The night air was warm, heavy with incense, and the faint cooing of villagers singing chicken hymns outside the temple walls.
Kyle was taking his dinner in his room. For the first time in a couple of days, he found what could only be described as... peace.
"This is so good. I like peace and quiet," he said while chewing the meat. "This meat is way better than what Lina cooks."
He drank some water.
"Ahh... I think there's always a lesson from every bad incident."
He lay down on his bed, the chicken next to him, obviously.
The chicken was sleeping like a rock, unmoving.
He poked the chicken's head.
[ Congratulation! You found the hidden quest. ]
"Oh shit!"
[ You now have three choices: ]
[ Cluckmate Bond ]
[ Planting Seeds ]
[ Random With Option 1: 1% | Option 2: 99% ]
"Judging by the name, Planting Seeds is a bad choice. There's no way this system is letting me plant a real seed in the farm."
[ Good guess, almost right. ]
He looks at the ceiling, both hands behind his head.
"So, I have no choice then…"
He pressed [Cluckmate Bond].
Kyle sat upright in bed, trying to ignore the glowing notification hovering in front of his face.
[ New achievement unlocked: Cluckmate Bond. ]
"I hope it's not what I think."
He dismissed the window just as the chamber door creaked open. Lina stepped inside, dressed in something that definitely wasn't her village uniform. It was all silk and suggestion, with embroidered feathers that shimmered like fire under the candlelight.
"Like exactly what I think." He muttered.
Kyle blinked.
"Okay. You're glowing. Literally."
Lina approached with a nervous smile, her hands behind her back.
"I thought... the Great One might need divine comfort after a hard day of... poultry politics."
"Please don't call it that."
She leaned forward. Her hair smelled like honey and trouble.
"They say union with a divine host blesses the land."
"Pretty sure that's not how agriculture works."
[ New Subquest Unlocked: Sacred Fertilization Ritual ]
[ Warning: Intimacy may generate Divine Seed. ]
Proceed with caution. Side effects include elevated WP, emotional confusion, and possibly another subsystem.
"I hate this system," Kyle muttered. "Deeply. Profoundly."
But then Lina giggled and climbed into the bed beside him, one knee nudging his thigh.
"We can stop if you want. But you looked so tired earlier, I thought maybe you needed... spiritual relief."
He stared at her.
Then at the ceiling.
Then at the chicken.
The Sacred Chicken of Ember's Hope was asleep on its velvet pillow, wearing an eye mask.
"Fine. But if this unlocks a 'Love Cultivation Path,' I swear I'm out."
"You can't do that." Lina whispered, pressing her lips to his neck.
[ BP +30 ]
[ WP +120 ]
Kyle groaned. "Damn. I knew it!"
[ New Title Earned: Reluctant Consort of the Feathered Faith ]
He covered his face with one hand while Lina ran her fingers along his chest, tracing glowing golden circuit lines that had started to appear across his six-pack body like some holy chessboard.
"You're really warm," she whispered.
"That's probably the divine radiation," he mumbled.
[ Cluckmate Bond: Level 1 Activated ]
Aura of Fertility unlocked.
Chickens within 100m gain +10% egg-laying rate.
"What the hell kind of bonus is that?" Kyle said, throwing his hands in the air.
The system pinged.
[ +3 WP for sacrilegious doubt ]
Lina giggled, not stopping. "You're glowing even more now. Look!"
He peeked through his fingers and saw golden feathers shimmering faintly along his forearms. Not real feathers, thank God... But radiant markings shaped like wings, softly pulsing with light. Lina reached out to touch one and gasped.
"You just purged a wart I've had since childhood!"
[ Miracle Healing triggered +10 Faith +1 Devotion from Lina. ]
"I didn't mean to!" Kyle hissed, half-panicked, half-dying inside.
[ Warning: Your actions are being recorded in the Book of Feathered Deeds ]
[ Viewer Count: 27 villagers viewing through Divine Scrying Chicken ]
Kyle's eyes darted to the corner of the room. A large scrying orb shaped like an egg hovered over the sleeping Sacred Chicken. Its eyelid twitched.
"Oh God! It's livestreaming," Kyle whispered.
Lina blinked. "Wait, people are watching?"
[ YES ]
"Oh no," Kyle whispered.
"Oh yes," said Lina in a teasing tone.
[ WP +80 ]
Kyle was torn between bolting and dying of shame.
"We can't do it Lina…"
"Why?"
"You're a good girl, Lina." He pointed at the orb. "Or at least we have to get rid of that orb first."
"Let them see your divine weapon."
He slapped his forehead. "She's too innocent…"
The system, however, was just getting warmed up.
[ New Bond Skill: Cluckmate Aura ]
Passive buff grants allies increased morale and stamina near the divine bed.
"Oh shit… stamina buff?" He glance to Lina and look back to the system UI. "No no no, it's bad sign."
[ You may now name your divine bed. ]
"No! Don't you dare naming anything!"
[ Default Name Selected: Nest of Awakening ]
"This system keeps doing it." Kyle sobbed into the pillow. "I just wanted a nap..."
Lina leaned over and kissed his temple. "Then relax, Great One. I'll make sure it's... a holy rest."
"Okay, don't let them see my divine weapon for now. You have to wait."
Lina picked her notebook.
Verse 5: Patience is the key to achieving your desires.
"Oh, not a verse again…"
Minutes later.
[ Achievement Unlocked: First Blessing Shared ]
[ Skill Acquired: Divine Cuddle]
Grants passive regeneration of WP and Emotional Stability
[ New Subsystem Unlocked: Relationship Progress Tracker ]
A tiny floating heart now hovered over Lina's head, occasionally fluttering with wings. She lay curled up beside him, cheek on his shoulder, looking smug and satisfied.
"You smell like baked bread now," she murmured.
Kyle glared at the chicken, which had somehow turned to face them despite still 'sleeping.'
"Don't you dare pretend to be sleeping now!" He cursed on the chicken.
The Sacred Chicken stirred, let out a content cluck, and laid a glowing egg.
[ Miracle Egg Acquired: Properties Unknown ]
"Of course, the passive Aura's doing its things now." Kyle muttered, pulling the blanket over his face.
***
Elsewhere, in the Royal Palace...
High Priest Argus slammed the sacred tome shut, sweat dripping down his bald head. "The stars are changing. The Oracle saw wings of light and... poultry copulation."
A gathered circle of scholars and nobles murmured in confusion and terror.
"What does it mean?" asked one.
"It means," said Argus grimly, "the Feathered Messiah has entered the Fertile Phase."
"And?"
"We're about to have another Feathered Messiah."
***
Back at the temple...
Kyle woke up to the muffled sound of chanting.
He sat up groggily, blinking against the early morning light filtering through stained glass shaped like a chicken's wing.
His neck ached. His soul ached. And judging from the faint golden shimmer still radiating from his skin, his dignity had probably packed its bags and fled the continent.
Outside the chamber door, soft footsteps scurried away, leaving behind a fresh trail of fruit baskets.
Grapes, apples, a whole roasted duck, which felt vaguely threatening. And a scroll that read 'For continued fertility and divine cuddles.'
Someone had embroidered 'Nest of Awakening' onto a plush velvet runner and lovingly placed it beneath his bed, complete with golden tassels and tiny stitched chickens at the corners.
A fresh mural had also been painted across the inner temple wall, depicting a glowing Kyle cradling an egg while beams of light radiated from his butt.
Lina, still curled up beside him, hummed softly as sunlight kissed her bare shoulders. She was literally glowing now, her skin trailing with faint divine motes that hovered like fireflies before fading into the air.
The sacred chicken, meanwhile, stood proudly at the edge of the bedpost, now wearing a tiny golden crown and a crimson ceremonial cape.
It clucked once, as if acknowledging its ever-growing empire.
Kyle stared at it, deadpan. "I'm in hell."
[ No. You are in the Divine Roost. ]
[ Population: 872 Worshippers and Rising ]
He rubbed his face with both hands, muttering. "System... what's the cost to reset my life?"
[ Insufficient BP or FP. Please consult your Cluckmate before making irreversible spiritual decisions. ]
Lina stirred beside him and wrapped an arm lazily across his waist. "Mmm... did you say something, Great One?"
Kyle looked up at the ceiling, where some overly devoted villager had painted a new fresco.
It was titled 'The Blessing Beneath the Feathers' and showed Kyle, sparkles and all, being carried skyward by a flock of angelic hens.
He looked at Lina.
The egg twitched.
The candle wobbled, like it was reconsidering life choices.
Shadows stretched a bit too far.
Even the chicken looked… concerned.
Something inside made a noise. Probably illegal.
A chime echoed in the room like a cracked bell.
[ Divine Egg has reached Incubating Stage 2 ]
[ Classification: ??? ]
[ Hatching Conditions: ??? ]
[ Estimated Hatch Time: ??? ]
"What? Another?"
He stretched his body. The sound of joints cracking buzzed in the room. He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and released it.
"Okay system. Just do everything you want. I'm done,"
He glanced at the ceiling, eyes unfocused.
"I used to dream of running a little bakery," he whispered to no one, "warm bread, quiet mornings, talking to a dog."
But now, there were banners of his face and a glowing egg pulsing on the windowsill.