I Turned into a Tree, Who Cares!

Late at night. A pitch-black darkness blanketed everything, making all forms invisible. But within the depths of the mountains, the night was far from peaceful. Beasts roared and growled, echoing through the forest, causing the leaves to shiver and fall in clusters. At this moment, deep within a mountain range, there was a faint, soft light flickering in the distance. Upon closer inspection, the source of the light was a delicate branch, tender green, with leaves that shimmered like jade, softly glowing and casting a gentle illumination. "Is this... my superpower?" A whisper, like the murmur of someone speaking close by, yet heard by no one else, echoed in the air, accompanied only by a faint tremor. Jack—an ordinary man who, by an unexpected twist of fate, found himself here. He had simply taken a sip of water and choked, causing his consciousness to fade. When he awoke, he was stunned to discover he had become... a tree. Yes, a tree. And not just any tree—a willow. Countless branches hung down like cascading waterfalls, with a canopy spreading wide and sparse, and bark that was dark gray, cracked with irregular lines. From the look of it, he was likely an ornamental weeping willow, a tree commonly found in parks and gardens. Jack didn’t mind the concept of reincarnation, even if it was as something as peculiar as a tree. He felt a strange sense of detachment, as though this surreal transformation were a distant event happening right in front of him, yet one he could observe with calm. Using the words of some people, he thought, "Well, that’s... unscientific." But science or not, Jack’s easygoing nature made him less inclined to dwell on it. Being alive, after all, was a blessing in itself. Who was he to ask for more? What’s more, he seemed to possess a rather unique ability. With a slight shift in his focus, he observed a faintly glowing branch among his fifty-some branches, gently swaying in the darkness. This particular branch emitted a soft green radiance simply because Jack had invested a mere 0.1 evolution points into it. "Status panel." At his whispered command, a translucent blue panel appeared in his view, visible only to him. **[Species: Mutant Weeping Willow] Lifespan: 0.4 / 20 years Evolution Points: 0.2 (Acquisition methods: 1. Absorbing sunlight and refining unknown energies. 2. Draining energy from other animals or plants.) Abilities: One mutated branch. ** "Mutation, huh?" Jack muttered softly as he read the contents of the status panel, his gaze focusing on the glowing branch. Its light was now barely visible, signaling that the evolution was complete. At that moment, Jack noticed something peculiar. He could control the branch, as if it were an extension of his own body. Yes, control it freely. Previously, despite becoming a tree, his body hadn’t been within his control. His branches would only sway slightly when the wind passed through, which he thought was entirely natural—he was a willow tree, after all, not an animal. Yet now, he could feel a strange connection to this particular branch, as though it had truly become his arm. With a single thought, the branch gently rose. Then, as Jack willed it, the branch twisted and swayed, even forming a circular shape, moving as gracefully as a green snake in the night. "Interesting." With this first experiment, Jack felt a thrill of excitement. Not only could he control it, but he had the distinct impression that he might be capable of more. For instance, if he swung the branch forcefully through the air… Wham! A crisp sound tore through the night, echoing as though the air itself had been whipped apart. To Jack's astonishment, a white shockwave trailed through the night sky. It was a short shockwave, only about two meters in length, but it traced the exact path his branch had cut through the air. Which meant that his branch had struck with enough force to create a sonic boom. "The power..." If Jack had still had his human body, he would likely be rubbing his chin in contemplation. "If I hit someone with this, they'd probably... die, right?" Probably, he mused with a little more confidence. After all, that whip had enough force to produce more than just a minor bruise or tear. Creating a sonic boom, after all, meant a tremendous burst of speed. Jack recalled that even a person wielding a long whip could achieve a similar sound. When a whip cracks, the sound is actually a small sonic boom, explained scientifically about a hundred years ago in his previous life. The force travels along the whip, accelerating until it reaches the tip, where it breaks the sound barrier and produces that explosive crack. And this "crack" was, essentially, a sonic boom.