Mike had twenty days.
He crouched, scooped a handful of soil, and shoved it into his mouth.
Grit scraped his tongue.
He chewed. Spat.
"…Nothing," he muttered. "Absolutely nothing."
No nutrients. No life.
"I need nitrogen. Phosphorus. Potassium."
He began digging.
Three meters later, his arms trembled. His lungs burned.
SYSTEM
[Quest: Survive for 3 Days]
"Survive… three days?" Mike whispered.
He glanced at the black sun overhead.
"At this rate, the sun will kill me first."
An hour later, footsteps approached.
Neva arrived with food.
Mike's eyes widened in genuine surprise.
He swallowed and bowed.
"I need workers," he said quickly.
"A hundred. More if possible. Efficiency requires numbers."
Neva's expression darkened.
Mike slammed his forehead into the ground.
"I beg you. I can save this land."
Silence.
SYSTEM
[Option Unlocked]
[Choose a Class]
• Warrior
• Mage
• Assassin
• Farmer.
Mike didn't hesitate.
"Farmer."
Not because he was kind.
But because he knew how to use people.
Workers arrived demons with hollow eyes and exposed fangs.
"We can eat him," one hissed.
Neva snapped her whip.
"Touch him and die."
Mike smiled.
Ugly. Twisted.
When the demons calmed, Mike shouted:
"Everyone listen! If you want to shit this is the hole."
The demons erupted.
"How can we shit without food?!" one screamed.
Mike spread his arms like a savior.
"Then we find manure first."
Hope ignited.
The workers roared.
Mike turned away, whispering:
"I'll exploit them until the end."
Neva watched him carefully.
"Giant bird forest," she said.
"That's where you'll find what you want."
To reach it, they had to cross a hill.
Mike looked at Neva.
"Could you maybe carry"
She grabbed him.
And threw him.
His body smashed into the forest.
A tree exploded.
SYSTEM
-300 HP
[You Are Dead]
Ten minutes passed.
"Did I kill him?" Neva thought.
"…If he lives, I might fall in love with this toy."
SYSTEM
[Hidden Condition Met]
[Hidden Skill Activated]
Mike's eyes snapped open.
He gasped.
Sweat poured down his face.
It felt like ten years of hell had passed.
"…Who saved me?"
Then memory returned.
He laughed.
"I'm alive."
He stood and saw it.
Giant bird nests.
Broken eggshells.
And piles of steaming manure.
"The treasure of farming."
He shoveled it carefully and shouted:
"I FOUND IT! HANDLE IT WITH CARE!"
Neva reached out.
The manure collapsed.
Splattered all over her.
"…This is Shit."
Her pink eyes blazed.
"YOU'RE DEAD, STUPID HUMAN!!"
Mike clapped his hands.
Laughing.
Sending more.