7 Mass murder

Before he grew into a sprout, Erik had tested how to use energy in a practical way. In the beginning, he tried to do what was written in the cultivator's book he obtained as a human, as he thought that maybe, it would be the same for a plant. It had a few steps to follow to be able to use the energy.

However, his cultivation process was very peculiar, since he could feel a few different energy and was even producing a core inside his body. At least the beginning of the steps was still the same as a human, as the first step was to feel the world's vitality. Of course, Erik was sensing energy, but it didn't really matter for the second step. It was to take it in the body, something he's been doing for some time ever since he was a seed.

Erik just wasn't sure how the third step would go for him, as it was to push the world's vitality out of the meridians, making it go to their palm or feet, or whatever place they wanted, like their neck, if someone had a dagger up their throat and they wanted to protect it.

Cultivators would actually have to transform the world's vitality into something else after it leaves the meridians, or it would just dissipate. Like the one Erik had seen at the army's camp, they could make it into water energy, for example, then use it to do their intended job.

A cultivator could be born with the talent to use a particular or even a few different energy, but most people needed to study and learn how to master one if they wanted to use it. For Erik, it was particular, as the energy in his vessels was not the world's vitality.

When he tried pushing it out of the vessels to see if he could modify its trajectory, he found out that energy had a strict pattern, following the vessels in and out. Since he couldn't change anything, he had to try something else.

That is why, now, against the beetle, he used his core. Concentrating directly on it, he was able to push out energy towards the outside. He aimed it toward the insects, which were biting at his body everywhere. It seems that they were very small, as they could only scrape off a minuscule part of him, but as he was a sprout, he was not very big himself.

If he let the situation continue as it is, he would be devoured rapidly, as the beetles were not taking their time, they tried to eat him in the fastest way possible, before any other bug comes near. This group of beetle had the luck of living right beside Erik and could sense life energy better than other insects, they would obliviously not miss this opportunity.

By the number of places where he received a wound, he could assume that there were hundreds of them, a grand assault group. Erik had begun the passage of energy toward them ever since the system warned him, but it was a really slow process. He didn't know just how much damage the beetle would do to him before he could even defend himself, so he was starting to fear for his life a little.

There was also a part of the energy that just abandoned the trajectory, not listening to his command. All of his problems was probably happening because Erik only used an incomplete core, but it's not like he could complete it faster.

The beetles were still mutilating his body as Sun energy, the type he decided to go with to attack, finally made his way to his coat, which was very damaged. What he called an attack was in fact only energy he threw out of him, it's not like his level of control could make him do a complicated technique, or even just an arrow like the cultivator he saw before.

But even without a proper procedure, this was enough. Bugs, in the end, were just bugs. At least, an insect which formed a core would not be so small, as the body needed more place to store the energy, or a problem would arise. The core of an animal would only get bigger and bigger, and so would the body.

_"Be gone, insects!"_ Erik exclaimed to himself.

The moment sun energy went outside of him, it pulverized anything touching him, and obliterated everything close. It was very potent near his body, but it didn't do any effect tens of centimeters away from him. Even so, the beetles were right there biting at him, so there was no survivor, they all had been fried by Erik's power, their bodies not moving anymore.

_"To think mere insects could practically kill me... I really need a better core."_

By making this attack, Erik had practically used all of his stored energy, but he had to make sure that the beetles would die, to complete the quest. It was also because he was not sure, even if he had time to practice earlier, how much the energy would affect insects. As for why he chose sun energy, it's because he read in his past cultivation book that it was a great type of energy to attack.

While practicing, Erik had also discovered that a core was not just an amassment of energy, but something that fused them into a completely different phenomenon. It became a solid object with magical properties, being able to replenish itself not from energy, but by everything the plant consumed, like earth nutrients and the sunlight.

However, it did not steal it from Erik, it simply used it along with him to get full. Basically, you improve the core with energy, and you eat to refill it. This part was exactly like how humans did, they improve their organs with the world's vitality, and while eating, it will replenish itself. Now that Erik had fought off the insects, he would need to wait for some times if he wanted his core to recover completely.

[Congratulations, you completed the quest:

{Beetles are dangerous}

Objective: Kill every insect which attacks you.

Reward:

-One B.A. point

-Compliments: You are a beautiful little sprout, host. You will be the best tree!

Good job on surviving]

_"What the h*ll is this reward, compliments, he just does whatever he wants... At least a B.A. point should be good"_

Getting serious, Erik started to plan what to do next.