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After spending an entire afternoon, a thriving Elm Tree stood proudly in Vison's Plantation. Clearly, Lupin had transplanted it from somewhere. Meanwhile, Vison's Growth Potions were successfully brewed. Upon adding a branch of the mutated Elm Tree, the Potions turned unstable, resembling flowing thunderclouds. When Vison poured the potion into a bottle, he could even see subtle lightning bolts flickering within the dark purple liquid, crackling faintly against the glass.
"Are you sure that's a potion?" Lupin asked curiously, eyeing the bottle in Vison's hand. "It looks like it's about to explode."
"You'd better hope it doesn't," Vison shrugged, then calmly poured the potion into a bucket filled with water.
Instantly, a bloody smell spread across the air. An unusual ripple formed on the surface of the water, followed by a rumbling, thunderous sound. At the same time, the Elm Tree, which had just been transplanted, seemed to sense something. Some of its branches bent slightly, pointing directly toward the bucket, clearly craving the potion.
"So... what exactly is this potion for?" Lupin crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow, and narrowed his eyes at the bucket. "What does it do?"
"Simply put," Vison said, gazing at the Elm Tree, "this potion can turn ordinary plants into magical ones."
Lupin raised an eyebrow. "Really?"
"You'll see soon enough," Vison replied, his voice steady. He began evenly sprinkling the potion near the tree's roots.
But instead of the expected reaction, everything suddenly fell silent. The Elm Tree remained motionless, as though petrified.
"Uh..." Lupin frowned, staring at the tree. "Did it fail?"
Vison ignored him, silently reciting in his mind: "Eldra."
[Species: Elm Tree]
[Level: 1]
[State: Growing (1%)]
1%, 2%, 3%...
Vison exhaled in relief as the growth rate steadily increased. His potion was working after all. After several quiet minutes of waiting, movement finally came, but it wasn't the Elm Tree that moved—it was the weather.
Just as the growth progress neared completion, the sky began to change. Dark clouds rapidly gathered overhead, encircling the entire plantation. Lupin looked up at the ominous sky, his brow furrowing. "This isn't natural," he muttered.
Vison noticed the anomaly too. The dark clouds hung directly above the Elm Tree, showing no signs of dissipating. Suddenly, a brilliant blue-white lightning bolt shot down from the sky, striking the trunk of the Elm Tree.
"Boom!" The moment the lightning struck, a flash of light illuminated the area, followed by the sharp scent of burnt wood. Both Vison and Lupin stumbled back in shock.
When the light faded, the Elm Tree had undergone an astonishing transformation. Its once lush green leaves had turned to ash, the trunk was charred, and cracks covered the surface of the bark. Half the branches drooped down, and blue-white electric arcs danced within them. It looked as though the tree had been struck dead by lightning.
Vison stared blankly at the tree, a sinking feeling rising in his chest. His previous Elm Tree had met a similar fate.
He stared at the charred remains of the tree for several seconds, then sighed deeply. "This is hell…" he muttered, rubbing his brow in frustration. He hadn't expected the Elm Tree to be struck by lightning before the transformation was even complete.
However, as Vison stared at the burned tree, he soon realized something had changed. Despite its scorched appearance, the tree was still alive.
[Species: Lightning-Struck Wood]
[Level: 2]
[Traits: Thunderstorm Summoning, Lightning Attraction]
[State: Growing (0%)]
The Elm Tree had successfully completed its evolution into Lightning-Struck Wood. Moreover, it had developed two unexpected traits: Thunderstorm Summoning and Lightning Attraction. This was more than Vison had anticipated.
After the first lightning strike, the dark clouds did not dissipate. Instead, they thickened, swirling ominously above the tree, with intermittent flashes of lightning flickering within. Then, another bolt of lightning shot down, striking the Lightning-Struck Wood once again.
This time, however, the tree was not harmed. Instead, it seemed to gain new life. Blue light shimmered through the cracks in its bark, and the damage from the earlier strike began to heal.
Vison could feel that the tree's vitality was growing stronger. This must have been the effect of its "Lightning Attraction" trait.
The thunderstorm raged on. Lupin's robes crackled in the wind, and he seemed to pay little attention to the hat that had been blown away, shouting toward Vison, "What's happening? Is this normal?"
"Relax, Lupin! It'll be over soon!" Vison shouted back, but his voice was almost drowned out by the thunder.
Before he could finish speaking, a silver-white figure suddenly emerged from the dark clouds, accompanied by a deafening thunderclap.
It was a Thunderbird.
Vison's heart skipped a beat. His gaze snapped to the suitcase containing the Thunderbird, which had been left nearby. The suitcase was now open, and sure enough, the Thunderbird had escaped.
The young Thunderbird was already adapting to the storm, playing among the clouds. Lightning crackled around it, the wind howling in the thunderous chaos. The entire sky seemed alive with energy.
"This is bad," Vison muttered under his breath. He hadn't yet developed a bond with the Thunderbird, and now it had escaped. He had no idea if it would come back.
Vison rushed to the Lightning-Struck Wood, patting its trunk gently. "Stop," he commanded.
His magic allowed plants affected by it to understand his words, and sure enough, the dark clouds began to disperse. The storm slowly subsided, and the Thunderbird, having finished its frolicking, hesitated in mid-air for a moment before flying back to Vison's side. It nuzzled his arm gently.
Vison smiled at the Thunderbird's behavior. "Looks like Roskin taught you well," he said as he reached up to groom its feathers.
At that moment, Lupin, who had been watching in stunned silence, finally snapped out of his daze.
"This is... a Thunderbird?" He stared at Vison with wide eyes, disbelief written across his face.
Vison nodded, a smile tugging at his lips. "Yes. See how well-behaved it is?"
Lupin couldn't help but smile helplessly, shaking his head. There was clearly something strange about Vison's nature. First a dragon, now a Thunderbird—who knew what else he would bring back? Maybe a pack of Acromantulas next time?
Of course, Lupin realized with a sigh that Vison would probably have to feed the Thunderbird now, just as he had been taking care of the dragon named Torch. Vison, on the other hand, seemed entirely indifferent.
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