"I've met many people who talk like that before. They were all frauds. How can you do something that even a plant otaku couldn't manage?"
"Then what if I succeed?"
"What? What kind of ridiculous talk...?"
"Why not? It's possible, right? Whether I succeed or fail, you won't lose anything. Why not give it a try?"
Cedric Choi couldn't hide his agitation as he looked at me.
Hope, and the fear of embracing that hope, followed by even greater disappointment. Still, maybe, just maybe, this time it could be different.
Just by seeing that complex expression, I could guess what Cedric Choi had been through. Similar things must have happened many times. Expecting, being disappointed, and expecting again.
Until now, the widely known image of Cedric Choi was this: arrogant, cocky, and with a terrible personality, a top-ranked hunter.
But when I saw him in person, he felt more like a child.
"Fine! If you succeed, I'll do anything for you. Money? Connections? Just say the word."
"Forget it. If I succeed, I'll tell you what I want."
There's no choice but to try, anyway.
After taking a deep breath, I turned to Cedric Choi and said,
"Um... could you step back a little?"
"Eh? Why? Does looking at you prevent you from reviving the flower? Surely, you're not trying to secretly steal this flower?!"
"That's not it... It's just, I'm nervous because a famous person is so close!"
"Really, if that's the reason, you should have said so earlier. It's understandable, I get it! Alright, is this far enough?"
It actually worked.
Knowing that Cedric Choi had stepped back about five paces, I approached the pot.
The originally green petals had turned yellow and withered, and the stem looked like it could break at any moment.
The Blue Seraeno flower is a flower with the power of regeneration.
But this flower was already dead from the seed stage. Thanks to Ichong's care, it managed to sprout, but it withered soon after.
So, how do I regenerate the flower?
Regeneration presupposes death. In other words, it must die completely to be reborn.
I brought Ktuga's ring close to the flower.
Whoosh.
The fire from the ring instantly burned the flower.
As the white ash fell into the pot,
"What are you doing?!"
"…Gasp!"
Cedric Choi lunged at me and grabbed my collar. The force was so strong that my feet left the ground. I couldn't breathe.
"Cedric Choi Hunter, calm down and let go, then we can talk."
"Am I supposed to calm down now?!"
His eyes were filled with rage, losing all reason.
But he was controlling his strength. If he had grabbed me with the full force of an S-rank hunter, I would have been dead.
"You! Why did you burn the flower?! Do you know what kind of flower this is? I won't let you off if you don't give a good answer!"
"Ugh… Th… Cough, cough!"
"Answer me!"
The immense force made it hard to breathe, and I couldn't open my mouth. Pointing at the pot with my fingertips was the best I could do.
"Hey! Cedric Choi Hunter, look at this!"
Ichong exclaimed in surprise.
"What? The flower is already ashes!"
"That's not it! The flower!"
"What? …Oh."
Cedric Choi's eyes widened.
Thud.
He finally let go. If he had held on any longer, I would have fainted from lack of oxygen.
That's why I asked him to step back, but it didn't help.
"Caleok, Caleok! Phew, I thought I was going to die! Cough!"
I exaggerated my coughing. Each time I coughed, Cedric Choi's face turned paler. On a powder compact scale, it would be about 13.
"Sorry, I thought you had killed the flower… I really am sorry."
"Just check the flower quickly."
"Ah, r-right!"
A light green sprout emerged from the pot where the white ash had fallen.
The sprout grew rapidly, extending stems and leaves, and soon bloomed into a blue flower.
The blue petals, glowing faintly, looked very mysterious.
[Item: Blue Seraeno Flower (★★★★★)
Type: Flower
A legendary flower said to contain the starlight of Seraeno. It possesses the power of regeneration.
Note: Fresh]
The contents of the status window had changed.
"Finally, with this flower…!"
Just as Cedric Choi was about to embrace the pot in excitement,
Boom!
A heavy vibration sounded, and the soil in the pot began to shoot up into the sky.
"Wh-what…?"
Thick roots extended uncontrollably.
Under the Blue Seraeno flower, there was another plant. The plant, having absorbed the flower's power, grew wildly, breaking the greenhouse and wrapping its roots around the surroundings.
"No, my greenhouse!"
"…Get away!"
Crash!
And in the middle of the plant's roots, the shimmering blue light was…
A crack.
Boom, Rumble! Branches tore through the ceiling, and roots dug into the ground.
Ah, I remember.
The reason Ichong's nursery went out of business before the regression.
A dungeon appeared in the nursery.
There was no time to escape. I was sucked into the dungeon.
Squish!
My body was pulled through the crack and slid down a stem, losing my balance and falling to the ground.
"Ouch…"
The surroundings were dark and uneven, like the roots of a very large tree, and a musty smell of leaves came from somewhere.
The pungent, sour smell, the damp air, and the wriggling ground.
This was a dungeon formed inside a plant.
Rarely, cracks can be hidden inside plants like grass or trees.
Usually, the plant prevents the crack from opening, making it safe.
But what if the plant is exposed to dense ether? The plant and the crack merge, turning the plant itself into a dungeon.
One of the dungeon plants Ichong was growing had a hidden crack, and the greenhouse was filled with dense ether to help the plant grow.
As the ether was absorbed over time, the plant became dungeonized. The aftermath led to the closure of the "Happy Green Life Nursery."
This is what I remember about the closure before the regression.
That plant otaku really…
But the regenerative power of the Blue Seraeno flower made the crack open earlier than before the regression, and I happened to be caught in the situation.
Dungeonized plants are usually not that dangerous.
The problem is what kind of plant forms the basis of this dungeon…
Ding.
[Dungeon: Entered Monster Hell.]
[Monster Hell is currently starving.]
The dungeon name appeared in the notification window.
Eh, Monster Hell…?
Wait, let's think this through.
A carnivorous plant that secretes digestive fluid to catch flies is called Fly Hell.
So, a plant that secretes digestive fluid to catch monsters would be Monster Hell.
The possibility that a plant that can dissolve monsters can't dissolve humans is…
…
Sizzle!
"Ah, Ahh!"
A vine from the plant extended forward and fired a secretion.
The secretion poured onto the ground, sizzling and dissolving the surroundings. It definitely wouldn't be safe to touch.
Then the notification sounded again.
[Monster Hell is currently starving.]
"…"
"Help!"
Trying to save the flower, I woke something that shouldn't have been woken.
Imagining a future where I would be completely dissolved inside this giant plant, I shuddered when a voice came from the side.
"Hey."
"Eh, eh, eh?"
"Why do you look like you've seen a ghost? You're making me nervous."
"Eh… Cedric Choi?"
Thud, he grabbed a branch in the air and landed on the ground. Unlike me, who had fallen, he landed steadily. A 9.5 out of 10.
"Tch, it's annoying that a civilian got dragged in too."
No one else was there. Fortunately, Ichong didn't get caught up in it.
"Do you have any useful weapons or items?"
"Um… this?"
I took out a seedling spade with an attack power of 2 from my inventory and showed it to him.
"Eh? Really? Is this an item?"
He looked at it as if it was the first time he had seen such an item. He examined the spade curiously and exclaimed in amazement. Then he handed it back and said,
"You must have been scared, but calm down and trust me! Haha!"
I expected him to laugh at me.
'Sure enough…'
I felt more confident about the strange feeling I had been having.
Cedric Choi, the hunter from the second-ranked <C&L Corporation>. The numerous personality controversies that followed his name came to mind.
Compared to those controversies, he seems kind of nice…
Then,
Sizzle, Squish!
"Ahh!"
Startled by the sudden secretion, I jumped back, and Cedric Choi chuckled.
"Why are you making such a fuss? Are you scared?"
"Hey, look at this plant sprout shooting out water. If you get hit, you'll dissolve and become fertilizer for this dungeon!"
"Oh, that?"
Swish.
He casually drew his sword and swung it.
Twice, precisely, to the left and right, and up and down. He wielded the sword, which was almost as big as Cedric Choi, as if it were a fly swatter.
Crunch!
The leaf that was spewing secretion was crushed.
"Why are you scared of something like that?"
He sheathed his sword, smoothed his slightly messy hair, and smiled charmingly, as if this was the moment to be impressed.
This feeling of déjà vu…
"Wow, that's amazing. Cool."
"…Cough, cough!"
Even though my words lacked sincerity, Cedric Choi's face showed unmistakable joy.
"It's a good thing we have Cedric Choi Hunter. I feel relieved."
"Right, right. Just trust me!"
Maybe he doesn't get praised much… He walked with his shoulders back and chest out.
I see. I understand this feeling.
He's a bit like my cat at home.
'Suddenly, the second-ranked hunter feels familiar.'
Anyway, I was initially startled when I entered this bizarre plant dungeon, but I soon regained my composure.
Ichong will take good care of the Blue Seraeno flower. Now, I just need to get out of here. There's no reason to be scared with one of the most famous hunters in Korea, after Muwon, by my side.
Sizzle!
Swish, Bang!
Sizzle!
We moved forward, cutting through the leaves and stems that spewed secretion without hesitation.
"Ah! There! Behind!"
"Where?"
Swish, Bang!
Inside Monster Hell, there were parasitic insect-type monsters. But they were killed with a single slash from Cedric Choi's sword, turning into fertilizer.
It feels like riding a high-speed bus.
Ignoring the path, we cut through the roots and stems in front of us. The experience of being a proxy munchkin was amazing. This is why movies where everything is destroyed are popular.
The satisfying destruction didn't last long.
However, the Monster Hell dungeon was wider than expected. We walked for a long time on the uneven roots, but the end was nowhere in sight.