plants started to bloom once more, giving the formerly lifeless environment some color and vibrancy.

I could become stronger without significantly altering my surroundings if I took some energy from most plants. After giving it some thought, I chose to give it a shot, and sure enough, it worked.

The extra energy can be stored and used to propel my development. To avoid hurting the plants, I took great care to harvest only modest amounts from each one.

In woodlands, monsters typically prowl about day and night, but I saw none.

I decided to venture deeper into the forest because I was excited to discover what other powers I could discover and felt secure in my newly acquired strength.

I utilize my skills to make fruits whenever I am hungry or thirsty, and that usually takes care of it.

Initially, I intended to travel the flood track, but after a while, the trees got denser and denser, and I lost sight of any trail signs. There's something strange and unique about this forest. I decided to go back since I had never heard of a forest like that.

I had the unavoidable impression that the forest was watching me as I made my way back—almost as if it had a mind of its own. I was both anxious about what might be inside and intrigued by the mysterious possibilities. 

Once more, I scaled the tallest tree in the area and reached the summit to survey the area. All I could find were mountains and thick forests. There were no indications of civilization that I could find.

The sun was sinking.

I decided to explore the forest more tomorrow.

I slept on a tree again, but this time, to keep myself from falling off, I tied myself until I broke with tree veins and tendrils.

My body's concentrated mana also made me more resistant to cold.

Compared to yesterday, this tree was much bigger and farther away.

I was sound asleep until there was an abrupt tremor. Trees began to tremble and topple to one side; they appeared to be disappearing quickly. It's getting closer to me, whatever it is.

I was hopping from tree to tree, but they were disappearing so quickly that I was unable to keep up. As it got closer, I noticed that a half-moon-shaped pit had formed on the earth and was consuming the nearby plants and animals as though they were food. I kept trying to flee, but it didn't help. I eventually gave in to it and fell into a hole.