Morning mist curled above the village fields as Sylas pushed open the creaky wooden door of the storage shed. He blinked against the pale sunlight and stretched his arms, feeling the familiar ache settle into his shoulders. A week ago, he'd been bedridden in a sterile hospital room. Now, blisters decorated his hands like battle medals.
He winced slightly as he flexed his fingers. They hurt—but not like the sharp, empty pain of cancer.
This is different. This is earned.
Sylas opened the system with a practiced thought.
[Status Update – Passive Trait Progress]
Laborer: 25% → 32%
*[New Trait Unlock Available: "Builder's Instinct (Lv. 1)"]
You now receive minor construction guidance when assembling basic structures.
He blinked in surprise. "Builder's instinct, huh?"
The idea sparked something inside him. He glanced toward the grassy patch beside the shed. It was overgrown and scattered with broken crates, but he saw something more.
A space.
A place to build.
"Time to start laying foundations."
After washing his face at the river, he made his way to the request board to find Mira. She was, as always, there before anyone else, organizing parchment slips with military precision.
"I want to buy a chicken," Sylas said.
She didn't look up immediately.
"Just one?" she asked finally, raising an eyebrow.
"Well… more than one. Eventually."
"Good," she said with a nod. "One chicken's a pet. Two is a hobby. Three is a future."
She didn't ask why he wanted chickens. Maybe she already understood.
She led him behind her home to a small fenced pen, where a dozen hens pecked the dirt, clucking lazily.
"Three copper each. You want two?"
Sylas opened his coin pouch, counting carefully. "Yeah. That's six copper."
"Keep them safe," she warned. "Haresh doesn't refund birds."
[New Quest Accepted: "Feathered Investment"]
Objective: Construct a functional chicken barn before nightfall.
Bonus: Keep both hens alive for 7 days.
Reward: +8 Copper | +1 Chicken Egg Daily | ???
Sylas left with two small cages, each housing a nervous, ruffled hen. They stared at him through the wooden slats like judges deliberating his competence.
"Don't die on me," he muttered.
Back at the shed, he sketched a crude plan in the dirt. A small rectangular structure, maybe a meter tall, with a slanted roof and fenced perimeter. Nothing fancy—just protection from rain, foxes, and the occasional curious kid.
[Builder's Instinct Activated]
+10% construction efficiency. Auto-alignment enabled for base frame.
Basic enclosure blueprint unlocked.
"I'm basically a farmer now," he murmured.
He spent the next hour chopping wood, gathering discarded nails from Garen's forge waste pile, and salvaging usable planks from broken carts behind the barn.
The work was slow. His hands trembled. The stone axe was dulling fast.
At one point, a gust of wind knocked over the half-finished frame. One of the hens clucked mockingly from its cage.
Sylas glared. "You think you can do better?"
Still, he kept at it. He hammered each nail with determination, aligning joints the way the instinct guide nudged him to. His motions grew smoother—less guessing, more trusting his body.
As he worked, memories flickered—of hospital meals, of the beep of heart monitors, of the sterile white light that never changed with the seasons.
Now he had dirt on his knees. Sweat on his brow. And a purpose.
By late afternoon, the coop stood complete: a slanted-roof hut with straw lining, a simple trough, and a modest fence made from tied branches and old rope.
He opened the cages.
The hens emerged hesitantly, one pecking his boot before waddling off to inspect the straw. The other settled in instantly, as if claiming her new territory.
Sylas sat back, exhausted, but a grin crept across his face.
"I actually did it."
[Quest Complete: "Feathered Investment"]
+8 Copper | +1 Daily Egg | Trait Progress: Builder (12%)
New Title Unlocked: "First-Time Farmer"
You now passively gain trust from animals you raise.
He felt a strange warmth in his chest—nothing magical, just… pride. Not for some grand battle or world-shaking magic, but for building something small. Real.
It wasn't just about eggs.
It was about growth.
As he cleaned up the work area, Garen passed by, arms full of timber.
He slowed, eyeing the coop.
"That yours?"
"Yeah."
Garen nodded. "Ugly."
"…Thanks."
"But it'll hold," Garen added, before continuing on.
Minutes later, Mira approached with a small cloth pouch.
"You built faster than I thought. You've got a good head."
"Or stubborn hands," Sylas said, wiping sweat from his brow.
She tossed him the pouch. "That's your reward. And if those hens vanish, I'll assume you cooked them."
He laughed. "Wouldn't dream of it."
That evening, he sat by the coop, leaning against the shed wall. The hens had settled in—quiet now, save the occasional sleepy cluck.
The sun painted the sky in streaks of red and orange, casting long shadows over the quiet village.
A week ago, he had two hours to live.
Now, he had chickens.
A roof.
A future.
One small step at a time.