Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System

The next morning, Vikram slowly woke up. He found both Kara and Carol lying beside him, their bodies marked with numerous scratches and bites. Most had already healed due to their werewolf regeneration, but a few faint marks still remained, clear evidence of his unrestrained passion the previous night.

Seeing him awake, Kara gently embraced him, pulling him close. "Are you feeling the anger and lust more regularly now?"

Vikram sighed. "I had almost controlled them. But yesterday, when I activated a new temporary ability to summon vines and defeat the Titan Zombie... after using it, the urges became much stronger. I needed to vent. I don’t know what to do."

Kara rubbed his back soothingly while Carol wrapped her arms around him from the other side.

"Don’t worry about it," Kara whispered.

"We are always here for you," Carol added. "You can vent on us as much as you need."

Vikram looked at the two women, feeling a deep warmth spread through his chest. He nodded gratefully.

"Thank you."

But then he felt something again awakened, and seeing his both wives were nude, he again went on the rampage mode to dominate them again.

---

Inside the Mist King’s mansion, Elder Rowan stood respectfully before Marcus Denvers, reporting the previous day’s events as told to him by Roran.

After listening carefully, the Mist King remained silent for several minutes, deep in thought.

"So... Vikram can summon vines?" he murmured. He had hoped his grandson had awakened a powerful ability, but compared to his own mist transformation, Kara’s creation ability, or Carol’s illusions, it seemed relatively modest. Still, he kept his thoughts to himself.

"Go. Let him participate in more battles. Monitor him personally and report every detail of his performance to me."

"Yes, Your Majesty." Elder Rowan bowed and left.

---

At noon, a loud horn echoed throughout the Third Hunting Army’s camp.

"All hunting squads of the Third Team, assemble!"

The warriors quickly gathered. Vikram joined his squad members and stood among dozens of others in the central clearing.

Elder Rowan stood at the front, his powerful frame commanding attention.

"Yesterday’s patrol discovered several zombie trails within our territory." He scanned the assembled warriors. "Today’s objective is simple, destroy every zombie you encounter. But remember... if you discover an evolved zombie, do not engage recklessly. Report it immediately."

The warriors responded with firm nods and murmurs of agreement.

"We’ll handle it, Elder!"

"Leave it to us!"

"Simple work. We’ll clear them out quickly."

Vikram was about to nod along with the others when he overheard some warriors whispering among themselves while glancing in his direction.

"So he’s really starting from the bottom."

"I thought the Young Master would complain or demand special treatment."

"Instead, he hasn’t said a single word."

One of the older warriors snorted. "He’d better stay that way. The Mist King won’t show him any mercy."

"But I heard yesterday he performed well," another added. "Roran’s squad even encountered a Titan Zombie, and the Young Master defeated it single-handedly."

"It was probably exaggerated," someone scoffed. "Or pure luck."

The whispers continued, some praising, some mocking.

A surge of irritation rose inside Vikram. ’Who are they to judge me?’ His fists clenched instinctively. For a brief moment, he wanted to silence them all.

The dark impulse vanished almost as quickly as it appeared. Vikram closed his eyes and slowly relaxed his hands.

’I need to control my anger,’ he reminded himself silently.

Elder Rowan, who had been watching the entire exchange, noticed how Vikram suppressed his temper. A faint glimmer of approval appeared in the old werewolf’s eyes. This was a clear change from the reckless young man he once knew.

Without further delay, Elder Rowan divided the warriors into squads.

"Vikram," he called out, "you will continue participating under Roran’s command. You may also confront evolved zombies, just as you did yesterday."

"Understood." Vikram nodded, picked up his spear, and took his place among the others.

As the massive gates of the Mist Pack opened, the hunting squads marched into the forest once more, each heading toward their assigned areas.

---

Roran’s squad, including Vikram, advanced cautiously through the dense woods.

Just like the previous day, they soon found fresh zombie tracks.

"They passed through here recently," Roran said quietly.

The warriors spread out into a careful formation. Vikram followed silently, staying alert.

As they moved deeper, a low growl suddenly echoed from the bushes.

"Contact!" Roran shouted. "Formation!"

Four ordinary zombies burst out from the undergrowth with guttural moans.

The squad reacted instantly. Two warriors at the front raised their sturdy shields, bracing against the charge. The impact rattled their arms, but they held firm, creating an opening. The other squad members struck from the sides with practiced efficiency.

Spears thrust forward, piercing rotten flesh and pinning one zombie to the ground. Claws flashed as another warrior tore through a zombie’s neck, severing its head cleanly. Roran himself drove his spear through a zombie’s eye socket with lethal precision, twisting it viciously before kicking the corpse away. The fourth zombie tried to flank them but was met with coordinated slashes from two warriors, its body quickly hacked apart until it stopped moving.

In less than a minute, all four ordinary zombies lay defeated on the forest floor.

The squad had just begun to relax when a blur of motion flashed from the right side.

A clawed hand shot out, grabbed one warrior by the shoulder, and hurled him several meters away. He crashed into the bushes with a pained grunt.

The squad tensed immediately.

A new figure emerged from the trees. It was leaner and thinner than other elites, with unnaturally long limbs and a hunched, animal-like posture. Visible black veins pulsed across its body, and its eyes glowed with a menacing red light. It moved with terrifying speed, often sprinting or running on all fours.

"Elite Runner!" Roran recognized it instantly and shouted, "Stay alert, it’s fast!"

The Runner let out a high-pitched screech and launched itself forward with explosive speed, targeting an isolated warrior on the flank.

"Vikram, control him!" Roran ordered. Since Elder Rowan had specifically allowed Vikram to face evolved zombies, and after witnessing his strange vine ability yesterday, Roran trusted he could handle this threat.

Vikram nodded without hesitation. He activated his Sync ability.

[Synchronization Successful.]

[Host has Synchronized with Warrior Treekin]

[Random Ability Acquired: Twin Vine Blade Mastery]

[Twin Vine Blade Mastery — Condenses plant essence into twin vine blades, allowing continuous dual-blade techniques, devastating combos, and powerful cross-slashes capable of cutting through heavily armored enemies.]

Two long, flexible blades made of reinforced, razor-sharp vines materialized in Vikram’s hands, glowing with a faint green light. They felt like natural extensions of his arms, light yet incredibly durable.

The Runner screeched again and charged at blinding speed, claws extended. Vikram met it head-on. He crossed the twin vine blades in front of him, blocking the initial slash with a shower of sparks. The force pushed him back a step, but he immediately countered with a swift spinning combo, left blade slashing upward, right blade cutting diagonally across the Runner’s chest.

Black blood sprayed as the blades carved deep gashes. The Runner howled in pain and tried to retreat using its superior speed, circling around to attack from behind.

Vikram anticipated the move. He spun rapidly, executing a powerful cross-slash. The twin blades formed an ’X’ pattern that caught the Runner mid-leap, slicing across its torso and one arm. The elite zombie staggered, its speed momentarily disrupted by the deep wounds.

Seizing the opening, Vikram pressed the attack. He unleashed a relentless series of dual-blade strikes, stabbing, slashing, and chaining combos that kept the Runner on the defensive. One final, devastating overhead cross-slash brought both vine blades down with full force, cutting deep into the Runner’s neck and shoulder.

The elite zombie let out one last screech before collapsing to the ground, its body twitching once before going still.

Vikram stood over the defeated Runner, breathing steadily as the twin vine blades slowly dissolved back into green energy. The rest of the squad stared at him in awe once again.

Roran gave a sharp nod of approval. "Good work. Let’s keep moving."

He didn’t question how the vines had turned into blades this time. In his mind, it was the same strange plant ability Vikram had used yesterday. He had no idea it came from a different Treekin and a completely new synchronization.

Unknown to Vikram and the squad, Elder Rowan had been secretly observing the battle from a distance. A faint smile appeared on the old warrior’s face.

"It seems... the Young Master has really begun to change."

---

The squads continued their sweep, hunting down more zombies throughout the afternoon. Eventually, they arrived at the location of Squad 18, where fierce fighting could already be heard.

Squad 18 was heavily engaged with a group of zombies but was clearly being overpowered. Several warriors were injured, and the formation was starting to break.

Roran was about to order his squad to charge in and assist when Vikram suddenly raised his hand, stopping everyone.

"What happened, Young Master?" Roran asked. The respectful title slipped out naturally, in his eyes, Vikram had already begun proving himself worthy of it.

Vikram felt a small surge of satisfaction at the address but quickly refocused. "There are hidden zombies. Eight in total. Two on the left flank, three in the center bushes, and three more hiding behind those thick trees on the right."

"Hidden zombies?" Roran’s eyes widened. He hadn’t sensed them at all. But after everything he had seen from Vikram, he chose to trust him. "You heard the Young Master! Take them out first!"

Since Vikram had revealed their exact positions, the squad moved with confidence. They split into smaller teams and struck the hidden threats before they could ambush Squad 18.

Roran’s squad made quick work of the hidden zombies. Warriors thrust spears into the bushes where Vikram had pointed, impaling the undead before they could react. On the left flank, two warriors dragged out the hidden pair and finished them with brutal efficiency. The three behind the trees were ambushed with coordinated attacks, claws and spears tearing through their bodies before they could even stand.

With the hidden threats eliminated, Roran’s squad charged forward to support Squad 18. The combined force quickly turned the tide.

The warriors fought in perfect coordination. Roran led the charge, his spear flashing as he impaled one zombie after another. Roran’s squad members moved like a well-oiled machine, shields holding the line while others slashed and stabbed from the sides. One warrior was saved from a zombie’s bite by a timely spear throw from his comrade. Another delivered a powerful kick that shattered a zombie’s leg, followed by a finishing blow to the head.

Within minutes, every last zombie in the area had been completely destroyed. The forest floor was littered with their corpses.

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