The Hero Turned Into A Potato And The World Fell To Ruin

Chapter 2: Photosynthesis Is Comfortable

What was it like to become a potato plant?

Well, it was very uncomfortable for Liu Ji, at least initially.

It was a sensation close to suffocation, but not entirely.

Liu Ji instinctively changed back, lying on the ground and gasping for air.

He didn't know why he could turn into a potato, but the fact that it happened so irrationally was undeniable. There had been no system prompts or magical cheats appearing in his consciousness. However, Liu Ji almost instantly realized that this might be his own unique benefit from transmigrating.

Just like how it was written in most web novels, a sort of universally accepted, requisite gift for those who crossed into another world.

Although his first experience wasn't pleasant and even felt a bit ridiculous, Liu Ji quickly realized that this ability was exactly what he needed right now.

After all, in the wilderness, a potato plant, while sounding rather unglamorous, would clearly have an easier time surviving than a human who needed food, water, shelter, and warmth and be mindful of injuries and infections.

As for why Liu Ji felt suffocation when he first transformed, it was probably because his lower half wasn't buried in the soil.

Liu Ji walked around, found a spot with good sunlight and soft soil, and planned to dig a hole to bury himself and test out this theory.

Obviously, digging a pit half a man's height wasn't easy without a shovel, but luckily, Liu Ji wasn't that large when he became a potato. With a stick he found, it wasn't too difficult for him to dig a hole about 20 to 30 centimeters deep.

After the hole was dug, Liu Ji stepped into it.

He piled the excavated soil beside his feet so that when he transformed into a potato, the soil would cover his roots.

Taking a deep breath, Liu Ji recalled the strange impulse within his body and went with it once again.

Then, he once more transformed into a potato.

To be honest, it felt rather bizarre to freely become a potato at any time. But even stranger was the sensation of becoming a potato plant with its roots enveloped by the soil.

How could this feeling be described?

Like snuggling into a warm blanket while enjoying comfort food but without actually eating anything, so nothing dirtied the blanket.

The sensation was intriguing, completely devoid of the discomfort he felt the first time, and was even somewhat pleasant.

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At least it was much more pleasant than being hungry, sleepy, and in pain as a human being.

Slowly stretching his leaves and roots, Liu Ji yawned in his imagination.

And then, he fell asleep.

Perhaps potatoes didn't need to sleep, but Liu Ji's consciousness needed rest to recuperate.

As for what to do later, that was a thought for tomorrow.

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In a distant royal court.

A complex astral map woven from arcane magic shone brightly.

Hundreds of arcanists stood in formation, radiating with a slowly flowing multi-colored glow.

The elderly king stood beneath the astral map, quietly waiting.

The Horn of Calamity had been sounded, and according to the oracle, a savior from another world was about to arrive.

The astral map revolved slowly, and suddenly, a blurred image appeared in the space above, which gradually solidified and became clearer.

The elderly king's eyes widened, and his breathing became even more rapid.

He knew that it was arriving. The hero they summoned was about to appear.

Ten seconds. It only took ten seconds for the image to solidify, but to the king, these ten seconds felt longer than a day.

Eventually, the image solidified completely into a tangible form, and an empty wilderness appeared in front of everyone.

The elderly king was stunned. He looked in astonishment at the head arcanist conducting the ritual, only to be met with a similar look of shock.

"Did… it fail?" the king asked, shakily.

"No, perhaps it is a position calibration error. Let's try again!" said the aged arcanist, waving his staff to dissipate the image in the astral map.

Half an hour again, they summoned another image.

But what appeared, like before, was still the same empty wilderness devoid of even a soul.

They dispelled the image and tried again, but the result was the same.

Again and again they tried, but no matter how many times, the image that appeared within the astral map was the same empty wilderness with nary a change.

The atmosphere in the entire royal court plummeted, and everyone's faces looked grim.

They meticulously scanned every inch of the image, trying to discern if there was any trace of a being, but no matter how much they looked, they just couldn’t make out any figure in the image.

In their frantic search, no one noticed that in the very center of the image, behind the tall weeds, were the green leaves of a potato plant, gently swaying in the breeze.

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What was it like as a potato buried in the soil?

Put it this way, it was kind of addictive.

Mainly when fully engaged in photosynthesis, it was extremely pleasant.

At night, when there was no sun, it was somewhat boring and felt not much different from sleeping.

But when the sun came out in the day, the sensation of chlorophylls being activated and energy surging into the body could be described with one word: Comfortable!

It was so comfortable that a whole day passed by just like that while Liu Ji wasn't paying attention.

Since there weren't visual or auditory senses while in the potato state, the perception of time was also very vague. It wasn't until the sun set and the comfortable sensation faded that Liu Ji realized it had become dark again.

This was a bit awkward. Liu Ji originally turned into a potato with the plan of spending the night in the soil and then leaving during the day, but he lost track of time and it was evening again.

I'll just wait another day before setting off, Liu Ji thought to himself.

At least, that was what he thought for now.

But then, when the sun came out the next day, Liu Ji unknowingly spent the entire day engaged in photosynthesis once more.

It wasn't that he didn't wish to change back, but mainly, well, how should he put it…

It was like sleeping in, you know?

Being a potato, and without a phone, the line between "five more minutes" and "five more hours" of sleep was somewhat blurred, and he inadvertently ended up "sleeping in" for several more hours.

Yes, inadvertently. Definitely not because photosynthesis was too enjoyable and he forgot about everything else.

Never mind, I won't die, so it doesn’t matter if I stay another day… Liu Ji thought to himself as he contentedly stretched out his leaves and stem.

On the third day, it rained.

Rainy days weren't good for traveling, and the moisture from the rain was very comforting, so Liu Ji decided to stay in the soil for another day.

On the fourth day, the weather was sunny, and the comfort during the day was even greater than previous days due to the recent rain. It would be a waste not to fully enjoy such good weather as a potato, so Liu Ji decided to stay in the soil for yet another day.

On the fifth day, it was very pleasant, so he decided to stay one more day.

On the sixth day, the moisture in the soil was just right, so he stayed another day.

On the seventh day, there was a light rain. With rain and sunlight present, it was just too perfect…

On the eighth day…

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"Your Majesty, it has already been a month," the aged arcanist leaned forward to speak. "The young ones are at their limits…"

"Yes, I know…" the elderly king replied slowly, reluctantly shifting his gaze away from the astral map.

A month had passed, and no matter how many times they retried, the image displayed on the astral map was always the same patch of weed-infested wilderness, without any changes.

Even if it was hard to accept, the king realized that it was time to declare the summoning ritual a failure.

The king sighed and slowly walked toward his throne.

He slumped down on it and remained silent for a long time.

Then, he spoke, "Everyone, go rest. In a month, we'll have a new summoning ritual."

"But the treasury doesn't have enough money for a second summoning…" the aged arcanist said with a distressed expression.

"Yes, I know," the elderly king said gravely. "But it's just a matter of the treasury being empty, after all. It's time for my extravagant brothers and nephews to learn to live with some hardship."