Wasteland: I Awakened A Plant System-Chapter 11: Plant Life System Upgrade

Vikram scrolled up and saw countless similar messages, which were eventually pushed out of sight by newer information, ending inconclusively.

He knew it wasn’t that these Survivors were truly incapable, but rather that everyone’s starting point was different, and thus their speed of gathering supplies varied.

But he only sighed. He couldn’t bring himself to give things to strangers. After all, he was here to survive, not to do charity.

Such incidents would only become more frequent in the future. Offering help now would only drag him into the same quagmire later.

Snapping back to reality, he continued his work.

For the next three days, Vikram maintained this simple yet regular routine.

During the day, he focused on excavation, each swing of his iron pickaxe feeling particularly powerful, as the returns for just a bit of effort were almost exponential.

In the evening, he would browse the trade market, keenly searching for valuable treasures, using the stones in his possession to exchange for useful supplies.

This routine continued for three days, and Vikram acquired many of the other Survivors’ prized possessions.

Although these items were, at best, rare in quality, they were plentiful and each had its own use.

However, these weren’t the main point. The main point was that his Plant Essence had finally surpassed one hundred today.

How?

First, his daily net gain of 25 Plant Essence accumulated to 150 over six days. During this period, he did not spend on other expenses except for the daily 5 Plant Essence consumed to create the temporary Leaf Resin Coating, which lasted 24 hours on the Spikevine.

Although, due to the Treehouse buffs and other factors, nothing had happened to the Spikevine, he still did not want to take risks. If the acid rain flowed down from the hills into his territory and touched the Spikevine directly, the consequences would be uncertain.

After all, the Spikevine was only Green-grade, and the daily cost of 5 Plant Essence was minimal compared to the risk.

[Ding, congratulations Host. Your Plant Essence has exceeded one hundred for the first time. System upgrade initiated.]

[...]

[Ding, upgrade successful. New function added: Shelter Evaluation.]

[This newly added function allows the Host to more intuitively understand various data of the Shelter and its various buildings, and to provide more optimal adjustment plans based on the data.]

"This function came at just the right time. For the past few days, I have almost finished digging the iron and stone on the side that was protected from the rain, so I can try out this function."

[Ding, received Advanced Gift Pack ×1. Do you wish to open it?]

"Yes."

"Congratulations on obtaining: Thornvine Seed ×2 (Blue), Warrior Sprout ×1 (Blue), Lightfly Vine ×1 (Blue), Aquaheart Root ×1 (Blue)."

Thornvine Seed ×20 (Blue, a defensive vine capable of restraining small to medium mutated creatures once matured. Suitable for perimeter defense.)

Warrior Sprout ×1 (Blue, an offensive-type plant seed that grows into a mobile combat unit. Possesses vine-blade arms.)

Lightfly Vine ×1 (Blue, a bioluminescent vine that integrates with the Treehouse. Can produce controllable internal lighting through the host’s thoughts once established.)

Aquaheart Root ×1 (Blue, a subterranean purification plant that detects and cleans underground water sources. Produces a small amount of clean water daily once matured.)

"Thornvine... two of them?"

A flash of surprise crossed Vikram’s eyes.

He had previously calculated that the entrance required exactly nineteen Thornvines to be fully sealed. With these two, he could at least reinforce a few more sections of his territory—only seventeen more would be needed to completely close it off.

This brought him one step closer to true perimeter control.

But what truly made his breathing slow slightly were the other three rewards.

A Warrior-type sprout. A lighting-type vine. And a water-purification root.

He had evolved from survival... to ecosystem.

If the Aquaheart Root rooted successfully, then even if surface water became contaminated by acid rain, he would still possess a stable underground purified water source.

While others were still building stone houses just to survive a little longer, he would not need to worry about water for quite some time.

He had previously worried that he would need to train his archery to hunt beasts here.

But with the Warrior Sprout, he now had an extra advantage. The Guardian Sprout would act as the tank, the Warrior Sprout would become the main attacker, and he himself could remain a ranged supporter.

If the Lightfly Vine integrated successfully with the Treehouse, he would no longer need bonfires for illumination. He would only use them when truly necessary to adjust to the cold. There would be no need to create extra smoke, no fire hazard, and his wood consumption would also decrease.

Having plants that produced water, light, defense, and combat power meant his Treehouse was no longer just a shelter.

It was becoming a living fortress—perhaps even a small oasis of civilization in the Wasteland World.

He also wanted to obtain electricity—a generator, light bulbs, and fuel. He knew that he would not be able to get such things directly from the Plant System.

But he wasn’t worried. Just because he couldn’t obtain them didn’t mean others couldn’t.

He could trade for them. And if not, there was still hope that he might obtain them from loot boxes after killing beasts.

Although there were currently no furnishings that required electricity, these items could gradually be acquired through monster hunting and trading.

Developing electricity was the future direction for Shelter upgrades. Vikram did not believe that a stone house alone could withstand future natural disasters.

If that were the case, everyone would just hide in caves, so why bother building a Shelter?

Although he did not require electricity for now, he would need it in the future. After all, if extreme cold or heat disasters began to occur, he would need electrical appliances like geothermal heating or air conditioning to endure them comfortably.

Therefore, a generator—an item capable of producing power—had always been one of the most important survival supplies in Vikram’s mind.

However, thinking about these things was still too far off. The immediate priority was to excavate the hill.

Why?

First, for stone.

Second, to create additional space.

He wanted to shape it into something resembling a normal Shelter. In the future, if anyone visited this place, he would not have to worry about his Treehouse being exposed.

From the outside, the Treehouse looked like a normal banyan tree, and no one would guess how to enter it.

Moreover, the excavated space could serve as a warehouse, since he could not store everything inside the Treehouse.

With three days left until the acid rain ended, he planned to maximize this time by digging out a mountain Shelter.

"Originally, I was a bit worried about collapses, but now, with the Plant Life System upgrade, that’s completely no longer an issue."

[December 9th]

[Temperature: 19 degrees Celsius]

The fifth day since the acid rain began.

Over these five days, Vikram had been mining almost non-stop, and just as the acid rain was about to end, he managed to carve out a space nearly the size of a three-bedroom home.

Vikram hadn’t expected that the housing dream ingrained in the bones of Indian people, something he hadn’t realized on Earth, would be achieved in the Wasteland World in just over a week.

"System, come out and look at my warehouse."

Vikram said with a hint of pride.

[Ding, artificial mine detected.]

"Can you speak properly? What artificial mine? This is the warehouse I dug!"

"Also, I called you out to analyze data, not to mock me."

[Ding, warehouse detected.]

[Shelter Rating: Extremely crude 100-square-meter mountain warehouse. Items stored here may be eaten by insects, rats, or other animals. Even if not destroyed by animals, it lacks any protective mechanism—anyone can enter and steal at will. Structural load-bearing capacity is insufficient and prone to collapse. Suitable as a temporary burial site.]

"Are you done?"

Vikram’s face flushed red. He pointed at the invisible Plant Life System, almost spitting out words through gritted teeth.

Although it was indeed crude, it was still a warehouse he had spent five days digging out little by little. Yet, he couldn’t deny that the system’s assessment was accurate.

"Then how do I improve it?"

Vikram’s tone carried a hint of helplessness. His warehouse was indeed imperfect. It would be safer to store everything inside the Treehouse, but he didn’t want to reduce the Treehouse’s space and aesthetics. This was the best he could manage for now.

[Ding, Plant Life System analyzing warehouse structure.]

The Plant Life System’s voice rang out again, sounding more serious and professional this time.

[Analysis Results: Warehouse structural stability is insufficient. Reinforcement of walls and ceiling is recommended.]

[Recommended Improvements:]

[1. Reinforced Structural Support (Stone Pillars + Iron Framework) Materials Required: Stone ×120, Iron Blocks ×15, Plant Essence ×20. Effect: Increases load-bearing capacity by 60%. Reduces collapse risk.]

[2. Ventilation System (Airflow Duct + Natural Draft Design) Materials Required: Stone ×40, Wood ×30, Iron Blocks ×5. Effect: Prevents moisture accumulation. Reduces food spoilage rate by 40%.]

[3. Reinforced Door Installation

Materials Required: Iron Blocks ×4, Wood ×20, Plant Essence ×10. Effect: Prevents unauthorized entry. Basic defensive durability.]

[4. Perimeter Defensive Integration (Thornvine + Spikevine Deployment) Materials Required: Thornvine ×2, Spikevine ×1, Plant Essence ×15. Effect: Automatic deterrence against small and medium intruders.]

[5. Moisture-Control Moss Layer (Blue-Grade Optional Upgrade) Materials Required: Plant Essence ×25. Effect: Prevents fungal growth. Protects stored vegetables and grains from rot.]

[Evaluation: Current warehouse survival value: Low. After recommended upgrades: Moderate. After full defensive integration: Acceptable for long-term storage.]

The system fell silent.

Vikram stood there, staring at the long list of required materials, and listened to the system’s suggestions, his brows furrowed.

These modifications would require too many resources and too much time. Although these expenses were necessary, given his current situation, he probably couldn’t acquire so many things.

Concrete might be possible, but where would he find rebar now?

Could he only wait until the natural disaster ended?

Although he didn’t have enough materials, it didn’t stop Vikram from understanding them first.

"System, if I were to complete everything you just mentioned using Plant Essence, how much would it cost in total?"

[Calculating...]

[Total required: 864 Plant Essence.

Includes: Structural stone reinforcement conversion. Reinforced concrete synthesis. Iron rebar framework integration. Ventilation shaft excavation within the mountain body. Reinforced security door fabrication. Basic LED lighting installation. Moisture-control moss layer deployment. Defensive vine integration cost. Structural stabilization calibration]

"It doesn’t seem as expensive as I imagined?"

With 120 Plant Essence in hand, Vikram was indeed a bit overconfident.

After all, his daily net income was 25 Plant Essence, and yesterday he had planted Aquaheart Root, Warrior Sprout, Lightfly Vine, and two Thornvines. Today, they would mature naturally since he had not used any Growth Acceleration on them.

Once matured, they would also begin producing Plant Essence.