My Units Mutate

As soon as Alex's voice fell, the three Saplings were enveloped in a radiant light. In a burst of rapid growth, two of them transformed into Thornvines, their attributes slightly different but not significantly so. What truly surprised Alex, however, was the third Sapling. It blossomed into a vibrant red flower! As the petals unfurled, a tiny winged sprite emerged, fluttering around Alex with an air of delicate grace.

[Name: Flower Sprite]

[Race: Plant]

[Level: Tier 1 (0/10)]

[Strength: 0]

[Constitution: 5]

[Agility: 8]

[Spirit: 10]

[Skills: Nature's Breath, Spirit of Nature (Consumes natural energy to heal an ally for 50% of the sprite's spirit attribute.)]

[Description: The lowest-tier plant summon, capable of rapidly healing wounds.]

Like the Thornvines, the Flower Sprite inherited the Sapling's skills, and its innate ability was also a healing skill. With two single-target healing abilities, its restorative power had reached an impressive level. This was the true strength of the Mutation ability! With the Flower Sprite and three Thornvines now guarding his territory, Alex felt a newfound sense of security and vitality.

Alex moved to the black wolf's corpse, processing it while opening the regional chat channel. After the initial panic had subsided, most people were now discussing various aspects of their territories.

"Guys, I've discovered something huge! When your territory advances to Tier 2, the lord also advances to Tier 2!"

"What?! Seriously?"

"Wait, we can level up too?"

"Is this confirmed? And how did you level up so fast?"

"Tested it myself. After reaching Tier 2, I felt a significant boost in strength!"

"Damn, you're already Tier 2? Did you get a full resource draw or something? Or maybe your starting unit is just OP!"

"I need to hurry up and gather wood and stone. And mana too—I'm still more than halfway short."

"I don't even have one yet…"

Reading through the messages, Alex was surprised. He hadn't expected the lord to level up alongside the territory. Recalling the voice's earlier words, the territory core was an extension of the lord's soul, which explained the connection. No wonder he could view his territory's information without being near the core.

[Territory Name: Tree of Life]

[Territory Level: Tier 1]

[Territory Durability: 100/100]

[Recruitable Units: Plant-type]

[Recruitment Capacity: 10/10]

[Territory Description: The foundation of the lord's survival, possessing various functions. If the territory core is destroyed, the lord perishes.]

[Upgrade Requirements: Wood (100/100), Stone (0/100), Mana (0/10)]

[Note: Plant-type territories have self-sustaining wood resources.]

The advantage of a plant-type territory was its endless supply of wood, likely to compensate for the lack of offensive capabilities in the early stages. It was a pleasant surprise, though Alex couldn't extract this fixed wood for profit—otherwise, he'd have been rich by now, without the need to hunt monsters. With wood no longer a concern, he only needed to gather stone and mana. Stone was plentiful around his territory, but mana was harder to come by, as his plant summons couldn't move, let alone venture outside to hunt.

Wait a minute…

What if he lured monsters into his territory for the Thornvines to kill?

Hmm.

That actually seemed feasible! Alex's eyes lit up. Since his territory was still under the safety period, as long as he didn't wander too far, it should be fine—a potential exploit!

Without hesitation, Alex quickly finished processing the black wolf's corpse, grabbed a dry branch, and cautiously ventured outside his territory. As he crossed the boundary, a warning sounded.

[Warning! You have left the territory and are no longer under the protection of the safety period!]

Ignoring the alert, Alex continued forward. It didn't take long for seven black wolves to emerge from the nearby woods, drawn by the scent of blood. Alex turned and fled, leading them back into his territory. Instantly, the three Thornvines sprang into action, their thorny vines lashing out at the pursuing wolves. The wolves howled in agony, no match for the Thornvines, and were swiftly eradicated. Under Alex's deliberate control, all the wolves were killed by the first Thornvine, maxing out its experience. In a flash of light, the Thornvine advanced, its bud blooming into a flower.

[Name: Thornvine Flower]

[Race: Plant]

[Level: Tier 2 (0/25)]

[Strength: 20]

[Constitution: 22]

[Agility: 9]

[Spirit: 17]

[Skills: Nature's Breath, Vine Whip]

[Description: The lowest-tier plant summon, now capable of limited movement.]

The Tier 2 unit didn't gain a new skill, but Alex was still thrilled. The Thornvine Flower could now move! Its base had grown thick roots, allowing it to shuffle slowly across the ground. This was a game-changer for Alex, as it meant he could now venture out to hunt and gather more stone and mana.

"Wait, the Mutation ability!" Alex suddenly remembered that Mutation could be used repeatedly. What would happen if he used it on the Tier 2 Thornvine Flower? Would it mutate into a more powerful Tier 2 unit? But after some thought, he dismissed the idea. Even with repeated Mutations, only one skill would be retained randomly, and he couldn't guarantee the new unit would retain its mobility. Instead, it was better to use his precious mana to Mutate the remaining Saplings and expand his forces. With more units, he'd be better equipped for future expeditions.

Soon, Alex stood beneath the Tree of Life, using his Mutation ability on the remaining six Saplings. As before, a radiant light enveloped them, and they underwent dramatic changes. Four became Thornvines and Flower Sprites, while the other two transformed into a new unit!

[Name: Treant Guardian]

[Race: Plant]

[Level: Tier 1 (0/10)]

[Strength: 10 (Attack Power)]

[Constitution: 8 (Health)]

[Agility: 8 (Speed)]

[Spirit: 8 (Skill Power)]

[Skills: Nature's Breath, Cleave (Slashes with wooden spikes, dealing 100% of strength attribute damage to multiple enemies in front.)]

[Description: The lowest-tier plant summon, excelling in close combat.]

This new unit was a humanoid plant made of tree trunks and branches, with two legs for mobility and arms formed from sharp wooden spikes. It looked like a warrior and even had a decent area-of-effect skill. Among plant-type units, this one was undoubtedly top-tier. Any plant-type lord who started with this unit would have a much easier time than Alex, who had to risk his life luring monsters.

Life really wasn't fair.

ROAR!!!

A deafening beast's roar suddenly echoed from outside the territory, snapping Alex out of his thoughts. When he turned to look, his heart skipped a beat.

"A Tier 3 monster!"