Fairy Tale Survival with Ability Copying

Levi transformed back into human form. His face was pale as he landed in his Floating Cloud Territory with the White Snake and Meriel.

Having spent so long traveling through the shadows, Meriel suddenly emerged from that world into brilliant sunlight. The brightness was so intense it made her squint.

It took her a while to adjust. When she finally opened her eyes, she found herself standing on soft ground. All around her stretched a blue sky and billowing white clouds.

She was actually above the heavens.

Meriel froze in place. Just where had this mysterious wizard lord brought her?

She looked around.

Birdsong filled the air. Flowers bloomed everywhere. The warm sunlight filtered through gaps in the leaves, casting mottled shadows across the grass.

Looking more carefully, she saw a winding river cascading down from the cloud-covered heights and flowing through the entire territory, dividing it into sections of farmland.

The fields were planted with rye, and the crops were thriving. Waves of green stalks swayed with the wind, shimmering with a faint luster.

Tiny Flower Fairies darted through the fields. Each was only about the size of a thumb, dressed in light garments woven from pink-white and pale yellow flower petals. Small wild daisies decorated their hair, and a soft white glow lingered around their fingertips.

Wherever that glow brushed across the rye, the leaves became noticeably greener and more vibrant.

Along the outer edges of the Floating Cloud Territory stood rows of towering trees, neatly arranged. Their lush branches and dense foliage formed a natural barrier that protected this peaceful land.

Meriel was still trying to process everything when Levi had already started walking toward the center of the territory.

She paused for a moment before snapping out of her daze and hurrying after him.

The Flower Fairies in the fields looked at her curiously. Some of the bolder ones even flew over and asked, "What's your name?"

Meriel was startled. After a moment, she replied with a strange expression, "My name is Meriel. Meriel Dres, of the Dres Family."

"Dres? Never heard of it."

The bold little Flower Fairy sat on her shoulder as it spoke.

Meriel had never seen a creature like this before.

Curious, she asked, "What are you?"

"Us? We're servants of the Goddess of Love. We're nymphs born from flowers. Look over there—that's our king. The one beside him is our Flower Fairy Queen."

"The king? The queen?"

Meriel looked in the direction the fairy pointed, but she couldn't see anything. The Flower Fairies were simply too small.

"How many Flower Fairies are there?"

"Our Flower Fairy Kingdom has more than a hundred members!"

The little fairy sounded extremely proud.

"Have you always lived here?"

Meriel glanced at Levi ahead of them. Seeing that he showed no reaction, she continued asking questions.

"Not at all. We used to live somewhere else. It was a beautiful place, right outside the Goddess of Love's palace."

"Then why did you move here?" Meriel asked in confusion.

"Well..."

The little fairy hesitated. Its expression became rather awkward, and it started speaking haltingly.

"A group of Corrupted Spirits invaded where we lived. Levi helped us, so we accepted his employment and moved here to take care of these crops for him."

"Corrupted Spirits? What's a Corrupted Spirit?"

Meriel had just heard yet another unfamiliar term.

"That's... kind of hard to explain."

The little fairy rubbed its head in distress.

"Anyway, they can only be born under very specific circumstances."

"Then how did the Corrupted Spirits that invaded your Flower Fairy Kingdom come into existence?" Meriel pressed.

The little fairy looked even more embarrassed.

After thinking for a moment, it said, "It involved a couple. The woman's brother didn't like her lover, so he killed him and buried his head in a flowerpot. I just happened to be living in that flowerpot."

"Then the woman discovered the truth and cried over the flower every day. Her tears watered it constantly. Eventually, a Corrupted Spirit that hated all life was born."

"They're the natural enemies of us Flower Fairies!"

"How do you know all that?" Meriel asked, sounding like an endlessly curious child.

The little fairy's expression became even more awkward, though Meriel failed to notice.

It looked left and right before suddenly saying, "I still have farming to do, so I've got to go. Bye!"

With that, the Flower Fairy prepared to fly away.

Meriel hurriedly called out, "What's your name?"

"Kevin!"

The little Flower Fairy had already disappeared into the flowers.

"Kevin..."

Meriel silently memorized the name.

What she didn't know was that this bold Rose Flower Fairy, Kevin, was actually the chief culprit responsible for forcing the Flower Fairies to move in the first place.

Only then did she realize that while chatting with the fairy, she had unknowingly followed it all the way to the edge of a lake.

The water was crystal clear, allowing her to see fish swimming beneath the surface.

Colorful wildflowers bloomed across the grassy shore, while butterflies danced among them.

A gentle breeze drifted by, carrying the fragrance of flowers and fresh greenery, creating an atmosphere that soothed the soul.

Beside the lake stood several simple wooden cabins arranged in a scattered pattern. Built from thick timber with the natural grain clearly visible, they were roofed with heavy layers of thatch. Bundles of dried herbs and grain hung from the eaves.

In the open space before the cabins sat a weathered wooden table and several rough wooden chairs. On the table rested a half-filled jug of water and a clay bowl. Leaning nearby were a sickle and a woven bamboo basket, clearly the place where people rested after working and stored their tools.

Several small potted plants sat on the windowsills, their lush green leaves adding a touch of life to the rustic cabins.

Standing in front of one of the cabins were two young women, both watching her curiously.

One wore a red cloak and a little red hood. The other had long golden hair and gentle eyes.

Levi walked toward them, and Meriel followed behind him.

An old woman stepped out of another cabin. Seeing Levi's condition, she let out a cold laugh.

"You don't look so good."

"Mhm. I stumbled upon an ancient Old God ruin and almost didn't make it back."

Levi nodded. Even now, recalling what had happened left him with lingering fear.

Unlike Meriel, whose spiritual perception wasn't particularly strong, she had no idea just how dangerous the situation had truly been.

Sometimes, ignorance really was bliss.

Meriel shot Levi a surprised look.

Levi didn't look back at her.

The old witch—Rapunzel's godmother—slightly furrowed her brow after hearing his explanation.

"An Old God ruin?"

"I thought those lunatics had already cleaned out most of them. You actually managed to find one?"

"Where was it?"

"In the royal capital of the Kingdom of Valeria."

Levi paused before answering.

He wasn't worried about revealing the secret. Given the state of those ruins, there was no chance he would be able to enter them again anytime soon.

He simply wasn't strong enough.

Besides, when the ruins had first revealed their presence, the Church in the area had reacted violently. He had no idea what had happened afterward.

Regardless, he could forget about obtaining that Resurrection spell for the foreseeable future.

There was no point keeping it secret anymore.

"The Kingdom of Valeria?"

Rapunzel's godmother seemed to think for a moment.

"I feel like I've heard of that kingdom before."

"Their new king is supposedly quite famous. People say he's omniscient."

"Omniscient? As if."

Rapunzel's godmother sneered, clearly unconvinced.

"Mhm. His omniscience comes from this."

Levi raised the White Snake he was holding.

"What's that supposed to be?"

The moment Levi said that, everyone's attention—including Rapunzel's and Little Red Riding Hood's—shifted toward the snake.

"A White Snake."

"I can see it's a white snake. What I mean is, how does it make a king omniscient? Does it slither around every day eavesdropping on people's secrets before coming back to tell him?"

"Not exactly."

Levi shook his head before explaining, "Eating White Snake meat allows someone to hear Animal Thoughts for a period of time. That's how the king convinced everyone he was omniscient."

"It lets you hear Animal Thoughts?"

Everyone immediately examined the White Snake in Levi's hand more closely.

"That's right. Oh, and I almost forgot—this came from that Old God ruin."

"No wonder."

Rapunzel's godmother nodded.

"If it came from an Old God ruin, then it makes sense that it has such an effect."

After a brief pause, she asked, "What are you planning to do with it?"

"It isn't useful to me anymore."

Levi spoke truthfully.

His cheat ability had already copied the White Snake meat's power. He no longer needed to eat it to hear Animal Thoughts. If the ability continued evolving, perhaps one day he'd be able to hear even more than that.

Rapunzel's godmother frowned thoughtfully before saying, "In that case, give it to me. Maybe I'll be able to learn something from it."

Without the slightest hesitation, Levi tossed the White Snake to her.

Rapunzel's godmother gave him a long look before shifting her gaze to Meriel behind him.

"What about her?"

"She can stay here for the time being."

Levi had already considered this before bringing her here.

Turning toward Meriel, he said, "I'm afraid I can't help you deal with your father just yet."

"Huh?"

Meriel had already suspected as much, but hearing Levi say it outright still made it difficult for her to accept.

"For reasons beyond my control, it's not a good idea for me to return to the Kingdom of Valeria for now."

"But I gave you my word."

"And I'll keep it."

"It'll just take a little time."

"You can stay here until then."

"When the time is right, I'll take you to deal with your father."

Levi's tone remained calm.

At this point, Meriel had no other choice.

She could only nod.

Seeing that, Rapunzel's godmother took a potion from her robes and tossed it to Levi.

"What's this?"

"Dragonblood Elixir."