Accepting her suggestion, he inserted the Gene of Solar Harmony into the seed.
The internal structure stabilized almost immediately, and the subtle turbulence caused by mixing livestock genes with plant tissue smoothed out.
After all three gene slots were filled, Isaac planted the seed into the ground.
Then he activated his skill.
[Seed of Providence]
The effect was immediate.
The soil shifted. Energy gathered beneath the surface, and in the next instant, the ground cracked open.
A golden stalk pushed upward.
It was smaller than a typical Vitality Grain stalk.
At the top, a single flower began to bloom.
Its structure resembled a sunflower from Isaac’s previous world, but its petals were shaped like elongated feathers rather than flat blades.
As sunlight touched those feather-like petals, they shimmered faintly and began absorbing light.
The petals glowed.
Still, that was not the shocking part.
"Isaac, am I dreaming?" Selene swallowed.
"If you are, then I’m probably dreaming with you," he replied after a second.
They were both stunned.
Because the stalk had ’life’.
Not just biological life.
It had awareness.
Every plant had life, but this thing had sentience, like animals.
Isaac was sure of it because his Life affinity was singing. It seemed happy at the birth of a new species.
The proof was...
Inside his mind, a notification surfaced.
Life Affinity has reached Level 1 → Level 2
This was the first time his Life Affinity had advanced.
The reason was obvious.
A new sentient species had been born through his hands.
But the messages did not stop there.
You have created a new sentient species. Title Lifebringer gained.
Selene’s breathing slowed.
She was not using Life affinity, but her SSS-rank passive skills gave her heightened sensitivity toward presence and hierarchy.
Normally, Majesty Incarnate did not affect plants. It influenced beings with intelligence, those capable of understanding status.
Yet now...
She felt something.
The sunflower was bowing.
Not physically bending to the ground, but there was a subtle inclination in its aura, a natural acknowledgment of superiority.
Her skill was responding to it, which meant one thing.
It had sentience.
Even if it was faint.
"...Isaac, are you a god?"
"What?" He turned to her, genuinely confused.
"You just created life."
He stared at her for a second.
"That’s just the effect of my skill," he said.
Selene crouched down carefully and extended her hand toward the sunflower. The movement was slow, cautious, as if she were approaching a small animal.
The sunflower reacted.
It leaned toward her.
Then it gently brushed its petals against her palm.
Selene’s eyes widened.
"I think it likes you. At least, that’s what I’m feeling," Isaac said.
He could not hear words. There were no clear sentences. Instead, he sensed impressions. Warmth. Curiosity. Something close to affection.
It was a strange experience.
While they were observing it, one of the petals began glowing brighter than the others. It absorbed sunlight at a rapid pace, reaching some kind of internal limit.
Then the petal detached.
It fell slowly.
Instead of hitting the ground, it drifted toward Selene’s open hand and landed softly on her palm.
At that moment, Isaac felt something touch his mind.
A gentle push.
An intention.
"It’s saying the petal is a gift for you," he said carefully. Translating was difficult. It was not language. It was emotional resonance layered with instinct.
Selene looked at the petal in surprise.
"Thank you," she said softly to the sunflower.
The sunflower swayed, almost proudly.
Selene smiled without realizing it.
Then she closed her fingers around the petal.
The moment she did, it dissolved into clusters of golden light. The particles sank into the back of her hand and formed a delicate tattoo shaped like a feathered petal.
She blinked.
"What’s this?" she muttered. "It feels like... I can use it."
"Go ahead and use it," Isaac said immediately.
She focused.
At first, nothing happened. She attempted to activate it with mental commands alone, but there was no response.
After a few seconds, she frowned slightly.
"I think it needs mana," he said.
She directed a small amount of mana into the tattoo.
It glowed instantly.
A faint golden aura spread across her body, subtle but clear to Isaac’s perception.
Selene straightened.
Her eyes widened.
"It’s a buff," she said in disbelief.
She took a step forward, then another. She flexed her fingers, rolled her shoulders.
"I can’t quantify it precisely since I’m not a combatant," she continued, speaking faster now, "but my constitution definitely increased. My stamina recovery feels smoother too. It’s not explosive strength, but it’s a steady boost."
Isaac stared at the sunflower.
Then he noticed something else.
The petal that had fallen was already regrowing.
A new feather-like petal formed at the same spot, and within seconds, it began absorbing sunlight again.
He exhaled slowly.
"This..."
Selene looked from the sunflower to the glowing tattoo on her hand.
"This can sell for a lot," she said.
Her business instincts had taken over.
"This crop is essentially a support-type mage. It stores vitality in its petals and transfers it as a temporary enhancement. And it regenerates. Isaac, do you understand what this means?
"Support mages are rare. People wait years for one to awaken. Then they have to train them, protect them, feed them, allocate resources for them. And even then, they are still human. They get tired. They get injured."
She pointed at the sunflower.
"But this... this is instant. You can plant fields of them."
Her voice was trembling slightly now.
"This will change the entire dynamic of the Awakener industry."
She began pacing, thinking aloud.
"Guilds will want them. Private security companies. Even other species. Imagine hosting a gathering where guests receive vitality petals as part of the event. Or selling limited-edition support petals to high-end clients."
The sunflower swayed happily beside her, clearly unaware of the scale of her ambition.
It was just happy because she seemed happy.
Isaac watched her quietly.
He understood the implications too.
This was not an immensely profitable crop.
Seeing the sunflower’s gentle movements, Selene suddenly slowed.
Her excitement softened.
She crouched down again and looked at it more closely.
It leaned toward her once more.
Then she looked at Isaac.
"You can create more, right?" she asked.
"Yes."
There was no hesitation in his answer.
She nodded once.
"Then... can I take this one?"
"...What?"
That was not what he expected her to say.
She looked composed, but her cheeks had turned slightly pink.
"This is the first sentient crop you’ve ever created. It feels... special. So I was wondering..."
She hesitated for a fraction of a second before finishing.
"Can I take it with me as a keepsake?"