I'd like to thank all my readers for their support and for pointing out the mistakes in my work. I truly appreciate your attention and feedback. I have corrected the errors, and your help means a lot.
———
Seeing that the Treehouse was going to take some time to grow, he began exploring the surrounding area.
He looked around for a long time and found many types of trees, but he didn't know how to identify them.
Just as he was wondering about it, the Plant Life System responded.
[Poplar Tree (White) — A common tree in the jungle. Can be chopped for wood.]
He was surprised by the system again.
It was as if the system could hear his thoughts. It answered him, and this time, its tone was less mechanical.
[If the Plant Life System doesn't identify plants, who will? You?]
Hearing the mocking tone of the Plant Life System, Vikram was surprised.
But he didn't care about it and turned to look at the grass. Although the grass near the Treehouse had been cleared, it was only within an area of 4×4×4 meters. The rest of the grass was still present.
His Territory Core had a range of 3×3×3 meters, but after becoming a Treehouse Core, its range had increased.
[Amanita (White) — A poisonous fungus. Eat it when you want to die.]
Hmm? It could even identify whether fungi were poisonous. This Plant Life System was quite something!
He then noticed a faint green light near a bush. If not for the glowing green light, Vikram might not have noticed it.
[Red Berries (Green) — Edible fruit. Tastes sweet and sour. Not very filling, but thirst-quenching and tasty.]
The red berry shrub, buried among a bunch of bushes, was covered in small berries. Vikram picked one, rubbed it clean with his hand, and eagerly popped it into his mouth.
"Mm~ Really good!"
Vikram wore a satisfied smile. It was a taste he'd never experienced before, yet he found it incredibly pleasant. The berries were sweet and sour, full of juice, and seemed to burst in his mouth.
The shrub was covered in dozens of red berries. Vikram picked them all, ate a dozen, and put the rest in his backpack.
Moving on.
Vikram walked on, occasionally tossing a sweet and sour berry into his mouth, feeling quite leisurely.
While leisurely surveying his territory, he found an apple tree.
He was shocked to see it. After all, how could a fruit tree still be alive in the Wasteland?
But when he saw the apples hanging from its branches, he couldn't help but swallow.
After a moment of hesitation, he picked one and looked at the system to identify it, wanting to confirm that the apple was safe to eat.
[Apple (Blue) — A fruit that can be eaten directly. Tastes sweet, improves eyesight, and provides 2 hours of night vision upon consumption.]
"Whoa."
Vikram was startled again. He hadn't expected to find a Blue-grade fruit so easily within his territory.
Moreover, judging by the tree, it seemed that he could harvest apples from it permanently.
After eating an apple, Vikram began treating the minor injuries he had sustained that day.
After all, walking several miles had left him with a few scratches.
There was too much to explore in his territory, so he simply gave up for the time being, picked a few apples, and returned to the Treehouse he had planted, munching on them along the way.
By this time, most of the two-hour growth period had passed.
The original small seed had grown into a towering tree.
"Is this... a banyan tree?" Vikram exclaimed, looking at the incredibly lush and unbelievably large banyan tree in front of him.
Banyan trees have always been described as "a single tree forming a forest" because the canopy of a banyan tree can cover an extremely large area.
In Vikram's original world, the canopy of a single century-old banyan tree could cover thousands of square meters, truly embodying the saying, "a single tree forming a forest."
At this moment, the Treehouse hadn't fully grown yet, but the banyan tree's canopy had already grown incredibly large. Although it wasn't as expansive as the legendary old banyan trees, it could still cover an area of more than a hundred square meters.
Gradually, the canopy became incredibly dense, and sunlight could no longer penetrate through it. The entire canopy now resembled a giant, opaque ball of seaweed.
Vikram knew his Treehouse was about to be completed.
In Vikram's sight, the Treehouse glowed with a faint golden hue.
[Tall Treehouse (Gold): A Treehouse formed from the growth of a banyan tree. It is a high-grade Treehouse, inherently possessing an unrivaled bloodline compared to other Treehouses. The person who obtains this Treehouse is either extremely lucky or a cheater. Which one are you?]
"Whoa..."
Vikram was stunned. He had never expected that after the Territory Core evolved into a Treehouse Core, it would upgrade from Purple to Gold.
He was now an absolute fan of the Plant Life System and looked toward his Treehouse with excitement.
[Treehouse growth complete. Ready for habitation.]
The dense canopy completely blocked out the sunlight, not allowing a single ray to pass through. From the outside, this was just an awe-inspiring giant banyan tree, and no one could tell that it was actually a Treehouse.
The entire banyan tree was about twenty meters tall, equivalent to the height of a seven-story building. Even the lowest part of the canopy was about ten meters above the ground, roughly equivalent to the height of the windows on a four-story building.
How would I even get up there...?
Vikram glanced at the banyan tree's aerial roots hanging down like willow branches.
Could it be that I have to climb up using these? But my body doesn't have such capabilities...
Curiously, Vikram reached out and grabbed one of the aerial roots. A strange yet familiar feeling surged through his body, as if this giant banyan tree were part of his own body.
This marvelous feeling excited Vikram, and instinctively, he manipulated the aerial roots to wrap around his waist, lifting him effortlessly upward.
"Woohoo!"
The ascent wasn't slow, and Vikram quickly left the ground, being pulled directly into the air ten meters above the ground.
Just as his head was about to hit the dense underside of the canopy, a hole suddenly opened in the foliage, allowing Vikram to enter the Treehouse.
"This... this is too thrilling!"
Standing inside the Treehouse, Vikram still felt a little shaken, thinking about how he had nearly crashed headfirst into that dense canopy moments ago.
After calming down a little, Vikram began to survey his surroundings.
The interior of the Treehouse was completely different from what he had imagined. He had expected the interior to be filled with dense banyan leaves, but it wasn't.
The floor and walls were made of smooth wooden planks marked with natural ring patterns. The interior space was vast, covering more than a hundred square meters, roughly matching the canopy's coverage. The entire Treehouse interior was empty. Vikram stood in the center of the space, both feet resting on a circular wooden pattern that appeared to serve as the entrance.
Thanks to several open windows, the space was bright. Out of curiosity, Vikram walked to a window and noticed that although the exterior was enveloped by dense banyan leaves, he seemed to have some kind of X-ray vision, allowing him to see clearly outside.
Reflecting on the scene before he came up, this was likely a case of being able to see outside from the inside while not being able to see inside from the outside.
This floor was about three meters high, and Vikram also noticed a staircase on one side. It seemed that this Treehouse had more than one level.
Vikram climbed up the stairs.
The entire Treehouse had three levels. The second level was a bedroom, judging from the bed, stools, and table inside. There was nothing else inside, but the quality of the furnishings was slightly better.
Vikram didn't go inside the second floor for now. Instead, he continued up to the third level.
The third level was completely empty, but there were options to install various defensive mechanisms, such as crossbows and other devices, which could help him defend his Treehouse.
He also understood that this room would eventually become the control room.
After looking around, he returned to the second floor, his bedroom.
"One can't exactly call it dilapidated, but it's certainly bare."
Vikram sighed, but when he thought about his golden finger, his heart immediately filled with excitement. Earlier, he had been focused on getting everything done before dark, hastily claiming the Newbie Gift Pack and setting off. He hadn't had a chance to properly investigate the specific functions of his golden finger.
Sitting on the hard wooden bed, he silently thought:
"Plant Life System!"
A blue screen appeared before his eyes.
"No matter how many times I see it, I still can't get used to this feeling of a screen appearing in my mind while being so incredibly real."
The system screen was very simple, with only two options:
1. System Usage Instructions
2. Shop
Vikram carefully read the instructions.
[This system is the Wasteland Plant Life System, designed to help the host survive better in the Wasteland.]
[Plant Essence is the core resource of this system. It can be directly used to upgrade plants, trees, or Treehouse items, upgrade the Treehouse, or supplement materials needed for plant growth. Most importantly, Plant Essence can be used to purchase various plant-related survival items in the System Shop.]
[Plant Essence is generated from cultivated special plants and through battles won with the help of plants.]
[Summon the system and focus your sight on an item to view its corresponding Plant Essence Value and various information.]
[Focus on any object within the territory to view its Plant Essence Value and upgrade requirements.]
Vikram focused his gaze on the furniture in front of him.
A faint green interface appeared over the wooden stool.
[Good Quality Wooden Stool (Green) — A reasonably sturdy stool suitable for sitting and thinking about your miserable life choices. Long-term use may result in lower back pain. Upgrade Requirement: 20 Plant Essence.]
Vikram's eyelid twitched.
"...Miserable life choices?"
He shifted his gaze to the bed.
[Good Quality Wooden Bed (Green) — A simple wooden bed. Barely qualifies as comfortable. Better than sleeping on the ground like a primitive mammal. Upgrade Requirement: 50 Plant Essence.]
"...Primitive mammal?"
He looked at the table.
[Good Quality Wooden Table (Green) — A stable wooden table. Suitable for placing items, eating meals, or staring blankly into the void. Upgrade Requirement: 30 Plant Essence.]
Finally, he examined the defensive structure slot.
[Basic Defensive Structure (White)]
[Currently nonexistent. Your only defense is height and hope. Upgrade Requirement: 100 Plant Essence.]
Vikram took a slow breath.
"So that's how it is…" None of these items generated Plant Essence.
They merely required it for upgrades.
Aside from the thick trunk and elevated height of the treehouse, he had no real defensive mechanisms installed.
He decided to check the Treehouse itself. A new panel unfolded before him.
[Tall Treehouse (Gold)]
Type: Special Plant Territory Structure
Grade: Gold
Status: Healthy
Level: 1
Daily Plant Essence Generation: 50
Level Up Requirement:
• Daily Plant Essence Production 500
• Treehouse Core Level Up
Structural Upgrade Requirement:
• Treehouse Level 10
• Plant Essence × 10,000
• Daily Plant Essence Production × 10,000
• Territory Plant Count ≥ 100
Description: A highly mutated Banyan-Core Territorial Structure that has evolved beyond its original biological limitations. It functions as the central nervous system, command hub, and life-anchor of the Host's territory.
Increases plant growth speed by 10% within the territory (scales with level). Slightly increases plant mutation probability
Provides concealment from external observation
Evaluation: You are now slightly better than primitive monkeys who lived in caves. Congratulations.
Vikram's face darkened, "…Can you stop comparing me to monkeys?"
The system did not respond. He stared at the number again.
Fifty Plant Essence per day.
Even without cultivating anything else, the Treehouse alone would generate 50 Essence daily.
Once he planted Thornvine, the Guardian Sprout, and future crops, the number would increase further.
Vikram began calculating silently. Fifty per day… one hundred in two days… upgrades were no longer out of reach.
Despite the system's relentless sarcasm, he had to admit, The Plant Life System was terrifyingly powerful.