Yuji absorbed this information carefully, his gaze settling on "Language Level 1." After questioning the system further, he learned the skill's limitations: once activated, he could understand any language of his choosing, but only for an hour. Then came a brutal seven-day cooldown. Even worse, the ability only covered speaking and listening—reading and writing remained frustratingly out of reach. Still, it's something.
The inventory feature proved equally modest. Currently limited to non-living objects, though its capacity would expand with each upgrade. Maybe someday I'll be able to store living creatures. The thought sparked genuine excitement. Now wouldn't that be something?
Learning about skill upgrades sent the first real wave of joy through him in... well, longer than he cared to remember. After exhausting his questions—and probably the system's patience—fatigue finally caught up with him. He settled onto the ground, the world tilting slightly as a surprisingly sweet breeze drifted past.
For the first time in the last few days, this actually feels... comfortable. His eyelids grew heavy. Maybe I'll just rest for a minute…
But the system, it seemed, had other plans. While he was still savouring this rare moment of peace, a notification materialized before his eyes.
[Warning]
What now? Yuji barely had time to brace himself before another message appeared.
[Due to not consuming enough food for a long time, you have fallen into a weakened state. An emergency mission has been generated.]
Mission: The First Bite
Description: To survive, one must be strong enough to fend off the predators that lurk in the wild. Find a patch of grass and eat it to your heart's content. You are weak, and the predators won't wait. If you don't act fast, you'll become their next meal. But be cautious; this isn't a simple task. Eating the wrong thing can cause severe consequences. Not all grass is edible, and some may even harm you.
Objectives:
Locate the best edible grass nearby without any assistance. Eat until you feel completely satisfied. Afterwards, take a good, refreshing nap.
Reward: Unknown
Time Remaining: 3 hours
"My stats are falling—this must be the reason I feel so weak!" Yuji realized why his stomach was grumbling. "So that's the call for food." It wasn't that Yuji hadn't felt hungry for a while. In fact, he had been starving for over a day, but it didn't really hit him until now. He had yet to eat anything since finding himself here, and the weakness in his body was a constant reminder. Yet, with all the notifications flooding his mind, food hadn't really been on his radar.
He glanced at the mission again, his mind whirring. Why do I need to eat grass? Then it clicked. Oh, right—I'm a goat now.
Well, there wasn't exactly a buffet laid out for him, and grass looked like the only thing on the menu. Yuji reminded himself that goats were, by nature, herbivores. Meat simply wasn't in the cards. Still, he couldn't help but wonder—would it really hurt to try something different? He ran his tongue over his teeth. Not a bad set, all things considered. Who knows? Maybe I should try my luck before this set of teeth falls out.
More importantly, this was the first time he'd received a mission with a countdown. Sure, there were daily missions, but this was different. He looked at the remaining time. System, what will happen if I don't eat in 3 hours?
[The user will be paralysed and slowly die.]
Yuji froze. Wait a second... so, you're saying if I don't eat, I'll die painfully? He stared at the screen, disbelief creeping in. "That's... terrifying." Jokes aside, he thought, I've only been without food for a day. People can survive three days without food and seven days without water, right? He frowned. Or is it the other way around? His mind raced, but the ticking clock only added to the pressure. Whatever it is… Even with my current strength, I should be able to last at least another day. How come you just gave me only 3 hours? He kept his gaze on the screen, frustration building, but no answer came from the system.
Yuji let out a sigh. "Tell me the truth, what am I to you, System?" he muttered under his breath. Am I just like a dead battery that seems full but dies suddenly when it hits 70-80%?
A memory flashed before his eyes: his smartphone before he died. It wasn't the priciest phone, but it was good enough for everyday tasks. Then, he discovered something strange: even when it was fully charged, the phone would suddenly die when the battery hit 70-80%. What a phone it was—SD 840 processor with a 5000mAh battery, giving me seven hours of heavy gaming. I'll always miss you, my beauty.
After a few seconds, Yuji took a deep breath. Focus. You're a goat now. No use crying over a mobile phone. With time running out, he knew he had to act fast. But the mission made it clear—not all grass was safe. Some could even be dangerous. Just great. Now he had to worry about picking the wrong snack and poisoning himself.
He closed the system windows and scanned his surroundings. All he saw nearby were scraggly, dying blades of grass—nothing that looked remotely appetizing. Slim pickings, he thought.
So, he looked farther afield. Off in the distance, directly ahead, he spotted a row of houses. From his earlier observations, he'd figured that area was called the pan. But it wasn't the buildings that caught his attention—it was the patch of lush greenery around them. The sight made him glance around, hoping for another option.
Unfortunately, the grassland to his right, left, and even behind him stretched on and on, but it all looked dry and lifeless from where he stood. He didn't want to risk heading in any of those directions; for all he knew, the farm went on for miles, and he wasn't even sure there was a fence protecting those sides. The only option that made sense was to head toward the pan. Besides, that goat named Rokan had told him to stay close to where he was. And most importantly, he didn't have much time.
Without much hesitation, he started walking. After a few minutes, Yuji slowed down. From here, he could see the pan clearly, along with the row of houses—probably built for the shepherds. But what made him stop was the sight of many goats gathering in that direction. He'd just been knocked unconscious not long ago by some strange yearning, and he wasn't eager to get into trouble again. Maybe that's not such a good idea, he thought. The last thing he needed was more problems.
He looked down and noticed that the grass beneath his hooves was a bit greener here. After a moment's hesitation, he decided it was safer to stick to the grass around him, even if it didn't look promising. At least it might quiet his hunger for a bit.
Steeling himself, Yuji lowered his head to graze. But before he could take a bite, a sharp, unpleasant scent hit his nose. What on earth is that? He sniffed again, trying to pinpoint the source. That's when he noticed them—small, round, black pellets scattered among the grass. Not just a few, either. There were plenty.
He recognised them instantly. Goat droppings. Fantastic. I almost ate grass covered in goat droppings. The thought alone made his stomach turn. The smell was overwhelming, and he had to pull back. He remembered reading somewhere that adult goats sometimes rubbed urine on themselves to smell more "goatly," thinking it would help attract females. Unbelievable. Even in a fantasy world, goats are still up to the same nonsense.