The forest was quiet. Too quiet. Which, statistically speaking, meant something terrible was about to happen.
Kaede remained stuck in the dirt, a one centimeter blue mushroom with the mobility of a depressed potato, while his Shroom Rat nervously paced in circles around him.
Rustle … rustle …
The bushes trembled again.
'Great,' Kaede thought. 'I survived being eaten once. Time for round two of the "Who Wants a Free Mushroom Snack?" show.'
He tried to muster courage. He really did. But courage was surprisingly hard to find when you had no legs, no arms, and your entire combat strategy consisted of: one, panic; two, explode spores; and three, pray.
The Shroom Rat squeaked in warning, puffing up its tiny mushroom helmet like a heroic but very edible protector.
"Cheep!!"
"Buddy," Kaede said mentally, "if that thing eats me, run. You are too cute to die."
Another rustle. The shadow grew larger.
Kaede braced for certain doom, and then he realized something.
He could not talk. He could not move. He could not fight well yet. But maybe he could do something else. Something symbolic. Something empowering. Something every self respecting reincarnator eventually does.
He could give himself a name. A real one.
Because right now, he was not Kaede the NEET, or Kaede the Worker, or Kaede the Guy Who Died to a Vending Machine. He was Kaede the Mushroom, which honestly sounded like a rejected mascot for a supermarket.
But naming himself might trigger something useful. Something like mana. Or evolution. Or at least a dramatic glow up.
'Alright,' he thought. 'Let us try this.'
He extended a hypha thread and dragged it across a tree root, scratching small, faint letters.
C…
A…
P.
He paused. That was it. CAP. Short. Simple. Mushroom themed. Easy for a tiny creature to understand.
A system window immediately exploded into existence.
Name registered: CAP
Consequence: Soul Stabilization Initiated
Mana Core Formation: IN PROGRESS
Warning: Evolution sequence cannot be interrupted
Kaede blinked mentally.
'Wait, what?'
The ground shook beneath him. His cap glowed bright blue, as if someone had shoved a mini LED inside him. His body stretched, expanded, and thickened.
He felt heat, cold, pressure, and something like a micro sized workout montage all at once. His hyphae spread outward in a sudden burst, anchoring him deeper into the soil. Blue light shot upward through his stem.
His Shroom Rat squeaked in panic and ran in circles.
"CHEEP! CHEEP CHEEP!!"
Kaede swelled. One centimeter to three, to seven, to a full ten centimeters tall. A literal ten times power jump.
New screens chimed rapidly.
Evolution Complete!
Species: Azure Foot Mushroom → Azure Myconid Bud.
Size: 10 cm
HP: 30 → 150
MP: 0 → 40
Passive Skill Gained: "Mana Circulation (Basic)"
Passive Skill Gained: "Glowcap Aura (Dim)"
Physical Resistance: +100% (still squishy but harder to squish)
His body pulsated with new strength. Mana flowed through him for the first time, warm, steady, and very unfairly energizing.
'If I had lungs, I would be wheezing. If I had eyes, I would be crying. If I had dignity, I would have lost it.'
He was glowing faintly now, a soft blue lantern among the roots.
His Shroom Rat cautiously approached and sniffed him.
"Cheep?"
"It is me," Kaede assured him. "I am just bigger. And brighter. And mildly radioactive."
The rat squeaked in relief and rubbed its head against his stem.
But the forest did not share this wholesome moment. The shadow from the bushes finally emerged.
A wolf-like creature, lean, low to the ground, its eyes amber and hungry. Saliva dripped from sharp teeth. Its nose twitched as it sniffed the air.
Another system window flashed.
New Threat Detected!
Species: Forest Wolf Pup (E rank)
Behavior: Hunting
Interest in you: Extremely High
Kaede stared at the wolf. The wolf stared at Kaede. His glowing body was basically a neon sign that said: "FREE FOOD. NOW 10 TIMES BIGGER!"
'Fantastic,' he sighed. 'I evolved into a flashlight for predators.'
The wolf growled. His Shroom Rat bristled.
Kaede prepared to panic again when a soft chime sounded.
PING!
Another window appeared.
Mana Detected!
New Skill Unlocked: "Spore Pulse (Basic)"
Effect: Releases concussive mana infused spores. Range: 1 meter
Cooldown: 20 seconds
Kaede's metaphorical jaw dropped.
'I HAVE A SPELL NOW?!'
Before he could celebrate, the wolf lunged. His Shroom Rat leapt forward instinctively, and Kaede fired.
SPORE PULSE!
A shockwave blasted outward in a circular burst of glowing spores. The wolf was punched backward mid air, yelping as it skidded across the ground and crushed into a bush. Smoke rose from its fur.
It whimpered, eyes wide, then turned tail and ran into the forest.
Kaede trembled. His Shroom Rat squeaked in awe.
System messages rained down like confetti.
Predator Repelled!
First Mana Skill Successfully Used!
Title Upgraded: "Fungal Pest" → "Luminous Pest"
Effect: +10% intimidation against small beasts.
Kaede quietly absorbed this information. Then, after a long pause, he concluded with absolute certainty:
'I am evolving way too fast. I am literally becoming a mini boss. I am a side quest encounter. A walking dungeon tutorial. A forest hazard for level one players.'
He wanted to rest. Peace. Relaxation. But no. Now he was a glowing ten centimeter mushroom with a pet rat wearing a mushroom helmet and the ability to explode wolves.
He sighed.
'If I evolve again by accident, I am suing the universe.'
His Shroom Rat circled him proudly.
"Cheep!"
Kaede softened slightly.
"Yeah, yeah. We did good."
The forest calmed. The air warmed. His glow dimmed gently. For a moment, all was peaceful.
Until the ground beneath him trembled. A deeper vibration. Heavier. Closer.
The system chimed a final warning:
Alert:
Large entity approaching.
Classification: Unknown.
Threat Level: Potentially Lethal.
Kaede froze.
'Oh, come on.'