Gardener of Eden

Chapter 187: Chapter 187: Poison Mage Rueben

The night settled quietly over Sunny Vale, blanketed by the soft, golden shimmer of the expanded defensive dome. In the estate’s newly renovated guest wing, Barney, Mirei, Caelen, and Seraphina retreated to their rooms. Surrounded by the rich, uncorrupted atmosphere radiating through the house, the four team members drifted into a deep, restorative sleep that would leave their cores completely recharged and their meridians perfectly aligned for the hunt ahead.

While the rest of the household slept, Rowan stepped barefoot onto the cool, dark soil of his expanded fifty-acre domain.

The night air was serene, carrying the faint, sweet scents of Amethyst-Gold Peaches and Sun-Crystalline Eden Apples. Beneath his feet, the subterranean Fragment of the Origin Earth Pulse hummed like a quiet, rhythmic heartbeat, circulating pure earth vitality through the newly integrated territory.

Standing at the exact geometric center where the old estate boundary met the newly acquired twenty-five acres, Rowan closed his eyes and extended his hands. He took a deep, deliberate breath, unleashing his core authority.

[Breath of Eden - Lv. 5]

A wave of brilliant, golden light erupted from Rowan’s body, cascading across the entire fifty-acre expanse like a tidal wave of liquid starlight. The golden pulse sank deep into the topsoil, locking into perfect harmonic resonance with the subterranean Pulse stone. Microscopic trace impurities in the dirt were instantly purged, turning the newly acquired acreage into a pitch-black, hyper-fertile loam that practically glowed under the moonlight. The leaves of every crop rustled in contentment, absorbing the surge of primordial vitality and locking in their peak purity ratings.

As the shimmering light slowly settled back into the earth, Rowan lowered his hands, feeling his domain sync into absolute stability. The land was alive, fortified, and ready to yield miracle crops on a commercial scale at a moment’s notice.

”Alright, now that’s done, time to prepare for tomorrow,” Rowan murmured softly to the quiet night breeze.

Tipping the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat, he turned away from the vast, golden-tinted fields and walked back toward the quiet manor. Stepping into his private quarters, Rowan lay down, letting the peaceful hum of his domain soothe his mind into a calm, deep rest—the calm before the storm that would soon strike the lower floors of the Tower.

***

First light painted the golden barrier of Sunny Vale in brilliant shades of rose and amber. The atmospheric pulse from the Fragment of the Origin Earth Pulse had scrubbed the morning mist clean, leaving the air smelling crisp, pure, and rich with uncorrupted earth mana.

Right at dawn, the heavy perimeter gates opened to welcome the first wave of hired farmhands. Every worker had undergone rigorous high-purity mana screening by the Imperial Security Service, ensuring no hidden dark mana or industrial impurities would contaminate the pristine fifty-acre soil. Wearing sterile, mana-dampening gloves and carrying velvet-lined baskets, the workers moved through the rows with practiced, reverent care, harvesting peak-purity produce for Eden International’s expanding trade orders.

Inside the estate manor, the kitchen was already buzzing with warmth and the mouth-watering sizzle of early morning cooking. Martha Vance had risen before the sun, determined to send her son, his squad, and the hard-working field staff into the day fully fortified.

By the time Rowan, Arthur, and the four rested members of Squad 07 walked down to the main dining hall, the long wooden tables were set with a breakfast fit for imperial royalty.

Platters were piled high with Sun-Gilded Jade Avocado smashed on thick slices of rustic, stone-oven toasted grain bread. The avocado’s rich, buttery green flesh—laced with shimmering veins of natural plant fat—melted into the warm toast, topped with a dash of cracked spirit-pepper and coarse sea salt.

Beside them rested towering breakfast sandwiches stacked with golden, crisp-fried chicken cutlets, tucked between thick slices of juicy Sun-Dappled Tomatoes and fresh, satisfyingly crunchy leaves of Primordial Dew Lettuce. The cutlets were sizzling hot, their savory crunch perfectly balancing the burst of sweet, mineral-rich nectar from the tomatoes and lettuce.

To top it off, tall crystal pitchers filled with freshly pressed juice made from Sun-Crystalline Eden Apples sat resting on beds of crushed ice. The liquid gleamed like liquid gold, releasing a frost-kissed, aromatic steam that made everyone’s mouth water instantly.

”Dig in, everyone,” Martha insisted with a beaming smile, wiping her hands on her apron as she poured glasses for the wide-eyed field hands who had been invited inside to eat alongside the squad. ”No one steps foot near that Tower on an empty stomach.”

Barney didn’t hesitate. The heavy blacksmith grabbed a fried chicken sandwich with both hands, taking a massive bite that yielded an incredibly loud, satisfying crunch. As the uncorrupted juice of the Sun-Dappled Tomatoes and the savory chicken hit his tastebuds, Barney let out a long, happy groan, his eyes wide with joy.

”Mrs. Vance... you are an actual saint,” Barney declared, grabbing a glass of chilled Sun-Crystalline Eden Apple juice and chugging it down. The instant the liquid hit his core, a cooling wave of pure vitality washed through his meridians, completely flushing out any lingering muscle stiffness from yesterday’s forge work. ”I feel like I could bench-press an armored titan right now!”

Caelen, sitting upright with his greatsword resting against his chair, took a refined bite of the avocado toast, his posture relaxing as the pure fats and earth vitality smoothed his mana channels. ”The energy distribution in this meal is unbelievable. I can feel my strike-stamina locking at absolute peak.”

Mirei carefully wiped her mouth after a long sip of the apple juice, her sharp archer’s eyes gleaming with focus. ”My perception feels fifty percent sharper. Tracking a target’s trajectory in the Tower is going to feel like child’s play.”

Seraphina took a small, appreciative bite of her sandwich, her alchemical instincts instantly analyzing the synergy between the ingredients. ”The natural anti-toxin properties in these tomatoes and lettuce are already forming a protective layer in our digestive tracts. If that poison mage tries to throw necrotic mist at us, our baseline resistance will be astronomically higher than normal.”

Rowan sat at the head of the table beside his father, adjusting the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat with a calm, satisfied smirk as he enjoyed his slice of avocado toast and apple juice.

”Eat up, Squad 07,” Rowan said softly, his golden-amber eyes locking onto his teammates with unshakeable authority. ”The farmhands have the fields under control, our foundation is secure, and our bodies are fortified. Once breakfast is finished, we pick up our gear and head straight for the primary Tower gateway.”

***

As the last of the breakfast plates were being cleared, the runic television display in the living room chimed again with a sharp, low-frequency pulse, shifting back to the live Imperial Defense Ministry bulletin.

The dark, smoke-filled news backdrop was replaced by a high-resolution, criminal identification file stamped with a crimson S-Rank Terminate-on-Sight order.

Above the file, a chilling holographic mugshot of the suspect materialized in mid-air.

The man on screen was unnaturally gaunt, with hollowed cheeks, paper-white skin, and sunken, bloodshot eyes that radiated a crazed, fanatic light. Dark, purple-black veins crawled up his neck like shattered glass, converging into jagged necrotic tattoos etched directly into his scalp. Even through a static image, the sickening aura of a man who had mutated his own body with forbidden toxins was undeniable.

Below his picture, the official profile flashed in bold imperial text:

IDENTIFICATION DOSSIER: IMPERIAL MOST WANTED

Name: Rueben ”The Rot-Weaver”

Affiliation: Senior Preceptor, Order of Humanity

Classification: S-Rank Necrotic Alchemist / Dark Poison Archmage

Known Abilities: High-density Miasma Manifestation, Organic Corrosion, Blood-Rot Catalyst Extraction.

Current Status: Severely wounded (destroyed left mana-core channel, fractured ribs, severe internal hemorrhaging from Imperial Vanguard counter-strikes).

Last Known Location: Fled into the primary regional gateway of the Tower of Ascension (Floor 10–15 transit zone).

Bounty: 500,000,000 Imperial Credits / Direct Crown Commendation.

”Imperial enforcers have officially confirmed the identity of the perpetrator as Rueben,” the anchor reported, her tone heavy with gravity. ”A former rogue alchemist who vanished seven years ago after being blacklisted for forbidden human experimentation. Authorities warn all ascending guild members and independent tactical squads on the lower and mid-floors to exercise extreme caution. Rueben’s poisonous miasma is airborne and highly contagious upon skin contact, though his physical combat capabilities are heavily compromised due to his severe injuries.”

Seraphina stood up from the table, stepping closer to the broadcast screen with her sharp eyes narrowing in disgust as she analyzed Rueben’s dossier.

”I know his past work,” Seraphina said, her voice dripping with cold disdain. ”Seven years ago, Rueben attempted to synthesize a compound that forcefully melted a cultivator’s meridians to harvest their condensed core energy. He uses boiled soul-grass mixed with corrupted monster marrow. The fact that he’s severely injured makes him infinitely more dangerous—a cornered beast like him will unleash his entire stock of necrotic miasma just to drag anyone nearby down with him.”

”A broken core channel and fractured ribs, huh?” Barney muttered, cracking his heavy, calloused knuckles with a terrifying, metallic sound. ”That means he can’t dodge for spit. One clean swing from Caelen or a single arrow from Mirei, and his rotten night is over.”

”He’s fleeing upward through the lower floors to find a hidden enclave or buy time to stabilize his wounds,” Caelen noted, resting his hand on the pommel of his two-handed greatsword. ”If he reaches the higher floors, the natural ambient mana will mask his toxic signature.”

”He won’t make it past the lower floors,” Rowan said smoothly, rising from his chair and downing the last crystal glass of chilled Sun-Crystalline Eden Apple juice.

He adjusted the brim of his Enchanted Straw Hat, his golden-amber eyes locking onto the holographic face of Rueben with an unshakeable, lethal composure.

”Rueben brings rot, decay, and cowards’ poison,” Rowan said softly, walking toward the manor’s main hall where Squad 07’s travel gear was lined up. ”We carry the uncorrupted vitality of Eden, custom-forged steel, and a complete tactical breakdown of every strategy on Earth. He picked the absolute worst day to hide in our Tower.”

Arthur and Martha walked them to the main doors, Arthur offering a firm, prideful nod to each member of the squad, while Martha made sure everyone had extra satchels of dried Eden fruit packed into their spatial kits.

”Bring justice to those people in Oakhaven, son,” Arthur said quietly. ”And come back in time for dinner.”

”We will, Dad,” Rowan replied with a calm smirk.

Turning to face Barney, Mirei, Caelen, and Seraphina, Rowan gave the signal. ”Squad 07—move out.”