Chapter 76: House Spirit
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The tree inside the house, which Brunhild had accidentally created after using Verdant Manifestation earlier, drew in all the surrounding power and expanded rapidly across the entire structure. What now stood before her eyes was utterly ridiculous.
It was a giant tree over ten meters tall, with the house firmly nestled right in the middle of its massive trunk. The building has gained an additional floor and several brand-new rooms. It resembled an enormous, living treehouse. The roots of the tree spread out and wiggled gently, completely alive and vibrant. Beautiful green leaves and delicate pink flowers bloomed abundantly across their branches.
“W-Wow…”
Brunhild gasped alongside Freyja, both of them captivated by the breathtaking sight of this Living Tree House. Its beauty left them momentarily speechless.
But what exactly had happened?
The Living Tree House overflowed with vibrant energy. Above all, it seemed to have gained something far greater than mere physical growth.
“It has a Spiritual Soul!” Freyja exclaimed. “It absorbed your spirit powers and… Wait, Brunhild, look at your left hand!”
“Huh?!” Brunhild’s eyes widened as her left hand began to glow. A new rune had been etched into her skin, resembling a beautiful tree with long, spreading branches and roots, and a strong central trunk. “What the hell?”
The mark glowed with a warm green and golden light. It overflowed with rich spiritual energy and created a clear bond between her and…
“The house…?!”
Ding!
[Congratulations, you have successfully evolved and transformed your Large Community Wooden House (E Grade) into a Living Spirit Tree House Guardian – Tier 4!]
[You have automatically forged a Spirit Soul Bond with the Living Spirit Tree House Guardian – Tier 4!]
[Do you wish to grant the Living Spirit Tree House Guardian – Tier 4 a name?]
“A name…?!”
Brunhild gazed at the living spirit tree house and felt its presence gently “gazing” back at her. Even though it had no eyes, she could sense that it now possessed consciousness and genuine interest.
“Wow, I expected a fortress, but this is…” Brunhild took a deep breath to calm herself. “Fine, let’s call you… uuuuhhh. Are you a boy or a girl?”
She placed her hand on the warm wooden surface and narrowed her eyes in concentration. The frequency of its energy felt noticeably different from her three other spirits, who all carried mostly feminine presences.
It felt strong, steady, and rougher, more male-like to her senses. Though she was not entirely sure if this was real or simply her imagination, she decided to give it a fitting name for a wise old tree guardian.
“Sylvanus. I think that’s a god of forests,” Brunhild said with a nod. “That’s your name!”
She had originally considered “Cernunnos” but chose to save that name for later. Sylvanus was another deity she remembered from her previous life, an ancient Roman god of the wild and protector of forests.
FLAAASH!
The moment Brunhild named her new Living Spirit Tree House Familiar, the entire tree trembled powerfully. It grew another five meters taller in an instant, stretching its roots and branches even farther across the surroundings. Because she already possessed a divine physique, her divine power flowed through the name she had granted, infusing the already evolved being with even greater strength.
Ding!
[You have successfully named your Familiar: Living Spirit Tree House Guardian – Tier 4 as Sylvanus!]
[Your Familiar: Living Spirit Tree House Guardian: Sylvanus – Tier 4: Level 0/100 has awakened the following abilities: Forest Spirit Transformation, Wooden Fortress, Living House, Nature’s Bounty.]
To her surprise, it had learned four powerful new abilities. Brunhild stood speechless for a moment as she read through the glowing notifications.
“Wow, four new abilities?!” she wondered aloud, her voice filled with shock. “What do they do? They sound really interesting…!”
She examined Sylvanus’s abilities and their names with growing curiosity and excitement.
The first ability was called “Forest Spirit Transformation,” and she truly did not know what it meant. Wasn’t the tree already a spirit? Or perhaps it could transform into a different kind of spirit? It seemed illogical at first if it was already a spiritual tree, but she would have to see it in action before making any final judgment.
Still, it could mean many things. Perhaps Sylvanus was not merely a spirit tree. The spiritual soul inside it might have truly turned it into a full spirit now. That would explain why the house had completely absorbed her two divine spirits, Ares and Hermes, during its formation, leaving them temporarily “dead” again. It would take some time for them to recover. If it had absorbed so much spiritual energy from those powerful divine war spirits, then it made perfect sense that it would develop such an ability.
The second ability was called “Wooden Fortress.” From what she could feel through their new bond, it seemed to provide some kind of powerful defensive boost. It probably also allowed Sylvanus to transform or modify its own wooden body, as it was actively doing right now in front of her. Its branches and roots moved constantly, as if the tree was beginning to understand it had become something entirely new.
The third ability was “Living House,” which sounded fairly self-explanatory. Sylvanus had been born from a house Brunhild created using her Soul Orb, Soul Points, and various materials. That house later grew a small sapling inside after she revived the wood with her divine skill from Tierra. Then it transformed into this unique existence once the mysterious tree, born from a system-created facility, fully evolved. It was a one-of-a-kind being, perhaps impossible to replicate.
Even though “Living House” sounded simple, it could mean much more. Brunhild already had several ideas. Perhaps the house could upgrade and expand itself limitlessly. It might become even more luxurious inside as time passed or as Sylvanus grew stronger. She also noticed a new “Level” indicator next to its name, which had suddenly appeared for all her familiars. She had many questions about what had just happened but decided to set them aside for later.
The last ability was “Nature’s Bounty,” perhaps the most intriguing of them all. Brunhild could not immediately tell what it did, but the flowering fruits beginning to emerge from its branches might offer a clue. Perhaps Sylvanus could now produce edible fruit in great abundance if given enough fertilizer, mana, spirit energy, and nutrients.
Brunhild felt genuinely fascinated by these new abilities. However, she knew she could not focus on them alone. To her shock, the surprises still were not over.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, something unexpected happened that left her completely speechless.
POOF!
In a single second, Sylvanus exploded into a bright cloud of gold and green light, vanishing from both her sight and Freyja’s. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she tried to comprehend what she had just witnessed.
“W-what?!” Brunhild almost coughed from the surprise. “Freyja, what is this?!” she asked, her voice full of disbelief. “D-Did Sylvanus disappear?! Where is he? Cough…”
The smoke was thick, forcing her to wave her hand rapidly to clear the air.
“I-I have no idea! But I can still feel that Sylvanus’s presence has not gone…!” Freyja replied, panicking slightly at first before calming down once she confirmed he was still there. “Can’t you feel his presence, Brunhild?”
“Cough, yeah, I can…” Brunhild coughed again. “Ugh, what the hell is this smoke? It smells like… like weed. Cough… Damn, was this stuff laced or something? Why did Sylvanus just poof out of thin air into a cloud of weed smoke?!”
However, as she continued complaining, she noticed a very small silhouette slowly approaching. It radiated the exact same presence as Sylvanus, only now heavily compressed.
“Sylvanus?! Is that you? Why are you… so small?!”
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