The moment Luke confirmed his new profession…

[New profession acquired: Botanist of Mother Freya]

[Skill evolution complete!]

A new, unexpected notification lit up on the interface. He frowned.

[Herbology (Common)] -> [Herbology of Mother Freya (Ancient)]

"…Holy shit." Luke's eyes went wide. "I just got a skill with an insanely high rarity!"

He didn't know all the possible rarity levels, but Ancient was beyond anything he'd ever seen.

If I'd chosen Veteran Herbalist... or Venomous Herbalist, there's no way I would've received this.

Curious and now genuinely excited, he opened the skill description.

[Herbology of Mother Freya (Ancient)]: You have attained colossal knowledge about plants and herbs across the multiverse. Nature and the sentient life forms born from it are among the oldest manifestations of creation and you are now one of the few who understand their deepest secrets. Your mastery over plant properties and effects transcends common knowledge, reaching an intellectual and instinctive level so refined that you can identify species not yet officially cataloged. Your connection with flora is so intimate and rooted that it no longer relies on external resources. Your Identify skill reveals any plant at first glance, regardless of its origin, rarity, or complexity.

Luke didn't hesitate. He rushed over to one of the plants he had left on the workbench, green mint, and used Identify, even though he already knew what it was.

[Green Mint (Common)]: Often called nature's plague for its absurd ease of spreading, this plant proliferates rapidly in most environments. Over time, the mana in the atmosphere and rain-soaked soil has infused its leaves, making it one of the most essential ingredients for health potions. Mother Freya's Note: "To make a proper healing potion, it's ideal to use honey infused with mana or something similar. However, it also works as a potential catalyst for poisons."

"…What?" Luke blinked. "What the hell?"

He grabbed another sample, willow leaves, and tested it again.

[Willow Leaves (Common)]: Saturated with natural mana over the years, these thin leaves serve as subtle magical amplifiers, ideal for fine-tuning potion effects. Mother Freya's Note: "When mixed with a heat-based catalyst, they trigger a chemical reaction that turns potion liquid into gas. Ideal for gaseous poisons."

Luke stood in silence for a few seconds.

"…Mother Freya… she cataloged everything." He stared at the book on the table. "It's like I didn't just unlock her writings… I got the personal diary from inside a goddess's mind."

This was more than knowledge. It was a direct channel to Mother Freya's intuition. The book, helpful as it had been, now felt like a rough draft. The newly awakened skill, in contrast, was a living connection to the consciousness of flora itself. Every plant Luke looked at now would come with hidden secrets. Applications. Reactions. Recipes. Traps. The kind of power people would kill for.

Luke glanced at the pile of failed healing potions on the bench, stacked like monuments to his past mistakes. A mischievous grin tugged at his lips.

"This is gonna be like taking a brutal test with cheat sheets."

***

Kalysto stood with arms crossed and eyes half-lidded, watching the contents of the vials laid out across the table. The liquid shimmered in a flawless raspberry-red hue. The exact shade. The color that signified the healing potion was perfect.

"All that work over the past few days, sacrificing so many resources… and this is all I get?" Luke said, staring at the single red vial in his hand.

He had used up practically everything he gathered from the forest and after spending almost the entire day preparing the potion, the whole cauldron of effort had yielded only that small amount.

"And I even used my skill to make it happen… and this is all it gave me," he muttered.

[Healing Potion (Common)]: A potion that restores 33 HP.

"Well, what did you expect?" Kalysto said. "That you'd turn into a walking potion factory? Still, don't be too disappointed. You succeeded in crafting something most people at your level wouldn't even come close to."

He had followed Mother Freya's Notes, cross-referencing the skill's insights with the ingredients he had, adapting the formula. Without that skill… it would've been like trying to guess a complex password: Trial. Error. Try again.

But now… he had a direct line to the answer key. And even then, in the end, he'd managed only a single potion.

"It's better than nothing…" he murmured.

"With the materials you had, it's a solid result," she said, tone neutral.

Luke realized that was probably the highest praise he was going to get from her right now. And, to be fair… she was right. He could feel it—he had pushed those ingredients as far as they could go. No amount of theory or skill would stretch their potential any further. It didn't matter how well he understood the formulas—without new materials, he couldn't progress.

He needed to leave. To return to the forest. But not just to collect. Now that he was a Botanist, he wanted to see what the Herbology of Mother Freya skill would reveal in the wild. He wanted to test its boundaries. He wanted to see what only he could see now.

***

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[You have slain a Stalker Crocodile – Lvl 33]

[You have slain a Stalker Crocodile – Lvl 33]

Luke was panting as he ran through the forest. It had been a surprise attack, but luckily, he handled it. Two creatures, similar to an old enemy, had jumped him. And yet, facing them stirred something almost nostalgic.

How long has it been since I last saw one of these? It's like I stepped back in time…

Charlie remained sealed within his soul. That was how he preferred it. Alone, he could move at full speed, especially with his dash. She was still too slow to keep up. That's when he saw another one, a lone crocodile dragging itself between the trees.

Perfect.

The creature roared as Luke landed right in front of it. It lunged, jaws wide. Luke twisted, slamming a stamina-charged kukri into the creature's chest, knocking it backward. The beast rolled across the forest floor, belly exposed. Without hesitation, Luke hurled his second kukri. The black blade spun through the air and sank into the exposed flesh, drawing a piercing shriek from the monster.

He closed the distance and pinned it down with raw force. Then yanked both kukris free and plunged them in again. The creature screamed in pain.

"This is going to be a nostalgic one…" he muttered.

With a swift motion, he sliced his own palm. Blood dripped onto the crocodile's body. A system notification flashed:

[This living being has rejected becoming your second servant. It is therefore unworthy.]

Luke's eyes widened. "What?"

The crocodile began thrashing, struggling beneath him. Luke held it down with his weight but didn't fight back. This wasn't about killing, it was a test. He had expected some kind of prompt from the system. Something like 'Would you like to make this creature your servant?' But there was no prompt. The system had outright denied him.

"I need the monster to agree to become my servant?"

The crocodile twisted violently, trying to break free. Luke didn't hesitate. He drove the kukri between its eyes with a clean, final strike.

[You have slain a Stalker Crocodile – Lvl 33]

*Your class [Demonic Assassin] has reached Level 29! (Class Bonus Points Acquired)*

He stared at the corpse for a moment. "So even the Beast Lord won't work…" he muttered, gazing deeper into the forest.

There was no point in taking down that giant monster if it wouldn't submit. Even if he somehow defeated it one day, turning the Beast Lord into a servant would be impossible unless it chose to serve.

Luke exhaled, scratching his head. "Makes sense… the skill is called Servant of the Dark Lord. If it didn't require consent, it'd be Slave of the Dark Lord, right…"

Then he paused, brows furrowed. "Did Charlie agree from the start?"

He fell silent for a few seconds, thoughtful. She had always been by his side. Always willing to fight. Always followed his orders. She wanted to be his servant.

From the very beginning?

A faint smile touched his lips. His battle partner had just earned a few more respect points. Not that he didn't trust her, he just hadn't expected that little revelation.

"If Artemis were here, she'd definitely say something like, 'Oh, see, Luke? Now's the time to confess'... or some other nonsense," he muttered as he walked.

He stopped for a second. "…Can't believe I just thought of that lunatic."

And then he kept moving, deeper into the forest.

***

Luke sat high atop a towering tree, legs folded in a meditative position. Still. Silent. The forest stretched out around him like a living ocean, branches, roots, leaves all breathing in unison. He wasn't just seeing with his eyes. He was feeling.

His perception field expanded like a constant ripple, mapping everything around him in outlines and shapes. It was as if his mind was sketching a perfect mental image of the environment, tree by tree. He focused his attention on a specific spot, attempting something new. [Identify] And then, there it was.

[Green Mint (Common)]: Often called nature's plague for its absurd ease of spreading, this plant proliferates rapidly in most environments. Over time, the mana in the atmosphere and rain-soaked soil has infused its leaves, making it one of the most essential ingredients for health potions.

Luke opened his eyes, startled. "I can use Identify at a distance… on plants!"

*Your profession [Botanist of Mother Freya] has reached Level 9! (Bonus attribute points acquired)*

[The Botanist of Mother Freya profession has granted the following bonus attribute points: +2 Strength, +2 Agility, +2 Endurance, +2 Vitality, +2 Perception, +2 Intelligence, +4 Free Points]

He closed his eyes again and returned to that state of deep perception. He could feel the trees. He could sense the echo of the leaves... and he began to mentally "brush" against the presence of the plants below.

Mint…? Identify. It worked again. But when he tried it on an unknown plant… nothing.

"Hm... guess not." He frowned slightly. "Alright. Looks like this only works on ones I've already 'scanned' before."

Still, this was a huge breakthrough. It meant he could search for specific ingredients without even moving, simply by expanding his perception field. And the most interesting part? This "green sonar" actually scaled with his Perception stat.

The higher it got, the farther he could reach. Then, in the middle of that mental map—all outlines in shades of gray—something shone. A green light. Bright. Vibrant. Luke held his breath. Closed his eyes tighter. Focused. The glow was still there, a living pulse, a plant vibrating at a frequency completely unlike the others. His sonar had found something rare. And this wasn't some basic herb.

He rose slowly from the tree branch, a grin forming at the corner of his mouth. "…Found you."

And then he leapt, sprinting through the trees toward the source of the light.

***

Luke moved swiftly through the forest, his eyes locked onto the direction of the green light pulsing in his perception field. His satchel was already nearly full of new plants—but none of that mattered now. That light... it was different.

Along the way, he crossed paths with a few creatures but didn't bother hunting them for experience. What he wanted was ahead. When he finally reached the exact point, all he saw was a partially exposed root, jutting out of the ground.

"...Seriously?"

But then he expanded his perception again—and more green lights appeared. Multiple points, all interconnected like underground veins. He was tracing a source. And then… he found it. At the center of a shallow pool stood an ancient, massive tree. Part of its trunk was decayed and split open like a festering wound. And there, nestled inside… a plant pulsed. It resembled a violet cabbage, with black, dense leaves like wet velvet. Tiny roots embedded themselves into the tree's exposed flesh. All around it, the bark had turned completely gray.

Luke approached with caution. The water only reached his ankles. Once he was close enough, he activated his skill.

[Noctora Heart-Rot (Rare)]: This poisonous parasitic plant grows inside the trunks of ancient trees, feeding on their sap until it forms a pulsing organic heart. Mother Freya's Note: "The liquid extracted from it can produce a venom that causes internal organ collapse. Death can occur within hours or days, depending on the dose. For its full effect, high doses are recommended."

Luke's jaw dropped. "This... this is black gold in plant form."

Carefully, he wrapped the specimen in a clean cloth and placed it inside the special case he'd brought for fragile specimens. He wasn't interested in poison for combat, but this could be the key to developing antivenoms—or something far more advanced.

Either way, he was very interested in this plant. But before he could relax, a sharp crack echoed through the bushes nearby. Something was moving. He had just enough time to turn. A brutal impact came from above. He threw himself to the side on instinct.

Something smashed into the ground where he'd just been standing—and when Luke looked up, he saw it:

[Forest Minotaur – Lvl 52]

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