Chapter 73: Dryad Territory and Main Quest - Final Part

"Do thy highness know how to use divinity?" I shook my head as the guardian realized that my face started to darken as I heard divinity.

"Divinity is the essence of all magic, it is derived from the twin essence of the universe, Aether and Ether, every god or divine beasts have different divinity. Thy highness' divinity is based on your soul, once thou know thy highness' soul, the divinity will manifest." She explained as I remembered that I have an affinity for Aether and Ether elements.

"The only thing thou need is to concentrate in a lotus-shaped position and go deeper thy highness' consciousness and thou will see the image of your divinity. Once thou wilt knows why is the image in thy highness' consciousness is thy highness' divinity, it wilt manifest..."

I closed my eyes and sat down despite being in the middle of the [Dryads] and started to meditate.

***

An hour later, I opened my eyes again and I can now feel something very light and comfortable feeling.

[Assimilation: 1%]

"Huh?" I stared at the notification which made me a little bit confused.

'What the hell is this assimilation?' I scratched my chin as I stared at the [Assimilation] window for 5 seconds but the [Appraisal] nor [Identify] works.

'Well, it might just be something related to divinity thing...'

"How'd it go?" The chief said as he walked towards me.

"Great, I can control the divinity now, then? What is the way for me to get improved?" I asked the guardian as I stood up.

"[Divinity Stones], thy highness. There are 15 of them with different elements. You can only absorb it if you have divinity," the guardian said as she showed me a transparent orange stone which is probably larger than my fist.

"This is--" I said as I touched it from her hands.

"Yes, thy highness, this stone is thy nature's divine stone which thy race kept for more than a millennium." She said as she handed it to me.

[Earth Divinity Stone (Perfect)]

That is the only thing that my [Appraisal] showed me.

"Is it really okay for me to take this?" I asked as I hesitated.

"Yes, thy highness." She bowed her head.

"Then, how exactly am I going to absorb it?" I asked as I opened my inventory and stored it inside.

"By eating it, thy highness." I am kind of hesitant after hearing that.

'Eat that large stone?'

"Thy highness, it seems like thou misunderstood. Use thou divinity and it wilt act like a flame which melts the stone, after that, thy highness can eat it like a fruit..." I sighed in relief as I heard that phrase.

I gathered the light and comfortable feeling inside me and reinforced it into my hands.

Suddenly, white energy suddenly surged from my hands as if it is wilder than the wildest flames.

"It seems like thy highness still lacks in control but that divinity is enough..." She nods as she is talking and smiled after seeing my divinity.

I took the stone outside the inventory using my left hand and placed it in my right hand where the divinity is reinforced.

The stone melted like a bar of chocolate and when I thought that it is enough for me to eat the stone, I stopped using divinity and tasted the stone.

'This flavor-- vanilla?' It is somehow similar to vanilla which orchid produces. Now, that I know that it tastes vanilla, I forgot that I am eating a stone.

[You digested the [Earth Divinity Stone (Perfect)], your body will receive more divinity and your overall strength will doubles]

'T-twice?' I said excitedly as I stared at the word twice.

I already have the prowess of 10,000+ if I only use 0.001% and 100,000 if I use 0.01%, If you made it 100% my overall power must be 100 billion.

But now that it got doubled, 100 billion multiplied by itself, then the answer must be 1e+22 or a number with 22 zeros.

Now, my power at 0.001% is 1e+17, which meant it is more than a billion. So I only have to use 0.00000000000001% of my strength to carry out the 1,000,000 stats.

'Am I going a bit too far? No--the gods like Susanoo can't be underestimated, they are more powerful than this, probably... Why are the gods the enemies of this game for the first story, though?!'

I sighed inwardly as I stared towards them who looks intimidated.

"Eh? Is my presence intimidating everyone?" I asked everyone as I retreated several meters away. They can't answer and they can only nod while their faces are kind of--frightened.

***

I sealed my power once again and left my 1,000,000 amount of stats just in case. Everyone started to feel scared towards me because of how powerful I've become now that I absorbed one divine stone and the most powerful at defense, the earth element.

"Thy highness, to be honest with thou presence but it seems liketh thy highness is more intimidating than the god from the [Gnosis Mountain]..." The guardian said as she watched her breath for the second time.

"R-really?" I said nervously as I heard her said that with a worried face.

"Well, I wonder where to go now... I am going to stay for two days here, after all..." I muttered as I said those words with the lowest voice of mine.

"If you don't mind, dragon god. How about helping us on another matter that we are assured that someone can take care of the gods?" The village chief said as he walked towards me.

But they still hear it... 'Are the plants here at this forest their ears?'

"What matter?" I am also curious about that matter and since I will get bored if I don't do anything.

"About the magic that dries up the life of the plants in the south, towards the ocean..." He took a leaf from his clothes and then showed it to me.

It is a dried leaf that is almost like its life is absorbed by something else.

"When did this happen?" I asked as I stared at the leaf very closely.

[Dying Leaf (3% Life remaining)]

'It seems like it is being absorbed, I should give him the life element since I can feel it now that it is over 50%' I gathered life energy in want hands where I am holding the leaf and started to provide it life.

'It seems like this leaf is not normal, though. I feel like I need to save this leaf...'

"This happened three months ago. Every time a plant grows there with the help of the [World Tree] between [Elven Kingdom] and [Dryad Kingdom], it dies. That place is basically a poison to us, I wonder if the dragon god has some solution for that thing?" He said as everyone looked worried about how I answer.

If plants there are dying, it is somehow connected to dark or black magic and death affinity.

'The [Dryad]s cannot go there due to the fact that their bodies are basically made out of plants. But this matter is kind of weird. If the problem arrived several months ago, how is the dark or dead energy there is still in one place?

Is it an artifact with a death element? No, that is most unlikely because the people who can make that are demons and dwarves which is forbidden to create for both races. Just what is it?' I started to walk and all of them are confused about where am I going.

"Let me go there alone. It is too dangerous for your tribe, forest guardian..." I waved to them as I walked towards the south where the problem started.

I opened my wings and flew away.

***

After half an hour of flying with my slowest speed, which is probably worth 5,000 stats, I arrived at the place.

A gruesome scene is exposed in front of me.

Dead trees and plants are everywhere and there is a feeling of some kind of dead energy surrounding the area.

It seems like this place is all caused by a creature, it is not something that an artifact can do.

I stared from left and right and as the time I am walking forward, the energy is becoming denser.

It seems like this place is like a typhoon with an eye.

"Then. if I go to that place, then I will know the source of this death energy, huh?"

I continued walking as I noticed a baby dryad's corpse is lying in front of me.

'Ugh, my heart is shattering...' I took the corpse that almost has the same size as my palm and then used space magic to separate the space in my hand and provide the baby dryad some life energy.

[Separate Space]

'I don't know if I can revive it but it is worth a try.'

I stared at the whole area and there is not only the baby dryad died but several babies, young and adult dryad died due to this death energy.

'I should dispose or find a solution for this so that it won't happen in this place anymore. Maybe I should make an anti-death energy barrier later using my divinity?'