Having taken over one blade of bluegrass, Moss was able to become one with the piece of grass. He could control the grass as if it was his own from the beginning. Moss leaned left and right and felt the warmth of the last rays of sunlight wash over him. The former saint could not see the setting sun; however, he could imagine it with the incoming chill of the night.
But, as a plant, Moss did not need to rest. As long as there was a constant flow of nutrients replenishing his strength, he could keep being active. Moss looked over to the bluegrass swaying next to him. It took him nearly three hours to completely take over a blade of bluegrass. Would it take another three hours to take over the one next to him?
Shouldn’t be. I’m more proficient now. If anything, it should take less time. Moss trembled slightly as he objected himself. Moss looked over his status and noticed that some things were different…updated.
Name: Moss
Title: Bluegrass Yellow Patch Virus (BYPV)
Host: Bluegrass
Rank: Species
Level: 0
Infection Progress (IP): 1/1000
STATS:
- Infectivity – 1
- Severity – 1
- Lethality – 0
- Durability – 1
- ??? – N/A
SKILLS:
- Cellular Instability (Active) – causes a cell to become unstable enough for mutations to occur.
- Pollinate (Active) – fertilizes other plants with infected seeds.
- Mental Link (Passive) – connects with anything that Moss infects.
SYMPTOMS:
- Color Change – changes color of infected yellow
- Withering – absorbs all of the moisture in affected area, creating a sort of dry and withered look
RESISTANCES:
- None
It seemed that after Moss took over the blade of bluegrass, he had accessed the plant’s capabilities. With the ability to pollinate, Moss had solved his issue of transmitting his viral self to other bluegrasses. Moss glanced over at the bluegrass next to him and aimed a blast of pollination towards the plant.
A puff of pollen landed on the bluegrass and entered it. The infected seeds released the virus upon fertilization and the virus immediately started working its magic. Moss could feel his control gradually taking over the bluegrass until finally, after an hour, the bluegrass was under his control.
Infection Progress (IP): 2/1000
As expected, the take over time decreased with increasing proficiency. In other words, the next few infections will take even less time. Moss connected with the second bluegrass using <<Mental Link>> and felt that he could control both bluegrasses as easily as when he controlled one.
With this newfound discovery, Moss looked towards the other bluegrass and wondered…what was his limit? With quick succession, Moss activated <<Pollinate>> and infected even more bluegrasses. However, no matter how many he infected, he could not see his limit.
Infection Progress (IP): 3/1000
.
.
.
Infection Progress (IP): 100/1000
.
.
.
Infection Progress (IP): 1000/1000
DING!
INFECTION PROGRESS REACHED LIMIT
COMMENCING LEVEL UP
LEVEL UP COMPLETED
Moss was delighted when he saw that he had leveled up. After infecting a thousand blades of bluegrass, Moss had become an expert. He could infect a bluegrass in a matter of minutes. After spending nearly three days on completing the task, he had leveled up. The virus quickly checked his status to see if there were any other changes besides the level up.
Name: Moss
Title: Bluegrass Yellow Patch Virus (BYPV)
Host: Bluegrass
Rank: Species
Level: 1
Infection Progress (IP): 1000/10000
STATS:
- Infectivity – 1
- Severity – 1
- Lethality – 0
- Durability – 2
- ??? – N/A
SKILLS:
- Cellular Instability (Active) – causes a cell to become unstable enough for mutations to occur.
- Pollinate (Active) – fertilizes other plants with infected seeds.
- Mental Link (Passive) – connects with anything that Moss infects.
SYMPTOMS:
- Color Change – changes color of infected yellow
- Withering – absorbs all of the moisture in affected area, creating a sort of dry and withered look
RESISTANCES:
- Cold Resistance – 0.1%
It seemed that not only did his level increase, but so did his viral durability. Now, his infection agents could stay hidden or visible inside an infected organism for two days without taking over. As for the IP needed for the next level up, Moss was rather surprised at the large limit cap. He had thought he needed another one thousand infections to level up, but instead, he needed nine thousand more.
And then there was the cold resistance. Maybe it was because he had been active during the cold nights or maybe it was because of the chilly season, Moss was not surprised about discovering that he had developed a resistance to the cold. Knowing what to expect, Moss continued to grind away with infecting as many blades of bluegrass as he could.
Infection Progress (IP): 1001/10000
.
.
.
Infection Progress (IP): 4367/10000
.
.
.
Infection Progress (IP): 5000/10000
And then, it happened. Moss was just halfway through becoming level two when suddenly….
[Halt! Who goes there?]
Apologies for it being a bit shorter than usual. I couldn't really merge this chapter with the next chapter and still have a working title to put up.
your plot is very promising, maybe daily updates will allow more recognition for your story. For example there are some plots where the story is mediocre or confusion but still making headlines on this site due to 20 something updates per week. But quality over quantity ig. Maybe ask some individuals to recommend your story, esp if they are already big on this site
I just noticed this book while browsing novels, and I must say I'm super excited to see where this goes. Not only is it well written, but the premise is also unique and interesting. It's unfortunate that I discovered this novel so early, now I must wait for more chapters
Just waiting for him to acquire his namesake (and potentially go full ghillie suit with it).
If pollinating is like mating for a plant, would this classify Moss as a plant std?
It's fine I like it either way
Thanks
Thanks for the chapter!