Is that a Wisp?
chapter-1004

Krune looked at the box of grapes, asking, "These are Tier 1 Essences?"

"Yes." Wrister nodded as he explained, "Based on what we had determined through centuries of experimentation, we are able to gain a kilogram of weight per day at most. Beyond that, the effect of the Essence simply doesn't take effect even if we consume a second or third one. As for Tier 2 Essence, its effect lasts for three days, and during this time, we gain a kilogram in weight every day for three days."

"I see." Krune nodded before asking, 'Was Gehen applying their effect in the Development Spheres? Now it makes sense as to why he was that ridiculously powerful even in Layer 3. Even though increasing weight shouldn't be possible like on Layer 2, he must have figured out a method to increase the limit.'

"Do I just need to eat them directly?" Krune asked, popping one into his mouth the moment Wrister nodded. He felt that the taste was indeed similar to a grape, slightly sweet and juicy. However, even after swallowing it, he didn't feel any change.

Wondering about it, he looked at Wrister in confusion.

Smiling, Wrister explained, "Your weight doesn't increase automatically. You would have to eat a lot of food for the day. The energy from that would be absorbed by your body while the nutrients would be better arranged in your body, adding to your weight."

'I see, this is a mortal level effect. So, it works with mortal logic.' Krune nodded in understanding.

Wrister then lied down after that before saying, "Flita would show you around our mansion. Please have a meal and plenty of rest."

"Alright." Krune nodded as he said, "Once I refill my energy, I'll heal you again."

He then followed Flita out as they roamed around the massive mansion. Flita enthusiastically showed him around the place, watching him nod in response all along, neither disinterested nor overly enthusiastic.

However, upon looking at the training room she showed, his eyes widened as he appreciated it. "This is a wide enough place for me to train within."

"The walls have been reinforced with the bones of Demon Emperors. So, even when grandpa trains here, the damage to it is minimal," Flita said with pride.

'So, he's a Tier 4 expert. Considering the strongest in this city is only at Tier 5, he's plenty strong,' Krune thought before asking, "How strong is your grandpa among the Tier 4 experts here?"

"Before he lost his limbs, he was well within the top ten," Flita replied, saddened as she clenched her fist in anger. "If they hadn't lured two Red Demons into our unit, we wouldn't have suffered such a loss. My parents would have been alive."

"How strong were they?" Krune asked, even if it might seem insensitive.

Flita didn't seem to mind, though, speaking as she gritted her teeth, looking like she wished to speak to blow off some steam, "They were also at Tier 4. If they didn't have to protect me during that battle against the two Red Demons, they would have survived as well. As someone at Tier 3, I only dragged them down."

"Is there any limit to a person's growth?" Krune asked after that.

"Usually, it's because we're unable to kill a higher-tiered demon after reaching the peak of our respective tier. Other than that, there are no other limitations. As long as we consume higher-tiered Essence after reaching the peak of our tier, we'll enter that tier," Flita explained.

"That makes everything simple, then." Krune smiled, soon arriving at the dining room, causing Flita's jaw to drop to the floor when he ate enough for five people without trouble. She stared at his stomach, wondering where all the consumed food went.

As for Krune, after eating enough, he muttered, slightly dissatisfied, "What type of creatures do you consume here?"

"It's a fish that we procure from the water column. That's what the trade with the Octopuses grant us," Flita answered. "That's our only food and water source. We can't exactly consume demon flesh since their bodies are poison to us. Even the miasma they release can burn our internal organs if we inhale it for too long."

"Can we procure live fish?" Krune asked.

"Yes, we can. However, they're incredibly expensive. Plus, growing them is hard since even water isn't cheap. We have to pay for everything," Flita replied.

"Alright, get me some fish that can breed," Krune spoke. "The food we are eating lacks in energy and nutrients. If I rely on it to replenish my energy reserves, it'll take too long. If what I plan works, I'll be able to heal your grandfather sooner than expected."

"Please give me a day, sir. I'll bring in a lot of live fishes." Flita responded as she ran out, intending to make the respective preparations. For a moment, Krune was worried if something bad might happen to her while she was on the way out.

With that in mind, he summoned his Cloud Whale, intending to send it after her when he realized that she had disappeared. Activating his Sonic Radar, Krune was shocked to see her running at high speeds. The realization finally hit him as he understood, 'Right, she's a Tier 3 human. She's pretty strong.'

For the rest of the day, all Krune did was eat and rest. He also brought all his items from the old age home's attic, returning the items he took from there to their respective original places. Now, there was no evidence of him ever living there for six months.

As he saw the energy trickle into his Ocean Heart, Krune frowned as he thought, 'This is too little. At this rate, it might take three to four years to heal Wrister. This food is lacking in nutrition.'

It was true. Back then, Krune ate meat from Mutated Motor Fishes and the like while on Layer 3. Sometimes, he even feasted upon Motor Fish Kings. In comparison, his current meal was only made using normal fish.

Plus, the fishes were of the tiny variety, insufficient in the density of energy contained in their flesh compared to what he ate. So, he was pretty disappointed by them. Initially, he thought the Ralk household would have more nutritious food than the one available in the old age home. Thus, he had given the estimate of one to two years to heal Wrister.

But upon seeing that the quality of food didn't improve in the least, he was taken aback. After all, there was just a single variety of food. Not much could be done about that.