Chapter 64: Long Walk to Bag

"I guess this is enough to add Hashirama to my name, right?" he muttered, looking up at the towering structures of trees that covered the entire area in front of him, stretching ten meters out in every direction, turning the space into a forest. 

"Yeah, this is enough." He nodded. "Rex Magnus Lapis Beifong Hashirama, the Red Dragon of Infinity." He mumbled the name. "Should it be Senju instead? Since I can't have two first names... Alright, Senju it is."

At this point, all the monsters were dead, and those that weren't had fled after witnessing the massacre. And just as expected, he gained two abilities. It wasn't quite enough monsters to reach pity twice, but luck was on his side.

[Harpy Wings (Physical Property): Turns the user's arms into harpy wings with the ability to shoot feather-like bullets. (Effective after a good night's sleep.)]

'Decline.'

[Siren Breasts (Physical Property): Grants the user the breasts of sirens. (Effective after a good night's sleep.)]

"Eh?" Rex stared at the screen, blinking. "I can scavenge odd physical properties like this? Breasts? How would that even work since I'm a man?" He muttered, declining it as well. 

In the end, he didn't get the Siren's scream, but he didn't mind. He had a whole month to farm this floor. "…No, I don't have a month." He glanced at his status screen.

— — — — — — — — — —

Rex Magnus

Level 3

[Strength] SS1084 | [Endurance] SS1150 | [Dexterity] SS1093 | [Agility] SS1092 | [Magic] SS1085

— — — — — — — — — —

After everything he'd just been through underwater, his stats had jumped—not just from normal excelia, but from Scavenger, and most of all from Indomitable Will's second effect: 'Each time the bearer endures an extremely major trial, their unwavering will fortifies body and spirit—incrementally raising physical and magical potential.'

As a result, every stat had gone up by at least 50 points, and Endurance alone shot up by 124. 'I guess it makes sense since I was basically enduring death most of the time.'

Now that he thought about it, hadn't Endurance been the first to max out in every past level? Both at Level 1 and 2, it hit 1499 first. It was looking like it'd be the same at Level 3.

"What am I? A masochist?" he chuckled to himself, closing the screen.

'Now,' He started doing a quick calculation, 'Magic is my lowest stat, and if I'm getting 999 points for 9.9 stats points a day, I've got just under two month to cap it.'

He paused. 'I should probably explore the Dense Forest Ravine while I'm still Level 3. Don't want a repeat of the Large Tree Labyrinth where I blitzed through just to rush down to a floor that matched my level.'

The Dense Forest Ravine spanned eight floors—more than Water City's three, and even more than the Large Tree's five. He'd need time for that. So he decided to finish up in Water City, get what he wanted, and head down to the Ravine where his Overgrowth would be way stronger thanks to the forested terrain.

'Speaking of forest...' He looked around, now in the middle of the wooden forest he'd created.

One thing to note—these trees needed sustenance now that he'd cut off his mind supply. But it's not like they'd all drop dead instantly. Trees didn't just turn to dust the moment they lost their water, and these are stems and roots, not leaves. So this forest of wood would remain for a while until the Dungeon repaired itself which would take days.

Being a good samaritan, he decided not to leave this mess behind. He took a deep breath as heat coiled in his throat, gathering pressure. Then he looked down at his feet and release a concentrated blast that struck the ground with a thunderous impact. 

*BOOM!*

The stone floor acted like a conduit, channeling the heat outward in all directions. In an instant, a pulse of flame surged from the point of contact, racing across the ground in expanding rings—like ripples turned into fire. A 360-degree wave of heat tore outward, consuming everything in its path, roaring to life as they wrapped around branches, swallowed trunks, and lit the entire forest ablaze in seconds.

He kept breathing fire, feeding the blaze until the entire forest was engulfed, then he stopped. 'Still holding up.' He thought, looking down at his Undine Cloth. 'As expected.'

Without a word, he walked out of the burning forest. Branches snapped and collapsed behind him, thick trunks falling in bursts of flame with loud *BOOMS.* He didn't look back or bother picking up a single drop.

He continued walking down the room, not encountering any monsters as they had ran. After nearly 300 meters—where the sound of burning trees had been drowned out by the roar of the waterfall—he came across something unusual.

A tall tree stood near the wall, its trunk a deep blue and sturdy, its leaves a rich blue with lights shimmered among its crown. This was one of the few plants on this floor.

'Hmm...' He walked towards the tree. 'With so little plant life, how is there even oxygen down here?' 

He hadn't thought about it until now. In forested areas, sure, they can be oxygen. But in places like the Cave Labyrinth, where there were no trees at all? How are adventures able to survive? 

'It's like the Dungeon wants people to go deeper into it, so it gives them air.' He thought, catching one of its leaves as it floated through the air. It looked absolutely beautiful with its blue veins and soft spines.

"Speaking of oxygen," he muttered, looking up at the wide canopy, "should I be able to create my own oxygen?"

He actually paid attention in middle school science class—unlike some people—so he knew that oxygen was basically a byproduct of photosynthesis. They were waste from when plants made their own food, released from leaves into the air.

His plants were created and sustained through magic, so they didn't produce waste like real plants. Only when he cut off his magic supply and let them survive in fertile environments like normal flora would they begin producing oxygen and function like real plants. But if he could tweak the way they grew—adjust his magic—maybe he could make them release oxygen on their own while also sustaining them with magic...

Scavenger confirmed it.

"AH—HAHAHA!" He burst out laughing, shaking his head. "D-fucking-tier! Can't believe one of my real skill is below Nictitating Membrane!" He chuckled again, genuinely amused.

Yeah, maybe he was being a bit of a prick, since the skill was actually strong. Anyone else would be thrilled to get something that granted DA scaling with level and underwater buffs. But for someone like him—with multiple S+ tier skills—this one felt like trash.

"Whatever," he sighed. "Let's try making this 'oxygen tank' for future underwater exploration."

The plan was simple. He needed a plant that could not only produce oxygen but also absorb carbon dioxide, so he wouldn't end up choking on his own air supply. And it couldn't just grow over his face—that would look ridiculous. 

So, he settled on full-body plant armor. That way, Overgrowth could be channeled from every part of his body, massively boosting his combat capability.

'Why didn't I think of it before?' He thought as his planed what he wanted the armor to look like.

First, it couldn't be too bulky or it would restrict his movement. It also couldn't be much larger than his own body. He couldn't actually 'control' plants, so he couldn't form a massive armor and command it like limbs. 

All he could do was accelerate their growth and shape them in ways that closely mimicked control. That limitation was what kept him from doing things like creating wood clones like the God of Shinobi, Hashirama. So, the armor had to follow the contours of his body—flexible in areas like the neck, knees, and waist to avoid restricting movement...

It took him a good thirty minutes to finalize the design, and by that point, the Sirens and Harpies that had fled earlier were starting to return. But he didn't have time to deal with them, so he passively released poison to kill anything that came too close. The tree nearby didn't die from the exposure, of course—he wasn't using the corrosive green dragon poison, just the weaker purple variant from Dark Fungus.

 Finally, he formed the perfect armor that would work well with him without hindering his moment to the slightest. "It's hero time!" He brought out a seed from his pouch and slammed it on his wrist.

Opening his arms wide, a green aura surged around him as the seed burst to life, releasing leafy vines that quickly wrapped around his body. The vines followed the contours of his arms, torso, legs, and head, layering over him like a second skin. Some sections shifted—deepening into streaks of black and red—until—

"SWAMPFIRE!" He roared.

He now looked like a humanoid, plant-like creature—the same tall, lean build—his body covered in green and black plants, with a red flame-patterned head. Unlike the original Swampfire, he gave himself boot-like feet for better movement. 

His eyes were oval-shaped with pointed ends and small green pupils, and red petals flared from his shoulders and head. Green frills jutted out from his elbows and legs. The added bulk of the armor and boots made him a few inches taller—around 6'5" (196 cm), and now he looked less like a person and more like a new monster class.

Best of all, everything felt great. He had near-zero restriction in movement, his breathing wasn't hindered at all. It felt odd, sure, but not uncomfortable. His nictitating membrane let him see through the plant layer over his eyes, and though his vision was slightly blurred, his seismic sense easily filled the gaps. The only real drawback was to his hearing and smell—his two sharpest senses—but even those were only slightly dulled, not enough to matter.

"Hehe~" he giggled like a kid, looking down at his green hand. 

He clenched his fist, then relaxed it. With a thought, the plant matter shifted—vines unfurling and twisting as his hands morphed into blades. They quickly retracted, reshaping again. From his right forearm, a thick root coiled into a shield; from his left palm, a long vine extended and hardened into a sword which he gripped firmly.

"AHAHAHA!" he laughed. 'Overgrowth has been promoted to SSS!'

He reverted his hands to normal then walked through the poison fog he had left around the tree to ward off monsters. Outside, a group of Sirens and Harpy waited, pacing and agitated—clearly not pleased he'd taken over their territory. The moment they saw him emerge, they charged.

"SWAMP!" He crossed his arms over his chest in an X. "FIRE!" He snapped them open.

Vines erupted from every part of his body—tendrils whipping out in all directions, spearing the charging monsters mid-stride. Blood splashed across the floor as bodies snapped and crumpled. Those killed were instantly absorbed by Scavenger, while the wounded screamed and staggered back in panic. 

He couldn't retract the vines so he aged them to dust in an instant, then dashed forward and tore into the survivors with his bare fists. They were just Level 3 monsters, so Swampfire stomped them like weeds.

After dogwalking the last of them, he continued his journey to retrieve his bag. He wanted to go into a mad hunt with his new Swampfire form, but he figured it would be safer to stash his bag somewhere more secluded first.

As he continued down the massive rectangular chamber, the waterfall eventually ended, replaced by smooth blue stone, with some massive cubical crystals forming into towering stacks. The chamber stretched on for what felt like kilometers, and along the way, he passed multiple exits and cut down enough monsters to earn another Physical Property, which he declined.

Finally, after about ten minutes of walking at a leisurely pace, Scavenger directed him to an exit. 'I guess this room's like a fast travel area.'

He stepped through, returning to the lower parts of Floor 25. He instantly almost ran into a group of adventurers and had to dive into the water to hide. If they saw him, they would definitely try to attack him then report a 'new species of monster' to the Guild. He didn't want that, nor did he want to reveal this form anytime soon.

Once they passed, he resurfaced and kept moving. After a few more minutes, he finally reached the area near his bag, which remained untouched where he left it. Tears almost welled in his eyes.

He'd survived a journey through this Paradise in Blue. After nearly dying, after creating and burning a forest. After transforming into a plant monster—he was finally about to reunite with his stuff.

But as he turned the corner into the hallway where he left his bag, he froze. Two adventurers were standing in front of it. He'd been so focused on the moment, he hadn't heard them.

'Wait...' One was a dwarf, crouched next to the bag, eyeing him with mild curiosity. Beside him stood a slender blonde girl in an armored dress, her golden eyes sharp and unblinking, fixed on him with an icy glint. 

'Gareth and Ais?' They looked like they had just come back from the Deep Floors, fully geared. '...Wait.'

Why was Ais's face getting closer? Her expression hadn't changed—still blank—but her eyes said she was about to send someone straight to the afterlife. Now she was drawing her blue rapier.

'Ah... right.' He sighed. 'I'm still Swampfire.'

And he wasn't dumb enough to fight a Level 6 right now. Especially not Ais Wallenstein, who would blitz him the moment she activated 'Ariel.' Maybe if it was someone else, like Bete, he would take the fight. 

But Ais was a monster hunter that goes straight for the kill. The moment she sees he is putting up a 'challenge,' his head will be off before he could clear the misunderstanding.

He'd just escaped death. No need for a sequel.

So, he raised a hand, palm forward and simply said, "Don't be rash."

Her blade stopped an inch from his palm, a sharp gust of air trailing behind the sudden halt. She blinked, eyes narrowing in confusion as she stared at the plant 'monster' in front of her—one that spoke with a voice she recognized. 

"...Mr. Rex?" The girl asked, utterly confused.

"At your service."

[Author's Note: SWAMPFIRE!

A rather short chapter, I know. But, I was struggling a bit with the conversation and decided to end it here. Anyway, thanks for reading, and if you have any idea, let this young master know. Also fun-fact, there is something more beautiful than Jade Beauties, and it is you, the reader behind the screen~(*≧∀≦*).

Have a lovely day, folks!o(*￣▽￣*)ブ]