Maybe... if I can tame them, I can command them to do things for me. Scout the surrounding forest, for example. Or, even better, have them communicate with other birds and spread the word to other lifeforms deeper in the woods, eventually bringing them all to me!
Muahaha! If this actually works, I’ll soon become the Lord of this entire forest, commanding an army of animals!
"System! Is there a way to tame these birds?" I asked eagerly.
But, as expected, nothing happened.
The System didn’t reply.
"Tsk... Not very helpful again, huh?"
Still, I wasn’t about to give up that easily.
If the System wouldn’t tell me, then I’d just have to figure it out myself through good old-fashioned trial and error.
Now then... how do you usually tame animals?
For some absurd reason, the first thing that came to mind was beating them half to death and then capturing them in red-and-white magic balls.
But nah! That can’t be right.
They’re real, living birds, not pocket monsters from some children’s game! And besides, how am I supposed to beat anything when I don’t even have arms or any way to physically interact with the world?
That left me with only one practical option.
Food.
Yes.
FOOD!
Naturally, food was one of the most universal ways to befriend or tame animals and monsters. And luckily, I actually had a way to produce food!
With that promising idea in mind, I quickly opened the shop again.
At the moment, I have exactly 3 Points, generated earlier by my Level 1 Castle Core’s Point-generation skill.
With one Point, I can convert it into one unit of Food. And with one unit of Food, I can buy some bread.
And with bread...
I can finally feed the birds!
That sounded like a perfectly reasonable plan.
I immediately put it into action.
[Ding! Resource successfully purchased.]
[-1 Point]
[+1 Food]
[Points Remaining: 2]
Then, using that Food, I purchased 2 kg of bread, which came in the form of two large loaves. The bread was automatically stored in my hidden Inventory.
And now that I finally had an actual item stored inside it, I could put my Inventory skill to use.
[Inventory Level 1]
Description: Allows the user to store or summon items within a personal dimensional storage space. The storage space takes the form of a large room and maintains a constant room temperature.
Stored items are still affected by the passage of time. Food, for example, can still spoil.
Current Storage Capacity: 100 m³
****
"Now then... System, dispatch one bread!"
I willed the bread to appear beside the bird nest.
Instantly, the System responded.
[Please input the amount of bread you wish to dispatch.]
A small input window appeared in my mind, allowing me to enter the amount mentally. I could even switch between different units.
I could choose between one whole loaf of sandwich bread and a single slice.
Apparently, each loaf contained ten slices.
Obviously, an entire loaf would be far too much for these tiny birds, so I was glad the System allowed me to divide it into smaller portions.
"Yup! Let’s go with one slice for now!"
Feeling rather pleased with myself, I focused intently on the spot beside the bird nest and vividly imagined the bread appearing there.
And then, out of thin air...
It appeared!
A single slice of white bread dropped beside the nest with a soft thud.
The sudden appearance startled the birds.
CHIRP!!!
The three female birds jolted violently, clearly scared out of their tiny minds. They fluttered backward for a split second in a burst of panicked wings before immediately swarming the strange object as though it were some kind of enemy!
Poke. Poke. Poke!
They clawed and pecked at it furiously with their sharp little beaks, landing one enthusiastic blow after another on the poor slice of bread.
The bread nearly tipped over under their assault.
Fortunately, it stayed upright.
After a few moments, the birds seemed to realize that the strange white object was actually edible.
They calmed down almost immediately and began happily tearing off tiny pieces with their beaks.
I watched the scene with growing excitement.
It worked! They actually ate it!
Then, just as I was beginning to celebrate my brilliant plan, a familiar notification rang out in my mind.
[Ding!]
[Congratulations! You have successfully interacted with a lifeform within your territory!]
[Achievement Unlocked: First Interaction!]
[Points Gained: +20]
[Skill Unlocked: Citizenship Granting]
[Citizenship Granting: You may grant citizenship to creatures within your territory.]
I froze for half a second when that wonderful notification appeared.
HELL YEAH!
If I had a mouth, I’d be screaming like a victorious demon right now!
Finally! I can tame them!
Turns out, all I needed was a special skill.
Okay, how do I do this?
I expected this skill to work exactly like my Self-Repair skill. It would take effect if I simply willed it to happen and clearly imagined the desired result.
With that in mind, I zeroed in on Jacky and focused hard on activating the Citizenship Granting skill.
Come on, System! Do your job! Claim this bird for me!
[Ding!]
[Would you like to use Citizenship Granting on Level 2 Forest Robin?]
[Estimated Cost: 1 Point]
Hell yes!
I was so pumped with excitement that losing one more precious Point didn’t even sting.
I paid it without a second thought.
[Attempting to Grant Citizenship to Level 2 Forest Robin...]
The bird froze mid-hop, twitching strangely for a moment like a glitchy video game sprite.
But then...
[Citizenship Granting Failed!]
[Issuing 50% Refund.]
[1 Point has been refunded.]
[Reason for Failure: The target lifeform is not intelligent enough to be aware of your existence.]
The robin shook itself and went right back to pecking at the ground.