2 Reincarnation is a fraud

Days after the war, the battlefield was still getting cleared. No surprise had come in the end, no hero defended the kingdom's association. When they deployed their precious cultivators at the end of the battle, it was the sign everything was lost, it was their last attempt to destroy the great lightning empire.

But it was all for naught in the end, as they were suppressed by the enemy soldiers and received attacks from afar by the empire's cultivators, who were finally intervening to end this war. The kingdom's association was defeated and corpses on the loser's side were being tossed and burned together after the rain stopped. Meanwhile, Erik, killed by decapitation, was not really dead.

"I woke up? Wait, I got killed... I"m definitively dead, I saw my own neck bursting of blood! That was scary, seeing my own corpse while my head was spinning in the air. Anyways, what's happening now, is this the afterlife? I'm not feeling anything, this is actually weird."

Erik was getting stressed, losing all of his senses was definitely not a pleasant experience.

"Don't tell me I'm stuck in there for eternity... if that's the case, I'm sure to get crazy.

"Is there somebody here? Hello!?! "

And surprisingly, a robotic voice answered him.

[Hello.]

"..."

[...]

"Wait, who the h*ll are you?"

[Good question, host. Presenting the system... because of your very, very weak soul, the system can't perform to its optimum potential, but should you revered the system every day, the system will reward you amazingly!]

"What? Who are you really? Can you tell me what's happening?"

[Of course, a grandiose being such as myself can answer your questions. I am the system, and you are dead.]

"So I'm really dead...Anyways, you already told me you were the system, can't you be more specific?"

[Your soul has been recovering for three days, now it is awake. For more details on the system, the system will elaborate only if you reach a certain minimum of strength, or maybe if you are respectful enough]

"Okay, okay, I see. Grandiose being, this little one has seen how godly you were, now please tell this pitiful person how to gain a human body again."

[The system is happy that you know your place, but the system has no way to let you gain a body right now, as your mortal soul can't even take over the body of a bug.]

"...The hell? You start by insulting me and now you can't even help me?! Go eat sh*t, system, you useless thing. This must a dream, yeah, just a dream."

[Don't look down on system! The system is supreme, you would be dead without the system. Actually, it's entirely your fault you died! But the system is benevolent, here, look, a mission to get you all better.]

[Mission has been issued:

{Try hard}

Objective: Survive

Basic information: Hibernation state will end in 17 hours, meaning you would meet your doom. The system will do everything to keep you alive for the moment, but nothing can be sure. As you are a soul, you can't really do anything, but try and pray for something good to happen, hey, maybe that will help.

Danger level: This is a situation which will probably bring you death.

Reward: You gain the possibility to live, but the system wouldn't be positive about it.]

"That doesn't change anything! You told me I couldn't even take over a bug, so is there a way for me to live again? Actually, I don't even understand what's happening, how does the soul work?"

Erik had only briefly seen what the cultivation world was, he was unaware what such a thing as possession was. It could not help if he was confused, this was really a strange situation.

[So many questions... you just have to know that everything alive has a soul, and there is only two different "kingdom" of life which can store a human soul. They are "Plantae" and "Animalia". The animals all have a brain, and I can use its own functions to hack into it using your soul, but you are way too weak. The system tried to get into all animals which passed your way while controlling your soul, but nothing worked. As the system tried everything but failed, it seems you will have to possess a plant.]

"... I don't even want to retort anymore, I give up. Do whatever you want, just keep me alive."

Erik was not even sure if the so-called "system" was real or not. Now he didn't care anymore, he just wanted to live. Even if he had to become grass or some weird veggies... for Erik, it was better than dying. He would try everything to keep his life, as he still had some unsettled things to do.

Erik actually didn't know if he would be able to change anything if he became a plant, be he had to try. As for trusting the system, it's not like he had any other option, so he's going with it.

[The system is searching... the system has found a suitable life form...

Your soul will enter the seed of a dragon tree.

Please prepare to fight the plant's instinct, the system can't help you as there is no brain to hack into.

Proceeding with the transition... transition complete.]

For Erik, it was very sudden, some pain assaulted him, and suddenly, he was able to feel something again. He seemed to have regained his sense of touch, but also something completely different. He could perceive everything in his body, a lot of information was pouring out into his conscience.

But before he could fully comprehend how his new body worked, he felt something repress him violently, trying to get him out of the seed. It was as if his existence itself was a horrendous thing that should be disposed of, but he could not just let himself be suppressed like this, he had to defy what he concluded was the seed's will, if he wanted to stay alive.

"Come on, you're just a plant, how are you so strong!?"

As he resisted, his feeling of pain was accentuated, and the only reason he could continue was that he felt himself slowly taking over the plant. Even so, the process slowed down the more terrain he won. He felt as if this would continue for eternity, accompanied by intense pain. Erik felt worse than ever before, but he still didn't give up.

Erik was a person you could describe by the word "strong-willed", someone who never gave up against anything. In his life, he always did his best, every day, to perfect himself, to master fighting techniques and to improve his knowledge. He was basically a guy who craved for power, but he didn't want strength only for something like fame and authority.

No, what he really craved for, it was to change the world. He wanted to change his district, his city, or even his country, but he never held the power to do something like this. Now he was reduced to fighting against a tree seed, but he persisted. He felt the plant's will slowly giving in, as his own grip onto the body was getting reinforced.

Finally, after many hardships, he obtained complete control, going back to his earlier state of omnipotence in the seed, receiving tons of information. It was this way he finally gained a new body, a simple and little seed, but a body nonetheless. This is the moment he began the life of a tree.