Chapter 38: The Enhancement of Bitterthorn

Just like with the Chomping Cabbage, the moment Leonard activated his talent, three images flashed before his eyes, each showing a different possible enhancement.

The first showed a Bitterthorn seed tossed into the soil. Instantly, the ground burst apart as emerald thorns shot upward. Vines writhed and spread like a ravenous serpent, chasing after fleeing animals, piercing them one by one on its spines.

In mere seconds, the green vines had spread over ten meters. Within that range, every creature struck by the thorns twitched briefly before going rigid, paralyzed. Blood dripped from the barbs into the earth, drop by drop.

None of them ever woke again. They remained unconscious until they bled out and died.

When all the prey had perished, the sprawling thorns hardened quickly, their bright green fading into gray, brittle-looking branches that turned out to be tougher than steel—neither fire nor blades could so much as scratch them.

The scene left Leonard reeling.

From the looks of it, this was an even more extreme form of Rapid Growth. Its burst speed and killing power far surpassed the Combat Branch version. The way the vines speared outward, impaling prey like a barrage of sharpened lances, was terrifying enough.

And the venom was still there—paralysis so strong that the victims couldn't even struggle before they bled to death.

As for the hardened branches left behind, Leonard dismissed them. They were too distinctive, the kind of trace that would give everything away.

"Hyper-rapid growth, chasing and skewering anything alive in its range… yeah, that's brutal." Leonard couldn't help but mutter, christening this variant the Impaler.

Not that he planned to name every enhanced plant—this one had just reminded him too much of the old stories about Vlad the Impaler, the so-called origin of vampire legends.

The second image showed a Bitterthorn growing normally, but its spines now oozed clear, sticky droplets that evaporated almost instantly.

A beast wandered by, sniffed the vapor—and collapsed on the spot in deep sleep.

"So the secretion's boosted… from paralysis to unconsciousness, huh?" Leonard murmured, rubbing his chin.

The third vision was simple. The Bitterthorn, once rooted and passive, now stirred like a living thing. Its spines whipped out to snag anything that wandered too close.

It wasn't especially aggressive. Instead, it seemed to enjoy tossing its drugged victims onto the soil beneath it. No immediate harm came to them, but without help, they would sleep forever, rot, and eventually become food for the plant.

"Three enhancements—ambush, support, and defense. All useful, depending on the situation."

After weighing them, Leonard chose the second effect. He activated Rapid Growth and dropped the seed into the flowerpot.

The moment it touched soil, roots burst outward in every direction. A thorny shoot cracked the surface, rising and thickening at a speed visible to the naked eye. In just a few minutes, it had matured completely.

Soon, the sharp spines began to bead with that sticky, transparent liquid, evaporating almost as soon as it formed.

Leonard quickly grabbed an empty crystal vial and caught a few drops before they disappeared.

There was no way he'd ignore something this potent. This wasn't just a plant—it was a ready-made sleep draught.

Friend of Plants gave him their goodwill, not immunity to every toxin.

After all, plants release toxins and harmful substances by instinct. They could restrain themselves from directly harming Leonard, but they couldn't stop those secretions from affecting him.

That was Ollivander's warning.

Leonard held his breath as he filled three crystal vials to the brim. Only then did the enhanced Bitterthorn created through Rapid Growth wither away and vanish. Perhaps because he had harvested its secretion, it didn't even leave behind a single shriveled seed.

The only evidence of its existence was the three vials in Leonard's hands, each filled with a strange substance—halfway between liquid and vapor.

"Powerful soporific gas, volatile as hell. This'll come in handy sooner or later. Worst case, I can sell it to Midgard—she might find a use for it." Leonard swirled one of the vials, watching the vortex-like mixture inside before stowing it away with satisfaction.

This stuff was perfect for breaking and entering—for burglars and thieves, it was priceless.

Leonard was more than pleased with the Bitterthorn seeds Ollivander had given him. Each of the three enhancement paths was immensely practical.

The Impaler for ambushes.

The soporific secretion for infiltration.

The active posture for defending his garden.

One plant, three solutions—it covered most of his headaches.

"As long as I pick a secluded spot at Hogwarts and plant a ring of Bitterthorn, my garden will be set," Leonard thought with excitement.

The only real nuisance would be checking on it regularly—just to make sure some poor fool didn't stumble in and end up as fertilizer.