The world ended. But not with a bang. With a freakin' coffee machine explosion.
My name is Jude park.
Look, I wasn't anyone special. No chosen one. No tragic backstory. No secret lineage. Just your average hoodie-wearing 24-year-old introvert named Jude Park — a freelance graphic designer whose biggest enemy was deadlines and coffee stains.
I lived in a shoebox apartment, worked from my couch, and survived off ramen, instant noodles, and canned sarcasm. My idea of excitement was rage-quitting games and arguing with my cat, Mochi, who I swear had it out for me. The only magic I believed in was watching YouTube ads disappear with adblock. And yet... somehow, I still died.
---
It was a Tuesday. The worst day of the week. Rainy. Muggy. My deadline for a client logo was in three hours, and he had just messaged me to "try something in Comic Sans." I wanted to launch my laptop into the sky.
I shuffled over to my kitchen, sleep-deprived, hoodie half-zipped, socks mismatched. My coffee machine blinked at me, its light flickering like a dying bulb.
"Please, just one more cup," I begged, patting it like it was a living thing.
It hissed.
It sputtered.
It exploded.
One loud pop, a blinding flash of steam, and the next thing I knew, I was weightless.
No dramatic last words. No slow-motion montage. Just me, shirtless, staring down at my own burnt corpse in confusion.
"Bro... what the hell, i just died a coffee maker!!"
And then came the darkness.
---
I floated. Not in water. Not in space. Just... nowhere. It was the kind of void that felt too quiet. The kind that made your thoughts echo back at you.
Was I dead? Dreaming?
Honestly, I thought the afterlife would have better UI.
Then a sound.
Ding.
> [You have been selected for System Transfer.]
Initializing Soul-Bind Protocol...
Error: You are not a Hero.
Error: No Unique Title Found.
Error: You're an NPC.
Override Successful. Welcome, Villager #47.
Villager. Freaking. Forty-Seven.
"Excuse me?! That's not even a named side character! That's like... one pixel away from being a tree!"
Before I could rage quit from the void itself, light cracked the darkness open like an egg.
---
The next thing I knew, I was standing. On grass. Real grass. Wet and springy. And all around me: a well made little village that looked like it was built in RPG Maker.
Dirt paths. Wooden fences. A fountain that gurgled like it had no budget. Chickens pecked at the ground like it was their day job. The sky was green. The sun was purple. The air smelled like cinnamon and wildfire.
And then, against my will, my mouth opened and I said:
> "Welcome to Greenroot Village!"
I slapped both hands over my mouth.
Did I just... get possessed by tutorial dialogue??
Then came another notification.
> [You have arrived in the world of Aetherion.]
[Role: Nameless NPC – Villager #47]
[Main Function: Greet Players]
[Side Functions: None. You are irrelevant.]
Oh my god. I really was just some programmed background character.
Was this some joke?
And yet... it didn't feel fake. The sun was warm. The wind real. The distant monster roar—wait what?
Yep. Definitely real. Something just screamed in the woods.
But before I could even take two steps, the system glitched. Like, actually glitched. The interface started flickering, glitch-pixels bleeding into the air like corrupted code.
> [ERROR DETECTED: Unregistered Soul Signature]
[Secret Pathway Activated…]
[Unique System Assigned: Homestead Protocol V.0.0.1 (God-Level)]
Congratulations! You've unlocked the following starter perks:
God-Level Crafting]
[Farming EXP Multiplier x1000]
[Territory Upgrade: Cozy Cabin → Magic Fortress]
[Auto-Slap Hostile Players]
[Phoenix Coop Construction: Unlocked]
I could move again....
I blinked.
Then re-read the list.
Then stared at the chicken pecking near my boot.
"I take it back. This might actually be heaven."
---
Within minutes, the system started dropping starter quests. Stuff like:
> [Quest: Till a 10x10 plot of land.] Reward: Basic Hoe (Legendary Tier)
> [Quest: Feed the chickens.] Reward: Hatchling Ticket x1
> [Quest: Craft any item.] Reward: Crafting Table of the Ancients
I accepted all three. Instantly. This wasn't some cursed gacha hell. This was my actual life now. My real stats were trash, but my perks were nuts.
I walked into the village house labeled "47" (of course), and found a cozy log cabin interior with a warm hearth, a basic wooden bed, and a table that shimmered faintly with unspent upgrade potential.
As soon as I stepped in, another pop-up appeared:
> [Home Territory Detected.]
[Upgrade Options Unlocked!]
Reinforce walls with Spiritwood? [Y/N]
Install Automated Chicken Feeder? [Y/N]
Convert Bed to Recovery Pod? [Y/N]
Rename Territory? [Y/N]
I hit yes on everything.
Immediately, the house trembled. Planks glowed. Furniture morphed. And suddenly my NPC cabin looked like it had been interior-decorated by a druid and a tech priest.
"Okay. Not bad. Not bad at all."
Then came a knock on the door.
I tensed.
Was it a player?
A monster?
Mochi's ghost come to drag me into Cat Hell?
Slowly, I opened it...
And there stood a girl in battle gear, sword on her back, blood dripping from her arm. Her eyes widened.
"Are... are you the Hidden Craftsman of Greenroot?"
I blinked.
"The what now?"
She dropped to one knee.
"Please. I need shelter. The Bone Wyrm destroyed our party. You're our only hope."
In the distance, a screech echoed. Something massive was coming.
I looked at my chickens. My carrot patch. My glowing upgrade menu.
Then I looked at her.
Me? A savior?
Hell no.
But also... maybe yes.
> [New Quest Received: Defend Greenroot Village.]
Reward: Title - Hidden Boss of the Apocalypse.
Oh hell.
Welcome to my second life.
Time to rule the end of the world.
With a hoe in one hand and hot cocoa in the other.
---
[To be continued in Chapter 2: My Chicken Just Laid a Fireball]