The sun sank below the horizon, and a gentle breeze swept up wisps of smoke, brushing softly past the golden treetops.
Mu En had no need for sleep.
Or rather, ever since he had become an Erdtree, "falling asleep" simply wasn't an option.
Fortunately, he had often stayed up all night before, and this ability gave him plenty of time to think.
For the past few days, he had been on edge, fighting for survival, with no time to think about anything else.
Now that he had a moment to breathe, Mu En finally had the chance to consider what it felt like to be a tree.
To be honest, it was a strange feeling.
The first thing that bothered him was that he could barely move.
Unlike the treants and ancient war trees in some fantasy worlds, which were more agile than monkeys.
Once an Erdtree took root, it was difficult for it to move. It had no ability to stretch out its branches and lash them like whips, much less pick up its feet and run.
Second, he had lost all the senses that belonged to animals, such as hearing, sight, and taste.
Mu En found these limitations hard to get used to.
Still, it wasn't without its advantages.
Although his body couldn't move, Mu En's ability to think had been greatly enhanced.
Never before had his thoughts felt so clear and swift. He could freely recall even his oldest memories, buried deep in the recesses of his mind.
By comparison, the way he had thought as a human was muddled, like being in a dream.
Now, he could clearly sense every leaf, every root, and everything around him.
This perception came from the golden aura radiating from his body. It was actually an ability that used his internal energy to automatically scan and probe his surroundings.
Simply put, it was an alternative form of spiritual power scanning.
Whether it was the energy consumed by growth, the casting of incantations, or that sensing ability, they were all essentially different manifestations of Golden Runes.
The more Runes he had in reserve, the stronger he was.
The Golden Order...
At a slight movement of Mu En's will, a design of four rings pierced by a tree trunk appeared at the center of his crown.
Unlike the sigil that appeared when he cast an incantation, the one that appeared now was more complete.
The trunk had become a complete little tree with a lush crown and a tangle of roots, enclosing the four rings from above and below, respectively.
He didn't know whether this change came from Nausicaä or the influence of that mysterious seed.
That was right. Although Mu En was the Elden Ring itself, he had only a vague idea of the power he wielded.
For example, the Law of Regression, Erdtree's Favor, and Blessed Dew he had used earlier had all come from some kind of instinct, released as naturally as could be.
As for the principles behind these abilities, he knew nothing.
If Mu En had to give an example, it felt like operating a computer with its keys jumbled up. He had to learn everything all over again.
And this computer was about to run out of power.
After thinking for a short while, Mu En decided to put things into practice first and see what "skills" he had.
To save energy, he carefully tried to cast each incantation he could vaguely sense at its minimum power.
Erdtree's Favor, Law of Regression, and... huh?
Mu En noticed that the tree he had chosen as his test target seemed to be growing rapidly.
After a closer look, he confirmed it. Withered leaves were being replaced by new buds, the trunk was growing taller bit by bit, and the roots were slowly winding past him.
Did the vitality from Erdtree's Favor stimulate the plant's growth?
Still, that made sense. The power representing "abundance" was an important part of the Golden Order to begin with.
As for why the woods hadn't undergone such a change during the day, he guessed it was because healing the trees had already exhausted the incantation's effects.
I knew it. That fierce woman Marika making enemies everywhere was her own problem. It had nothing to do with us Erdtrees.
However, this extra ability didn't seem to be of much use to him. His growth rate depended solely on how many Runes he had in reserve.
So Mu En set this new function aside and continued testing the next ability-
Boom!
When the golden light shone for the third time, a destructive shockwave erupted outward from the Erdtree, shaking the newly grown branches and leaves off the trees around him and scattering them across the ground.
It really is Wrath of Gold. Good thing I didn't use it during the day. Mu En silently broke out in a cold sweat.
Wrath of Gold was a lethal incantation that formed a shockwave from the power of the Golden Order. It was the power he had sensed when he instinctively wanted to protect himself during the day.
It might not be all that powerful when used by a Tarnished, but Mu En was the Erdtree itself.
If he really unleashed it at full power, this forest would probably be razed to the ground.
Of course, once he cast it, he would immediately turn into a piece of dry firewood.
Next, he tested two more skills: Immutable Shield and Erdtree's Protection. Their effects had both changed, however.
The former had originally been an ability that added elemental resistance to a shield. Now it had become a golden barrier that continuously repaired itself for its duration and blocked all damage, including physical attacks;
The latter had originally been able to increase the body's resistance to various kinds of damage, but now it could also increase physical strength and defense.
These incantations had become more powerful and versatile than they were in Elden Ring, but he couldn't determine what had caused the changes.
Perhaps the moves he cast were stronger because he was the Erdtree itself?
Other than these, Mu En couldn't cast any other incantations.
Whenever he tried to use those more "advanced" moves, the energy consumption would soar. Even if he exhausted all his energy, he would have trouble casting them.
Interesting. It's almost as if this was deliberately arranged.
His "initial skills" represented healing, offense, defense, support, an energy source, and the shaping of the ecological environment, covering nearly everything he needed to survive.
As for the reason... he still didn't know.
Mu En soon gave up on investigating the matter further. Without more evidence, any further thought would be mere speculation.
The most pressing task was to figure out whether he had any other abilities that could help him survive, as well as what was going on with that seed.
He couldn't rest easy until he found the foreign object that had inexplicably merged with his body.
Just as Mu En continued sensing his powers, a faint presence from afar caught his attention.
Faint faith and Rune energy converged on him through a channel like a soft, drifting ribbon.
Its source seemed to be somewhere east of the valley, too far away for him to detect.
That should be the direction of the village in the Valley of the Wind. Is the Rune feedback from those granted blessings and believers unaffected by distance?
Mu En tried extending his consciousness along the Rune channel. To his surprise, he reached the "source" in an instant.
And then the whole world suddenly came into focus.