The blistering sun during the day? No big deal.

  The chilly winds at night? Nothing to worry about.

  The daily battles? Piece of cake.

  But this endless expanse of yellow sand...

  "So... boring... ah...!"

  "Those so-called mountains better not be a mirage or my eyes playing tricks, damn it." Ga Ga grumbled at the tiresome monotony of the desert journey, casting a glance eastward at the distant line of mountains.

  "My eyes aren't fooling me. I've been staring at them for so long; no mirage could last this long, right?"

  If it weren't for the miner's intuition pointing this way, Ga Ga figured it wouldn't have been interested in coming here even in a billion years. The desert was nothing but yellow sand, with only the occasional hint of gray-green from sparse grasses preventing madness.

  "Is this what they call 'chasing shadows, sending horses to death'?"

  Ga Ga waved its head tentacles, cooling the blood flowing through them with the wind before it returned to the body to lower its temperature. This cooling method, inspired by the way dogs pant, quickly became a widespread technique among the herd.

  "If they can learn something so simple, perhaps they can pick up other useful habits too."

  As Ga Ga walked forward, it felt the water pouch above its abdomen sloshing with its movements.

  "Not much left, we need water..."

  "Damn it, it didn't seem this far at first. How have we been walking for dozens of days without reaching those mountains?"

  Without any experience in desert survival, Ga Ga led hundreds of tentacle Ga Ga Beasts across the desert.

  ※※※

  "..."

  "Is this a dry, barren desert or what?"

  Ga Ga stared in disbelief at the surroundings.

  The sunlit land was a sea of yellow sand, its heat almost warping the air.

  "Why on earth is there a large, blooming flower surrounded by broad leaves in a place like this?"

  "In a desert like this, during this time, why is there such a lush, tropical-looking plant here?" Ga Ga mused, its thoughts jumbled by boredom.

  Amid a monochrome world of yellow, occasionally broken by dry branches or desert plants, there rose a plant that seemed better suited to a tropical rainforest.

  "Well, this isn't Earth. I suppose a bit of strangeness isn't a problem." Convincing itself, Ga Ga decided against satisfying its curiosity, leading the herd on a detour around the plant.

  ...

  "..."

  "I'm a creature with a sense of magnetism." Mm-hmm!

  "I can feel the direction of the planet's magnetic field." Mm-hmm!

  "So... it's like carrying a compass, right? Never losing my way?" Mm-hmm!

  Ahead lay another plant, similar in form, with vivid blossoms and broad leaves soaking up the sun's energy.

  "Ah, forget it, maybe call on Nagato instead? It's pointless either way."

  This new plant wasn't identical but seemed from the same species, its conspicuousness in the monotonous desert was undeniable.

  "Let's continue to avoid it."

  Deciding to maintain a respectful distance, Ga Ga led the herd far around the oddity, pressing on with their journey. As the delicate flowers swayed gently in the sandy breeze, something seemed to be gestating at their center.

  ...

  "So..."

  "Hello, the user you're trying to reach is not in service; stop bugging me."

  Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  Faced with a persistent "plant" that seemed intent on intersecting with Ga Ga's path, Ga Ga realized avoidance might be futile—it had appeared directly in the herd's path again.

  "Alright, what do you want?"

  Approaching cautiously, Ga Ga stopped two meters away, simultaneously ordering three squads of tentacle Ga Ga Beasts to surround the plant, while others continued forward.

  "No time to waste; the water in our pouches is running low."

  The plant remained completely unreactive, behaving like an average plant.

  Were it not for the endless desert, for its primary consciousness not being fooled by such simple disguises, or if the water supply wasn't sufficient to lessen the plant's allure, and most importantly, if Ga Ga didn't instinctively sense danger...

  "And so..."

  Once the herd moved on, Ga Ga instructed nearby squads to rejoin, leaving it and its squad to replicate the ambush method used against the Long-Spined Dragons, hiding beneath the sand.

  After the last tentacle Ga Ga Beast vanished over the dunes, the plant finally stirred.

  First, its open flowers contracted, leaves hiding the blossom, revealing what lay beneath.

  A beetle, a giant beetle.

  It extracted three pairs of limbs from the sand, awkwardly orienting itself towards the retreating tentacle Ga Ga Beasts. Its back shell opened, revealing broad wings that began to hum with the force of their movement.

  Taking to the sky, it flew past the dunes, pursuing the herd.

  Whoosh...

  "What noise is that?"

  Ga Ga popped its head from the sand, catching a glimpse of the vanishing silhouette.

  "..."

  "Damn! It's flying!" Though it had changed substantially, the green leaves on its back quickly identified it. "Everyone, out! After it!"

  "What a misjudgment, a plant turns into a giant flying insect—what's the world coming to?"

  Running over the dunes, a few tentacle Ga Ga Beasts occasionally glanced skyward at the shrinking figure, a hint of urgency in Ga Ga's eyes.

  "If it reaches the herd first, who knows if some curious fool will mess with it? That thing's strange, who knows what might happen?"

  Ga—

  With no better option, Ga Ga shouted skyward, hoping to draw its attention.

  Sound travels unimpeded, and the flying plant-insect heard Ga Ga's call, turning decisively toward Ga Ga and its squad.

  "How bold, not even a hint of fear. What could it be relying on?"

  The plant-insect's decisive reaction left Ga Ga slightly unprepared.

  Worse still, its subsequent actions filled Ga Ga with growing anger...

  The plant-insect landed ahead of Ga Ga's group. As they braced for an attack, nothing occurred. Instead, the plant-insect brazenly buried itself in the sand, laying open its leaves and flower...

  Thus, the previous scene replayed once more.

  "..."

  "What is this supposed to mean?"

  Ga Ga was utterly confused.

  Then it got mad.

  "Are you mocking me?!"

  Charging the creature, Ga Ga chomped off a leaf, yet the plant-insect simply didn’t react.

  [Greenification Seed Extermination Mission

  Objective: Destroy one Greenification Seed (0/1)

  Reward: 80 (Evolution Points)

  Scent Temptation Ability]

  "?"

  The sudden mission prompt made Ga Ga pause. "Generous rewards, acquiring a plant ability? Seems substantial, and one is worth 80 evolution points..."

  Spitting out the leaf, Ga Ga circled the so-called Greenification Seed.

  From the start, it hadn't moved, acting as if it were ripe for the taking. This provoked Ga Ga's confusion and frustration even further.

  "Heh, afraid of fire, are you?"

  Ga Ga backed off slightly, the plant remaining still. Ga Ga knew that as soon as they left, it would fly after them—this had happened twice, no, thrice now. "I have no fire, but I do have electricity, hehe."

  Gathering power internally, realizing it would drain its energy, Ga Ga calculated the cost was worth eliminating this oddity.

  Sensing Ga Ga's rising electric charge, the plant-insect began to stir, and as Ga Ga closed in, the Greenification Seed started retracting its flower and leaves, seemingly preparing to escape.

  "You won't get away!"

  It was clear the creature feared electricity, and Ga Ga wouldn't miss this chance to stop it before it could fly. Leaping, Ga Ga aimed its horn at the flower center, its apparent core.

  "Greenification Seed, it must be your seed." Ga Ga!

  Electricity surged; as the insect tried to rise, its back leaves withered under the shock, viscous fluid oozing from the flower, insulating the piercing horn, frustrating Ga Ga.

  The three tentacles on Ga Ga's head and two tentacle claws grabbed the insect's wings, while its companions rushed forth.

  Perhaps realizing it couldn't escape, the Greenification Seed ceased struggling, quickly withering.

  United, the tentacle Ga Ga Beasts sent a concentrated jolt, rendering the creature lifeless and brittle.

  With a thud, a lush seed dropped from the flower, exuding an enticing aroma.

  Boy, that looks tasty.

  Seems so inviting.

  Drool slipped from Ga Ga's toothed maw as it subconsciously reached for the seed, overwhelmed with the urge to eat...

  A massive mouth loomed into view, reaching for the seed faster than Ga Ga.

  Ga—

  Ga Ga was furious, something dared to snatch its food.

  Electricity surged from within, driving Ga Ga to lunge, jostling the thieving companion aside. As the current jolted the skull, protection deflected it, snapping Ga Ga back to clarity.

  "What potent scent temptation!"

  Lacking sweat glands, Ga Ga still felt a chill.

  With fear, Ga Ga hesitated before lunging, quickly seizing the seed with an electrified tentacle claw, eyeing the admiring tentacle Ga Ga Beasts nearby, surging with continuous shocks.

  The seed shifted from vibrant green to pale, then to a withered gray, before finally breaking apart, yellowed and useless, beneath Ga Ga's grip, falling to pieces.

  The nearby tentacle Ga Ga Beasts' eyes cleared, though tinged with regret.

  Ga Ga inhaled deeply, renewing its breath after having held it in suspense.

  [Greenification Seed Extermination Mission Complete, Rewards Granted.]