I woke up feeling refreshed and ready for a new day of exploration and hoarding. Hearing my stomach grumble I went over to my pile of blazeberries with a hint of annoyance.

I really need to vary my diet…

I thought, as I took a bite at the juicy fruit.

Also, have I become a vegetarian dragon? I liked meat in my previous life… Although I don’t think I’m ready to try any of the mossy crab flesh.

I shuddered at the thought. The little bits of meat that I saw from the crabs I defeated in the past few days looked rotten at best.

For the sake of variety, if I find another lizard I shall give it a try.

I promised that to myself, but deep down I knew I was ready to break that promise at any moment.

I stepped out of my lair, taking a deep breath of the crisp, earthy air. The forest seemed to beckon, its myriad paths and hidden secrets inviting me to delve deeper.

"Let's see what you've got for me today."

I murmured, a grin spreading across my snout.

I set my sights on a patch of the woods I'd barely explored. It was somewhat in the direction of the mossy crab den, but I made sure to keep my distance. My Trailblazer ability allowed me to jog through the underbrush with ease. I moved with a fluidity and speed that surprised me as I felt my muscles responding with vigor to every leap and sprint.

The deeper I delved, the more I felt excitement tingling through my scales. It wasn't long before a familiar sight stopped me in my tracks. Ahead, a group of three crabs were rummaging through the underbrush, some digging, some foraging the bushes.

I crouched and watched them, memories of our past encounters swirling in my head. I was stronger now, much stronger than the last time I fought one of these mossy crustaceans.

A grin tugged at the corner of my mouth.

Why not? They wouldn’t hesitate to kill me if they had the chance.

Remaining hidden, I crept closer, the element of surprise on my side. Then, in a burst of energy, I turned nature against them. I immediately willed the bush and vines closest to the foraging crab to entangle it and block its movement. The other two snapped to attention as they saw their companion struggle, but I was already a step ahead.

I sprung into action with a head on charge from behind the two remaining crabs. My target noticed me but it was too late for it to move out of the way. I rammed into the helpless creature with all my momentum and quite literally launched it against a large sequoia. I heard a cracking noise coming from its shell as it fell to the ground, unmoving.

One down, two to go.

Without waiting a moment I turned to see the other crab charging at me, its pincers ready to strike. I waited until the last moment and dodged to the side just enough to put me out of its reach.

As the crab's momentum carried it past me, I spun around and struck it from behind, aiming for the joints in its legs. My claws, sharper and stronger than before, easily sliced through the shell, severing one of its limbs. The crab faltered with its balance thrown off, but it was far from defeated.

I darted in again, feinting to one side before slashing at another leg, further impairing its mobility. In a final attempt at a strike, the crab lunged with all its might, but I was ready.

As it snapped its pincers towards me with blind rage it didn’t notice the vine that had crept up to its side. I didn’t have to do much, just willing the vine to sneak in between its last legs was enough to trip the creature.

With my window to strike, I aimed a precise strike to its underbelly, putting an end to its misery.

I didn't waste any time celebrating. I looked at the third crab that had almost freed itself from the intricate web of vines and small roots that held it in place.

This time, I wanted to end it quickly. Channeling my energy, I summoned more vines from the ground, not just to entangle but to lift the crab off the ground. This was the first time I had attempted to lift such a heavy object with my Phytomancer abilities. I certainly felt a creeping headache as some of the vines snapped under too much tension.

I quickly used my connection to the surrounding nature to will more vines to creep forward and replace the ones that broke. It was a draining task, but eventually the crab found itself struggling in the air helplessly, and I delivered the final blow, piercing its underbelly with a precise strike.

Phytomancer - Experience +75

Phytomancer - Level up!

Explorer - Experience +36

Explorer - Level up!

“Note to self, lifting anything bigger than a mossy crab is a big no no.”

I took a moment to relax. My body wasn’t terribly fatigued, but I felt mentally exhausted from overusing my Phytomancer abilities.

While recovering I took a look at my status.

Name

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Juniper

Race

Dragon

Growth

Cub

Body

3

Classes

Level

Reflexes

4 (+1)

First

Phytomancer

4 (+1)

Cool

1

Second

Explorer

2 (+1)

Mind

5 (+1)

Third

none

-

Mysticism (racial)

1

Fourth

none

-

Double level up huh?

I thought, a grin spreading through my snout.

Unfortunately, other than the attribute increase there wasn’t any other noticeable change.

No fancy new abilities? That’s a little disappointing I guess…

I closed my status and resumed my exploration. I tried to keep an eye out for more shiny gems or things that might be worth bringing back to my lair, but I couldn’t find anything interesting.

Instead, my day had continued quite boringly. Same old bright and vibrant jungle over and over. I looked at the sun and realized that it must be close to settings, so I figured I had to start heading back. It took me a moment to realize that this was the furthest I had gone from my lair so far.

I better get back, don’t feel like walking around with no light.

I started trotting back with substantial speed. It was easy to figure out exactly which way to take thanks to my Explorer class boosting my sense of direction.

The canopy above danced in the light of the setting sun, casting long shadows that stretched across the forest floor.

As I blasted through the underbrush I noticed a small clearing a little ways away and decided to take a detour to check it out. As it opened up in front of me, I noticed it was riddled with peculiar plants. I saw many green cloves sprouting from the ground, and I realized they looked a lot like a certain plant I knew from Earth.

I approached and pulled one out.

Yep, definitely a carrot.

I looked at the familiar root in front of me. It resembled a carrot in every way except in its coloration, which consisted of a varied shade of yellows, almost golden-like.

I activated my Herbal Intuition to reveal more about this plant’s properties

Name

Healroot

Description

An elongated root with a glimmering appearance.

Safety

Safe to consume

Special properties

Nutritious

Healing (minor)

My curiosity piqued.

You are telling me this golden carrot has healing properties?

I didn’t know why but this reminded me of a game that I used to play in my previous life, but I couldn’t remember much about it.

I decided to pluck a couple and made a mental note of the location of this field, then resumed my journey back to the lair.

I managed to set foot inside my cave just as the sun began to set. I closed up the entrance and settled the carrots on the ground.

I’d like to store these for when I need them, but how do I keep them from rotting?

The thought lingered as I stared at the golden carrots for a few moments, almost like expecting them to provide the answer themselves.

Suddenly, an idea sparked within me.

What if I plant them here?

With a determined nod, I selected a corner of the cave where the lumishroom's gentle glow was the brightest. I reached out with my senses, tapping into the green veins of the cave's ecosystem, feeling for the right spot where the earth seemed most welcoming.

Using my claws, I gently dug the ground and placed a golden carrot into the soil. Closing my eyes, I extended my will towards the planted carrots, urging the life force within the cave to embrace them.

I felt a connection, a gentle hum of energy that flowed from the tips of my claws into the soil, intertwining with the essence of the Healroots. It was a delicate process, nurturing the roots with the energy they needed to take hold and flourish.

I felt a tug and the cave seemed to respond. A new tendril sprouted from the lumishroom and slowly made its way to the carrot. I took this chance and attempted to manipulate the carrot to extend one of its own life tendrils towards it. It was incredibly difficult, it felt like using a needle to pull a thread gently through the earth to its destination.

The tendrils touched and immediately intertwined with each other. For a few moments I didn’t notice any difference but suddenly I noticed the carrot’s tendril start to gain the deeper green color that originated from the lumishroom’s veins. I didn’t know if this had truly worked, but I felt the connection pulsing between the two plants and knew that I had done all I could.

I repeated the process twice more for the other carrots I had and settled back into my bed to catch my breath.

Wow, this was incredibly draining…

Phytomancer - Experience +25

Well, if they fail to grow at least there’s that.

This process made me feel really in tune with my surroundings, almost like I had a symbiotic relationship with the nature around me. I assumed that was the result of my increasing prowess as a Phytomancer.

The sun had now completely set. I annoyingly gobbled a blazeberry and settled into my fluffy bed.

“Top priority for tomorrow is securing a different type of food. Don’t care if it’s a new fancy fruit or any type of meat.”

I started to miss the variety of food from my previous life as I started to fantasticate about various dishes.

I eventually closed my eyes and dozed off, giving way to dreams of steaming stews and fancy cakes.