Ian was running out of excuses to stay in the pea field.

It was three days after Ian first started casting Magical Botany on the pea sprout. For the past two days, Ian had used up all of his mana on the same pea sprout as soon as he got to the fields, did his farm work until his mana regenerated, and then rinsed and repeated. After all of his hard work, this was all he had to show for it.

Status

Species

Pea

Age

2 1/2 weeks

Essence

646

Evolution

96.3%

A young pea sprout. High in nutritious vitamins and minerals.

(Raise Magical Botany to see more information)

The pea sprout Ian had been experimenting on had grown significantly larger compared to its neighbors. What really excited Ian was that according to his calculations, he'd be able to raise the plant's evolution to 100% very soon. It was just in the nick of time - his family was starting to question what Ian was doing all day. Ian had had to promise them that he'd finish up and go help his brother with the other crops by the end of the day.

Well, there’s no time to waste, Ian thought. He grabbed the pea sprout and got to work.

Six cycles later, the pea sprout had reached 99.9% evolution. All Ian needed to do now was cast Magical Botany one more time to reach 100%. Barely able to contain his excitement, Ian touched one of its leaves and quietly murmured his skill name.

For a second, nothing happened, causing butterflies to rupture in Ian's stomach. Then, the pea plant started to glow, slightly at first, then gradually brighter and brighter. Its size grew rapidly too, rising upwards at an alarming rate until it grew higher than the stake it was wrapped around. By the time the plant stopped glowing, the pea sprout had risen to just above Ian's height, defying gravity as it stood proudly on its own. Ian let go of the plant in shock - this was not what he had expected. Suddenly, a series of windows popped up in front of Ian's eyes.

Congratulations! You are the first human to raise a Magical type plant. The Gods have started to pay attention to you.

INT +5 WIS +5 STR +5 DEX +5

You have grown a magical plant of the INT attribute

INT +2

Congratulations! You have taken the first step into becoming a true Magical Botanist.

Farming has reached lvl 5

Magical Botany has reached lvl 2

New skill Magical Farm unlocked

Ian's head was spinning. By Lenessa, what just happened was a miracle. Stat points were notoriously hard to increase - his Father had probably only grown 16 points in STR his whole life, and that was his highest and most used stat. Ian quickly forced himself to calm down, taking long, deep breaths. He still needed to inspect the pea plant more closely. Other than the plant's height, nothing else had physically changed. The indescribable feeling Ian felt while using Magical Botany felt stronger though - it felt like there was a connection between Ian and the plant. Ian checked the plants status.

Status

Species

Lesser Magical Pea

Age

2 1/2 weeks

Essence

1327

Evolution

0%

A young pea sprout. High in nutritious vitamins and minerals. Contains magical essence imbued by an amateur Magical Botanist. Of the INT attribute, with enough essence it will gradually obtain self-intelligence.

(Raise Magical Botany to see more information)

SKILLS

Vine Whip

Lvl 1

The surprises just kept on coming. Ian managed to stay relatively calm this time and analyze the status. Lesser Magical Pea? Ian wondered if that meant that it was possible to further evolve the plant into a Greater Magical species. The plant's essence had also risen significantly, and it had even gained a skill. What surprised Ian the most was the plant's description. The idea of an army of plants with self-intelligence filled Ian's mind, and he couldn't help but smile widely. Well, the army would be pretty useless without being able to move, Ian chuckled. Ian wondered how he could get the plant to use its Vine Whip skill. First he tried saying it out loud, then he tried touching it while saying it, by Lenessa he even tried thinking "Vine Whip!" as loudly as possible. Nothing happened.

Ian wished that he knew somebody else with the Magical Botanist class who could teach him how to use his skills. What had he not tried? His Magical Botany skill had worked by him simply willing it, so Ian must be missing some step or prerequisite. The only difference was that he was trying to get the plant to use the skill instead of him - how was he supposed to connect with and command the plant? Ian was struck with a sudden realization. He focused on the sense of connection that he felt between him and the plant and tried to convey the intent to use the skill through it.

As soon as Ian finished formulizing his thought, a flash of green whipped out from the plant and onto the ground in front of Ian, almost too fast for Ian to see. Shocked, Ian stumbled backwards and lost his concentration, breaking the skill. Ian looked down to see a small gouge in the earth - that vine had been packing some power. He really needed to figure out how to control the skill better; that had been a bit too close for comfort.

Finally, Ian checked his own status. He was excited to see his new stats and skill.

Status Name Ian Age 18 Class Magical Botanist HP 105 MP 131 STR 110 DEX 109 INT 129 WIS 121 Skills Farming (PASSIVE) 5 Manual Labor (PASSIVE) 1 Magical Gardening (PASSIVE) 1 Magical Botany 2 Magical Crossbreeding 1 Magical Farm 1

Magical Farm (Lvl 1 0%)

A skill available to Magical Botanists who have grown at least one magical plant. Use of skill allows user access to their magical farm. Only plants with magical nature can be grown in the magical farm. Magical plants in the farm will slowly increase in essence. The size of the magical farm increases with INT.

To Ian's satisfaction, all of his stats had risen significantly. Not bad for three days work, Ian mused. His Farming skill had also skyrocketed. After reading carefully, Ian jumped right in and tried using his new Magical Farm skill.

Suddenly, Ian had an out of body experience. He could see himself standing in the field with his eyes closed, but he was simultaneously standing on a small plot of land surrounded by darkness. The plot of land was small in size, only around 4 meters by 4 meters. This must be my Magical Farm, Ian concluded, and cancelled the skill. Suddenly, he was back in his body, a bit dizzy and disconcerted.

Back in the field, Ian wondered how he would get plants into his Magical Garden. The skill clearly stated that plants with a magical nature could be grown, but how was he supposed to do so? Would he have to grow the plants from seeds? Ian hoped not. Curious, Ian reached forwards and touched the pea plant, once again casting the skill. Suddenly, the plant disappeared, leaving behind an empty stake. Ian quickly re-entered his Magical Garden and confirmed that there was now a large pea plant growing in it. That solves my problem of bringing plants around with me, Ian thought with relief.

Mentally exhausted, Ian sat down on the ground and cleared his thoughts. So much had happened in such a short time span, and the realization came crashing down. Normal classes would not be able to do what he just did, nor would they be able to increase in stats so quickly. The notifications also said that Ian was the first human to ever grow a magical plant, which probably meant that his class was unique. Who knew how strong magical botanist could be? It had to be at least a Tier 3 class, or it might even be Tier 4. Small tears gathered around the edges of his eyes – he had dreamed his whole life of becoming a hero, going on adventures and defending the kingdom from monsters. Though he was stubborn as a mule, even Ian sometimes felt his resolve waver knowing that most likely he’d end up as a farmer like the rest of his family. Realizing that he still had a chance to fulfill his dreams made Ian uncharacteristically emotional.

Ian’s emotional outburst quickly ended, and he stood back up. It was time to see just strong he could become. Choosing the largest pea plant that he could find, he started casting Magical Botany on it.

“I’ll try to evolve as many plants as possible before I go to the capital”, Ian resolved. No matter how strong his class really was, it couldn’t replace hard work and determination. And if there was anything Ian was, he was determined.

The ceilings of the great hall rose as high as the eye could see. The hall was sparsely but finely decorated with gold and azurite, but the focus was completely on the round table situated in the middle of the room. Around it sat thirteen figures, each sitting in their own extravagantly decorated thrones. Each throne was designed differently - one was wreathed in fire, while another was wrapped with the leaves a thousand types of plants. There was even a throne that seemed to personify the waves of the ocean, colored with deep blues and frothy whites that seemed to constantly be in motion. Though each figure radiated power, their attention and reverence were focused on the fourteenth figure and the only figure standing up, a woman.

The woman was both strikingly beautiful and homely, emanating the love of a mother while simultaneously maintaining an aura of strength and order. Her eyes were a mix of gold and blue, and she wore a simple white dress that accentuated her perfect figure. She was currently speaking to the thirteen other figures assembled in the hall.

"I have called you all here today to discuss the plan we agreed on before. There is not much time before the invasion, and we need to make sure that our children stand a fighting chance. As we agreed, have you all chosen a champion yet?"

Nods and replies of affirmation spread through the room. The woman focused her attention on the man sitting in the throne wreathed with leaves - he was absentmindedly twirling a flower and not paying attention, and was the only one who hadn't responded. She coughed lightly to get his attention.

"Yes, Mother, I've already chosen. And I daresay that my champion will do the most towards saving mankind." He replied, still focused on the flower he was playing with.

The other twelve figures chuckled and snorted at this - it was clear that the man did not command much respect from the rest of the room. The woman sighed and closed her eyes.

"Good. Now I must ask all of you to keep a close eye on your chosen and ensure that they are growing properly. That is all."

"Yes, Mother," all of the figures replied and stood up, disappearing from the room quickly. Suddenly, the room was empty except for the standing woman. Her eyes still closed, she seemed to deflate and be overcome with sadness.

“I have done what I can - it is now up to our champions to prevent the destruction of mankind. I pray that they will succeed.”

Lenessa opened her eyes and disappeared from the room as well. The die had been cast, and for the first time in eons, the fate of her children, and the world, was out of her control.