Author Notes: Glad everyone is enjoying the story, except for one disgruntled user that wasn't happy the story was conforming to what he wanted lol. I welcome any constructive criticism, but not blatant bashing. Give ideas and reasoning. But anyways, my new site is out, check it out here: Link It is a wordpress site, so it should be okay.

This chapter is linked: HERE and was posted this morning.

BTW, love reading your guys' discussions. While I don't do polls etc., I do garner new ideas and explore those ideas within my storyboard to see if they fit and if they are improvements over my original ideas. I try to keep out of giving too much information out in the comments, as the story is, of course, not 100% written haha. You guys are my soundboard and test bed for my story before I get it edited and released in a light novel form.

Thanks for reading!

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— POV Mathias —

I've done it. I have become peerless in my glade. Anything that before would eat me, now avoids me like a plague, or dies just after one bite. The only things left are the slimes - now what to do about them? From what I can tell they have a core of mana, but they are your typical blobs of acidic juices. Piercing them with my leaves did almost nothing, so that's out. I do have some mana, but no way to attack with it yet. And I don't want to go in physically - the last time hurt like hell.

From my abilities, I don't have much to do. Over time I could make a pit with spikes at the bottom and lure them in there, but we're talking weeks before that could be done. So I want a projectile that does magic damage……

Ah, I wonder how my seeds work? Something like from Pokemon would be legit, like Bullet-Seed. Let's create one… well, I don't have the ability naturally, my seed just fell to the ground, but it should be relatively cheap to purchase. Cucumber seeds are forced out like an arrow through elastic tension, touch-me-nots do a cluster bomb like explosion of seeds, and I think the squirting cucumber genus explodes them out like a machine gun, along with ample water. Muahahahaha, with my technical knowledge, I basically will have modern munitions!

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Genetic Mutation: Bullet Seed

Release a generated seed at a high velocity using elastic energy.

Cost: 25

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Genetic Mutation: Cluster Seed

Release a generated seed-pod that explodes seeds in an outward direction when touched.

Cost: 50

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Genetic Mutation: Rapid Bullet Seed

Release generated seeds at a high velocity using hydraulic pressure.

Cost: 100

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Perfect, since my GP is at an all-time high of 2580! I'm still shocked that the cost is so high for these additions. I guess that's the penalty for not knowing exactly how they work and the genes that create the effects. MIGHT be cheaper due to me already having elastic abilities from , but this is acceptable as far as I'm concerned. I should start eliminating my predators in my immediate vicinity. I'm already working on my aphids, powering them up using my drug and mana cocktails. Another week and I should see how the eggs have mutated. Also, my toxins now pretty much keep me clear from any random bites, though even those are annoying. I either want a totally clean environment, like a clean-lab, or I want to be immune to bugs. Before I was grass, I wanted a pretty unique super-power - to be able to kill any and all bugs and rodents around me. I might finally have the chance in this new world, sniff. I'm so happy!

Originally I was going to take care of the grubs beneath me too, but after one or two bites from my roots or potatoes they quickly die. So,the slimes are next on my menu of devastation. And you know what, I will take care of the rabbit too in the near future. Fuck keeping him alive, I want my clean environment back! With no dirty animals inside, especially ones that consider me a snack. After that, I will decide on fate of the glade of grass - should I assimilate them, or should I be merciful and only use them as a meat-shield? I already have my root network ready to go, decisions, decisions.

Any who, might as well buy those three modifications and give them a whirl. Ah, I can feel that I have the ability now. First off, let's experiment!

I'll target the weakest slime first, the one with the least mana residing in their core. First up to bat, ! Grow a leaf, grow a small seed, squeeze it inside of a small seed pod…… and we have liftoff! It did nothing. The seed just stopped halfway to the core and it just absorbed it. OK, time! Maybe having an explosion inside of it will kill it! Analyze its movement… Grow a leaf in front of it with a seed-pod attached… Man, that's expensive, 30 growth points vs the 2 for the bullet seed. It better be worth it. OK, dropping the seed pod in front of it gently… and the trap has been set! You know, I'm pretty sure I can make these a land mine, how versatile! There we go, it has rolled over it and has let it enter itself… Whoa, that was cool! It reminded me of an explosion simulator in slow-motion. The pod exploded inside of it like it should, exploding the seeds out in an awesome spherical shape. Each seed went, again, only about a quarter of the way through the slime, but it seems to have disturbed the slime much more. I think one or two of the seeds did manage to touch the core, but barely. They don't have enough power in them, but the explosion itself did make it stop moving and ripples covered its surface. Internal explosions should do a lot more damage than external, but it's not enough.

Fuuuuuuu, if those two didn't work, I don't think will do much either. I have a fundamental lack of power to kill a slime, but I haven't utilized all of my power! Let's try again, this time with filling the leaf that shoots a bullet seed with a lot of growth energy and see if that adds to the effect. OK, the slime still isn't moving yet, but the ripples are slowing down. Let's set up the next barrage, one leaf in front, filling the leaf with a lot of growth energy… Oh, the slime is moving towards it because it's attracted to the light! Muahahahaha, perfect. And… Now! Yes, finally! This seed easily reached the core… and did nothing again. Sigh. It looks like the physical attacks of the seeds don't work very well. I think that by adding a lot of GP to the seed pod would kill the slime, but I'd need like 100 GP instead of the 30 before. Acceptable, but costly. I want something more efficient, if I improve my base , I'm sure it would also improve both the AND the abilities.

I still have one more variable to put into play - mana. From what I've read, slimes are either very week to physical but resistant to magic, or vice-versa. From what I can tell, this is the second type (hopefully). Maybe if I load mana into the seeds and use growth points to supercharge the launch, I should be able to kill a slime with minimal effort and energy expenditure. OK, let's try this one more time. First the leaf and a small seed pod with a seed. Let's put all the mana I have - 2 - into the seed. There we go, that got the attention of the slime, it's rolling towards me. And now, the growth energy - 5 - to launch the thing. Ready, aim, FIRE!!!!!

Ah, ore ore, what do I see in front of me. Ah, poor slime, you have a crack in your core, and you seem to be trembling. Tsk Tsk, it seems like you bit off more than you can chew. Don't worry young one, there is an afterlife, believe me ha ha. There there, shhhhhhh. Just let go… Ah, it's deflating. It looks like it actually died, at the low-low cost of 8 GP and 2 mana. The mania's a problem, but I can recover that in an hour. Hmm, I wanna check something out. Grow a root, then a leaf into the core… and aha! I can activate again, and I recovered my two mana! I can tell there's actually more in there, but I can't hold it. I almost, ALMOST, regret not having mana stones to hold it in. Oh well, with this I've successfully found a way to defend myself from small-time predators.

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Slime extermination, here we go. I can see 30 of them. It is time to rid MY world of this plague - good-bye my hated enemy. Let's bring in my thought process that's controlling the bugs… phew, that took awhile. It's getting harder to reign in my thought processes - it must be just because I'm not used to it. I'm still acting as a hub though, I'm getting the gist of what each process is doing but not micromanaging myself that much haha! The increased clarity from bringing in my other thought process is nice though. It's time. Ballistas, ready your charges! Generate the seeds! Oh, wait haha, didn't think this all the way through. I got caught up in the image of 30 slimes dying all at once as my seeds impacted and destroyed each of their cores. OK, stay there! I should start at the center and expel the slimes from there.

One goes down! Root, Root, … Fire! Root, … Ah, how refreshing. It reminds me of an old nursery rhyme,

Ring-a-round the rosie,

A pocket full of posies,

Ashes! Ashes!

We all fall down.

How nostalgic. Each of them trembles, then flattens, then feeds me the necessary energy I need to kill another of their brethren. Each time I use I'm hoping to get another ability, and eureka! I managed to learn how to create the slime's corrosive ability! It's called ! Free stuff is the best!

Ah, I would feel bad about basically committing genocide against the slimes, but I'm sure they're everywhere anyways. In everything I've read and know, they are the most prolific species in the land, and Adventurers routinely subjugate them. If anything, I should be rewarded by somebody for taking care of the problem early, before something like the slime tensei showed up and took over the world or something even worse. At least I know I will be a kind and benevolent ruler once I leave this place. I'm still hesitant to do so, but bringing in my other thought process clarified some things for me, as well as shoving more of my fear into my worrying thought process. It was just stupid dream, a nightmare so to speak, but it's natural to fear the unknown and fear being eaten when I've been chewed on by hungry beings constantly out my short life. I still think I should wait until I at least have some fail-safe mechanism to keep me alive, or maybe I don't have to leave and instead I can learn of the world without leaving this peaceful glade. This could be the seat of my power from which I rule. I like that idea a lot! OK, I should get back to ordering my bugs around. The only one who still does their duty is June, I should reward her in the future, or continue to show favoritism by giving her more mana. Being a good ruler is hard.

Hmm… What to do now? I guess I should finally decide whether I should now focus on taking care of the rabbit, or the grass in front of me. I think for now discretion is in the cards, and I need, so the rest of the grass can stay for now, besides I need more points before I feel comfortable with assimilating that many plants. So that leaves you Mr. Rabbit. Your body will give me nutrients that I need, as well maybe give me a cool ability. Any will do, I have a feeling that I'll need all I can get in the future.

Hmmmmm, how should I deal with him? Cyanide, plant toxins, stabbing, seed cluster bomb in the mouth, or maybe… No, that's be too gruesome on a living animal. I may be in a savage environment, but that does not mean I need to resort to savage means. Well, it kinda does, but there's a line that pumping a seed full of GP and throwing it into his mouth to watch it explode in spiny growth skewering the rabbit from the inside out. I want to give him a somewhat painless death, and that is off the table for now, cause I don't think it will kill him off immediately. So a surefire kill technique, I think I have it!

First, let's look for its energy signature… There it is, a small green and pink energy hopping along the ground, ending a lot of green energy grass. OK, analyzing hopping pattern and what it goes for… It seems to eat grass indiscriminately, and seems to follow a trail it made. Oh, what's this? My activated. It seems Mr. Rabbit is level 3, his favorite food is grass, and he has 25 health. I wonder why it didn't activate for the slimes, unless them leveling me up actually unlocked this ability for me? Well it's nice to actually see like in video games the health of the beings around me. It does look like it's time activated, e.g. it only told me the stats after observing the rabbit for awhile. Ohohoho, what's this? I can see the grass stats too, it shows me much more information, must be because our difference in strength is in my favor versus the rabbit's strength being higher than mine.

It's time, I know where the rabbit is going. Time to lay the seeds of my opponent's defeat. A nice, large leaf, with a succulent, Cyanide-laden seed right at nibbling height. He needs to just walk up and eat it, doesn't it look tasty? Come on, come on!

Ugh, it ran right up to it, it's ears twitched, and it hopped away. Damn, maybe it could detect the danger or poison? I want that ability! If you won't take your medicine, I'll have to give it to you the same way I gave medicine to my cat - it's time to launch a seed straight into his throat with a seed pod. I should wait for it to be perturbed or distracted, either will work for this sinful deed. More jarful observation is needed.

Ha, a shadow flew over the glade, perfect! A bird of prey… and yes! The rabbit is frozen in fear and instinct, he'll never notice the danger below him saith the evident danger from above! Let's slowly grow a seed pod beneath his mouth, where he can't see. Nice. Everything is ready. I'll use my this time with 5 seeds, and build up the pressure below the firing end with water. Wait for it to pant……… THERE!!!!

— POV Mr. Rabbit —

Strange seed thing that felt dangerous appeared. No eat.

Hop-Hop

Yum, grass.

Hop-Hop

Danger! Don't move!!!!

Gulglguglu

Something in throat, swallowed.

I feel slow. Can't… move.

No energy. Can't breathe. Sleep. Sleeeep.

— POV Mathias —

Again, I feel like a piece of shit. The rabbit was so sad when it died, Dammit. It just slowly settled down and closed its eyes. Fuck this, FUCK THIS! Why are my emotions all over the PLACE! Just.. Shove.. This.. Emotion.. Away!! Go fucking stay with my fear, fuck this shit! I have to do this to live, I've killed to eat before for fuck's sake.

Fuuuuuuu, fuuuuuuu, fuuuuuuu. There, suppressed. That's better. Perfectly SANE again. Now, to this rabbit, bury its body, and absorb its nutrients and abilities. Let's cover it in my roots, pierce its skin with my spines, making sure I get into the brain case and other primary organs. I reaaaally want that an ability, and whatever helps, helps. Then I'll release the acid that I have, triggering . Textbook. Success! I did it! I got the ability, totally worth it! And it seems I've leveled up! And Evolved! I am now the species known as the Bermuda Grass Unique Variant: Carnivorous. I'm not a potato anymore! Huzzah!