It was a monster in the skin of a flower, unaware of its true nature; still and dormant, it looked normal like any other plant that grew in the dungeon. The flower was no taller than thirty centimeters, with vibrant red petals that glowed faintly in soft pinks and purples. It stood silently still like a pillar in a great forgotten castle.

  Similar-hued flowers were scattered among the tall grass far from this place, where solitude was the only fitting word to describe it. The small clearing was situated a few hundred feet from the dungeon wall, and the sleeping monster was the tallest thing around.

  Patches of small fungi were present, some with round white-dotted caps on a yellow foundation, some arrowhead-shaped and many others—most of them emitting a soft glow that attracted nearby bugs━illuminated the ground a few meters around their stem.

  A colony of black ants carried leaves and sticks along the ground and over a lone root sticking out like a knee. The constant tip-tapping of the small insects would be almost lost to other creatures' senses, but a jittery tremor traveled like a wave from the flower’s root, deep and down underground, where multiple roots had spread in different directions.

  From there, the tremor extended along the root system, up towards the stem, and finally to the flower head. This might have been the only thing that came close to tickling, as the plant was rudely awakened from its dreamless sleep, waving slightly as if caught by an autumn breeze.

  No memories seemed present in its head, as the flower had nothing close to a brain. Even as a monster, it still kept the anatomy of a plant, with small exceptions. Only a deep urge to grow, as ancient and true as the ground where it had sunk its roots, was present. This urge came not from the monstrous side, but carried over from before the mana seeped into every corner of its being—when it was still a normal plant on the inside, as much as it was on the outside.

  And yet, it was stuck in the same place for days, maybe months, while the mana transmuted its being into a different organism, capable of gaining skills if enough of it was available to form a core.

  A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

  Occasionally, a monster would pass by the lone flower, giving it a cursory glance. The ripples that passed through the ground conveyed that the creature was too large—so not food. Nevertheless, as a monkey with white fur made its way towards the other side of the clearing, where tall twisted trees marked the beginning of a thick forest, it tripped on a root and fell face-first into an anthill.

  What came after was a cacophony of grunts and roars as the monkey ran around, desperately scratching its face and torso to shake off the ants biting it with abandon. In a blind panic, it tripped again on the same root, falling on its ass. It didn't even register it as it rolled once, jumped straight on its feet, and ran back the way it had come—disappearing through the foliage and giant glowing fungi.

  〖 Through a special action, you have unlocked the following attribute: Luck.〗

  〖 Luck is now +1.〗

  Words started to flow in a space that would be called awareness or mind if the recipient had such things. Unfortunately, this flower had none, so all those times it had gained an attribute in the past were wasted.

  〖 Due to incompatibility, the following attribute has been removed: Luck.〗

  Large black birds took to the dark second-stratum sky as the monkey passed under the canopy of trees and glowing mushrooms—crashing into one or two in its way.

  〖 Through a special action, you have unlocked the following title: Prankster.〗

  〖 Prankster - Description: You gain a 10% chance to startle, trip, or disrupt the otherwise calm atmosphere through indirect actions in a 10-meter radius.〗

  〖 Note: May your road be ever-slippery!〗

  〖 Due to incompatibility, the following title has been removed: Prankster.〗

  For some unknown reason, the air around the flower felt... positive; it was different, yet brimming with potential. The glow around its petals intensified for a second, then returned to normal.

  The flower drifted again into a deep slumber, closer to hibernation, unaware of the buildup of changes in body and mind that it was going to experience sooner or later.