Monster Tamer is the Worst Class-Chapter 72: Where Plants Pretend to Sleep
The ground changed first.
The texture.
The color.
The sound.
Less firm.
More moist.
More... attentive.
It was like stepping on a memory that was still fresh. The earth, once solid and compact, now gave way millimeters with each step, as if weighing Eren’s presence before accepting his weight. The friction between his boots and the ground no longer generated dust, but a muffled, soggy sound, too damp to be natural.
The hue also varied.
The dry brown of the forest became a dark, oily green, almost black in places. The tone did not seem to come from the mud—but from the things that lived in it. Thick moss covered exposed root plates, forming tortuous patterns, as if the earth itself had engraved symbols that only the ground could read.
And the sound...
The sound disappeared.
Slowly.
Not suddenly, but gradually. The rustling of the leaves above diminished. The distant songs of birds were swallowed by a damp silence. Even the crackling of Eren’s own footsteps seemed... diminished. As if the environment absorbed them.
The roots were no longer just underfoot.
Now they were everywhere.
Snaking into view.
Twisted, intertwined, with thick, porous bark. Some had small pulsating cracks, like gills that breathed. Others rose from the ground like the bones of fossilized creatures, arched and silent, but too alive to be just plants.
They moved with an almost symbolic slowness.
A quiet dance.
The dance of those in no hurry.
As if they were preparing.
Or pretending they weren’t.
Eren watched everything with fixed eyes, but without showing any reaction. The patterns were subtle, but present. Every fold of vegetation seemed to have been placed on purpose. No fallen leaves. No broken bark. Nothing died there. It was just settling in.
The border was real.
And he was crossing it now.
The boundary between forest and swamp was invisible, but concrete.
A change in the density of the air.
Thicker humidity.
Light filtered through thicker branches.
The smell of fermented sap.
Even the insects, still buzzing around, seemed to slow down their movements. Petal flies hovered in suspension, as if holding their breath. A frog covered in lichen turned its head, but did not jump. It just watched.
Nothing attacked.
Nothing hid.
Nothing advanced.
Because everything there... already knew he was coming.
The vegetation grew as if it had consciousness.
And secrets.
Many secrets.
Hidden among leaves that opened and closed without wind.
Among vines that hung like traps still asleep.
Among branches that arched to whisper only to each other.
The swamp breathed.
But it pretended not to notice.
As if to say:
"Come in.
Let’s see if you can figure out where we’re pretending."
[You entered: South Zone of Tessára – Sector P1: Flooded Roots]
[Environment: Vascular Swamp]
[Hostile fauna: Unstable]
[Runic interference: 17%]
No direct danger alerts.
No real warnings.
But the system hesitated.
The texts loaded slowly.
The percentages seemed to "think."
Eren noticed.
He always noticed.
He walked among floating branches, giant leaves, and vines hanging like decorative traps. The air was thick, warm, full of minimal noises that faded from time to time — as if something were censoring the sound.
That’s when the first sign appeared.
A boar.
But not just any boar.
It had skin like cracked bark. Fangs as long as bone blades. Vines covered its back like armor, winding up to its hind legs. It was five meters away.
Eren stopped.
Silence.
The boar also stopped.
The two stared at each other.
Eren didn’t touch the interface. He didn’t back down. He didn’t attack.
The boar sniffed the air.
It snorted.
Then... it backed away.
Two steps. Three. It disappeared into the vegetation.
[Recognized Creature: Vine Pig]
[Aggressiveness: Active]
[Reason for Retreat: Undetermined]
It didn’t make sense.
That monster was wild.
It should have attacked.
But it didn’t just hesitate—it recognized him. As if Eren were an obstacle it already knew. Or worse: as if it had been instructed to avoid him.
Eren didn’t move a muscle.
The analysis was silent. Rational.
"The creature wasn’t afraid. It was obeying."
An order?
A rule?
From whom?
He went deeper.
The vegetation closed in behind him as if correcting his trail. The humidity increased. So did the smell.
Low fog covered the ground.
Moss. Spores.
Each step slower.
But then, another sign.
A bird.
Sitting on a thick log, surrounded by dried nectar.
It was larger than normal. Half bird, half open flower. Its feathers were petals. Its wings were long leaves with visible veins. A hybrid of fauna and flora.
Eren took a step. It noticed.
The wings opened.
But it did not fly.
Instead... it tilted its head.
It looked directly at him.
The gesture was slight. Simple.
But the look...
It was analytical.
Almost human.
[Creature Recognized: Botanical Gralhálida]
[Attributes: Dissimulation, Imitative Song, Escape]
[Status: Alert | Aggression: None]
The bird made no sound.
It just watched.
Then it turned its face to the east.
And flew away.
Not like a frightened animal.
But like a guide that had finished its task.
Eren stood still for several long seconds.
The swamp was silent.
Too silent.
[Current Environment Analysis: Fauna behaving outside estimated norms]
[Possible cause: Presence of unknown Tamer?]
[Error: No active link detected in the vicinity]
That.
That was the problem.
Monsters acting like they were tamed.
But without a tamer.
Without a contract.
No signal in the system.
How?
How to control creatures without a seal?
"Either the system is blind," Eren muttered, "or someone has created a new type of bond."
The idea didn’t scare him.
It intrigued him.
If someone had managed to teach monsters to obey without a contract, it meant one thing:
The system still didn’t fully understand the bonds.
Eren continued.
He moved more cautiously.
The vegetation seemed to watch him. Some roots trembled as he approached. Branches bent away from him. A purple flower closed as soon as he passed it.
All the fauna pretended.
They pretended not to see.
They pretended to be wild.
But nothing attacked.
Nothing tried to hurt him.
Nothing... was really natural.
Deep down, it seemed like a theater.
A green stage.
And he was the only one without a script.
So he stopped.
He knelt in a shallow puddle. He touched the ground.
He felt the vibration under his fingers.
It wasn’t magic.
It was standard.
Natural codes.
But altered.
Perhaps taught.
Perhaps trained.
"Someone... is cultivating behavior," he said quietly.
Someone is rehearsing savagery.
With method. With logic.
With purpose.
Eren looked up at the sky.
No creatures flew overhead.
No insects buzzed near him.
Everything avoided contact.
[Warning: Interference in hostility pattern]
[Note: Local fauna is "pretending" to be aggressive]
[Suggestion: Continue observation in analysis mode]
Eren didn’t need a suggestion.
He had been doing that since his first step.
Every creature that did not attack him...
Was proof.
Every monster that hesitated...
Was an indicator.
Someone was here.
Someone with the ability to influence living beings.
Someone who had removed the system from the process.
It was not magic.
It was not domination.
It was something new.
Or something too old to be recorded.
Eren stood up.
The wind blew. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞
But even the wind seemed... restrained.
As if it didn’t want to disturb him.
The swamp pretended to sleep.
But he saw everything.
The light changed when he crossed the natural arch formed by two hollow trunks.
Inside, the sound of the forest ceased.
Only the sound of water remained.
A mineral waterfall. Small. Thick. It fell straight into a shallow pool with rough stone edges. The surface teemed with pure mana.
[Natural Healing Source Detected]
[Passive regeneration: +8% per minute]
[Unstable zone – Temporary summoning allowed: 5 minutes]
[Countdown will start upon first use]
Eren stood still.
He watched the water.
The edges formed regular circles. As if the fountain had been sculpted. But not by human hands. The structure had magical precision. Instinctive.
Too perfect to be natural.
Too organic to be artificial.
He looked at his health bar.
Low.
Less than 40%.
It had been like this for days. Not that he felt pain. But his body reacted with a delay. His reflexes were half a second slower. And that, for someone like him, was unacceptable.
He made his decision.
He removed his cloak.
He undressed calmly. One piece at a time. The boots first. Then the lower part. Finally, the upper part.
The steamy water touched his skin even before he entered.
He slowly submerged his body.
His muscles relaxed.
The interface flashed.
[Regeneration activated]
[+8% | Time remaining: 04:59]
Eren leaned back against the rock.
He closed his eyes for a second.
It wasn’t pleasure.
It was efficiency.
But then...
"Nyssa."
The invocation was silent.
A flash of blue-green light. Bubbles in the air. A soft breathing sound.
And then she appeared.
Naked.
Liquid.
Alive.
Vibrating.
Nyssa formed from the steam. As if the source wanted her there. As if the water recognized her.
Her body slowly took shape. Slender arms, firm thighs, and supple curves. Liquid hair flowed down her back like a crystalline waterfall. Her breasts glistened, reflecting the light around her. Her skin seemed to be made of the very water of the world.
When her eyes opened, she saw him.
And she melted.
"Master..."
She whispered as if she had found shelter after years of being lost.
She walked through the water with light steps, without making waves. She touched Eren’s shoulder slowly. Her fingers spread like drops. Her skin warmed when she touched his. Not from temperature. But from presence.
"You called me..."
Eren didn’t answer.
"I... missed you so much..."
Nyssa slid behind him.
She wrapped her body around Eren’s.
She embraced him with her breasts, her womb, her soul.
Her body molded itself against his as if they had never been apart.
"The water... is warm..."
She gasped softly as the liquid mixed with her contours.
"I’m... getting more sensitive..."
Eren felt it.
It was real.
The heat affected Nyssa’s constitution. The affinity core expanded. The system reacted:
[Active Bonus: Synergy by Contact]
[Shared Vitality: +12%]
[Duration: until the end of the invocation]
She pressed herself closer.
"I can heal you... I can... I can do more, if you want..."
Her hands slid down Eren’s abdomen.
Her breath was pure moisture against the back of his neck.
Her thighs wrapped around his. The words came out between restrained moans.
"I... can wrap myself around you. Do you want me to...?"
Eren didn’t answer.
But he didn’t stop her either.
Nyssa read him. As always.
She slid on top of him.
Weightless.
Just heat.
Just form.
She mounted him slowly.
Her body fit his perfectly. Like an organic mold, made to fill, to envelop, to possess. Her back arched, and her hips moved in a slow, undulating rhythm.
Her breasts swayed gently.
Drops formed on their tips.
They fell and disappeared into the water.
She moaned softly.
"I... I’m all yours again..."
Eren’s expression was neutral. His eyes were motionless.
But inside, he felt it.
Not desire.
Not passion.
But the increase.
The number.
Life rising.
Each movement of Nyssa was a wave of healing. Each friction, an impulse in the system. The body reacted. The mind focused. He was returning to his best.
Nyssa descended slowly. She almost cried with pleasure.
"This... this is what I expected..."
"I just wanted... to touch you again..."
"Let me... stay just a little longer..."
Eren checked the time.
[Time remaining: 00:54]
"Thirty more seconds," he said.
Nyssa bit her lower lip.
She picked up the pace a little.
Her whole body trembled, but sweetly. Her hands held his shoulders. Her head fell back. The sound that came from her lips was more of a sigh than a moan.
"Thank you... thank you for this..."
[00:11]
Eren ran his hand around her waist.
He felt the contour.
The texture.
Wet. Warm. Perfect curve.
But it was time.
[00:03]
"Nyssa. Return."
She looked at him with wide, moist eyes.
She nodded.
She smiled sadly.
And disappeared.
Like steam dissipating at the touch of the wind.
The water became still.
Eren leaned back again.
[Status restored: 100%]
[Extra vitality: +12% – duration 1 hour]
[Emotional interaction detected: No penalty]
He closed his eyes for two seconds.
Nothing but silence.
Then he got up.
He dressed slowly.
The armor stuck because of the steam, but he didn’t care.
Five minutes had passed.
But it was more than enough.
