The rat bit Kaede.
Not lightly, not politely, and not as if it were testing the waters. It went straight for the decisive chomp that clearly asked, "Is this edible?"
He didn't have pain receptors, thank whatever gods might be listening, but he felt the immense pressure. His tiny, one-centimeter body was squished between those yellowed teeth like a stress ball that had long since given up on life.
His mind screamed a continuous stream of panic. His body, however, did absolutely nothing. Because he was a mushroom.
He couldn't dodge. He couldn't kick. He couldn't run. All he could do was freak out internally.
Let go! I'm poisonous! Probably! Hopefully!
The rat ignored his mental bargaining and bit down harder, trying to rip him from the soil like a particularly stubborn weed. Its hot breath washed over his cap, smelling of old nuts and pure animalistic intent.
Then, something inside him twitched.
It was like a muscle he never knew he had flexed for the very first time.
A cloud burst out of him, white, stinky, and sour. The rat reeled back with a violent, shuddering sneeze.
It staggered, rubbing its face with its paws and blinking rapidly.
Kaede was stunned.
Had he done that?
A new screen materialized before him:
Emergency Function Activated: "Spore Puff (Basic)"
Effect: Emits irritating sour spores when under direct threat.
Cooldown: 60 seconds
Notes: Good job!
Good job? I was almost turned into a light snack!
The rat, however, was not done. Its eyes were watering, but its hunger was overwhelming, and Kaede was apparently its new favorite crunchy treat. It lunged at him again.
Instinct, deeper than thought, kicked in. A survival reflex embedded in his very spongy being.
He felt a pulse. A surge. A single, overwhelming sensation he could only describe as a command to grow.
The ground beneath the rat cracked with a soft sound as thin, sharp threads erupted upward. They were white, glistening, and needle-like.
They wrapped around the rat's legs. Then its tail. Then its entire body.
The rat squealed in panic, trying to thrash its way free, but the threads only tightened, weaving around it like a nest of hungry, silken worms.
What am I doing? Stop! Or don't stop? Maybe stop a little?!
But the instinct did not listen. The threads, his threads, pierced the rat's skin. He felt something rush back through them. Warmth. Energy. Memory. Blood. It was all of it at once.
The rat's struggles grew weaker and weaker as the threads slowly, methodically, dissolved it from the inside out. It was like a vine absorbing nutrients from the soil. Except he was the soil.
A final message appeared.
Predator skill awakened!
"Hyphal Bind (Basic)"
Effect: Extends predatory fungal threads to immobilize and absorb targets.
Absorption Successful!
Analyzing target…
Gaining genetic data…
The rat crumpled, shrank, and finally collapsed into a dry, lifeless husk.
Kaede felt full. Strong. More alive than he ever had. It felt like his first real meal.
More messages flooded his vision.
Genetic Sample Extracted: Forest Rat
New Trait Acquired: "Rodent Genome Fragment"
New Spawn Option Unlocked: "Shroom-Rat Scout"
A small, semi-autonomous reconnaissance creature.
Loyalty: Innate
Maintenance Cost: Minimal
Title Acquired: "Fungal Pest"
Effect: +5% efficiency against mammals
He stared at the screen.
Fungal Pest? Really?
After everything he had just been through, they gave him a title that made him sound like something exterminators dream about squashing?
Can't I get something cool? Like 'Rat Slayer' or 'Spore Ninja'?
Nope. Just Pest.
Whatever.
Kaede took a moment to process the sequence of events. He had been bitten, panicked, exploded spores, unleashed what looked like anime tentacles, eaten a rat, and earned the title "Fungal Pest."
His reincarnation was off to an incredible start.
Right, he muttered internally. Let's just calm down. Evaluate. Don't think about the rat juice currently inside me.
He took a deep, metaphorical breath.
Okay. Focus.
Could he move the threads again?
He tried to feel for them, a gentle tug on the soil, a soft vibration.
Yes. They were still there. Waiting. Hungry.
Creepy, he admitted, but also incredibly useful.
He tested the ability again. Little white filaments poked out from the soil around him like curious baby snakes. They glowed with a faint blue light, matching the color of his small cap.
He controlled them more carefully this time, no stabbing, no devouring, just stretching and wiggling. It felt like flexing a new limb. Actually, it felt like flexing several dozen new limbs at once.
I'm basically a horror movie monster now, he realized. Great.
Still, he was alive. Stronger. Safer? Hopefully.
But the forest was no longer quiet. The rat's dying squeals had echoed. Something else might have heard.
Kaede needed a way to defend himself, or escape, or at least know what was going on around him.
And that's when another screen blinked into existence.
New Spawn Available: "Shroom-Rat Scout"
Cost: 1 Nutrient Core (available)
Would you like to create?
[YES] / [NO]
A subordinate. His own minion. His first little soldier.
I can do that?
Apparently, he could.
Well, why not? It was better to have allies than to be a solo mushroom waiting for the next hungry creature to come along and try to chew on him.
Fine, he thought. Let's summon it.
He mentally pushed YES.
The soil in front of him trembled. A small, twitching, fuzzy lump formed. Two mushroom-like ears popped out, followed by a tiny head.
It was a rat, but not quite. Its fur was pale, tinted with a soft blue. A single, small mushroom sprouted from its forehead like a little helmet. Its eyes glowed with the same soft blue as his own cap.
It was, against all odds, cute. Weird, but cute.
It squeaked proudly, puffing out its chest.
A message popped up.
Shroom-Rat Scout created!
Designation: Unit 01
Loyalty: Absolute
Behavior: Curious, Friendly
Combat Strength: Very Low
Maintenance: Self-sustaining (shares your mycelial link)
Wow. You're actually kind of adorable.
It squealed happily, circling him in a series of tiny, excited hops.
Great, Kaede sighed mentally. I'm attached already.
The Shroom-Rat sniffed at the desiccated rat husk nearby. Then it looked back at him.
Don't eat that, he said reflexively.
It nodded. Or squeaked. It was probably both.
Okay.
It was time to think.
Kaede was still a tiny mushroom with only 1 HP. But now he had offensive fungal threads, sour spore puffs, a rat genome, a minion, and a stat window that seemed dedicated to insulting him.
It was progress.
But the rustling in the bushes reminded him this forest was not safe. New predators could come at any moment. Wolves, bigger rats, birds, even a deer would probably look at him and think, "Nice snack."
I need to move, he muttered.
The thought was hilarious because mushrooms do not move.
But could he?
He tried to wiggle. He tried to push. He tried to lift.
Nothing.
Well, that settles it. I am, officially, an immobile snack.
His Shroom-Rat poked him gently with its nose.
Yeah, yeah. I know. I'm helpless.
It squeaked sympathetically, then positioned itself beside him, tail flicking, standing guard. A protector. His first one.
Alright, Kaede said slowly. Let's think of a strategy.
He couldn't move his main body, but he could extend his threads. He experimented, stretching his hyphae outward, sinking them deeper into the ground. They spread like roots, weaving through the soil, sensing moisture and warmth.
He could feel the world through them. Tiny vibrations. Footsteps far away. A faint, pervasive hum of life.
And something else. Mana. Or something that felt like it, a shimmering current of energy running through the earth itself.
If he could tap into that, maybe he wouldn't be stuck here forever.
But for now, the forest grew quiet again. His Shroom-Rat settled next to him, curling up into a warm, fuzzy blob.
Kaede allowed himself to relax.
Until a heavy rustling sound started again.
The Shroom-Rat shot to its feet, squeaking a sharp warning.
Another shadow loomed over them. Bigger this time. Closer.
And the system chimed with an all too familiar sound.
Warning!
Unknown predator approaching.
Prepare for combat.
Of course, Kaede groaned internally. No rest for the fungus.