The morning was unusually loud.
Birds were chirping like they had personal vendettas, and Old Mu was already yelling about radishes. Again.
Ash, meanwhile, sat outside his tiny shack, staring into a clay pot of yam-and-dandelion soup like it held the secrets of the universe.
[Flavor Enhancement – Progress: 4%]Slight increase in taste perception detected. Placebo levels: high. Sincerity of belief: suspiciously strong.
He stirred the soup solemnly.
"I know you're just warm water and root chunks," he whispered. "But one day… you might be delicious."
A fly landed on the rim of the pot.
It instantly buzzed away.
Ash blinked.
[Passive Insect Repulsion – Progress: 23%]Repulsion effect spreading beyond skin boundary. Radius: 8 inches.
He leaned back, grinning.
"Fear me, tiny pests."
Guest Returns Unexpectedly
The cultivator girl from the river — the one who thought Ash was part of some mysterious side-sect — returned.
This time, she brought a pouch of dried meat and a suspiciously judgmental look.
"I figured you'd still be boiling weeds," she said, plopping down on an overturned bucket beside him.
Ash, surprised but too polite to say no, nodded at the pot.
"Soup's nearly ready. Full of...root-based wisdom."
She didn't laugh. She looked tired. Real tired.
"I walked two sectors today. One had a beast infestation, the other had no spiritual activity at all. Just dead trees and silence."
Ash listened quietly, scooping soup into two bowls. "What about the sect?"
"They'll get the report. Won't care."
"Because it's a 'spirit-weak' zone?"
She nodded, accepting the bowl.
"Name's Lin, by the way. Outer-leaf explorer. You?"
Ash hesitated. "Ash."
She paused. "Just… Ash?"
He nodded.
She sipped the soup, paused again.
"...This is good."
Ash blinked. "Really?"
"Yeah. Weirdly good."
[Flavor Enhancement – Progress: 16%]Confirmation by third party. Placebo barrier weakening. Effect becoming persistent.
Ash stared at the floating yam chunk with new respect. "...You hear that? You've leveled up."
A Very Quiet Revelation
That night, after Lin had left and the soup was gone, Ash sat in the dirt beside his shed and looked up at the stars.
The system didn't glow. It didn't chant in ancient languages. It didn't give him a map or an inheritance.
But it listened.
Every silly, lazy, cautious, curious idea — it took seriously.
Ash focused on a new thought. A strange one.
"What if I made a skill that helped me recognize things I eat... like the effects of herbs or animals? I don't want to guess forever."
The golden script stirred like ripples in his mind.
[New Concept Recognized: "Ingestive Insight"]– Effect: Reveals rudimentary properties of consumed natural materials.– Requirements: Multiple ingestion trials. Pattern recognition. Patience.– Status: Possible. Funny. Potentially useful.
Ash stood up slowly.
He didn't know much. But this?
This felt real. Like a quiet kind of power.
The kind that didn't explode mountains or summon firestorms — but stayed with you when no one else did.
A Note on the System
By now, he understood a few basic truths:
The system didn't explain itself.
It responded to his intent.
It required repetition and logic, not just wishful thinking.
It didn't limit him… but it didn't cheat for him either.
And that made it scary.
Because if Ash really could create any skill he could think of…
Then the only thing limiting him was his own imagination.
Late Night Visitor
A knock. Sharp, three times. Unfamiliar.
Ash opened the rickety door, expecting Lin or maybe Old Mu with a bottle of homemade radish wine.
It was neither.
A teenage boy, maybe thirteen, was standing there panting, holding a wooden basket of shriveled mushrooms.
"Y-you're the soup guy, right?"
Ash blinked. "...What?"
"My big sis said you made soup that made her headache go away. She said it was magical. Can you… can you make something for our dad? He's got spirit flu."
Ash stared at the basket.
Then at the kid.
Then at the glowing notification in his mind:
[New Challenge: First External Request]System now recognizing User as an "Emerging Source."Public awareness: minimal.Consequences: unpredictable.
Ash sighed.
"...Bring more yams tomorrow. And something bitter. And maybe...a snail."
The kid looked confused.
Ash smiled faintly.
"Trust me. I'm a cultivator."
[Lie Detected – Technically Not a Cultivator. But Close Enough.]No penalty applied. System mildly amused.
End of Chapter 3