「New Objective Added - Establish Roots II26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdLRlikn2yk
Parameters: Accumulate enough Biomass to achieve Level 2.」
「Objective - Establish Roots II - has been completed. Reward: Sense of Accomplishment.」
「Milestone Detected -『First Level Up』. Assigning Rewards: 1 Skill Point.」
「 L.E.A.F26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUD7wKgVZo
Name: ???26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcrkA60srpj
Race: Seedling26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp1XASZhb0h
Level : 226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBgifwwh4kb
Biomass: 1.5/1226Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ9Y0fPY3b5
Energy: 10/2026Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvcRyCoxK76
Skill Points: 2」
「Skill Tree26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJalUkFtIqA
[Seedling]26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEXAKuvnZXT
Root Growth [3 – Innate]26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7zQ1ZE9EEE
Photosynthesis [2 – Innate]26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2Qu6QqfYRz
Absorption [3 – Innate]26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ImdrvYNrt
Nutrient Detection [3 – Innate]26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtT4Etadz3W
Energy Storage [2 – Innate]26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcpg609tCq1
Tremor Sense [1 – Innate]26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgHcqQB07RS
Root Observation [2 – Active]26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrdIhA8yHBZ
Vine Whip [1 – Active]」
It felt good to feel like I was actually making progress. That could've also just been the 'Sense of Accomplishment' reward having some effect on me, but there was definitely some regular pride in there.
After I defeated 'the bug', its body slid down its hole falling near my roots. I didn't expect too much in the ways of biomass from it, but it had given me enough to get my first level up and have some spare change. Some biomass to energy conversion later, I also repaired the damage to my body and resumed normal plant operations. Which, of course, meant I didn't really have much to do.
So I decided to shop!
Since I gained a skill point from the first milestone, there was a small Skill Shop tab that opened up on the skill screen. So, when I got bored of growing I'd browse future options... and there were many options. Some caught my eye, like Toxin Resistance and Root Hardening. I considered the former because, well I think, that bugs are poisonous and so far they've been the only creatures that I've encountered. Root Hardening would reduce the damage my roots would take, and they were currently my weak-points.
My overall problem was that I lacked information, and that's when I stumbled upon one skill that I think could really help me out.
「Root Whisper [Cost: 1 Skill Point - Innate]26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg73Q1AzhMB
Establishes basic root-based communication with nearby flora. Response quality will depend on the intelligence and awareness of target. Low range and communication options, but will increase with further skill development.」
「Skill Purchased: Root Whisper」
There was something to be said about investing more skill points into the area of my body that I could defend. Those words were probably 'its a stupid idea, don't do it', and I'd only give my response if the speaker of those words talked to me in my Mind Palace instead of judging me from behind a screen!
I did have some reasoning behind it though. Out of all my kids - I meant skills - Photosynthesis concerned me. Nutrient Detection was always excited to get my attention. I spent alot of initial time with Root Growth and Absorption and now we were super close. Tremor Sense and Energy Storage didn't interact much, but they were very clingy and sweet in their own way...where was I going with this...Oh, right!
With Photosynthesis though, there was always this kind of emptiness. Leveling up had definitely increased the rate it turned stuff into energy for me, but that kind of emptiness never left. So, with the spare time I had, I sorted through some of my human memories.
Sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide. That's what photosynthesis needed to work. I think that 'emptiness' was caused by my lack of one or more of those three factors, which would give me a hint as to what kind of place I got reincarnated into. Just a hint though. I doubted my problem was water, because Absorption actively found moisture where I was. I couldn't really figure out carbon dioxide, but I could make theories for low sunlight.
Two really: underground, and dense forest floor. "And if I'm in located in the depths of a jungle, Root Whisper should 100% work!" A brief bit of laughter bubbled out of me, but I caught it. It was a recent quirk I developed when I spoke out loud. I didn't think too much of it. "I love you Leafa, but YOU NEVER TALK TO ME. It would be nice to have a conversation with a true plant too." So I rubbed two roots together in anticipation as I cast the skill.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
Laughter rang through the trees.
Small feet sprinted through the underbrush, leaping over bulky, twisted roots and ducking beneath low-hanging branches. His bare feet barely made a sound against the soft earth as he zigzagged through the forest, chasing nothing in particular. It was a game—a game he had made up, where the only rule was to run as fast as possible.
He liked this game.
His family always warned him not to wander too far, but what was the fun in that? There was so much out here! Strange bugs, mossy rocks, tiny streams snaked through the dirt. And then—
He skidded to a stop.
Something caught his eye—a hole, barely wider than his fist, carved into the face of a mountain. The stone around it was rough and dark, streaked with damp green where moss clung to the cracks. He tilted his head, stepping closer.
A cave?
No… it was too small. He had never seen a hole in the mountain before. He crouched down, pressing his face to the opening. A gust of cool, stale air brushed against his cheeks, carrying the scent of damp earth and something… gross.
Excitement bubbled in his chest. Maybe it was a tunnel! Maybe someone had tried to bury treasure inside! He dug against the hole, trying to widen it so he could fit inside. The dirt and loose rock easily gave way, much too easily.
The ground shifted. The child yelped as the tiny hole wasn’t so tiny anymore. The earth gave way, and he plunged forward, tumbling into the darkness below.
His shoulder smacked against stone. His leg twisted in the air. Then, his head hit something hard. A sharp burst of pain. A flash of white.
Then darkness.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
"DAMMIT!" I had really been hoping that I was in a dense forest, because then I would gain some use out of the skill. But after six attempted uses, and no responses, I could safely conclude there weren't any plants nearby. It didn't exactly mean I was underground, but it was definitely starting to look likely.
「Skill Progression : Tremor Sense 1 ⇀ 2 」
Even without Tremor Sense, I would've felt the impact in my roots. Something large, significantly larger than me at least, slammed outside my tremor-view and then made a few more bounds towards me. I cast Vine Whip, hoping to deter the creature, but instead of moving, the thing dragged along the floor before coming to a stop fairly close to me. In my last fight, I missed the change to use Root Observation on the bug, but it had given me an idea.
Level three of Root Growth gave me directional control of my roots, but only for a small bit after sprouting them. So, I set up four roots around me that barely broke the surface. They didn't get far, but that's just how close this creature was to me. "Root Observation."
「Organic Material Detected26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZGIIWa4Ve4
General Classification: Mammal26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIdgutcHhoX
Potential Biomass: Significant」
That... was concerning. I waited to see what the 'mammal' would do, but the longer I waited, the more I realized it wasn’t going to do anything... which meant it was dead. Right? I licked non-existent lips at the 'Significant' Biomass, which was definitely at least another level. Another level was another skill point, which meant more things for me to do. I stretched more nearby roots out, drawing closer, inching toward the mammal’s body, but still... something held me back.
The hungerto growwas there, but so was this strange reluctance. Ah, right, information!
I maneuvered back into my skills screen, and added a point to Root Observation.
「Organic Material Detected26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz0py4FggtV
General Classification: Bipedal Mammal26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNLROmCoD4N
State: Moderately Injured26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKqxYzAEDpV
Potential Biomass: Significant」
I stared at the notification, waiting for it to change. Maybe I had misread it, or maybe my system had glitched again. But no, the words remained the same.
It didn’t explicitly say ‘human,’ but it didn’t really have to. I had been a human, once, and that meant I was a bipedal mammal once. I considered growing some new roots to try and get a feel for the proportions of the creature, but decided against it. This was a person.
A living person, so of course I hesitated.
"But isn't that stupid?" I spoke to the unresponsive void. "I was ready to consume it because I thought it was a dead animal... I would’ve absorbed it without thinking twice. It was biomass - they are just biomass to me..." Roots extended towards the creature. "Right, yeah, I said it when I got here. I am a plant. Plants consume whatever nutrients are available. Plants don't feel feel guilt or hesitation. And that's what I am."
The justification felt hollow. I pulled my roots back, feeling less conflicted. "But I still have a human mind, and human morality. Honestly, hehe, I think the isolation is just getting to me a little too much. Hehehe, I'm talking to myself again, heh-" I cut off the laughter before it could continue. The isolation on its own wasn't the worse part, but my memories were very suspect.
I knew about the concept of friendly interactions, knew about the concept of family interactions, but no matter how much I searched, I couldn't find any evidence of having friends or family before. The more I looked, the more I realized that my memories were aspects that 'provided information'. They were my reference point for everything, so obviously that made sense, but there was something off about them too.
They felt... fake? Sanitized? Made up and implanted for me? I clearly wasn't an author in my past life, because I wasn't sure what word to use here, but the system must have tampered with my memories somehow.
Tremor Sense poked me in my stem, drawing my attention and pointing past the body. Guess I'm saving this line of thinking for later.
I could feel the movements on the surface. Something was moving towards the body. Somethings.
Scavengers?
That would make sense. Something this big, lying still for so long, would naturally attract them. That was the problem with these bugs, they didn’t care if their prey was dead or just too weak to fight back. This person(?) was still alive, and they wouldn’t wait for them to expire - they’d start stripping them down now.
Something twisted in my core. A strange, irrational rage flared up within me. I didn’t want to consume this person myself, but I also didn’t want the scavengers crawling towards the body to do it either. Was that selfish? Hypocritical? Possibly. But, with my human mind, I had also developed the ability to push problematic thoughts and let future me deal with them. It was working okay enough so far.
I tapped my skills menu and spent my last skill point.
「Skill Progression : Vine Whip 1 ⇀ 2」
I had no way of knowing what part of the mammal the bugs were crawling on, but I could feel the movement across the surface of the soil, and remembered the lack thereof when they started crawling on the body. That was all I needed.
The first strike was experimental. A vine lashed out at the nearest cluster of movement, striking something small. I felt the impact through Tremor Sense as I sent the first bug tumbling across the dirt. It reoriented itself quickly, but I had confirmed my only worry - with my second level, I could reach them.
Another flick, another strike. The same bug reeled back, skirted against the ground, but the small pulses on the ground told me it wasn't dead. I turned towards another that was moving towards me, no doubt sensing I was a threat. I poured more energy into the skill, focusing my movements on swinging downwards instead of just lashing out wildly. The seconds bug felt the full weight of Vine Whip’s improvement - it was slammed into the ground, where it stayed motionless. 「Energy: 6/20」 ⇀「Energy: 10/20」
I counted four bugs in total, and the remaining three slowed their advanced towards me. Perhaps they recognized the danger. Either way, I had 'sight' on all the bugs now. I capitalized on it. Two more overhand vines; two more dead bug.
Only one was left now: the first, stunned, bug. To its credit, it made an effort to retreat, but it was too close to me. Vine Whip curled around one of the smashed corpse, and flung it toward the final bug like a rock. The projectile struck true, crushing the tiny scavenger under its weight.
The battlefield was still.
Tremor Sense and Nutrient Detection gave me a thumbs up, each. Absorption lunged hungrily at the bodies around. The rest of my kids had no idea what was going on, but were celebrating in their own way. Relief settled where anger once was, and I turned my mental attention back to the wounded mammal.
They were still alive, but barely. And now I had an entirely new problem.
What was I supposed to do with them?26Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFspfvNR6qh
