Congratulations! You have been reincarnated as a [Tree]!
I woke up to a flashing blue box in my face. I had just been crossing the street to get to my house when a truck came barreling at me. I still felt all groggy, like I couldn’t fully wake up. It took me a few hours to wake up enough to read the text in front of me.
Reincarnated? What do you mean reincarnated? I should be at the hospital, so why am I seeing this weird blue box, instead of a white tile ceiling?
I tried lifting my arms to swat at the box to get it to go away, but I couldn’t move at all. I tried moving my head around to look at the problem, but i realized everything that wasn’t the text box in front of me was pitch black.
What the hell? Where am I? I don’t feel any pain from getting hit by the truck. Did it miss? Am I hurt?
Another blue box popped up, partially covering the first one.
User is at full health.
What does it mean user?
To begin tutorial, please say “Status”.
What? Is this a game or something? Alright, I’ll play along. Status!
Another text box popped up, though this one felt more personal. It was immediately followed by another.
I assume this is my status sheet then?
User: ______ Race: Tree
Level:0 Exp: 0/1
H:100% S:100% M:100%
Skills: Photosynthesis
User has successfully started the Tutorial! The first assigned task is: Select name.
Name selection, eh? I think I’ll go with Willow, since I’m a tree and all, apparently.
Name [Willow] has been designated. Please confirm.
Uh, confirm?
Welcome, [Willow]. You have been fully integrated into the system of your new home, Vir. During your time here, you will work to increase your level and gain more skills. Skills can be gained through many ways, and the more you have, the stronger you will be. Upgrade your skills to gain incredible strength in your new home. We hope you enjoy your new life. Try to make it last!
Tutorial has finished.
Wait, what? That’s it? No more? No actual information? You’re just going to leave me here like this? I can''t even see! What am I supposed to do as a tree?!
No answer came. I tried calling out again and again, but no new blue boxes came around.
Ugh, fine. I guess I’m doing this the old-fashioned way. Status!
User: Willow Race: Tree
Level:0 Exp: 0/1
H:100% S:100% M:100%
Skills: Photosynthesis
Well, at least my name updated. This feels rather bare for a Status though. Where are my stats? I guess H is health, S is stamina, and M is mana, but that’s still minimal information. How am I supposed to get Exp to level up?
After a bit of mental poking and prodding, I focused more on my only skill.
Photosynthesis (C): Passive. User gains 1 Exp per day per major branch. Also increases regeneration of resource pools while in the sun.
It seems rather self-explanatory, though I don’t know what the ‘C’ means. Is that the skill rarity? Looks like I have to wait a day to get my first level. This is sure to get boring fast.
Having nothing else to do for the day, I took a nap. Next thing I new, I was being woken up by a new notification.
Congratulations! You have reached level 1! Please select your level reward from the options below:
<ol>
<li>Skill Upgrade</li>
<li>Choose New Skill</li>
<li>Craft New Skill</li>
</ol>
For some reason, option 3 was unavailable, and I really wanted a new skill. I chose option 2, hoping for a way to protect myself in case of emergency.
Stolen story; please report.
New skill [Hard Bark(C)] has been obtained!
Not quite what I was expecting, though I don’t really know what I was expecting at all, really. It’s an interesting skill name, but I’m sure it’ll come in handy.
I pulled up the skill information to check it out. It seems simple enough, but I want to make sure it does what I think.
Hard Bark (C): Passive. The user’s bark becomes stronger. Reduces damage taken from physical means.
Yep, that’s about right. I’m glad it’s a passive skill though. I wouldn’t know when to activate it if it weren’t, since I can’t see and all.
I summoned my status again and saw that I needed 5 more Exp to get to level 2. I took another nap, but chose to make it a bit longer this time. I didn’t want to have to be awake for the entire duration, and since I had nothing better to do, I slept.
I continued sleeping until I got a similar notification.
Congratulations! You have reached level 2! Please select your level reward from the options below:
<ol>
<li>Skill Upgrade</li>
<li>Choose New Skill</li>
<li>Craft New Skill </li>
</ol>
This is going to take forever at the rate I’m going. Not that I particularly mind.
My ‘naps’ were pretty much me falling asleep and waking right back up, almost as if I were just blinking. I really didn’t mind the time passing that way, as I was none the ware of it.
I had a choice to make. I could upgrade my Photosynthesis skill, making my naps shorter for it, Or I could get a new skill and hope it would give me an ability to actually interact with the world.
Well, I pretty much have to choose a new skill, right? I can’t really do anything right now otherwise.
I chose option 2, praying for a skill that would let me see or move or do ANYTHING.
Before I was able to even read the notification, I was suddenly aware of everything that was me. I could feel a web of roots digging into the dirt, my trunk standing tall, my canopy of leaves, swaying with the wind.
With all that, I realized something important. I was small.
New skill [Self-Awareness (C)] has been obtained!
I checked the skill description to see what it gave me, though I already knew.
Self-Awareness (C): Passive. User is now able to sense the entirety of their body.
Well, it makes sense that I’m small. I AM less than a week old, after all. My root system is mostly a single stem that only goes barely an inch deep, with a few hairs sticking out here and there. My trunk is an inch tall, and it’s topped by a single leaf. I’m practically nothing, right now.
Now that I was self-aware, I could get a better feel for how everything in my body works. I couldn’t actually ‘see’, but by feeling around, I got a much clearer mental picture of my situation.
I could feel my roots bringing moisture and nutrients in from the damp soil around me. It appears to have just rained. I don’t sense any other nearby roots that I might have to compete with, but that means next to nothing in the long run. I barely cover any ground, right now.
I could feel the sun hitting my leaf. It felt extremely invigorating, as though I should be running a marathon right now. Of course, I can’t actually move at all, but that was beside the point.
I basked in the glow of my existence for a few hours. It really was a relaxing life I had right now. I had no bills to pay, no job to work at, no girlfriend screaming in my ear that I need to do better. I could finally relax.
I sat there – stood there? - for 9 more hours, bathing in the sun. After the ninth hour, I could feel my Photosynthesis skill automatically turn off. As it turned off, the energy I was feeling went away and I became lethargic and tired. I decided to nap for now, thinking I’d wake up again when morning came.
Congratulations! You have reached level 3! Please select your level reward from the options below:
<ol>
<li>Skill Upgrade</li>
<li>Choose New Skill</li>
<li>Craft New Skill </li>
</ol>
The notification startled me, waking me from my slumber.
No way I was asleep for that long. The last level took 5 days to get, so how did I get to level 3 so quickly?
I tried to pull up my status, but it wouldn’t show. Not while I still had to deal with the notification.
Aright, so I have to choose now, then. What do I need the most right now? I feel my last skill was given in response to my desire to be able to interact some, so do I feel like I need anything right now?
In my head, I went over the last while of me being awake. All I could remember was the feeling of energy running through me, then extreme lethargy. Should I try to request something to transfer Moonlight into energy, kind of like Photosynthesis does for sunlight? Something like that would let me be awake for longer without being forced to sleep when night came. I could see benefits to that.
Or do I want something to increase my potential attack/defensive power? Right now, I’m a two-inch tall sprout that could be plucked by a nearby squirrel running by me too fast.
I continued thinking about it, and finally decided to upgrade Photosynthesis. I hoped for it to grow in a way to keep me from being forced to sleep, but again, I didn’t know what to expect.
As I mentally clicked the button, I realized it would more than likely just increase the Exp gain rate. I immediately felt stupid as the notification popped up.
Skill Photosynthesis (C) has been upgraded to Photosynthesis (U)!
I should have just gone with a new skill. I regretted choosing this stupid upgrade as soon as I picked it.
At least, until I read the description.
Photosynthesis (U): Passive. User gains 2 Exp per day per major branch. Increases regeneration of resource pools while in either Sunlight or Moonlight.
Thank the gods! I didn’t massively screw up my life!
The skill upgrade gave both the outcomes that I was somewhat hoping for. As long I was bathing in natural light, I would be getting the benefit of the skill energy boost!
I pulled up my status page and took a look to see if there were any difference.
User: Willow Race: Tree
Level:3 Exp: 0/15
H:100% S:100% M:100%
Skills: Photosynthesis, Hard Bark, Self-Awareness
I would still need more than a full week to get to the next level, but I wasn’t in a rush. I had all the time in the world.
I went back to bathing in the sunlight. It was a nice warm feeling, with energy running up and down my veins. I know they’re not called veins, since I’m a tree and all. But I hated biology, and what kid was ever going to use the term ‘Xylem’ or ‘Phloem’ in their life. I might not be a human anymore, but I still feel more comfortable relating to human physiology.
The hours ticked by, and I was finally at peace. The amount of energy I was feeling flowing through me waxed and waned as a particularly thick cloud cluster passed by overhead, but I was undisturbed. I was a simple tree, and nothing would be bothering me.