Garth wasted no time gathering the items necessary for survival.

  He searched the forest carefully, collecting berries of different varieties. Then, he gathered twigs, leaves from various trees, ores, wood, and spark rocks for fire.

  His main objective at the moment was not to eliminate any mutated animals inhabiting the forest, but to deter those that might see him as an easy meal.

  Once he had everything he needed, he huddled beneath a very specific tree—the Bubonic Oak. Feared by many, this tree was infamous for transmitting a chronic disease to those who came into contact with it.

  But Garth knew a secret way to circumvent this problem and even turn it to his advantage.

  In his past life, this tree had been cut down nearly to extinction once people discovered how to use it properly. It had single-handedly won wars and abetted massacres.

  That was a situation Garth would need to address in the future. But for now, his priority was carefully extracting its essence.

  He got to work.

  The first thing he did was ignite the firewood with the spark rocks. Once the flames caught, he tossed an ore into the fire, a Seris ore. While it heated, he mashed the berries on a flat slab of stone, intentionally leaving out one oddly shaped berry.

  When he finished, he set the slab of mashed berries aside. Then, he stacked the leaves he had gathered into a layered pile.

  Using two sticks, he carefully removed the heated Series ore from the fire and placed it on top of the leaves.

  In an instant, the leaves curled around the ore.

  A sudden shuffle in the nearby bushes snapped Garth’s attention away from his work.

  He sensed movement several feet away.

  "Blessing," he muttered.

  The floating letters reappeared before him. He selected Boost.

  Cannot utilize Boost until the noon sun of the next day.

  "Seriously?" he whispered, fear creeping into his voice.

  He had been counting on Boost to make any potential attackers hesitate. That would have bought him some time.

  Ignoring his disappointment, he sped up his pace.

  Once the leaves finished wrapping around the ore, they darkened from green to deep gray, losing their juices before crumbling apart.

  Garth gathered the brittle fragments, crushing them into dust in his hands, then poured the dust into the mashed berries. As soon as he did, thin trails of smoke rose steadily from the mixture.

  The final step was bursting the oddly shaped berry over the concoction. The moment its juice touched the mixture, the color shifted to a bright red.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  Garth picked up the slab and a pointy stick. Turning to the tree, he drove the stick into its bark.

  As the bark cracked, thick juices gushed from the tree, shooting toward him like venom.

  The liquid splattered onto his skin, and an unbearable burning sensation erupted across his body.

  Garth staggered back, gritting his teeth hard to suppress a scream as he collapsed onto the ground. His flesh seared in agony, but he endured it in silence.

  Once the tree’s essence fully seeped into him, he forced himself up, grabbed the prepared mixture, and shoved it into his mouth.

  He gagged at the taste—a horrific blend of rotten meat, raw snail, fermented beans, and fish guts. But he forced it down, willing his throat to swallow.

  The moment the mixture slid past his tongue, relief washed over him.

  The burning subsided, and he felt something foreign pulsing through his veins—something mildly uncomfortable, but manageable.

  He had succeeded.

  Now, the effects of the tree’s poison had increased tenfold, yet he remained unaffected. If his blood came into contact with any living creature, the disease would instantly infect and kill them.

  However, the effects would fade in twelve hours.

  Garth could finally rest.

  He extinguished the fire and climbed onto the tree.

  No creature would dare approach him now—or the Bubonic Oak.

  Shutting his eyes, he prepared to wake to a brand-new day.

  ---

  The night passed with relative ease.

  As he had expected, nothing disturbed him. Apart from the occasional distant howling and growling, the forest remained eerily still.

  Looking into the sky, the morning sun had yet to fully surface. Garth took the opportunity to test out his other Blessings while he waited for the complete rise of the sun.

  "Blessing," he called.

  The floating letters appeared once more. He tried selecting Boost again, but additional text surfaced beside it.

  Cannot use this Blessing until noon.

  "Is that so?" he murmured.

  He decided to check the others.

  Flight: Grants the ability to soar through the sky. Duration: 30 minutes.

  "Incredible."

  Next, he selected Heal.

  Will completely heal any wound, ailment, or regenerate any of your decapitated limbs—except your head.

  Upon reading this, Garth raised a brow. These Blessings were honestly the what their names implied. Blessings.

  Garth wondered to himself how he could travel great distances with flight, or even turn a battle into an aerial one, thus giving him the advantage.

  Then with his Heal, he could literally forgo a Medicus. But then again, he could only use it once. Yet this did not take away from the incredibility of the ability.

  "This is really incredible." Garth thought.

  Pulling his thoughts from the last two, Garth turned his attention to the next two, eagerly anticipating how equally incredible these would be.

  He selected Absorb. And once again, additional letters appeared beside it.

  Absorbs Demon Cores and increases your overall growth. Had no limit to how many cores can be absorbed.

  Seeing this, Garth gulped, then withheld his comment for now. He turned his gaze to the last Blessing, then he selected it.

  Increases your strength by 25%. Strength increased will be compared to your rank as you grow.

  After reading all of this, Garth leaned into the tree, feeling a bit lightheaded. All of this was truly incredible. He had thought his knowledge of the future was already great enough, to think of how much further he would go with this. Calista really was seeking to save the world.

  Garth took in a deep breath ad he tried to focus his mind.

  He needed to accept all of this, and continue on the path ahead. Right now, he needed to go home, he thought of using Flight to return home.

  But when he remembered the disease coursing through him, he decided against it. Perhaps taking the time to walk it off was best.

  Turning his gaze to the sky, Garth found its hue brightening up. Just then, the sun's golden lights shone on his face, causing him to smile.

  Reluctantly, he sat up and stretched his arms.

  When he looked out, he found the forest blanketed in mist. It was mildly concerning, but nothing he couldn’t handle.

  After another stretch, Garth climbed down the tree, scanning his surroundings with cautious eyes.

  Once certain there was no danger, he moved forward.

  Less than an hour later, he found the road leading home.

  A mistake.

  Just as he stepped onto the path, a carriage emerged from the horizon.

  Garth froze.

  For a reason he couldn’t quite explain, his body tensed as the carriage came to a stop in front of him.

  Four Venators stepped out.

  Among them was the former Raid Leader—Kareous, if Garth remembered correctly.

  He averted his gaze, though he knew it was futile.

  This time, three One Moon Falcon-ranked Venators accompanied them.

  "You… you escaped," the former Raid Leader breathed, eyes wide in shock. "Alive."

  "Barely," Garth murmured, keeping his face turned away.

  They scrutinized him.

  "Without even a single scratch," the former Raid Leader noted, still in disbelief.

  Garth inwardly cursed Calista for healing him too well.

  "A healer helped me before he passed away," he lied smoothly.

  "I see."

  The new Raid Leader shifted his gaze toward the forest, scanning the surroundings. But there was nothing—only trees.

  "You survived the night… in the forest?" he asked, his eyes narrowing.

  "I… I can’t say anything other than Calista’s miracle."

  "I see."

  The Raid Leader turned and gestured toward the carriage.

  "Get in. Once we dispatch the Void Boss, we’ll return to Kalikon together."

  Garth wanted to refuse.

  But declining would only invite suspicion—especially once they discovered the Void had been sealed. Yet he was still hesitate, mostly because he wasn't too sure the disease was fully out of his system.

  Though he couldn't feel the strange shuffling in his veins, he still had reason to be cautious.

  But it didn't really matter at this point.

  Left with no other option, Garth smiled.

  "Thank you."

  Then, he climbed inside.

  As the carriage moved, the old Raid Leader barely took his eyes off him, making Garth’s anxiety spike.