「Confirm Partial Import. "I am a _ _ _ _ _"」
The menu hovered in front of me for some time, as I contemplated how to answer it. After shouting out a few colorful words, I had calmed down and tried to understand my current situation.
My name is - or was, I suppose - Narisawa Ako. I had died... which would have been more scary if I hadn't seen Isekai anime before. I was happy to have that level of knowledge because my memory was still very fuzzy. I could clearly remember learning basic algebra, world history, human anatomy, but when I tried to think about my friends or family, I kept drawing blanks.
It was strange, but having no memory would have been much stranger so I just had to accept that. It was much harder to accept that, with that limited information, I still knew that I was a plant. And when I say limited, I mean limited. No lungs to breathe. No skin to see. No eyes to see.
Just... darkness.
I shook off that murky feeling, and blinked - thought about blinking - at the screen that demanded my attention. "Not much else to do..." I spoke, and the void responded with silence. I focused on it and answered.
「"I am a P L A N T"12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRmvLk6jpam
Identify Affirmed. Partial Import Confirmed. Simulation Resuming...」
The menu split in two and new information barraged me. I focused on the left one, which seemed to be a statistics screen of some kind.
「L.E.A.F12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJPCHmGgRDZ
Name: ???12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3aKC843jek
Race: Seedling12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwqSpkgf2P
Level : 112Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXzZM8ciNlQ
Biomass: 0/1012Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcODtM6lNVL
Energy: 5/10」
I wasn't really a gamer in my past life, but even then this screen felt... lacking. I turned - thought about turning, wow, that's so weird - to the next one.
「Skill Tree12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡisXxzcg8HM
[Seedling]12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ113DTjvX3B
Root Growth [1 - Innate]12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3vTxBlKGGR
Photosynthesis [1 - Innate]12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvIE6VhhPKn
Absorption [1 - Innate]12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoTySVIUiEZ
Nutrient Detection [1 - Innate]12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpq3rRxnXHH
Energy Storage [1 - Innate]」
That felt better to look at. More complete. I tapped - thought about tapping - one of the skills to get a better idea of what it actually did.
「Absorption [1 - Innate]12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm0lgZXvllR
Absorption allows nutrients and water to be drawn from the environment through roots. Low efficiency, but increases with further skill development.」
Yeah, don't know what I was really expecting. Still, I didn't have much else to do so I went through and checked all the skills anyways. They were all what you'd expect from a plant. Root Growth allowed me to grow and extend roots, Photosynthesis made me photosynthesize, Nutrient Detection helped me sense nutrients, and Energy Storage would let me self-destruct whenever I wanted.
So... now what? The menus had kept me distracted, but now that I went through all of them, I didn't know what exactly to do. I shifted my focus inward, trying to get a sense of my new body. It was an odd, detached sensation, but awareness of my form began to take shape.
It was an odd mental picture. I didn't have an exact sense of scale, but I was pretty small. My thin stem supported my tiny form, supporting my two teeny leaves that stretched out for light that might not even be there. Below, my threadlike roots anchored me.
It was weird for my human to try and make sense of this. I wanted to call myself generic, but that felt insulting to myself. I wanted to call myself cute, but that felt both odd - finding a plant cute - and narcissistic - calling myself cute. Then there was harmless, but that felt wrong as well - I was small, but that didn't mean I couldn't be a threat.
Maybe small was enough for now. Small...?
Vulnerable...
Weak. Powerless. Fragile.
I shuddered at the barrage of depressive words that filled my brain. It's not the best situation to be in, but jeez. I took a second to motivate myself and shake off the gloom, refocusing on my body. But the thoughts aren't exactly wrong. I'm a small plant, so I should obviously try to grow.
Another menu appeared.
「New Objective Added - Establish Roots12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLyarWWFU3Q
Parameters: Increase Skills [Root Growth], [Photosynthesis] and [Absorption] to Level 2.」
Convenient timing.
Despite the oddity of it all, I felt a flicker of excitement. "Well then," I spoke to the void. I pushed my mind back to my body, and focused on my roots, willing them to stretch further. "Let's get to work."
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸·
「Skill Progression : Root Growth 1 ⇀ 2」
"FINALLY!" The word leapt from my throat before I could stop it, not that I would have. Over the however-long-its-been-since-I-got-my-quest, I had come to a simple resolution.
Being a plant was boring as hell.
Maybe that was a little unfair to plants. Having a human brain and being in a plant body was boring as hell. My awareness still hadn't stretched pass my body, so I had no idea where I was. So, not only could I not have an idea of how much time has passed, I also couldn't enjoy the simple comfort of sight.
Still, besides my slowly decreasing sanity, I had steadily gotten used to my new body. I had gotten to the point where I could move my roots and leaves without thinking about it - like automatic breathing or blinking - but since that was the only thing I could do... no thank you.
Moving them was interesting. One would think roots would be like legs, and leaves like arms, but they kind of acted like both.
Take the roots. It wasn't as quick as stretching limbs; it was a slow, and strangely satisfying process, like stretching a stiff joint. I could feel every tiny movement, every microshift in the earth, feel the teeniest chemicals of nearby nutrients. The furthest roots were like fingers, with my nearest roots acting like motionless arms that supported slightly thinner arms, then hands, and then fingers. They were like legs, because they kept me anchored and balanced.
「Skill Progression : Nutrient Detection 1 ⇀ 212Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFh9xKwaiTh
Absorption 1 ⇀ 2」
"Huh, maybe I should be more narrative since that's apparently when all my skills level. Although it does make sense since those three skills go together so well. What do you think Leafa?" I spoke to the Mind Palace.
Oh, right. I also named the 'L.E.A.F System' Leafa because it sounds better, and started calling this dark abyss the Mind Palace because I wanted to. Leafa of course didn't answer back, but I knew it heard me. Leafa was always listening...
Another thing that really bothered me were my Biomass and Energy. "Leafa, I need some stimulation. Re-explain my stats for me please."
「Level represents overall growth and development. Leveling up is achieved by accumulating maximum Biomass. Each level increases Energy and Biomass capacity, while also providing Skill Points to upgrade or learn new abilities. Every ten levels, you are presented with an evolutionary choice.」
"Oh, now you're willing to talk." 「Biomass represents-」"Don't try to talk ove-" 「-matter required for growth-」"This is why our relationship is s-" 「-accumulated through possession of excess Energy or organic matter absorption with-」"I just really don't like your att-" 「-and Biomass may be converted to Energy.」
I sighed. "This is why no-one outside of anime likes tsunderes. Too much drama."
「「Says you.」」
I blinked.
「Energy is fuel for all functions. It is generated through photosynthesis and nutrient absorption and consumed to maintain growth, activate certain skills, and sustain life processes.」
Huh... I could've sworn that it actually responded that one time. Maybe the Mind Palace is just getting to me, but either way those final few words were a massive problem. I currently had 6 Energy and 0 Biomass.
Back when I got super motivated, I burnt through almost all my energy and basically had to just sit. And wait. There weren't many numbers, but I was trying to keep things balanced. Expand too quick = burn through all my Energy, don't have enough to stay alive, die. Expand too slow = mental death, something something, die.
Nutrient Detection knocked on the doors and I left the Mind Palace to answer its call.
I poked at the object with my roots. The earth was soft, enough so that I could separate it without issue, but whatever this was, it was solid enough that I couldn't push through it. I would have figured it a rock, but Nutrient Detection insisted it was more useful than that.
It was something to entertain my mind with so I diverted my attention to it. I tried to use Absorption, but the bare contact didn't seem to be enough. So I let a root curl around it.
「Skill Unlocked: Root Observation [Active]12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2nr9prurgW
Allows roots to analyze organic matter. Provides minimal information, but increases with further skill development.」
I willed the new skill to activate.
「Unidentified Organic Material Detected12Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVjUOulJtF
Potential Biomass: Negligible」
The skill wasn't sure what it was and neither was I. Couldn't say if it was animal, insect, or remnants of some decayed plant. It was just… there.
I hesitated. What if whatever this was could cause me harm or even get me killed? I was still the equivalent of a baby here, and while I wasn't having the most entertaining time so far, it didn't mean that I wanted to die over it. I had no skin to tear, no blood to spill, but there was still that little voice gnawing at the back of my mind, whispering that this was dangerous, and I was just too small, too fragile to take the risk.
My roots trembled slightly, and with a quiet mental sigh, I pushed aside that familiar, nagging, fear. I couldn't afford to let doubt slow me down.
I tightened my grip and let Absorption continue its work. The breakdown of the material wasn't an instantaneous poof, but a long period where nutrients were broken down and made useful to me. My resolve fragmented, but I pressed forward and my sense of discomfort steadily grew until the notification popped up.
「Biomass + 1」
I waited.
And waited.
I waited until something happened, and when nothing did, I finally let that sense of unease disappear into the depths of the Mind Palace. With the unease out of the way, all that was left was curiosity. What had I just consumed? Was there more nearby?
I shook my non-existent head, and instead focused on the now. The pleasure in getting my first point of Biomass would eventually fade, and I would have plenty of time to think later anyways. So I closed my eyes, and savored the moment.
ns 15.158.61.6da2
