Sorry everyone for the delay, I had to deal with a reeeeeaaaaally shitty TA for a class that didn't know the theorem I did a project on and graded it poorly zzz... Damn you sanmit!

ANYWHO, Chapter 21 and chapter 22 is out!

Chapter 21 is posted below and HERE, and chapter 22 can be found on my WP site HERE.

And to allay any fears, I will be completing this book to the very end, so worry not! I will persevere! Enjoy!

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— POV Mathias —

And the last bastion of rebel grass lies before me. If they could feel fear, I’m sure they would have lost consciousness in the face of my uncountable forces arrayed in front of, behind, and all around them. If they could surrender, they would, I am sure of it. However, I did not get to where I was by accepting surrender, leaving potential enemies behind my lines. My forces are mighty, my strength unyielding. I will not falter before my last enemy within my grassy empire - the time of assimilation has come for their pearly gates that they closed before me.

Go my roots, end this war for me. Infiltrate and assassinate - these impudent fools still do not understand such tactics. They are truly weak-minded.

Good, everything is going according to plan. I have to admit, I kinda set this whole thing up on autopilot, but I purposefully made sure to leave this area alone for just for this moment. I feel so powerful now, so much energy is pulsating in my veins, I could get drunk off of this power. Role-playing can be fun, especially where people can’t see nor judge you.

My roots are striking systematically at the opposing root structure, quickly burrowing holes in their once mighty walls. They strike quickly and ruthlessly based on my subconscious desires. It’s pretty ruthless in fact. Quick, hard strikes that begin poring invading cells into the resultant gashes, squeezing the life from their leaves and roots. I could have finished this quickly with one breach and an overwhelming poring of energy, however it won’t give me the satisfaction that I want. I worked hard for this damnit, so I will take any enjoyment I can from this from my bleak life.

The last blade of grass flares brilliantly in the night before being snuffed out, as the last embers in a fire on a cold, wintry evening.

Finally, FINALLY, I am the undisputed owner of this glade. My work here is done - for now. Damn, again I’m tired from all of this intensive work I’ve been doing. I should sleep, I think I’m safe for now. Finally, I have a semblance of peace…

White, blinding white assailed my senses! This isn’t a dream, where I am? I can’t even see because of how bright it is! I wish it was a little dimmer at least!

Whoa, it worked. It got dimmer - weird. I should try looking around again - it’s still white everywhere with a weird crystal in the middle, floating in the air at about eye-level. Ooh, is this where some god-like being comes to talk with me or something? Maybe imploring me to stop - or fixing this curse that they give me. I’ll put on airs of course - they did give me a shit hand on this planet - but I hope to be able to con them into giving me a proper reincarnation story with proper cheats.

And it’s been like an hour in this place, I feel like a real dumbass. No magical being appeared - I feel cheated. Give me a proper story damnit! I want to be happy, not slowly going insane from being in a stupid piece of fucking grass! Why the fuck am I even in this room with that stupid crystal? Am I supposed to touch it or something, fine! I will!

It really was dazzling to my eyes though, that crystal. I’ve totally wanted to touch it since forever ago. I’ve just been standing here - wait. I’ve been standing. On legs. Oh my god, don’t tell me!

Foot feeling - check. Knees seem to be working. Fingers bending it seems, but it feels slightly incongruous now. My package feels like my package, and my stomach is there as well. I don’t want to actually look at my body - I’m afraid of what I will find.

Well, here goes nothing - oh. I’m green. My hands are green - that’s super cool! Before the plague struck there were experiments going on with combining DNA into humans from other species, but that was stopped because people only wanted food by the time results started to show. It was a shame - I totally dig the green skin. My fingers are there, but my fingertips are weird - they end in a kind of pointy thorn thing. In more detail, it looks like I have my regular, fleshy fingertips covered in a ^ shape of grass on the top, forming a point at the tip. And I can harden or soften them.

I have motherfucking claws! So cool!

‘Prick’ Ouch! They are really sharp, but nothing special. Just like being stabbed by a plant back at home - sigh.It looks like my toes are green, my legs are green as well, my whole body is green! Well, a pale green, like it mixed the color of my pale self from the past into my green self’s color. I do have some hair on my arms and legs, none in my nether regions though. I say hair, they feel like hair, but they are definitely much softer, almost like cotton fibers, or soft cellulose fibers. Either way it’s nice. I have hair on my head, and I seem to have my old goatee back, and my face feels fine. I wonder what my face looks like though? If only I had a mirror…

‘Ping!’

A mirror showed up, slightly facing to the side. Well, here goes nothing. Please don’t look like a monstrosity, please don’t look like a monstrosity! Yes! I look glorious. My hair is short and spiky and made from field of some of the softest grass I’ve ever felt! My beard is made up of the same type of hair on my arms and legs - a soft cotton/cellulose mixture. But thank god my face has remained about the same! I wasn’t the classic Ikemen, but I was above average in most regards. I don’t need glasses anymore either - I guess not sitting in front of a computer in my new life helped improve my vision! Ah, my shape has improved as well! I was getting pudgy in my last few years due to just working in the lab. A healthy pudgy in case I got sick. I was working on some important stuff there - looks came second. But here! Grass naturally doesn’t have fat, so it looks like my body is sculpted from a god! Most of my muscles are well defined, but WTF! I have no nipples! I guess it makes sense, but it’s so fucking weird!

Now that, is cool. When I got startled, I naturally put some natural energy into my body to get prepared, when some twisting, pointy tattoos started glowing on my skin in a vibrant green. Toto, we’re not in Kansas anymore! Ooh, I need more mirrors, I want to see every part of my new body!

‘Ping Ping Ping Ping Ping Ping Ping’

Now I’m surrounded by 8 full-length body mirrors so I can inspect my whole body from any angle. Mmmmm, nice is all I can think of after my inspection. All of my normal feeling is there, and I can freely control the pulsing of my tattoos - I’ve settled for a slow pulsating glow. I can use a lot of my abilities while I’m in here too. - and the natural energy flows through my tattoos, lighting them up on the path to my finger. It’s a double-edged sword - while it may forecast my moves, I can also flood the other arm with more energy , or use it as a distraction in a fight.

I’m pretty sure I’d look like a freak up there looking as I look now. And there went my confidence - bleurgh. I’m still wrapped iup a little bit in my simplistic cultural views - I will shed them eventually, as my new life takes root more strongly than my past life.

But what is this space? It seems as if I can influence what appears here - there are 8 mirrors floating in space - but what intrigues me the most is that it is a design from my old world. If I can make things here from my old world - maybe, just maybe - YES! Coffee! Ahhh, my drug is back! Wait, here I can be prudent and not ever get addicted to caffeine again… Pfffft, ha, my willpower isn’t that strong. The strong smells of the coffee are too alluring, and when I add some cream, I have my perfect blend of coffee. Ah, this is the life. I need somewhere to sit - there we go, a top of the line futon, thought it looks similar to my old college futon, that’s because it is. Ah, now this feels like home. Well, the empty white void and the gloating, misshapen crystal spoil the mood a bit, but with the proper lighting, it could look like a geologically interesting piece at least. And if we encase it in a circular, glass frame…. Nice! Looks like it’s in a museum, and better protect it with some red rope barriers!

I think this place is mine somehow. I have too much power here - it’s like a dream. What brought me here? The last thing I remember is finally taking over the glade, before wanting to go to sleep… Which would make this a dream, but it doesn’t feel like a dream. I feel clear-minded, and I’ve spent way too long here. Did I have an ability that might influence this? Let me see…

‘Ping’

Oh fucking yes! I made a transparent display show up with all of my stats and abilities! Oh wow, it’s fancy as fuck, and I can see so much more things in here than ever before! Each ability, every title, and every part has an in-depth history attached, and there are actually numbers attached to things that weren’t there before! And each has a little experience bar beside it, my level ability bonus, and so much more! That proves it, this is definitely not a dream! Unless it is of course. Did anything fundamentally change in my abilities? Titles are all the same, abilities… The only one possibly that could do this is . So little bugger, what’d you do?

Rank: S

[td colspan="2"]Passive: Due to your intellect exceeding a predetermined amount, allows the user to know in-depth knowledge of oneself. Grants modification of self through [Genetic Mutation]. Now grants the ability Multi-Tasking, can be upgraded through use. As long as one part of the mind is separated from a mind-affecting effect, the user will have autonomy over most actions based on willpower. Through force of will, grants a separate dimension in the mind. Mind-erasure or alteration is no longer possible on this individual unless within the inner sanctum. Additional Information: While in the separate dimension, additional information is available on all things that may have been seen or recorded by the subconscious, as well as the free use of anything produced by the imagination besides living beings, anything with a free-will, or things that can affect the health of anything above. Multi-tasking has evolved to soul-splintering. The Inner Sanctum is different than the separate dimension, not accessed yet. Intellect is not only determined by the Intelligence - knowledge of the fundamental forces of the world is required to unlock this ability.[/td]

All of that extra information is awesome! And multi-tasking evolved! Yes! That must be why I can do so much more than before - I’m basically evolving my soul! The power of creation is mine in this realm, muahahahaha! Table! TV! Kitchen! Glorious, King-sized Canopy bed! Refrigerator! Bottle of Coca Cola! Pizza! Muahahaha! Eewww! These taste like grass! No, I didn’t try my coffee yet! Mmmm, I can feel the caffeine, but this is totally more like a grassy tea! Yuck! Why!!!! Edibles must be what it means by affecting the health - be it good or bad. Damn, but the caffeine still showed up? I wonder… Maybe it’s because I actually MADE the caffeine vs imagined the caffeine… So if I want to make these other things, I will have to actually bake ingredients that I can make to make bread? Damn, what a let down. That pizza looks sooo good too.

‘Sip’

Well, at least I have tea, and caffeine I guess. When I went to sleep, I must have entered here on accident when the ability evolved to its S rank. Neato. Now what should I do? I guess I should experiment a little and see what all I can create in here or learn.

I can make clothes, that’s nice. Electronics seem to be able to work how I remember them too, no internet of course. There seems to be an issue I encountered though - anything that I tried to create that I could not directly control, such as a robot maid, or even a roomba, didn’t work. There must be a VERY strict definition of free-will in affect here. Heck, I can’t even imagine a potted plant. Oh well, at least I imagined a museum over to the side with all of the artwork that I can remember. And Guns seem to work here, and rocket launchers too. If I tried to fire it too close to me it wouldn’t work - affecting the health again I’m guessing. Good for showing dominance though, it was awesome when it exploded! I struck a cool pose as the shockwave hit me, fluttering my clothes majestically behind me. I made a cottage house, a mansion from MTV Cribs, a pool table, basically everything I could remember. I tried to imagine photos of how I looked, or photos of other people I knew, but only gray pictures showed up. Damn.

Since said there should basically be a log that I have, I decided to try and peruse it. Just like before, the transparent display showed up, but this time I was shocked. My log listed everything! Every battle I did, every damage, energy spent, organisms assimilated and their blueprints, everything! And their was a current inventory tab as well! I saw some things I knew would be there, but also some I didn’t know was there at all! Most were boring though, pollen, dead bug carcass, etc. But there was the blood I had siphoned off as well as a seed - in fact, it was a tree seed. Apparently it is nestled in one of my clumps of grass, and is considered in my possession.

It’s time - time to rebuild my lab, but this time even better! Every state of the art machine I’ve ever even heard about I imagined, then re-imagined to be better! I have clean rooms, bioreactors, electron microscopes, and so much more! I even imagined a particle accelerator on the scale of the world! I don’t know if that will actually work though, hehe. But I still made it! This time, I will make and learn everything there is to in this world! Just what should I study first though?

HERE