How long has it been? Days? Weeks? I have no way of knowing.
Buried beneath three feet of dirt, trapped in darkness, I’ve had no sense of time since my reincarnation as a flower seed. The only company I have is Aries, the voice in my head who claims to be my guide.
Apparently, she has some insane abilities.
[True Appraisal]—A skill that allows her to analyze the existence of any object or being, revealing their age, abilities, and nature.
There’s just one problem.
For the skill to work, I need to actually see what I’m analyzing. And right now? All I can see is dirt.
Man, this is so boring…
Then, out of nowhere, Aries' voice echoes in my mind.
[Components of evolution gained successfully. Would you like to begin the evolution process?]
Huh? Evolution? What’s she talking about?
“Explain.”
[The second stage of evolution requires consuming 100 liters of water. You have successfully completed this requirement.]
Oh… must be because of the rainwater. Thank you, sky!
[Will you initiate evolution?] Aries asks.
“Yes!”
[Evolution process started.]
[Estimated time: 48 hours.]
Wait—48 hours?!
Before I can even react, a wave of dizziness washes over me, and my consciousness fades.
[Sleep Mode Activated.]
—
By the time I wake up, everything is different.
For the first time, I see light. Towering green trees stretch into the sky, sunlight filters through the leaves, and beneath me is soft, vibrant grass. My body feels… different. I glance down and notice a sturdy green stem, rooted firmly into the earth. There’s even a small bud at my center.
"I’m a plant!"
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[Evolution successful.]
[Evolved from Seed to Baby Plant.]
[New skills unlocked.]
Water Magic Resistance
Light Magic Resistance
Earth Magic Resistance
Poison Resistance
Paralysis Resistance
Mana Recycling
Death Vines
Vitality Absorption
I freeze.
…Magic?
“Wait… this world has magic?!”
[Confirmed. You are in a world of magic, demons, and monsters.]
A fantasy world?! Just like an RPG game?!
“And how did you suddenly get all this information?”
[Now that you can see your surroundings, I can analyze the environment and detect mana signatures nearby.]
Whoa. That’s actually amazing.
I scan the skill list again. Some of them are self-explanatory, like resistances, but others…
“What exactly is Death Vines?”
[It allows you to summon thorned vines from your body to attack or defend. The vines can also drain life force from enemies, accelerating your evolution.]
That’s… pretty overpowered!!
But before I can respond, Aries continues.
[As for Mana Recycling, it’s a skill unique to the Veromu Flower species. The chance of obtaining it is only 0.001%.]
“What?! That’s insane! What does it even do?”
[After evolving into a Baby Plant, Veromu Flowers start generating mana. Normally, using skills rapidly depletes their mana, but Mana Recycling continuously regenerates it—creating new mana while keeping the old ones.]
Wait. That sounds broken.
“but i don't understand it properly”
[Imagine you have one layer of mana. After one second, [Mana Recycling] recycle and generates another layer while keeping the first. In another second, those two layers duplicate into four. Then eight. Then sixteen. The process repeats infinitely.]
…Huh?
“…Isn’t that basically cheating or hacking?!”
[It is your skill. Whether you consider it cheating is up to you.]
This is insane.
“How do I check my mana?”
[You must release it.]
“Well Okay, but how” i asked
[Like this] she replied
[Deactivating Mana Suppressor.]
—
A violent surge erupts from my body.
Thick, crimson-black energy floods the air, twisting and crackling like a living storm. The sheer pressure sends tremors through the ground, distorting the space around me.
Even I am terrified.
“TURN IT OFF! TURN IT OFF!” I scream.
[Reactivating Mana Suppressor.]
The oppressive aura vanishes instantly, and I slump in relief.
“What the hell was that?!”
[Your raw mana.] Aries replies, completely unfazed. [It was pretty powerful it might have even attract nearby creatures.]
"Huh?"
A low, guttural growl rumbles through the trees.
Slowly, I turn my head.
A massive, jet-black wolf steps forward. Its fur shifts like living shadows, its three tails swaying ominously. It's red eyes gleam with primal hunger as it bares its fangs.
I swallow hard.
“What is that thing?”
[True Appraisal: Shadow Ghost Wolf (S-Rank Monster).]
S-Rank?! That’s definitely bad!
Stay calm. I can’t move. I can’t run. I can't hide. But it hasn’t noticed me yet.
Think, think, think…
Death Vines! That’s my only shot.
I focus. Thorned vines burst from my stem, stretching toward the wolf. It noticed my move and dash towards me its claws glowing with dark energy. With a single swipe, it shreds my vines apart.
What?!
It vanishes—then reappears right in front of me!
Shit.....I’m dead.
Wait. No—I have an idea.
“Aries! Deactivate Mana Suppressor!”
[Deactivating Mana Suppressor.]
BOOM!
A tidal wave of crimson-black mana explodes from my body. The wolf freezes, startled by the sudden surge.
Now’s my chance.
I unleash Death Vines again, this time coating them in my aura. They lash out from the shadows, spearing the wolf through the neck. I tighten my hold—squeezing until its head bursts apart.
Silence.
The lifeless body slumps to the ground.
I pant, though I don’t have lungs.
[Reactivating Mana Suppressor.]
The crimson aura fades. I turn to look at the corpse.
"That was way too close"
[Congratulations. You successfully killed the Shadow Ghost Wolf without dying.]
“Was that last part necessary?!”
[Would you like to use [Vitality Absorption] on the corpse?]
“Vitality Absorption?”
[It absorbs all components of a corpse and integrates them into you.]
That sounds amazing.
“Do it.”
A green light pulses from my body, enveloping the wolf. Its entire form begins to glow—then crumbles into dust.
Aries speaks again.
[Vitality Absorption complete.]
[Successfully absorbed Shadow Ghost Wolf]
[New skills acquired]
Shadow Claw
Shadow Speed
Night Vision
Shadow Bite
Walk Through Objects
Shadow Barrier
"That’s a lot of skills!!"
But something doesn’t add up.
“Wait… why was an S-Rank monster here in the first place?”
Ar
ies pauses.
[It's obvious Because you are on an island called TEOD, located in the middle of the ocean. This is the most dangerous place in the world. The monster you just killed… was the weakest creature here]
I freeze.
“…What the fuck?”