Chapter 185
Chapter 185
‘A Linked Quest?’
It had appeared abruptly, without any prior sign.
Without hesitation, I pressed it and began reading through the details.
Resolve the monster issue in the central area of the island.
Deal with the traces of the fire.
Establish a second forest farm and base.
Once all three quests are completed, the next linked quest will be unlocked!
Among them, one line particularly caught my eye.
Resolve the monster issue in the central area of the island.
‘……So there were still monsters left on the island.’
According to the original storyline, after the comprehensive examination ended, Professor Ruber eliminated all monsters across the entire island.
Had there been some that he failed to deal with?
‘Or perhaps monsters naturally spawned, unrelated to the exam.’
The conditions for monster emergence had never been clearly identified, but mana contamination was considered one of the main causes.
‘Right. Mana in this era isn’t exactly clean.’
It was a plausible assumption.
However, the ‘Danger Detection’ Skill still had not activated.
At the very least, there didn’t seem to be any sign of monsters nearby.
‘Since the quest specifically states the central area…….’
That likely meant any remaining monsters existed only in the center of the island.
Of course, subjugating monsters was no longer much of a burden to me.
‘I’ve grown considerably stronger since returning from Kirhen.’
The ‘Wolf’s Swordsmanship’ personally taught to me by Commander of the Empire’s First Knight Order Bedervel.
After seeing how quickly I mastered it, she had said she had never witnessed anything like it before.
Naturally so.
It wasn’t because I was some innate genius of the sword, but simply thanks to the ‘Learning Device’ I had obtained as a quest reward.
‘This will also be a good opportunity to test my swordsmanship in actual combat.’
There was no reason to leave the monsters unattended any longer. I planned to set a date soon and head to the central area for subjugation.
I had reviewed all the quest details.
They were tasks I needed to handle anyway for island management, and if additional rewards were offered, there was no reason to refuse.
Especially when I saw the phrase stating that one of the rewards applied only to an ‘egg,’ something immediately came to mind.
‘I happen to have one, after all…….’
Yes. I had an egg that stubbornly refused to hatch.
I operated the System and opened the ‘Animal Farm.’
A small farm spread across the screen.
The first things that caught my eye were Boogi and Hwayo, quietly sleeping. Circling around them energetically was Shuck.
Pau was resting in the pond, and Ramji was perched in a tree, nibbling on fruit.
And then…… beneath the shade of that tree stood a single pink incubator.
Inside it lay a golden egg, shining so brightly that light seemed to leak from within.
When I zoomed in on the incubator, a hologram with a pink background appeared.
Egg of the Golden Sun Parakeet
Hatching Progress: 88%
Ah, how dazzling! The egg is beginning to tremble slightly! Could it be preparing to hatch? Let’s be a little more patient and wait!
‘I think it’s been almost four months since I bought it at the auction house.’
Recently, the hatching progress had increased rapidly.
After I placed the red gem removed from the tournament trophy into the incubator, the percentage had jumped noticeably.
Without that gem, the egg probably wouldn’t have hatched until spring or early summer.
‘But a reward that affects this egg…….’
A long wait.
A red gem connected to the Goddess.
And the reward I would receive for clearing the quest, ‘Primordial Bond.’
If all of these influenced the egg……
Though it was explicitly labeled ‘Egg of the Golden Sun Parakeet,’ with this much care invested, wouldn’t it be reasonable to hope for a baby dragon rather than a mere parrot?
A faint chuckle escaped me.
‘Well, it looks like it’ll hatch within a month. Let’s see just how extraordinary this little one turns out to be.’
At the very least, I should be able to see what was inside the egg before the new semester began.
However, I had no idea what precise effect ‘Primordial Bond’ would have on it.
As I was contemplating the reward, the System displayed a pink screen as if it had read my thoughts.
‘Primordial Bond’ is a special reward where the Goddess intervenes at the beginning of life.
It expands the egg’s potential and elevates the ‘rank’ of the being that will be born!
“……Hmm, I get that it has a positive effect on the egg.”
I stared at the screen.
“But that explanation is too abstract. Can you tell me exactly what it does?”
There was a brief pause.
Then the pink screen refreshed.
The growth limit is increased! And the probability of being judged as a rare individual rises significantly! There’s also a possibility that the number of skills will increase!
An increased growth limit?
A rare individual?
As a gamer, those concrete examples were extremely intriguing.
‘Besides, this is the first I’m hearing about this.’
Up until now, a spirit beast could only use two activated skills as cards.
I had believed that rule would never be broken, but apparently not.
“So there’s a chance it could be born as a spirit beast capable of using three card skills?”
Yes, that’s right! Not only card skills, but there’s also a possibility that additional passive skills may be granted!
However, what abilities it will possess and what form it will take cannot be known until the moment it hatches!
“……So in gaming terms, it’s like the probability of pulling a top-tier character increases. That’s incredible.”
Hehe! That’s right. The Goddess is incredible!
The System answered proudly, as if the achievement were its own.
That made something nag at me.
‘The System mentioned the Goddess again.’
I did not believe in gods.
But ever since I fell into this world, I had been almost forcibly entangled with this ‘Goddess.’
The gem I possessed, the items I crafted, even the items affecting my farm—
All of them bore the label of having received the ‘Goddess’s’ blessing.
‘In the game, the Goddess was merely a setting.’
There hadn’t even been an illustration of her, let alone a concrete existence.
Yet in this world, now made real, her presence felt strangely tangible.
And every time I conversed with the System like this, an odd question followed.
What exactly was this System that only I could see?
“Hey, System. I’ve been curious for a while now. What exactly are you? Just an artificial intelligence?”
As for me, I am a devoted assistant who fervently supports only the Farm Owner! Even if the entire world turns its back on you, I will cheer for you with all my heart!
“Right. I appreciate the sentiment. We’ve been together for nearly a year, so I already know that. That’s not what I’m asking. I’m wondering if you’re simply an artificial intelligence.”
Well~ think whatever you’d like, Farm Owner!
Hah, would you look at this.
Was it really refusing to answer?
“Then tell me what you know about the Goddess. The shop mentions her, the items I have mention her—everything is about the Goddess. You’re related to her too, aren’t you?”
……Hehehe, if you try to know too much, you’ll regret it! That’s a trade secret!
“What trade secret? At least give me a hint.”
But mercilessly, the System offered no further reply.
Clicking my tongue, I closed it.
‘It definitely doesn’t feel like a simple processing machine. It feels intelligent…… Could it be some kind of high-performance AI?’
The System was astonishingly convenient, but I still had no idea how it actually functioned.
‘If I gather more items related to the Goddess, maybe I’ll uncover the System’s secrets as well.’
Yes. No matter how much I struggled now, I lacked sufficient clues.
At present, I knew nothing. One could not imagine the completed picture from a single puzzle piece.
But if all the pieces were gathered—
If I fit them together one by one—
Only then, at the end, would I understand.
What picture the puzzle piece I held belonged to.
……That was what I chose to believe.
‘Anyway, I should focus on what I need to do right now.’
I took out an axe from my Subspace. Grasping the air, Shuck’s card appeared in my hand.
After adjusting the ability, Shuck’s darkness engulfed the axe and even my arm.
In that state, I began logging.
Thanks to Shuck’s ability, a single swing of the axe was enough to cut down an old tree entirely.
I finished the logging quickly.
‘If I’m going to turn this into farmland, I’ll need to remove some of the stumps too. I’ll stop here for today and handle the rest tomorrow.’
I walked toward the tree that housed the ‘Teleport.’
It wasn’t far, so I arrived quickly.
Standing before the Teleport, I glanced around.
My stealth detection skill did not activate.
Since there was no chance of Shia spying on me, I immediately threw myself into the tree.
When I emerged from the drum barrel, the first thing I saw was Rapin sitting at the table.
He appeared to be examining the contents of a wooden box placed before him.
“Billet.”
Rapin stood up and approached me. He sniffed the air briefly, then quickly realized.
“You smell like the forest. Did you go to the island?”
“Yeah.”
As I answered, I told Rapin that I had decided to purchase the island.
“You bought the island?”
Rapin blinked.
“I can’t keep going back and forth illegally, so I just bought it. It’s mine now, so I can use that drum barrel freely.”
“Oh…….”
Rapin’s eyes sparkled brilliantly.
He looked eager to visit the island as soon as possible.
“Tomorrow morning, I’ll head to the administration office, pay the remaining gold, and once it’s fully mine, I’ll start developing it properly.”
“Mm, I’ll help too.”
“If you want to.”
At my response, Rapin nodded vigorously, clearly excited.
Then, as if remembering something, he pushed the box on the table toward me.
“Oh, right. Billet, look at this. It’s fascinating.”
I peered into the box.
Wriggle, wriggle……
On the leaves of the Spirit Grass, three white larvae had begun spinning silk inside the box.
‘So it’s finally begun.’
The Thousand-year Butterfly larvae I had obtained from the cave in Kirhen.
Now, about a month and a half later, they were finally preparing to form cocoons.
If left like this, they would fill this box entirely with silk.
That wouldn’t be good for them—or for me.
‘It’s better to move them somewhere larger.’
I brought out three large wooden boxes from storage and placed one larva in each.
It would likely take about three days for them to complete their cocoons.
‘They’re producing more silk than before.’
Freed into larger boxes, the larvae spun silk at a much faster rate than when they had been confined in the small box.
If this continued, I would likely obtain more fiber than expected.
At first, I had only considered making lightweight boots or silk garments to assist Rapin’s abilities, but it seemed I could craft a few additional items as well.
Inside the boxes, white silk layered steadily, gradually revealing the shape of cocoons.
Rapin and I sat side by side, silently watching the sight for quite some time.