I was just your average Alraune who had been feeling quite peckish lately.
I had just finished poisoning a Waldschwein, a boar-type monster. It was a massive creature that boasted the momentum and breakthrough power of a heavy tank. If a mere plant like me took a direct hit from a hunk of meat that large, I would surely be blown to pieces.
It was terrifying, really. However, I had no intention of taking the hit.
Using Plant Generation, I transformed my vines into Briars and wove them together to create a Briar Wall. When the boar slammed into the barrier, the thorns entangled it like a net, sinking deep into its flesh. No matter how much momentum a foe had, they were bound to stop for at least a moment when they threw themselves into a wall of thorns.
To make matters worse for the boar, those thorns were toxic. I had experimented with applying my poisonous pollen to the Briars, and the result was incredibly potent. It was so effective that I could defeat most enemies with this alone.
Between the thorns piercing its entire body and the venom coursing through its veins, the Waldschwein’s movements came to a grinding halt. While it faltered, I delivered the finishing blow with a cloud of toxic pollen. Mr. Boar collapsed.
Without missing a beat, I helped myself.
Munch, munch, gulp.
I wondered why, but it felt like I had been encountering monsters with unusual frequency lately. My daily routine of photosynthesizing and living the "plant life" hadn't changed, but the forest itself was no longer quiet. There were simply too many monsters. Several of them stumbled upon me every single day.
For some reason, an extraordinary number of creatures were charging straight for me. Sometimes they came alone, sometimes in groups, and sometimes they even seemed to arrive in an orderly line.
I had about a hundred Poison Briars at my disposal. I had recently realized that as long as I wasn't facing a true powerhouse, I was actually quite good at dealing with multiple opponents at once. Thanks to that, I ended up digesting everyone who came by to say hello.
This was the first time I had ever experienced such an all-you-can-eat buffet in this forest. Since I was just acting like a carnivorous plant—sitting still and preying on whatever targets wandered into my reach—I suppose I was still technically leading a quiet life.
In short, I was quietly devouring everything in sight.
The forest had become restless ever since the day I ate the Wahnschlange, also known as the "Anaconda." The vacuum left by the disappearance of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Forest was the likely cause. Considering that Mr. Hellwolf, the Wolf of Hell, had already been eaten by Bear-papa, things were looking quite dire for the local hierarchy. Essentially, two of the four seats were vacant.
Furthermore, I had a hunch that Bear-papa, the Lord of the Forest, had become so obsessed with my Nectar Balls that he couldn't bring himself to leave his nest. With the Lord absent, the territorial boundaries had collapsed, and the ecosystem was falling apart.
That was the only way to explain the current situation. It was actually a blessing for me, since I never had to worry about my next meal. My hunting strategy consisted entirely of waiting. Being a plant, I couldn't exactly go for a stroll, so I lured prey in with my nectar and then snapped them up.
In normal times, I would go days without eating, but lately, I was dealing with such a surplus of food that I was completely over-nourished. If I got fat, what was I supposed to do? I had a body that couldn't go on a diet even if I wanted to.
Honestly, no monster that came my way was a match for me anymore. I had been growing, too—metaphorically and literally. Unless it was a Four Heavenly Kings-class opponent like the Anaconda, I didn't even break a sweat. Several weeks had passed since I ate the snake, and I had yet to face a worthy rival. I was quite happy to live without any more life-threatening crises.
Oh, it looked like another guest had arrived.
"Hello, Mr. Tiger."
It appeared to be a Kriegtiger. He was a battle-crazed beast about the size of a large truck. This particular species was famous for its love of combat; legend had it that some Kriegtigers had even intruded upon human battlefields and slaughtered both armies single-handedly. They were a truly formidable race.
However, there were clearly no tigers of that caliber in this forest.
Because, you see... Mr. Tiger was already dead.
As he had approached me cautiously, I had directed dozens of Briars toward him. Even a creature with his reflexes couldn't dodge them all. And as I mentioned, those thorns were poisonous.
The Poison Briar was my signature move. If he sustained even a single scratch, he would be down in seconds. My strategy was to follow up immediately with toxic pollen, ending the fight in an instant.
It really was my ultimate winning formula. No one ever realized the thorns were toxic on their first encounter.
It felt a bit anticlimactic. Given the reputation of his species, I had wondered for a moment if he might be the last of the Four Heavenly Kings, but since he was nowhere near as troublesome as the Anaconda, I hesitated to grant him the title. He probably could have reigned supreme over the other monsters in the forest, and I suspected he possessed power on par with the Wolf of Hell, but he just wasn't a "strong enemy" to me.
For now, I decided to categorize him as one of the Four Heavenly Kings of the Forest (Provisional).
"Do your best to drop the 'provisional' and become a formal member in your next life, Mr. Tiger. Though, since you're currently dissolving in my stomach, that's technically impossible. Good luck in the one after that."
I was currently in the middle of doing my best in my own second life, after all. If Mr. Tiger reincarnated as a plant, he would understand how I felt. We could get along as fellow flowers then. And once he did, I would gladly eat him again to use as material for my Plant Generation, so he had nothing to worry about.
Thinking back, I wondered if my poison had become stronger. Ever since my battles with Bear-papa and the Anaconda, my killing capacity seemed to have improved. It felt as though I had undergone some sort of selective breeding. Perhaps because I had faced death, my survival instincts had kicked in and concentrated my toxins.
I suppose that was just another sign of my growth. Come to think of it, I had started this life as a newly sprouted Alraune seedling. I was still just a child. I was bound to get even stronger as an adult.
Maybe I was in the middle of a growth spurt? I could grow more vines and Briars than ever before. That would certainly explain why I was so hungry lately. Despite being over-nourished, I felt like I was lacking nutrients. It was strange, but I decided not to overthink it.
I would eat plenty and grow into a large, magnificent flower! Then, eventually, I would repel my greatest nemesis. I never wanted to taste the humiliation of defeat ever again. I wouldn't lose to the warring states period of this forest. I would get strong and secure a peaceful life.
I continued to turn dozens of monsters into nutrition, one after the other. But eventually, I realized the presence of living creatures had vanished from my vicinity. No one came to greet me anymore. Even though there had been so many for a while, where had they all gone?
It was a complete mystery. Since I no longer had any guests to attend to, I returned to my idle daily routine. I spent my days relaxing and photosynthesizing. The sunlight was delicious. The water was delicious.
However, those peaceful days came to an abrupt end. After a short while, an old acquaintance appeared for the first time in a month.
"Oh, hello. Long time no see, Bear-papa. You look as healthy as ever..."
It was good that my enemies were gone, but I had been so absorbed in my buffet that I had completely forgotten about him. A month had passed, so it wasn't surprising that he had finished his Nectar Balls.
However, the situation was worse than I had expected. Bear-papa hadn't come alone. He had brought a companion.
"Bear-papa, who is this person standing beside you? Won't you introduce us?"
What? The person beside him was his wife? That was a bit of a shock.
So this was Bear-mama.
"Nice to meet you. Your faces are so identical that I thought you were Bear-papa's brother."
Bear-papa had come to visit with his wife. It was a husband-and-wife revenge mission. Since there was a cub called the Honey-loving Perverted Bear, it should have been obvious that a Bear-mama existed alongside Bear-papa. I had completely overlooked it.
Bear-papa and Bear-mama began their advance toward me in unison.
I see. I understood the situation perfectly. It appeared I was about to be thrashed by a married couple.