"Princess... we are truly sorry. We lost Richard." The Hero Party bowed deeply, their faces stiff but their voices steady.

The princess, sitting on a silver throne, raised her head slowly. Her expression tightened. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

"This is unfortunate..." she whispered. "All of you were chosen by divine revelation. Each of you carries a unique blessing... and Richard was given a rare power meant to help us defeat the Demon Lord."

Her hands clenched slightly. She didn’t cry, but sadness flickered in her eyes. Sacrifices were expected. But losing a chosen one before even reaching the battlefield felt too cruel.

The blonde Hero stepped forward with a proud smile, "Don’t worry, Princess. Even without him, we will defeat the Demon King. His death won’t change the outcome."

The princess stared at him silently for a moment. His arrogance bothered her, but she forced a polite smile.

"I see... Then I will pray that the world survives until that day." She bowed her head and whispered a short prayer to God.

The Hero Party bowed again, hiding the guilt and satisfaction in their hearts. They walked out proudly, leaving behind the princess, who still felt something was terribly wrong.

"Chandra." Princess called.

A person appeared behind princess, she knelt facing the princess.

"Check out the truth." Princess ordered.

"Your Wish is my command." Chandra said and left.

---

Meanwhile, deep in the forest...

Tyler faced a creature that looked like a crocodile, but rougher, larger, and covered in ash-colored armor-like scales. Its long jaw dripped with thick saliva. Its eyes were hungry.

Tyler swallowed hard, "Serena... help..."

The orange cat on his shoulder looked unfazed. She held the Pocket Dimension Pearl in her mouth and let out a muffled meow.

The crocodile slowly lowered its body, preparing to pounce.

And then both Tyler and Serena vanished instantly.

The crocodile blinked in confusion, snapped its jaws at empty air, then growled. It sniffed around but found nothing except a small pearl that rolled to the riverbank. It ignored it completely.

Inside the Pocket Dimension Pearl...

Tyler floated in pitch-black space, weightless like he was drifting through a calm void.

"As expected... nothing here." He sighed. "Just like a storage ring, but it can hold living beings. At least there’s air..."

Serena hopped onto his chest and curled up comfortably. Tyler couldn’t help but smile a little as he stroked her fur.

Soon, a wave of sleepiness washed over him. Without any danger inside, he allowed his eyes to close. Serena fell asleep too, resting lightly on him.

He had no idea how long they slept.

Eventually, Tyler woke up with a yawn.

He gently nudged Serena.

"Oi, Serena. Go outside and check if that crocodile freak is still there."

Serena stared at him with a dramatic eye roll, then disappeared through the pearl’s exit.

One second later,

Tyler was thrown out of the pearl like a rock shot from a cannon.

"HEY—! Serena!?"

He landed face-first on soft grass.

He groaned and sat up. "Okay... next time , warn me before ejecting me..."

He looked around. The sun was rising and Morning breeze brushed against his face.

"Hmm... morning already? Good. Time to get some EXP. I’m too weak..."

He remembered how helpless he felt in front of the crocodile monster.

Tyler crouched by the river, drank some water, then filled his copper pot with more.

"Alright, Serena. Find a good place to grow a tree."

Serena nodded with a firm meow and dashed into the forest like a small orange missile.

Tyler climbed up a tree to wait. Within minutes, she returned.

"You found it already? Fast as always," Tyler praised.

Serena flicked her tail confidently and guided him to an open clearing. Sunlight poured through the treetops. The soil looked soft and perfect for planting.

"Nice spot," Tyler said.

He placed the copper pot down and splashed water onto the ground.

Then he took out several seeds, the same yellow fruit he had eaten earlier. He dug a small hole with his hands and placed a seed inside.

Next, he took his blade and cut his finger lightly.

"Four drops should do it..."

He squeezed out four drops of blood into the water in copper pot and mixing his DNA into it.

Then he splashed the water over the seed again and again.

"I miss the copper ladle..." he sighed. "It would make this so much easier."

Suddenly—

[You have gained 1 EXP.]

Followed by another—

[You have gained 1 EXP.]

Tyler grinned as he watched the soil tremble.

The seed sprouted.

A tiny green bud emerged, growing visibly before his eyes. The DNA Fertilizer skill was working perfectly.

He opened his status window immediately.

---

Name: Richard \ Tyler White

Age: 19

Species: Human

Occupation: Level 1 Farmer

Skill: DNA Fertilizer

Familiar: Serena (A Normal Cat)

---

MP: 1/5

Strength: 5

Stamina: 4

Vitality: 10

Speed: 4

EXP: 007

Skill Points: 0

---

Tyler smiled and let out a slow, deep breath.

"Seven EXP... Still a long way to go, but it’s progress," he murmured, staring at the glowing blue numbers hovering before him. Even though the gains were small, the fact that he was growing at all filled him with a strange sense of satisfaction.

Serena sat beside him, her fluffy tail swaying lazily behind her as she watched the tiny sprout he had planted earlier continue to grow. Her golden eyes reflected the small bud, as if she could see the faint mana within it.

"I wonder how much EXP is needed to get skill points..." Tyler wondered aloud.

He didn’t have to wait long. The system flickered.

Exp: 010

Skill Points: 1

Tyler’s eyes lit up. "Cool! Now let’s allocate this point to a skill." He rubbed his chin, thinking deeply. "Hmm... maybe I should put it into one of the basic skills first."

But when he tapped on the skill he wanted to enhance, a cold notification jumped out.

[Need 10 skill points to upgrade.]

"Useless..." Tyler muttered, shoulders drooping. "Why even give one point if I can’t do anything with it?"

Serena giggled softly at his expression, but Tyler was already staring hard at his status window again. Something caught his eye—an asterisk beside the word Skill.

"Huh? What’s this?"

Mentally, he pressed it.

Skill* Point: 1

The line changed instantly:

Skill, Attributes Point: 1

Tyler froze. His eyes widened so much they nearly popped out.

"So I can also upgrade the attributes too...?" His shock quickly transformed into excitement. "Then let’s get some strength!"

With that thought, he allocated the point to Strength.

The status window shifted again, numbers rearranging.

MP: 1/5

Strength: 5 → 6

Stamina: 4

Vitality: 10

Speed: 4

Exp: 011

Points: 0

Tyler grinned, feeling a subtle warmth run through his muscles. "Ohh... cool... hehehe... this is amazing. I wonder how far I can push this."

A wild idea popped into his head.

"Now let’s make everything ten!"

Before Serena could comment, Tyler grabbed the copper pot and began splashing water wildly at the small sprouts around him. He swung his arms with comical enthusiasm, drenching the soil, himself, and occasionally Serena, who squeaked in annoyance but did not stop him.

Hours passed. Maybe hundreds of splashes. Maybe thousands. Tyler lost count. The repetitive movement burned his arms, his back, even the muscles he didn’t know he had. But each time he splashed water, that familiar blue glow flickered:

+1 EXP

+1 EXP

+1 EXP...

Until finally, after what felt like an eternity of wet chaos, the system chimed loudly.

Tyler collapsed onto the ground, panting, soaked, and triumphant. He opened his status window.

MP: 10/10

Strength: 10

Stamina: 10

Vitality: 10

Speed: 10

EXP: 221

Points: 0

He stared at the perfect row of tens and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Hahaha! That’s great! Look at this! I actually did it!" He threw his arms into the air. "But... there’s a limit, I guess. The EXP I’m getting is getting really low... Probably because I’m planting the same seed again and again."

His laughter faded into a long sigh.

"Where can I get better seeds in the forest...?"

Serena’s ears twitched. She suddenly stood up straight.

"Meow" she whispered cautiously.

Tyler immediately tensed. "Not again... Another problem?"

Both of them turned toward the trees and bushes. The bushes rustled and Leaves trembled. Something small but fast darted between the roots.

Tyler braced himself.

Serena raised her claws.

And then—

A group of squirrels popped out.

"...Squirrels?" Tyler blinked.

He recognized them immediately, the same bunch he had fed yesterday while waiting eating that yellow fruit. Back then, he had tossed some fruits toward them just to kill time. He didn’t expect anything from them and had already forgotten about it.

But the squirrels remembered.

The little creatures rushed forward, chittering excitedly, their fluffy tails shaking as they carried small bundles in their mouths and paws. They hurriedly dropped everything in front of Tyler and Serena, nuts, mushrooms, strange leaves, colorful flowers and then retreated just as quickly, hiding behind the trees and peeking at him shyly.

Tyler stared at the pile on the ground and then chuckled softly.

"Wow..." He scratched his cheek, smiling. "Even though I fed them out of boredom, a good deed is still a good deed. Small acts create echoes. Nature always remembers."

"Just like the old saying," he said with a satisfied grin, "A person’s good deed or bad deed will definitely come back someday."

Tyler looked at the gifts once more. There were at least a dozen different types of nuts, rare-looking blue mushrooms, and blossoms that faintly glowed with mana.

He grinned lightly.