Wyn reaches the tall apple trees, the exquisite red fruits dangling from the ends of long wooden branches. While Wyn would adore a full meal, like her favorite tacos, the apples will do well to at least attempt to calm her grumbling stomach. She climbs up the tree, shuffling her body up and up toward the apples. With each movement, her stomach grows in volume. At this rate, it’ll let the entire mountain range know she’s here.

  At last, she reaches the apples, grabs one and takes a bite.

  “YUCK!”

  She spits out a hunk of the nasty apple back. Tasting like half an apple and half a rotten egg, it’s easily one of the nastiest things she’s ever eaten. Naturally, her tiny boomfrog companion leaps up to catch it in its little mouth as it drops through the air.

  Despite the apple tasting awful, a new energy courses through her veins. Though it feels like Essentia, it holds a distinct and unfamiliar aura. Using her upgraded Essentia Manipulation, she traces the tiny speck of energy through her body. It feels like a pulsing nugget of heat, spreading through her veins in slow, rhythmic waves of energy.

  She looks back at the apples, curious as to why they carry such a unique energy. Whatever the reason, Wyn wants to figure out the mystery of these disgusting apples. If there’s something to learn here, she’ll have to find a way to stomach those disgusting apples.

  “Psai, can you turn off my tastebuds of something?”

  Psai shakes his orb no. “I am unable to directly impact your lived experience.”

  Wyn groans and looks to the frog, hoping maybe it can make this easier for her. “Okay, froggy, sure you can’t eat this for me?”

  The frog blinks one eye at a time, and stares at Wyn. Clearly, this frog does not speak English.

  Grabbing another apple, Wyn uses her insight on it in hopes it’ll give her some modicum of useful information.

  Item: Sulfuric Flame Apple - Crude

  Description: An apple containing a trace amount of Fire Affinity Essentia.

  “Fire Essentia,” Wyn mutters. “That gives me an idea.”

  Wyn pinches her nose and toughens up. She just has to get past the fact that it tastes like a rotten egg and feels about the same, too. She takes a massive bite out of the apple and forces herself to chew. It takes all her willpower not to vomit. Each bite feels like poison, burning her tongue and leaving a bitter sting that crawls down her throat. But she keeps herself focused and keeps chewing. The only thing keeping Wyn chewing is the reminder that this is just a virtual world. She’s not actually eating this vile apple; she’s just experiencing it through an extremely immersive virtual reality. This game, while feeling quite a bit like real life, isn’t. That fact alone resonates in Wyn’s mind as she swallows each massive bite.

  Once the apple is eaten, its core tossed to the side, Wyn feels the energy flowing through her veins much stronger than before. Using her Refined Essentia Manipulation, she discovers her Essentia pool now carries two separate yet similar energies. The neutral Essentia she’s been using thus far, and the newfound Fire Affinity Essentia.

  Before she gets the chance to experiment with this new element, a branch cracks below her. Her senses snap to attention as she scans the area for the source of the sound. The source is not hard to find, thanks to her new frog companion. It chirps at another boomfrog. This one is larger than her tiny friend, but not as large as the warrior boomfrog she fought the day before.

  The two frogs circle one another, one the size of an apple, and the other the size of a cat. The newcomer either hasn’t noticed Wyn or doesn’t care. She watches them as they circle each other, sizing each other up. In her interactions with Boomfrogs thus far, their constant desire to fight one another has been a constant. In both the interactions she’s witnessed with larger boomfrogs, they focused entirely on her frog companion and not her.

  Wyn puts two and two together. Judging from her quest screens, and the regularly shifting objectives, the boomfrogs evolve very quickly. She guesses they must do this by constantly fighting each other to grow in strength. If that’s the case, then why doesn’t the overall number of boomfrogs decrease? If they are constantly killing each other, then it stands to reason that the overall number of boomfrogs will decrease over time, but that isn’t happening. There must be something about it she hasn’t figured out yet.

  “May I—” Psai begins to say.

  Wyn holds a finger to her lips to silence him. “I want to see what happens, so be quiet.”

  After a few minutes of circling, both boomfrogs charge at one another, their puffed-up bodies filled with explosive potential. Froggy attacks first, unleashing its jet of explosive energy at its larger opponent. It dodges, using a tiny pulse to launch its body out of the way, just narrowly missing Froggy’s burst.

  It counterattacks, launching a trio of volatile blasts towards Froggy. He dodges, using his small size to his advantage. The first two fly past Froggy harmlessly, just narrowly missing the tiny frog, but the third finds purchase in Froggy’s flank. He’s blasted back, careening into a nearby tree.

  Wyn bites back a gasp but forces herself not to interfere. Every instinct urges her to step in and protect her little frog companion, yet she resists. Froggy has proven himself clever before, and she wants to see what he’s truly capable of. With a shudder, he flips upright, scattering bits of bark and dirt. The larger boomfrog lets out a low huff and braces for Froggy’s next move.

  Froggy knows he can’t outpace the larger frog in damage. In a battle of attrition, the larger frog will always win. If he wants victory over his foe, he must be clever. He pivots, turning his back toward the larger boomfrog and feigning a moment of weakness. The larger boomfrog sees this and takes advantage. It blasts another trio of blasts at the smaller boomfrog, but those blasts never connect.

  Froggy unleashes a blast at the ground, launching himself up, and behind the first boomfrog. He flies through the air, spinning head over heels a dozen times before flopping to the ground behind the larger creature. The best part? The large boomfrog doesn’t notice. Given the size of blast the larger boomfrog can make, the ensuing fireball blocks his vision. Froggy was clever to take advantage of this.

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  Now, behind the boomfrog, Froggy unleashes the largest explosion its tiny body can muster right at the larger frog’s exposed backside.

  The explosion sends a ripple through the clearing. Dirt and ash billow outward, rattling the branches above Wyn’s head. Froggy crouches low in a small crater, his sides heaving, skin flecked with soot. The larger boomfrog lies sprawled a few feet away, twitching weakly.

  Then Froggy chirps a small, victorious sound. The larger boomfrog lets out a low, defeated rumble in return, its throat deflating, accepting its defeat.

  Wyn exhales, realizing she’s been holding her breath. “He actually won.”

  But before she can even celebrate, something strange happens.

  Tiny motes of red-orange light rise from the defeated boomfrog’s skin, drifting upward like glowing embers. They swirl in the air for a heartbeat, then drift toward Froggy. The moment they touch him, his skin starts to glow. The light builds, flashing brighter and brighter until Wyn has to shield her eyes.

  When it fades, she gasps.

  Froggy has grown, with longer legs and a more muscular body. The defeated boomfrog, by contrast, has shriveled; its once-bright hide fading and limbs thinning until it’s no bigger than Froggy used to be. It chirps softly, now a juvenile, croaking in confusion.

  The smaller, now-juvenile boomfrog shakes itself, gives a single pitiful chirp, and hops off into the underbrush, vanishing into the foliage.

  Psai’s voice hums softly in her ear. “It appears, Wyn, that the boomfrogs undergo a cyclical energy transfer. When one is defeated, its Essentia and physical mass are partially transferred to the victor. The loser regresses to a lesser state to begin again.”

  “That’s incredible,” Wyn murmurs, watching Froggy’s new form puff up proudly. “They don’t die; they recycle their energy. It’s how the population never decreases.”

  She smiles, leaning against the tree trunk as Froggy lets out a proud, deep croak. “Guess that makes you the big frog now, huh?”

  Froggy, while quite a bit larger, maintains his puppy-dog eyes and cute expression. He bounds over to Wyn in a single leap, croaking with pride.

  Wyn grins. “Alright then, big guy. Let’s see what you can do.”

  With a regular boomfrog killed thanks to Froggy, Wyn figures it a good time to once again check her boomfrog quest for updates.

  Quest: Invasive Boomfrogs

  Requirements: None

  Travelers across the Arazid Mountains report an increase in Boomfrogs along Imperial roads. The creatures, while not dangerous, can grow into more dangerous varieties should they not be destroyed. Warning: if high-level variants have spawned, report back to Lethisburg immediately, and avoid direct conflict. The Arcane Consortium is not responsible for any harm incurred due to an excess of bravery.

  Objectives:

  Defeat Boomfrogs — 1/15

  Defeat Warrior Boomfrogs — 1/12

  Defeat Elder Boomfrog — 0/3

  Defeat Boomfrog Matriarch — 0/1

  As per usual, the numbers have shifted for the quest, with now a third Elder Boomfrog having evolved. If she’s going to have any chance of completing this quest, she needs to get a move on. Thankfully, she seems to have a linchpin to killing them: her new frog companion.

  As they walk in search of more boomfrogs to hunt down, the friendly boomfrog, now not quite so little, hops along beside her. Wyn was worried the creature would turn hostile after evolving, but it seems her concern is unfounded. Out of curiosity, she uses her insight ability on the evolved frog.

  Pet: Boomfrog

  Name: Froggy

  Owner: Elowyn Abulata

  Rank: Whelp

  Wyn can’t help a smile forming across her lips. The system officially recognizes her frog companion as a pet. In truth, the frog likely is just as strong, if not stronger, than Wyn herself, so calling him a pet feels a bit strange. But regardless, Wyn is grateful to have yet another companion along on the journey. Between Psai floating beside her, and the frog hopping at her feet, the days will never get boring.

  After a few minutes of searching, Froggy suddenly goes stiff.

  “What’s wrong?” Wyn asks the frog.

  The frog’s eyes stay locked forward. Following his gaze, Wyn spots a bush rustling nearby. She smirks, ready to take on her next target.

  Wyn opts for a stealth strategy, ducking behind a nearby bush. She picks up Froggy and brings her with her. If the frog’s glare is anything to go by, he does not approve of a stealthy approach.

  “Trust me,” Wyn whispers to the frog, “I've got this.”

  “I do not believe boomfrogs have the ability to understand human languages,” says Psai.

  Wyn shoos away Psai. “That is not helpful. Just be quiet.”

  The saddened orb dims and floats away. Wyn makes a mental note to give her orb companion some attention soon. For the past few days, all her energy has been focused on Froggy.

  A boomfrog of the same size and variety that Froggy killed steps out of a nearby bush. It munches on a small squirrel, and marches around searching for more to eat. Wyn grins. With the frog focused on finding food, it won’t be focused on its surroundings. She conjures a mage bolt and finds she has more options that before.

  With two variations of Essentia resting inside her (fire affinity Essentia, and the neutral Essentia), Wyn finds she can manipulate them both independently. She switches from the fire affinity and neutral affinity Essentias with ease, watching as the swirling orb of energy at the end of her staff changes color from purple to orange. Testing it with her hand, the fire affinity Essentia makes her mage bolt hot to the touch.

  Her experimentation is interrupted when the enemy boomfrog burps up the remains of its squirrel meal. And, true to its nature, the burp comes out less like a belch and more like a small explosion. Wyn’s nose wrinkles at the stench of ozone and sulfur, but quickly refocuses and aims her mage bolt. She uses her Subtle Spellcasting to ensure the frog doesn’t notice and opts for the neutral Essentia. After all, boomfrogs are more likely to be resistant to fire as they themselves have a fire affinity.

  With a mental command, the swirling ball of energy careens through the air. The boomfrog barely has time to turn its head in surprise before the mage bolt slams into its flank, killing it instantly.

  Wyn blinks in surprise. Her previous mage bolts hadn’t come close to killing the boomfrogs, and now they could kill in a single shot?

  Without warning, another boomfrog pops into view a few meters behind the steaming corpse of the first. Wyn doesn’t waste any time, and prepares yet another Essentia bolt. The second the new frog is in range, she blasts it. This time, the frog survives the initial hit, though one of its eyes looks heavily damaged from the initial strike.

  The boomfrog launches a burst of explosive energy at Wyn, but instead of dodging the attack she uses her Fortify Self ability. Her entire body sparkles with energy as Essentia strengthens her body.

  The explosion strikes Wyn in the chest, shattering the fortification in an instant. Wyn feels a chill run up her spine. Her Essentia is running lower than she expected. Fortify self used as much Essentia as her elaborate illusion spell, leaving her very little to work with. Switching to the fire affinity Essentia, Wyn fires another bolt at the boomfrog. The orange spark of magic soars through the air and obliterates the boomfrog, leaving behind a flaming corpse.

  Wyn beams with pride as the system notifies her of her success.

  “You know what this means, Psai?” Wyn asks her orb companion.

  “I am uncertain of what you are presently referring to.”

  She smiles, eyes gleaming with determination. “Let’s kill us some frogs.”