Farmboy becomes King with the Lust System Chapter 3: Fumbling a baddie

Solas recoiled, taken aback, his eyes widening in alarm as he took a step back.

34;Scoundrel?34; he echoed, a note of bewilderment in his voice.

The woman strode into the room, her gaze still fiery with indignation.

34;Yes, you!34; she retorted. 34;Shouldn’t you be out on the farm working right now? Why are you here slacking off?34;

Solas thought with a grimace. Am I a farmboy?

Just then, recollections of the previous occupant of his body began to surface. His name was Jae, and this woman was his mother.

Solas's pounding heart gradually found its rhythm. He had braced himself for the worst upon hearing her sharp tone, but it seemed she was merely a bit vexed.

34;I'm sorry, Mom. I was just feeling a bit unwell,34; he said, hoping this excuse would grant him some peace for the day.

34;Unwell, my foot,34; his mother scoffed, turning to exit the room. As she departed, she called back, 34;I’d better not reach the farm before you, Jae, or else!34;

Jae rolled his eyes and let out a sigh. He retrieved his shirt, a worn, tattered garment that must have been white in its prime, perhaps five years prior when it was new. Now, it was brown enough to perfectly camouflage against the wooden door of his room.

With another sigh, he put on the shirt and exited his room.

***

Jae had completed the majority of his chores for the day and was in the process of wrapping up when the most melodious female voice he had ever encountered reached his ears.

His head snapped up instantly, and he beheld a beautiful girl with dark hair, styled into two neat pigtails, gazing down at him.

He felt an immediate sense of uncleanliness and self-consciousness, prompting him to stand straighter.

34;My mom told me to return this to your mom,34; the girl announced, extending the basket she held.

Jae's memories swiftly provided the rest. This was Clara, his neighbor, who resided with her mother in the adjacent dwelling.

He accepted the basket from her. 34;Uhm... thank you,34; he mumbled.

Clara appeared perplexed by his reaction. After all, this wasn't their first encounter; why was he behaving so awkwardly?

Jae sensed her unease and attempted to formulate a remark that would ease the awkwardness.

However, he didn't even get the chance before the system abruptly activated.

<New Quest: Kiss Clara.>

<Reward: 1 Refreshing Elixir>

Jae's jaw went slack.

34;What?!34; he exclaimed.

Clara started, 34;What?34; she inquired.

But Jae couldn't possibly explain it to her. What explanation could he offer? That he had died, been reincarnated into this body with a system, and now the system was commanding him to kiss her in exchange for a vial of refreshing elixir?

Thus, he remained silent, offering her a look of apology.

Clara seemed exasperated. 34;You're weird. And I've done what I was asked to do, so... bye.34;

With that, she turned and departed.

Jae shook his head in disappointment. His social skills were non-existent. A beauty stood before him, and he couldn't utter a single meaningful word.

From a distance, his mother observed the scene, a wry smile gracing her lips as she shook her head. She pondered why Jae was acting so strangely with a girl who was practically his closest friend. She concluded they might have had a disagreement and hoped they would reconcile soon.

xxxx

Jae slept that night with a certain peace, as peaceful as one could be on a mattress as hard and stony as his.

Yet, as if compelled by an unseen force, he found himself suddenly awake. He rubbed his eyes, questioning why he had roused so abruptly.

Then, the system illuminated.

<You have a new notification.>

He tapped the notification, discovering a new map. As Jae opened it, he noticed a blinking red dot indicated on the map. It seemed almost as if the system was directing him to go there.

Jae decided to investigate the area. After all, a system that had granted him a second chance at life likely wouldn't seek to take it away, would it?

He slipped on his clothes and silently opened his door, ensuring not to make any creaking noises. Then, he closed it behind him and stealthily departed from the compound.

Following the map, he frequently scanned his surroundings, watchful for any signs of pursuit.

Eventually, he reached the designated spot, where a cave entrance stood before him.

34;Well...34; Jae muttered. 34;It would be a shame to have come all this way and not explore it.34;

He drew a deep, steadying breath and stepped inside.

The cave was not particularly large; he had to stoop to enter. The initial steps were taken in complete darkness, but after the seventh step, a faint luminescence became visible just ahead.

He moved onward, remaining cautious of any potential inhabitants within the cave.

However, upon reaching the source of the light, he discovered a rather well-lit chamber deep within. It was orderly, with even the stones appearing to be arranged in a precise, almost artistic manner.

And most importantly... it was vacant.

Jae exhaled a breath of relief. At least it seemed somewhat secure.

But his relief was abruptly shattered by a sudden thud from behind him.

Jae didn't need confirmation to know; the entrance had just been sealed.

If the entryway was sealed, it was an indication that an entity was approaching. An entity he would be compelled to confront.

Precisely as anticipated, the system chimed in.

<New Objective: Survive the spider.>

<Reward: New Skill>

A deep growl reverberated through the cavern as Jae locked eyes with an enormous spider, its limbs stretching nearly five feet in length.

Jae recalled the assigned mission. His task was to vanquish the monstrous arachnid.

Then, he spun around and fled.

"The system stated I must survive the monster," he reasoned aloud. "It didn't explicitly say I had to defeat it... did it?"