Malnourished?
Alaric Thorn was genuinely puzzled. What could have caused such an anomaly? He had never encountered a reaction like this within his collection.
Frowning, Alaric leaned closer to the Chinese Chomping Cabbage, his fingers gently turning its limp leaves. While they were drooping, there were no signs of yellowing or rot. He pinched a bit of the soil between his thumb and forefinger, rubbing it together; it felt unnervingly dry and crumbly, having turned a dull, ashen gray.
It was as if the life had been sucked out of the very earth.
Seeing Alaric's prolonged silence, Harry couldn't help but ask, "Teacher, is it sick?"
Alaric shook his head. "Don't worry, Harry. The cabbage is perfectly healthy. It just seems to have developed an... insatiable appetite. It needs a massive influx of nutrients."
If the status was "Malnourished," then saturating it with high-grade fertilizer should resolve the issue. Alaric rose and headed toward the storage shed while Harry kept a worried watch over his plant.
When Alaric returned, he was lugging a heavy black sack. As he approached, a pungent, overpowering odor began to waft through the shop, causing Harry to pinch his nose shut.
"What is that?" Harry muffled.
"Fertilizer."
Specifically, it was a specialized Dragon Dung compost—a secret, high-potency recipe Alaric had acquired from Professor Sprout. To ensure maximum efficacy, Alaric had even fortified it with a few drops of his own blood before storing it away. It had been sitting in his warehouse for quite some time, and the aging process had only served to make the scent... more expressive.
Alaric flicked his wand, and a broom sitting in the corner drifted toward Harry. As it flew, the handle shortened and the bristles transformed into a sturdy iron trowel.
"Here, Harry. You do the honors," Alaric said, dropping the sack at the boy's feet.
Harry looked dubiously at the sack, then at his cabbage, and finally took the trowel with a determined set of his jaw.
"Just dig a shallow trench around the base," Alaric instructed. "Don't go too deep. Sprinkle a handful of the mixture in, then cover it back up."
Harry nodded and followed the instructions, carefully excavating a small ring of soil around the roots. However, when he actually opened the sack, the concentrated reek of dragon dung hit him like a physical blow, forcing him to scramble back several paces.
"Merlin's beard..." he groaned.
Seeing Harry's reaction, Alaric also took a few strategic steps backward. Sprout's recipe was effective, but it certainly lacked olfactory charm; perhaps he should suggest she add a bit of lavender to the next batch.
Harry glanced over at his retreating teacher and pursed his lips. "Teacher, why don't we just use the Bubble-Head Charm?"
Alaric blinked, a look of sudden realization crossing his face. "Excellent point, Harry."
With a wave of his wand, shimmering spheres of air encased both their heads. While it didn't block the scent entirely, it filtered it enough to make the task bearable.
Holding his breath as best he could, Harry scooped out a trowel-full of the compost and dropped it into the trench. Almost immediately, the cabbage sensed the offering. Its leaves gave a faint, rhythmic shiver.
"It's working, Teacher!" Harry called out happily.
Alaric nodded. Lack of nutrients was definitely the culprit. But the mystery remained: why was this cabbage consuming so much energy?
Alaric stepped closer and brushed away the top layer of soil. He was shocked to find that the compost Harry had just applied was already turning gray and brittle. The cabbage was sucking the nutrients dry in a matter of seconds.
"Keep going, Harry," Alaric said, his voice turning serious. "Repeat the process. Give it more. As much as it wants."
"Yes, sir."
Harry dug another trench and applied a larger dose. This time, the cabbage's reaction was violent. The leaves thrashed back and forth, and the compost lost its luster instantly, shrinking as if the life were being drained by a vacuum.
Harry stared in disbelief. "Is it... is it starving?"
Just as he prepared to dig again, the cabbage snapped its mouth open, revealing those needle-sharp teeth. However, it didn't lash out at Harry; it just held its maw open, waiting.
Harry's eyes lit up with a bold idea. He remembered the plant drinking the potion directly. He scooped up a large pile of dragon dung on the trowel, hesitated for a second, and then shoveled it straight into the cabbage's open mouth.
The plant snapped its jaw shut and began to chew with a wet, rhythmic crunch-crunch-crunch sound.
A moment later, the cabbage lurched forward and "spat" out a dry, gray ball of waste—which landed squarely on Harry's shoe.
"Ugh..." Harry recoiled, looking at the ashy remains.
As Harry continued to shovel compost into the gaping maw, the cabbage acted like a bottomless pit. Dragon dung was incredibly nutrient-dense; a single handful usually sustained a magical plant for months. This cabbage was incinerating it.
Finally, after the cabbage had consumed nearly three full sacks of compost, the transformation hit a tipping point.
The plant went still, lifted its body slightly out of the pot, and...
It let out a massive, echoing burp.
"..."
Alaric and Harry shared a long, silent look.
Eldra, talk to me.
Species: Chinese Chomping Cabbage
Level: 2
Traits: Giantism
Status: Growing (0%)
Alaric scanned the data and frowned. "Giantism?"
He looked at the cabbage. It was the exact same size as before. Not an inch wider, not a leaf taller.
"Harry, it's finished," Alaric said with certainty. "It's definitely changed."
Harry lifted the cabbage from its pot, weighing it in his hands. It felt the same. It looked the same.
"Did anything happen?" Harry asked the plant, holding it up to his face. "Can you show us?"
The cabbage seemed to understand. It gave an almost human-like nod and hopped out of Harry's hands onto the floor.
Suddenly, it clamped its mouth shut, and a low, hum of power began to radiate from its leaves. A shimmering black aura began to swirl around its base.
No—it wasn't just an aura. Alaric's eyes widened as he sensed a massive, concentrated surge of mana erupting from the tiny plant.