Chapter Two – A Midnight Barbecue with a Companion
Five days had already passed since my arrival. A number of strange things happened. The least important among them was the outfit I received on the second day—a uniform that looked like something an aristocratic teenager from the Middle Ages would wear. And although it looked elegant, I had expected something different…
As for the third and fourth days, I received two messages in succession, each holding the utmost importance.
The first message came from the system itself:
{ Properties have been unlocked… You have three properties to choose one from. }
Alert: { Any discarded properties will not reappear until the rank – Prince – }
{ Property No.1: Sacrifice 10% of your income and gain the same percentage for your physical strength – You may cancel this property at any time you want. }
{ Property No.2: Sacrifice 10% of your income and gain the same percentage for your endurance – You may cancel this property at any time you want. }
{ Property No.3: Sacrifice 10% of your income and gain a pet. }
No deadline was given for choosing. The properties were unlocked on the third day, so they had nothing to do with the upcoming disaster—otherwise, they would have been unlocked at the same time I received the warning. There was also no time limit forcing me to pick, which meant more time to think…
The first and second properties offered a strong advantage in exchange for a continuous consumption of my earnings. Just as I expected: nothing in this world is free. If it grants you a benefit, it takes a price in return.
But the third property? A pet? Why would having a pet be considered a property and an advantage? What's so special about owning a pet in the first place?
Would it be a cat? A dog? Or something else? A dragon, maybe—one that grows over time and becomes the unbeatable ruler of the skies, hahaha… I doubt I'd ever be that lucky.
In fact, are the animals of this world even similar to Earth's animals? Well, the trees here look strange, but who am I to judge the general shape of trees anyway? Hahaha. The strongest tree I've ever known was the palm.
The other message came the previous day, and it wasn't from the system:
{ Message from an Unknown Sender }
{ Dear guest of this world, allow me to help you. No one helped me when I began my journey here, though help was what I needed most. For that reason, I stand beside those who stand alone. I cannot offer you the world as we know it, nor detailed information about its laws, but I can help you grow quickly and catch up to us. I offer you a level 5 lumberjack, capable of cutting down five trees a day. In exchange, I will take only 5% of your income. The offer is valid for 24 hours. }
Regardless of the offer itself, knowing that others like me had arrived in this world was extremely important. It meant that growth would be far more difficult than it seemed—and this was before I even knew anything about this world, its native people, or the races that lived here.
Half the time had already passed, and by midnight I had to answer. A level five lumberjack capable of uprooting five trees? That sounded like tremendous help. And that was without even considering the possibility of his skills improving further. Meaning he could grow…
Fine. I will decide after dinner.
Five days had passed already. Other than the first two days, when I cut one tree a day, the rest of the days I increased my pace to two trees daily.
My water consumption was one full tank, and I still had four left.
My bread consumption over the five days cost 370 dinars.
Breakfast was 120 dinars.
Lunch was 160 dinars.
Dinner was 220 dinars.
Meaning my total consumption was 860 dinars.
And since my total profit from the wood was 1,200 dinars, what remained was 340 dinars.
Setting the first two days aside… well, I believe that with my current endurance I can continue cutting two trees a day until the tenth day. That means 250 dinars.
With my daily consumption being roughly 137 dinars, I wasn't safe with what I had left. I needed to…
{ Ding… Ding… Ding } { System alert } { A new section has been unlocked: Tools }
Haaah… good. Let's see:
{ Tools – Storage Cabinet – Price: 500 dinars – Can store anything non-edible inside. }
A cabinet? What would I even need that for, when I could sell everything directly?
Oooh…
I get it, hahaha.
It must be preparation for unlocking bigger devices that require multiple parts like wood, metal, and so on. Of course, that wouldn't be possible if I kept selling the wood instantly. It must be stored somewhere… actually, that was good.
But the bad thing was… the price. Five hundred dinars was a huge amount in my current situation. My pace was far too low for that. Yes, I could gather that amount, but not in less than ten days. And the disaster was already approaching??
To gather the amount faster, I would need to cut three trees a day for four days straight. And here I thought I could relax a little…
I started preparing dinner… and I was already thinking about answering the stranger's message.
{ 6:20 }
Time for a decision. Accepting seemed logical. A lumberjack who could cut five trees would make everything so much easier. But… I had no knowledge of the outside world. There were other people building their islands too. Giving away 5% of my income might not seem like much now, but later it could turn into a disaster that makes me fall far behind—without forgetting that someone would be profiting off my effort without working…
Should I save my current situation or build my distant future?
Others in this world may not differ from those on Earth—they would drag me to hell just to advance. Even if I weren't like them, I could understand their perspective.
It seemed my decision had already been made…
{ Open Messages }
{ Accepting glows in blue }
{ Rejecting glows in red }
Fine, I'll follow my instinct.
{ Red button }
{ Pressed }
I had refused…
I hoped I wouldn't regret it later. For now, it was time for dinner and sleep. Tomorrow I would cut three. There was no other choice.
{ 11:30 }
Ali lay wrapped in the quiet of the forest, gazing at the moon with eyes longing for his old world. Though he had no real bonds there, it was still home—and home is where the heart and body yearn to return.
Since his first day here, he always lay staring at the moon, waiting for midnight and a new day, waiting for the notification that always arrived at the same hour.
But today, his longing was greater. He looked into the darkness with shining eyes and whispered softly:
I'm hungry. It seems that amount of food is no longer enough. I'd better sleep before I buy something unnecessary and destroy my budget. In the morning, I will see what the system has for me.
But should I postpone the property decision? Truthfully, I needed a companion even if it were just an animal. Should I choose it?
{ Properties }
{ Third option – Pet }
{ Selected }
The moment he chose it, a light burst from the distant trees, and a faint sound began rising…
Then… the pet appeared, dashing lightly toward its summoner with a cheerful face.
It was about the size of a small dog, yet not a dog. It looked more like a cute creature with two small horns, wide eyes, and a long tail ending in a triangle. Its voice was a mix between dogs and cats, though closer to a howl.
It was different, just as expected. This world had different creatures. Well, it looked very cute… come here… come on…
After playing with it for a while, their bond grew slightly. It was strangely friendly. Back on Earth, I had a hamster, and even though I fed it for over a year, every time I tried to pick it up, it would run away quickly… but this strange dog was different…
Alright… alright… looks like you love hugs… here you go, hahaha…
But is it a dog? Should I call it a dog? Of course not… I should name you now… In the past I had a cute snail… I'll name you after him… Jaʿmoos.
{ Ding… Ding… Ding }
{ 120 dinars added }
Oooh. It seemed naming you granted some money. Should I rename you again? Hahaha.
{ Ding… Ding… Ding }
{ Message from the system }
{ A secret quest has opened… Hunt the Screaming Bird with Jaʿmoos' help. The quest is available until the day of the minor disaster. }
Oooh… what's this? A secret quest? This was really exciting. Time to earn some properties that will make me stand out from the rest. Just wait, everyone. I'm going to conquer you all, hahaha.
But first… 120 dinars. Looks like my hunger tonight will get something worthy. What about you, Jaʿmoos? Fine, I'll buy you a piece of meat just for tonight… come on.
{ Meat }
{ Medium Beef Slice – Purchased }
{ Medium Chicken Slice – Purchased }
Come here, Jaʿmoos. We'll wait a little, then eat…
{ 1:40 }
The two slices were roasted… but no new notifications appeared tonight. That was strange. Well, no matter… come on, Jaʿmoos, let's begin our midnight barbecue party together, hahaha.
{ Ding… Ding… Ding }
{ Secret Hidden Quest Completed – Midnight Barbecue with a Companion }
{ Ding… Ding… Ding }
{ Secret Reward }
{ You have gained a property – Exponential Growth Wallet – Your profits will double each day compared to the day before for ten days, then the counter will reset again after ten days. }
Haaaaaaah… what is this?!