Nugget? I mean... did they really have to give him such an awful name? Or... it? How do I even tell what gender or sex this thing is? It's just a body with an eye.
Kaden watched the creature walk - or waddle - its way around to yet another corpse, before it pulverized yet another body with a mighty stomp. The gore-filled mess wasn't enjoyable in the slightest to watch but it rapidly accelerated how fast the body could be broken down by insects and eventually returned to the soil. Nugget had been doing this for going on three hours, taking five or so minutes between every corpse-smashing to regain its strength.
Compared to me, doesn't it seem more like an isekai? I mean... it can do all that. If it has no mouth, that means it probably has nutrients or some way to feed on mana until it grows older. That'd be the most logical step from a resurrected man's knowledge, at least.
Nugget looked his way and Kaden hastily turned his camera view a different direction.
It's like he can see me! Or hear me! But that doesn't make any sense; I have no mouth and I want to scream, but barripatch is a stupid plant! There's no way Nugget is hearing me!
The little bunny stomper clomped his way back into view and turned to stare its big eye at him once again. Kaden grumbled and averted his camera skyward. Right now, getting distracted wasn't an option; apart from winning that battle, there was another patch of good news. Nugget's hatching provided a reward after all.
Acquired Mentor title.
To facilitate training your new Student, you are granted the Uproot skill.
It wasn't a level-up yet Kaden had acquired both a new Skill and Title!
Mentor (Title)
As a proper senpai, you have taken on a junior; steer them to the right path!
• Proper senpai must never lewd their kouhai; nor allow them to spoil themselves!
• An underwhelming senpai such as a young mentor must never take on more than one kouhai!
• While the Senpai is in a Party, the kouhai must be brought along unless the cumulative level average of the Party is more than 1/3rd higher than the kouhai!
• Worthless senpai aren't a help at all! If the kouhai is paired with a permanently crippled or otherwise handicapped senpai, Skills and Spells may be unlocked to progress their teaching.
• Upon Class Evolution from their class, Student, this title will become inactive. Poor senpai!
Whoever wrote the fucking tooltip for Mentor deserves the axe from the isekai development team! But... this skill...
Uproot (Skill)
A Personal skill that cost 5 SP and is learned by Plantoids and classes specialized in the Earth element. Can only target the user. When used, the person's body resonates with the ground and allows them to pull free. If re-cast by Plantoids or with root-functioning individuals, the user will bury themselves as long as the terrain their roots are touching are able to sustain them.
If I learned the skill and it's to allow me to teach... does that mean this body doesn't actually require the dirt? I mean, my roots are all connected... but the wind has always been so strong. Every time it picks up, the parts of me exposed from the grass sway.
Kaden pans his camera down, looking over himself. His camera's panning allowed him to see much of his body. Apart from his damages - still needing to finish mending - he was already so large. If he kept getting worried about the wind, wouldn't he go nowhere? The ranbi had organized a group of this size already, so the possibility of an even bigger group coming wasn't beyond possible. The Great Plains were something he knew very little about; isekai luck only went so far, even for those who were lucky.
Unfortunately for Kaden, he only had a Luck of 2.
Well... by now, my SP has regenerated... so it won't hurt to at least try it. The worst that can happen is I tumbleweed away. Up...root?
Kaden closed his third-person camera off as he felt the ground churning. Nugget flopped over, kicking and swinging its nubs but Kaden supporting wrapped his nearest grass around it. Although Kaden wasn't very strong, Nugget wasn't too heavy when spread out among all of his grass. But the protagonist also lifted up the ranbi bits and few remaining corpses, feeling everything rising and the wind bearing down on him. Retreating now by recasting would mean another hour, so he persevered through the doubting and pushed blindly - in more ways than metaphorically - onward!
Until he didn't rise any further.
Kaden hesitantly opened his view and looked down... to see his malformed figure standing on a plethora of two (2) feet-long roots. Each root that either wove between the grass strands to connect them or pushed defiantly against the ground to stand him up was breathtaking; despite the smeared dirt stains, the roots of the Barripatch Thorn Grass were covered in grains of silver. A slight shimmy didn't shake them off, either; just moving made an eerie rattling, the soft dinking of the metal-on-ground in unison making it loud.
I use gold to protect myself and my roots have silver; just what kind of plant is this? But if these can make a sound... then that means I can do it.
Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.
I can communicate with Nugget!
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After unraveling Nugget and allowing him to settle down on the outside of the barripatch, there were a few things that Kaden had taken the time to learn in preparation. His vision had severely dropped in distance upon uprooting; as he expected, his plant body was communicating with nearby grass to detect the ranbi from further out. As it was now, he could only see about five feet out from his body. But more importantly, his uprooted figure meant he could do far more interesting things.
Growth!
The spell worked its magic... but this time, while uprooted, he curled. The silvery roots angled and rushed forward, the new grasses reaching out and grabbing hold of his older grasses to twist and turn with control. Kaden, while uprooted, had full control over how he could grow. Redirecting meant that he didn't need to just spam it non-stop to repair damage; instead, Kaden could now rely on Uproot to allow him to shape most of the Growth usage into the patches of missing grass! In only one go, rather than his estimated ten or so, he had completely mended the damage to his perfect circular form.
Or at least mostly; he couldn't make it perfect but that was just due to the human eye lacking that amount of quality control. The point is that he doesn't need to spam it and grow excessively large.
With this newfound ability, however, Kaden also tried a new idea; pulling and reshaping himself. Being able to cover about 20 feet across is nice and all, but maybe there would be an actual reason to turn into a tumbleweed. Tucking and pulling himself into a tighter ball, Kaden was able to emulate Hekroid's protagonist and her astounding curl-up... but he was still fairly big. Rather than twenty, he had become a 4x4x4 ft sphere. Moving around was mostly the same if not easier, as he could start moving and pull his weight around within the ball to adjust his rolling force. this was a pretty nice ability in the scope of things.
Not that I can use it here with all these hills.
Slowly uncurling, Kaden turned his attention to the more important topic: communication with Nugget.
I have two choices... given neither of us knows Morse code, there's no chance that we can go with using it. So we'll have to rely on a number system than a language.
Nugget was still staring at him so Kaden would have to try and use his camera to help convey this. Given Nugget seemed to know how to look into the depths of his soul, it made sense his vision was an additional signal. As for his body, the roots could tap or scrape while his grasses could shake intensely. Not to mention he could clack or click his thorns together.
So I have five types that I can assign in my number system... then we should go with simple training. Firstly, I'll teach Nugget to come; the loudest noise I have is shaking, so...
Shaking his camera around, Kaden waited until Nugget gave a tiny hop of recognition before turning his camera skyward. The stumpy critter blinked its massive eye, barely in his view... but turned and walked away.
So Nugget and I already have a form of communication; if I raise my camera, Nugget takes it as a sign to do whatever it wants. Given it wants my attention, this is how I can make it understand good behavior and bad. It's like a child or pet; all it wants is attention, so if I utilize my camera, I can do it! My isekai adventure is also partially a Life RPG, huh?
Kaden lowers his camera and rustles his figure, instantly drawing Nugget's attention from its exploration of the grass nearby. It looks over but doesn't come close. Kaden raises his camera and it narrows its eye judgingly... before walking forward. Kaden lowers it and Nugget relaxes. He gently pats the shell-covered noggin in approval.
Good! Now, let's spend the rest of the day doing this. We need to be ready for when the next group of ranbi come by. I might actually have a new strategy soon, too, if we decide to relocate. I mean... clearly you don't need anything if you lack a mouth... probably.
Nugget couldn't read his mind - Kaden thought, at least - but if it needed something then he was certain it'd find a way to communicate. The only way it could speak, however, was with stomps. Or a nubby clap. Either way, the rest of the day was going to be rather interesting...
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Kaden & Nugget's Communication, Core Lessons
After the day was over, Kaden had deciphered an adequate level of basic communication. Yes and No simply used his a nod or shake of the camera.
• Do Whatever, a simple raise of the camera to dismiss Nugget.
• Come, Kaden shakes his entire form's grass so its rustles can lure Nugget.
• Go Over There, a combination of shaking, looking at something, and shaking again.
• Danger, a use of scraping his roots or shaking his grasses without stopping.
• Counting, up to a total of ten via tapping his roots or clicking his thorns together.
Despite his best efforts, these were the only commands that Nugget could understand while also making a language that didn't rely solely on using Uproot. However, Nugget was able to emulate them in its own ways.
• Kaden's Camera became Nugget's vision or swaying of its body.
• Tapping or clicking are mimicked by stomping its stubby legs.
• Shaking or scraping are done through shaking the shell wrapping its dome.
Alright... Uproot.
Kaden's roots burrowed and snared the dirt once more, choking their way back into the fresh dirt. His lessons had allowed him time to make one final change for tonight's sleep; Kaden had Uproot-spammed like a child button mashing, using the Skill to clear and cut down plenty of grass. Most of it, he ferried into his bloody mess... but some of it was set-out near the center of his body for Nugget. The little guy had a soft bed so there was no need to sleep in the gore, but in time they would need to bathe him.
Unfortunately, the water beneath the surface only provided sustenance for him; his roots soaked it in overtime and it wasn't as if he knew water magic. Kaden wished he could, though.
Water-ever, for now, I'll just have to make do. Now that I can move... tomorrow, Nugget and I will use our new language to begin exploring. Before the end of this week, I need to find a proper solution to beating the ranbi... something that will let me keep killing them without issue. A normal isekai guy would have upgraded off of rabbits by now, but the difficulty has been too much. But now, with Nugget and that "Party" option - if I can discover how to use it - I have a chance to truly power-level in safety. I don't know what level Nugget is nor how strong it is... but it doesn't matter.
Before tomorrow is over, I'm going to power-level my way to level ten and pray I can finally get my first evolution!
Kaden shook a few blades defiantly and proudly... but grumbled as the reality hit him that he'd need to handle the issue with Nugget's well-being first. After they found water for it to bathe or clean with, then they would power-level him.