"Alright, Wei Lin, before we begin," Smith said, folding his arms, "tell me—what's your current understanding of the Wood Element?"
Wei Lin scratched his head awkwardly. "Honestly... I don't really understand the Wood Element at all." He realized how flimsy that sounded, so he quickly added, "I mean, the Wood Department at our school mostly focuses on healing and accelerating plant growth. I've only just managed to grasp the basic ability of promoting plant growth—and that's thanks to what you taught me."
He looked up, eyes filled with admiration and hope.
"But during our combat training, you managed to use wood-based powers to defend yourself. That was amazing! It really shocked me!"
To Wei Lin, Smith's display of power had rekindled hope. If he could learn the same defensive wood techniques, then maybe—just maybe—he wouldn't be useless in real combat. He could actually contribute.
Smith nodded, his expression calm. "My Wood ability is different from what the school teaches… Try to just listen for now, and see if you can understand."
He paced a few steps as he gathered his thoughts.
"Let's ignore the healing aspect for the moment. We'll start with the concept of promoting plant growth. In theory, my wood-related ability is similar to what you're learning—it also relies on stimulating plant life. Whether it's for offense or defense, it works by growing or creating plants at will."
"But here's the key difference. My version of the Wood Element can accelerate growth almost instantly. The school, on the other hand, limits itself—trying only to make plants grow twice as fast as normal."
Smith looked him in the eye.
"But if something can grow twice as fast… why stop there?"
Wei Lin blinked.
That simple question broke something in his mind. His brow furrowed as he fell deep into thought.
"If you speed up plant growth too much, the original biological structure can't keep up," he murmured. "The plant could deform, collapse, or become unstable…"
"That's true if you're trying to grow crops," Smith replied, picking up the thread. "That kind of stability matters for food production. But we're not growing vegetables here. We're fighting monsters."
Wei Lin's eyes widened slightly.
"If we ignore the rules meant for agriculture," Smith continued, "and focus purely on maximizing growth for battle—then the Wood Element could become a combat-based ability instead of a support one."
Wei Lin stared at the floor, muttering to himself. "Break the limit… disregard biological constraints… let plants grow at maximum speed, even unnaturally…"
His gaze turned blank for a moment as he entered a trance-like state. Then, without warning, light green Wood Element spiritual energy surged from his palms.
Crack!
A fracture split open across the polished wooden floor of Smith's home.
From the crack, a small green sprout emerged. Within seconds—at an alarmingly unnatural speed—it grew into a full tree over two meters tall and half a meter thick, its leaves rustling as it stabilized.
"…Whoa." Smith's eyes twitched. "You really got it just from that?"
Even he hadn't expected such a fast breakthrough. Wei Lin had not only understood the concept but had completely activated it in seconds.
"I… I actually did it?" Wei Lin stared at the fully grown tree, stunned.
Smith nodded with a small smile. "You've already completed the most crucial first step—proving you can grow plants rapidly with the Wood Element. What comes next is controlling that growth."
He gestured toward the tree. "Try to shape your plants next. If you can direct them into a shield, that's defense. If you make them into spikes or spears, that's attack."
"Shape them…" Wei Lin muttered.
He stepped back, took a deep breath, and tried again. "Wood Element… attack!"
Spiritual energy surged from his hand. The floor cracked once more as another sapling burst through. In seconds, it morphed into a sharpened wooden spike and lunged forward like a spear.
Thud!
The wooden spike halted after a few meters, but its sharpness and speed were evident.
Wei Lin's eyes widened in disbelief. "I did it?! I really did it!"
Smith was dumbfounded. "Seriously?! You've already learned to weaponize it?"
He had only explained the theory once.
Wei Lin's rate of comprehension was absurd.
"You little monster," Smith muttered with a grin. "How the hell did you figure it out so quickly?"
Wei Lin chuckled, slightly embarrassed. "It just… clicked."
His hands were still trembling slightly from the thrill of success.
"Smith, would you mind testing my new wood ability in combat?" Wei Lin asked, practically bouncing with excitement. "I want to see how it holds up!"
Smith nodded. "Sure. But not here—we're already tearing up the floor."
---
A few minutes later, the two arrived at a grassy field outside the estate.
Smith clapped his hands together. "Alright, try your best."
"Mokuton: Tree Wall!" he shouted, and a wall of tightly interwoven branches and vines shot up from the ground, forming a dense wooden shield.
"Let's see if you can break through this."
Wei Lin grinned. "Here I go!"
He focused his spiritual energy, extended his hand, and shouted, "Wood Element… attack!"
A thick tree burst from the earth, racing toward Smith's wooden barrier like a battering ram.
BOOM!
The tree slammed into the wall with a heavy crash, sending splinters flying.
But when the dust cleared, the results were obvious: the attacking tree had cracked, but Smith's wooden shield was still intact—only slightly dented.
"…Didn't work," Wei Lin muttered, disheartened.
"That's expected," Smith said, brushing off some bark from his sleeve. "You just learned the basics. You really thought you'd overpower my defense so soon?"
"But that was still amazing progress," he added. "Your technique is already useful in real combat."
Wei Lin grinned, scratching the back of his head. "I guess I was being too hopeful."
"Still," Smith continued, "don't sell yourself short. You're working with the Wood Element from this world, while mine is something else entirely—Wood Release. They're fundamentally different."
He didn't say it out loud, but there was still a huge gap between the two systems.
Even so, Wei Lin's comprehension was truly extraordinary.
"Thanks, Smith," Wei Lin said earnestly. "If it weren't for you, I probably would've stayed useless forever…"
"Stop that. You did this yourself. I only gave you a nudge."
Smith glanced up at the sky. "There's still one day before the real mission. Go home and keep practicing."
"I will!" Wei Lin said, full of renewed determination.
He was so energized that he didn't even hear Smith invite him to stay for dinner—he just turned and sprinted away with a wide smile on his face.
Smith watched him go, a small smile forming on his own lips.
"At least now, Wood isn't considered a useless ability anymore."
As Wei Lin disappeared into the distance, Smith felt a sense of quiet pride.
They were friends, and of course he wanted the best for him.
Just… not too good. Smith chuckled.
Turning back toward the house, he suddenly froze.
"…Uncle Chen! We need someone to fix the floor again!"