It was a pea plant that reached Isaac’s waist. The stem was thin and flexible, slightly swaying even though there was no wind. Two broad leaves extended from the middle, and above them sat a long tubular head.
The head looked like a hollow barrel.
Its front opened into a round mouth, slightly wet and pulsing as mana flowed inside. The entire shape looked absurdly familiar. It resembled something between a cannon and a cartoonish plant.
Isaac froze.
He recognized it immediately.
It looked almost identical to a plant from a game he had played in his previous world. Of course, he had tried to recreate something like that, but he never expected the result to match so closely.
"So this is how it would look in 3D..." he muttered.
"What?" Celia asked, lifting her upper body from his back. She leaned forward curiously and peered straight into the plant’s open mouth.
At that exact moment, mana began gathering inside the hollow head.
Isaac’s eyes widened.
"Celia—"
Before he could finish, she sensed the danger. Celia instantly pulled her head back. A green sphere shot out of the plant’s mouth with a sharp whizzing sound, barely missing her face. The projectile passed so close that it whipped her hair backward.
The green ball continued flying across the field before exploding against a tree in the distance. Dirt scattered, and fragments of bark shattered outward.
Celia stared at the impact site in silence.
Then she slowly turned her head toward the plant.
"...why did it attack me?" she asked.
"Maybe it doesn’t like you," Isaac replied with a chuckle.
She pouted immediately.
Isaac ignored her expression and focused on the plant. He could feel a faint connection with it, like a thread linking their minds. The bond was weak but clear enough for communication.
"Can you shoot again?" he asked.
The plant responded.
Mana gathered inside its mouth once more. The charging process took roughly eight seconds. Then it fired again. Another green sphere launched forward, striking a patch of soil and blasting a small crater.
Avery watched closely.
"That force is comparable to a Master of a mid-rank species," she said thoughtfully.
"Yeah, it’s quite strong. Considering we refined its genetics so much, and it’s a Tier 1 plant, this makes sense," Isaac agreed.
He opened his status screen and checked his Class Advancement progress. A smile slowly spread across his face when he saw the number.
War Plants Created: 1 / 1000
"This one counts for my Class Advancement Quest," Isaac said.
"Then we should create more. They would be excellent for the city’s defense, and they also help your Class Advancement. Though conquering a city using them will be difficult. They don’t seem capable of movement," Avery replied.
Isaac nodded.
That would be a problem. His quest required him to conquer a city using his plants. Stationary artillery plants were powerful for defense, but offense would require strategy. He would need either mobile variants or a method to transport them.
Or an entirely different strategy.
Still, that was a problem for later.
For now, he focused on stabilizing the genetics of the new plant. He named it Green Spitter. The name was simple but accurate.
Since the war-plant had considerable firepower, Isaac had no intention of selling it to civilians. Instead, he planned to deploy them around his own city first. After that, he would sell them selectively to guilds or allied cities.
"Creating large numbers of Green Spitter seeds will take time. I need to perform genetic modification on each batch," Isaac muttered.
He got to work immediately.
Hours passed.
Celia eventually climbed off his back, complaining that the sun was too hot. She dragged a lawn chair into the shade of a tree and stretched lazily. A cold drink appeared in her hand, and she began watching Isaac work while enjoying the breeze.
Isaac, meanwhile, continued experimenting. He stabilized gene combinations, refined seed durability, and repeated the process again and again. Several seeds still disintegrated when the genes conflicted, but the success rate slowly improved.
After some time, multiple notifications appeared.
Seed of Providence has reached Level 7 → Level 8
Seed Imprinting has reached Level 4 → Level 5
Genetic Reaping has reached Level 3 → Level 4
Isaac smiled.
The level-ups came at the perfect time. Seed of Providence’s level increased the probability of gaining 50% extra yield. Seed Imprinting becoming stronger reduced the chance of seed disintegration during gene fusion. Genetic Reaping improving meant he might gain additional genes when harvesting mutated plants, though he still hadn’t received any bonus genes yet.
He paused for a moment and looked toward the evening sun. The sky had begun turning orange. Emily’s Lord Quest should be nearing completion. Selene’s evolution would also finish soon.
But something else had completed earlier.
A new screen appeared before him.
You have built three churches.
Faith flows through your churches.
Quest completed.
Reward: A skill related to your highest ranked God Domain.
Isaac’s eyes lit up.
Finally.
The next line appeared.
You have received Master of Dual Cultivation (Transcendence) skill.
New God Quest [Champion’s Faith] has been generated.
Isaac’s smile froze.
He stared at the skill name.
Master... of Dual Cultivation?
His expression slowly stiffened.
With a growing sense of dread, he opened his domain list.
Domains: Lust, NTR, Harem, War, Farmer...
Isaac blinked. He rubbed his eyes, and checked again.
The order didn’t change.
Lust.
NTR.
Harem.
War.
Farmer.
His face darkened.
’Shouldn’t War or Farmer be at the top now? I showed overwhelming strength during Emily’s Lord Quest. My crops are selling everywhere. Why are these still the highest?’
With a trembling hand, he pulled out his device and opened the livestream recording. Then he began reading the comments.
His expression hardened.
The more he read, the darker his face became. Every accusation, every rumor, every comment about his relationships... it all painted the same image.
Not a war leader, or a farmer.
But a shameless womanizer.
Isaac slowly lowered the device.
Then he turned his head.
Celia was lying comfortably on a lawn chair, sipping juice with a blissful smile, completely relaxed.
Isaac took one step. He vanished, and in the next moment, he appeared directly in front of her.
"Isaac, try this—" she began, offering her drink.
"How did the livestream go today?" he asked.
Celia froze.
Something in his tone felt wrong. She slowly raised her head and saw his dark expression. Alarm flashed in her eyes. She instinctively tried to teleport away, but Isaac had already sealed the surrounding space.
She was too slow to run.
He smiled faintly.
"I thought you said the livestream went well, and that everyone was praising my strength," he said calmly.
"Uhm... Isaac, calm down—"
Isaac opened his mouth, then closed it again. The anger faded slightly. After a moment, he sighed. This time it wasn’t her fault.
He sat down beside her and leaned back.
"You’re... not angry at me?" she asked cautiously.
"Why would I be? It’s not your fault. Not this time, at least. Sorry for getting angry earlier," he replied.
"Uhm... but I still didn’t tell you about the livestream reaction," she said.
"It’s fine," he waved his hand. "What would that change?"
"Oh..." Celia nodded slowly.
She hesitated for a moment, then asked carefully while trying to hide her anticipation, "So... what reward did you get from the God Quest?"