Survival of the fittest…
Also known as the theory of natural selection, what does it mean?
It simply means that organisms with traits better suited to their environment are more likely to survive and reproduce, passing on those advantageous traits to the next generation.
This process leads to the gradual evolution of species over time.
Right now, in the face of a new threat, that was all that dominated my mind.
I never went to high school. Ha! That's a luxury exclusive to the rich.
I never learned any of those big-brain stuff, but what I learned in the outskirts was survival. Survival of the fittest? Ah, I know that one, I'm very familiar with it.
This was how I understood what was happening immediately.
This world, no matter how different it was, despite the fact that I was a plant and not a human, it was not that much different from the outskirts where I grew up.
The core principles of survival remained the same. Be smart, be flexible, adapt, and do every goddamn thing you can to survive! Godspeed.
This world already showed me that even here there is no such thing as peace. And just like that, there went my fantasy of living the rest of my life peacefully as a monster plant.
In this world, just like mine, only one thing mattered, power.
Power. A single word, but with a big meaning.
And so, to survive, I would grow teeth.
DING!
~----~
[EVOLUTION SELECTED: THORNED STEM]
>Defensive barbs growing…
>Structural damage: MINIMAL.
>Photosynthesis temporarily paused.
~----~
It began with pressure. Not external, internal, erupting from within. Like something was pushing outward from beneath my bark, fighting to break free.
Then came the pain.
Hot. Sharp. Relentless. I felt like my body was being terraformed.
'Ah… GODDAMIT!'
'F*ck! Gah…! Rot me sideways!'
The surface of my stem began to bulge and ripple painfully as if boiling from within. Thin fissures cracked across my green flesh, and from each, a spike tore through; crimson-tipped, needle-thin at the ends, thick at the base.
Barbs.
They came in rows. Down my central stalk, across my leaves, curling protectively like the teeth of a beast that had forgotten it was ever prey.
Even with the pain I felt, I seriously felt like grinning and baring my fangs.
I would never be prey again!
And then…
DING!
~----~
[NEW TRAIT UNLOCKED: THORNED STEM]
>Melee attackers take damage upon contact.
>Fear rating increased.
>+2 Territory Influence (passive)
~----~
The interface pulsed faintly before vanishing. And just in time.
Because it was back.
The damned rodent.
After feeding on me the first time, it left nonchalantly.
I don't know how long has passed since then since the pain of evolution blinded all my senses, but it didn't matter.
What matters is that I'm no longer the same plant it met some time ago.
'Get ready for a nasty surprise bastard!'
I felt its claws pressing against the soil again, its warm little body nosing through undergrowth. I heard it this time. Not with ears, I had none; but through the vibration, through the way it disturbed the air around my leaves.
A sniff. A pause. Then, a bite.
Pain flared. But not like before. This time, the bite was cut short, literally.
A sharp squeal rang out, followed by frantic scrambling. Hearing it squeal in pain filled me with an eerie feeling of dark glee.
'Take that you damned sunblind slugweed!'
It had impaled itself on my barbs. The smell of blood saturated the air.
DING!
~----~
[HOSTILE CREATURE INJURED- Passive Defense Activated!]
>+3 NP from blood absorption via leaf tissue.
>Status: Predator Repelled.
~----~
I pulsed with satisfaction. Not joy. Satisfaction. The primal sense that I had defended what was mine and fed in the same breath.
It meant something, something seemingly trivial but fundamental to me. In this strange biosphere, I was no longer the weakest in the food chain. I was not the free for all prey anymore.
Then something changed in the soil around me.
The nearby sprouts, the ones I hadn't killed curled inward, their leaves folding defensively. Vines pulled back. Micro-roots retracted.
And then, the realization…
I wasn't just stronger. I was feared.
DING!
~----~
[TERRITORY CLAIMED]
>Local Flora Response: Deference.
>New Interface Unlocked: TERRITORY INFLUENCE.
~----~
A new tab lit up in my interface, glowing a deep green.
~----~
[TERRITORY INFLUENCE: 5]
>Zone: 2.3m Radius.
>Effects: +10% Photosynthesis Efficiency, +1 NP/hour (passive).
>Flora Reaction: Submissive.
~----~
The implications struck me hard. I wasn't just fighting for survival anymore. Now, I was establishing dominance.
I didn't have limbs, or a voice, or movement. But in this patch of dirt and stone, I had become apex.
My roots flexed underground. Even the soil seemed looser, eager to serve. My barbs glistened in the light.
But power always comes with a price.
The blood. That little bit of rodent blood soaking into the ground? It was a beacon, a beacon of light in darkness.
The soil began to vibrate.
Not gently. Not like the rodent either. This was deeper; rhythmic, measured, heavy.
DING!
~----~
[WARNING: UNKNOWN ENTITY DETECTED NEAR TERRITORY BORDER]
>Classification: Unknown.
>Threat Level: ???
~----~
The first thought that crossed my mind was… trial hostile entity?
I wanted to feel angry. I mean, how can I deal with a rodent that just tried to feed on me only to attract an unknown threat already?
Can't I have a moment to catch my breath?
But my indignation was distracted by something; I remembered. That notification that warned me about a trial hostile entity being deployed, is that why all these things are so eagerly coming for me or it's just the way of this world?
Wait, the interface that communicates the world to me, is it also responsible for my plight? For attracting all these predators?
Honestly, I don't know. Heck, I don't know anything and it is driving me crazy.
But now, once again, I had to survive.
The vibrations grew stronger. Dust danced across my leaves. My thorns twitched, my roots began coiling inward, not from fear but from instinct.
It was big. And it was coming closer.
I didn't know if it could see me. Smell me. Feel me.
But one thing was clear.
The world hadn't run out of predators yet.
And it had noticed me.