Rowan furrowed his brows. Huh? I… I can’t gain EXP. How…?

Level 3. Please select

Level 4. Pl

Level 5.

A skill tree bloomed before him, spreading out in all directions. Desperately, he scanned it. Poison resist. Poison immunity. HP Up. I need something, anything.

Poison Resist selected. Four skills remaining.

Instantly, the counter in the corner of his display jumped up. Fatal in 1:35. His body felt lighter. He gasped a breath as the pressure on his chest grew lighter, and gripped the rubble with steady hands. No longer in the red, a small chunk buffered his HP from the critical zone. Rowan heaved a short breath. At least support classes still grant HP on level up.

Another breath. He closed his eyes. I have time. I can do this! Something, anything. This tree has to have something I can use in combat.

At the bottom of the tree, five skills lit up. One glowed green at the far left, already selected: Poison Resist LVL 1. Beside it, from left to right, he had the options of: Simple Plant Care, Basic Gardening Tool Proficiency, Common Plant Identification, and Plant Affinity.

He frowned. Plant affinity is useless. Plant care, useless. Identification? I’m not fighting poisonous plant monsters! He pressed Basic Gardening Tool Proficiency.

Proficiency with hand trowels, watering cans, and hand claws granted!

Dammit! Useless after all.

He turned his attention to the resist tree. Something lit up above the skill he’d selected, but all he had time for was the skill he’d already put points into. It offered a second level: Poison Resist LVL 2.

Better than nothing. He jabbed that skill as well, then reached for Gardening Tools again and selected the next skill in the tree. It’s the closest thing I have to offense. I can’t put all my points into poison resist, or I’m only slowing my death.

Proficiency with spades, shovels, and rakes granted!

Dammit! Why did I ever—wait. He clawed himself upright and looked around.

Propped against a nearby building, a metal rake leaned to one side, almost toppled. Rowan sprinted for it, hopping frogs on the way. A tongue slapped against his hip. He stumbled and almost fell, slapped a hand against the asphalt, and shoved himself on. Sprinting, he grabbed ahold of the rake and whipped around in time to smack a frog out of the air with the spin.

If I did that on purpose, that would’ve been awesome. He hefted the rake.

Rakes usually felt awkward in his hands, the head too heavy, shifting around, half-connected to the shaft, but now, the rake fit his grip perfectly. He adjusted his grip to the balance and felt the heft of the head, instantly understanding how to twist to keep it engaged. The shape of the street lit up in his mind, and guidelines appeared, leading the way to perfectly rake the street clear of debris.

Debris… or frogs! Rowan’s eyes lit up. He tightened his grip on the rake and lowered it to the street. Metal teeth sparked off the ground.

Pushing off, he rushed into the masses. A frog leaped at him. He ducked. Slimy legs passed inches over his hair. Tense, he shoved the rake in front of him. Weak skin burst before the rake’s tines. Tangled in the rake’s grasp, a frog screeched and struggled. Rowan lifted his rake for a moment, stomped the frog, and charged on.

I don’t need to clear all the frogs. I just need to clear a path! He narrowed his eyes, blocking out most of the guidelines. Focused, he darted forward.

Frogs jumped at his ankles from either side. Rowan jumped, and they collided beneath him.

Another lunged for his ankles. Its tongue snapped out, bright blue against the asphalt. Rowan danced to the side, dodging it the way he’d dodge an opposing player’s ankle-kick in soccer. He followed up with a kick and sent the frog flying. Instead of splattering into the wall as it did in his mind’s eye, it tumbled into its fellows, barely bothered.

Damn combat classes and their stupid strength boosts! Why couldn’t I get a strength boost?

He swung the rake to the side, tossing the trapped frogs into their fellows, and slammed it back down, catching a frog as it threw itself at him. Two more frogs! He threw the rake, blasting the last two frogs away, and sprinted past.

Free! Elated, he jumped and punched the air. “Take that, you fucks!” he shouted.

Poisoned. Fatal in: 1:13.

Shit. I’m still screwed.

“Ribbit.”

Rowan whipped around. The frogs stared after him. One leaped, fingerpads stretched. Another shot its tongue out.

Sidestepping the tongue, he sprinted down the street, arms pumping. I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die! Antidote, I need an antidote! Something, anything—

He blinked. Tapping desperately, he pulled up the System. The skill tree displayed. One point remained in the upper left, waiting for him to assign it. He smashed the Common Plant Identification skill. C’mon, antidotes! Something! Anything!

Entering scan mode.

All around him, tiny text popped up. Little lines connected the text to plants around him. Dandelion. Grass. Creeping Thistle. Whitetop.

He narrowed his eyes at the whitetop, a slender plant with white flowers spritzing over the crown. “Details!”

Whitetop: a common weed. Undesirable. Kill it with pesticide or by tearing out the roots.

Useless! Rowan pushed on, heaving air, chest burning. Desperately, he searched the ground ahead of him. Something, anything…

A plant lit up on the side of the road, two heart-shaped leaves and a delicate half-sprout outlined in green light. ??? floated over the plant.

Rowan lunged for it. Digging his fingers into the dirt, he snatched up the entire plant in one go. Roots ripped out of the ground. The sprout crumpled in his fist.

A frog hopped at him, mouth gaping. He snatched his ankles out of the way of the leap and sprinted away.

Heartrate accelerated. Poison countdown will accelerate.

Dammit! He opened his palm. The little plant nestled in his hand. It no longer glowed, but the ??? continued to hover over it. Is this antidote? In games, the antidote is kept near the poison, but… even after the System, the real world never worked that way. What if it’s a poison? Or just a pretty flower?

“Details,” he tried.

Unlock Intermediate Plant Identification to obtain details on this plant.

Rowan clenched his fist, almost crushing the delicate plant. Useless! Gardening skills are useless after all!