Born in apocalypse

"What?" Dhruv exclaimed as he looked at the notification. He turned his head and then looked at the very normal fruit in his hand.

’Did I just get an essence point from just eating the fruit?’ he thought as he looked at the bunch of fruits hanging from the tree.

The moment he looked at the fruit the temptation to eat them all once again arose from within him. He was really- really tempted to eat all of them but stopped when a thought appeared in his head.

’Is this a trap or something? How can a fruit give an essence point? And why is this thing so addictive all of a sudden’ With these questions in his mind, he plucked another fruit and got to the ground. He hadn’t plucked this fruit for the purpose of eating it.

His question that this fruit might be a trap didn’t come from nothing. Dhruv knew from watching all the movies and reading novels that there are many trees that act like this and then trap whoever comes to eat their fruit.

After capturing them, the tree uses their body as a nutritious source to grow and create more fruit, and then this cycle continues on.

Not just from movies, Dhruv also knows some plants that do things like this in real life. Dhruv remembered two or three of them which are very famous, and he often found videos about them on the internet.

Venus flytrap, Pitcher plant, and Sundew are the few ones he could remember at the moment. Dhruv couldn’t directly remember any plant species that produced fruit, but he was sure anything was possible with the power of evolution.

Looking at the fruit in his hand, Dhruv looked at his finger and whispered something. A second after his whispering a glass appeared in his hand.

Looking at the fruit in his hand, he wore the glasses and then injected it with his mana.

Instantly a screen pops up in front of him with one of the sections of Fruit status.

[Tier: II]

Looking at the information in front of him, he instantly understood something about the fruit.

’Tier: II. Does this mean this fruit is an item and not a living thing? It makes sense; the living one should be the tree, and the fruit it bears is an item that it creates to lure the victim,’ Dhruv thought.

He once again looked at the fruit, and this time the name of the fruit was displayed in front of him.

[Name: Proteger Sweet Apple]

Dhruv understood some more about the fruit after looking at its name, but he continued to inspect the fruit with the glasses in hopes of finding its enchantment. After almost twenty tries, he found everything except for the rank of the item.

Knowing that the rank isn’t that important, he stops there and remembers the full details of its status. The fruit status looked like this:

[Name: Proteger Sweet Apple]

Tier: II

Type: Consumable]

[Description: Proteger Sweet Apple is a fruit that is produced by the tree of apple trees. This deceptively ordinary-looking fruit resembles a crisp, red apple. However, it possesses two enchantments that make this fruit anything but ordinary.]

[Enchantments:Very Delicious, Tree’s Guardian]

[Very Delicious: When consumed, Proteger Sweet Apple sends an explosion of flavor, delivering a taste that is so exquisitely delicious that those who eat it find it impossible to resist savoring every bite. If you eat one, then you have to try another.]

[Tree’s Guardian: After consuming the apple, the eater feels an urge to protect and care for the tree from which the apple was harvested. This compulsion includes defending the tree from harm, ensuring it receives proper care, and, if necessary, even planting more apple trees. The more you eat the fruit, the greater the effect will be.]

’So, it was the effect of this second enchantment. According to it, I should have felt the urge to protect the tree, but I’m not feeling that sort of compulsion. Does that mean I have to eat more, so the fruit could have an effect on me?’ He thought after considering everything about the tree.

While Dhruv was thinking about this fruit and the trees, he remembered something. After the realization, the expression on his face froze all of a sudden.

’If there are trees here, then there must be some more throughout the jungle.’ With this thought came to his mind, he instantly established his connection with Vexar.

[Vexar Where are you and what are you doing.] He asked.

[M-Master, I had found a very delicious fruit and had plucked some of them to give you but while I was walking towards you I ate them all. So, I am at that tree now and will bring some for you as well.] Vexar answered.

[Wait fruit, is it red and very sweet.] Dhruv asked.

[Yes, master It is red and is very sweet as well. But how do you know.]

Dhruv could feel a hint of confusion in Vexar’s tone.

[Forget about how I know about that, and tell me how many had you eaten?] Dhruv asked, beads of sweat forming on his scalp.

[I don’t know, but maybe thirty or forty of them,] Vexar said without any hesitation.

’Fuccck,’ Dhruv thought as the worst had happened.

[Did you feel anything after eating the food?] Dhruv asked.

[No,] Vexar said.

Phew!...

Dhruv heaved a sigh of relief and was about to cut the connection, thinking everything was good. Just mere moments before cutting the connection a thought appeared in his mind,

’Even if Vexar is to be under the tree’s influence, then how will he know that he is under the tree’s influence? Doesn’t that defeat the entire purpose of being influenced?’ Dhruv connected the dots and asked something else.

[Vexar, how many fruits are left on the trees?]

[There are plenty of them left on the tree, master,] Vexar replied.

Dhruv was sure that this next question of his would determine whether he was really under the control of the tree or not.

[Okay, stop eating those fruits and come toward the portal. Scratch that, cut it. No, burn that whole tree to the ground, then come toward the portal,] Dhruv commanded.

[B-But, master...]

Dhruv froze when he heard this...

For the first time since the moment the trio was born, this was the first time he had heard them hesitate about something he had ordered them to do...