Eren inspected Michael more intently than before and found a few signs that worried him.
Despite possessing a Healing Soultrait, Michael's skin was torn in various spots. His muscles bulged with every movement, nearly tearing his skin apart no matter how small Michael's movements were.
Michael looked powerful, and it was quite apparent that he had a Soultrait that enhanced the resilience of his body in every possible way. Still, it didn't require a genius, let alone a Divine Lifeform, to tell that Michael's vessel was on the verge of breaking apart. Michael's vessel was already beyond the first few stages of breaking apart.
'He shouldn't have fought the Undead Pharaoh. Throwing that mission at him accelerated the destruction of his body. Why did I send a Lesser Lifeform to deal with an Undead Divine Lifeform? No matter how weak the Undead Pharaoh was after his undead awakening, he was still a Higher Lifeform with cursed powers.'
Eren Long might be a Divine Lifeform with far more experience than he wanted to acknowledge right now, but he mistakenly believed to have found someone who could transcend the norms in every possible way without sustaining any harm. He was too excited about finding Michael to forget that limits existed for a reason.
"You have to ascend as soon as possible without any more external pressure," Eren repeated. "We need to bring you to the Nest."
Michael didn't say anything right away. He noticed that the Curse User had been appraising his body and condition and nodded slowly. Michael was aware of his condition. He knew that he had to ascend soon. Going all-out against the Undead Pharaoh put him in a difficult position.
To be precise, giving his utmost while using amplified Sacred Constituion, which was further reinforced with Enhancement, only to follow up with the Heavenly Beast Physique Soul Technique and Foundation Break, had been an issue. The situation worsened the moment Michael used True Extraction with the Wolf Curse's help, only for his physique to be further reinforced by the World Serpent.
The World Serpent tried to help him, ensuring his body wouldn't tear apart, but the toll on his body had worn on him. Michael knew that his body would crumble down soon if he engaged in a fierce battle again.
Evalynn's eyes narrowed as she listened to Eren. She saw the gaze in Michael's eyes and swallowed hard.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64ce79d606107d003c23ea27", id: "pf-5140-1"})"I understand," Michael nodded, taking Evalynn by surprise.
"Does that mean you will come with us to the Nest?"
Michael didn't want to bother answering his mother's question, but he also saw that Eren was curious.
"I think I must go to the Nest. I made this decision not only because of my current condition but also because I've noticed that I'm too weak." He sighed deeply.
"Fighting the Undead Pharaoh showed me how fragile my body is and that my Curses have much more control over my life than I expected. I didn't want to acknowledge it initially, but I have to put my pride aside and accept that I'm not in full control of myself."
"The Curses might not work against me right now, but they're self-centered, to a certain extent, at least. I need to ascend to a Higher Lifeform and better control my Curses. Also, Danny needs a body sooner rather than later. He shouldn't stay too long in the Soul Grimoire; otherwise, we might get too attached to this state."
[We are already too attached to each other.] Danny pointed out, to which Michael responded with a frown.
'Well…yeah…'
[And I'm helping you solely out of goodwill!] The World Serpent announced, only for the brothers to shout simultaneously.
'As if!' Michael cursed while Danny grunted dead serious.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "64cc9e79c7059f003e4ad4b0", id: "pf-5109-1"})[You should start working as a comedian.]
[Comedian? Are you trying to fool me, little Soul?! I can swallow your whole existence with one bite. If you don't get your act together, I can eat your Living Soul and that little Soul Grimoire that protects you at once!] The World Serpent hissed loudly in Michael's mind.
Michael figured that the World Serpent didn't like Danny's joke, but his brother didn't take the World Serpent seriously. That could be problematic, but Michael didn't think much about it. He allowed them to quarrel in his mind while focusing on Eren, who smiled at Michael in response.
"In that case, how about I change your rewards to something better? Since you're coming with us to the Nest, I might as well give you something that will help you right now," Eren retrieved a tiny transparent glass vial from his War Rune. It contained one droplet of a liquid that Michael had never seen before. However, Michael could tell that it was something special. It was golden and glimmered vibrantly like a miniature sun.
"What's that?"
"It's a droplet of Origin Sap," Eren said, his voice filled with pride.
Michael waited a while, but Eren didn't say anything else.
"That's your explanation? Origin Sap doesn't tell me anything."
Origin Sap sounded like something special, and it was probably incredibly valuable for the Nest, given that Eren treated the tiny vial with great care, but Michael had never heard of a consumable called Origin Sap.
Eren was so careful with the vial, almost like he was worried that it might break at any moment. However, Michael doubted that it was possible to break the vial in the first place. Spirit Eyes showed Michael that the vial had various 'invisible' engravings. He doubted that an ordinary Divine Lifeform could break the vial easily. That elevated Michael's interest to a new level.
window.pubfuturetag = window.pubfuturetag || [];window.pubfuturetag.push({unit: "663633fa8ebf7442f0652b33", id: "pf-8817-1"})What kind of treasure was stored in a vial that could only be broken by a Divine Lifeform – if the Divine Lifeform tried hard to break it intentionally?
"I don't want to tell you too much about Origin Sap. You will be surprised when you consume it," Eren smiled deviously, only to casually add, "But be careful. This is not something I would usually give to a Lesser Lifeform. I think you can manage to digest the Origin Sap without dying since your body can endure the weight of so many Curses, Seals, and Soultraits. It's interesting to see if you can digest the Origin Sap entirely."
"Test…that doesn't sound too exciting…" Michael murmured, only for Eren to wave dismissively.
"If you digest the Origin Sap properly, you'll have enough perfectly purified origin energy and highly potent nutrition to advance to the Peak of Tier-3 and ascend to a Higher Lifeform immediately. You won't have to worry about anything if you manage to digest the Origin Sap."
"In fact, your energy veins, the Runic Pillar – your energy pool – and your body, mind, and soul might receive some additional benefits from consuming the Oriign Sap for your High Ascension. Of course, that is just a guess of mine. We never had anyone consume Origin Sap for their ascension. After all, it is way too valuable to be wasted on Lesser Lifeforms. They cannot digest even one-hundredth of its efficiency."
Almost everything Eren said didn't make sense, but Michael didn't dare to ask anything as the World Serpent's voice thundered through his mind.
[Take it! Do it! I'll help you control that wolf bastard if you consume the Origin Sap!]
'You know what that is?'
[Of course I do! Only a foolish idiot from a backwater galaxy wouldn't know what Origin Sap is!]
'The hell. Sorry for being a foolish idiot from a backwater galaxy. If you don't like hiding inside that foolish idiot, how about you leave?' Michael snorted.
The World Serpent didn't say anything for a while, only to hiss loudly.
[I…take that back. Take the Origin Sap, though! It's a treasure that can only be procured by Divine Lifeforms. It's an incredible treasure guarded by the cosmos's strongest entities. A single droplet is worth more than the lives of millions of Higher Lifeforms. It can tend to all kinds of ailments and even remove Curses – not Curses like that Wolf bastard. Actual curses, not Curses who've been fused into your ancestry's Souls through generations. Either way, even Divine Lifeforms fight and betray each other for a few drops of Origin Sap!]
'And Eren is giving me that…just like that, even though Lesser Lifeforms cannot efficiently use one-hundredth of its potency? That doesn't create any sense!'
[Maybe he thinks that you can create use of it. He expects you to consume it entirely, I guess. Though that is impossible without help – my help. Origin Sap will grant you more control over your body as well, by the way. You will have an easier time controlling your emotions. Using the Wicked Spear Arts more often won't exist a big issue either. The wolf bastard will have to obey you as well. To a certain extent, at least.]
Michael's frown deepened even further, but Eren didn't stop smiling.
"You're talking to your Curses, aren't you? It wants you to stop thinking and accept the Origin Sap before I retract my offer, doesn't it?" He guessed correctly.
Michael's eyes widened, but Eren just laughed.
"It's good to doubt my intentions," Eren praised Michael, only to shrug, "Let's just say that you owe me some Soultraits and a favor in exchange for the Origin Sap."
'The Soultraits are no problem. If the Origin Sap is as valuable as the World Serpent says it is…even giving Eren a 6-Star or 7-
Star Soultrait would exist worth it…as long as I able to digest it entirely, that is… But a favor? What could he wish from me?'
One way or another, Michael couldn't aid but feel that Eren had a punchable face.
