After returning home, Jake took a quick shower, the warm water easing his sore muscles. He couldn't help but reflect on his recent progress. "It might be small," he said to himself, "but progress is still progress." As he scrubbed away the dirt from his skin, he was reminded once again of how foreign a girl's body felt.
The first week after his transmigration had been particularly uncomfortable—he'd felt the absence of something in his lower half and a heaviness in his chest that he wasn't used to.
Now, though, he was slowly getting used to it. But that didn't mean he didn't miss his former body, his usual routine as a man. His old habits were hard to shake off, even if the new reality forced him to adapt. Jake sighed as he rinsed off and glanced at himself in the bathroom mirror.
Lee Joo-Hee's body stared back at him—a slender, pale-skinned figure with long, orange, silky hair cascading over her shoulders. She was, in fact, the very type of girl Jake had admired back in his real world. A bitter chuckle escaped his lips. Of all things, I end up as the very girl I would've been interested in.
As he slipped into the bathtub, Jake couldn't help but reminisce about his past. "I wasn't bad-looking back then," he mused to himself. In fact, he was handsome enough that many girls would often strike up conversations with him. But he'd always treated them as friends or acquaintances, never more.
He'd wanted to preserve himself for his future wife. The problem? His standards were high—quite high that only a few girls ever seemed to meet them.
Now, as if the universe was mocking him for being so picky, he was trapped in the body of the very girl who checked all his boxes. Jake sighed, leaning back against the tub's edge. "Jin-Woo is really lucky to have girls like Cha Hae-In and Lee Joo-Hee by his side," he muttered to himself. "But back when I was a guy, how come no girl ever fit my standards? Except maybe those foreign or mixed ones."
He let out another heavy sigh, the weight of it filling the quiet bathroom. "Maybe this is my punishment for being too picky." He stared at the ceiling for a moment, his voice softer now. "If I ever go back... I just hope I can finally find a girlfriend who's wife material. One who fits the bill."
The thought lingered as he sank deeper into the water, feeling the warmth soothe not just his body, but his mind.
After finishing his quick shower and changing into more comfortable clothes, Jake headed straight to the kitchen. He cooked himself a quick meal, eating fast, knowing he couldn't afford to waste time. With only three days left before the effects of the enlarged mana pores wore off, every moment counted.
Once done, he grabbed a towel and dried his hair, finishing off with a quick run through with the hairdryer. Jake couldn't be bothered with appearances right now—his focus was entirely on training.
He gathered his houseplants, carefully placing the largest one in the center and the three smaller pots around it in the living room. Sitting cross-legged on the ground, he began his next training session.
Jake infused mana into all the plants, focusing on the central pot while using the smaller ones as supportive extensions. He activated Verdant Growth, envisioning the plants growing and twisting together like a rope or whip. His goal was clear—he needed to make the plants malleable and flexible, able to bind enemies effectively.
At first, the process was more challenging than he expected. The plants grew, but they remained stiff and difficult to manipulate.
For two hours, Jake experimented with different amounts of mana, visualizing their properties changing, but his attempts were met with little success. Frustration began to creep in, but he kept going, determined to push past the barrier.
Then, as Jake channeled more mana into the plants, pushing his limits, a familiar notification appeared:
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[You have gained enough proficiency. Verdant Growth has reached level 4.]
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Jake glanced at the notification and brushed it off. "Another level up, huh?" he muttered, though he was barely fazed by it anymore. What mattered most was getting his skills to the point where he could rely on them in the dungeon.
His focus now was creating something useful—he envisioned the plants binding his enemies if things got out of hand. "I can't afford to freeze up. This body's instincts might kick in, but with this, at least I can hold them off."
He remembered Joo-Hee's memories of goblins. "Weak, sure," he mused, "but in a swarm, they become nuisance... real troublemakers." Jake shuddered slightly but pushed the thought aside. No time for fear now.
Refocusing, Jake poured his mana into the plants. The house plant's central branch slowly began to coil and bend, more flexible now than ever. He carefully envisioned it wrapping around the smaller pots and lifting them into the air.
At first, the process felt clumsy, but as his control increased, the plants seemed to respond like a natural extension of his will.
"That's it," Jake whispered, watching as the vines wove together, lifting the pots with ease. They hovered mid-air, their branches twisted tightly, binding the objects like ropes.
He tested the strength by manipulating the vines to hold tighter, then loosened them, letting the pots sway slightly. "I guess this would be good enough to hold down a goblin, at least," he mused.
Next, he pushed the vines further, commanding them to form a larger web, expanding the area they could cover. He thickened some branches, making them more durable, while others stayed thinner for flexibility. He was experimenting now—figuring out how much pressure the vines could withstand before snapping, how quickly they could respond in a fight.
Jake's thoughts were already in the dungeon. "If I can get this right… I might have a shot at binding them long enough to heal myself or get away." That was the real goal.
Every movement, every twist of the vines, was meant to prepare him for that scenario. With each practice session, he felt more confident in the skill, his control tightening as the plants obeyed his every thought.
Time passed without Jake noticing. He was so absorbed in his training that the hours slipped away unnoticed. By the time he glanced at the clock, it was already midnight, and he was starting to feel the exhaustion set in. But he wasn't done yet. He pushed himself a little further, visualizing new combinations of binds, tighter and more intricate, until his energy was completely spent.
Finally, as Jake wrapped up the session, he leaned back, satisfied with his progress. The plants slowly retracted, lowering the pots back to the floor. He felt a deep sense of accomplishment, knowing he was better prepared for the upcoming dungeon.
Before Jake could even think about heading to bed, exhaustion overtook him. He slumped onto the floor, surrounded by the tangled vines and thriving plants that had grown stronger under his command.
His body, drained from the relentless training and countless experiments, could no longer keep up. Without realizing it, he drifted off into a deep, dreamless sleep, oblivious to how much time had slipped away.
In the stillness of the night, the plants gently swayed, a quiet testament to his hard work. And as Jake lay there, the system—sensing the fruits of his labor—sent yet another notification, miraculously acknowledging his growth.
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[You have gained enough proficiency. Verdant Growth has reached level 5.]
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