He quickly put on his dried clothes. After that, Lumine spent what felt like an infinite amount of time trying to deal with his long hair.
It kept slipping out of his hands.
The strands were tangled, stubborn, and far too long to manage easily.
After several failed attempts, a few frustrated sighs, and one moment where he nearly gave up entirely, he finally managed to tie it into a messy bun behind his head.
"Good enough," he muttered.
Meanwhile, the dryad hovered near him the entire time, talking nonstop.
Her vine legs didn't exactly walk, she seemed to lightly float and bounce around him, moving here and there while continuing her endless explanation.
Maybe that was why the original owner of this body had ignored her.
"(So basically, that was a gift from the World Tree)," she finally finished, placing her tiny vine hands on her hips again in a proud pose.
For the past while, she had been explaining many things about this world. At first, she had scolded him quite a bit, completely shocked that he knew absolutely nothing.
When Lumine eventually blurted out that he had come from another world, she had become even more surprised.
But after a long conversation, she simply accepted it.
Lumine had told her everything because, honestly, he had no other clue what was going on either.
"So this system-like thing was a gift from… uh… the World Tree?" Lumine asked, leaning down until his face was at the same level as the small dryad.
"(Yes. If Lumine came into this exact body and manifested something like that, then it must be the World Tree's blessing.)"
Sylphie nodded confidently.
Well, the dryad, Sylphie, was actually a rather innocent forest spirit. From what Lumine had learned so far, she had been living in this forest for a very long time, watching over the plants and animals around her.
And in this world…
Plants could actually talk.
Lumine had nearly exploded with joy when he heard that.
Plants.
Talking plants.
His favorite living things in the entire universe.
"Can I meet them?" he had asked immediately.
Sylphie had just blinked in confusion.
Now Lumine scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"So then… do you know who this body belongs to?" he asked curiously.
Sylphie shook her head.
"(No. I have been talking and talking to him for a long time, but he never replied to me.)"
She crossed her vine arms with a small huff.
"(All he did was hunt, eat, and sleep. I never saw him talk before.)"
"Ah… so it's a complete mystery, huh?"
Lumine closed his eyes and let out a slow sigh. The last light of the day washed over his figure as the sun dipped behind the distant mountains. Golden sunlight filtered through the tall trees, painting long shadows across the forest floor.
For a moment, he simply stood there quietly.
Inside his heart, he silently thanked the unknown original owner of this body.
Whoever that person had been… because of them, Lumine now had a chance to live again.
And more importantly, a chance to actually talk with the trees.
After a moment, he opened his eyes again and stood up, brushing the dust from his clothes.
"Well then," he said casually, "is there any human… I mean, any other human in this world?"
Sylphie slowly climbed onto his shoulder like a tiny green leech, wrapping her vine legs around his collar to stay balanced.
"(Mhm, there are. They live quite far away from here though.)"
"Oh, thank God."
Lumine nearly sagged with relief.
If there were humans, then he could at least buy some necessary tools. Knives, ropes, farming tools, maybe even proper clothes.
…First, he had to find some money. Whatever currency this world's humans used.
"Well then… where do I live?" Lumine asked with a small, hopeful smile.
Sylphie answered immediately.
"(On the ground.)"
"…???"
Lumine blinked slowly as Sylphie continued calmly.
"(Sometimes on tree branches.)"
A moment of silence passed.
"I DON'T HAVE A HOME?!" Lumine nearly exploded. His voice echoed loudly through the quiet forest.
Sylphie tilted her head.
"(If you had a home, would you be like this?)"
Lumine froze.
"…."
He opened his mouth. Then slowly closed it again. He was completely dumbfounded. Because… she was right.
But now the sun had almost fully disappeared behind the mountains, and darkness was slowly spreading through the forest.
And this was the middle of a forest.
Which meant something very important. Other things besides plants would start appearing soon. Lumine had lived near forests even back on Earth, so he knew that very well.
He rubbed the back of his neck.
"Then… where do you live, Sylphie?" Lumine asked.
"(On trees.)"
"That's just great." Lumine stared blankly at the tall trees around him.
Because Lumine Sullivan…Could not climb trees.
"Wow…" he muttered dryly.
As night slowly fell, the forest began to change. Small glowing fireflies started appearing between the bushes and tree trunks, drifting through the air like tiny floating stars scattered across the ground.
Above them, the crescent moon hung quietly in the darkening sky.
A few distant stars blinked softly, watching over the silent forest.
Lumine and Sylphie eventually settled somewhere a little farther from the river, where the ground was dry enough for him to sit without worrying about mud or wet grass.
After what felt like an eternity of rubbing rocks together, Lumine finally managed to spark a small fire.
"Ugh… my muscles are falling apart," he muttered, leaning close to the flames as the cold of the creeping night began to seep into his bones. The warmth of the fire was a welcome relief.
"(Ne ne, Lumine…)"
Sylphie slowly walked toward him, her thick vine legs bending gracefully with every step. Without a word, she began to climb into his lap as he sat on an old, fallen tree trunk.
Her tiny vine hands clutched at his shirt gently, and Lumine just watched her in silence, unsure whether to feel amused or bewildered.
"(Are you not going to make any food?)" She asked as her voice vibrated softly through the air.
Lumine groaned. He was starving, of course, but no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find a single thing edible. How was he supposed to make food in the middle of a forest with nothing around him?
"(Ne ne, Lumine…)"
"Yeah?" he replied, rubbing the back of his neck.
"(Grow some plants.)"
Lumine blinked at her. He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Dear forest spirit… if I could just grow plants like a god, none of this would have happened.
But… wait. Sylphie is a forest spirit, isn't she?
He raised an eyebrow. "Can't you grow? Can't you grow some plants?"
"(I am just a hundred years old. I am not that powerful.)," she replied, her cheeks faintly blushing with rose-colored light.
Lumine's eyes widened. "Wow… you're a grandma."
"SMACK!"
Before he could react, one of Sylphie's vine hands shot forward like a whip, smacking him square in the face. He toppled backward off the tree trunk with a loud thud.
"Ouch!" he hissed, clutching his cheek as the firelight flickered across his stunned expression.
Sylphie giggled softly, her round brown eyes sparkling mischievously, clearly proud of her reflexes.
Lumine groaned, sitting up slowly and rubbing his jaw. "Okay… okay, you win this round, grandma."
"(I am just a newborn in our species. Dryads live more than a thousand years, you know?!)"
Lumine tilted his head thoughtfully, resting his hand under his chin. "Hm hm… You are a plant after all. Seems possible," he nodded slowly, as if concluding a complex research problem.
Suddenly, the system, which had been silent for hours, flickered back to life, green letters glowing faintly in the air.
[A special quest is available]
[Subdue the threat and obtain the 'Dragon Fruit' seeds]
"Huh?" Lumine stared at it deadpan, blinking slowly. It seemed Sylphie could see it too. Her brown eyes widened as she jumped slightly in excitement.
"(Dragon fruit? Oh… they're so rare! Lumine, a chance!!!)" She practically screeched, clapping her tiny vine hands together in delight.
Lumine groaned inwardly.
Please, forest spirit… don't just read the exciting part.
There was a threat here.
A real threat.
And what did this dryad think a shut-in researcher like Lumine Sullivan could do to "subdue" anything? He couldn't even shoo away a dog without tripping over himself.
Before he could voice his protest, a rough voice rang out from behind them.
"Well, well, well…"
Both Lumine and Sylphie spun around. Sylphie clutched Lumine tightly, her tiny vine legs wrapping around his shoulder as he instinctively leaned forward to protect her.
From the shadows of the trees, a tall figure stepped into the flickering light of their bonfire. The fire cast long, dancing shadows across his face and body, making him seem larger and more threatening than he probably was.
"Ain't we got ourselves a starving-looking beggar here?" the man said roughly, carrying both amusement and menace. He casually rested the spear he carried across his shoulder, lightly tapping it as he walked closer.
"Take out all the valuable things you have!" he demanded sharply, his eyes scanning Lumine as he could see straight through him.
Lumine forced a smile, trying to stay calm. He raised both hands slowly, palms facing forward.
"Myself is the only thing I have," he said.
Sylphie blinked at him from his shoulder, her vine hands trembling slightly as she whispered, "(You're crazy…)."
But Lumine just stared at the man, silently calculating. Tools? Weapons? Running? Negotiating?
Nothing in his life had prepared him for this kind of "threat."
"And maybe…It will be appreciated that you um…could offer us some food!"