Chapter 2: The Hard Beginning
The chime faded, but the glowing blue screen stayed, a strange window floating in the air. Lucas looked up from it, his eyes on the three people huddled nearby.
The old man watched him with eyes as empty as the sky. The child, silent and small, clung to the old man's hand.
And the crippled farmer, whose face was a study in bitter doubt, clutched his rusty hoe like a final, desperate shield.
Lucas could feel how hopeless they were, like a heavy blanket pressing down on them all.
The silence felt cold and heavy. Remembering the system's message, Lucas took a shaky step forward. His boot cracked on dry leaves, and the sound seemed way too loud.
"I have nowhere else to go," Lucas said quietly, his voice soft and hopeful. "Can I stay? I can… I can help."
The farmer let out a bitter laugh. "Stay? Why? We finished the last of our food two days ago. The deer are gone, and the wolves are getting braver. You think you can hunt with those clean hands?"
He pointed at Lucas's neat clothes, so different from his own dirty, worn-out rags. "You look like you've never held a knife, let alone worked the land. This village is finished. It's better if you just keep moving."
He was right.
Lucas had no idea how to survive here. He could cook simple foods like fried rice, but without any ingredients, what could he possibly do? The farmer's words hit him hard, like a punch to the gut, confirming every fear he had.
But then he remembered the glowing screen the strange, quiet help reaching out to him in the dark.
He looked back at it, hope flickering in his mind like a silent prayer.
'Show me something. Anything'.
A new line of text shimmered into existence.
*********************
Quest: First Light
Goal: Gather 10 Wood.
Reward: 10 Wood, 1 Basic Hunting Trap, unlocks 'Resource Gathering' skill tree.
*********************
The quest was so simple, so basic, it almost felt like a joke.
But he could do this.
He had to.
Turning away from the screen, Lucas spotted a thick, dead branch lying near a broken wall.
It was too tough to break with his hands.
He looked around for something to help and noticed a heavy rock nearby, thrown to the side. That would have to do.
He knelt down, his muscles aching, and lifted the rock.
With a grunt, he swung it down on the branch, the dull thud loud in the quiet air.
He hit the branch again and again, his hands going numb from the jolts.
He wasn't doing it right, the wood just cracked and bruised.
But he kept going, hitting with a stubborn, desperate rhythm that made his shoulder ache.
He didn't look at the villagers. He only focused on the branch, the rock, and the quiet anger pushing him forward.
A quiet sigh from the old man pulled Lucas out of his focus. It wasn't angry or judging, it was full of deep, tired sadness.
Lucas paused for a moment, his breath coming out in shaky clouds, before he lifted the rock once more.
After what felt like forever, the thick branch finally snapped with a sharp crack. Lucas's hands were sore, and his breath came out shaky in the cold air, but he had done it. He picked up the two broken pieces, feeling clumsy but proud. Then, a new message appeared on his screen.
Ding!
[Quest progress: 1/10 Wood gathered.]
It was a small, almost meaningless win, but to Lucas, it felt huge. He'd never done hard physical work before, and now he had earned his first point.
He glanced at the farmer, expecting another harsh look, but the man had turned away, leaning tiredly against the wall like watching Lucas struggle had worn him out.
The child, though, was no longer holding the old man. He had let go and was looking at Lucas, not with fear, but with a quiet, curious wonder.
"You… you made a noise," the old man said quietly. Slowly, he stood up and walked over to the broken branch Lucas had split. He stared at it for a moment, then looked back at Lucas. "That old piece of wood hasn't made a sound for many years. Thank you."
Lucas gave a small, tired smile. The cold still bit at his skin, and his hands throbbed, but for the first time since waking up, he felt a flicker of hope.
He had a task. He had a way forward.
And he had one lonely point to his name. He was going to get those ten pieces of wood. He was going to begin.