Completely unaware of the power turbulence erupting inside the Juyal Mansion, Jaswant was out in the garden, training hard.
After last night's purification of the SANTANA Tree in the Bloodstain Forest—and the fight against the corrupted guardian—he had almost no stamina left. But he needed to advance on his path quickly. That meant purifying the remaining trees and merging them with the other fragments as soon as possible.
Last night,
when Jaswant reached home, he was so exhausted that he fell asleep the moment he touched his bed. Around three in the morning, he suddenly woke up to see a system window glowing in front of his eyes. It showed the location and details of the next tree, but the information was extremely blurred.
When he tapped the information panel, another notification appeared:
(**Sorry, but this information is locked.
You have not met the conditions required to unlock it.
To access this information, please complete all the necessary conditions for your next move.**)
Jaswant read it, confused. After thinking for a bit, he made a guess and opened his status window. While scrolling through his stats, his eyes stopped on his level—
Level 9
Seeing that, he immediately remembered the very first sub-quest he had been given:
the system had assigned him to level up from Level 8 to Level 10. And he had left that sub-quest unfinished.
But now, to move forward, he had no choice but to complete the quest he had ignored.
Just as he remembered that, a new system notification appeared—
Here is the expanded continuation — smooth, cinematic, and fully aligned with the tone you've been using:
---
Because he had failed to complete the quest on time, a penalty was now being issued to him.
A sharp chime echoed inside his mind—
DING!
"Penalty Activated."
A cold wave of energy wrapped around Jaswant's body. His muscles tightened, his breath hitched, and a sudden heaviness settled in his limbs as if invisible chains had latched onto him.
Before he could react, the system continued:
"Temporary Restriction Applied:
Your natural stamina recovery has been reduced by 60% for the next 48 hours."
Jaswant clenched his jaw.
Great.
Just what he needed after last night's exhausting battle.
He took a deep breath, forcing the irritation down. Complaining to the system never helped. Instead, he reopened the quest window, and this time, the sub-quest flashed brighter:
Sub-Quest (Pending):
Level Up from Lv 8 → Lv 10
Progress: 9/10
He was just one level away.
"One level… and the entire path ahead opens up," Jaswant muttered softly, staring at his hands.
---
He opened the window and looked outside.
The morning fog still hadn't lifted, and though a faint light had begun to spread across the sky, the silence of the night was still thick—slowly, gradually fading away.
Since, Jaswant decided to continue his training inside his room itself.
If he couldn't rely on stamina recovery, he would have to train smarter, not harder.
---
So he decided to begin his training with a warm-up, where he first had to store energy inside his body and channel it through his nerves.
This method would replenish any energy shortage within him and strengthen his mana core. Mana-core training after leveling up was extremely important, because with every level, the mana core became unstable—and it could only be stabilized through proper training.
After some time, his speed had noticeably decreased.
As his mana core gradually filled and stabilized, his energy-storage rate and mana circulation also slowed down.
After several hours of continuous training, his mana core was finally completely filled.
Which clearly meant—
to continue advancing, he would need to reach the next level.
By now, the sun had risen.
As soon as the first ray of light touched Jaswant, he stood up and went to freshen himself.
A little while later, after having breakfast, he left the house.
---
When he reached the garden, the fresh morning air almost felt intoxicating.
Jaswant closed his eyes and took a deep breath, letting the cool breeze fill his lungs.
For a brief moment, a soothing calm washed over him—
and then...
He took his stance again.
—
He activated The Eye of Manipulation—the skill he had bought from The God Store. A faint shimmer passed through his pupils, and the world around him sharpened. His breath stabilized, his reflexes heightened.
"Alright," he whispered.
"Let's get this over with."
He began his routine—fast footwork drills, mana circulation exercises, and close-quarters combat movements. Each strike, each kick, each burst of mana-heavy motion felt heavier than usual. The penalty was clearly working against him.
But as the minutes passed, something else happened.
His mana core… felt different.
Stronger.
Denser.
Almost… evolving.
He paused mid-strike, feeling a sudden tremor inside his chest.
Not painful—just powerful.
"What the—"
Before he could understand what was happening, another system window flashed open in front of him:
"Notification:
Due to intense physical exertion under penalty conditions, your mana core efficiency has increased.
EXP Gain Rate Boosted: +20% for 30 minutes."
Jaswant blinked.
A grin slowly spread across his face.
"So the system wants to punish me… but also reward me for pushing back?"
A spark of excitement lit inside him.
"Then let's push harder."
He pivoted, gathering mana into his fists, and slammed them into the training dummy.
BOOM!
The shockwave rattled through the entire garden. Birds burst into the air. Leaves shivered on their branches.
Inside the mansion, something ancient stirred—
something that felt Jaswant's power,
and was slowly waking up.
But Jaswant knew none of this.
He only saw the blue window flashing in front of him again—
"EXP +412
Level Up!"
"Congratulations.
You have reached Level 10."
A warm surge of energy exploded through his body.
And right behind that—
DING!
"Main Quest Path Unlocked."
"Next Tree Location — Available."
The moment Jaswant reached Level 10, the blue system window pulsed again—brighter, clearer, and far more stable than before. The blurred information he had seen at 3 am. now began forming into sharp lines and glowing runes.
A deep mechanical chime echoed in his ears—
DING!
"Level Requirement Met."
"Accessing Next Node in the Fragment Path…"
The entire display expanded, turning into a holographic map.
Golden lines crawled across the air, forming mountains, rivers, and dense green patches like a living geography unfolding before his eyes.
Jaswant stepped back, watching the image stabilize into a 3D projection.
Then the system spoke:
"The Tree of divine breath—Identified."
The map zoomed in.
Mountains rushed closer—an entire valley carpeted with emerald mist. At the center of the projection stood a massive ancient tree, its roots coiled like serpents, its trunk cracked with dark veins… almost trembling.
A corrupted aura poured from it like smoke.
Jaswant's breath caught.
This tree… was different.
Much bigger.
Much older.
Much deadlier.
As the mist parted, the name appeared—
[THE HARICHANDANA TREE]
Location: Sahastra Valley – Hidden Within the Mistveil Ravine
According to one legend, a king performed a ritual by offering a thousand Brahma Kamal flowers at its shores.
Below that, more details appeared in quick flashes:
• Corruption Level: 71% (High)
• Guardian Status: Unknown
• Territorial Danger Rating: Class B → Class A (Fluctuating)
• Estimated Threat Level: Red
• Special Condition: Tree bound by "Fogborne Parasite" – hostile entity
• Environmental Hazard: Memory-Distorting Mist
Jaswant frowned.
"Memory… distorting?"
Before he could think further, another panel opened:
---
SPECIAL WARNING:
**"This tree is protected by a parasitic entity born from ancient mist magic.
Entering its territory may result in:
• Memory lapses
• Illusions
• Emotional manipulation
• Losing sense of direction
• Hostile hallucinations
Proceed with caution."**
---
Jaswant felt a shiver crawl down his spine.
Bloodstain Forest was dangerous, but it was physical danger—monsters, corruption, curses.
But this…
This was psychological.
Mental.
Mind-breaking.
The system continued:
Quest – Purification Path: Fragment #2
Objective: Purify the Harichandana Tree and acquire the Fragment of Breath.
Requirements:
• Resist the Fogborne Parasite
• Defeat or avoid the Guardian (Unknown Class)
• Reach the Inner Core of the Tree
• Purify Root Nexus
• Retrieve Fragment safely
Reward:
• +1 Origin Fragment
• Unlock "Breath Reinforcement Path"
• Permanent +10% Mana Recovery
• Hidden Reward (Locked)
Penalty for Failure:
• Permanent Memory Loss (Minor)
• Fragment Contamination
• Path Progression Halted
---
Jaswant swallowed.
Permanent memory loss?
This was the first time the system had mentioned a consequence that serious.
"Great," he muttered, rubbing his forehead.
"As if things weren't complicated already."
But even through the worry, something inside him stirred—
a sense of purpose… a spark of excitement.
He had already purified one tree.
He could do it again.
Before he could close the window, one last line blinked at the bottom:
---
NOTE:
"The Harichandana Tree resonates with your bloodline.
The closer you go, the faster it will sense you."
---
Jaswant stiffened.
"Resonates… with my bloodline?"
He didn't understand. But he didn't have time to think.
A sudden cold gust of wind swept across the garden, rustling the trees violently.
And behind him—
from the direction of the mansion—
he felt something.
A presence.
The system flickered—
"Warning: An unidentified entity inside Maheshwari Mansion is observing you."
Jaswant spun around — but the garden was empty.
Only the wind moved.