Synchronization failed] 'Error,' 'Error,' 'Error.'
Lin glanced at the blinking notification bar before him, then at his surroundings. He noticed goats of various sizes scattered across the endless grassland. Some grazed peacefully, some lay on the ground chewing something. Others leaped over each other and played joyfully.
However, what truly caught his attention was a single goat. A rope was tied around its neck, its hooves dug stubbornly into the ground, resisting every tug as a human pulled it away. What made the scene bizarre wasn't just the goat's stubbornness.
"Who is smiling now? I am the chosen one, I... cough, holy... oh my god, let me finish!" the goat bellowed, its voice echoing across the field.
Veins bulged with frustration as the human tugged harder on the rope and delivered a sharp kick to the goat's side.
"G-god has kicked me. Hahhhahah. Look at this, you fools—god has bestowed me with his mighty kick. He wants me to enter paradise as soon as possible. "
The human, who doesn't understand goat languages, grumbled about the goat's stubbornness. Meanwhile, the goat continued shouting.
"Oh, almighty god, please let me finish, or else these fools will never understand this blessing—All of you fools, you will never have this privilege. I'll see you all fools from the havens, if I ever return, don't worry, I won't forget about the love you all gave me. I'll return it with interest."
—
Lin looked at the goat, grumbling about Heaven's god and being chosen as the clueless human dragged it away.
"Did that goat just talk? Can goats actually talk? Am I hallucinating? How can a goat speak?" Lin would have reacted like this if he hadn't already known that goats could talk. This wasn't his first encounter with a talking goat, and as for why this goat could converse, he knew the answer well.
Slowly, Lin looked down. Instead of his own hands and feet, he saw only a pair of hairy goat legs.
Until yesterday, he was still a human with a human Nathan Lin. He had transmigrated not as a dragon, a young master of a mighty clan, or a helpless slave, but as a goat on a farm. At first, he had thought it might be a dream, but the scent in the air, the realistic objects around him, and other signs proved he had truly transmigrated as a goat.
Yesterday, when he woke up, a message greeted him: 'Error,' 'Error,' 'Error.' No matter what he did, this was the same message the system kept showing over and over, like a broken alarm clock.
Lin let out a deep sigh. He had accepted his fate. But there was one thing he would always regret — just one. His parents' death. He was probably 7 or 8 at that time when they died. He still blames himself for their death; if only he hadn't insisted on buying an anime figurine, they might still have been alive.
As Lin was thinking about his past, a sudden shout snapped him out of his thoughts.
"You outsider, why haven't you left yet?"
Turning around, he saw a herd of young goats. Their bodies were marked with various shades of white and brown stripes. Their eyes shone with hostility, fixed on him like predators sizing up their prey.
Goat bullies!
This is the second time Lin had encountered this group of goat. The first time was yesterday. He tried to find the reason why these goats were after him. Unfortunately, he hadn't inherited memories of the real owner of this body.
Seriously, what now? Should I ram one and see what happens? That'd be a story: "Goat fights back, gets trampled immediately. News at six."
Taekwondo lessons—those late nights kicking the air, thinking he was impressive—now seemed useless. Let alone pull off a roundhouse kick, he couldn't even get these stubborn legs to move straight.
Lin tried to reason calmly, though with frustration. "Listen, you'll want me to leave, I'll leave, but I just want to understand. Why am I being treated like this? What did I do wrong? What's up with this outsider title?"
His words hung in the air for a moment, but the cold stares from the young goats told him all he needed to know; they weren't interested in listening. Instead, they stepped forward as one, hostility clear. The lead goat, the one who had shouted first, snorted and stomped its hooves in frustration.
"You don't know? You don't know what you've done, outsider?" Its tone dripped with venom, as if Lin's very existence insulted nature itself. It kept going. "You don't belong here. You're just an abomination!"
Lin listened carefully; he tried to find out the reason behind their aggressiveness. But soon, he realized all the goat were slowly moving towards him, taking slow, menacing steps..
Well, this doesn't look too good. Looks like I'm about to get beaten by a bunch of yelping goats.
The tension in the air was almost unbearable. From the back of the herd, a smaller goat snickered and turned to the leader. "What's taking so long? Why are we wasting time talking? Why don't we deal with this outsider already?"
"Yeah," another goat grunted, " the faster we finish this, the faster I get my reward. The old man is always stingy. I don't want him to say we are late."
Reward?
Lin swallowed hard. Their words hit him like a punch.
Someone actually hired these goats to beat him up!
This wasn't just about being bullied; someone clearly wanted him gone. That was just perfect. Day one, and he was already on some hit list. He always wanted to be the star, but not in a goat version of a fight for dominance. Can goats even get insurance in this world?
Damn it.
But before Lin could say another word, the leader goat suddenly snapped and charged at him. Its horns aimed directly at his side. Lin tried to jump away, but he couldn't react fast enough.
The leader's horns crashed into his ribs with savage force, knocking him to the ground.
"Ugh!" Lin groaned as pain shot through him like lightning. He lay there, dazed and gasping, barely able to process what had just happened.
The yearlings paused, exchanging surprised glances as if they couldn't understand what they'd just witnessed. "What just happened? How can the outsider be so weak? Isn't he supposed to be strong?"
"Hahaha! Look at this! We were worried for nothing," another yearling said, laughing loudly, his voice a mix of relief and mockery.
Even the leader goat looked confused as it gazed down at Lin's pitiful, sprawled-out form on the grass. Its eyes narrowed in uncertainty as it whispered,
"Isn't the outsider supposed to be strong? But... why is he so weak?"
The herd began muttering among themselves, their earlier aggression giving way to confusion and mockery. Still, Lin hadn't reacted to their taunts, their laughter, or their stares. He didn't try to defend himself or get up because something much more exciting had grabbed his attention.
[Anomaly eliminated successfully]
[Synchronization initiated…] 1% → 10% → 100%
[Synchronization complete]
[Congratulations! You have unlocked the system.]
[Welcome to a reality full of endless possibilities. Here, anything can happen. Hunters may become prey, and prey can turn into hunters in the blink of an eye. Danger lurks in every shadow, while light only creates an illusion of safety. Friends can become enemies, and enemies can become allies in an instant. Stay alert and grow stronger. To help you survive in this unpredictable world, your helpful 'system' is here to guide you.]
"A world where anything can happen! A place with limitless opportunities?" Lin said, his voice trembling with excitement. If he'd known that all it took was getting his head rammed, he would've volunteered for it long ago.
But now, he had it. At last, he had it: a cheat to help him survive this strange reality. Unable to contain himself, Lin burst into laughter, his thoughts spilling out uncontrollably.
It's not the time to celebrate—I need to survive this first before I can do that.
Lin controlled the urge to shout toward the sky like a main character who has finally gotten his cheat, but it wasn't the time for that.
[DING]
Just then, a faint chime cut through the surrounding noise, barely noticeable unless you were paying close attention. After the echo faded, another notification appeared:
[Warning: Hostility Detected.]
All notifications are paused to let the user focus on the immediate threat. Any bonuses, boosts, or system updates are on hold and will resume only after the system determines the danger has passed.
[Note: The user may disregard this restriction if they choose to.]
I can already see what's happening. System, if you truly want to help, this might be the best time for that. Later, I might not be alive anymore - system?
As Lin was requesting the system for help, one of the young goats charged at him, horns aimed viciously at his side. He reacted instinctively, shifting his weight desperately to dodge, but he wasn't fast enough. The horns scraped his ribs, and a fresh wave of pain shot through him.
"Argh!" he cried, stumbling back, the pain fogging his senses. Before he could recover, another goat charged and hit him brutally. Its headbutt threw him backward; he landed hard, his vision blurring from the impact as his heart pounded in his chest.
Damn it, if I only had a few more days to adapt, Lin thought, panic coursing through every cell. This wasn't schoolyard bullying. These goats genuinely wanted him dead. That reality hit him like a ton of bricks.
Desperation flooded him as he tried to get up, but before he could even get to his knees, hooves slammed into his chest like a sledgehammer. The blow knocked the air out of him, leaving him wheezing as he slumped back down. His legs buckled beneath him, and pain shot through every nerve. Disoriented and vulnerable, Lin struggled to breathe while the savage attack carried on.
The sheer weight of one goat pressed down on his body, pinning him to the earth. He gritted his teeth and pushed against it, shaking as he strained to roll free. Come on! Move, dammit! Fight back! Lin screamed in his head, but no matter how much he struggled, it was pointless—his goat body just wasn't built for this kind of smackdown.
"Is that everything you've got, outsider? You're pitiful," the lead goat said, pacing before Lin with a glare of pure contempt. Its voice was heavy with scorn as its hooves thudded on the ground impatiently.
Lin's mind shrieked at him: Get up! But his limbs refused to cooperate. Blood filled his mouth from an especially harsh kick; its metallic tang fueled his bitterness as he tried to draw a breath. Each stomp sent a fresh jolt of suffering through his body. The world spun crazily as his skull buzzed from the effort of simply staying awake.
His sight blurred further as tears threatened, not merely from pain but from rage and utter helplessness. He'd wanted to fight back so badly, and now he couldn't even twitch. His body had totally sold him out, leaving him splayed on the ground like a marionette with its strings cut.
Honestly, if rock bottom had a basement, I'd be in it right now, he thought grimacing.
[Warning: The user sustained a serious injury. The user is bleeding.]