"Nuga! Lila! Are you okay?" I shouted as I pulled the two root cocoons from under the water.

  We had fallen into a deep waterfall, cushioning their falls. Fortunately, the cocoons had quickly formed.

  I dissolved the roots and two girls were revealed.

  "Ugh!" Nuga chuckled, spitting out mucus.

  She must have swallowed wrong because of the fall.

  And Lila had fallen into a deep sleep. I quickly wrapped her in a cocoon, leaving only a space for her to breathe.

  "How are you, Nuga? Do you have any broken limbs?" I asked about her health.

  At the same time, I spread my roots all over her body like small veins.

  Nuga expressed disgust. "I feel like I'm in some kind of hent*i!" I winced but continued before removing my roots when I confirmed that no bones were broken.

  "A bit of common sense! Why would I do such a thing otherwise?!" I panted in response to her accusation.

  Nuga clicked her tongue. "Fortunately!"

  I sighed at her reaction. "We are in a particular situation. Let's focus on your survival now." Although I was present, my body was still at the initial location. But for Nuga and Lila, it was certainly a matter of life and death.

  The waterfall was quite deep, about 30 meters down. The walls were as high as buildings. But the presence of sand everywhere on the ground gave a different environment. It gave a desert-like ambiance.

  "Is this a desert biome? This would be complicated..." We need to think about food, water, and primary needs like sleep and rest.

  For now, a few bags were floating on the water. Most contained animal meat and fruits from my harvested trees, as well as wood. But the animal meat would soon spoil, so it needs to be eaten now. "Let's take a break, Nuga."

  I was pained that Ley hadn't announced it earlier. We would have prepared more provisions if we had known in advance.

  But events unfolded. Ley is already dead. It would be wrong to swear on a dead person who sacrificed himself for the survival of others.

  And Nisan...

  That grandmother was a good person. I become angry when I think of the bloodthirsty leopards who killed her in front of me. I will kill them when I become stronger.

  While I was thinking, the next day arrived. "Well, let's go, do you have the map?" Nuga nodded and took out the map from her hands before leading the expedition.

  Because the waterfall was high, we had to climb the walls. Fortunately, my roots could slip between the holes, and we were able to climb up. But instead of finding a red forest, we encountered an endless desert.

  How could a desert be close to a forest?

  The ecosystem of the monster territories is really surprising. At the same time, I began to fear the environment because a desert has no trees. My intervention would become minimal.

  "Nuga, be careful. This time I won't be able to manifest like before." I warned her once, but Nuga seemed to have already anticipated it.

  Nuga reassured herself. "Don't forget I brought spears!"

  Well, it would be better if Lila woke up, but she still seemed deeply asleep. Despite numerous attempts, it didn't work.

  We continued our journey in the desert. Nuga covered her head with her sleeves and kept moving forward. The heat was scorching due to the continuous exposure to the sun.

  "Ugh. I feel like I've been walking for years! How long is this expedition going to last?!" Nuga held her head. The map showed that we had covered almost half the distance.

  For an expedition in a desert, the path seemed relatively easy. We had food and water. The journey could be smooth for the next few days.

  However, my thoughts were quickly shattered.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  Several tremors shook the sand mountains. Nuga stumbled backward and fell on her butt. "What's happening?!" Nuga cried out in surprise.

  Damn, I just declared a death flag.

  I gritted my teeth internally, watching the rising sand mountains.

  Sandworms! Like in novels or movies, these are giant worms that feed on travelers who naively cross the desert.

  They often appear in numbers where vibrations are transmitted underground.

  I widened my eyes. "Nuga, don't move!" She trembled, but her legs seemed stable. Or rather, they were frozen with fear.

  "Treon, if I die, I will curse you for life!" Nuga gritted her teeth and closed her eyes.

  The sandworms approached quickly like snakes finding their prey. Then, pop-up windows appeared.

  I widened my eyes, staring at the level.

  [Sandworm Lv.50]

  These were monsters higher than my level! And a difference of 10 levels in addition to their monstrous size! Fighting living skyscrapers? No, thank you!

  My combativeness disappeared, and I quickly ordered Nuga to throw her spears in different directions.

  "Thunder Spear! Aya!!!" Nuga shouted, throwing a spear in a random direction. It landed ten meters from her position.

  "..."

  "Damn? You've never learned javelin throwing?" I was stunned.

  Nuga blushed. "I never said I was strong! It's just this... child's body, yes!"

  I held back my anger internally and shouted at her. "Run now!!" The sandworms rushed to her position, now that the vibrations were transmitted through the sand grains.

  Nuga was relatively tall for a child but still had the size of a little girl. The strides, although powerful, couldn't outrun large monsters. We had no choice.

  We both looked at Lila.

  "..."

  Nuga expressed dark eyes. "Y-you're not going to abandon her?!"

  I slapped the back of her head.

  "I'll remove the cocoon, pick up Lila, and keep running." Nuga raised her eyebrows but kept running forward.

  Anyway, she had to run if she wanted to survive to see the sunrise the next morning.

  The roots dissolved and embedded in the sandy ground. Let's go, my roots!

  I transmitted to my initial body the order to consume the hundreds of blue fruits I had stored for several years for this situation.

  [Level Up]

  [Multiplication skill learned!]

  [Roots can multiply from a single branch!]

  [Level Up]

  [Autonomous network skill acquired!]

  [Root galleries can be managed independently of the host's thoughts!]

  Nuga ran, carrying Lila on her shoulder.

  The cocoon split into several branches and planted themselves in the sandy ground. I felt a strange dissidence with the environment, but I continued to multiply my roots.

  The spears previously thrown by Nuga also served.

  By creating autonomous root galleries, my roots quickly became like wooden snakes that slowed down the sandworms. I revealed my roots like a net and gathered them in one place before throwing them out of the sand.

  Several giant sandworms emerged from the ground.

  "How did you manage to do that?!" Nuga turned around in surprise.

  I manipulated all the present roots to form spears anchored to the ground. The sandworms cried out in surprise and fell painfully on them.

  We heard cracks and red liquids oozed out.

  [Level Up!]

  However, other worms managed to slip through the nets. They approached Nuga quickly before grabbing her. "Treon, help me!"

  The roots were simply slow because of the desert. It took me time to reach her.

  Using the branches placed in her bag, I quickly formed a cocoon, and the sandworm ate it. "Yuck!" Nuga vomited.

  The cocoon was quickly corroded due to the acidity of the sandworm's entrails.

  I had to intervene quickly before the cocoon was destroyed.

  "Take my branches out of your bag!" Nuga took the branches out of her bag, despite her vomiting. Saliva managed to enter the cocoon. Nuga's eyes rolled back.

  I quickly multiplied my roots into fine spikes.

  "Shriiiik!" The sandworm screamed and writhed in the sand.

  Like toothpicks, the branches pierced the entrails and tissues.

  Soon, the sandworm emerged from the ground and fell limply to the ground.

  A hole was dug, and Nuga emerged, falling forward. "Disgusting! Yuck!"

  She scratched her body, rolling in the sand, but it had the opposite effect. The sand grains stuck to her because of the texture of the saliva.

  "Treon…"

  I pretended not to hear her pleas and continued to urge her to walk.

  She pouted but started moving forward again.

  The saliva could be cleaned once we found a water source, although it would be difficult to find an oasis in a desert...

  "Oh? Treon, look over there!" She pointed to a green meadow.

  Vegetation after a desert? I could see a stream that separated the desert from the green meadow in the landscape. "Let's go quickly," said Nuga.

  She walked quickly to the water source.

  When the water source was close enough, Nuga jumped in, sticking her head out of the water. "Damn! I didn't know water could be so refreshing!"

  I remained silent.

  Nuga's clothes were transparent. It was hard to look her in the eyes, even though I wasn't really a man anymore...

  "Hmm..." I turned my head to the side, hearing a moan.

  Was Lila waking up? I wondered how long she would remain asleep, but this seemed to be an answer to my question.

  "Where am I...?" Lila looked around.

  Nuga, who was playing in the water, quickly came up. "Ah! Lila, how are you?!"

  "Uh, fine... Everything is fine, I think." Lila showed a morbid expression. Probably because of the loss of Nisan and Ley, but there was nothing that could be done now.

  She quickly regained her normal expression. "Death is common... I shouldn't sit in silence. Grandmother always told me that."

  "She was a good grandmother," I said.

  "Is this the green meadow?" Lila asked, looking at the green meadow and the desert.

  "Do you recognize the landscape?" I asked.

  She replied, "Yes! It's one of the routes to get to a canyon."

  Oh, a canyon. Well, the crevice could also be called a canyon.

  "Do you know the way home?"

  "Yes, I'll take you there. Trust me!" she reassured.

  Nuga quickly followed her, walking in the green meadow.

  The landscape was strangely discordant. Unlike the forest, this meadow seemed relatively ordinary and safe. Maybe that's why humans founded bases in this direction. I would have done the same.

  We changed direction several times and then found columns of smoke at the end of the path. A huge base with rudimentary houses was visible.

  "This is my home...!" Lila cried, weeping!