The Broken Goddess Wants to Raise Me

[Suck it up!!]

Slurp….

Swish.

I pulled out the branch.

The withered appearance of the girl came into view. This was because I had made her drink my blood.

“Ugh… you bastard…”

Ssssuu-

Surprisingly, the wound from where the blood was sucked is regenerating.

As expected, she’s no ordinary one. And yet, this extraordinary one glares at my now plump branch.

However,

“Haaah…”

She soon lets out a deep sigh and opens her mouth in a calm manner.

“Hey. You don’t want to kill me, do you? I’ll forgive you for sucking my blood without permission, so how about we have a chat? Are you listening to me?”

Right now, I’m in the absolute dominant position.

She knows that and has submitted first.

Let’s start with some conversation.

Sssh~

Tuck.

I placed the branch on her shoulder.

This conversation is what I wanted as well.

Because I want to know what kind of place this is. I need to make her fight against that man.

[What are you?]

The moment our bodies touched, her telepathy reached me.

While somewhat hesitant, I mumbled the words I wanted to say inside.

‘As you can see, I’m a plant. Can you really hear me?’

[Look at this? So you were pretending not to understand me even though you could? And you sucked my blood too?]

Strangely, we could communicate.

She understood what I said.

‘It was the best choice for me.’

[Haa… I’ve seen all kinds of crazy guys, but you’re something else. Just looking at you, I can tell you weren’t originally a plant, were you? Plants don’t talk.]

‘Correct.’

[Hmm~ Quite interesting, huh? Anyway, it’s good. I was feeling quite lonely. Let’s introduce ourselves properly. I’m Shyela. What’s your name?]

‘Kim Woo-chan.’

[Kee-moo-chun?]

‘…Woo-chan.’

[Got it. Muchun. Now let’s exchange questions.]

‘No, you go first and tell me everything.’

Sshh.

On purpose, I differentiated another branch and raised it in front of her eyes.

[…If only I wasn’t in this state, there wouldn’t be enough bones left of you. Oh right, you don’t even have bones.]

‘You’ll talk if you want to live.’

[Hmm. You really don’t seem like someone who wants to kill me, do you?]

‘……….’

[You, you’re planning to use me anyway, right? So, I might as well get some advantages too-]

Puuk!!

“KYAAAH!!!”

There’s no need to give her the upper hand.

Since I have plenty of time, I can just come back tomorrow after sucking more blood.

Sluuurp~

I sucked in more of her sweet blood.

“Stop!! Nooo!! I’m really going to die!!!! Damn it. I’ll tell you!!”

Suck~

I pulled out the branch.

Her pale skin caught my eye.

Drip….

“Don’t savor it!!”

‘Then speak. Why are you trapped in such a place?’

“Haa… I’ll only say this once, so listen carefully.”

Shyela gave up trying to probe me and started her story with a sigh.

“I am a goddess from a destroyed world.”

It was a rather far-fetched tale.

Shyela claimed that she was sold dearly after her world fell to an invasion from another dimension and is now, as you can see, an experimental subject.

Is she really saying this to make me believe her?

‘You don’t look very godly.’

“If I still had all my powers, seeing my true form would knock you out.”

‘Even so, you lack dignity.’

Chomp.

“Why should I maintain any dignity when some lunatic attacks me and sucks my blood?”

‘Hmm….’

“And it’s prejudiced. Anyone can become a god if they’re revered and untouchable by others. Don’t delude yourself into thinking they’re great beings. Most aren’t real gods like me; they’re just leftovers.”

‘…I’ll believe you.’

“Really!!”

‘I said I believe you, didn’t I?’

“Gruuuh… why are you so unlucky?”

Another world.

A goddess.

My worldview expands.

The world feels fantastical.

No, I’ve suspected it since the point I became a moving plant.

I was driven out of the well.

And the outside world was incredibly vast.

Just that much.

There’s no reason for me to be surprised now.

Let’s move on to the next question.

‘Who is the man experimenting on us?’

“Alberto. As you can see, he’s a mad magitech engineer. He’s also one of the administrators of the tower.”

‘Tower?’

“…A place that absorbs worlds.”

‘What does “absorbing worlds” mean?’

“I don’t know. I’m a victim too. If you’re curious, ask Alberto directly.”

‘Can you defeat someone named Alberto?’

“Can I defeat him? Probably not, right?”

‘What do I need to do to set you free?’

“Hmm~ Asking this while knowing nothing. You’re an experimental subject too, aren’t you? Free me and kill Alberto. That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

‘Correct. Is it possible?’

“No intention of hiding it, huh?… Fine. Since it’ll speed up our conversation. If you have the stamina, you should probably be able to. Even if I’ve weakened, I should at least be able to do that much.”

‘Then I’ll trust you for now.’

“Eh?”

Sshhh

I differentiated the branch and extended it throughout the entire room.

There might be a device somewhere controlling her restraints. I need to find it.

“Muchun, it’s commendable that you’re putting in the effort, but stop. He’s coming.”

‘He?’

“Alberto. You young punks will die instantly if you mess with him. Don’t even think about standing guard and I recommend you go back to your room immediately.”

‘…I’ll come back later.’

Sshhhhh!!

I quickly withdrew the branches.

“Damn brat. You’re scared stiff. You escape so fast.”

Zzzz~

All the branches were retrieved through the vent just as Shyela’s room opened.

A man in a gown appeared.

Though I’m curious about what happens next…

Following Shyela’s advice, I returned all the branches to their original place. It’s uncertain how the enemy might detect me.

Now is the time to retreat.

I quietly checked my body.

Countless branches intertwined in my body, with small leaves sprouting here and there.

I can control these leaves as well.

I can hide them.

Or release them.

Flatten them.

Or clump them into spheres.

I may be a plant, but I’m alive and can move more freely than animals.

Just that I’m stuck here.

Zzzz~

“Crrr~ my treasure. Are you growing well?”

Alberto entered the room.

Fortunately, he didn’t seem to notice my meeting with Shyela and proceeded to spray a bottle filled with black liquid onto me as usual.

“Hurry up and grow and bear fruit. It’s black dragon’s blood, so potent poison and mana will seep into you. I’ve fed you every kind of poison, so something incredible will surely be born. There’s nothing as valuable as poison. Kkukkkh.”

Poison?….

Zzorrroorkk~

The black dragon’s blood flows in from the roots.

It didn’t hurt.

It was just delicious.

A familiar taste.

Maybe I’ve been eating poison every day.

It seems this body can absorb almost anything without discrimination.

Shyela’s blood was also quite tasty…

Was there poison in it too?

Chiiiii~

Steam rose from the branches.

The toxicity spreads throughout the body.

It felt refreshing and relaxing, making me feel good.

Interestingly, I could control the substance assumed to be poison. In other words, I can regulate the toxins, water, and nutrients within my body.

This ability allowed me to freely grow or shrink my body.

“Heavy expectations. How will I change from now on?”

The man sprayed various substances and injected unknown drugs into the branches before finally leaving.

I checked my body status again.

I can feel myself getting stronger in real-time.

What the man provided wasn’t simple nourishment but pure energy.

Take the black dragon’s blood for example.

I can sense immense energy.

It must be the mana the man mentioned.

I can feel the mana freely circulating through every corner of my branches.

And the place where the most concentrated energy gathers.

My main body.

The small bean.

Not sure if it’s actually a bean, but the tiny, hard sphere the size of a fingernail is my core. Here, nutrients and mana accumulate layer by layer.

An overflowing vitality.

If I can control this energy…

At the thought, I tried moving the mana.

Ssuuus-

A little, but it moves.

The mana follows my will.

It was similar to moving the plant branches.

Therefore, I worked hard to control the mana as much as possible.

Shyela alone won’t suffice.

To escape from here, I need to cultivate my own power.

Training begins.

##

Puuuk!!

“KYAAAK!!”

‘I’ll take a little more.’

[Zeeer! Free me? Ha! Coming every day to suck my blood—this is blasphemy. Blasphemy, I tell youoo!!!]

Five days have passed since I began training.

During this time, I consistently sent branches to absorb Shyela’s blood.

The feed given by the man simply isn’t enough.

I desire faster growth.

So, this is my second-best option.

Shyela blood-sucking.

Slurp slurp slurp~

[Ahhh!! Seriously, it’s disgusting. Stop devouring already!!]

Jjuup!!~

I pulled out the branch. Shyela, who had turned pale, glared at me angrily.

Of course,

From her perspective, it must be infuriating.

Being teased like this repeatedly.

‘I understand.’

[Will you keep doing this? Aren’t you going to escape? With this body, I can’t fight either. You seem to be trying to grow stronger, but even if you build up strength, you’re still a rookie to him. Just a slightly stronger one.]

‘I get it.’

[If you keep this up, we might never be able to fight. Aren’t you going to let me go?]

‘Sorry, but I don’t know how to release you. Instead, I prepared a little gift for you.’

[Gift?]

Ssh.

I held a branch in front of her face and concentrated nutrients and mana into it.

Ssuuuss~ Poof!!~

[What?]

A fruit formed.

Luscious red.

It looked like a cherry tomato.

A new ability acquired during training.

The fruit the man expected from me—I can now produce it myself.

No worries about toxic components.

I blocked them beforehand.

It’s a fruit packed with the cleanest condensed essence from within my body. Judging by the looks of it, it should be both delicious and invigorating.

If it goes wrong, it could only lead to death.

‘Eat it.’

[What… Do you even know what this is and expect me to eat it? What if something goes wrong?]

‘Do you have a choice?’

[…I want to hit you.]

‘Like this?’

Chap slap!!*

“…!!??!”

I slapped Shyela’s cheek with a branch.

It made a louder sound than expected.

“Y-you!…”

‘Sorry. I meant to fake the slap, but since the branch grew longer, it was harder to control than I thought. So, I ended up hitting you.’

“Gruuuh… You really… If I ever get free, we’ll see. Very much. Ughh!!…….”

‘Then I guess I can’t let you go.’

“…Haha! Why are you acting like this? It’s a joke. A joke!! Hey? Why are you taking it so seriously? We’re in the same boat. Let’s work together.”

Very quick mood shift.

She’s a master of social skills.

This is a god?

First things first.

Huff!

“Kwuup!!”

Without wasting any time, I shoved the fruit-laden branch into her mouth.

[This is real!!……….]

Her face was extremely angry.

But only for a moment.

…Chomp chomp.

“Whoooot!!?”

Munch munch munch munch.

Her mouth moved uncontrollably. She chewed thoroughly as if savoring the taste and then swallowed the fruit regretfully down her throat.

“…Hey. Do you have more?”

‘…Didn’t you dislike it just now?’

“I don’t even remember the last time I ate proper food. I’m hungry.”

‘So, it was delicious?’

“Well, not exactly… But it restores vitality-”

Sharaak!!~

Ssh~

A soft green light emanated from Shyela’s body.

Startled, she widened her eyes.

“Oh. My body is healing?”

‘What are you talking about?’

“My broken insides… Huh. Incredible. My internal injuries healed? Is this even possible?”

‘Recovery of physical strength, maybe?’

“No no. This is beyond that. Not just recovery… Look, though minimal, I can confirm healing. Healing that shouldn’t happen!”

‘I don’t fully understand…’

“Hey, give me more. I really can destroy this place if I get free. I think eating more of that will help, so give me just a bit more.”

‘No. Everything good comes from packing it in. It needs time.’

“How long do I have to wait?”

‘At least a week.’

At the word ‘week,’ Shyela chuckled.

“Then it’s decided.”

Her first-ever smile.

A very confident expression.

And then she said,

“Let’s escape that day.”

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