Light fragments were scattered among the branches of the giant trees in the forest as a result of the soft sunshine filtering through their leaves. The broad leaves gave the forest a slightly dreamy tint, as though they were glistening and sparkling. There was something peaceful and serene about the woodnd in the morning. The crystal dew on the bright flower petals gave out its own light when exposed to the sun. The verdant foliage bore its own condensation, appearing to be about to drip down into a puddle.
*Plink*
It just so happened that one of these drops of dew plopped on Noah’s face. Raising his hand, he gently wiped away the water from his cheek. Looking at his surroundings, all he could see around him were unusually tall trees. Because the leaves were densely covering the top, the sunlight that managed to shine down was divided into thin rays.
"Noah, come on! Let's go!" A voice yelled his name from behind. Turning back, he saw a beautiful girl with cotton candy pink hair and rge red eyes waving frantically at him, jumping excitedly and calling out to him. What was peculiar was that on her head, she bore 2 long, furry ears that twitched with her every move.
Staring at those fluffy ears, Noah could not help but sigh. Slinging on the satchel that was set beside him, he got up from the big stone he was sitting on and stretched his arms above his head. Walking toward where the bunny girl was bouncing on her heels, he couldn't help but let out another sigh. If he were back in his original world, it would have been the first of July today. Unfortunately for him, there was no way for him to know what date or even what year it was here.
That's right, he was not originally from this world. The world he was originally from was called Blue Star. Just the day before, his secretary had recommended to him a novel titled ?Guide to Pampering a Wife from Another World? as a joke. The Novel had a short-lived cannon fodder character with the same name as him. Noah in the novel could be described in three words: Vicious, Vain, and Vile. He constantly seduced the male leads, made trouble for the female protagonist, tried to humiliate her, and ended up being face-spped every time. Totally the opposite of the real Noah.
In the novel, the female lead is a delicate and attractive good luck charm, Mary Sue, and the male leads are her guardian angels who pamper her to the skies. Although they faced difficulties, it only strengthened their bond. In the future, the female lead was supposed to have cute cubs with each one of her male companions, live a fulfilling life, and lead the Beastkin to glory.
However, the book had rotten writing.
Noah could live with the fact that the novel had a short-lived cannon fodder that had the same name as his and wore a halo that reduced his intelligence. But it was intolerable that this novel didn't have any of the sweet pampering he had wanted to see. Every page was just the author writing shitty fantasies.
The novel was a reverse harem with beastmen in a primitive setting, but the main characters were idiots acting as the leaders of their respective groups who don't expin and don't listen. The Female lead was probably one of the stupidest transmigrated protagonists he had ever read about, with her mind always in the gutter. She just doesn't question anything. And when she did finally ask questions she didn't push for any answers.
Basically, all her problems started with her. She gave mixed signals to every man she met. Wanted everyone's niceness with no payment, taking everything for granted. Even the explicit scenes were quite tasteless. Noah was so annoyed that he flung it into the firepce and went to sleep.
Who knew...Who knew he would travel through time and space to this novel world!!!
Noah couldn’t believe his luck! He had read thousands of hundreds of novels both before and after the apocalypse, but he just had to transmigrate into the shittest of the shitty novel he had ever read.
*Gurgle, gurgle*
Rubbing his stomach, he felt a little hungry. He hadn't eaten anything since this morning. The Green Tree tribe, the tribe to which the original Noah belonged, was attacked by a beast tide and soon fell into crisis because they hadn’t been able to save enough food or salt. At this critical moment, a pack of wandering beastmen came to the Green Tree tribe and made a deal. They would pay 3 Gnu and 2 sacks of salt for each fertile female given to them.
Last night, everyone in the tribe had gathered in the tribal chief's house for this matter when Noah, who had just gone to bed in his original world, swapped souls with the Noah from this world. It was just a matter of a few blinks. In the original novel, although the cannon fodder refused, he was ultimately packed up and sent out to the pack of wandering beastmen. Consequently, Noah decided to give up on useless resistance and even proactively recommended himself and earned a few brownie points. As a result, when he was leaving the tribe this morning, a few of the other females who were overlooked as a result of his proactiveness gifted him some small trinkets as a thank you. Although none of it was food, as expected.
The problem was, although the original owner was a favored female, where was he supposed to find gourmet food in this primitive era?
As a first-css foodie who did not even sacrifice his meal standards even in the apocalypse, Noah almost cried when he thought of the bitter days ahead with bnd barbecue.
【System Loading】
As the words unfolded, a voice indistinguishable from age or gender appeared in his mind! It was as if several people were speaking together, but it was also as if a single person was speaking alone.
【Ding! The Druid System 001 is now online. Host Noah is bound successfully. May the forces of nature be with you.】
Suddenly, a chibi pgue doctor plushie the size of his palm popped out of thin air in front of him. "Ack?!" Caught off guard, Noah stepped back and raised his hand to spike it six feet across, just like a volleyball.
Noah: ...........Oops
Druid System 001:【...........QAQ】
After slowing down, Noah suddenly felt a little embarrassed. “What the hell! You scared me!”
The plushie feebly rose up from the ground and hid behind a flower, comically hiding his chubby body behind a thin stem, cautiously poking his head out to peek at him. Its voice was a little lost and aggrieved. 【Dear Host, please don't get so surprised when you are the one who used violence against the system.】
Sheepishly scratching the back of his head, he let out a reluctant ugh and crouched beside the little flower, "Ha ha ha, right, ah, sorry for that little guy."
Seemingly appeased, it floated out from behind the stem and puffed out its chest as if to say No sweat!-I'll-be-the-bigger person. 【It's alright, Dear Host! I also apologize for accidentally surprising the host. It took a long time to build the system, so it was only now that I got activated. Then I will formally welcome dear Host again.】
【Mr. Noah. Welcome to the Beastmen Continent. I am Druid System 001. But you may call me 001】
"Noah! What are you doing dawdling there? Come on." The pink bunny's loud whining came from the front, attracting the attention of everyone in the party to look his way. When they heard that Noah was dragging his feet, while the males didn't feel any dissatisfaction, the females looked at him with unkind expressions.
The males in the party all had partners already. Only their partners are allowed to ride on a male beastman's back, so the females could only walk to the pce agreed upon for the exchange. When had these pampered females ever had to walk so far without any assistance? Everyone was tired, and when they heard him zing, all their frustrations were directed at him.
This woman was originally Noah’s toxic friend. She never leaves any opportunity to shame Noah, just like now. Something that could be said quietly was loudly announced to everyone, portraying Noah in a bad light.
Noah was too zy to respond to this childish provocation. After all, he was a man. Squabbling with little girls over such insignificant problems was unsightly. "Ah! It's nothing. I was just a little tired, sorry." Apologizing before others could even say a sentence, really makes people feel stifled.
Noah hugged the little system plushie in his arms and smiled softly at the sudden twisted expressions on the bunny's face. For some reason, although the smile was still pure, it made him look quite sly. As a person who has read a considerable amount of novels, of course, he knew what a system was.
It’s just that the surprise came too quickly. After a little ecstasy, he thought of the anti-golden finger novels he had read before, “Are you real? Where is your badge? ID card? Certificate? Is there a Host Helpline Channel? Is there a compint channel?”
Druid System 001: 【……】 It felt offended that the host didn’t believe the system.
The unique voice of the 001 was a little less nonchant than before. 【Of course, I am authentic! Host, please believe in the system! Please look!】
With that, a blue translucent panel appeared in front of his eyes with a System Identification Certificate and an Inter-dimensional work permit. Both of the documents bore the stamp of the Time and Space Administration Bureau. The information that caught his eye was:
System status: Novice
Host: Noah, Blue Star
Local god signature: Ragher, The Beast God
So the little thing was working with the Beast God, ah. The most important thing was that there really was a compint button in the lower right corner!
When Noah tried to reach out and click on it, 001 was stupefied for a second and started to cry: 【What did 001 do wrong? Why Host? Why? Why do you want to report 001? Tell 001 Host? 001 will change!】
Distract him and he won’t want to compin.
If this system was reported, it would be locked for many years!
He is its first-ever host. It didn’t want to be screwed up right away!
Noah took back his hand and listened to the mournful voice of the system like a heartbroken girlfriend trying to keep her scumbag boyfriend from leaving. He immediately hugged the little plushie and caressed the top of the plushie's tophat, Coaxing softly, “No-no, I was just a little curious. Don't cry, little doll.”
The 001 breathed a sigh of relief and sniffed quietly, speaking in a low voice, 【Dear Host, 001 will issue you tasks. As long as the host is able to complete these tasks, corresponding abilities, system coins, and rewards will be issued after assessment.
The host also has a talent panel with talents such as martial arts, cooking, drawing, carving, pying musical instruments, acting, and computer skills, among others. The Host can use system points to buy these talents.
These talents would need to be practiced so that he could fully grasp them. There is also the system mall, although the quantity is small, the items in the system mall get refreshed every 7 days.】
【As the host completes the tasks, he will be able to become a Great Druid, avert the crisis looming over the Beastkin, and lead them to greatness~】
However, after listening to all this, Noah didn't even so much as blink his eyes. Maybe it was because 001 was still a novice; it left out many details in its expnation, but Noah already got the gist of it. With how idiotic the female lead and her partners were, there is no way that the fate of the Beastkin will be secure. So the Beast God must have requested assistance from the Time and Space Administration Bureau, resulting in his transmigration.
"So, what happens if I fail a task?" Although Noah didn't think that he would fail the tasks assigned by 001, he still asked out of curiosity.
【If the host fails to complete the tasks, then a punishment mission will be issued according to the situation. But the host doesn't need to worry about this! All the tasks issued by 001 are simple, and according to 001's calcutions, the probability of the host failing the mission is almost less than 10%. Don't worry, dear host! 001 believes in the host !】
Looking at the little pgue doctor in his arms, waving its hands and saying that it believed in him, although he didn't believe in the little rascal at all, Noah still felt a little cute inside.
As the party finally exited the forest, they arrived at an unusually wide riverside. The males started to set camp while the females sat in the shadows of the tree and chattered leisurely. This was the pce unanimously decided by both parties for the exchange.
Noah set his satchel down beside a tree near the river and set the system plushie on top of it. Crouching beside the riverside, Noah pced his hands in the water and spshed a handful of water on his face. The cool river water sprinkled on his face, and the cold pleasure helped him to cool off his head.
Gulping down a mouthful, he listened to the system finishing his expnation about the worldview of this pce, Noah was pretty sure that it was simir to what was described in the novel.
Different from humans, who distinguish their gender as men and women, Beastkin distinguish it based on their ability to shapeshift. Beastmen evolved from real animals and have a beast core inside of them.
Male beastmen are able to transform freely between their humanoid and bestial forms while retaining their natural instincts.
Female beastmen couldn't shapeshift into a bestial form but had animal characteristics such as ears, horns, and tails, and regardless of their physique ...had the ability to bear offspring!!
Bear offspring?!
The worst thing is that his current identity is the so-called female!!
Noah's own worldview which was already not very stable for the past 5 years, was completely shattered by this movement.
Silently lowering his head, he stared at his lower abdomen for a long while and decided that it was a problem for future Noah to consider.
This Beastmen continent was isoted from the rest of the world by the bck sea, because of which the civilization has not yet been fully developed, and the life of the beastmen is extremely primitive and difficult.
Taking off the animal hide wrapped around his feet, he soaked them in the water while trying to remember more of the background of this world from the novel.
After Noah arrived in this world, he already had the memories of the original owner of the body. Because of the scarcity of females, they were extremely precious. They have been spoiled rotten since birth, and most of their tempers and personalities are very arrogant. They haven't worked a day in their lives.
In order to increase reproduction, each female would usually have several mates at the same time. Another reason was that the Beastmen continent was a dangerous pce where the 'weak are meat, that the strong eat'. Here, the strong could do whatever they wanted while the weak ones had to bear with it. It was the natural order of things in the animal kingdom.
Predators hunt and kill their prey in order to survive, and even within the same species, the strongest often dominate and prey on weaker members. No male had the confidence to protect, care, and provide for a female all by himself.
The body of a female was tender and weak. After a full day of traversing through the forest, not only were his feet sore and aching but there were also a few scratches on his soles. Looking around, he spotted a pnt with long, narrow leaves.
Carefully plucking a few leaves, he washed them in the river, sat down with his back leaning against the tree, and began weaving them. Soon, under the skillful manoeuvre of his nimble fingers, a pair of brand-new grass shoes took shape. In order to make them more comfortable, he deliberately padded the bottom of the shoes with a yer of soft broad leaves.
The system voice suddenly sounded within his mind—
【Dear host, a Druid cims no mastery over nature but sees themselves as extensions of nature's indomitable will. To be at one with nature.】
【Novice mission triggered!】
【Task: Abandoned settlement and live among the trees. After the task is completed, a novice gift pack will be issued!】
Listening to the familiar voice and looking at the transparent blue panel in front of his eyes, Noah was a bit puzzled and asked the system, "Haven't I already left the Green Tree tribe? Doesn’t that already mean that I have already completed this task? Why issue a mission that has already been completed?"
Hearing the host's questions, the system was a bit stumped. The blue text box showed garbled characters. After a bit of contemption, 001 weakly spoke,【..... Dear host, can speak it out loud once, and 001 will consider the task completed.....】
Originally for his first task world, 001 had asked around with the other systems who had successfully completed their mission in a primitive world or anything close to it and compiled a list of tasks it could issue to the host with a high success rate.
Who knew that it would take so long to load the system, QAQ?!!
All its hard work went into the gutter, a face full of bitter tears!!
Noah eyed the system plushie suspiciously. "You didn't make a list of the quests that you will issue to me, did you?"
Seeing the text box full of 【@#?%&】, Noah also had a slight idea of what was going on. It reminded him of the interns at his old company, who would memorize the most frequently asked questions from interviews like their lives depended on it. But if they were thrown an out-of-the-box question, they'd freeze up, totally stumped.
Looking at the panel screen full of garbled characters, he thought that if he teased the system anymore, he would see the magical scene of code shedding tears, so he stifled his ughter and spoke aloud, "I have left the Green Tree Tribe as of now. I no longer have anything to do with them anymore~" There was a teasing tone to his decration.
【(///￣ ￣///)】
【Confirming the completion of the novice task.】
【Issuing the novice gift pack. 】
【System coins ×50, Ptinum Lucky Wheel Ticket ×1】
"Hey, is this a joke?" Clutching the phony-looking lottery ticket in one hand, Noah grabbed the top of the pgue doctor's tophat with an iron grip.
For the first time since it was created, 001 felt a chill go up its spine and hurriedly expined, 【Dear host, please listen to 001's expnation first! Before the host resorts to extreme measures!】
"Well, go on. I'm waiting. Let's see how you expin it?"
【Dear host, this is the ticket to a legendary lottery! The smallest prize is at least an A-css item! There is no loss to the host! 001 guarantees!】
"Fine! Anyway, since you have already made the list, just give me the task rewards even if they have already been completed! Since I did so much hard work, I should at least reap the rewards!" With such a fierce host, the little pitiful system had no choice but to comply.
【Task: No one can survive in isotion; we all rely on the community that surrounds us. Gain favourability of 5 Indigenous females】
【Task: The path ahead is arduous and full of stones. Make a pair of shoes to protect your feet.】
【Task: Living things can not live without water. Find a source of water to quench your thirst.】
......
【Confirming the completion of the task. Issuing Host's rewards.】
【System coins ×50, Flint and Steel striker ×1】
【System coins ×50, Deck of Wooden Tarot Cards ×1】
【System coins ×50, A Tin of Candy Drops ×1】
Hearing the continuous system reminders, although the rewards were nothing more than small trinkets, they were incredibly useful in this situation.
Looking at the 【Ptinum Lucky Wheel Ticket】 in his hands, Noah contempted for a while before a devious smile crept onto his face.
The system looked at Noah's stern face and thought that he was dissatisfied with what he had received. The system plushie began to sweat profusely.
Opening the System Mall, he searched around for a bit on the page filled with dark-colored, bizarre goods that gave off ominous vibes.
What 【A Jar of Leeches】,【Bee Venom】,【Deer Antlers 】,【Gecko kidneys】… what the hell are all of these? Is this the Druid System? Or is it the Evil Sorcerer System?
After scrolling to the center of the list, he finally found what he wanted.
【101% Lucky Potion
?? Now, the dream of accidentally falling in love with the prince of a country or picking up a 5-star mansion by the roadside is not too far away. ?
Effect: 1 Time
Price: 10,000 System coins】
With a disinterested expression, he spoke in a bored tone: "I’m a new buyer. Shouldn’t you guys give a newbie discount or something?"
The System was hesitant: 【The system mall is managed by the mainframe system. Dear host, 001 can't arbitrarily give out discounts to the host......】 Its tone had become weaker and weaker by the end of its sentence.
"Ah, but surely there's a first-time buyer promotion or a special deal for newcomers, right?" Noah baited, knowing the System's capabilities extended beyond what it pretended. "Didn't you say that you would help me as much as you could? Or do you think I can't complete the mission? Am I that unreliable in your eyes?"
Noah seemed to be disappointed by the System’s silence, "You have so little trust in me." It was a btant lie. 001 had said none of that, but it was so flustered by the disappointment in the host's voice that it didn't realize it at all.
001 stuttered, clearly uncomfortable with the accusation:【N-no, of course not. That’s not it, Dear host. 001 didn't mean to imply!!】
Noah interrupted with a sly grin, pressing his advantage. "Then, how about you check again for any avaible discounts? I wouldn't want to think you're holding out on me intentionally."
【Ah yes! Let me check again! Ah-Ha! There is actually a promotional offer for new buyers. You can receive a 15% discount on your first purchase.】
Noah raised an eyebrow threateningly: "Hmm, I'll let you see it again. Is it really only 15%?"
001, feeling pressured, responded quickly, 【I-I saw it wrong, host! There's actually an additional 5% discount avaible for today only, making it a total of 20% off your first purchase!】
Noah gred bitterly through his tear-filled eyes at the plushie, "001, do you think I am so easy? This is the st and final time I'll ask you."
Now, 001 really wanted to cry. The other systems were able to dupe their hosts, no problem. Why, when it came to his turn, he could only be duped by his host instead? Did he really have no talent for this? This was so unfair!!
【Ansester! Please have mercy on me! 23% is really the most I can do! Please accept this offer, dear host.】
Noah quickly clicked on the purchase option and grabbed the bottle that appeared out of nowhere. His sad expression suddenly became lively as his tears retracted. He leaned back against his arms. "Little dummy. Remember, next time, don't try to pull a fast one on me."
001: 【……】
001: 【Wuwuwuwuwuwu……】
"Okay, stop crying. This is giving me a headache." After tossing the bottle up and down a few times, Noah opened the cap with a pop. Not feeling any changes in his body, he opened the Reward Panel before using the 【Ptinum Lucky Wheel Ticket】. There, on the interface, a colorful lucky wheel with cheerful music appeared on the hovering screen in front of him. Clicking on 【Spin】, the wheel spun rapidly, each section passing Noah's eyes in a blur of colors and symbols. Finally, with a satisfying ding, the wheel slowed down and came to a stop on a segment.
【The Great Sage’s Third Eye - SSS Grade
??The all-seeing eye of The Great Sage, Xexemi, who had sacrificed all of his eyes for the sake of reaching enlightenment. ?
Skill: [Appraisal] [Polyglo] [Copy (Lock)] [Lie Detection (Lock)] [Hallucinations (Lock)] [Vision Transmission (Lock)] [Vision Shuffle (Lock)] [Mana eyes (Lock)] [Cirvoyance (Lock)]
*Upon equipping, it can not be extracted unless the user dies.】
There was another panel beside it:【Warning! Upon equipping【The Great Sage’s Third Eye】, it becomes bound to you. Do you wish to proceed with the equipping? Yes/No】
Just as he selected the【Yes】optionto equip 【The Great Sage’s Third Eye】, Noah felt a surge of power coursing through him. An eye appeared before him, radiating a mystical aura that seemed to pierce through the fabric of reality itself. With a sudden burst of energy, it shot forward and aligned perfectly between his eyebrows, embedding itself into his consciousness with a profound force.
As the eye merged with him, Noah's senses expanded exponentially. He could feel knowledge flooding into his mind. It was as if a veil had been lifted, revealing yers of existence he had never perceived. There was a burning sensation on the skin of his forehead.
Looking at his reflection in the river water, he was met with a face he had been seeing for the past several years. Nothing much had changed in accordance with his appearance, except that maybe he had become younger and that he also had horns and ears, just like the other indigenous people on this continent. And now, there was a bright-red vertical eye sigil tattooed in the middle of his forehead, adding a mysterious charm to his already handsome face. After a moment of staring, he covered half his face with his long bangs, but it did not hinder his new ability.
A multitude of shining marks appeared out of nowhere, sticking to everything in his surroundings, just like in a game— clubs (?), diamonds (?), hearts (?), and spades (?). Trying to test his new ability, he looked around and spotted an ordinary-looking white flower among the thickly overgrown grass.
Noah quietly muttered while touching one of its soft petals, "Examine… Investigation… , Appraisal… , Search… ,【Scan】"
As soon as the words fell, a light green panel unfolded in front of his eyes. Noah fixed his eyes on this unremarkable flower.
【? Moonlight Blossom Rank C
A delicate flower that blooms under the moonlight, emitting a faint glow. Its petals are soft and shimmer with a silver hue.
Acts as a natural fever reducer when brewed into tea or consumed raw.
Side Effects: Mild drowsiness and sleepiness; may cause prolonged sleep if consumed in rge quantities.
Notes: Moonlight Blossom is prized for its dual benefits of reducing fever and promoting sleep. It is often sought after by adventurers seeking healing during their journeys, as well as by those seeking a restful night's sleep under the moonlit sky.】
"Hoho! This is pretty convenient~" Noah grinned arrogantly before collecting a few more flowers and storing them away, not knowing the glinting eyes following his every movement in the water.
