Among Monsters (Tensura)

Chapter 28: Cultivating Life: The Forest's Genesis

James had spent the past two weeks aiding the lizardmen and the three dwarves now residing in his Sovereign's Sanctuary. He had shown them the rich mineral deposits he had gathered from Veldora's Cave, providing raw materials for Torak's blacksmithing, Korrin's housing projects, and Brunn's jewelry-making. With supplies and work progressing smoothly for them, James turned his focus to a task he knew would be both challenging and essential for sustaining life in his pocket dimension: populating the forest ecosystem.

Outside of Dwargon, he trekked into a nearby forest, planning to capture and carefully transplant creatures back to his Sanctuary. As he walked, James mentally outlined the needs of a balanced ecosystem. His high school biology class had covered ecology basics, so he recalled the vital role of each level in the food chain: primary producers, herbivores, carnivores, and decomposers. His challenge lay in transporting enough of each type to maintain a healthy food chain, without causing destabilization by introducing invasive species.

Knowing that capturing live animals—especially small, fast-moving, or flighty ones—was no easy task, James had prepared by designing two new magic circles. These would help him approach and capture creatures without disrupting the forest or endangering himself.

The Attraction Circle was his first tool. He placed this circle on the ground, drawing a wide outer ring of "calling" and "enticing" symbols in a carefully arranged spiral pattern. The symbols could release faint pulses of mana that drew curious or passive animals into its reach, without alerting aggressive creatures nearby. By adjusting the mana pulse frequency and intensity, he could attract specific types of animals, mimicking the natural sounds or even scents they might follow. For instance, he used a gentler pulse pattern to mimic the scent of ripe fruit to draw in herbivores.

The Concealment and Calm Circle was his second key tool, a circle designed to suppress his presence while simultaneously calming nearby animals. Its hexagonal formation was layered with "silence" and "camouflage" runes on the outer edge, along with "calm" symbols arranged within. These runes worked together to dampen any sounds he made and suppress his magicule signature, while the calming effect helped soothe shy animals, making them less likely to flee or struggle. This combination allowed him to approach animals without startling them.

After successfully setting up his circles, James began by capturing insects, the base of his food web, and carefully selecting types essential to a healthy forest ecosystem.

Starting with pollinators, he focused on bees, butterflies, and moths. He watched as a group of bees buzzed toward the Attraction Circle, drawn by the faint, sweet scent it emitted. Butterflies fluttered nearby, seemingly mesmerized by the pulse pattern. James collected enough individuals to help pollinate his forest's flora, ensuring plants would flourish and reproduce.

Next, he moved on to detritivores—creatures like beetles, ants, and worms, which he carefully attracted to his circle. These insects would break down organic material in the soil, enriching it with nutrients and maintaining plant health. James knew decomposers were essential to any balanced ecosystem, so he took extra care to gather several types to ensure a variety of functions.

Finally, he captured insect predators such as spiders and praying mantises, critical for keeping insect populations in check. With his Concealment and Calm Circle in place, he managed to approach these delicate creatures without alarming them, carefully securing enough individuals to maintain balance.

With the insects ready, he shifted his focus to the small animals of his forest. First, he collected herbivores like rabbits, squirrels, and small deer, which would feed on plants and serve as prey for larger predators. James knew he had to avoid overpopulating his forest with herbivores, as that would lead to overgrazing, so he captured only a manageable number.

For these herbivores, he needed predators like foxes, wolves, and small wildcats. Using a slower mana pulse and faint, subtle scents, he coaxed a pair of foxes toward the circle, ensuring they'd help control the herbivore population without posing too much risk to the smaller creatures. Carefully, he added wolves as well, but limited their numbers to prevent them from outcompeting the other carnivores.

Next, James moved on to rodents like mice, knowing they'd serve as prey for both birds and ground predators. Lastly, he captured reptiles like frogs, small snakes, and lizards, which would help control insect and rodent populations, adding an additional layer of biodiversity.

After a short break, James turned his attention to birds, essential for a fully functioning ecosystem. He started with insectivores like robins, woodpeckers, and swallows, which would help regulate the insect population. He gently coaxed these birds into his trap by creating soft trilling sounds and faint, insect-like movements in the Attraction Circle, taking care not to disrupt their natural rhythms.

Next were seed dispersers such as jays, sparrows, and finches, which he knew would help spread plant seeds and encourage new growth. These birds would play a critical role in regenerating plant life in his forest. Finally, he attracted bird predators like hawks and owls. They would manage the rodent population and ensure a natural predator-prey balance.

Each species he collected had its place and purpose, reinforcing the complex web of interactions that would sustain his Sovereign's forest. The balance he achieved allowed each level of the ecosystem to support the others, creating a self-sustaining environment.

As evening approached, James finished his task. Satisfied with his work, he packed up and returned to his inn room in Dwargon. His pocket dimension's forest now had all the components for a balanced ecosystem, providing the lizardmen with natural resources and food. Tomorrow, he would turn his attention to the plains, where he'd build out another ecosystem tier for Sovereign's Sanctuary.

End of chap.