The real problem was, where should he start looking? The first thing he did was to look in the place where he had met Bojo for the first time. But he wasn't there. In the end, Lin decided to just go with the flow: search for Bojo, complete his daily missions, and—if luck was on his side—maybe score a hidden achievement too.
The next morning, he woke to the same strange scent in the air, stronger than ever. He ignored it and focused on his training. This time, as he kept racking up steps, a notification appeared:
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[Hidden Achievement Unlocked!] Congratulations, user!
You have completed 5,000 strength steps for three consecutive days.
Reward: 10 exp
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Exp: 70
Level: 0 [0/100]
He stared at the notification, a tired grin spreading across his face. Finally, something's paying off. Ten experience points. The system said he'd need a hundred to level up. Not so far off, now. If he kept this up, he'd hit that milestone soon enough.
But that wasn't the only thing on his mind. The system also mentioned upgrading skills with experience. He wasn't sure how it worked—he hadn't even tried. "Should I try to upgrade something?"
Lin didn't hesitate. He opened his status window. Only one skill stared back at him: Blood Resilience.
Lin ignored all the information and focused on the little green arrow pointing upward. He squinted, then concentrated on the arrow.
A system notification appeared before him:
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Do you want to upgrade the skill "Blood Resilience" to Level 2?
Cost: 10 EXP
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"Ten exp? That's not bad. He hesitated, weighing his options. Should I do it?" In the end, curiosity won. "Let's level up the skill."
He confirmed. Instantly, ten EXP vanished from his total. Another system prompt appeared:
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Congratulations!
Skill "Blood Resilience" reached Level 2.
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Blood Resilience (Level 2): Deeper Recovery
Type: Physical, Passive
Skill: Basic/Level 2
Description: Your healing accelerates further. Moderate wounds (deeper cuts, torn skin) begin to close on their own, and your blood clots even under stress.
Effect:
Minor wounds close almost instantly. Moderate wounds heal 30% faster. Bleeding from moderate injuries slows significantly. Slightly increased resistance to infection, even for deeper scrapes. Small bruises and swelling fade overnight.
Side Effects :
Increased Hunger: Healing at this pace burns through nutrients faster. After major injuries, you'll feel ravenous and weak until you eat, sometimes needing double your usual food to feel normal. Blood Scent: Accelerated clotting releases a faint, metallic scent. Predators and aggressive goats may pick up on this, making stealth harder for a few hours after the healing effect wears off. Fatigue Spike: If you take multiple moderate wounds in a short time, you may experience sudden exhaustion or dizziness as your body diverts energy to rapid repair.
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Seeing the upgraded bonus, only one thing came to Lin's mind: Hey, that's pretty good. Now he'd be able to recover faster. But as the initial excitement faded, a chill crept in. There was a catch, a side effect, and not a small one.
"If this trend continues, what happens when I upgrade this skill to higher levels? Maybe one day he'd push it so far he'd die just from hunger. How am I supposed to find a solution for that? If an overpowered skill comes with an overpowered side effect, is it even overpowered anymore?"
He shook his head, a wry smile tugging at his lips. "Guess that's the price of power in this world, a little progress, a little paranoia. I'll have to figure it out as I go. No free lunches here, not even for goats."
As night fell and emptiness settled in, Lin glanced around at the too-quiet darkness, his hooves itching for something to crush. Grinding through daily missions and sleeping alone every night—it was just too dull. Lin let out a sigh. If only he had known which direction Bojo had left, it wouldn't have taken him this long to find him. Yesterday, all he'd done was wander aimlessly, keeping a safe distance from the other goats, worried he might be attacked.
For the rest of the day, he kept completing his daily missions and continued searching for Bojo.
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Achievement unlocked:
You've performed 50 headbutts for two consecutive days!
Reward: 10 EXP
Achievement unlocked:
You've jumped 500 times for two consecutive days!
Reward: 10 EXP
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Nathan Lin
Race: Nene
Exp: 90
These days, he could do about fifty headbutts, a huge improvement from the fifteen on his first day. As for jumps, five hundred was doable. Chewing? Almost fifteen hundred. Steps? Nine to ten thousand. The progress was good, but Lin wasn't satisfied. Not yet.
After all, he was getting 10 EXP just for doing a little daily mission. What if he managed to complete the full list for several consecutive days? How much reward would he get then? Just thinking about it fired him up. "I have to work harder, he thought."
The next day, Lin stopped near a grove of trees before a goat's half-decayed body. Maggots already swarmed it. From the look of things, the goat hadn't been dead long, maybe for a week or more. Judging by the size, it was a yearling.
Bojo? Lin couldn't help it; a tear slipped down his cheek. Poor kid didn't even get to enjoy his goat life before he died.
He sighed, raising his chin. "System, is there any reward for sobbing over a friend's death? I'm not picky—give me some EXP, one per tear. Seems fair. Hell, I'll cry louder for bonuses."
The system stayed silent, as if it didn't care. Lin checked his mission window—the "Make a Friend" quest was still there, unchanged. That meant Bojo was still alive. Searching randomly wouldn't help; there was no way he would find Bojo like this. The only option was to go back to the pen and see if Bojo was there. If he couldn't find him there, then it was better to forget about it. Without wasting any more time, he started walking immediately.
The next day. In front of the main gate.