Germination

Shia Kalt Great Labyrinth.

The identity of this place, discovered upon finding Proten ore, was clearly the labyrinth mentioned in Shadow Symphony.

I never imagined that one tiny mineral found in the cold soil would bring such a huge shock.

Although I learned through the status window that this was the Shia Kalt Great Labyrinth, the problem was that I knew almost nothing about this labyrinth from the game.

As a former gamer, being this ignorant was extremely unsettling.

I knew nothing except that it was an ice labyrinth and one of the eight great labyrinths.

Perhaps the five stages I played weren’t even a tutorial compared to Shadow Symphony’s vast worldview.

It was known that each great labyrinth had its own characteristics and ruler.

The most notorious among them were the two Demon Territory Great Labyrinths ruled directly by the Demon King.

Fortunately, Shia Kalt Great Labyrinth wasn’t one of them, but that didn’t mean I could relax.

‘At least it’s a relief that it’s not a labyrinth ruled by the Demon King…’

I’d rather not join the red team by becoming the Demon King’s subordinate.

In the game world that I still vividly remember, I didn’t want to become enemies with the characters I’d lovingly raised.

Although this wasn’t one of the two Demon Territory Great Labyrinths ruled by the Demon King, that didn’t mean it was safe.

It was certain that powerful monsters would be swarming here.

The problem was, since I was a seed, the fact that it was an ice labyrinth was even more fatal.

‘Ah… where do I get water?’

Deep in this labyrinth that I’d never seen in the game, my life now depended on a single drop of water.

Ironically, in this place surrounded by ice, I couldn’t obtain the water I desperately needed.

A labyrinth where rain cannot fall.

This was literally a labyrinth of eternal winter.

Even if someone found me and gave me water, hoping for such a miracle in a great labyrinth where only exceptional adventurers could survive was unreasonable.

In the end, there was no other way but to pray to a god.

‘In Shadow Symphony, the light god’s name was definitely Michel, right?’

I’d never believed in gods, but in this world, gods must surely exist.

After all, I’d seen countless times how the holy magic used by the 5-star hero Saintess ‘Seraphina’ turned monsters into particles of light.

‘Oh benevolent light god Michel-nim, please take pity on this insignificant creature and grant me your mercy.’

I continued my earnest prayer.

The prayer of a seed that couldn’t even look up at the sky simply sank heavily into the cold ground.

At first, I prayed with the same respectful and devout heart as Saintess Seraphina had.

Though I couldn’t follow proper etiquette, my heart was just as sincere.

…

Time passed…

Probably.

For a seed buried underground, there was no distinction between day and night.

In the endless darkness, my prayers grew increasingly desperate.

‘Michel-nim… Please… Just one drop…’

…

More time passed.

I couldn’t tell how much time had accumulated from the moments I was conscious.

My prayers turned into pleas.

‘Michel-nim… Please save me… Please…’

…

After what felt like an eternity…

When I could no longer even gauge the passage of time, my respectful tone completely broke down.

‘Michel, give me some water! How long are you going to make me live like this!’

Michel had unwittingly become the target of my frustration.

Though it was the kind of prayer that would make a clergyman recoil in horror, I think I deserve praise for not cursing at a god who didn’t respond to countless earnest prayers.

Though subjectively an eternity seemed to have passed, the status window still informed me that I was 0 years old.

My Detection skill had reached level 6 during that time, but no matter what I tried, I couldn’t acquire any new skills.

…

“Thump!”

In the darkness that resembled an infinite abyss, the ground suddenly shook violently.

‘Huh? What’s that!?’

It definitely wasn’t the sound of water falling.

It seemed like something enormous had fallen to the ground.

In the chaotic situation, my detection radar showed crimson blood soaking the ground.

‘Blood, blood!? Ah, whatever! I can’t take it anymore! I have to drink this!’

A brief moment of revulsion at the thought of drinking blood passed through me, but did I, no longer human, need to be bound by human ethics?

Survival came first.

And strangely, to me as a seed now, blood felt like just another nutrient.

Soon the blood covered my surface, and feeling its warm heat, I naturally began to absorb it.

It wasn’t the taste of blood I remembered.

It was sticky yet sweet, like warm sunlight.

‘Ah… So delicious…!’

My first meal after reincarnating as a seed was utterly ecstatic.

As I savored the taste, I felt my energy growing.

『 The “Hibernation” skill has disappeared. 』

As the Hibernation skill vanished, I felt myself moving.

I had no regrets about losing Hibernation.

Because I was finally beginning to germinate.

A thin, delicate stem and roots broke through the surface.

‘Finally!’

『 Acquired “Blood Absorption LV1” skill. 』

『 “Blood Absorption”

  – Absorbs blood to grow. 』

I even acquired an appropriate skill when all I had was blood.

Was it natural since I was sucking blood?

Using my newly formed roots, I began fiercely sucking in this delicious blood.

『 “Blood Absorption LV2” skill level has increased. 』

『 “Blood Absorption LV3” skill level has increased. 』

I began growing so rapidly it felt almost wrong.

As my roots multiplied one by one, my sensory perception of the world expanded along with them.

My form growing in the cold earth felt like searching for light in the darkness.

Now I could truly feel that I was ‘alive’.

Before I knew it, I had four roots, and my stem was growing rapidly toward the ground surface.

As my stem grew enough to sense the ground surface through Detection, I could identify the owner of this blood.

『 ☆☆ Frost Drake LV77 』

Though I thought the status window was amazing for revealing the identity of that indescribable puddle of blood, that wasn’t the important thing.

‘Level 77!? And a drake!?’

The heroes I’d painstakingly raised before my death were only around level 80.

Yet a drake of comparable level lay here so miserably dead.

Moreover, drakes were much stronger than regular monsters of the same level.

The fact that something capable of eliminating such a being without a trace existed in this labyrinth was terrifying.

Even more shocking was the perfect silence surrounding us.

Even when I maximized my detection range, beyond the drake’s corpse, I couldn’t detect any signs of battle or presence of other life forms.

The surroundings were unnaturally clean, as if the massive corpse had simply fallen from the sky.

‘What… exactly happened here…?’

Questions and fears about the labyrinth’s secrets intertwined, but I realized that as a plant, there was nothing I could do anyway.

‘Since there doesn’t seem to be anyone around, let’s finish all this blood first.’

After sucking up all the drake’s blood, my Blood Absorption reached level 7.

Simultaneously, my stem grew to just below the ground surface, and my roots spread out in all directions like spiderwebs.

However, as the warm blood that had enveloped my body disappeared, a fierce cold gripped my entire being.

‘Brr!’

The bitter cold of the ice labyrinth was felt vividly for the first time.

That chilling sensation that momentarily dimmed the light of life pierced through my entire body.

I never thought I’d miss being just a seed so soon.

It felt like I would freeze to death soon.

『 HP : 23/28 』

My HP, which had increased at some point without me noticing, was rapidly decreasing.

Right then, as if responding to my desperate situation, a new skill appeared.

『 Acquired “Frost Resistance LV1” skill. 』

『 “Frost Resistance”

  – Grants resistance to frost attributes. 』

It was completely useless.

At this rate, I felt like I’d meet the blueberries I’d left in the freezer in my previous life in the afterlife.

『 HP : 16/28 』 『 “Frost Resistance LV2” 』

A sensation of my mind freezing over made my thoughts sluggish, but the status window continued to blare noisily.

『 HP : 11/28 』 『 “Frost Resistance LV3” 』

The cold continued unabated, gnawing away at my life force. My consciousness gradually faded.

『 HP : 7/28 』 『 “Frost Resistance LV4” 』

『 HP : 4/28 』 『 “Frost Resistance LV5” 』

Just as death approached, the status notifications came even faster.

『 “Frost Resistance LV6” 』 『 “Frost Resistance…  『 HP : 3…  [Michel’s…  『 “Frost… 『 “Fro… 『 …

…

『 “Frost Block LV1” 

  – The “Frost Resistance LV10” skill has evolved. 』

『 “Frost Block”

  – Blocks frost attributes below a certain level. 』

Like waking from a long nightmare, the cold suddenly disappeared.

Or more accurately, I could no longer feel the cold.

Having barely returned from death’s doorstep, I now realized my skill had evolved.

‘Huh… Did I survive…?’

『 HP : 2/28 』

‘Only 2 HP left… I almost died.’

Frost Resistance evolving into Frost Block at death’s door felt like divine salvation.

I almost experienced the extremes of burning to death and freezing to death.

If I died now and got another chance at reincarnation, I was certain the ice version of ‘Inferno Stigma’ would be added to my traits.

‘Wait, did Hibernation have frost-blocking effects like this?’

It definitely didn’t.

Though seeing the name Hibernation, it seemed like it should have such an effect.

To omit such an obvious effect from the description – the status window really does its job cleverly.

‘Eek! But what does that make me for not even doubting it…?’

It was my fault for accepting the status window’s inadequate descriptions at face value.

I wish I had a wiki like when I played games.

‘Sigh… Well, I’m the fool.’

The cold of this ice labyrinth would no longer be a threat to me.

It seemed time had come for me to become a sprout.

I checked my information one last time.

『  ★   Nameless    Seed    LV10(Evolvable)    0 years old    ♀

  【Stats】

  HP : 2/28

  MP : 28/28

  Attack Power : 0

  Magic Power : 10

  Defense : 39

  Magic Resistance : 39

  Agility : 0

  【Skills】

  “Detection LV6”  “Blood Absorption LV7”  “Frost Block LV1”

  【Traits】 

  [Inferno Stigma]  [Michel’s Encouragement]  』