Inside the simple farmhouse.
Li Wei sat on the edge of the bed, his hands braced on the frame, his eyes filled with disbelief.
’I really transmigrated...’
Li Wei spread his hands open, examining them carefully.
His palms were still somewhat boyish, but they were crisscrossed with fine cuts and a thin layer of calluses. These were hands accustomed to hard work.
’This is unbelievable.’
Li Wei took a deep breath, finally accepting the reality of his transmigration.
The original owner of this body was a thirteen-year-old boy named Vili, the son of a country farmer. He had collapsed from heatstroke and dehydration while working in the fields under the scorching sun. Due to improper care, he died while unconscious, and by a strange twist of fate, Li Wei had taken over his body.
’I’d probably be happier if I’d been reborn as a nobleman’s son.’
Li Wei, now Vili, grumbled quietly to himself.
Vili stood up and walked toward a mottled mirror in the corner of the room.
He still felt a little weak, but it was nothing serious.
’Not bad.’
Vili was quite satisfied as he studied the boy’s reflection in the mirror.
He had a head of brown hair, handsome and well-defined features, and wheat-colored skin. He was just a little thin, making him look slightly malnourished.
"Vili, are you feeling better?"
A childish voice called from outside, and a little girl in a rough, faded long dress walked in. Her eyes were large, and she looked at Vili with a hint of concern.
This was Vili’s younger sister, Vilia, an innocent six-year-old girl.
Vili’s parents were simple country farmers, hardworking and diligent, excellent laborers in the fields.
Together, they had three children. Vili and Vilia, being the youngest, still lived with their parents.
As for the eldest, Sopps, he was twenty years old and a member of Baron Kels’s Guard Team in town. He was an outstanding young man who served the nobility, making him the pride of the entire family and the object of envy among the village neighbors. In the eyes of commoners, nobles were the most exalted of beings; to be able to serve them was considered a tremendous honor.
His father, Lake, and mother, Mrs. Shaven, often urged Vili to learn from his older brother, Sopps, and strive to become an attendant to the nobility.
"I’m much better now."
Vili looked at the little girl before him and spread his hands to show that he was all right.
The little girl, Vilia, clapped her small hands dramatically, her face a picture of relief. "Then hurry up and get ready. Mother wants us to go to the woods to the west and pick some Sweet Fruits."
The Sweet Fruit was a type of wild fruit. It had a sweet and tart flavor, was very juicy, and had a crisp, refreshing texture. It was a favorite fruit among the common folk.
Vili’s village was very close to the forest, and this fruit was quite common there. So, during their free time from farming, the villagers would gather some to sell in town and earn a little money.
In this vast and sparsely populated world, the common folk at the bottom scraped by, relying on natural resources and back-breaking labor in the fields.
"But I just woke up."
Vili was very unhappy about this exploitation of a sick person.
Vilia wasn’t buying it. "It’s because you fainted just now and your body is weak that Mother is letting you come with me to pick Sweet Fruits. Otherwise, you’d have to go back to the wheat fields and harvest wheat."
"Fine."
Vili shrugged, ultimately giving in.
Compared to harvesting wheat, he’d much rather go pick Sweet Fruits. At least the forest was full of branches and leaves, providing enough shade to keep him out of the scorching sun.
Vili and Vilia each put on a back-basket woven from wooden strips and headed out of the house.
Vilia skipped ahead of Vili, her two small pigtails bouncing up and down with her movements. Her mother, Mrs. Shaven, had woven her a special, smaller basket, so it wasn’t too much for Vilia to carry.
"Vili, Vilia, off to pick Sweet Fruits again?"
A rugged, burly middle-aged man walked toward them. He was holding two brand-new axes, wearing a wide-brimmed straw hat, and he greeted the two of them with a booming laugh.
"Uncle Ubi."
Drawing on the body’s original memories, Vili and Vilia greeted the middle-aged man.
Ubi was also a villager, though he was a little different from the others. He didn’t support his family by farming, but by his skill as a blacksmith. Whenever a villager’s farm tools were damaged, they would go to Ubi for repairs. His craftsmanship was excellent, and his fees were not high.
The new axes in his hands must have been forged for someone else.
"That’s right, Uncle Ubi. Vilia and I are going to the woods to the west to pick Sweet Fruits."
"By the way, I’ve forged some new items recently. You can have your father, Lake, stop by my smithy to take a look. He might find something he needs."
Ubi took the opportunity to drum up some business.
"Okay, Uncle Ubi."
After a brief chat, Vili and Vilia continued toward the woods to the west.
It was now afternoon, and the sun was so viciously bright it was hard to keep one’s eyes open. Vili and Vilia stuck to the shade of the trees, scurrying in short bursts whenever they had to cross a sun-drenched patch of ground.
After a tiring half-hour trek, the two of them finally reached their destination.
A dense forest stretched out before Vili and Vilia. The farther they went, the more numerous the trees and the thicker the foliage became.
All sorts of nameless flowers and plants grew on the forest floor. Butterflies and dragonflies weaved through the blossoms, and birds darted overhead.
"We’re finally here."
Vilia tugged on Vili’s arm, leading him to a large, leafy tree. "I’ll catch from down here. You go up and pick the Sweet Fruits."
This was how the two of them always did it.
Vili looked up at the large tree before him. It stood a good six or seven meters tall, with a thick trunk and dense foliage. Through the branches, Vili could see plump, pale-yellow fruits. This was their target: the Sweet Fruit.
"Be careful."
Vilia reminded him in a low voice as she watched Vili set down his basket.
Vili nodded. Relying on his body’s muscle memory, he scrambled up the tree in a few quick movements. He gripped a branch tightly; a dense cluster of Sweet Fruits hung before his eyes, and their faint, fruity aroma tickled his nose.
Tired and thirsty from the rushed journey, Vili almost instinctively plucked a fruit to quench his thirst.
However, the instant Vili plucked the fruit, his vision blurred, and a long string of text appeared before his eyes.
"First fruit picked. Title acquired: [Basic-level Gatherer]. Reward: 0.2 attribute points."
"With the [Basic-level Gatherer] title, you have mastered basic fruit identification and basic fruit gathering techniques, making you a qualified novice gatherer."
[Vili Ferren — Constitution: 0.8; Intelligence: 1.2; Remaining Attribute Points: 0.2; Note: The average for an adult male is 1 for all base stats.]