Chapter 309 : Sub-Quest: The Reviving Servant of Life
Chapter 309: Sub-Quest: The Reviving Servant of Life
Late at night, in the Misty Forest.
"Growth—"
A green light burst forth, life force flowing.
With the power of the [Growth Law Fragment] unleashed by Janna-Roland, a tree on the verge of decay was revitalized, sprouting tender green buds.
"That's the third one already."
Looking at the tree she had just saved, the tension on Janna's face eased slightly.
"It feels like——I've gotten a bit better at controlling the [Growth Law Fragment]——"
As she lifted her finger slightly and watched the verdant vines rapidly grow across the ground, a trace of realization flickered in Janna’s eyes.
"Is it because of the power of Withering?"
A few hours earlier, in the underground chamber of Rose Manor.
Due to prolonged exposure to the extreme cold, Vivian had fallen into a "shock" state as soon as she returned from the secret realm.
Janna, who had returned earlier from the canyon depths and was protected by the [Sun Medallion], showed no symptoms apart from persistent shivering upon returning from the Extreme Cold Secret Realm.
In fact, even after bidding farewell to Hellman-Rose and leaving Rose Manor, Janna still had the energy to head to the Misty Forest to complete the day’s pending [Mainline Quest].
Moreover, while performing the quest, Janna noticed a marked improvement in her efficiency at purging pollution and healing trees.
She attributed this improvement entirely to her enhanced control over the [Growth Law Fragment].
This "strengthening" didn’t stem from the [Growth Law Fragment] itself, but rather from a subtle deepening in her understanding of the [Authority of Growth]—or perhaps, from forming a relative concept of “life’s inevitable decay.”
This concept had taken root tonight as she observed the balance among the powers of [Death], [Frost], and [Growth] within the Extreme Cold Secret Realm—and her insights into a fourth force: [Withering].
"Comprehending [Laws] doesn’t seem as difficult as I imagined—"
Janna wasn't being arrogant or overconfident; deep down, she simply felt that as her understanding of the [Authority of Growth] deepened, the seemingly opposite [Withering Law] no longer felt so distant. In fact, there seemed to be a traceable path between the two.
"From another perspective, perhaps this feeling also stems from my [Extraordinary Understanding]..."
Gazing at the character panel and the [Understanding] stat that had reached as high as 10.8, Janna found it perfectly reasonable that her grasp of [Laws], [Witchcraft], and even [Transfiguration Studies] progressed faster than others.
At her current pace, it wouldn’t be long before Janna gained at least a rudimentary understanding of the [Withering Law].
"It’s just that comprehending the [Withering Law] demands an incredibly harsh environment—any slight misstep could mean freezing to death..."
With that thought, Janna subconsciously touched the Thorn Bracelet on her wrist.
It still contained the [Sun Medallion] lent to her by Hellman-Rose, who hadn’t specified a return date—but Janna assumed that at least until Vivian completed the [Blood Exchange Ritual], Hellman-Rose wouldn’t take it back.
"Sigh—right now, it feels like I’m living two days in one, and there’s still not enough time. If only I had a witch artifact that could control time flow—"
Clearing her mind of such unrealistic thoughts, Janna noted that the time had now entered the latter half of the night. Without dawdling, she swiftly retrieved the [Well of Vortex] and departed the Misty Forest using its locator.
With a flash of earth-toned light, Janna slithered out of the [Well of Vortex] in her Green Snake Form. After ensuring her surroundings were safe, she quickly resumed her human form and stood up.
"It would be nice if I could add a locator coordinate at the entrance to the dormitory building..."
As she stored the [Well of Vortex] back into the Thorn Bracelet, Janna glanced toward the usual teleportation spot at the vine corridor entrance of White Coral Academy and couldn’t help muttering to herself.
"Apprentice, please wait."
Just as Janna was about to retrieve the Misty Branch to open the vine corridor, a deep voice suddenly called out from behind her.
"Good evening, Tree Spirit. Did I disturb your rest?"
Turning toward the voice, she saw a human-faced willow nearly five meters tall appear behind her. Without panic, Janna calmly bowed slightly, still holding the Misty Branch, and asked curiously.
"It’s not that, apprentice. I’ve been waiting for you."
Waiting for me?
Though she felt puzzled, Janna maintained a respectful demeanor.
After all, this human-faced willow was famously known as the "First Line of Defense of White Coral," a loyal guardian—and also a powerful magical creature with quasi-witch-level strength.
"Tree Spirit, is there something you need from me?"
It was already quite late, and under normal circumstances, Janna should have returned to her dormitory to begin deep meditation.
If the Tree Spirit merely intended to assign her a trivial task, Janna could reasonably postpone it until tomorrow.
"—Ding"
While Janna was still lost in thought, a familiar mission prompt suddenly rang out in her mind.
[Sub-Quest: The Reviving Servant of Life — Oak Giant Rosen;
Quest Reward: 500 points of talent experience, 1500 points of skill experience, and two random rewards;
Quest Time: Unlimited.]
"A Sub-Quest—and it’s even blue-level?"
Seeing the blue-colored quest title on the mission panel, Janna's initial urgency to return to the dormitory for meditation instantly vanished.
It wasn’t just because the quest was rated as blue-level—it was also because this marked Janna’s third type of quest, after the [Today’s Quest] and [Mainline Quest]—a [Sub-Quest].
And like the [Mainline Quest], the [Sub-Quest] also had no time limit.
"Your name is Janna-Roland—correct?"
"Correct, Tree Spirit."
Janna wasn’t surprised that the Tree Spirit could call her by name.
After all, every Misty Branch held by an apprentice was crafted from branches naturally shed by the Tree Spirit each year.
Furthermore, to ensure proper identification, each Misty Branch was engraved with the apprentice’s name and infused with their unique mana signature.
Therefore, as long as a White Coral Academy apprentice was in the Misty Forest and held their Misty Branch, the Tree Spirit could sense their precise location and transmit that information to the academy professors' Misty Branches.