"Ding!!"
The sound echoed inside his head.
It wasn't from the forest. It was internal—crisp, mechanical, completely out of place in a world of soil, rain, and wind.
[System Activation Detected]
Year 1 | Month 0
Host: Alex
Species: Normal Tree
Level: 1
Vital Signs: Stable
[Growth Threshold Reached][Initializing… Evolution System.]
Alex froze.
He didn't have ears, yet the voice was unmistakably clear—like someone speaking directly into his thoughts.
"A system?" he muttered internally. "Like those game mechanics…?"
"…Don't tell me I actually got one now."
His thoughts lingered for a moment before shifting.
"And it even has its own clock…"
That detail caught his attention more than anything else.
[Welcome, Host. You have been registered under the Evolution System.]
[You have gained a Starter Pack.][Do you want to open it? Y / N]
For a brief moment, Alex hesitated.
Not out of fear—but habit. In his previous life, every decision in research required caution, verification, controlled variables.
But that life was gone. He was no longer in a lab. He was a tree. A literal tree.
After everything that had already happened, being surprised by a "system" felt… almost trivial.
"…Right," he thought calmly. "At this point, this might actually be the most reasonable thing that's happened."
He focused.
"Open it."
Ding.
[Starter Pack Opened]
You have obtained:
Unique Skill: Tree Familiar
The notification faded. Silence returned.
The forest remained unchanged—rain falling softly, soil shifting, distant movements of life continuing as if nothing had happened.
But Alex's attention stayed fixed.
"A skill…"
He examined the words carefully.
"Tree Familiar."
"…So that's my starting ability."
A moment passed.
Then he spoke again, more directly.
"System. Explain your function."
He waited. One second. Two.
Five.
Ten.
Nothing. No response. No new window. No guidance.
Only silence.
"…Seriously?"
If he still had a face, he would've frowned.
"What kind of system doesn't explain itself?"
He waited longer this time, half-expecting a delayed reply.
Still nothing.
Alex exhaled internally—more out of habit than necessity.
"…So that's how it is."
His thoughts sharpened.
"This isn't an interactive assistant."
"No tutorials. No explanations. No hand-holding. It's nothing like those systems in manga and web novels. "
He reviewed everything again.
"…It's basically a bare framework."
Like a piece of lab equipment without a manual. Functional—but requiring experimentation.
Understanding wouldn't be given. It would have to be discovered.
Alex didn't feel frustrated.
If anything—
He felt something familiar.
Curiosity.
"…Fine."
"If you won't explain, I'll figure it out myself."
That was how he had always worked.
Trial. Error. Observation. Repeat.