Kumodesu

After escaping from there, I just kept running straight ahead since those vines were still chasing me from behind.

Hmph.

I may have been at a slight disadvantage down there, but if you dare follow me up here—then you're dead for sure.

I immediately turned around, cast [Heaven's Net] to capture all those vines in one sweep, then rushed forward and bit each one with [Venomous Fangs].

I didn't finish them off right away. I was going to let the poison slowly torment that tree—consider it a punishment for daring to chase me like that.

When I bit those vines, I realized that their bodies only contained paralyzing venom meant to immobilize prey—nothing that could be considered lethal.

This might work on small creatures, but against anything with a bit of strength, it'd be completely ineffective.

Right now, I can probably count as a "somewhat strong" creature, so naturally, I'm not afraid of this kind of petty poison.

Hey, did you manage to scan anything back there?

Even though he's kind of annoying, this guy's still a reliable teammate. And truth be told, I was too caught up in trying to one-up him earlier to actually observe much.

"Judging from these vines, its hunting capability isn't very high, and it doesn't seem capable of movement either. I'd say food is probably quite scarce for it."

Hmm, yeah, I could've guessed that too.

"Which suggests that, even if this tree isn't wounded, it's already in a weakened state from lack of nutrients. Its paralyzing venom isn't much to worry about, but its mouth—that's the unknown."

Is there something wrong?

"Nothing certain yet, but I'm pretty sure most of its strength lies in that mouth. The vines are just distractions and sacrificial tools."

I managed to use [Appraisal] on it just now and found out that its level is about on par with a mutated entity. I don't know the specific stats, but that alone is enough to make me cautious.

I think… we should just leave it alone.

Even if I defeat that thing, I can't eat it. On top of that, the terrain is basically its home turf, so I'd be at a serious disadvantage fighting it there.

"You sure you want to walk away from this?"

Yeah, let's just skip it.

There's no shortage of creatures to hunt around here—I don't need to waste time on a tree.

"But I did pick up on a mysterious item earlier, you know?"

Wait—treasure!?

The moment I heard that, my eyes lit up like fireworks. Just as my hope had started to cool down, now it reignites like wildfire.

"I'm not sure what it is, but it triggered [Sensing] to issue a warning, and I've confirmed that it's not a living creature."

Oh…

Wait a sec.

Since when did [Sensing] come with a warning function?

"I don't know. Maybe it only triggers when the signal is strong enough."

That can't be right.

Back during the fight between the dragon and the snake, this skill didn't issue any warnings either.

"I think those two cases are different, so we can't compare them directly."

"Last time, even if there wasn't a warning, the fluctuation dot it generated was huge. That still signaled danger approaching. This time, the fluctuation dot is normal-sized."

Hmm...

So [Sensing] behaves differently depending on whether it's detecting a living being or an inanimate object...?

Will just shrugged without saying anything.

"Or maybe those two creatures weren't strong enough to trigger a warning."

Oh please, that's a joke, right?

If those two bastards weren't considered strong, then what even counts as strong!?

"Their level back then was probably just around that of a mutated entity—or a bit higher. You only thought they were strong because you were weak at the time."

Are you mocking me right now!?

If I hadn't been born later, they'd be the ones carrying my boots!

"But you don't wear boots, do you?"

You little… annoying thing!!!

You claim to inherit my meticulous and cautious nature, but where's all that caution now?

"Mocking you has nothing to do with caution," Will said with a grin.

You…!!

"Alright then, do you want to keep standing here arguing, or do we figure out how to get that mysterious item?"

Hmph.

I'll let you off this time—for the treasure's sake.

But… a thought suddenly hits me. Could that thing possibly be a fragment of a Spirit? You know, the kind the Spirit Queen mentioned...?

"Probably not. Your title didn't react, did it? And I'd guess something like that would be buried way deeper down. So quit dreaming—you're not getting off that easy."

Sigh...

I just wanted to have a little hope.

After that, we spent some time resting near the cliff to strategize how to retrieve the mysterious treasure.

According to Will, the item is located directly beneath that tree's body, which makes things rather tricky.

What if I go in from below? I do have [Drill Leg], after all.

"I can guarantee you—every direction inside that cave has vines waiting in ambush. That plan's not viable."

So the only option is a frontal assault...?

"Not necessarily—unless we can lure it away from its position."

But we're not even sure it can move.

"Heh. In a life-or-death situation, even something immobile will grow legs and run."

Oh, so you mean… bring trouble to its doorstep?

"Exactly."

That's actually brilliant!

We could sneak in while it's distracted, and once they've worn each other down, swoop in and take everything for ourselves.

You really get me.

"Hehe."

Hey, do you have any guesses about the item down there?

Something that could make [Sensing] trigger a warning—it's hard to say whether that's a good thing or a bad thing.

"Maybe it's some kind of weapon, or a powerful artifact with a broken ability, or a rare resource that can rapidly boost your strength."

Ooh, just hearing that gives me chills.

But there's a catch—if it's a weapon, I probably can't use it.

And if it's a strength-enhancing item, who knows if it has side effects?

Or maybe there's another possibility—what if Will got tricked, and that "item" is actually a living creature?

Like something that's been sealed or is just in deep sleep?

What if I dig it out and it slices me in half on the spot?

"Surely it's not that unlucky...

That tree has been sitting there forever and nothing bad happened, so odds are you'll be fine too—unless, you know, you do something stupid and trigger something."

Sigh...

When it comes to luck, even I don't know anymore.

Since I reincarnated here, my luck's been on a roller coaster—sometimes I'm fighting smoothly, then boom, an accident nearly kills me. But every time I desperately need a skill, it miraculously appears and saves my life.

"No wonder your gacha pulls are all trash."

Hey, don't poke at other people's trauma!

Those gacha games with their flashy ads—"one spin, one miracle," "pull once, get a top-tier treasure"—all lies!

"And yet you knew they were lies and still kept pulling?"

Everyone has their moments of weakness!

"Once is a moment of weakness. But multiple times...? That's a habit." Will's smirk made me want to punch him in the face.

I've noticed you've gotten more and more sarcastic lately. With a mouth like that, you're bound to get decked one day.

"Then you'd better be strong enough that no one dares punch me."

Oh sure, that's easy for you to say. This body is mine—every injury is something I feel, not you!

"If you don't like it, switch out—let me take control."

Yeah, no thanks. If I let you drive, I'll never level up. Your overly cautious nature doesn't suit this world.

Just let me handle it.

"With your reckless streak, you'll be dead in no time."

Hey, I know how to plan and evaluate my limits!

"Right, right. That's why you've nearly died multiple times, huh?"

That's called "seeking fortune through danger"! You wouldn't understand—sitting comfortably inside my head, you've never felt the thrill of a life-or-death battle. Only when facing death can I unlock my true potential.

And have I ever walked away from those moments empty-handed? I never let myself get the short end of the stick.

"What about all the money you blew on those scammy games?"

I said stop poking the trauma!!

You damn troll!

"Alright, alright. Joking aside—we still need to finalize our next plan."

I also stopped bickering and focused on our main objective.

Honestly, I can't win against this guy when it comes to arguing—but this setup is still better than before, when I was just talking to myself like some weirdo.

Wait…

This technically still counts as talking to myself, doesn't it...?

...

After a thorough discussion, we began executing our plan.