The morning light poured into the cabin in long, golden ribbons. Ronald stirred under his pile of divine wool, groaning softly as he blinked the sleep from his eyes. Aeris was already awake, nosing through a basket of carrot tops near the wall, her wool faintly glowing from the morning sun.
"Morning, everyone," Ronald muttered, sitting up. "Another day, another acre."
The moment he thought about food, a flicker of light shimmered before him — his inventory. The familiar icons appeared, neat and minimal now that he'd simplified the menus.
He materialized a few roasted corn cobs, steamed carrots, and two potato cakes from his harvests. The smell was simple but comforting — a mix of sweet earth and the faintest whiff of butter.
He took a bite, savoring it slowly. The flavor wasn't just food anymore; it was progress, warmth, and effort. As he finished his breakfast, a faint chime echoed in his head.
> [You've consumed Blessed Produce]
Stat Bonus Triggered: +1 Vitality, +1 Mana
Ronald rubbed his stomach and chuckled. "Guess breakfast still counts as training."
---
After eating, he stepped outside, rolling his shoulders as the air filled with birdsong and the quiet hum of the fields. The earth was soft underfoot, rich and dark. With a thought, his bracelet shimmered, morphing into a sturdy spade.
"Alright," he said, facing the wide, unbroken patch of soil beyond his cabin, "let's make this place a little bigger."
He planted his first row of regular crops — wheat, cabbage, and beans — for the folk who couldn't handle magic-laced food. Then, from his magic seed bag, he drew glowing seeds of carrots and corn, the ones that pulsed faintly with mana. He placed them in a neat pattern beside the others.
The animals all helped in their own way.
Maphala, the maple cow, moved earth with slow, steady nudges of her head.
Brontus, the bull, used his hooves to tamp the soil, shaping perfect furrows.
Ripple scampered along the rows, carrying water droplets from the pond in his tail.
Brook, the fish with leafy fins, splashed arcs of moisture into the fields.
Sol, the golden dog, patrolled the edges, herding smaller creatures away from the seedlings.
Aeris, the divine sheep, stood proudly near the breeze, her wool releasing small bursts of mana that seemed to settle the soil in calm rhythm.
A soft tone rang out as the system tallied their joint effort.
> [Farming Comprehension: Shared Growth Active]
Experience Distribution:
Ronald — 10%
Companions — 90%
Ronald nodded. "Fair enough. They're doin' most of the work anyway."
---
By mid-morning, the fields stretched wider, and the faint lines of wooden fences began to take shape. Ronald's bracelet shimmered again, transforming into a carpenter's mallet.
"Time to get some fences up," he said. "Keep the friendly critters friendly and the wild ones outside."
Using his Carpentry Comprehension, he crafted thick posts from the surrounding wood, fitting them neatly into the soil with precision cuts guided by instinct — each joint perfect, the wood humming softly with mana. The process was smooth, rhythmic.
He smiled, noticing his proficiency climb.
> [Carpentry Comprehension +3% → 27%]
[Farming Comprehension +2% → 42%]
As the last fence slat locked into place, Ronald leaned against the post and wiped his forehead, even though the system's stamina support meant he didn't sweat easily anymore. "Looks real good," he said softly. "Feels like home."
The others were still working in the fields. Maphala hummed lowly, Brontus oversaw the spacing, Ripple darted through puddles like silver lightning. It was calm — peaceful — the kind of morning that felt like it could last forever.
---
With the fences done, Ronald decided to turn his attention back to comfort. "Alright," he murmured, stretching. "Let's make an actual bed before my back fuses with the floor."
His bracelet morphed again — this time into a fine saw. He selected sturdy planks from a nearby pile and began cutting, shaping, and fitting them using the old Japanese joinery style. Each motion clicked perfectly, guided by skill and memory.
> [Carpentry Comprehension +5% → 32%]
New Subskill: Furniture Crafting (Lv.1)
By afternoon, the bed frame stood tall — smooth, balanced, and humming faintly with mana. He laid Aeris's wool over it, and for the first time since arriving, it looked like a real place to rest.
---
The sky was starting to dim into orange and gold when a sudden bark broke the stillness.
"Sol?" Ronald called, looking toward the dog.
Sol stood stiffly at the edge of the field, golden fur bristling, eyes locked on the horizon. A low growl rumbled in her chest before she barked again — loud and sharp, toward the open sky.
Ronald squinted.
At first, he saw nothing — then a dark shimmer moved across the clouds.
A shape descended, slow and vast, wings spreading wide enough to blot the sunlight for a moment.
Each feather was black as night — but as they shifted, light caught on their edges, sparkling like stars. And each sparkle carried color — fire-red, ice-blue, poison-green, storm-yellow, earth-brown, water-teal — all blending into something indescribable.
When it passed overhead, the world seemed to hum.
Ronald's system flickered violently.
> [System Alert]
Unknown entity detected.
Unable to analyze.
Name: Corvo
Race: Chaotic Crow
Tier: ???
Power Level: Far beyond scanning capacity.
Entity allowed partial scan to reveal name and race.
Warning: Entity classified as "Primordial-Class." Observation only recommended.
Ronald's eyes widened. "Corvo… huh?"
The crow turned its head — one burning eye of starlit fire meeting his gaze — and then, without a sound, it drifted higher into the heavens, vanishing like a shadow swallowed by dusk.
The system dimmed again, and silence filled the air.
Sol's fur finally relaxed. Ronald exhaled slowly, still staring upward.
"Well," he muttered, "guess the world's bigger than I thought." The crowed was gone as quickly as it appeared and didn't give him enough time to be afraid.