Blossoms and a Full Moon

The bush was a riot of blossoms—colorful, varied in shape, and almost none alike. It was the most vibrant sight Tu Ran had seen in the Threshold, apart from the time she'd been fooled by those hallucinogenic mushrooms.

A light panel appeared, introducing the ability.

【Blossoms and a Full Moon】

Description: Want to bloom beautiful flowers anytime, anywhere? If so, this ability is worth having.

Level: Beginner

Tu Ran stopped mid-step. That's it? Blooming flowers anytime, anywhere? That counted as an ability?

What use did she have for that? Sell the flowers for money?

But since she'd seen it, she couldn't just leave it lying around. Even if it seemed useless, it was still a beginner ability. The light panel had mentioned that by accumulating enough beginner abilities, one could choose one to upgrade to intermediate, but it hadn't specified how many were needed.

On the surface, this ability might seem useless, but it could help her upgrade others.

She moved a few steps deeper and grabbed a wooden branch. Pausing for three seconds, she used "Memory Reader" to locate the inner core. She pulled aside the dense bush branches with her long knife, dug through the soil at the roots, and revealed a glowing core.

Tu Ran bent down, picked it up, wiped off the dirt, and ate it. A light panel appeared in her mind, explaining the ability just as before.

When she emerged from the bush, Fatty stood there, bewildered, staring at her. It didn't have the "Aberrant Recognition" ability, so it had no idea there was an inner core in the bush. It only knew that the boss had suddenly squeezed into that pretty bush, dug around in the dirt, and then shoved something into her mouth. From its experience, only bugs in the roots were edible.

"Boss, are you eating bugs? I thought you didn't eat bugs?" Fatty asked uncertainly, its wingtip in its mouth.

Tu Ran blinked. "What bugs?" She suddenly understood and quickly corrected, "How could I eat bugs? I just ate an inner core! An inner core!" As she spoke, she raised her finger to show Fatty the newly acquired ability.

Focusing her mind, she chanted "Blossoms and a Full Moon." At her fingertip, a pale pink bud burst forth, then petals unfurled into a layered pink blossom.

Fatty stared at her finger in disbelief. "Boss... boss can make pretty flowers!"

Tu Ran closed her fingers, crushing the flower to the ground. "Not just me—you can too." She activated "Blossoms and a Full Moon" again, this time aiming the bloom at Fatty's head.

Instantly, a riot of colorful flowers sprang up among the feathers atop Fatty's head, blooming in a frenzy, as if it wore a crown woven from countless blossoms.

Fatty's tiny eyes strained upward, catching only a hint of color. It couldn't see itself. Anxiously, it said, "Boss, boss, help Fatty see what I look like now!"

"Alright."

Tu Ran pulled out her long knife, and its polished blade reflected Fatty's current appearance like a mirror.

Fatty was stunned. It stared at its own reflection in the blade, tail feathers fluffing with joy as it spun in circles, carefully shielding the flowers on its head with its wings, afraid they'd fall off. It looked like a little girl in a pretty dress.

Looking at the blossoms on Fatty's head, a new idea struck Tu Ran. Did flowers have to bloom only on the surface? Why not inside?

Inside a creature's body, for instance.

What if they could grow from internal organs? Wouldn't that make this ability a lethal, invisible weapon?

Tu Ran felt a sudden clarity. She quickly brought up the panel, wondering if this ability was an attack type or a support type.

In the corner of the light panel, five characters glowed green: "Attack-type Ability."

Tu Ran: It really is an attack-type ability! Her earlier dismissal vanished in an instant. Such a promising ability, and she'd hesitated about taking it. She'd nearly let it slip away. That was all because the panel's description was too misleading. "Want to bloom beautiful flowers anytime, anywhere? If so, this ability is worth having." The description only highlighted the most superficial aspect, completely ignoring its combat potential. Although the words "anytime, anywhere" said it all, most people probably wouldn't connect it to blooming flowers inside an enemy's belly.

She was incredibly lucky she hadn't passed it up for looking useless.

"Stop admiring yourself, keep moving," Tu Ran said cheerfully.

Fatty promptly trotted after her, light on its feet.

As they continued, Tu Ran spotted a few more abilities, all unremarkable and seemingly useless.

At dinner, for instance, Fatty caught a heap of wriggling grubs and was pecking at them with its wings. A casual glance from Tu Ran revealed a light panel floating above the squirming pile.

【Perfect Figure】

Description: Do you want the most perfect figure? This inner core will grant your wish. Eat it, and you'll have a body that never gains weight no matter what you eat, and a figure everyone envies.

Level: Beginner Ability

Honestly, Tu Ran didn't need this ability. And she had no intention of eating it. Her current figure wasn't bad—she was satisfied, so she didn't need "Perfect Figure." Besides, every day since arriving in this world had been "full." She was either fighting or on her way to a fight; hardly a day had been spent lazing in bed. Her body burned a lot of energy, especially with the extra drain from using abilities. She'd welcome a few pounds—she didn't need a stay-skinny metabolism.

For her, this ability would be a burden.

Fatty, on the other hand, seemed a better fit. Hadn't it been trying to lose weight? Eating this inner core would give it a never-gain-weight constitution—no need for exercise or dieting.

But Tu Ran didn't want to give it to Fatty either.

There was a saying: "A man is innocent, but a jade at his side is a crime." If a creature like Fatty carried an inner core, and other humans had similar "Ability Recognition" abilities to hers, they might spot it. Not that it was a great core, but what if someone happened to need it—or planned to hoard abilities to upgrade another? Fatty had no way to defend itself. When she was around, she could protect it. But if she weren't there? Fatty would be a lamb to the slaughter.

"Stop eating!" Tu Ran called out, halting Fatty's action.

"Huh?" Fatty looked up, confused, a half-chewed grub dangling from its beak. "Why? Want a bite, boss?"