Entry-Level Gatherer

Inside the rustic farmhouse, Ellen sat with his hands gripping the edge of the bed.His eyes were filled with disbelief.

"Is it really true?I have truly traveled to..."

Ellen spread his hands open and examined them carefully.

The palms were still relatively young, with a thin layer of calluses and tiny wounds that were obvious evidence of heavy manual labor.

"Truly incredible."

Ellen took a deep breath and finally accepted the reality of his situation.

This body was originally owned by Vili, a thirteen-year-old country farmer's son.Heatstroke and dehydration caused him to faint while working in the intense sun.He had passed away in his coma from inadequate care, and in a strange turn of events, Ellen had taken over his body.

"I would have been much happier if I had been reborn as a nobleman's son," Ellen, who is now Vili, muttered to himself.

Vili got up and moved to the room's corner, where there was a worn, speckled mirror.He was still a little weak, but not in a big way.

"Not bad," he mentioned, glancing at his own image.The young boy in the mirror seemed satisfactory to himself.

His features were sharp and well defined, and he had a head of brown hair and a wheatish complexion.However, he appeared to be mildly malnourished due to his somewhat thin figure.

"Are you feeling better, Vili?"A childish voice called out from outside the house.A young girl came in wearing a rough, old dress.Her eyes were big and slightly worried as she gazed at Vili.This was Vili's younger sister,Vilia,a naive six-year-old girl.

Both of their parents were true country farmers who were excellent field workers who were industrious and hardworking.The couple had three children.Due to their youth, Vili and Vilia lived with their parents.

The oldest brother, Thorps, was twenty years old and served in the town's guard for Baron Kels.He was an exceptional young man who served the nobility, the family's pride, and their rural neighbors' envy.Serving nobles was a remarkable honor in the eyes of the villager, who saw them as the pinnacle of greatness.

Vili was frequently taught by their mother, Mrs. Sawin, and father, Lake, to aspire to be a squire for the nobility and to emulate his older brother, Thorps.

"I am feeling much better now," Vili told the young girl in front of him, indicating his well-being by spreading his hands.

With a dramatic clap of her tiny hands, the young girl, Vilia, appeared relieved."Then hurry up and get ready.Mother requested that we gather some sweet berries in the western woods.

The sweet berry is a fruit that grows in the wild.It has a lot of juice and tastes sweet and tangy.It is also refreshing and crisp, which makes it the most popular fruit among the villager.

These berries were plentiful in the forest, which was very close to the village where Vili lived.As a result, the villagers would frequently go collect these fruits in their free time from farming and sell them in the town to make some extra cash.

Using natural resources and hard work in the fields, the lower-class commoners managed to survive in this vast and sparsely populated world.

Vili grumbled, "But I have only just woken up," obviously annoyed at being expected to work while still recuperating.

Vilia refused to accept any justifications: "Mother asked you to go gather sweet berries with me because you fainted just now and are still weak.Otherwise, you would be harvesting wheat once more in the fields."

"All right," Vili sighed, finally caving in.He would rather pick sweet berries than harvest wheat.In order to protect him from the blazing sun, the forest at least had branches and leaves that offered plenty of shade.

Vili and Vilia each slung a basket woven from wooden strips over their shoulders and headed outside.

Vili trailed behind Vilia, who hopped and skipped as she went.Her two small braids bounced up and down with her movements.To avoid making her strain herself, her mother, Mrs. Sawin, had woven a miniature version of the basket for her.

"Are you going to harvest sweet berries once more, Vili, Vilia?"A muscular middle-aged man wearing a straw hat with a wide brim and two brand-new axes in his hands came over.He greeted the two with a hearty laugh.

"Uncle Ubi," Vili and Vilia said simultaneously.

Like most people, Ubi was a villager, but he did not depend on farming to provide for his family.Instead, he used his skills as a blacksmith to earn a living.The villagers would travel to Ubi whenever their farming implements needed to be repaired.He charged fairly, and his craftsmanship was superb.

The new axes in his hands were likely made for someone else.

"Yeah,Uncle Ubi,Vilia and I are heading to the woods in the west to gather some sweet berries,"Vili replied.

"By the way,I've been working on some new tools lately.You should have your father,Lake,drop by my blacksmith shop.He might find something he needs,"Ubi added,trying to drum up some business.

"Of course, Uncle Ubi," Vili said.

Following their brief conversation, Vili and Vilia proceeded towards the woods to the west.The sun was so bright that it was nearly blinding in the middle of the afternoon.When they had to cross an area that was exposed to direct sunlight, the two of them would quickly scamper across it, staying close to the shade of the trees.

The two arrived at their destination after a half-hour of exhausting travel.

Before Vili and Vilia lay a sea of trees that grew denser and more lush as they ventured further in.Numerous unidentified flowers and grasses covered the forest floor, and birds were soaring overhead while butterflies and dragonflies darted among the blooms.

Vilia hugged Vili's arm and said, "Finally, we are here," as they came to a big tree with thick, leafy branches."I'll catch them from below.You climb up and pick the sweet berries."This was their usual routine.

Vili examined the tree in front of him.Its height was roughly six or seven meters, and it had dense foliage and a thick trunk.He could see the round, pale yellow fruits—the sweet berries, their target—through the branches.

Vilia whispered, "Be careful," as Vili set down his basket.

Vili gave a nod and hurried up the tree, using his new body's muscle memory.As he grabbed a branch, a thick clump of delicious berries appeared in front of him, their subtle fruity scent filling his nostrils.

After their rushed trip, Vili was thirsty and exhausted. He naturally picked a berry to drink.

But as soon as he picked the fruit, his vision faltered and a line of text flashed into his eyes:

"Awarded attribute points 0.2, title—[Beginner Gatherer]—for the first successful fruit harvest."

"You will become a qualified novice gatherer once you have earned the[Beginner Gatherer]title by mastering the fundamentals of fruit identification and fruit-picking."

[Vili Fellen—Strength:0.8;Intelligence:1.2;Remaining Attribute Points:0.2;Note:The base values for an adult male are both 1.]