MTLNOVEL Chapter 219: Operation Set Up Cavern (13)
Releasing a tired sigh and deciding the best course of action was to ignore the floof, Aoni pushed his fingers into the newly rooted Moss clinging to the ceiling of the Cavern and began adding points.
The first objective was, of course, to maximize its durability; however, by the time it broke through to the F Rank, he noticed something annoying that he'd carelessly overlooked.
The cost of doing so.
In a sense, although the Moss showed up as a singular item on his Summon's Display since it was the collective of four original summons, its cost had multiplied by the same factor.
So, instead of being 75 points to bring its durability from G+ to F-, it was instead 300, then 400, and the cost kept spiking the higher it went. Thankfully, while the expenditure was high, the return was as well.
Setting aside the fact he had just blown through thousands of Progress points in a single sitting and made back thousands as well, Aoni really didn't mind due to the MASSIVE WEALTH he'd unknowingly acquired over the last week or so.
'Still, it's kind of weird that this Moss is considered a sapling by my Display instead of the two-group life cycle of the gametophyte (Leafy bit)and sporophyte (the stalk structure poking out from the leafy part).' Aoni mused while preparing himself to increase the light blue mosses Grade.
'Then again, shit's always weird when it comes to the information I gather from my different Displays. To be honest, the fact that it's labeled as a sapling indicates this Moss is more tree-like, so it should go through normal growth phases, like seedling, sapling, juvenile, and mature.' Aoni thought while shuffling a bit on the stalactite and getting more comfortable.
| Genovian plants generally follow different growth cycles; the "Moss," as you keep calling it, is unlike anything found on Terra due to it being fueled by Ice Energia |
| However, the Host is correct; it will follow the Sapling, Juvenile, and Mature cycles before entering more specified ones such as Ancient and Mythical |
'Oh? That's new.' Basically petting the Moss and enjoying the springy, soft texture of the plant, Aoni scanned through the new chat windows and found it acceptable; after all, not everything was going to follow the same rules here on Genovia as it did on Terra.
| Indeed, but bear in mind the fact that multiple factors go into a plant attaining the Status of Ancient or Mythical, such as size, density, and whatnot, but the Host will come to see this as time goes on, considering they plan to abuse the Progress Point System |
'Wowwww, that's pretty offensive of you to call my Progress as abuse; I expected a better opinion of myself in your eyes…coding? Whatever you look at me through, anyway, Increase the Grade of my Tundrum Schistostega Pennata Sapling from Gradeless to One-Full Star.' Figuring it to be a waste if he continued going step by step and having already maxed out its durability, Aoni found no reason not to do mass upgrades in one sitting.
Of course, he would still err on the side of caution and only jump up by a single Stage at a time.
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Contrary to his belief, instead of immediately skipping straight to ★ as he'd expected it to, Aoni watched in suspense as the information on his SD slowly updated, going through each step in sequential order, with each one increasing the size covered by 2 feet, until finally reaching full star and quadrupling in size.
5: Juvenile Tundrum Schistostega Pennata
Size: 64 square Feet
Durability: E+
Grade: ★ (►)
Effect: Minor Oxygenation Conversion
Not only did it transform from an 8-square-foot patch to a 64-square-foot patch of Moss, but the plant's name had gained the "Juvenile" distinction along with an Oxygenation Effect.
Like an addict looking for his next high, Aoni quickly followed suit by adding even more points, ignoring the massive cost until it had reached the limit of his Attribute.
5: Adult Tundrum Schistostega Pennata
Size: 320 square Feet
Durability: E+
Grade: ★★
Effect:
1: Advanced Oxygenation Conversion
2: Minor Energia Generation
'Woah, Oxygenation Conversion I get, and I'm super glad to see it there, but Energia Generation? What the hell is that all about?' Removing his hand from the mossy ceiling, Aoni motioned for Nyria to head down and began hopping from one rocky spike to the next, traversing the expansive cavern ceiling swiftly, much like a monkey.
| It is a basic effect in which the Moss will not only produce oxygen but transform Ambient Neutral Energia into Elementalized Ice Energia |
| The Host got extremely lucky this time, as once the Moss reaches an overgrowth state, they can harvest it and use it as a resource for crafting or even ingesting it to raise their Elementalized Energia |
TAP TAP
Landing back on solid ground, Aoni stared at the floating ethereal window for some time before finally cackling like a madman.
'So you mean to tell me I won't have to almost explode any time I try raising my percentage? THAT'S AMAZING!'
| The Host should remember the amount of Moss currently only covers less than 1% of the Cavern's ceiling. Although it may be enough to sustain around 10-15 adult humans worth of breathable air for a short time, it will be quite some time before they can harvest any overgrowth |
'Wha…less than one percent, like I know it's only 320 square feet and all…but…'
| The total space in the Cavern is estimated to be roughly 172,800 square feet or 4 acres to be more exact; as such, there is A LOT of room for growth |
'Way to fucking rain on my parade…' Feeling depressed immensely at the sheer magnitude of what needed to be done, Aoni stared up at his little patch of Moss and felt it really did look way bigger up close than down here on the ground, where he was able to see the full scope of the ceiling in comparison.
| Also, it is advised the Host begins planting the majority of the foliage summoned through the use of nodes because while the Moss will be able to generate some Oxygen, it is not suitable for long-term survival |
"I GET IT, I GET IT, DAMN," Lashing out at the chatbox with a flurry of smacks and punches, Aoni stormed off toward the nearest staircase leading down toward the lake with a metaphorical storm cloud hanging over his head.