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[System Notice] For steps to be counted, the host must run at full capacity. Only vigorous movement will be registered as progress.
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"So, to finish the chewing quest, I have to empty my stomach first? That's out for now. I've already missed my chance at the 100% reward. Whatever. Let's get a good nap. I'll think about all this tomorrow."
The next day.
[Congratulations! You have eaten three types of grass.]
[Hidden achievement unlocked. Reward 10 EXP.]
"What!" Lin stared in bewilderment at the notification before him. He had never thought eating grass would unlock a hidden achievement. But this opened a new gate of what if—if there was one hidden achievement, there must be more.
Without hesitation, he began experimenting, eager to unlock more EXP.
[Congratulations! You have climbed a rock for the first time.]
[Hidden Achievement unlocked. Reward: 10 EXP.]
Whoa, another achievement!
[Congratulations! You have climbed a tree at an angle over 25 degrees.]
[Hidden Achievement unlocked, reward: 10 EXP.]
"Wait a second... that means there's more EXP in this series. Don't tell me I can unlock more EXP by climbing higher trees." Lin thought to himself. But first, he had to get down from this tree.
He looked down. It looked scary—but not enough to stop him from climbing down.
After a few minutes...
[Congratulations! You have been challenged to a duel and accepted.]
Lin looked at the kid goat before him. There was a smirk on its face, as if it was sure it would be able to take Lin down, who was almost thrice its own size.
Lin eyed the kid goat, ready to fight him. The kid goat looked at him intensely with its horn a little lowered.
"Meh me meeeh! Meh meee mehh?" said the Goatling.
"What are you me meehing about. Can't you talk?" asked Lin, who had no idea what this kid wanted to say.
"Meh meh mehmeeeeeeh." The kid raised its head and looked at Lin as anger was visible in its eyes, as if it was offended by Lin's comments.
Lin looked at the kid goat with a very confused glance. All the goats—the one that attacked him, Bojo, Rokan, and even the goat taken by the human—were able to talk. But this kid and those others from before were the only ones he'd found that couldn't speak. That was indeed very odd.
He focused carefully on the kid goat's sounds, trying to decipher what it wanted to say. He wanted to understand it, even if just a little.
Goats actually have a habit of challenging other goats. It's often a playful act where they headbutt each other.
After concentrating for a few seconds, Lin finally understood what the kid was trying to say: challenge. This kid wanted to challenge him.
"You want to beat me? You're just a snorty kid. What can you do?" Lin said, taunting the kid goat to keep it from running away. Since it wanted to fight, who was he to refuse? Besides, he might even unlock a hidden achievement.
In the next second, the kid goat screamed, "Meeeeeeh! Meeeeeeeh!" and rushed forward.
Bam!
Before the kid knew it, it was sent flying.
[Congratulations! You have defeated your first challenger and received 10 EXP.]
Lin looked at the notification, a smile forming on his face. "That was great! By the way, how many times can I do this?"
As Lin wondered if he could repeat the challenge, the kid goat cried out loudly.
"Meeeeeeeeeeeh!" it wailed, but instead of running away, it charged at Lin once more.
"Wait, you better be careful. I'll beat you hard this time," Lin warned, but the kid goat completely ignored him. Probably didn't understand, or maybe it was confident in its strength after it was sent flying for once.
In the next second, the kid goat was sent flying again. The kid goat got up on its feet, looked around—probably tried to confirm that no one had seen its humiliating defeat—and then it rushed at Lin. But once again, he was sent flying.
After almost a minute, the kid goat lay on the ground, beaten to a pulp, crying and calling for his mother.
But by then, Lin ran far away. As of now, many things are unknown to him. Why are the goats here so intelligent? If they are smart, how come they are on a farm? Why didn't they ever try to escape, or had they tried? And then there was Bojo.
Bojo, where the hell did you run away to?
He wasn't actually walking aimlessly; he had a clear target in mind—to complete hidden achievements. He wasn't far from reaching level one. Now all he needed was a few hidden achievements.
As Lin was walking, he felt someone watching him. He looked around but couldn't find anyone. But it was there—no matter how far he walked, the feeling of someone watching over him remained.
Lin looked around himself one last time and quietly sat down close to a tree. Since he couldn't find who was spying on him, it was better to wait for them to come to him. He had made up his mind; he couldn't outrun the spy, because he was in the light and the one who was spying on him was in the dark.
He sat down close to a tree and looked at his current status.60 EXP. That's how much EXP he had.
"How should I get more experience? Should I challenge someone?" As he was thinking this, a system notification appeared before him.
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[New Mission]
Mission: Half friend
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[New Mission]
Mission: Half friend
Your half-friend Bojo has gone missing. You don't know his condition. As a half-friend, you must determine his current location and condition.
Objective: Find your half friend's whereabouts. Ensure he's safe; help him overcome any obstacles. Save your friend and prove to yourself that you are a true friend.
Reward: Unknown
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Finding out Bojo's whereabouts? "System, it seems you're dead serious about making Bojo my friend," Lin couldn't help but chuckle at the mission. Even if the system hadn't told him, he would have checked on Bojo's situation—at least to see what that goat was up to, or if he was taken away by humans. But now that the system had made it a mission, there was no way to ignore it.