This too shall pass.
It was an old saying a nurse taught me when I was young.
When my weak heart forced me to give up half my school attendance, and when the high school friends who used to visit me stopped coming, their profiles filling up with pictures of college kids I had never met.
This too shall pass.
My parents smiled in front of me and wiped away tears behind my back.
But I want to call that misplaced pity.
Even after getting into college, I was still stuck sitting on a hospital bed. Thanks to that, though, I learned to find joy in the smallest scenes beyond the window.
I could take pleasure in flowers blooming and branches swaying, in the changes of sunlight pouring down and rain falling.
Of course, I do think it was a bit much to go outside to enjoy the sound of rain, step on a random banana peel, slip, and die.
That banana really threw me. And of all things, to hit my head on a stone right beside where I fell and die.
Isn't that kind of death absurd? I thought I would meet my end amid my parents' tears, but it was just a fatal fall.
Still, maybe it was a good thing.
Mother, Father.
I met the same death as everyone else.
Though the beginning and the process were different, the end was the same, so please don't grieve anymore.
Who knows? Maybe a new life is waiting for me.
That wasn't a comforting lie.
When the curtain fell on my life, a new life really did come for me.
......Even if it wasn't a human life.
【Sprout Lv.1】
Exp: 68/100
My seed leaves were fresh and green.
I had become a sprout.
I wasn't joking. I had really reincarnated as a sprout.
I could even shake my seed leaves.
Wiggle, wiggle.
My plump seed leaves fluttered.
Haha. How did this happen?
Had I reincarnated or something? So the theory of transmigration was real.
I didn't seem to be an ordinary sprout. I was an eyeless plant, but I could see the three-dimensional space around me clearly from multiple angles.
[Influence Radius: 10cm]
I perceived the area around me in a sphere. The radius was about the size of a sprout, but I could still tell there was a weed next to me. Hello, neighbor.
Being born as a plant instead of an animal seemed bad, but once I actually became a plant, I was satisfied. More than anything, the sunlight touching my seed leaves was so warm and cozy.
Under sunlight like this, wouldn't even the most ill-tempered person become gentle and sweet?
I spread my seed leaves wide and basked in the sun.
Ahh, this warmth.
Even when I did nothing, the sunlight gave me infinite love. Simply because I was here. It was a warmth that made my heart loosen and go limp.
Moisture flowed in through my roots, carrying nutrients with it. Nutrients circulated inside my body. Even my heart felt full.
My body gradually grew, and several days passed. Compared to before, I had already doubled in size.
Wow. I got taller.
【Sprout Lv.2】
Exp: 0/200
I still had only two seed leaves, but they had grown wider and plumper. My stem was thicker and longer than before too. Though I was still just a sprout.
[Influence Radius]
10cm → 20cm
My perception range had grown as well. I wondered if nothing had changed even though my body had grown, but at some point, it suddenly expanded as if breaking through a wall.
When I looked around, the weed next to me came fully into view. It was taller than I was. Seeing the other neighboring weeds that had newly appeared, maybe I was simply small. I was a sprout, after all.
Now that I knew the area I could see grew as my body grew, I started wanting more. I want to see a wider area. Is there any way to grow faster?
When I observed my body, I could feel the nutrients rising from my roots spreading through my whole body to help me grow.
In that case, instead of growing evenly all over, wouldn't it be better to make my roots grow first? I would gain more nutrients and be able to grow faster.
Desire blazed like warm sunlight.
Good. Let's do it right now.
An ordinary sprout would probably have a hard time growing only its roots. But I was a mysterious sprout. Couldn't I manage at least this much?
Baseless confidence welled up in me.
And that confidence was right.
When I wished for it, the nutrients gathered in my roots. Wow, it really works.
[【Resource Focus Strategy】 discovered.]
【Resource Focus Strategy】
Prioritizes the investment of growth resources into roots. Grants a major advantage to production increase, but reduces capacity to respond to external threats.
Days and nights passed. My sprout roots ate the nutrients and grew steadily. They dug deep into the ground.
[Roots]
·Traits
【Resource Focus Strategy】
·Influence Radius
4cm → 6cm
·Production
12/d → 18/d
The nutrients entering through my roots had clearly increased.
The area had increased by more than half, but because the environment grew harsher the deeper I went, along with several other factors, the actual nutrient increase was roughly half.
Woohoo. I already have more nutrients.
I'm a smart sprout, smart enough to focus on the unseen roots instead of my immediate height. And I'm an even sma-art sprout, smart enough to focus the nutrients I gained right back into those roots.
I gathered the nutrients in my roots. My sprout roots spread deep and wide. They steadily expanded their territory as if they would cover all of the underground space I could see.
[【Expansionist Root Plan】 discovered.]
【Expansionist Root Plan】
Boldly pioneers a wider underground area. Grants a major advantage to root growth, but reduces capacity to respond to external threats.
·Influence Radius
6cm → 8cm
·Production
18/d → 24/d
Good. This is going smoothly.
I swayed my seed leaves in excitement.
***
An earthworm burrowed through the soil.
When it passed near my roots, cool air circulated underground. A refreshing sensation touched the tips of my roots. Thank you, earthworm.
·Influence Radius
8cm → 18cm
·Production
24/d → 54/d
Wider and deeper.
·Influence Radius
18cm → 20cm (Max)
·Production
54/d → 60/d
Huh? Why won't it go any farther?
I stretched my roots deeper and deeper, lowering them beyond the area I could see. Then the nutrients scattered and couldn't do their job.
So I can only concentrate nutrients within the area I can see. I learned something new. Fine, I've gathered enough nutrients for now.
Now what should I do......?
I decided to bask in the sunlight.
Woohoo. I shook my seed leaves.
When I relaxed my focus, nutrients spread evenly through every part of me except my overgrown roots. As time passed, my body shot up.
About three days passed.
【Sprout Lv.3】
Exp: 0/300
My seed leaves grew wider and plumper. I got taller too.
[Influence Radius]
20cm → 30cm
About three days after distributing the nutrients, my perception range expanded in an instant.
I could see a pebble among the weeds. So a pebble lived next door too.
An ant carrying a leaf passed by the pebble. Then, maybe thinking the leaf was too large, it put it down and began cutting it apart with its jaws. The leaf tore and shook.
Wow. A working ant.
Seeing an ant makes me so happy. I want to see more things.
As I looked around to see if there was anything else, I suddenly discovered something in the air. Since I couldn't even see the high sky, I could only call the place vaguely "the air," but something was floating there.
It was a rectangular hologram.
Most of it was outside my perception range, so I couldn't see it properly, but the shape visible along its lower edge was definitely a rectangular hologram.
What is that?
Perhaps the edge of the hologram was a shy existence, because it soon disappeared. What was that? I was curious, but it was outside my field of vision, so I couldn't tell.
All right. If it shows up again, I'll look at that.
I concentrated nutrients in my roots. My roots, which had stopped because they were outside my vision, smoothly expanded their area. They dug through moist soil and wrapped around powdered stone.
·Influence Radius
20cm → 22cm
·Production
60/d → 66/d
Nutrients were absorbed through the new fine roots. I used what I gained to go farther again. Fresh nutrients stimulated my roots. Thick roots widened the soil and made space, while fine roots dug densely through it.
Time passed. The ant returned to its nest, and dew gathered on the pebble. Sunlight caressed my pleasantly swaying seed leaves, and moonlight patted them.
·Influence Radius
22cm → 30cm (Max)
·Production
66/d → 90/d
Woohoo. Let me recite a poem I know.
A tree with deep roots does not sway in the wind, so its flowers are lovely and its fruit abundant. Water from a deep spring does not dry in drought, but forms a stream and goes to the sea.
Good poem, good poem.
Starting today, I am a deep-rooted sprout.
My body grew for about three days.
【Sprout Lv.4】
Exp: 0/400
[Influence Radius]
30cm → 40cm
A short distance away from the pebble, I could see a rock. My pebble neighbor had family. It was a large, dependable family member, so big I couldn't see its entire form.
When I turned my mind upward, the hologram shape caught my eye this time. It was an existence that had appeared and disappeared several times by now.
Now, reveal your true identity.
The rectangular hologram window came fully into view. It held a short bit of text and numbers.
Sprout level 4? Influence Radius?
It was something familiar.
I'd seen things like that in webtoons.
I had a status window?
My seed leaves trembled from the shock.
***
Sunlight covered my seed leaves like a blanket. My seed leaves swayed merrily along with the gentle breeze.
Wiggle, wiggle, wiggle, wiggle.
Woohoo. Another day of good sunlight. Born in this place overflowing with sunlight, I must be the luckiest sprout. Thank you, sun.
·Influence Radius
30cm → 36cm
·Production
90/d → 108/d
My daily production had reached three digits. Seeing the abundant nutrients entering through my roots as a number made it easy to understand.
So I needed four days' worth. Thank you for telling me, status window.
I spread my seed leaves wide with gratitude. I'll show you the exercise I just invented, especially for you. I shook both seed leaves together in rhythm. Even my stem bobbed a little.
I named it the Grow Big Exercise.
This exercise has an incredible effect.
Namely.
It makes me feel like I'm growing well.
It makes me feel that way. An incredible effect.
I worked hard at my seed-leaf exercise.
·Influence Radius
36cm → 40cm (Max)
·Production
108/d → 120/d
Nutrients flowed in through my roots from every direction. A full sense of satisfaction filled me from stem to seed leaves.
Time passed. The nutrients filled my experience points and grew my body.
【Sprout Lv.5 (Max)】
[Influence Radius]
40cm → 50cm
Wow, new text appeared. Neighbors, as of today, I am a max sprout. From now on, please call me Max Sprout.
[You have reached your growth limit. Please choose your next growth direction.]
=====
1. Flower Bud
2. Sapling
3. Healthy Sprout
=====
Huh?
It seemed I had grown splendidly. Enough that I could stop being a sprout and become something else.
Choosing my future, is it? Just as the moment when one must become an adult arrives without warning, that moment had finally come for me as well. It felt strange, but I was happy too.
What would be best to become?
Flowers are beautiful. Every day spent waking to the chirping of hummingbirds, enjoying the kisses of honeybees, and watching the fluttering wings of butterflies would be joyful.
Trees are dependable. Every day spent enjoying rainstorms as I shook my branches, standing against tempests to protect my neighbors, and making shade for deer exhausted by the heat would be joyful.
Either way, I think it would be fun.
And so I......
[You have selected Healthy Sprout.]
I want to grow healthily, so I can become anything.
【Healthy Sprout Lv.1】
Exp: 0/500
My seed leaves gleamed.
[Influence Radius]
50cm → 90cm
Waaah. I got healthy.
Starting today, I am a heal-thy sprout.
Sunlight poured down brilliantly.
Thank you again today, sunlight.
***
Raindrops fell. My seed leaves rippled and swayed. Wow, refreshing. One drop, then two, shook my seed leaves, and soon rain came pouring down.
The rain wet the soil and seeped deep underground. Moisture wrapped around my roots and thoroughly soaked even the fine roots.
Huwaa.
My seed leaves swayed happily. The soft rhythm of the rain spread through my whole body. I couldn't see the clouds from my field of vision, but I knew how kind the clouds must be to give me rain like this.
Clouds, this is thanks to you.
·Influence Radius
40cm → 76cm
·Production
120/d → 228/d
Rainwater was absorbed through my roots. Abundant nutrients flowed in and circulated inside my body. When I gathered them and sent them to my roots, the roots descended deep underground. Fine roots dug through the soil.
·Influence Radius
76cm → 90cm (Max)
·Production
228/d → 270/d
My body grew steadily through the long, intermittent fall of rain.
Roughly two days passed.
【Healthy Sprout Lv.2】
Exp: 0/1,000
[Influence Radius]
90cm → 130cm
The big, broad rock now fit into my view at a glance. I could see not only its reliable front but even its bashful back. So this was what my neighbor looked like.
When I looked farther around my field of vision, I saw an unfamiliar plant at the edge. A dazzling being that boasted a yellow color different from everyone else. It was a flower.
Wow. There was a flower in the neighborhood too.
Because the clouds' kindness covered the world, I couldn't see the brilliant yellow under the sunlight, but its damp petals were beautiful.
There are so many different neighbors around me.
The world I knew had widened.
A big, reliable rock. A pebble smaller than its family. Blades of grass trembling in the rain. An ant sheltering from the rain beneath a grass blade.
And, at last, even a flower.
The clouds left, and the rain stopped. Sunlight bent down and lit the world.
Water droplets slid down my seed leaves. The sound of chirping birds rang out.
The world is beautiful.
So very.