Freya sat in the middle of a goat pen.
This was not where she imagined her heroic journey would begin. But then again, she hadn't expected to die via rogue drone and respawn in pajamas with hay stuck in her teeth, so clearly the universe had some very creative opinions about her life path.
A goat sniffed her hair and bleated judgmentally.
The game screen pinged again.
**\[You have completed Tutorial Quest: Land Without Dying (Barely).]**
Reward: +5 XP, 1x Mysterious Breadcrumb, and the eternal mockery of local livestock.
"Gee, thanks," Freya muttered. She tried to stand with dignity, which was hard when a goat had just pooped near your foot.
The goat bleated again, louder this time, and then rammed its head into her shin.
"Ow! Okay, I get it. Territorial. Fine. I'm leaving before one of you tries to eat my hair. Again."
She stumbled out of the pen, brushing bits of hay off her sleeves as a new screen materialized in front of her with a cheerful chime:
**\[STATUS MENU UNLOCKED]**
Name: Freya Lin
Level: 1
Class: ??? (To be decided. Probably underwhelming.)
HP: 10/10
MP: 5/5
Strength: 2
Dexterity: 3
Intelligence: 4 (But only after coffee)
Charisma: 6 (That's just pity from the system)
Luck: -1
Freya stared. "Negative one luck? What kind of sick joke—"
**\[System Note: Luck stat reflects recent drone-based death and general unpreparedness for life.]**
"Wow. This game really *knows* me."
She tapped on her class field, curious.
**\[Class Selection Available!]**
Available Classes:
* Farmer
* Novice
* Slightly Confused Civilian
* Pest (Not Recommended)
* ??? (Locked)
She narrowed her eyes. "Pest? What kind of class is that? Does it come with a skill like 'Infectious Whining' or 'Summon Mosquito'?"
**\[System: Pest class includes skills: Annoy, Bite (Weak), and Slink Away. Unlock at your own risk.]**
Freya sighed. "I've already died once. I refuse to do it again as a mosquito."
She selected 'Novice' with all the enthusiasm of someone choosing between different types of dental work.
**\[Class Selected: Novice!]**
**\[Skill Unlocked: Mild Encouragement]**
* Description: Provides a temporary +1 boost to Charisma when complimenting someone while not making eye contact.
"Oh, that'll come in *super* handy during a dragon attack. I'll just awkwardly mumble a compliment and hope it forgets to breathe fire on me."
The goat from earlier stuck its head out of the pen and bleated again.
"No, I don't want to duel you for dominance," she snapped.
---
Freya wandered down the dirt road that led away from the goat-based trauma, marveling at how her surroundings looked like a cross between an MMORPG and a poorly textured mobile game. Trees stood just slightly too symmetrical, birds looped their flying animations, and every rock on the path looked like it was copied and pasted.
A small village came into view. A wooden sign proclaimed:
**\[Welcome to Turnipton! Population: 142. Or 141 if Bertha's stew claims another victim.]**
A cheery jingle played as she stepped into town.
**\[New Location Discovered: Turnipton]**
**\[Quest Available: Meet the Villagers Without Embarrassing Yourself (Too Much)]**
"Oh, this'll be a challenge."
She approached a nearby market stall where an old man with exactly three teeth and a suspicious mole was selling cabbages. His name hovered above his head:
**\[NPC: Gerald – Cabbage Salesman. Favorite phrase: 'Back in my day…']**
"Hello there!" Freya said, smiling.
Gerald scowled. "You gonna buy somethin' or stand there like a scarecrow that learned to talk?"
**\[Charisma Check Failed.]**
Freya blinked. "Wow. Okay. I'm gonna go pretend I didn't hear that and look at… not you."
She moved to the next stall, where a plump woman with a giant ladle and a permanent soup stain on her apron waved enthusiastically.
**\[NPC: Bertha – Soup Enthusiast. Danger Level: Unknown.]**
Bertha beamed. "Would you like to try my signature stew, dearie?"
**\[Quest Available: Survive Bertha's Stew. Reward: +1 Constitution, Permanent Trauma.]**
Freya stared at the bubbling pot of something that smelled like despair and wet socks. "Uh… I just ate. And also, I value my stomach lining."
"Suit yourself!" Bertha cackled, ladling the stew into a ceramic bowl that began to hiss.
Freya backed away, nearly tripping over a chicken. The chicken glared at her.
**\[NPC: Cluckzilla – Chicken Overlord. Passive Skill: Menace.]**
"Oh come on, even the poultry is aggressive?"
She escaped to the town square and flopped onto a bench beneath a tree that suspiciously sparkled.
**\[Discovered Hidden Tree of Sparkly Irrelevance. It looks important, but it's really just glitter bark.]**
Freya let her head fall back and groaned. "Okay. So far, I've been insulted by a man with fewer teeth than fingers, narrowly avoided stew-based homicide, and been alpha'd by a chicken."
**\[Quest Complete: Meet the Villagers Without Embarrassing Yourself (Too Much)]**
Reward: 10 XP, +1 Self-Awareness
"Well, it's something."
Suddenly, a crash echoed from the alley nearby.
**\[New Quest: Save the Idiot!]**
Objective: Help the flailing teenager stuck in a barrel.
Reward: +2 XP, possibly a friend. (No guarantees.)
Freya dashed toward the noise and found a young man with orange hair flailing inside an empty wine barrel, arms and legs poking out like an overturned spaghetti monster.
"Don't just stand there!" he shouted. "Help me before the goats come back!"
"Wait, you too?"
She tipped the barrel over. The boy rolled out dramatically, landed on his back, and held up a thumbs-up.
"Saved by a goddess in pajamas. This world is *weird*, but I like it."
**\[New NPC: Theo – Escaped Apprentice. Specialty: Trouble Magnets.]**
"I'm Freya," she said, extending a hand. "Level 1 Novice. Luck stat is criminally low. Possibly cursed."
"I'm Theo. Level 2 Rogue-in-Training. Wanted in two towns for stealing muffins and disrupting a goat wedding."
"A goat what?"
"Long story."
They stared at each other for a moment before both burst out laughing.
"Well," Theo said, brushing hay from his shoulder, "You seem like the kind of person who'd survive long enough to die hilariously. Want to team up?"
"Sure," Freya said. "As long as it doesn't involve more goats."
---
Later that evening, they found themselves in the local tavern, sipping something called "Brew of Mild Discomfort." It tasted like root beer and existential dread.
A bard played something off-key in the corner.
Theo leaned over. "So, what's your end goal here?"
Freya looked thoughtful. "Get stronger. Find out why I got isekai'd. Maybe buy pants that aren't pajama bottoms. And if possible—figure out what the hell this breadcrumb is for."
She held up the mysterious breadcrumb from the tutorial.
Theo gasped. "Is that... the legendary Breadcrumb of Destiny?"
Freya's eyes widened. "Wait, really?"
"No. Probably moldy."
They both laughed.
**\[Companion Added: Theo]**
**\[Party Bonus Activated: +1 Luck (Shared Misfortune)]**