My Units Mutate

In the dim, gray space, Alex stared at the statue before him, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

The surroundings were dark and shadowy, with only the area where he stood still bathed in light.

Alex couldn't understand why he was here.

Just a moment ago, he had been sitting at his desk, diligently working overtime to finish his tasks.

But in the next instant, the world around him shattered into countless fragments.

And then, he found himself here, standing before this statue that called itself the "Supreme God."

Unfortunately, the Supreme God didn't respond to his question. Instead, it spoke in a cold, mechanical voice:

[The myriad realms have collapsed, merging back into one.]

[Congratulations, you have been granted the qualification to enter the Primordial Continent.]

[To help you adapt to this new world as quickly as possible, each of you will be randomly assigned an initial territory, where you can recruit units, plunder resources, and develop your power.]

[In this vast, ocean-like world, you will not only face competition from countless races but also threats from the native inhabitants. For the weak, there is only death!]

[So, continuously improve your strength and grow more powerful!]

[Randomly assigning territory…]

[Territory assignment complete. Please prepare yourself.]

Whoosh—

Alex's vision brightened, and he found himself at the foot of a mountain on the edge of a forest. The view in the distance was blocked by towering trees, and the air was filled with the sounds of insects, birds, and the occasional roar of beasts.

The roar of a beast snapped Alex back to reality, and his eyes widened in shock.

What was going on?

The myriad realms had collapsed, merging back into one?

Did that mean… his original world was gone? Was this some kind of joke?

But even if it was a joke, everything around him felt far too real!

Slap!

Alex slapped himself hard across the face. It hurt—a sharp, stinging pain.

This was all real.

As he was processing this, a voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

[Respected Lord.]

[From this moment on, you have seven days of protection.]

[During this period, your territory will not suffer any harm.]

[After seven days, the protection will disappear. Please guard your territory's core carefully.]

[The territory core is an extension of each lord's soul. Once destroyed, the lord will perish as well.]

As the voice faded, the ground beneath Alex rumbled, and a radiant tree shot up from the earth, growing to over ten meters tall.

At the same time, a fence rose around him, enclosing both the bewildered Alex and the towering tree.

Alright.

It seemed he wasn't dreaming. He had really been transported to another world.

It took Alex a while to recover from the shock and confusion.

Once he accepted the reality, his first reaction wasn't fear or panic, but an unexpected calm.

After all, he had been through a lot in his life. He had seen his fair share of ups and downs.

Though… this was definitely something new.

Cautiously, Alex approached the only structure in his territory—the massive tree—and examined it closely.

Suddenly, an interface popped up before his eyes.

[Territory Name: Tree of Life]

[Territory Level: Tier 1]

[Territory Durability: 100/100]

[Recruitable Units: Plant Type]

[Recruitment Capacity: 0/10]

[Territory Description: The foundation of a lord's survival. Possesses various functions. If the territory core is destroyed, the lord will perish.]

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

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

"So this is my territory?"

Alex glanced around. Aside from the wooden and stone fence, there was only the massive tree before him.

The starting territory was a bit too simplistic.

If he wasn't mistaken, this tree was likely the territory core mentioned by the voice earlier.

Which meant that if this tree were destroyed, he would die as well.

How brutal.

He only had seven days of safety. If he wanted to survive, he had to quickly improve his strength, gather materials to upgrade his territory, and reinforce the fence.

With that in mind, Alex quickly browsed through the other information and was soon drawn to a [Regional Channel] in the corner.

When he opened it, he found it filled with chat messages from others!

"Holy crap! I've been transported to another world!"

"What's going on?? Can someone explain?"

"I'm freaking out. I just saw a giant snake, like, dozens of meters long, slither past me."

"Apparently, our original world is gone, and we've all been transported to this one."

"Wait, so can we go back?"

"Honey, where are you? It's me, Iron Pillar. Can you see my message?"

Alex was surprised to find that everyone really had been transported to this world, scattered randomly across different locations!

The chat channel was a chaotic mess, with most people in a state of panic and anxiety. Some had even lost their minds, frantically sending messages, with new ones popping up almost every second.

And this was just one region!

Who knew how many other regions like this existed out there?

Still, thanks to the channel, Alex managed to glean some useful information. Some of the calmer individuals had already started discussing their territories.

"I got an animal-type territory. I can only recruit wolf pups!"

"Same here. I got a graveyard for the undead. My starting unit is a tiny skeleton that falls apart if you poke it!"

"What the hell is a mechanical factory? They gave me a mechanical bird. How am I supposed to survive with that?"

"You guys are lucky. I saw someone with a plant-type territory who got a sapling as their starting unit."

"A sapling? That's brutal! Glad I didn't get a plant-type territory."

"Haha, not all plant-type territories start with saplings. From what I've seen, only a few unlucky ones got them."

Alex: "…"

After reading these messages, Alex's face darkened.

His territory was plant-type.

Could he really be that unlucky? Did he get a sapling as his starting unit?

He immediately closed the chat channel and stood before the Tree of Life. Following the method others had mentioned, he focused his mind.

"Recruit!"

The voice in his head spoke again.

[Please select the number of units to recruit.]

[Tier 1 units cost 1 Mana each. Recruitment level cannot exceed territory level.]

"Ten!"

Alex answered without hesitation.

The territory's initial Mana was 10, just enough to recruit ten Tier 1 units. In this dangerous world, the more help he had, the better.

As soon as he spoke, the Tree of Life above him trembled, and seeds wrapped in a soft glow slowly descended, sinking into the soil at his feet.

In the next moment, the soil shifted, and saplings sprouted from the ground.

[Name: Sapling]

[Race: Plant]

[Level: Tier 1 (0/10)]

[Strength: 0 (Attack Power)]

[Constitution: 8 (Health)]

[Agility: 0 (Speed)]

[Spirit: 5 (Skill Power)]

[Skill: Breath of Nature (Consumes natural energy to heal a designated ally for 25% of the caster's Spirit attribute.)]

[Description: The lowest-tier plant-type summon. Barely useful for healing.]

"…"

Alex's face turned dark as he looked at the ten saplings before him.

He had really become one of those unlucky ones, starting with the weakest possible unit.

Zero attack and zero speed? How was he supposed to survive with this?

It would've been fine if he got a powerful unit, or at least something like a flower fairy or a treant. Even a cactus would've been better—it could at least throw spines. These saplings were completely useless.

With these defenseless saplings, forget about defending against invaders—he wouldn't even make it through the seven-day safety period!

Was he supposed to go out hunting alone?

Alex had never felt so speechless in his life.

It seemed even the Supreme God felt sorry for him, as another voice echoed in his mind.

[Every lord is granted one lottery draw upon arrival. Would you like to use it now?]

"A lottery?"

Alex's spirits lifted. He hadn't expected a turnaround so soon.

Looking at the exquisite treasure chest that appeared before him, he swallowed hard and reached inside.

With a flash of golden light, the voice spoke again.

[Congratulations! You have obtained the exclusive ability: Mutation (Consume Mana to mutate a designated summon into a random summon of the same level, retaining one random skill from the original unit. Can be repeated.)]