Reincarnated as a Carnivorous Plant

The ground beneath Haeto was slick with blood, dirt clinging to the crimson pools that had formed around him.

His body trembled as if the very essence of life was trying to flee from his broken form.

The rat's departure had left him victorious, but the cost had been tremendous.

Every nerve in his plant body screamed in agony. His once-glossy green stem was shredded, torn to ribbons in several places.

Deep gouges decorated his carnivorous mouth, which hung open limply, incapable of even the smallest twitch.

Suddenly, a faint chime echoed in his mind, sharp and metallic, like the clink of glass shards falling to the ground.

A translucent screen shimmered into view above him, its pale blue light casting a faint glow over his battered form.

The system was back.

SYSTEM ALERT: INJURY REPORT - CURRENT CONDITION

Severed stem ligaments

Fractured leaf supports

Torn epidermis along three sections

Cracked photosynthetic cells in primary stem

Nectar glands depleted by 98%

Venom delivery system offline

Teeth fractures detected on all edges

Root system shock at 74%

Nutrient absorption slowed by 63%

Structural integrity reduced to 15%

Overall functionality critical

The list went on and on, scrolling endlessly, each line stabbing Haeto's pride further. It was as if the system delighted in rubbing his nose in his pitiful state.

"Tch," Haeto sneered, the sound like a rasping hiss in his damaged throat. "Do you think I don't know I'm injured? Bastard system! What good is this diagnosis if you won't tell me how to fix it?"

The screen froze for a moment, the faint hum of its presence intensifying.

Then, with a mechanical chime, new words began to form inside the screen, replacing the last one.

SOLUTION: EARN COMPLETE RECOVERY THROUGH EVOLUTION.

REQUIREMENT: CONSUME 100 INSECTS.

Haeto's mangled face twisted into a bitter smirk. "Consume a hundred insects to evolve, huh?" His voice was barely audible, little more than a whisper in the still air. "You're not against me, are you? You're just... cruel."

He coughed, or tried to, but the sound was more like the crackling of dry leaves.

Then, as if mocking him further, the system screen flickered again.

Another line of text appeared beneath the solution.

CURRENT KILL COUNT: 99/100

TIME REMAINING: 30 MINUTES

For a moment, Haeto froze, his mind reeling. "Thirty minutes... and just one more." His body trembled, and though he could no longer feel the pain in its entirety, the sheer weight of his injuries bore down on him like a mountain.

He couldn't move.

His stems were limp, his mouth barely able to close, and his energy reserves were nearly gone.

How was he supposed to kill even a single insect in this state?

But Haeto's spirit was iron hot, refusing to be snuffed out. He had survived too much, done too much, to let it all end now.

"Think," Haeto rasped, his voice barely audible. "I need... a plan."

The gears in his mind turned slowly, every thought a monumental effort.

He whispered his ideas aloud, his voice shaking but steady enough to keep him grounded.

"Step one... save energy. No wasted movement," he murmured. "Step two... bait. I can't lure them with nothing." His jaw twitched slightly, a reminder of his depleted nectar glands. "I need... a little nectar. Just a little. Enough to draw them in."

"Step three..." His voice faltered, but he pressed on. "I'll use a corpse. The smell of death will bring scavengers. Combine that... with the nectar..." He paused to breathe, his shallow breaths rattling through his battered body. "Step four. Wait. Stay still. And don't... lose focus."

He repeated the steps to himself like a mantra, whispering them over and over to ward off the creeping dread of failure.

If I stop saying them, I'll die here, he thought grimly.

So he had to speak to make sure he is alive even if it consumes some of his energy.

Haeto swayed slightly to the side, the motion agonizingly slow. The brittle remnants of his stem cracked as he reached for the nearest insect corpse—a bloodied half of a fly left behind from his earlier efforts.

He pulled it into his limp mouth, cringing as his instinct screamed at him to devour it whole.

"Not this time," he hissed. His teeth trembled as he forced himself to stop, holding the corpse delicately between his broken jaws.

The metallic tang of insect blood seeped across his damaged maw. His body, programmed by nature to consume, fought against him with every second.

Sweat—if plants could sweat—might as well have been dripping down his stem. He tightened his resolve, whispering to himself. "Not yet... not yet..."

Finally, with a soft exhale, Haeto managed to suppress his instincts.

The half-corpse dangled from his jaws, lifeless but fresh enough to attract prey.

With immense effort, Haeto squeezed the last drops of nectar from his depleted glands, letting the faintly sweet substance coat the insect's body.

It wasn't much, but it was enough.

Haeto carefully laid the bait down in front of him, the insect's mangled body glistening faintly in the weak morning light.

The smell of blood and nectar mingled in the air, creating an irresistible cocktail for any scavenger foolish enough to come close.

He didn't move. He didn't breathe.

All his energy went into waiting, his eyes—though nonexistent—fixed on the bait.

Minutes passed.

The forest seemed unnaturally quiet, as if even the trees were holding their breath.

Haeto's thoughts were rampant now, but each second felt like an eternity.

And then, a faint rustle.

His nonexistent heart would have leaped if it could.

From the corner of his awareness, he sensed movement.

A small, dark shape skittered across the ground—a sow bug.

It was tiny, almost insignificant, but to Haeto, it was everything.

The insect hesitated, its antennae twitching as it caught the scent of nectar and blood.

Slowly, cautiously, it crept closer to the bait.

Haeto's body tensed, every fiber of his being screaming for him to act. But he knew better than to rush.

He needed to wait for the perfect moment, to ensure that this final kill would count.

The sow bug reached the bait, its tiny mandibles twitching as it began to feast. Haeto felt his resolve harden.

"Just a little closer," he whispered, his voice so faint it was almost lost to the wind.

The insect moved fully onto the bait, its body exposed and vulnerable. Haeto's jaws trembled, his instincts roaring to life.

And then, with every ounce of strength he had left, Haeto struck.

Snap!

His broken jaws closed around the sow bug, the sound of the impact like a thunderclap in the still air.

The insect writhed for a moment, its tiny legs flailing wildly, but Haeto's grip was ironclad.

He held on until the struggling stopped, until the insect's body went limp in his mouth.

And then, silence.

A soft chime suddenly exploded through the clearing of the small part of the forest.

The system screen flickered to life once more, its pale glow illuminating Haeto's exhausted form.

MISSION COMPLETE.

KILL COUNT: 100/100.

EVOLUTION INITIATED.

Haeto let the words sink in, a faint smile tugging at the corners of his battered maw.

"I did it!"