The morning light crept in through the slats of the wooden shutters, casting bars of soft amber across the dusty floor of Eren's cramped farmhouse. The air carried that distinct countryside aroma—a blend of soil, dew, and freedom tinged with cow manure. Eren lay still, eyes half-open, arms folded behind his head, thinking about his unfortunate reincarnation.
"I didn't sell my soul to capitalism back in Korea just to end up poor in a pixelated hentai purgatory," he grumbled.
He sat up, rubbing the crust of sleep from his eyes, and looked over at the far corner of the room. Lira, his ever-silent robotic guide, stood in sleep mode. Her humanoid body, clad in that sleek, vaguely inappropriate outfit that screamed 'developer fanservice', remained eerily still. There was no breathing. No blinking. Just the low, ambient hum of energy.
"Creepy doll," Eren muttered, rolling off the straw mattress. "But you're all I've got."
[Daily Quest: Water 40 vegetable crops] [Reward: 550 Coins, +0.2 Stamina Regeneration]
"Oh, we're starting the grind early today, huh?" he mumbled at the pop-up that appeared in his vision.
He washed up using the metal basin and a cloth that had definitely seen better centuries, splashed some cold water on his face, then stepped outside.
Dawn spread across the countryside like melted gold. His farmland—three short rows of vegetables—waited silently, promising hard-earned coins and back pain. Every sprout felt like a micro-investment. And unlike crypto, these ones wouldn't disappear overnight.
He picked up the wooden watering can, still heavy from yesterday's refill, and began. Left to right. Turnips, carrots, and his newest experimental crop: cabbage.
The silence of the morning was shattered by Lira's activation chime.
"Good morning, Eren," she said, voice calm and artificial. "Your watering efficiency is currently operating at 73.2%. Angling the can 14 degrees—"
"Stop talking like a printer with feelings," he interrupted. "Also, good morning."
"Noted. Initiating observer protocol."
She walked beside him, boots crunching softly on gravel. Her gaze lingered on his every motion like she was grading his farming technique for a robotic science fair.
Eren sighed. "You ever consider offering moral support instead of cold math?"
"No."
[Quest Complete: Water 40 Crops] [Reward Granted: 550 Coins, +0.2 Stamina Regeneration]
The coin total ticked upward. Slowly, he was climbing. Painfully, yes, but climbing nonetheless.
He tapped open his status board:
[Farmer Rank: F+] [Next Rank: 3,450 Coins Required] [Total Funds: 1,720 Coins]
"I'm barely halfway to E rank," he murmured. "I need to start thinking in terms of scale."
"Expansion is viable if resources can sustain projected growth," Lira noted.
Eren looked at her. "...That's your way of saying 'don't overdo it,' right?"
"Affirmative."
"Cool. I'll overdo it responsibly."
After breakfast—a slice of rough bread and a questionable dried sausage—Eren packed a sack of vegetables and wood carvings and headed to the village.
The path was familiar now, a dirt trail flanked by swaying grass and the occasional flower brave enough to bloom near civilization. Villagers waved. Some smiled. A few women tried to start conversations. Eren, ever the speedwalker, offered nods and made quick escapes.
"Not today, lady trap events," he whispered.
He sold his goods at the market. The merchant lady, Mira, counted the coins with slow deliberation, occasionally glancing at Lira.
"Your... assistant," Mira said cautiously, "is very quiet."
"She's solar-powered. Conserving energy," Eren lied.
Another 200 coins added to his pouch. He bought better fertilizer from a cranky man with a beard so thick it looked sentient.
By the time he got home, the sun was starting to dip. He spent the evening laying down new plots, fertilizing existing ones, and chopping some wood.
"Your stamina efficiency has improved by 3.6%," Lira commented.
Eren wiped his brow. "It's called determination, baby. Get rich or die mulching."
At night, he lit the single oil lamp and wrote in his notebook. Expenses, strategies, possible crop rotations. How to maybe combine 'Crop Yield' with 'Moisture Memory' for more output.
[New Skill Fragment Unlocked: Moisture Control I + Soil Memory I] [Combine? Resulting Skill: Adaptive Irrigation]
"Do it."
[Adaptive Irrigation: Increases crop yield by 5%, adjusts watering based on soil condition memory.]
Eren leaned back. "No combat. No magic. Just farming. But it's working."
He smiled.
This wasn't flashy. It wasn't heroic.
But if getting rich meant laying every brick by hand and watering every damn cabbage, then so be it.
This was the grind.
And he was built for it.