This is still from the boy’s POV.
My name is Armin.
After being snatched by a Bee Monster in the forest and carried off to some unknown place, I somehow found myself the captive of a flower monster—an Alraune.
But looking back, it must have been fate.
After all, my entire life changed the moment I tasted that Alraune’s nectar.
I tried a single lick.
Suddenly, the world shimmered in seven brilliant colors.
The nectar was so, so, so delicioooooouuuuuussssss!
What was this?
What was this, what was this, what was this, what was this, what was this, what was this, what was this, what was this, what was this?!
I’d heard that the angels in the Celestial Realm lived in a state of eternal Paradise, and it was so divine that I could actually believe Heaven was only called that because its inhabitants got to eat this every day.
Everything that followed felt like a blur, like a scene from a dream.
I think the Alraune asked me a lot of questions. Several times, I felt the urge to snap back and ask how a mere Plant Monster knew the names of nations, roads, and the affairs of the world.
But I wasn't that boorish.
I stayed silent for one simple reason: the Alraune was giving me nectar.
That nectar changed me.
As of that day, nectar became the master of my soul.
Several days passed under the Alraune’s care.
I was perfectly content with my life in the forest. Why wouldn't I be? The nectar was here!
But all good things must come to an end.
I realized the Old Man was out looking for me.
As a parting gift, the Alraune gave me a small Nectar Ball.
The moment I laid eyes on it, I knew with every fiber of my being that I had to eat it immediately.
I popped the Nectar Ball into my mouth. The sweetness made it feel as if my tongue were melting into nectar itself, and I was overcome by a sensation of being born anew.
Following the Alraune’s instructions, I swallowed. A radiant warmth bloomed in my gut, enveloping me.
It was strange—I felt as though I could survive any injury, that I would simply recover instantly. That was the kind of power I felt coursing through me.
The kind Alraune gave me one more Nectar Ball.
Incredible!
It was so sweet!
I felt invincible.
Eventually, I reunited with the Old Man.
Apparently, he’d failed to find the Monkey Monster. Instead, he’d set up a simple barrier to keep it away from the village.
The Old Man and I left the village immediately after that.
He muttered something about sightings of a Dragon in the nearby Mountainous Region. If there was a Dragon around these parts, he was certain it had to be a beast belonging to the Demon King’s Army.
In the end, however, we never encountered any Dragon, even after scouring the mountains. If I’d known that would happen, I would have stayed in the village longer. Then I could have snuck off to see the Alraune again.
And so, my training resumed.
But it wasn't painful anymore.
I had my Nectar Balls, after all. Even the most grueling training felt sweet now.
My new life had begun.
Every aspect of my existence revolved around that nectar.
It was my favorite food, my family, my beloved, my future, my past—it was my life.
I would do anything for the sake of the nectar.
But the Nectar Balls were starting to dissolve, destined to vanish.
As long as the Old Man was watching me, I couldn't simply return to that forest.
Then I noticed something peculiar. When I’d swallowed the Alraune’s nectar, I’d felt a warmth identical to the sensation of receiving Light Recovery Magic.
Only human women are supposed to be able to use Light Magic.
Come to think of it, I was still stunned that the Alraune—who shouldn't have been able to use magic at all—possessed such profound magical knowledge.
That blissful moment had felt like concentrated sunlight filtering through the trees.
Yes, it was exactly like being enveloped in the Light Recovery Magic used by a Saint.
I wanted to feel that rapture forever.
And if that was what I wanted, why couldn't I just use Light Magic myself?
Fortunately, the Nectar Ball Remnants still lingered within me.
Relying on that lingering sensation, I began to practice Recovery Magic, visualizing the process of regenerating the Nectar Ball itself.
If I could do that, I could savor the taste of the nectar inside my own body for the rest of time.
Once my mind was made up, my special training began.
But that was when the real suffering started.
I began to experience withdrawal symptoms.
My previous sweet life felt like a cruel lie.
I didn't have enough nectar. I needed more...
I wanted to taste it on my tongue again.
I craved that supreme sweetness at the back of my throat.
The sweetness was so intense it made me wonder if I was actually made of nectar myself—it felt like my entire body would dissolve and turn into syrup for a pancake.
I would sell my soul to the devil to taste it again.
I would gladly become the Alraune’s Subordinate.
That was it. I had to go back. I had to see the Alraune!
Three years had passed since I first learned the taste of the nectar.
The Old Man was getting up there in years.
If I made a break for it at full speed, it would take him at least a few days to catch me, even if he gave chase. In that time, I could get more Nectar Balls.
Driven by that obsession, I returned to the forest.
—Or so I thought.
The forest was gone.
There wasn't a single trace left. Only a vast expanse of Black Earth stretched out before me.
There was no sign of the Alraune.
I didn't think it was possible for her to move, being a plant. So where had she gone?
The village was gone too.
Only desolate, weathered ruins remained, looking as though the whole place had burned to the ground.
All that was left were simple graves.
There hadn't been this many headstones the last time I was here.
Had everyone been slaughtered, like the white-haired girl’s parents?
No one was left to tell me what had happened on this land.
I fell into utter despair.
What if the Alraune had died too, just like the villagers in those graves?
If that were true, I would never taste that nectar again.
The only thing I had left was the tiny Nectar Ball still lingering inside me.
The only path forward was to keep regenerating it.
Regeneration meant Recovery Magic.
The only Recovery Magic humans can use is Light Recovery Magic.
Supposedly, only women who receive the Goddess’s Blessing can use it, and such talent appears only once in tens of thousands of people.
Yet, for some reason, I found myself able to use that Light Magic, if only a little.
By focusing on the Nectar Ball at my core, I could somehow manifest the magic.
From that day on, I dedicated myself to regenerating the Nectar Ball within me.
And then, I had a realization.
If that New-species Alraune existed, surely there had to be others?
The moment the thought struck me, I knew I had to find them.
I would set out on a journey, honing my Light Magic as I went.
Everything was for the sake of the nectar...!
At the time, the young Armin had no way of knowing that he would eventually become the only man capable of using Light Recovery Magic—a Great Sage whose name would be whispered across the continent, reaching even the ears of the Demon King.
That was the story from the boy’s POV. It ended up being a bit longer than expected.
This is all because the boy can't think about anything except nectar.
He started as a perfectly normal boy, but before I knew it, he turned into a nectar-crazed pervert. How did this happen...?
On the day he realized he could never get another Nectar Ball, he apparently fell into such despair that the Alraune started appearing in his dreams every night.
From the next chapter, we’ll return to the perspective of our Plant Monster Girl.
I’m planning to update twice tomorrow as well.
Next time: Attack of the Lord of the Forest.