Sylvans were the evolution of plant life into organic and intelligent life. However, how could a plant, a flower, evolve into a human-like being?
The secret to that was in the trees.
Some trees were not flora without intelligence. While they normally didn't communicate, they were much more alive than a human would think.
Not to mention their liveliness, trees were even able to have progeny with humanoid races. They evolved in a way different from other normal plant life.
Naturally, not all the trees did the same, as such evolution was nothing but a coincidence that happened very long ago and then spread around because of the first "creature-like" tree.
So, while trees and Sylvans were related, they were not the same. Moreover, both races were only female, so their mixing was usually impossible.
"Usually" being the keyword.
However, let's not get ahead of ourselves.
We are here to follow the story of a peculiar tree. One that did not have much more intelligence or potential than others. It, or better put, she was just an ordinary tree that was also relatively short, about one and a half meters tall.
A sapling, if you may.
This sapling, like every creature in the world, instinctively knew how to use the ingrained system that every living being had.
Of course, as a young tree, an ordinary one to boot, it was very slow to make any decision whatsoever.
So, since it was born, it continued to be a small level 0 tree.
This made its intelligence unable to grow, making its thoughts very simple.
'Today's sun is very tasty.'
'Rain! I was thirsty.'
'Something touched my branch? It's ticklish.'
'Ouch! Who is biting my roots?'
These were very simple and straightforward thoughts. Moreover, she had two thoughts a day, three in her enlightened days, and when she had four thoughts, the little sapling would be happy for an entire week.
For now, she was not very bright.
Of course, compared to a non-sapient tree, she was leagues ahead.
And today's first thought was. 'So hot!'
And a very hot day it was, so much so that the earth around her felt dry and brittle.
But, for her, it was just another day, and while she was living her peaceful life as a small tree, she felt a strange aura. Her ability to do so came from our young tree's only unique ability. One she had gained out of chance.
***
Name: ---
Race: Salix Babylonica Sapling
Titles:
<Awakened>: A title that's gained when a tree gains sapience and evolves, gaining human-like intelligence.
<Destined (Unique)>: Gained because of a chance encounter. Increase the effectiveness of the Destiny attribute and the Destiny attribute by 1000, giving the user one chance to change their destiny. If the user levels up, instead, it will add ten potential growth points to every attribute. (This title disappears when the user grasps an opportunity or levels up.)
Level: 0
Experience: (0/10)
Aether Mana Shards: 10/10
Phoer Body Shards: 10/10
Anima Energy Shards: 10/10
Attributes: Aether (1), Physique (1), Anima (1), Willpower (1), Destiny (1001)
Talents:
-
Passive Skill:
-
Accumulated Experience: 120
***
Our nameless tree looked at this system with a blank mind. She knew that if she wanted to become stronger, she needed to use the accumulated experience points and increase her level.
It was something like an instinct. However, whenever she wanted to do so, her "gaze" landed on the Unique title, and she felt like not doing so. With her limited intellect, she somehow knew that she would lose a precious chance if she used the experience.
She might not be a very intelligent tree, but she was a perceptive one, at least.
While waiting for the opportunity, time had passed until today.
A very dim and withered yellow leaf was flying through the forest where our sapling was.
The yellow leaf moved with the breeze, never falling down, and moved toward one of the giant trees in the forest.
This tree was far away from our tree, but it was at least 30 meters in height.
Its presence was strong enough for even our small tree to feel it.
However, while the leaf floated toward that tree, a passing bird had a stroke because of the heat and fell from the sky.
While falling, the bird coincidentally struck the leaf and fell with it.
The leaf began moving, trying to slip from below the bird, showing that it was not a normal leaf. However, it couldn't really move, and both the leaf and the bird fell on top of a young tree.
Our young tree.
[An opportunity has arrived. Would you like to take it or wait longer?]
The young tree's floating thoughts focused on the message. She didn't understand it, but she focused on it.
[Would you like to take this opportunity? Yes or no?]
The tree remained silent, not knowing what to do.
[Yes or no?]
The voice asked again, and the sapling decided to use her second thought of the day to answer. 'Yes.'
And when she thought that, a massive storm of energies surrounded the young sapling.
[You've absorbed- Error. The user is too weak to absorb it.]
[Error adjustment <Destined (Unique)> title cushions the impact and locks inheritance away.]
[Successful! Using a fraction of the inheritance.]
[Race Potential Improved.]
[Growth Potential Improved.]
[Innate Affinities Unlocked.]
[Innate Affinities Improved.]
[New Paths of Evolution acquired.]
[New Energy Method Acquired.]
[Hidden attribute: Intelligence increased.]
[Nine New Hidden Titles Acquired!]
[The user is too weak to benefit from the titles, and they will be locked under certain conditions to activate them. As hidden titles, they will not appear until the user clears the conditions.]
[Level up!]
[Three New skills acquired.]
[Four New passive skill acquired.]
After the notifications flooded the sapling, massive streams of energy entered her. The tree's branches swayed, the bark cracked under the growth pressure, and the entire aura around the little tree transformed.
Before, while she was a sentient tree, even if someone looked at her, they would never notice. However, now, it was completely different.
After a few hours, the transformation finally ended, and our tree could finally regain control over herself.
While the tree was confused about the sudden clarity in her thoughts and many other aspects, she heard a woman's voice.
[Little one, the path ahead is difficult, but I hope you don't ignore those close and sincere to you in search for greater strength.]
The voice was nature-like, so gentle, so tender, so soft and beautiful that the small sapling's leaves rustled with happiness, and she completely forgot about her confused self. 'She sounds so nice~.'
She felt like the voice came from someone very close to her. Someone akin to a parental figure.
However, to her sadness, there was only one sentence, and the voice didn't appear again. Still, our young sapling would remember this sentence and keep it in her soul. 'Those close to me are important!'
That's what the tree learned.
After that, curious, the sapling used one of a tree's innate abilities to look at herself. She was instantly flabbergasted.
While her height didn't increase much, just two meters tall, her trunk had become much thicker and also changed forms. Before, her trunk was quite flimsy, and someone's hand could easily grab it.
Even her branches, from being delicate and something that would break from a strong gale, became sturdier and looked much more difficult to damage while maintaining their willow-like slim nature.
Before, she had an ordinary tree trunk, but now, it had transformed and appeared strangely similar to a woman's torso, lifting her arms to hold the canopy, surrounded by beautiful willow branches cascading down. The bark was rough, but it had smoothened out compared to before.
Of course, the silhouette was unclear, and only after squinting and maybe being a bit drunk would one discern a woman's shape out of her tree trunk, but it was certainly there.
Not many trees had this quality, even between the intelligent ones.
It was a characteristic unique to one type of tree.
World Trees.
Trees that could grow beyond normal bounds that limited a tree.
The young sapling thought for a second and opened the system.
***
Name: Tianlian Liu Shu
Titles:
<Awakened>: A title that's gained when a tree gains sapience and evolves, gaining human-like intelligence.
<World Tree>: A tree that can grow to be an overlord, admired by many, hated by some.
Hidden titles: [9]
Race: World Tree.
Energy Method: Basic World Energy Gathering (Gathers experience points*Level per day.)
Level: 1 [0/150]
Aether Mana Shards: 113/113 (+4,1/Hour)
Phoer Body Shards: 176/176 (+6,4/Hour)
Anima Energy Shards: 120/120 (+4,4/Hour)
Attributes: Aether 9 (7+2), Physique 13 (9+4), Anima 10 (8+2), Willpower 10 (10), Destiny 100 (100).
Affinity Percentage: Aether Resonance (25), Physique Refinement (35), Anima Affinity (20).
Resistance Percentage: Aether Resistance (23), Physique Resistance (29), Spiritual Resistance (24), Mental Resistance (26)
Talents:
<Enchanted Growth (E+ Rank level 1 [0/18000])>: Stimulates the rapid growth of nearby flora, creating vibrant and mesmerizing plant life. Use consumes Aether Mana and Anima Energy.
<Nature's Gift (F- Rank level 1 [0/100])>: Produces small, magical fruits with unique and beneficial properties. It uses Anima Energy and Aether Mana to produce. Depending on the strength of the fruits, there is a chance that they will also need Phoer.
<Willow Strike (F- Rank level 1 [0/100])>: The World Tree is from a willow family, with characteristic long but thin branches. She can use Aether Mana to move them and strike a target. Range 5 meters.
Passive Skill:
<World Tree Heart (A Rank Level 1 [0/589900])>: A core has formed in the middle of the Tree. As long as the core doesn't receive heavy damage, the tree can recover from any external injury. Depending on the damage, it will take longer. Innate Regeneration Increased, Innate Resistances increased, and Innate Affinities increased.
<World Tree Eye (C Rank level 1 [0/144000])>: You can see as far as your roots extend.
<World Tree Wisdom (SSS Rank Level Max.)>: You can understand all languages as long as they are complex enough to be considered a language by the system.
<Charm of the Seedling (F- Rank level 1 [0/100])>: Attracts small animals and insects to the area, fostering a harmonious ecosystem.
Accumulated Experience: 0
***
The tree, or rather Tianlian Liu Shu, looked at the system window with incomprehension. She thought that she was seeing wrong. 'So many numbers!'
Well, although her intelligence had increased, she wasn't the brightest girl yet. At the end of the day, she was a tree.
Liu Shu kept looking at her system status for a while, but suddenly, she realized something terrible. 'Ah! My accumulated experience is zero again!'
The poor thing would be crying if she had eyes. Her sorrow was expressed by the gloomy swaying of her long branches.
'It took me so much to accumulate 120 points…'
Suddenly, she stopped thinking, or rather, she realized that she was thinking too much. 'Is today the bright day? Maybe because the Sun is so strong~.'
Feeling happy that her thoughts were a bit more complex, her gloomy mood disappeared, and Liu Shu inspected her talents.
Talents were abilities a creature could activate with their will and inner energy. The energy took three primary forms: Aether, Phoer, and Anima.
While Aether and Anima were used to activate most talents, Phoer was tied to the vitality of a creature.
If Aether reached zero, the creature would faint until more than 50% of the [Aether Mana] was restored.
If Anima reached zero, the creature would suffer damage to the soul, which affected potential if the damage was too extensive.
Finally, if the Phoer reached zero, the being would die. Phoer was the vitality of every creature, where the physical strength, reflexes, and other physical qualities came from.
Of course, besides being killed, it was difficult for Phoer to reach zero. Aging was also the process of Phoer leaving the body, reducing the maximum Phoer a person could store inside.
The more Phoer a creature had, the longer it would live, and the later the aging process would begin.
Anima and Aether also had a hand in this, but their effects were less noticeable. Usually, someone who focuses on body development and increases their Phoer would live longer than someone who focuses on Aether.
Aether and Anima were two energies that had fantastical abilities.
Aether could twist reality and summon elemental magic and many other things, while Anima could be used to summon creatures and tamper with souls.
Our Liu Shu, who didn't know much about this, was thinking about what to do with her new abilities and how to use them.