CUCKAAAAA—
Sylas flinched awake as the screeching cry of a rooster shattered the early morning calm. He groaned and rolled over, only to bump into the wall of his modest wooden hut.
"Captain Beak, I swear to the gods…" he muttered into his straw pillow.
The rooster let out another shrill call, as if to assert dominance over the sleeping world.
Sylas sat up, rubbing his eyes. Sunlight crept through the gaps in the wood panels, painting golden stripes across the dirt floor. His muscles ached from the previous day's work—his back stiff, hands sore, and calves on fire from hauling lumber.
"Why did no one ever tell me raising chickens was this exhausting?" he grumbled.
He pulled on his rough linen shirt and trousers, then stepped outside, the morning air cool against his skin. His breath puffed in the early chill, and a faint mist hovered over the fields like a sleepy blanket.
The coop stood just a few paces from his hut, a little lopsided but sturdy. Five chickens fluttered inside, already awake and pecking at the floor. Captain Beak stood atop the fence post, chest puffed and eyes sharp.
"You're lucky I don't eat chicken," Sylas said, pointing a finger at him.
The rooster crowed again, seemingly in defiance.
> [Quest: Feed the Chickens (0/1)]
Reward: +5 EXP | +1 Copper
Sylas blinked. "You're still watching me, huh?" he said to the System. "Well, at least you pay."
He walked over to the feed sack, scooped up a handful of the dry grains, and spread them into the trough. The chickens descended like a feathery storm, pecking wildly. One hopped onto his boot and glared up at him.
"Hey, I bought the food," he said. "Don't get sassy."
He refilled their water from the nearby well bucket, making sure each chicken had room. They clucked and flapped, Captain Beak strutting between them like a general inspecting his troops.
> [Quest Complete!]
+5 EXP
+1 Copper
[Passive Skill Unlocked: Basic Animal Handling (F)]
> [Skill: Basic Animal Handling (F)]
Your presence calms domesticated animals. Increases efficiency in livestock care. Slight resistance to pecking, biting, and barnyard aggression.
Sylas laughed. "You're kidding. Barnyard aggression is real?"
As if to answer, one of the hens pecked his ankle.
"Okay, fair point."
He took a seat on a nearby stump, letting the cool wind brush against his face. Despite the chaos, it felt… peaceful. There was a rhythm here. Feed. Clean. Build. Sleep. Repeat. It was simple, but grounding. For a man who once lay dying in a sterile white hospital room, it felt like living.
---
Later that morning, a familiar voice called out from the path.
"Well, well. You haven't been eaten yet."
Mira approached with a woven basket on her hip and a crooked smile on her face.
Sylas waved. "Morning. Just in time to witness a rooster's reign of terror."
She stopped by the coop, leaning on the fence. "Captain Beak still giving you trouble?"
"He thinks he's nobility."
"He is, in a way," Mira said, tossing a scrap of bread into the pen. "He used to belong to the village elder before he got too rowdy."
"Perfect. I bought a criminal."
She laughed and handed him the basket. "Bread and dried fruit. Thought you might forget breakfast again."
Sylas took it with a grateful nod. "Thanks. This whole 'build-your-life-from-nothing' thing works up an appetite."
"You're doing better than most," she said, glancing around. "The coop's standing, the fence isn't crooked, and you haven't run off screaming."
"I considered it," Sylas admitted, chewing on a piece of fruit. "But something about all this… it feels right."
They stood in silence for a moment, watching the chickens peck and fluff their feathers. It wasn't glamorous, but there was something wholesome in it.
Mira nudged him. "You planning to go into town soon?"
"Eventually. Why?"
"There's a library. Small, but decent. If you're going to survive here, might be worth learning how magic works—especially if you want to avoid being ripped off."
Sylas tilted his head. "You think I could use magic?"
Mira shrugged. "You've got that look. Like someone who doesn't know how dangerous they might be."
That made him chuckle.
Later that day, Sylas returned to the coop with a bundle of hay under one arm and a hammer in the other. He spent hours reinforcing the coop's walls and fixing gaps in the fencing. The work was hard, repetitive, and left splinters in his hands, but he found something strangely meditative in it.
By late afternoon, he was exhausted. He wiped sweat from his brow and took a seat under a tree nearby. The sky was turning a soft orange as the sun dipped lower, shadows growing longer.
He reached down to pick up a stray piece of wood—and then it happened.
The moment his hand touched it, he felt a soft pulse. A faint warmth, like a heartbeat, thrummed through the wood. His breath caught.
"What the…?"
The plank glowed faintly for a second, a golden shimmer dancing across the grain. It faded just as quickly, leaving Sylas staring, wide-eyed.
> [Hidden Trait Detected: Magic Affinity – Earth (Dormant)]
Condition to awaken: Prolonged contact with natural mana sources.
He swallowed hard. "Magic…?"
He looked down at his hand, then at the wood again. It felt solid. Real.
A tingle moved up his arm, not painful, but unfamiliar—like his skin remembered something his mind didn't.
> [Optional Quest Unlocked: Seek Mana Awareness Training]
Description: Your latent affinity has begun to awaken. To understand it fully, seek out guidance or research in town.
Reward: Unlock Magic Skill Tree
He exhaled slowly. "So it's not just chickens and dirt. There's more."
For the first time since he arrived, Sylas felt that same awe he'd had as a child reading fantasy novels in his old world. Magic. Real, living magic. Not something he had to pay a fortune for in a hospital lab. Not something that came too late to save his old body.
This was something new. Something that belonged to him.
That night, he lit a small fire outside and cooked a simple meal just root vegetables and dried meat, but it was warm, and it was enough.
He ate in silence, the stars overhead clear and bright. No city lights. No machines. Just the soft sound of the fire crackling and the occasional cluck from the coop.
He lay on his back and stared at the sky. "I really died, huh?"
He thought back to the hospital room. The quiet beeping. The sterile smell. The endless loneliness. Twenty-one years old, bald from chemo, waiting for an end he couldn't fight.
But here—this strange, unpredictable, dirt-covered world—he had purpose.
A barn. Chickens. A system. A second chance.
"I won't waste this."
[System Update: Personal Status Summary]
Name: Sylas
Class: None
Level: 2
Traits: Magic Affinity – Earth (Dormant)
Skills: Basic Animal Handling (F), Manual Labor (F)
Inventory: 3 Copper, Wooden Bucket, Bread (Stale)
Suggested Goal: Travel to Town Library (Unlock Magic Tree)
Optional Goal: Expand Livestock (0/2)
Sylas chuckled. "Looks like it's time to do some reading."