Chapter 5
1546 Words
On the other side of the mountain, Grey had been walking uphill for nearly twelve minutes.
Surprisingly, he wasn't tired.
Even though the original Grey was lazy and hated working, his body had excellent stamina. After all, he often climbed these mountains—not to gather food or hunt, but to hide from work.
At least that habit was proving useful now.
As he continued walking, Grey carefully observed every tree, shrub, and vine he passed.
If I can find wild fruits or edible plants, at least my family won't go hungry tonight.
Unfortunately...
This wasn't Earth.
Although the world resembled his own in almost every way, there were still many differences.
According to the original Grey's memories, this world was called Earthra.
Its mountains, rivers, and climate were almost identical to Earth's.
The biggest difference...
The plants.
Almost every tree, herb, and mushroom surrounding him was unfamiliar. There were a few plants he recognized from Earth, such as spinach and some of the vegetables they had back home, but most of the plants around him were completely foreign.
Grey used to work in a vegetable farm before in his first life, so he possessed knowledge of plants from Earth.
But here...
That knowledge was almost useless.
"I don't even know what's edible anymore," he muttered.
After walking for a while longer, he sat beneath a large tree to catch his breath.
Suddenly—
Ding!
A familiar mechanical voice echoed inside his head.
[Supreme Farming System detected.]
[Activate the Supreme Farming System?]
[YES / NO]
Grey's eyes widened.
"What is this?"
The mechanical voice continued.
[You have twenty seconds to decide.]
[Failure to respond will result in automatic shutdown.]
"What the—"
"So it wasn't a hallucination?"
His heartbeat quickened.
"System?"
"Just what are you?"
Was he really hearing a voice inside his head?
Or had he finally gone crazy?
[9...]
[8...]
"Wait!"
"Yes!"
The blue screen flashed brightly.
[Congratulations.]
[The Supreme Farming System has successfully bound to Host: Grey Anderson.]
[Please review your current status.]
Another translucent blue screen appeared before him.
Host Information
Name: Grey Anderson
Age: 29
Occupation: Farmer (Not Recognized)
Money: 0 Unik
Collection: 0
Tools: None
Storage Capacity: 20%
Talent: Slacker
Points: 0
Grey stared at the screen.
"...What?"
His eyes twitched.
"'Talent: Slacker?'"
"Seriously?"
"Out of all the talents I could inherit..."
"I got Slacker?"
He couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.
"What kind of person has being lazy listed as a talent?"
Taking a deep breath, he looked back at the floating screen.
"System."
"How do I use you?"
The mechanical voice immediately replied.
[Host may collect materials, plants, minerals, or food.]
[Collected items can be exchanged for money, tools, seeds, food, and various goods originating from your former world, Earth.]
Grey's eyes lit up.
"Wait..."
"So I can actually buy things from Earth?"
[Correct.]
"And the points?"
[Points are earned through effort, farming, exploration, harvesting, and completing missions.]
[Points can be used to upgrade your Storage Capacity, unlock new Talents, and improve the System.]
A smile slowly spread across Grey's face.
"This is incredible."
"What else can you do?"
[Current System Level is insufficient.]
[At the current level, I can identify plants, materials, and living creatures.]
[Additional functions will unlock after future upgrades.]
Grey clenched his fist.
This wasn't just a system.
It was a gold mine.
With this...
He could truly change his family's future.
"All right."
"Let's find something valuable."
Not long after, his eyes landed on a large mushroom growing beside an old tree.
It was almost the size of a watermelon, with bright red spots covering its pale cap.
On Earth, he wouldn't have dared touch it.
It looked incredibly poisonous.
But this wasn't Earth.
"System."
"Identify this."
The screen immediately scanned the mushroom.
[Item Identified.]
Name: Mushwoush Mushroom
Grade: Common
Effect: Medicinal ingredients used for treating fever and inflammation. External use only.
Edibility: Not edible.
Grey sighed.
"I was hoping for food."
Just as he was about to walk away, another notification appeared.
[Exchange Value: 15 Unik.]
His eyes widened.
"Wait..."
"I can exchange it?"
[Yes.]
Grey immediately became excited.
"Fifteen Unik?"
"If I remember correctly..."
"The currency here is called Unik."
His heart raced.
“How much is one Unik worth compared to Earth’s currency?”
The System displayed another prompt.
[Select exchange option.]
Money
Food
Tools
Grey rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
"It isn't even noon yet."
"I still have plenty of time to search for food."
"My family also needs money..."
He remembered the condition of their house.
The leaking roof.
The broken walls.
Everything needed repairs.
But before any of that...
He needed something more important.
A harvesting tool.
Without one, collecting plants would be slow and difficult.
"System."
"How much is a sickle?"
[Basic Iron Sickle.]
Price: 5 Unik.
Grey smiled.
"Only five?"
"That means I'll still have ten Unik left."
He nodded without hesitation.
"All right."
"I'll buy the sickle."
The moment he confirmed his purchase, the blue screen shimmered.
A flash of light appeared before him.
Then...
A brand-new iron sickle materialized in his hand.
Grey stared at it in amazement.
"It actually works..."
"Haha... yes!"
Grey couldn't hide the grin on his face.
"System, show me my status."
A blue screen immediately appeared before him.
---
**Host Information**
**Name: Grey Anderson
**Age:** 29
**Occupation:** Farmer *(Not Recognized)*
**Money:** 10 Unik
**Collection:** 0
**Tools:** Basic Iron Sickle
**Storage Capacity:** 20%
**Talent:** Slacker
**Points:** 0
---
"Yes..."
"Something finally changed."
A wave of excitement washed over him.
If he kept this up, it wouldn't be long before he could repair the house.
His family would never have to go hungry again.
"All right."
"Let's keep going."
With renewed energy, Grey continued exploring deeper into the mountain.
After several minutes, something caught his attention.
A cluster of waist-high shrubs stood in a clearing.
Growing from them were round, dark-red fruits about twice the size of tomatoes.
They looked strangely familiar.
"System."
"Identify this plant."
The blue screen appeared instantly.
---
**Tomous Fruit**
**Grade:** Uncommon
**Edibility:** Safe
**Description:** A nutritious wild fruit with a naturally sweet and tangy flavor. Rich in vitamins and commonly consumed by wild animals.
**Exchange Value:** 40 Unik per kilogram.
---
Grey's eyes lit up.
"Jackpot!"
He carefully picked one fruit and brought it close to his nose.
A sweet aroma immediately filled the air.
"It smells amazing."
He took a bite.
Crunch.
His eyes widened.
"This..."
"This is incredible!"
The fruit tasted similar to a tomato, but far sweeter and juicier. The refreshing balance of sweetness and acidity exploded across his tongue.
It was easily one of the most delicious fruits he had ever tasted.
Looking around, Grey realized there were more than twenty wild Tomous plants growing throughout the clearing.
None of them had been cultivated.
No fences.
No signs of ownership.
Nature had simply left them here.
A wide smile spread across his face.
"It's all wild..."
"No wonder no one's harvesting them."
Harris carefully harvested only the fully ripened fruits, making sure not to damage the plants.
He left the unripe ones behind.
After collecting a little over two kilograms, he placed them inside the System's storage.
"I'll bring these home."
"I want Laura, Milo, and May to taste them."
The rest...
He exchanged through the System.
**[Exchange Complete.]**
**+400 Unik**
The blue screen appeared again.
---
**Host Information**
**Name:** Grey Anderson
**Age:** 29
**Occupation:** Farmer *(Not Recognized)*
**Money:** 410 Unik
**Collection:** 0
**Tools:** Basic Iron Sickle
**Storage Capacity:** 20%
**Talent:** Slacker
**Points:** 0
---
Grey laughed happily.
"This is unbelievable."
He continued searching throughout the mountain for the next few hours.
Medicinal herbs.
Wild fruits.
Rare mushrooms.
Anything the System accepted, he harvested carefully before exchanging most of it for money while keeping a small portion for his family.
By the time the sun began to descend, Grey had earned a total of **1,245 Unik**.
His smile never left his face.
"I never imagined making money could be this fast."
As he started walking back down the mountain—
**Ding!**
The System's voice echoed once again.
---
**[Congratulations, Host.]**
**[You have worked diligently and successfully harvested multiple resources.]**
**[System Upgrade Complete.]**
**Rewards Obtained:**
* **+50 Points**
* **Storage Capacity increased by 5%.**
* **Current Storage Capacity: 25%**
* **Passive Identification unlocked.**
* **Nearby plants and materials will now be automatically identified without requiring manual scanning.**
---
Grey stopped in his tracks.
"...It upgraded?"
He immediately looked around.
The moment his eyes landed on the surrounding vegetation, translucent blue labels began appearing everywhere.
**Automi Grass**
*Useful for treating stomachaches.*
---
**Homous Plant**
*Poisonous. Do not consume.*
---
**Guana Grass**
*Excellent for treating wounds.*
---
His eyes widened with excitement.
"This is amazing!"
"Now I don't even have to ask the System anymore."
"I can identify plants just by looking at them."
"This will save me so much time."
With this ability, searching the mountain would become far easier and much safer.
Harris looked once more at the endless forest stretching before him.
A confident smile appeared on his face.
"This mountain..."
"It's a treasure house."
Then, carrying fresh food for his family and hope in his heart, Grey eagerly made his way back toward the village.
For the first time since arriving in this world...
He couldn't wait to go home.
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