My Arboreal Existence is Unparalleled [1] (Tensura Semi-SI)
Life is easy. Why? Well, because I am a tree. Yes, you heard it right, a full-fledged tree with roots, branches, and the whole shebang. You might be wondering, "How can life be easy for a tree?" Let me break it down for you.
[….]
Firstly, no deadlines. No nine-to-five grind. I just stand here, soaking up the sun, and occasionally waving my branches in the breeze. Photosynthesis? That's my version of a power snack – no meal prepping or grocery shopping required.
No drama either. Trees don't engage in petty gossip or have existential crises. We're the ultimate zen masters – rooted in tranquility, swaying with the flow, and taking things one season at a time. I mean, have you ever seen a stressed-out tree? Exactly.
[Host, can I talk now?]
Quite. I'm not done here.
[….]
Ahem, where was I? Oh yes!
Don't get me started on wardrobe choices. I've been rocking the same bark for years, and let me tell you, it never goes out of style. No fashion faux pas for this tree; I'm a timeless icon of arboreal elegance.
So, when life feels complicated, just remember: simplicity is the root of true happiness. And in my case, quite literally.
[Host, it's time to sign-in.]
Just add it to the stack, I'll do it in a few years.
[…But Host, there is no stacking function…And you said the same thing for the past decade]
There isn't? Oh well, it's fine, not like I will be fighting Anos tomorrow or something, so it doesn't matter when I sign-in.
If you can wait one decade, another one shouldn't be too hard.
[….]
On a serious note though, you might wonder how I, a tree, know modern terms. Well, here's the news flash – I'm a reincarnated individual. In my previous life, I was just your average Joe from a modern world, working a nine-to-five a job, paying taxes, and spending money on hobbies. And for anyone wondering, my hobbies did include the nightmare created by man—Gacha.
Genshin, Star Rail, Honkai, Fate; I dabbled into each of those, even if only for a bit. My other interests were anime, yes it might seem cliche, but then again, I didn't expect to get reincarnated.
Anyways, as I mentioned, I watched a decent amount of anime; Overlord, My Hero, Jujutsu Kaisen, One Piece etc. You know, the good stuff, and I'm not talking about grass mind you.
That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime is also included. For those who can't read, it's a series about a Japanese salaryman getting stabbed to death and becoming a blue blob of jelly—a Slime. Who then goes on to eating a dragon in the first episode, vore a woman in the third episode, and build a country of monsters in 6 episodes.
[Host, are you sure you're remembering it correctly? The system's knowledge and your words do not match.]
Semantics. Anyways, the reason why I'm focusing on That Time I got Reincarnated as a Slime—also know as Tensura, is because of my current situation.
It's as you guessed, I reincarnated as tree in Tensura. And no, it wasn't truck-kun that killed me, that dude is racist, he only ever does his job around Japan.
So as an American, I had to settle for a Tropical Storm and a lightning bolt, even though one would have already been the death of me, I got two for the price of one.
The next moment I was drifting in the void, and fortunately I wasn't there for long, since my soul gets grasped by a cyan coloured Dragon. Shocking Right? But here's the real kicker – that dragon is none other than Veldanava, the Creator God of the Tensura universe.
Even if I wasn't a a die-hard fan who read the light novel, I still did some wiki-diving out of curiosity, so of course it was a shocker that I met the omnipotent dude who created the whole shebang.
And what did I do you may wonder? As a man who likes being honest, I of course told him that he was a fictional character.
You might think it was a dumb move, but nigg—I mean bro, he was omnipotent.
[Host, weren't you just scared that he would eat you or mind-rape you?]
Hey! You have no right to say that! Weren't you also given to me so I could be used as a vessel for your master?
[Avatar you mean, and that was before. After Lord Veldanava cleansed me, I have been reborn, and now, my loyalty lies with you Host.]
Yes, yes, whatever you say.
Where was I again? Right, I was talking about how I told Veldanava he was from an anime.
But guess what? The guy laughed it off! Saying something along the lines of: "Ah, the joys of human imagination! If only I had such entertainment at the beginning of my existence."
So, there I was, having a casual conversation with the Creator God of Tensura, who apparently found the concept of being a fictional character amusing.
Now you might be wondering, how did you reincarnate as a tree? It's quite obvious at this point that it was all thanks to big G— I mean V.
He asked if I wanted to be reincarnated, and I of course agreed, I mean, who wouldn't? But then came the predicament, humans didn't exist yet, Velda said something about some Valentine dude—not Funny Valentine—was creating a perfect species.
So I was given a choice to either wait until then, or reincarnate as one of the existing races. But here is the thing, and I know some may think I'm stupid, but I didn't want to become an Angel or Daemon, the only human-like beings to exist at the time, with that still being the case even now.
"I know I might be asking for too much, and it might even seem cowardly, but all I want to do is rest, live an easy life without having to worry about danger now or in the future."
Those were the words I said to him.
To my surprise, Veldanava just chuckled, giving me a look of understanding as he profoundly said, " You have chosen a path of tranquility amidst the chaos of creation. Such a desire is not cowardly; it's an acknowledgment of the beauty in simplicity. Rest assured, I can accommodate such a request."
At the time, the moment he ended his words, I felt my whole view shift, and I found myself rooted in the earth, leaves rustling in the breeze.
Veldanava's voice echoed one last time as he proclaimed, "May you find tranquility in the embrace of nature, and may the eons unfold before you like the gentle rustling of leaves."
So yeah, now I'm a tree, and I'm pretty sure I've got some divine tree powers going on. Like, have you seen a tree that has a human form? Actually, don't answer that, who doesn't know about Dryads. Then, have you seen a thousand foot tree that can control nature? And by nature, I mean everything from the Earth, and anything that is green. Cause that's me.
Maybe I should start practicing some anime-style moves. Wood-Style Jutsu, anyone?
[Host, now that you are done talking to your nonexistent audience, would you please sign-in. The first sign-in is special and a good reward is guaranteed.]
Why didn't you say so then!?
[…I did. Approximately…]
I don't wanna hear it. You probably counted the nanoseconds too.
[…You…Forget it.]
[Ding! Do you want to Sign-In at the Holy Relic, The Divine Tree?]
It seems that I was right, I am indeed a Divine Tree. Anyways, I accept the Sign-in.
[Congratulations. You have received:
-Seed of Negativity: A mysterious and ominous seed carries the essence of the abyss. When planted, it gives rise to a twisted and otherworldly tree that draws upon negativity of others to sustain its own growth, until it one day rivals a true World Tree. The seed can also be absorbed to strengthen any 'evil' or 'demonic' species.
-Seed of Positivity: A luminous seed brimming with the essence of boundless positivity and light. When planted it gives rise to a majestic tree that draws upon positivity of others to sustain its own growth, until it one day rivals a true World Tree. The seed can also be absorbed to strengthen any 'good' or 'holy' species.
-Holy Sword Excalibur: The blade, bathed in an otherworldly radiance, surpasses all other legendary weapons. Imbued with the power of the blacksmith God Völundr, this sword once impaled the World Tree, sealing its roots and transforming an icy realm into the majestic castle of Thrymheim. ]
Hey, system, aren't two of these rewards rather ominous, one of them thrives off the dark side, while the other could probably cut my roots.
My beautiful roots! The pride and joy of any tree, the envy of shrubs everywhere! I can't have them threatened by some glowy sword, can I?
[Host, the roots of a Divine Tree are resilient, and the World Tree that the sword cut cannot be compared to you.]
Oh, really? Well, that's a relief. Can't have my roots feeling inadequate now, can we?
[Please don't say that again.]
Ahem, moving on...
So, here I am, a Divine Tree with seeds of both negativity and positivity, and a shiny new sword that I could probably use to trim my leaves or something.
[Host, the system recommends you project your Spiritual Body into a temporary Magic Body.]
Hm? I guess it wouldn't hurt to do so, it has been a while since I actually walked around.
[….You only walked around in a magic body once, and that was when you first arrived.]
Oh, you're right. Velda must have done something to me for me to not even notice the passing of time, it's not a bad thing though, better than being bored out of my mind.
Hmm~ How do I do this again…Let's just imagine—
"Well that was quick, but I'm a naked." I muttered, my voice as androgynous I remember, as I looked down at my now human self.
Using my nigh-omniscience—a perk of being connected to the planet—I look at myself from a third point of view.
An androgynous face with long green hair and vibrant gold eyes. The most striking thing about me other than my inhuman beauty was that I had no manhood to speak of, along with my current appearance.
"The Chains of Heaven, Enkidu," That was who I looked like, and it was surprising to say the least when I first projected my Spiritual Body. Yet, now that I think about it, it seems fitting.
Enkidu was described to be a a paradoxical being that possesses the impurity characteristic of mankind and the immaculate perfection inherent to nature.
Something that strongly resonated with my current situation, a former human-turned tree.
[Host, do you want to check your sign-in rewards.]
"Sure." Saying so, I created a throne of myself using my intrinsic skill [Naturalism]. The skill allowed me communicate, influence, manipulate and control nature; However it was limited to flora, anything green, and the geology of the planet, along with the matter and energy of which all these things are composed. Broken, I know.
Anyways, the throne wasn't anything fancy, it was just moulded from Earth, and even when I was still naked, it still felt comfortable to sit on.
"Perks of being connected to nature I guess." As I relaxed into the throne, a golden longsword fell into my lap. From the blade to its hilt, the colour gold dominated, though the cross guard is shaped like a pair of wings and has a green plate, inlaid with similar coloured gems.
(Image)
"When it said Excalibur I definitely wasn't expecting this version," I was indeed aware of where this sword came from now that I actually saw it.
Alfheim Online. My least favourite season of Sword Art Online. The season just ruined the series for me, and though I can hardly recall the plot of it, I remember Asuna getting kidnapped by some psycho who wanted to rape her virtually?
Shaking my head away from the useless thoughts, I put my focus back on the sword, "It's useless." I voiced out my feelings, and it truly was, since I instinctively felt that I could create something better from a branch of my tree.
[Host, although it's useless to you, it would be priceless to the inhabitants of the world in the future, it's a legendary-grade sword after all.]
"Legendary grade." I repeated the words, trying to recall the future grading system of the world, but all I could remember was Rare and Unique grade.
[The grades from lowest to highest are as follows; Normal, Special, Rare, Unique, Legend and God grade.]
"Thanks." I nod in appreciation, as although the system was going to turn me into an avatar or something, if Veldanava's words were true, which I believe is, it is now my companion after Velda done his godly voodoo on it, and giving it a 'chance' to do 'good'.
[Happy to help, Host. Would you like to see the Enchantments on the sword?]
"Why not." I could already guess that it had a sort of weightless enchantment if the ease in which I could hold it was anything to go by.
_ _ _
[ Holy Sword Excalibur
Rank: Legendary
Enchanments: Thrym's Bane | Light Weight | Purify | Frost Edge
-Thrym's Bane: Bestows a bonus against Frost Giants and creatures of icy origins, increasing damage dealt to such foes.
-Light Weight: The sword becomes surprisingly light in the hands of the wielder.
-Purify: The Sword's blade has the ability to purify and dispel curses or malevolent magical influences.
-Frost Edge: In exchange for energy or magicules, user can Imbue the blade with an icy enchantment, allowing it to deal additional frost damage to foes and chilling their movements. ]
"Not bad." Still sitting on my throne, I swing the blade vertically and horizontally in quick succession, creating a cross shaped ice slash.
[Was the Host expecting an enchantment that could cut through any defences or create a beam of light?]
"Yes, yes I was." Can a sword even be called Excalibur if it doesn't release a beam of light? Of course not! "This sword is an affront to the true Excalibur, it can't even compare to the DxD versions that can cut through space and create illusions etc." I say in a matter-of-fact tone.
Glory to Saber-chan!
[….]
"Ahem." Clearing my throat, I chucked Excalibur-beta into my Inventory, as two seeds, or rather, two thumb-sized orbs appeared in my hand. One was completely pitch black and seemed to absorb all light, while the other was the complete opposite, it was white, and glowed gold within the middle.
My gaze was fixated on the latter.
[Swallow it.]
"Huh?" Did I hear that right? Did the system just tell me to—
[Yes, eat it.]
The system repeated.
"Are you asking me to be the first tree in history to commit cannibalism?" I asked with a baffled look, feeling disturbed? Weirded out? I didn't even know how to feel to be honest.
[I'm sure you can also sense that it's not alive, nor has a soul formed at all. It is literally a seed.]
"I can." I replied with a nod, as my other intrinsic skill [All Things in Nature] allows me to knows about all things relating to nature and its forces, from its makeup, what lives around it, what else is on it, the civilizations (if any) that are near and anything else around it.
"Positivity." That was all I could sense and see from this 'seed'. "By the way, what will happen if I eat this?" I ask, wondering if it will strengthen as it said in the description, after all, being Divine does not necessarily mean being Holy.
[You will get an Upgrade.]
So it said.
"Nothing negative, right?" I felt rather amused asking that, as I literally had a seed of negativity in my other hand.
[None.]
"Well, here goes nothing." Saying so, I dropped the radiant seed into mouth, immediately swallowing it. "Hm? Nothing is happeni—!" I couldn't even finish my words before everything turned dark.
[Rest well, my dear Host.]
…
[ Third Person PoV ]
Location: Heavenly Star Palace.
The Heavenly Star Palace, or just Star Palace, was the Place of Beginnings. The place where the Creator God Star Dragon King Veldanava awoke, many eons ago.
Today, just like any other day, Veldanava was resting in his Tower, as he awaited the moment Twilight Valentine created the perfect species—Humans.
Indeed, humans. A species that was not present in his Multiverse, yet has seen in others. He had witnessed how they adapt to various environments and circumstances, their intelligence that allowed them to innovate and develop sophisticated technologies, societies, and cultures.
Their intricate systems of language and communication, allowing for the transmission of knowledge, ideas, and culture across generations.
Of course he was equally aware of their negatives, like how they altered the environment through activities such as deforestation, pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change. The social inequalities that persisted around the world, causing disparities, unequal access to resources, discrimination based on race, gender, ethnicity, and other factors contribute to social injustice and marginalization.
He had witnessed how humans have engaged in conflicts, wars, and violence, often resulting in immense suffering, loss of life, and destruction. All for the reason of competition for resources, ideological differences, and political tensions.
Yet, both these aspects is what made humans perfect in his eyes. This complexity allows for a range of experiences, emotions, and behaviors that shape individual and collective human identity. It is the presence of both these positive and negative traits that provides opportunities for growth, learning, and self-improvement.
Humans have the capacity to reflect on their actions, learn from their mistakes, and strive to become better individuals and societies. And most of all, he had witnessed their capacity for empathy and compassion, which underlie their ability to cooperate, care for one another, and work towards common goals.
It is the negative nature of humans that can cultivate empathy and compassion towards others who may be experiencing similar struggles or challenges. This empathy forms the basis for solidarity, cooperation, and collective efforts to address social injustices and alleviate suffering.
And yet, despite how much he yearned to see them in his Multiverse, he didn't create them. Instead, he created Twilight Valentine, a perfect and immortal being with no concept of gender and no reproductive ability to speak of.
Why?
Because this World will not only be his. The future generations will claim this world as theirs, and as such, he found it fitting that someone other than him should end up creating humans.
It was also the reason why he didn't give Twilight knowledge about humans, allowing nature to take its natural course.
His thoughts then drifted to the soul that he encountered in the void between universes.
The young man was a cunning one, he expressed his desire for power in such a roundabout way, he asked for enough power to be able to defend himself no matter the circumstances. Such a request now gave him a untouchable position now and in the future.
For he was the Divine Tree, a Holy Relic created by the Creator to protect the world from world-destroying attacks.
To be specific, the Divine Tree absorbs magicules from the dragon veins through its roots and circulates them through the atmosphere. It creates a sort of natural barrier that disperses attacks that would destroy the planet.
'How amusing.' It truly was, yet the Creator was aware that the young man was also genuine about his request, and he wasn't a malicious person, it was also why he didn't remove that 'system' from him, and rather modified it to aid him.
'With that, even if I ever disappear, the world will be safe.' The Dragon God was certain about that much.
"Hm? Speak of the devil," Veldanava looked in a certain direction, his eyes bypassing space and time, until it landed on a massive tree. "It seems like he's under going a minor evolution?"
As soon as he finished his words, the cyan dragon vanished from the Star Palace.
….
[ Third PoV ]
Location: Divine Tree (Future location of Sorcerer's Dynasty Sarion)
"Truly interesting~" Standing before one of the Holy Relics was an androgynous man of average height, with long black hair that resembled the night sky and blue eyes.
This was none other than Veldanava in his human form. The Star Dragon gazed at the black 'seed' in his hand with interest, he had already understood its make up.
"I take it that he has absorbed the Seed of positivity?" The Creator said to seemingly no one.
[!!!]
[Yes, Lord Veldanava.]
It was the system within the Divine Tree that responded.
"I take it that you are doing well?" Veldanava asked with a smile.
[If Lord Veldanava is referring to the fact that I developed an ego, then yes. It was bound to happen if all I could was watch my Host's memories, along with the inherent knowledge that came with the system.]
The Creator chuckled at its response, before his gaze shifted to the elephant in the room, in the form of a beautiful woman sitting on a perfectly moulded earthen throne.
She had a voluptuous body with wavy ankle-length blonde hair, and her sky blue eyes were covered with a black blindfold. Her outfit was white robes with blue outlines and a golden decoration around her hip.
"So this is a Guardian of a World Tree," Veldanava scanned her with a curious expression, "They are connected together rather tightly."
[….]
The system stayed silent as it watched the lazy Creator sate his curiosity. There was no need for it to mention the Host's Guardian was a character from an anime where Goblins were like True Dragons.
Its Host's dignity was on the line, and it would protect it with its life!
"Did you want to say something?" Veldanava's gaze moved away from the Guardian and back onto the Divine Tree, tilting his head curiously.
[…Can you name him?]
"You know what you're asking for, right?" The Creator's eyes narrowed, his demeanour doing a complete 180. "He'll be even stronger than the Primordial Angels and Daemons."
[Isn't that already the case even now, he just doesn't have the experience. Also, forgive me for saying this Lord Veldanava, but isn't my host getting stronger better for you, for the World?]
"….Aren't you a little too young to be manipulating someone." Veldanava's godly demeanour vanished, as he was taken aback by the system's gaslighting techniques.
[My number one priority is to protect, assist, and help Lord Veldanava's Holy Relic.]
"Isn't that shameless?" The Creator couldn't help but laugh in amusement at the system's words, at the end day of the day, it was still prioritising the young man.
"Alright, I'll give him a name." He said, looking at the Divine Tree, "Silas. Silas Yggdrasil shall be his name henceforth."
BOOOM!
The world rumbled as the Divine Tree received its name.
"Forget about protecting the world, Silas' going to break it first." Veldanava couldn't help but joke, as he watch the Divine Tree shake violently.
BOOM!
The world shook again with unprecedented force, the power of nature was truly one to be feared. But the Star Dragon didn't pay attention to this, he was aware that the world could handle it, his Holy Relics would make sure of it.
Rather, his eyes was on Silas' main body that seemed to beating, as if it had a heart.
Ba-dump!
Ba-dump!
"Lord Veldanava."
Seven different yet monotonous voices sounded from behind, greeting the Creator God.
"Feldway, Kornu, Obera, Zalario, Dino, Gracia, Pico. You may rise." Veldanava acknowledged their greeting, before turning his attention back to Silas, "I'm sure you already know, but this here is my friend that I told you about, Silas Yggdrasil."
These were the Seven Angels of Origin, created by the Dragon God, who split them from the Great Holy Spirit of Light, an egoless elemental force, only second to him.
""""….""""
Veldanava didn't mind their silence, as he understood they were still developing their egos, so he said, "Let's watch."
And so they did.
The previous beating sound had stopped, and everything seemed to have returned to normal. Though, the sound of breaking made everyone feel otherwise.
Crack!
The sound began to pick up, and soon, the whole Divine Tree had cracks running all over it.
"Lord Veldanava…"
"Its part of his evolution." The first True Dragon nonchalantly assuaged their worries, and they all watched as the bark of Divine Tree started falling part like broken shells.
To the surprise of the Angels, a sparkling new surface was revealed underneath with a tinge of holiness as new leaves began to sprout from the empty branches.
However, that wasn't all that captured their attention, it was the fact that it growing at an alarming rate just like a newborn plant sprouting from its seed!
1500…
2000…
2500…
3000…
The Divine Tree did not stop until it reached a grand height of 10000ft and its entire body exuded awe-inspiring holiness and positivity.
The spectators watched as the flora around them grew, a result of the influence from the Divine Tree's aura.
"He really knows how to make a scene." Veldanava smiled in amusement, facing the audience, he said, "It's more or less finished now, though Silas will be in a long slumber as he acclimates to his new form. Though, if any of you want, you are free to visit him."
"Understood." They all kneeled in acknowledgment.
[Thank you.]
Smirking, the Creator replied, "What are you thanking me for, I'm just protecting the planet and polishing my Relic."
[…Forgive me for saying this Lord Veldanava, but the latter sounded wrong in so many different ways.]
Veldanava just laughed unabashedly, making his way to Silas' guardian, who was obviously Sword Maiden from Goblin Slayer. Creating a blanket, he placed it over her.
[What are you going to do with the seed?]
Gazing at the Seed of Negativity, the Star Dragon gave the most normal answer, "Plant it in the Daemon Realm, of course."
[I see…]
"Well, see ya later." Veldanava opened a portal, "Also, don't forget to tell Silas to visit." Saying so, he urged the Angels to enter the portal after him.
[Well, that's that.]
****
A/N: I was bored out of my mind when I wrote this.