Growing Pains

「Skill Progression : Photosynthesis 1 ⇀ 2」

The message blinked into my awareness, cutting through the haze of my boredom. I was right to simply enjoy that point of Biomass, because nothing had happened. No skills had levelled, I didn't find anymore 'Unidentified Organic Material', nothing. Another notification followed, and a sense of pride welled up in me as I read the words.

「Objective - Establish Roots - has been completed. Reward: Sense of Accomplishment.」

"HEY LEAFA! WHERE'S MY REWARD?!"

「All objectives are issued solely for user guidance. Completion of an objective does not guarantee tangible rewards. Please manage expectations accordingly.」

If I had lungs, I would've sighed. If I had hands, I would've buried my face in them. Instead, all I could do was float in existential disappointment. I suppose the objective did not mention a reward, but even the sense of accomplishment I felt wasn't mine. That was... disappointing. I pulled my attention away from my body to sulk.

Reality hiccuped.

The menu flickered, words breaking into unreadable gibberish, and then fragmenting further into something even more incomprehensible. The Mind Palace's uninterrupted silence was filled with a shrill, sharp static-like sound that threatened to overwhelm my unprepared self. The menu kept repeating the same 'text' like a glitched cassette tape.

「⋉⟟⏚ ⎅⟊⏃⋏⎍⏃⏁⏃⋏⍜⏁⍜⋏∘ ⟊⏃⏁ ⏚⋏⟊⌿⌿ ⏚⟟ ⏃⌿⌿⍜⏚⋏⟟⊑∘」

Another violent flicker, a sharp ping! noise rippled through the darkness, and then all was calm yet again. A new menu appeared in front of me, and I braced myself as I read it.

「System Clarification: Objective - Establish Roots - was user's first completed objective. Milestone Detected -『First Step』. Milestone objectives grant tangible rewards. Oversight corrected. Assigning Rewards: 1 Active Skill Choice and 1 Skill Point.」

「Milestone 『First Step』Reward Available! Choose:

Leaf Blade (Active) - Modify a pre-existing leaf, sharpening its edges to use for slicing, cutting, or manipulating objects.

Vine Whip (Active) - Sprout and control a single thin vine for short-ranged interactions.

Regrowth (Active) - Accelerate the regrowth of damaged or severed parts of your form for a brief period.」

Oh, that was an information dump and a half. Still, getting the choice of my first skill made me feel like a proper isekai protagonist. It felt good as long as I ignored the horrible glitch(?) that just happened. So, like with the Biomass, I focused on the now - the good.

Leaf Blade, Vine Whip and Regrowth, three good and equally convoluted choices. Leaf Blade seemed like a decent offensive and defensive option, but if something wanted to get rid of me right now, I doubted I would get the chance to use it. Also, I still can't see. I could see some offensive use from Vine Whip, maybe a bit of utility if I used it properly. However, I still can't see. That really only left Regrowth, the only skill not dependent on sight. I could heal myself!... and then die because I could do nothing.

I went in circles like this for a while, before sighing. "Eenie meenie miney - wait, no, that's how you end up with garbage skills in RPGs... but I don't have a better way of deciding." Ultimately, the longer I thought about it, the more I didn't know what to do, so I just ended up going by gut instinct.

「Skill Unlocked: Vine Whip [Active]

Allows user to sprout and control a single vine for short-ranged interactions such as hitting or pulling objects. Range, quantity, and size of vines will increase with skill development. Energy Cost: Varies.」

The moment the skill unlocked, I felt a tingly sensation run through my form, almost urging me to cast the skill and test it. It was tempting, but I resisted. I had just made it to 8 Energy, and wasn't ready to see that number go down anytime soon. Still, there was a new piece of information that my best buddy could easily explain for me!

"Hey Leafa~ I just got a Skill Point, so could you explain what that's about?"

「Skills fall under two categories: [Innate] and [Active]. Innate Skills are always enabled and level up via usage. Active Skills require intentional activation and consume energy or other resources. Skill Points can be spent to either unlock new Active Skills or enhance existing ones.」

"Aww, love when you answer me. What if I want to use a SP on an Innate skill though?"

「Skill Points apply only to Active Skills to allow for manual refinement beyond natural progression. Unspent Skill Points remain available indefinitely until used.」

"Alright, thanks! I really do love how helpful you are, and how much you don't ignore me! I'm not sure if you can tell, but I'm being quite sarcastic because you don't talk to me!"

「「It was apparent. Goodbye.」」

The menu blinked off. There was something odd about that most recent message, but... well I'm a plant.

"Still, I do appreciate all the stimulation. Don't think the constant darkness is going to be doing wonders for my mental health." I said to no-one in particular. Nutrient Detection, however, must have thought I was speaking to it, because it was very adamant to get my attention at that moment. I stepped out of my Mind Palace, and sure enough another menu awaited me.

「Unidentified Organic Material Detected

Potential Biomass: Negligible」

"Actually, you're the perfect opportunity to test something." I waded my way through the menus, and added one skill point to the skill. I cast it one more time.

「Organic Material Detected

General Classification: Insect

Potential Biomass: Negligible」

I tilted my focus toward the new menu, feeling a spark of satisfaction. It wasn't much, but I had gone from completely blind to slightly less blind. I could tell that the thing in front of me was an insect—what kind, I had no idea, but it was at least something I could interact with.

And by "interact with", I obviously meant "eat".

Some time later, the '+1 Biomass' notification flashed before me. It didn't feel as special as the first point, but it still felt nice to have some forward progression. Hopefully I would find more of those 'insects', sometime soon.

「Skill Unlocked: Tremor Sense [Innate]」

"Wait, wha-"

A sharp ache I hadn't felt in a long time washed over to me.

Pain. A deep, raw ache coursed through me as something clamped onto my fragile body and dug in. I didn't have time to read the menu, as instinct took over.

"Vine Whip!" I screamed to the void, casting the skill. I felt the energy transfer through me. A thin vine manifested, striking my attacker. The deep ache became more shallow, and I whipped again, twisting with every ounce of willpower I had.

Tremor Sense was rapidly showing its use. I could feel when the something recoiled off my body, but with my new skill, I could 'see' the erratic vibrations towards my left. I couldn't make out more than 'vibrations towards my left', but that wasn't the skills fault.

「Energy: 5/10」

I took the reprieve to sense the damage I had taken. A part of my lower stem had been chunked away, and both of my leaves had been sliced at the edges, but I was otherwise fine. Not fine, but the pain wasn't as bad as it was when I was being eaten / stabbed. Both Nutrient Detection and Tremor Sense, drew my attention to the creature that I could still barely sense.

I could feel the cavernous structure it was digging to make space for itself. It briefly dipped outside of my sensory range, but I could feel the earth shifting towards me. I channeled the Energy and prepared a Vine Whip. I waited until it was within range, before willing the skill to cast, but nothing happened.

The creature came at me, shredding a portion of my smallest roots as it burrowed through me. My body wasn't fast, but each hit made me feel more dizzier and slower. I tried to use Vine Whip, again, but nothing happened.

I can't cast that skill underground. The realization hurt. If I can't get this thing onto the surface, I don't think I can defeat it.

I racked my brain, thinking, but no helpful thoughts came to mind. The creature burrowed its way back towards me, but my roots were far too slow to move out of the way in time. The creature tore through my roots again, and I felt another sharp sting of pain.

「Energy: 3/10」

I tried to will a new skill like I did with Root Observation, but the system didn't feel generous. If I had a better system, I would be able to use my ro-that's it!

I focused, tracing the vibrations again. Tremor Sense wasn't strong enough that I could map out the tiny cavern the creature was digging, but I should still be smart enough to notice patterns. The creature came at me again, and again, each hit chunking my already low energy.

「Energy: 1/10 Warning! Low Energy!」

It hurt. It really hurt. It took every ounce of willpower to not let the pain and despair overwhelm me.

But I figured it out.

"Leafa. Convert 2 Biomass to Energy." 「Energy: 9/10 」"Thanks." I took a deep breath—not literally, of course, but I needed the moment to brace myself. The thing had a very simple attack pattern - tunnel straight, tunnel forty-five degrees, repeat. It was simple, and against another regular plant, it might have worked.

The shredded roots to my right twitched at the distant movement. I had seconds. With every ounce of willpower I had, I forced my roots outward. not to escape, but to get into position. 「Energy: 8/10 」

The soil shifted. Tremor Sense was very particular in letting me feel all eight of its legs scuttling through its tunnel. Closer... closer... And then, just as the creature lunged I poured everything I had into my roots, forcing them to grow rapidly. They twisted and tangled over each other, creating a sudden burst of movement beneath me. 「Energy: 7/10 」

The creature reacted immediately. It panicked, wriggling wildly as the tunnels collapsed, trying to find an escape. My Energy bled out as I threw the roots around the panicked being. It was worse when the creature started to thrash about, whatever sharp appendages it had spearing and tearing through the root tissue. I forced through the pain. I forced through the sinking feeling of rapidly approaching death. 「Energy: 4/10 」

The physical impact was sinking in, each movement feeling like pushing through thick oil. The creature squirmed, desperate to escape. It curled up blasting through my roots, aimed towards my body. 「Energy: 2/10 」

"Wait! No!" I screamed on instinct. It was on a direct course with my lower body. If it hit me, there was no doubt that it would cut me in half and...

The soil shifted as it surfaced.

"Don't be so quick to run to your death!" The energy I preemptively channeled blasted out as Vine Whip smacked into what I was sure was the front of this creature. Something of the creature splintered and I felt shapes hit the ground.「Energy: 1/10 Warning! Warning! Warning! Warning」

The system's blaring warning didn't match the suffocating, creeping darkness of my Mind Palace. I summoned the dregs of my energy together, cutting off my awareness of my roots, my stem, willing everything into two simple words.

"VINE WHIP!"

「Energy: 0/10」

· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·

I used the word 'creature' often, but I was pretty certain I was dealing with a bug of some kind. The biting, the tunneling, both seemed like bug behavior. Using the roots to collapse the tunnel probably wasn't necessary, but I needed to disorient the creature long enough to wrap them around it. The little bugger dug for a short period and paused to change directions, and I figured there was no way it would change that. If it went any other direction, or just left, I would probably have just hemorrhaged.

「Milestone Detected -『First Combat』. Assigning Rewards: 3 Biomass.」

I wasn't an insect expert, but I knew bugs had exoskeletons. I had gently nudged (read: roughly smacked) to put in on a path to attack me head-first, so I could target that rough area. It had been already where I hit, so if I had any chance of getting past that exoskeleton, that would be how.

「 Automatically converting Biomass to Energy.」

The riskiest part of my plan had been all of it.

「 L.E.A.F

Name: ???

Race: Seedling

Level : 1

Biomass: 1/10

Energy: 8/10

Condition(s): Unknown」

My body was in a worse state than when I started, and every inch of me - physical and disjointed Mind Palace mental version - felt ready to give way. But I survived, and I intended to keep doing so. Let whatever came next try to stop me.