Isabella sat cross-legged on her animal hide bed, arms folded, eyes glaring at nothing in particular. Her so-called hut was just a glorified prison cell.
At least she didn’t feel like absolute garbage anymore. A full stomach and fresh clothes could do wonders for the soul.
Still, she was bored.
Like, watching-paint-dry-level bored.
And just as if Bubu had been eavesdropping on her very thoughts—
Ding!
> Acquired Silent Points throughout the day.
Isabella blinked. "Huh?"
Silent points? What the heck were those?
Bubu’s cool robotic voice chimed in like a teacher explaining something painfully obvious.
> Silent Points are stats gained through minor actions, behaviors, or reactions throughout the day. Unlike regular rewards, you won’t receive notifications immediately. They accumulate silently.
"...So you’re telling me I’ve been grinding in the background like a side character?"
Bubu ignored her sarcasm, and a blue screen popped up in front of her.
Isabella squinted at the numbers. "Where did these even come from?"
+3 Survival Rate, +5 Health, +1 Strength, and +4 Agility.
She tapped on one.
> Survival Rate: +1 for finding a good water source, +1 for making fire without crying or cheating, +1 for avoiding an entire family of wild boars.
Her mouth fell open.
So that’s what that whole encounter with the boars was about! She thought she was just running for her life, but apparently, she was surviving with style.
And wait—even regular tasks could give stat points if done properly?
She leaned back, her mind whirling.
So her actions actually mattered...
Her choices mattered.
"Fine," she muttered. "From now on, I’ll be smart. Strategic. No more dumb choices. Not like I ever make them"
Bubu hummed approvingly.
> That’s the spirit.
For once, Isabella felt like she was finally getting the hang of things. Until—
> Special Tasks Incoming!
Her stomach dropped.
"...I take it back."
She sat up real fast, watching as the new list of tasks appeared in front of her. And the moment she saw the title, she wanted to fling herself out of the hut.
System’s Step-by-Step Task List: Digging a Well.
Oh.
Oh, so she should have just shut her mouth in front of Kian today, this is all her fault.
Because what was this nonsense?
She scrolled down, reading through the tasks one by one.
Each step was worse than the last.
Step 1: Find a water source. Fine. Whatever. How hard could that be?
Step 2: Gather digging tools. Annoying, but doable.
Step 3: Dig 20 feet deep.
"...I’m sorry, what?"
Step 4: Prevent a cave-in by hauling 30 stones and cutting logs by hand.
Was she digging a well or building a fortress?
Step 5: Make the water drinkable because, oh right, if she didn’t boil it first, she’d be enjoying some fresh stomach parasites.
Fantastic. Absolutely fantastic.
Step 6: Construct a bucket and rope system using animal tendons.
At this point, her soul had already ascended.
And finally—
Step 7: Cover the well so some idiot doesn’t fall in.
She stared at the screen in mute horror.
This system was out to get her.
It had to be.
Her eye twitched. "Bubu..." she said through gritted teeth, "is this your idea of a joke?"
> You wanted to prove yourself, didn’t you?
"Yeah, but I wasn’t planning on becoming a construction worker overnight!"
Bubu, the absolute menace, ignored her suffering.
> Final Reward: +50 Survival Points & a Random Bonus Item.
Her brain short-circuited.
Wait.
Bonus item?
She scrolled down.
Possible Bonus Items:
1. Infinite Water Pouch → A self-refilling water skin.
Her mouth went dry.
No.
NO.
That was exactly what she needed!
...But she had to actually dig a well first.
She flopped backward onto her hide bed and groaned into her hands.
"God help me," she muttered.
Because this system sure wouldn’t.
After sometime Isabella sat up again, staring at the task list like it had personally insulted her.
Her head tilted.
Her eye twitched.
Her soul? Gone.
"I can’t do all this," she said, voice flat, lifeless. Then she raised a hand dramatically and placed it on her forehead, as if she were some tragic heroine about to faint.
"I’ll die."
And it wasn’t even an exaggeration. She would actually die.
She could already see it—her limp body lying next to an unfinished hole, her grave conveniently being the same damn well she was supposed to dig.
But just as despair was about to swallow her whole—The system’s voice rang out again, way too cheerful for the situation.
> You don’t have to do everything yourself! You simply need to give orders to the beastmen.
...
Isabella blinked.
...Wait.
WAIT.
Her head snapped up, her exhaustion forgotten.
"Say that again?" she whispered, gripping her knees.
> You just need to give orders—
"YES!!"
She jumped in place, throwing her fists into the air.
Giving orders?! The only thing she was actually good at?!
Perfect.
Why break her back when there were perfectly good muscle-brained beastmen who could do all the digging for her?
She smirked. This was it. This was her time.
Now motivated, she turned to her next most pressing concern.
"How many points do I need to unlock the shop?"
> 500 points.
Isabella nodded, then narrowed her eyes. "And how much do I have now?"
> 335 points.
The moment Bubu said it, Isabella beamed.
"Soon," she whispered, gripping her fists. "SOON."
Just a little more and she’d finally be able to shop.
She could already imagine it—flipping through pages of goods, buying everything she wanted, flexing on these primitive NPCs.
But then a more important question popped into her head.
"Are there beauty products in the shop?"
Bubu’s response was instant.
> ...That depends on what you consider ’beauty.’
Isabella paused.
What kind of cryptic answer was that?!
She was about to press for details, but before she could even breathe—
Ding!
> Daily Tasks Incoming.
...
Isabella stopped.
Her smile slowly faded.
And then—
She let out a scoff.
Not just any scoff.
The scoff of someone about to run mad.
She tilted her head back and laughed, hands on her hips, like some deranged villain.
Bubu ignored her meltdown.
Isabella, still laughing but dead inside, clenched her fists.
"...You know what?" she muttered to herself, eyes twitching. "I should’ve just let the wild boars eat me this morning."