Kaelen stared at his farm. If you could call it that.
A crooked fence. Three plants. One angry. One twitchy. One probably cursed.
The carrot's leaves shook like it wanted to fight. Again.
"Calm down," Kaelen muttered. "I fed you."
The Beanstalk, now named Twitchy, twitched. Of course.
And Bob, the root, just sat there. Quiet. Judging.
"Great. My crops have more personality than I did in my last life."
[Quest Complete: Basic Farm Built]
Reward: Crop Boosts Unlocked
Bonus: Local Wildlife Reputation Gained
"Reputation with... birds?" Kaelen muttered. "Or squirrels?"
"Both," said a voice from the fence.
Kaelen sighed. The squirrel was back. His tiny nemesis.
"You again."
"I never left. You're fun to watch."
Kaelen picked up a rock. The squirrel didn't flinch.
"Rude."
The crops looked healthy. Well, alive at least. That was a win.
He poked Twitchy. It twitched harder.
"Yup. You're doing great, buddy."
Bob, as always, stayed silent.
"Say something, man," Kaelen said. "Anything."
Nothing.
"I miss Wi-Fi."
Shelter time.
The roof still leaked. The walls leaned. One plank literally sighed.
Kaelen grabbed a blueprint from the system.
[Shelter Upgrade: Phase 2]
Wood: 15/15
Nails: 0/5
Tools: 1/1
Reward: Sleep Without Worry (probably)
"No nails? Seriously?"
"Try the goblin camp," said the squirrel. "They love nails."
"I'm not robbing goblins for nails."
"Then sleep soggy."
Kaelen groaned and walked toward the woods. Again.
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
Kaelen walked slowly. His spear ready. His nerves not.
Then a bush rustled.
"Oh no."
Out came a goblin. Same height. Sharper teeth.
"You," it growled.
"Me?" Kaelen asked. "What'd I do?"
"You built a farm. On our poop land."
Kaelen blinked. "What."
Quest Started: Goblin Fight Over Poop Land]
Win: Nails x5
Lose: Embarrassing Death
The goblin charged.
Kaelen dodged left. Barely.
"Okay. You're fast."
He jabbed with his spear. Missed.
The goblin laughed. "You swing like my grandma."
"I had cancer in my last life!" Kaelen snapped.
They clashed again. This time Kaelen scratched the goblin's side.
It hissed. "That was my good side!"
The fight went on. Sloppy. Loud. Not heroic.
Eventually, Kaelen tripped. Rolled. Landed face first.
The goblin raised its sword.
Kaelen kicked it in the shin.
The goblin screamed.
Kaelen stood and bashed it with the spear handle.
It went down.
> [Victory!]
Loot: Nails x5, Goblin Tooth, Mild Trauma
Kaelen panted. "I just wanted to fix my roof."
Back at the farm, he hammered in the nails. Sloppy but solid.
The roof held. Mostly.
The shelter now looked... okay. Ish.
He sat down and stared at the crops.
Twitchy twitched.
The carrot glared.
Bob stayed mute.
"Thanks, guys," Kaelen said.
The squirrel dropped an acorn on his head.
"Don't die yet. You're mildly entertaining."