He paused, then added quietly, "…but not too many."
Spring had said to be careful.
Liam looked around the area again, more aware now. Then, he started moving more slowly, trying to be quiet. It didn't really work. A small, armoured figure attempting to sneak still made noise. But it was enough.
He found three more chickens behind another set of houses. They were clustered together, pecking at the ground.
Liam stopped and looked around. No one in sight. He adjusted his grip and raised his shield. "...this should work, probably."
Then he stepped forward, quick and direct, and slammed the edge of it into the first chicken. It dropped instantly. He turned and hit the second and then the third.
Three dull cracks. All of them collapsed. Liam stood there for a second. "…that worked." He picked them up, one by one. This time, there was no reaction. No tingling. No drooling.
Liam hesitated for a second, then bit into one again, bracing for the rush or discomfort he'd felt before. No strong reaction—just bland. Disappointment dulled his curiosity.
Liam opened his status panel. Absorption Progress: 4 / 1000 Liam stared at it. "So it counted." But there was no new notification. No recipe. Liam looked down at the chickens in his hands. "…so I need something else." A different kind.
He placed the rest into his inventory, closed the panel, and looked back out toward the village. Then he kept moving.
Liam had just started moving again through the quiet village when he heard her voice cut through the silence.
"…hey."
He jumped, actually jumped. Liam's shoulders lifted, and he turned quickly, eyes narrowing slightly as he looked back. Liam hadn't heard her approach at all. That was probably bad.
Elizabeth stood a few steps behind him now, her posture less sharp than before, like she wasn't entirely sure how to handle him.
"…hey," she said again, softer this time. "Can I add you? I'm worried you're going to try to eat someone."
A notification appeared in front of him.
[Friend request received]
EllieTheWarrior
[Accept] [Decline]
Liam looked at it.
Then at her. He studied the panel. No reason to refuse. Keeping things simple felt safest.
'Ellie, that's cute.'
He selected [Accept].
The notification disappeared.
Elizabeth let out a small breath, her shoulders relaxing as if she'd been tense. The acceptance seemed to surprise her, softening her expression into cautious hope.
Liam turned away again, already thinking about what he needed to find next.
He still needed a different kind of chicken.
Liam slowed, something caught in his vision, a faint shine at the edge of the forest, just past the last row of houses.
It flickered twice, low to the ground. Liam's throat tightened, and he swallowed, mouth watering. "...what is that?" It moved fast.
A sharp, sudden burst of motion. It broke from the edge of the path and ran straight toward the forest. The shine flashed once more before it disappeared between the trees.
Liam didn't think. He moved. Then he was running.
Straight after it.
Liam had already crossed past the last row of houses and was halfway to the forest when something yanked him backward.
His entire body jerked. A hand grabbed the back of his oversized armour and pulled.
"Wait there, young Liam."
Liam stopped, unsure whether to listen or keep moving.
He turned.
Spring stood behind him, slightly out of breath but smiling like nothing was urgent. He was a shorter man, barely reaching five feet nine, with a thicker build that suggested he had lived well before all of this. His cheeks were rosy, his beard long and uneven, and there was something about him that felt warm and irritating at the same time.
"You should take a quest before running out there," Spring said, still holding onto his armour like Liam might try to escape again. "And I see you've gotten your chickens."
Liam stared at him. Tried to guess what Spring wanted.
Spring chuckled, letting go. "Thanks for not taking all of them. Frogs not to your liking?" He laughed properly this time.
A notification appeared.
[Affinity with NPC Spring increased to 100%]
+1,000 EXP granted
Liam blinked, unsure if he deserved the experience.
["…what?"] He typed.
*DING*
He levelled up.
His panel opened immediately.
[Tool Tip]
[Every 5 levels ≈ +100 cap]
[Every 10 levels ≈ +200 cap]
[+20 stat points per level]
Level: 2
NAME: Little Liam
CLASS: Vanguard
SKILLS: Basic Cooking, Noob Streamer
TALENT: Absorption Level 1 (4 / 1000)
HP: 100 / 100
STAMINA: 100 / 100
DEFENSE: 35 / 100
ATTACK: 30 / 100
SPEED: 15 / 100
EXP: 50 / 1000
Liam stared at it for a second, debating which stat would help most.
He had the chicken soup recipe.
He didn't need defence right now.
"…attack."
He allocated all twenty points.
ATTACK: 50 / 100
[The skill panel has been updated.]
HP: 100 / 100
STAMINA: 100 / 100
DEFENSE: 35 / 100
ATTACK: 50 / 100
SPEED: 15 / 100
EXP: 50 / 1000
Spring laughed loudly. "Straight into the battle, eh? You'll either do well or regret that."
Liam kept staring at the trees. What had he seen? Why did hunger grow alongside the unease inside him?
Spring clapped his hands once. "Now, before you go charging off, I've got something for you."
[Quest Available.]
Spring leaned slightly closer. "Go find a party and take down fifty rabbit toads. Bring me the returns, and you can keep the meat."
Liam accepted without hesitation.
[…what's a rabbit toad?]
Spring just smiled.
Liam looked at the forest one more time, his body angled toward it like he might ignore everything and just go anyway. Dread prickled at his skin, and whatever had moved out there haunted his thoughts, a persistent ache lingering in his chest. His mouth still watered slightly; the hunger behind it knotted with fear, making him hesitate. Only then did he exhale, shoulders tense, turning his back on it and forcing himself to walk toward the centre of town.
The marketplace was louder than before, NPCs calling out from stalls as players moved in groups. At the centre, the large community board served as the hub for structured activities. It was easy to tell who was who: players had their class floating above their heads in clean text, while NPCs moved with purpose but without that extra layer. The effect was strange, as if two different worlds overlapped in the same space.
Liam slowed near one of the stalls. His stomach twisted as he opened his inventory. Four dead chickens sat inside, a stark reminder of his earlier struggles. He also had fifty silver coins. Their weight in his pocket felt oddly hollow.
'Guess that's the starting silver,' Liam thought, feeling uncertain about what it meant.
He set a chicken on the counter. The stall owner, a large woman with thick arms and a practical look, inspected it, nodded, then eyed the remaining chickens.
"Not that one," she said, pointing at the one with the bite mark. "I'm not buying something you've already chewed on."
Liam looked at it, then nodded. A quiet embarrassment tightened his jaw. Understandable.
The transaction went through, and his silver increased.
+15 Silver
At the next stall, Liam quickly chose a cooking starter kit. Knife, pot, basic utensils. Nothing special, but it felt right.
"Sixty silver," the vendor said.
Liam paid immediately.
He now had little left in his inventory.
Silver: 5
The kit went into his inventory, and he adjusted his stance slightly, feeling a faint relief settle over him now that he had something to work with.
With his new supplies secured, Liam headed for the quest board.
Several groups were already listed, with overlapping requests, indicating that most people were trying to form parties quickly before heading out. Liam scanned through them until one caught his attention.
Party of two.
Rogue and healer. Looking for the front line.
Grinding mobs in Tana Forest.
That was enough. Hope flickered through his nerves.
Liam selected it and joined.
A notification confirmed it.
[Party Joined.]
He opened the chat and typed.
[hello]
They responded in the party voice chat.
Rogue: "…you mute?"
Liam nodded instinctively, embarrassment mingling with frustration when he realised that his gesture didn't translate. He typed again, feeling the sting of being misunderstood linger.
[yes]
Mirra: "Do you know how to play front line?"
Liam looked down at himself. Oversized armour. Shield. Sword.
Then he typed.
[I think so]
A lull in chat. Was he being judged already? Doubt clawed at his composure.
Rogue: "That's not confidence-inspiring."
Mirra: "We just need someone to hold aggro and not die."
Liam read that, then looked at his stats.
High defense Decent attack now. Thirty seconds of invincibility if needed.
He typed again.
[I won't die]
Rogue: "…okay."
Mirra: "Meet at the forest entrance."
Liam closed the panel, pulse quickening as nerves bubbled just beneath his calm. Finished with preparations, Liam's gaze shifted back toward the forest.
And for some reason, he already knew. Whatever was in there, he was going to eat it.
For a brief moment, something warm settled over him. It wasn't the system, and it wasn't a skill activation. It felt different, softer, like standing near a fire that wasn't actually there.
Liam paused and looked around, frowning slightly. Nothing had changed. No notification appeared, no message followed, and the forest ahead remained exactly the same.
Still, the feeling lingered.
Like something or someone had just noticed him.