Name: Iva White
Race: Awakened Weeping Willow Tree Seed[]
Age: 27 days
Race Level: 1/20

[...]

Health: 4/5 
Energy reserves: 35/55
Mana: 6/5 

Nearly four weeks had passed since Iva's reincarnation into this world. Sadly, the root still wasn't big enough to be recognized by the System, but thankfully the status provided her with enough information so that Iva was at least able to draw other conclusions about the overall situation. 

For example, Iva's energy reserves steadily increased over the last week, and with it, the space inside her little dimension. At least, this was how I felt. If the seed body itself became larger wasn't discernable to her. However, this—and the fact that the level didn't get higher—told Iva that growth and evolution weren't directly connected to each other. Because of this, she asked herself if and how the growth would be influenced by an evolution. On the other hand, the question arose whether she would be denied certain options if she grew too fast too early without having reached the required level first.

Another point that made Iva kind of worried was how slowly health regenerated. Even after all this time, it still wasn't fully restored. She wondered what the conditions were for her health regeneration and whether it could be somehow boosted in critical situations.

Iva sighed, "Too many questions and no direct answers, only pieces. What do you you think, Orbinia?"

Orbinia, the weird-looking mana orb inside of her, didn't answer. It never did. Yet, it didn't matter to the little seed because, for her, the fractured orb was the only friend in this sickening loneliness. Iva knew she was maybe acting a little bit bizarre but pushed any thoughts of this kind into a dark corner. She hated being alone with her thoughts, especially as they became more destructive over time. The longer it went on, the more she doubted and began to denigrate herself like she were the worst being in existence. 

She shuddered and turned once again to Orbinia, "What do you think the world outside looks like? Are there maybe two suns or three moons, maybe even a strange mixture of both? What kind of beings live in this world? I mean, if there's a System, it could be probably like a fantasy world with dragons and elves and so on. Or maybe not, I don't know. But I can at least tell that there are some earth-like plants around...I mean, I am one!"

She shook her head; those thoughts were for another day. It was stupid to worry about something that would only occur in the distant future anyway due to her slow growth. However, what else was she supposed to worry about if there was simply nothing to do down here. For now, it was just a matter of waiting until the System finally decided to give her the green light.

 

---

 

Iva was proud of herself. She developed a new game for her and her 'friend'.

"I call it 'Counting the Seconds'—the one who stops loses, " she announced happily, "Okay? Okaaay, let's go! One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten. Eleven..."

This was nearly seven days ago, and by now, she had yet to stop counting...

"Six hundred three thousand four hundred fifty-eight, six hundred three thousand four hundred fifty-nine, six hundred three thousand four hundred sixty.
Ohh, Orbinia, did you really think I wouldn't notice that you stopped counting like two thousand seconds ago, you dummy? The punishment is cuddles!" she announced and tried to hug the lifeless mana orb. It didn't work...she had neither arms nor a real body.

"Gee, someone is shyyyyy. Next time we cuddle? Oki? Okii!"

Iva's mind was in shambles. Being by herself all this time and watching a root grow caused her to lose her mind step by step. It would be different if she could observe more things simultaneously, but this simply wasn't possible. So all her stress, anger, and sadness began to pent up without having a way to release it. So they just kept eating into her core, causing damage that would remain unimagined.

 

---

 

She stopped doing anything at all and tried to bring her mind into a state of hibernation to survive this unbearable loneliness. After this, it got a bit better, but the feeling never really subsided. 

Iva's only purpose in life was now to wait. To wait to grow, to wait to be useful again. To whom she didn't know, but she wanted at least be useful to herself, even if she had no idea what that meant. But it must mean something? Right? Right?! She yelled, but not even the echo answered.

Whatever the System's plan in her old world was, this was downright cruel...

 

---

 

'Ping' A root has reached the minimum required size to be used in the Root System.

[Learn [Mana Root]?]

Iva couldn't believe it, after fifty-three days it finally appeared before her! 

Loud sobs became eminent in her dark dimension. I can do something! I can be useful!

'Ding' Congratulations! You learned [Mana Root] (tiny).

Passive: Mana Root (tiny) – lvl 1:
A root capable of absorbing mana [1/24h] from the earth. Because of its unique effect, it can't absorb other resources any longer. It needs mana for its own growth; thus, a certain amount of the gathered portion is directly used without getting stored first. Its growth can be manually toggled on and off. (Absorption when toggled-off: [2/24h]).

'Ding' Congratulations! You learned [Mana Shock]. 

Active: Mana Shock – lvl 1:
Release a controlled amount of mana in a shock-like attack. The more mana is released, the higher the chance to stun an enemy for a certain time. Generally used as some kind of natural pesticide. 

Ohh, sounds neat! But is it only usable on the entire body, or can I also separately utilize it in certain regions?

'Ding' Congratulations! You learned [Overgrowth]. 

Active: Overgrowth – lvl 1:
Use all your mana to speed up your natural growth [-2+3,5x2] for one day. One-week cooldown[*2 per use] | [Current Uses: 0]. Causes (Mana Aridity) for two days. 

Okay, this is what I needed weeks ago...but what's up with that multiplier? Mhm, Mana Aridity, on the other hand, is kinda self-explanatory—can't probably really gather mana for a while or something like that. Honestly, this skill is tricky and totally scales with that locked stat. It could be useful in certain situations or completely fuck me over. Iva wasn't sure what to make out of this skill yet; she needed more data first. 

She opened her status. 

Name: Iva White
Race: Awakened Weeping Willow Tree Seed[]
Age: 53 days
Race Level: 1/20

Components [State – Seed]:

Root System – lvl 1

Available Roots: 0
Available Branch Augmentations 1/??? [Seed Form]
Remaining Enhancements Points: [Locked]

- Active: Free Slot [Locked – No root available]
     - Branch Augmentations [Locked – No branch available]
          - Branch enhancements [Locked]
- Active: Free Slot [Locked – No root available]
     - Branch Augmentations [Locked – No branch available]
          - Branch enhancements [Locked]
- Passive: Mana Root (tiny) – lvl 1
     - Branch Augmentations [Locked – No branch available]
          - Branch enhancements [Locked]
- Passive: Free Slot [Locked – No root available]
     - Branch Augmentations [Locked – No branch available]
          - Branch enhancements [Locked]

Seed Body – lvl 1
- Active: Mana Shock – lvl 1
- Active: Overgrowth – lvl 1
- Passive: Manary – lvl 1
- Passive: Free Slot

Race Skills:
- Absorption – lvl 1
- Auto-Growth – lvl 1

General Skills:
- Soul Tolerance – lvl 1

Hidden Skills: None

Wooden Consciousness – lvl Max.

??? [Locked]

Titles: None

Curses: None

Blessings: None

Stats:
Remaining points: 0

Vitality: 2
Endurance: 2
Strength: [Locked]
Dexterity: [Locked]
Flexibility: [Locked as seed]
Flexibility Roots: 1
Intelligence: 2
Wisdom: 10
Growth: -2 [Locked]
Root Growth: 1
Root Spreadability Range: 1

Health: 5/5
Energy reserves: 30/55
Mana: 6/5

 

Iva's mind was brooding. She still didn't get the Root System and why it also had an independent level or how it could be ranked up. She thought that it possibly had to do something with the overall growth of her separate roots and how she skilled...used them? Could the Root System itself change? There are different types, after all.

But even more important to her was the issue with the branches. She still didn't get any information from the System about what it did. The 'when' was clear to her since it would probably work like the Mana Root. She only would have to wait until it grew larger and formed branches. 

So my favorite game, 'Waiting' it is...she thought one-hundred percent happily. Iva mentally sighed and questioned herself if her mind would just be dead at one point, erased by sheer ennui and loneliness. 

Another thought appeared suddenly, How do I level those skills up? Mana Root is a passive one, so does it mean it works by simply using it without a specific purpose? Well, I can toggle it on and off, so yeah, probably. And for the others, I should use them as often as possible, I guess? Nothing to lose anyway.

So without further ado or thinking more deeply about her actions, she tried to use her mana in a part of her roots to shock the area around. Orbinia lit up for a moment, and she felt how a part of her mana was sent explosively to the imagined area. Like a spiky wave, the mana left the root. 

'ping' You have killed worker ant(tiny).

'ping' You have killed a carrier ant(tiny).

'ping' You have killed a worker ant(small).

'ping' You have killed a worker ant(tiny).

'Ding' You reached level 2. 8 Stat points rewarded.

Uh. What just happened? Iva was baffled. First of all, about the fact that the skill didn't shock but rather killed instead. Secondly, there were ants around her. Not so alone after all, she thought, disgusted. She despised insects. 

So I actually gained some Stat points for killing something randomly...it really is like a game, after all. I don't know if I like this. Yeah, insects are fine...but what if there are other sentients creature out there? Isn't it fucked up to gain experience for them? Would they try to kill me only for that reason? The young seed was unsure what to make out of this realization. She was afraid. Afraid to be hunted, to be alone forever. 

Iva took a deep 'breath' and tried to encourage herself. No, stop it, Iva! Don't wallow in those kinds of emotions! You can do it! You will get stronger and bigger and finally find some new beings you can care about. You just need to focus on your rooting first!

And that was what she did. She tried to focus on what exactly occurred a moment ago and noticed that her root, or rather roots, went through small brittle tunnels. Until now, she hadn't noticed that more than one root had grown. She forgot to check it all this time and only waited for the notification. In fact, she had now three of them, which were growing in different directions. The Mana Root was the biggest one. 

Wait a moment...now that I think about it, would I have died if I had only one root instead of three? After all, the Mana Root cannot absorb nutrients. I am so stupid, how could I not pay any attention to that! All because of my self-pity...

Iva concluded that her biggest enemy wasn't another creature but rather herself. One mistake could cost Iva her life. How could she have still been so stupid after the Manary incident? 

She sighed. Don't dwell on those stupid mistakes, girl! There are more important matters right now! thought Iva and switched her attention to her stats, I have 8 points I can distribute, but where should I put them? Yeah, I think I know.

Stats:
Remaining points: 1

Vitality: 2
Endurance: 2 →[3]
Strength: [Locked]
Dexterity: [Locked]
Flexibility: [Locked as seed]
Flexibility Roots: 1 →[2]
Intelligence: 2 →[3]
Wisdom: 10
Growth: -2 [Locked]
Root Growth: 1 →[4]
Root Spreadability Range: 1 →[2]

 

Iva nodded with satisfaction. She could accept this allocation. She still didn't know how exactly the individual stats—like Flexibility Roots and Endurance—would affect her in the end, but she already had a few theories. However, the most crucial factor right now was accelerating the Root Growth to become stronger. 

Suddenly, a wicked thought scurried through Iva's mind, Hey, why don't I hunt more of these ants? Yeah...let's kill some ants. Or more like, let's kill all ants that are stupid enough to cross my path. Come Orbinia, we will commit some insect genocide! Muahaha~  

Maybe, just maybe, the loneliness and the pent-up stress already corrupted her soul. But who would have guessed what ridiculous consequences her actions were to have...