Just after calming himself and resting overnight at the temple, Kyle was summoned back to the kingdom.
The royal hall still smelled faintly of roasted cinnamon and panic.
Kyle sat in a heavily jeweled chair that looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a decade. Around him, nobles whispered prayers not to him, but to the chicken sitting proudly on a velvet pillow beside him.
The Sacred Chicken of Ember's Hope wore a tiny golden crown.
"Blessed be the Feathered Flame," someone whispered.
"All glory to the Winged Herald," said another.
Kyle rubbed his temples. "I'm literally right here. Still alive, you know."
[ Alert: Your Worship Points are stagnating. ]
[ Your followers are starting to revere the chicken more than you. ]
"Yeah, I noticed," Kyle grumbled.
The King, seated below Kyle, cleared his throat nervously. "Great One, we have gathered all twelve archbishops and royal seers. We are ready to receive your divine doctrine."
Kyle blinked. "Doctrine?" He looked at the chicken. "What do you think?"
It clucked and laid another egg.
Gasps filled the room. A scribe fainted.
[ You have received: Holy Egg ]
[ +30 Worship Points ]
[ +5 BP ]
Kyle glanced at the UI. "Okay, now what?"
Then the system chimed again.
[ Warning: You are severely underpowered for your current position. ]
[ Recommended Action: Spend BP to increase basic stats. ]
[ OPEN STATS MENU? ]
[ YES ] [ NO ]
Kyle sighed and tapped [ NO ].
[ OPEN STATS MENU? ]
[ YES ] [ NO ]
"What? System is broken or bugging?"
He tapped [ NO ] for second time.
[ OPEN STATS MENU? ]
[ YES ] [ NO ]
"Just say that I have to do it…" He pressed [ YES ] while exhausted. "Oh Goooddd…"
[ SYSTEM INTERFACE: POWER-UP PANEL ]
Name: Kyle Emberton
Title: Reluctant Godling / Poultry Apostle / Sparkle-Robed One
Level: ???
Strength: ???
Mana: ???
Charisma: 99 (mostly accidental)
Chicken Affinity: 999+ (divinely imprinted)
Available Points:
BP (Blessing Points): 8.930WP (Worship Points): 450FP (Faith Points): 228TP (Trust Points): 1FP (Farming Points): 6
Suggested Paths:
[Path of Charismatic Farming]
Gain aura of growth. Chickens lay double.
Plant tomatoes with divine sparkle.
[Path of Incinerating Light]
Basic Flame Snap
Passive: Intimidating Glow
[Path of Poultry Ascension]
Chicken understands language.
Summon Egg Shield (1 use/day)
Kyle stared blankly. "What is the differences between those many points system?"
[ Basically, the same. You can convert it to WP or BP. ]
"Okay, I want to convert."
[ Convert All Point to WP or BP will deduct the admin + tax ]
[ YES ] [ NO ]
"Oh, you playing dirty now. I can tell it will cost a lot. I don't want that."
He pressed No.
The system shows the stats menu again.
The chicken stared at him. Judging.
"Fine," Kyle muttered, "let's see what happens when I buy something."
He tapped Path of Incinerating Light.
[ BP -10 ]
[ Skill Acquired: Flame Snap ]
"Snap my fingers and light things on fire, huh? Really?"
He snapped.
A section of the palace curtains burst into flame.
"NO NO NO!" Kyle shouted, slapping it with his sleeve.
The nobles screamed and rushed to put it out. The chicken flapped once, unimpressed.
[ +1 Fear Point ]
"What the hell is a Fear Point?!"
[ New Subsystem Unlocked: Reputation Balance ]
Fear: 1Awe: 300Chicken Devotion: 740
Kyle groaned. "I hate everything."
He tapped more buttons.
[ +10 Strength for 5 BP ]
[ +10 Defense for 5 BP ]
[ Passive Acquired: Burn Resistance LV.1 ]
He felt... tingly.
Like someone had poured warm cola down his spine and sprinkled sparkles over his nerves.
"Why does leveling up feel like being dipped in soda?"
[ Because I just want it that way. ]
"Is this your fetish? Damn it!"
Back in the hall, the king approached again, bowing.
"Great One, shall we host a national blessing ceremony in your name?"
Kyle looked at the chicken.
The chicken clucked.
"Make it for the chicken," Kyle said flatly.
The king nodded gravely. "Of course. The Feathered Flame shall be worshipped with full state honors."
Kyle leaned back in the chair, watching as someone dusted the chicken with golden powder. He stared at his hands. Sparks danced along his fingertips. He was stronger now. Not much, but enough.
The system pinged again.
[ Main Quest Updated: Rise of the Feathered Cult ]
Protect the Sacred ChickenUnlock Tier 2 AbilitiesAvoid Dying via Royal Politics
Kyle sighed. "What kind of protagonist gets stronger just to protect a poultry?"
The chicken pecked his shoe.
"Fine. Fine. Let's survive another day."
And with that, the Reluctant God accidentally stepped deeper into power, politics, and poultry-based destiny.
***
Kyle staggered into the guest chamber assigned to him, if you could even call it that. The walls were painted gold. The ceiling sparkled. The bed was bigger than his first apartment.
But something iritating his eyes. A banner, depicting his face and the Holy Chicken of Ember's Hope hung above it all, glowing softly in the candlelight.
He stared at the tapestry.
The chicken was bigger than him.
"No. Absolutely not." He climbed onto a chair and tried to pull it down.
[ WARNING: Defacing Divine Icons will result in -500 WP ]
"Are you serious?!" Kyle hissed. "I don't even believe in this religion!"
He climbed down the chair, he gave up.
The system cheerfully chimed.
[ Belief is not required. Only results. ]
[ Reminder: You have 8,930 BP, 450 WP, 228 FP, 0 TP available. ]
[ Power Recommendation: ]
Stronger bodyStronger miraclesStronger chicken
Kyle groaned. "You're pushing this chicken agenda again? What is this, Poultry Ascension Simulator?!"
[ Unlockable Branches Available: ]
[ Path of the Scorched Sky: BP 2500 ]
Grants wide-area fire-based skills.
Warning: Causes mass panic.
[ Path of the Divine Shepherd: WP 300 ]
Followers become 20% more obedient.
Chickens included.
[ Chicken Ascension Protocol: BP 4000 + WP 150 ]
Grants your sacred companion new evolvable form: Emberwing Hatchling.
Kyle blinked. "Wait. You're telling me if I spend my points, the chicken evolves?"
[ Correct. ]
He stared at the glowing options.
Then at the chicken.
It was currently spinning in slow circles on his bed, chasing its own shadow.
"I swear, if it starts talking, I'm out."
[ Optional Purchase: Linguistic Enlightenment for Holy Beasts: 900 WP ]
"No! Stop giving it language!!"
The chicken stopped spinning and hopped toward him. It pecked once at his boot.
Then it laid another egg.
[ +5 Worship Points. ]
[ +1 Emotional Resilience. ]
"What the hell is Emotional Resilience?!"
[ Stat unlocked due to emotional damage incurred in the last 24 hours. ]
He sighed. "Fine. Fine. You want upgrades? I'll do upgrades. But I'm spending it on me."
[ Confirmed. ]
[ Please select your upgrades. ]
A glowing tree of choices appeared before him. Kyle squinted.
There were passive skills like Flame Endurance, Divine Nap Recovery, Telepathy (limited to poultry), and Incinerate Pestering Nobles.
Kyle hesitated on that last one.
He tapped it.
[ Skill Learned: Incinerate Pestering Nobles ]
Automatically activates when cornered by excessively long political monologues.
He smiles. "Oh. That's actually useful."
He tapped again and another menu pop-up.
Quick Cast: Fireball (No chant)Blessing of Clean Feet (Never steps in filth)Soothing Aura (reduces follower anxiety)Miracle Grow: Crops mature in 10 minutesAuto-Dodge (trip prevention algorithm installed)
By the end, he was glowing faintly and slightly taller. His hair shone like shampoo commercials. Even his breath smelled like warm cinnamon.
"I didn't sign up to be magical cinnamon toast."
[ Congratulations. BP Remaining: 1,130, WP Remaining: 45, TP Remaining: 0, FP Remaining:0, FP Remaining:0 ]
[ Strength Increased: +12 ]
[ Charisma Increased: +15 ]
[ Chicken Affinity Increased: MAX ]
"Where did my points go?!"
[ You bought a lot of upgrades. ]
"What? I don't even remember that."
[ I think you need it. So, I did upgrades ]
"Whatever, the system won't listen anyway."
Kyle slumped on the bed, glowing softly.
"If my old classmates from college saw me now…"
The chicken waddled over and curled beside him.
Then the door creaked open.
Lina peeked in, her eyes widened.
"You're radiant," she breathed, "like a sunrise made of power and cinnamon."
"Don't start." Kyle grumbled.
She stepped in quietly, bowed her head, and offered a bowl. "Your evening offering, Great One. Sacred grain pudding and honeyed beetles."
First, the bowl. Then her. As though the universe had just revealed a terrible plot.
"Are you feeding me like a zoo mascot now?"
She nodded solemnly. "We honor the gods through ritual and nutrition." Then she teased. "But if you want to eat me instead—"
"Stop!" He took the bowl reluctantly. "Where's the king?"
"Still arguing with nobles about whether to rebuild the Temple of Feathers in the capital or here, in your birthplace."
"My what?" He asked, already regretting it.
"They call this village the Nest of Ember now. Tourists are arriving by the hour."
Kyle's head hurt. "It's been only one day…. and the absurdity is beyond belief."
[ Quest Update: Build a Temple (Optional) ]
Reward: Passive WP Generation +2/hr
He tossed the notification away.
Outside, chants began to rise. Loud, zealous, and utterly uninvited.
"All glory to Ember's Flame!"
"Praise be the Sacred Feather!"
"Cluck for mercy! Cluck for truth!"
Kyle slowly lay back down, the chicken roosting peacefully beside him.
"Fine. You win, System. I'll play your game," he muttered.
He raised a hand and pointed toward the ceiling.
"Tomorrow, I upgrade again. But only one more time. Then I retire. I live in a hut. With a chicken. Alone."
The chicken clucked.
And laid another egg.
[ +10 WP ]
[ +3 BP]
[ Title Gained: The Ember Roost ]
Kyle closed his eyes.
"I hate this world. Deeply. Profoundly."