So I Became a Witch and Started Doing Daily Quests

Chapter 263: Death and Decay

"Save the withering life"

Silently reciting the words on the quest panel, Janna realized that the more she peeled away the layers of the 【Growth Law】, 【Affinity with Nature】, and even the “System,” the more she could perceive the truth of this world.

Everyone knew that the 【Primary Material World】 was a realm watched by outer gods.

However, with the rise of witches, and the long-standing stability of the witch settlements and the Lower City, many came to mistakenly believe that the crisis of the 【Primary Material World】 had already been brought under control by the witches.

Other than the Dim Sun pollution outside the witch settlements, and the occasional harassment from Dim Sun cultists, life nowadays didn’t seem much different from before.

Just like Janna, ever since she was reborn into this world, the environment she lived in had always been relatively comfortable, starting from the White Coral Academy.

Thus, subtly, Janna didn’t really perceive the world as particularly dangerous.

Even though she had read countless books in the library, and learned in the 《History of Ancient Magic》 class how hard it was for witches to resist the outer gods.

Still, written records always felt to Janna like events from a distant past—

So distant that it created a disconnect, a gap too wide to bridge or empathize with.

It was like her pursuit of power—its purpose wasn’t driven by any sense of urgency like “the world is ending, I must hurry and become stronger,” but purely because she didn’t want to waste this second chance at life, chasing the mysteries of transcendence and immortality with a dream to become stronger.

Until—today.

The cries of the Misty Forest still seemed to echo in her ears, and the scent of decay and death evoked a quiet sorrow in Janna’s heart.

This sorrow didn’t stem from Janna herself, but was merely the emotional feedback she received from all of nature, influenced by her 【Affinity with Nature】 talent.

"Is this what you willingly sacrificed yourself for—to protect?"

Gently pressing down on her unsettled emotions, after a long while, Janna lowered her gaze and murmured softly to the 【Euphresia】 in her dream.

"But this is not what I seek—what I’ve always wanted was simply to live well."

Her expression once again firm with resolve, Janna turned off the quest panel, glanced at the mechanical clock, then closed her eyes and resumed her unshakable daily meditation.

Only by becoming strong enough could she qualify to become a player in this game.

And only by becoming strong enough could she have the power to tear apart those hidden enemies trying to destroy the world, and protect herself...

Inhale—exhale—inhale—exhale. As her breath grew steady and deep, Janna’s consciousness gradually entered a state of deep meditation.

The wind outside the window, the snow, the clouds in the sky, the trees in the forest—

That night, Janna dreamed a long, long dream again.

In the dream, she was no longer that tree, nor was she 【Euphresia】—

There was no longer an omniscient third-person perspective, nor the detached coldness of an indifferent observer.

She was herself, a piece gradually entering the chessboard, helplessly moved by the hand of fate.

In the dream, she still had no room for choice. The path before her seemed to be the same old one already walked by 【Euphresia】.

"Has dawn already arrived?" Thɪs chapter is updated by novel✦fire.net

Waking from meditation, Janna looked out at the sunlight through the window and couldn’t help but rub her slightly groggy head with her fingers.

The fragmented dreams throughout the night had made her meditation less effective.

But Janna knew this wasn’t an unusual phenomenon.

It was simply due to her newly acquired 【Affinity with Nature】 talent, which enhanced her sensitivity to plant-elemental magical particles, combined with her chaotic emotions, causing this initial discomfort during the first night’s meditation.

Once Janna fully adapted to her identity as a “Child of Nature,” able to freely control plant-elemental magical particles, such disturbances would no longer trouble her.

"Hmm?"

Just as Janna was about to get up and wash, a sudden, inexplicable mental sensation stopped her in her tracks.

"By my will, I command you—summon, Thorn Flower Fairy."

Buzz—along with a resonant hum, the abnormal Thorn Flower Fairy appeared at the center of the contract formation.

"It seems that the soul feedback caused by the 【Affinity with Nature】 talent and the activation of the 【Growth Law Fragment】 has once again granted Lola an opportunity to evolve—"

Seeing the Thorn Flower Fairy once more wrapped in flower buds, Janna’s eyes sparkled with unexpected delight.

She had thought that after feeding the Thorn Flower Fairy top-grade plant-elemental essence and triggering its first evolution, it wouldn’t evolve again in such a short period.

But as it turned out, Janna was such an exceptional contract host that she managed to grant her contracted creature another evolution in a short time.

"Once Lola completes her second evolution, the soul feedback is likely to be substantial as well."

As a mutually beneficial contract, the contracted creature received soul nourishment from the contractor, while its evolved soul energy feedback would also benefit Janna.

However, after its second evolution, the Thorn Flower Fairy’s strength would be nearly equal to that of a third-tier witch apprentice. In terms of level, it would already surpass Janna.

Though Janna understood that even if the Thorn Flower Fairy’s strength far exceeded hers, it was highly unlikely that it would ever pose a threat of backlash against its contractor.

Still, as the summoner of the Thorn Flower Fairy, it was undeniably a little embarrassing for her own progression to be overtaken by her contracted creature—

After leaving the Thorn Flower Fairy alone in her dorm, Janna, having washed, quickly put on her witch robe and headed downstairs.

Because she had woken up late again today, she didn’t have time to eat breakfast at the cafeteria. She walked straight out of the dormitory and toward the magic tower.

"Besides the morning’s 《History of Ancient Magic》 class, I also have a 《Dragon Tongue》 class in the afternoon—"

Calculating her time, Janna realized that she wouldn’t have enough time to head to the Misty Forest after class.

After all, her current 【Main Quest】 required her to revive the dying trees in the Misty Forest.

From what she had gleaned during last night’s shared consciousness with the forest, the targets Janna could focus on were either the trees outside the magic tower’s barrier or those at the edge of the barrier that had not yet been completely polluted.

Between the two, the choice was clear—Janna would target the trees at the edge of the magic tower’s barrier...