In order to keep my branches off of the ground, I needed to either get rid of the hobbit hole, which I refused to do for now, or stretch out my trunk. Since I only had one viable option, I needed to figure out how exactly I can do that. So far, all of my growth has been adding on to the top of current height, not elongating what I already had. This would be delving into new territory for me.

Before I started working on my trunk, I needed to test how reliable this option would be in case something went wrong. I focused on one of my more average length vines. I sent my mind to the spot where the vine connected to my branch. From there, I activated my Body Manipulation skill and tried stretching the vine out.

It was an extremely uncomfortable process. It felt itchy. And I haven’t felt itchy this whole lifetime.

The skill took very little in terms of resources, and it worked well to add an extra inch to one of my vines. I think this will work!

I focused my mind on the part of my trunk that was sticking out between the very top of the hobbit hole and the base of my lowest branch. I activated the skill, focusing my intent solely on what I wanted to happen. My whole body suddenly burst out in the most discomfort I have ever felt. It was all wrong. I immediately shut the skill off and everything went back to normal. I examined the area where I was focusing on, and there was no change at all that I could see.

I tried activating the skill again to the same effect and temporarily gave up on the idea. It didn’t hurt or anything, but it was a lot more uncomfortable than I was willing to put up with for now. At the very worst, if someone were to try to steal my berries, they’d have to get through my golem, Earth Magic, Water Magic, and then all of my vines. I was pretty secure at the moment. Not to mention my newly found Mental Magic.

Hmm... I kind of want to see if I can get Air Magic and Fire Magic so I can be an elemental tree. Shout out to a certain cartoon character from my past life.

I chuckled a bit then went back to examining my body. I had done a pretty good job getting Improved Digestion through focusing on improving my root systems, so what would happen if I were to do the same for my trunk and branches? Would something happen to Photosynthesis if I were to try applying the same thought process to my leaves?

Well, no time like the present to find out, right?

I switched my focus from just to the one spot of my trunk to an expanded vision of my entire trunk. I looked at the flowing veins of water and nutrients in my body and saw some very little flaws here and there, but nothing major really struck out at me like before with my roots. When I had examined them, I could see all the flaws in ways that nutrients from the soil were tracked up my body and I was able to fix it one at a time. My issue here is that I don’t quite know how to fix these flaws.

After staring at the issue for a few moments, I started getting a mild magical sense. I couldn't quite tell what it was, so I just went with it. I pushed some of the mana that was resting inside my trunk and let it flow. The mana followed the flow of the water and other sappy materials inside of me and helped it move faster up my veiny xylem. I could feel the pressure increase a bit on the walls, but it was just enough to strengthen my wooden parts. It felt like my blood pressure was going up back in my old life after having an anemic episode.

After a few minutes of pushing the mana all throughout my body to emulate that effect, I got a notification.

New skill [Mana Circulation (R)] has been obtained!

Ooh, this seems useful. And it’s rare?! Awesome! My whole body feels amazing right now! How did I get by while feeling so crappy before?

I pulled up the skill description, hoping to see that it was a passive skill. I truly felt the best I ever have at this moment.

Mana Circulation (R): Active.

Damn...

I continued reading.

Mana Circulation (R): Active. The user circulates their mana, boosting mana regeneration, mana potency, and general mana usage. Circulating mana also strengthens the user’s body, making them tougher and harder to damage.

HA! I really just got another resource regeneration skill? Freaking hilarious. Because I don’t have enough of that as is. Well, the hardened body aspect is a pretty awesome battle boost at least. It would work great with Vine Control if I ever need to strangle something again. Although, between my golem and my 3 schools of magic, I doubt it will come to that anytime soon.

Despite the skill being an active one, it really didn’t take much effort to keep it on all the time, so I went ahead and left it as is. I felt a small mental drain, but nothing physical. I doubt anything will go wrong, right?

Anyways.

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I went back to trying to fix my Xylem problems and saw that even with Mana Circulation on, I still had some inefficiencies. I could see little splinters getting in the way of the flow, causing it to go slower than it could. That being the only solvable issue I had at the moment, I went through my entire body and used a bit of Body Manipulation mixed with some Wood Crafting to get it all smooth out. I was surprised at how well those two skills synergized. Although it made sense when I took the time to think about it. Maybe I should try combining them?

With that done, I started to feel a bit mentally exhausted. I guess I was wrong about having no consequences with keeping an active skill on constantly. I turned Mana Circulation off and decided to call it a day. The sun was getting low, as was evidenced by my domain getting a bit darker, and this was still the first day after they left. I was rushing for no discernable reason, when I had every right to take it slow.

I spent the next three days watching my xylem do their jobs. It really was a thoughtless process, but it was something that helped me pass time, and I knew that If I could fix the issue, something great would happen.

I was interrupted a few times by packs of Orcs, which I took as a break from my attempt at self-improvement to enjoy dismantling each group with practiced ease. I took turns between practicing my Mental Magic and cutting them up with my lovely golem. It was honestly kind of fun, though I hated to admit it. I was starting to enjoy killing these things.

It was my fourth morning of working on ‘fixing’ my trunk when I started to get another magical sense. This time was a bit different, but still extremely similar to Mana Circulation, in the sense that I was still circulating something.

Mana Circulation started as me pushing my mana through my body, and everything else just went along as a byproduct of the pressure. This time, I was sure to focus my efforts on moving the water and nutrients itself. I started to activate the previous skill a few times as a result, but made sure to clamp down on the idea of the water moving. I was closer to using Water Magic at this point more than anything. Not quite, but still on the cusp.

As I forced my body to work harder, I started feeling an unnatural shift in my xylem and phloem. I could feel them start to wiggle in a way that felt reminiscent of a water hose untangling due to the pressure inside building up so much. It was an intense mental strain to keep the pressure up while everything was being finalized in my body, but I managed to keep it up. The creaking noise it caused was very off putting, but it was totally worth it.

I felt a similar high as when I first got the Mana Circulation skill, in that I felt that same bodily high as before, at least when I had to stop struggling. In the end, I was successful, and rewarded with my second skill since Lilly left. The pings of notifications went unchecked while I had a moment.

Damn, I miss having someone to talk to. I used to love the solitary life until she came around. I really need to let go, though. Agonizing over her will lead me nowhere.

I connected to my golem and had it violently shake its head for me. It was the best I could do, and it did help a little.

I pulled up the notification and the subsequent skill description, trying to be more excited than I really felt. I was surprised to see I had more than just the one skill notification waiting on me.

New skill [Improved Blood Flow (U)] has been obtained!

Error! Skill is incompatible with race.

Adjusting skill to match User [Willow] Race [Tree].

New skill [Improved Sap Flow (U)] has been obtained!

Okay, that was weird. But I guess it worked out?

I opened the skill description, pretty sure of what I was about to see.

Improved Sap Flow (U): Passive. The user has twisted and turned and all around improved their circulatory system. This has led to an increase in regeneration of all resources. Due to racial adjustment, skill also increases rate of growth. The growth rate bonus increases depending on user’s overflow of resources.

That’s a pretty wordy skill. But damn, that’s pretty overpowered for me. This would be my third passive resource regeneration skill I have, and if I turn Mana Circulation on, it’ll be even higher. This is insane.

I spent the next few minutes contemplating the implications of the skill effects before dismissing the skill description. It was only then that I saw I still had one more notification left to check. And it explained just how freaking awesome I am, along with why it was so strong of a skill.

Congratulations! You have discovered a new, never before seen skill! Due to being the first being to discover said skill, it will be slightly improved for you and you alone.

I discovered a new skill! I guess it makes sense, since I doubt any sapient tree would be willing to put themselves through that whole ordeal I just went through. Sure, it might not have been painful per se, but it sure as hell wasn’t very pleasurable either.

I tested the new skill out by flexing my vines and playing around with them a little. I had to admit that it had been a while since I had practiced with my vines, so I used this as a chance to completely unwrap and twirl about.

As I had my array of vines swinging about, I was able to feel each one a bit more clearly. I tested it out by sending a strand of my mental energy into one to gain better control, and I could feel the flow of my sap much more vividly than before. It was surprisingly pleasurable. I was almost able to taste the sugars, nutrients, and water flowing through me. It was beautiful.

After reveling in the glories of my unique skill for a full day, I thought about what I should try to do next.

The waves of Orcs over the last few days had only been increasing, and their bodies had been starting to stack up. On the plus side though, I had gained a large amount of experience, going so far as to get pushed all the way over 35. I hadn’t even noticed!

I pulled up my status to take a proper look at my progress.

User: Willow Race: Tree

Level: 35 Exp: 2240/3500

H:100% S:100% M:100%

Skills: Photosynthesis, Iron Bark, Domain of Awareness, Rapid Growth, Vine Control, Fire Resistance, Improved Digestion, Resource Berry, Wood Crafting, Water Magic, Earth Magic, Body Manipulation, Mental Magic, Mana Circulation, Improved Sap Flow

Having killed 30 Orcs granted me 9000 Exp, and I hadn’t even been paying attention to my surroundings much. I guess I needed to take stock of what’s going on around me more. I had been so engrossed in my monotony of self-improvements that there was much to look at.

For starters, my roots now extended past the edge of the clearing. That means I have some new permanent neighbors to explore.