[Thanks for accepting the mission — New Life (Time: 89 days 23 hours 59 minutes.]
[Warning: If the user abandons, neglects, or leaves the farm while the mission is active, the user will receive a permanent debuff and lose access to the system.]
"What the fuck!" Lin looked at the notification with surprise and disbelief. "Take this fucking mission back! I'm not interested in doing this absurd mission!" Lin vented all his anger and cursed at the system for a long time, but the system didn't reply to any of his commands.
Lin looked at the mission again and sighed. "There goes my motivation. Be ready to become a real goat." He looked at the mission, then back at the meadow. Fuck this.
He shook off the lingering doubts and turned his attention to the last notification that had popped up. Alright, the last one… His heart picked up pace. This one felt different. It must be something special. If it isn't, then he's fucked.
[User can now view his status through the status window. The status window will provide updates on your condition and allow you to track all your ongoing missions and their progress. The user can also monitor skills and access other functions.]
Lin blinked as the message appeared, a flicker of relief settling in his chest. "So now I finally get to keep an eye on my missions and skills, do I?" he said, a bit of hope edging into his voice.
That'll certainly make things easier, he admitted to himself, feeling some of his earlier frustration ebb away. At least I won't be wandering around in the dark anymore. If I can actually see my status and progress, maybe I'll even find the motivation to get stronger.
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Nathan Lin
Race: Nene
Exp: 10
Level: 0 [0/100]
Talent: Not Awakened
Unique Ability: Inventory
Skills: Blood Resilience lv1, Language lv1
Title: None
Mission:
Unmask the Mastermind
Make a Friend
New Life
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Lin scanned through the details, his brow furrowing deeper with each line. "System, I think something's missing here." The words came out sharper than he intended. "Where are my stats? How am I supposed to boost my strength, agility, defense, all the usual metrics?" Frustration bled through his voice.
[The user can always become stronger by training and through various other methods. That's why I am here, to help the user grow stronger.]
A heavy sigh escaped him as disappointment settled like a stone in his chest. No stats bar? Then how the hell was he supposed to track progress? He'd always pictured it the way heroes did in the novels he loved: numbers rising, levels ticking up, points distributed with a satisfying tap. Wouldn't it be nice—just click, one point in Strength, one in Agility, another in Dexterity… But that little fantasy crumbled fast. No convenient buttons. No instant upgrades.
Lost in thought, his gaze drifted to another unfamiliar detail: Race... Nene? What on earth was that?
[Race description: Nene. Nene goats have a fast growth rate and excellent carcass qualities due to selective breeding and improvement. This breed also has the highest potential to become the world's best meat goat. Because of how special this goat breed is, it's hard to raise them alone.]
Lin blinked slowly, processing. So, he wasn't just any goat—he was some elite breed. A goat bred specifically for meat. His thoughts wandered back to those goats the humans had taken away. One of them had seemed genuinely excited, practically bouncing as he talked about being "accepted."
Now Lin felt a sharp pang of sympathy. Who knows what actually happened to that poor bastard? Maybe he'd ended up as goat curry. Or kebabs. Hell, probably starred in somebody's family Sunday biryani.
For several moments, his mind spiraled through a grim menu of goat-based cuisine. Then reality snapped back into focus. Wait, what was I forgetting?
He shook his head, trying to clear the mental fog. "System, why does every skill have 'Level 1' tacked onto the end? Does that mean there's a second level lurking somewhere? Maybe more?" Some cautious optimism snuck into his voice. "And if so, how exactly do I upgrade them?"
Probably asking too much from this stingy system, he grumbled, but it was worth a shot.
[All skills or abilities that mention their level can be upgraded. To upgrade, the user must use skill points. Each time the user levels up, they will receive one skill point. Skills can also be upgraded with experience points (EXP). More features will be unlocked when the user completes a certain number of missions.]
Lin absorbed this information carefully, his gaze settling on "Language Level 1." After questioning the system further, he learned the skill's limitations: once activated, he could understand any language of his choosing, but only for an hour. Then came a brutal seven-day cooldown. Even worse, the ability only covered speaking and listening, reading and writing remained frustratingly out of reach. Still, it's something.
The inventory feature proved equally modest. Currently limited to non-living objects, though its capacity would expand with each upgrade. Maybe someday I'll be able to store living creatures. The thought sparked genuine excitement. Now wouldn't that be something?
Learning about skill upgrades sent the first real wave of joy through him in... well, longer than he cared to remember. After exhausting his questions and probably the system's patience, fatigue finally caught up with him. He settled onto the ground, the world tilting slightly as a surprisingly sweet breeze drifted past.
For the first time in a while, this actually feels comfortable. His eyelids grew heavy. Maybe I'll rest for a minute…
However, the system seemed to have other plans. While he was still savouring this rare moment of peace, a notification materialized before his eyes.
[Warning]
What now? Lin barely had time to brace himself before another message appeared.
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[Due to not consuming enough food for a long time, you have fallen into a weakened state. An emergency mission has been generated.]
Mission: The First Bite
Description: To survive, one must be strong enough to fend off the predators that lurk in the wild. Find a patch of grass and eat it to your heart's content. You are weak, and the predators won't wait. If you don't act fast, you'll become their next meal. But be cautious; this isn't a simple task. Eating the wrong thing can cause severe consequences. Not all grass is edible, and some may even harm you.
Objectives:
Locate the best edible grass nearby without any assistance.
Eat until you feel completely satisfied.
Afterwards, take a good, refreshing nap.
Reward: Unknown
Time Remaining: 3 hours
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"My stats are falling; this must be the reason I feel so weak!" Lin realized why his stomach was grumbling. "So that's the call for food." It wasn't that he hadn't felt hungry for a while. He had been starving for over a day, but it didn't hit him until now. He had yet to eat anything since finding himself here, and the weakness in his body was a constant reminder. Yet, with all the notifications flooding his mind, food hadn't been on his radar.
He glanced at the mission again, his mind whirring. Why do I need to eat grass? Then it clicked. Oh, right, I'm a goat now.
Well, there wasn't exactly a buffet laid out for him, and the grass looked like the only thing on the menu. He reminded himself that goats were, by nature, herbivores. Meat simply wasn't in the cards. Still, he couldn't help but wonder, would it hurt to try something different? He ran his tongue over his teeth. Not a bad set, all things considered. Who knows? Maybe I should try my luck before this set of teeth falls out.
More importantly, this was the first time he'd received a mission with a countdown. Sure, there were daily missions, but this was different. He looked at the remaining time. System, what will happen if I don't eat in 3 hours?
[The user will be paralysed and slowly die.]