Chapter 2: Peep Peep Chick

Three years have passed since my sole survival in the dungeon.

I’m living an ordinary life.

• Crackle… According to the recent crackle… results from the Education Ministry and the Korea Research Institute for Vocational Education and Training, Hunters continue to hold the top spot thanks to their outstanding achievements, with YouTube Creators at second place crackle….

Sigh. I wanted to become a famous and successful Hunter too. Well, I was famous… for a moment…!

Turning off the old TV that kept cutting out, I stepped outside.

My money was running low, and things were getting serious. There was nothing left to forage around here.

The weather was the real problem.

After decades of continuous drought— the worst in 60 years — and a record-breaking heatwave in 100 years, my choice to move to the countryside for a peaceful life with good mountains and water backfired.

I could feel the pain of the crops I had nurtured just by touching them.

The ironic thing was that, wherever they were getting nutrients from, the weeds grew explosively.

But maybe this is what rural kindness is about?

Thanks to the generosity of the market vendors, I was able to hang on for quite a while.

Whenever I bought something, they treated me like a regular and gave me plenty of extras just for being a loyal customer.

Just for that one reason.

Maybe I should try finding work again…? It’s been three years, after all.

But the thought didn’t last long.

No matter how poor I was, I didn’t want to expose myself and draw attention.

I knew the newspapers still called me “The Hunter Who Sold His Soul to the Devil.”

But it wasn’t true, and I was happy now that I had cut ties with the world.

As I sorted through my thoughts and walked, I soon arrived at the market.

Familiar faces of vendors came into view.

“Minho, isn’t it?! Welcome! Try this! It’s freshly pickled!”

“Dong-sang! What’re you up to later? We should have a drink!”

“Oh my! Minho, you’re here? How about this? Want me to wrap some up for you?”

They didn’t buy a lot or throw money around like a tycoon, but they always approached me warmly.

Because they were familiar faces, I smiled and greeted them.

That’s when something caught my eye.

Peep! Peep!

“What’s with the chicks?”

“Aren’t they cute? My family runs a poultry farm. We had a lot of eggs this time, so I thought I’d share~ How about I give you some?”

“That’d be great! They’re really adorable.”

“Alright then, pick some out~”

In a shallow box sat dozens of yellow chicks.

When I reached in to pick one, they all swarmed around my hand.

They competed to rub their little heads against me, trying to be caught — it was incredibly cute.

“Huh?! What’s with these little guys? They’re dodging my hand!”

“Hahaha, I guess they like you.”

“I’ve never had this happen before. They want to follow me, huh? Alright! Take five!”

“Is that okay? Thank you so much!”

I transferred the chicks to a small box, while the unchosen ones chirped and swarmed after me.

“Take good care of them!”

“Yes, thank you.”

Peep! Peep!

“Why aren’t you going?”

Peep! Peep! Peep!

The rest of the chicks’ voices clung to my feet endlessly.

Sigh. “Mr. Kim! How much for all the chicks? I don’t think I can leave like this. Haha.”

“Huh? All of them? That’s quite a lot… Twenty, right…?”

“I’ve messed up farming way too much. I think I’ll try raising chicks. Can you help me out?”

“Of course! Just ask if you don’t know.”

After Mr. Kim gave me a simple rundown on chicken feed and how to raise them, I bought the necessary supplies and headed home.

“Damn… They’re so cute I spent all the money I brought. You little rascals~”

From the moment I got home until now, the chicks had been staring at me, chirping nonstop.

Pouring feed into the box, I wondered how to build a proper home for these adorable chicks, then moved to the shed to search for usable materials.

‘Ah, here it is.’

I grabbed a shovel and went outside, leveling a corner of the field.

It was the first time in a while I worked physically, and I felt my stamina waning.

It was tough, but the endless chirping encouraged me.

‘If I’m building a house… wood is the best.’

Since the chicks were still small, I planned to keep them all in one place for now.

But in a few months, they’d grow into adults and maybe I’d raise more.

‘Since I’m building it, might as well make it big.’

Carrying an axe, I climbed the nearby mountain and chopped wood tirelessly until dusk fell.

‘This should be enough.’

Without a pack, I bundled the wood roughly with rope and carried it on my back down the mountain.

As soon as I got home, the chirping greeted me again.

Approaching the box with the chicks, I noticed the pile of feed was gone without a single grain left.

They had quite the appetite.

I gently stroked each chick’s head with my index finger, and they went wild with delight.

Peep! Peep!

“Alright, alright. I’ll get you more food soon.”

Pouring in more feed, the chicks rushed to it in an instant.

If someone saw them, they might think the chicks had been starved for days, judging by how greedily they ate.

I pushed one chick out from under the feed pile and quickly ran to fill a big bowl with water.

“You’ll get sick if you eat too fast. Drink slowly, okay?”

Maybe they understood, or maybe they were just thirsty — all of them moved to the bowl and drank.

It was adorable even to watch.

“Hahaha, you must’ve been thirsty, little guys.”

After petting each of them one by one, I went outside.

The cool late spring breeze cooled my sweat and heat, and I felt good.

I spread out the wood I carried to dry and enjoyed the breeze before heading inside.

“Yaaawn~ Did I sleep well…?”

The moment I woke, I felt a strange heaviness.

Stretching, I froze and looked down at my belly.

More than twice as many chicks as yesterday were snuggled up, sleeping on my side and stomach.

‘Wait, the chicks… no, the chickens… no, they’re still chicks, but why are they here? And why are they so big? Are these really the same ones from yesterday?’

That was when a notification appeared — one that I had never seen except when I awakened.

[Chick – Sympathy 100% Complete]

(Condition 1) Express affection to each other – Fulfilled

(Condition 2) Sleep in each other’s arms – Fulfilled

100% Achievement Effect: Able to communicate with Gallus domesticus

*First sympathy bonus: rapid growth of 20 chicks.

[Communication-Chicken]

Allows communication with birds of the Gallus domesticus order.

Special ability unlocked, activating Status Window function.

Name: Do Minho

Strength: 13

Agility: 12

Stamina: 14

Mana: 5

…

Unique Ability: Sympathy

Special Ability: Communication-Chicken

A Status Window? All of a sudden?

When I shouted like that, it didn’t show up at all.

I heard that those with a Status Window become influential superhumans. Could it be for me too…?

No, don’t get ahead of yourself.

With a Sympathy ability and all.

‘Wait, I can talk with chickens? That means I can talk with the chicks too?’

I didn’t know exactly how conversation would work, but I was incredibly curious about what these cute little creatures might say.

And rapid growth.

Thanks to the information window, I understood why the chicks had grown so surprisingly fast overnight.

That explained it.

They couldn’t have grown that fast just from eating a lot of feed.

They weren’t quite chickens yet, but at this rate, they’d be fully grown in just a few days.

‘They’ve already grown feathers and even started developing combs. Oh right! The house!’

I planned to raise the chicks in boxes for now and build a coop.

But with their storm-like growth, I needed to build it fast.

Carefully setting the sleeping chicks down nearby, I washed my face briefly and went outside.

‘First, I’ll make it spacious enough so they can move around… hmm.’

I took down the fences that surrounded the field where I farmed and moved them around the flat area I had prepared yesterday.

‘If I leave it like this, the wind won’t be blocked and they won’t have a comfortable place to rest. I should at least get some soft straw to lay down.’

Heading back inside to prepare for going out, I was greeted by chaos.

The chicks were chasing and running around, shrieking endlessly.

Peep-!-!

The moment they sensed me, the running and noise stopped.

Like kids caught playing pranks, they froze and stared at me before rushing over in a group.

…

(Came! Came!)

(Peep peep!)

(Where have you been!)

(Hungry peep! Hurry up, peep!!)

“Huh? Oh!?”

I could clearly hear the “peep! peep!” sounds, but somehow understood the meaning.

(Hungry! Hungry! Peep!)

“Oh! Sorry! I’ll get you food right away.”

Briefly overwhelmed, I snapped back to reality and hurried to grab a sack of feed.

Seeing the feed, the chicks flapped their tiny wings and jumped excitedly.

(Peep!!)

(Delicious peep!)

“All right, all right. I’ll fill this up for you, so eat slowly.”

I heaped feed into the box where I brought them, and placed two large bowls filled with water.

Phew. This should be enough for them.

The chicks ended their cutest, tiniest phase in just one day.

But I wasn’t sad about that.

After all, it was me who wished for them to grow quickly for survival.

While the chicks ate, I finished getting ready to go out.

“Mrs. Park said she grows rice, right?”

Originally, I planned to buy supplies at the market, but my finances were tight.

I decided to ask the elders in Chilcheon-ri for help.

Normally, walking this far would fill my mind with worries, but maybe because of the chicks, I just smiled.

After a long walk, I arrived at Mrs. Park’s house, where a comforting aroma greeted me.

“Grandma~ Are you home? It’s Minho!”

“Oh? Minho?”

“You’re home. Have you eaten yet?”

“The sun’s high already, but yes~ I have. There’s some leftover soybean paste stew from earlier, want some?”

“No, no, I’m fine! I was actually wondering if you had any leftover straw. I’m going to raise chickens, so I thought I could use some straw to line their coop.”

“Go ahead and take as much as you want from the shed. It’s all leftover anyway.”

Awesome! Free stuff!

I cheered silently as I entered Mrs. Park’s shed.

Inside, bundles of rice straw were stacked neatly in a corner.

Even with the severe drought and heat, it seemed the experts hadn’t completely failed their harvest.

‘Since I’m raising twenty of them… I better carry as much as I can. Hehe.’

I gathered as much as possible and thanked Mrs. Park before leaving.

“Grandma, thank you! When the chickens lay eggs, I’ll bring you the first ones!”

“If you need more, come anytime and take them.”

Maybe I was too greedy.

Carrying the bundles carefully so they wouldn’t fall, it took quite a long time to get home.

The straw I brought from Mrs. Park’s was more than enough for the coop.

I piled thick layers of it in the innermost part of the spacious area to create a comfortable resting spot.

Then I left space for them to roam and decided to feed them there.

‘Better block the entrance for now. They follow me well, but wild animals might sneak in.’

I tied the fences together with cable ties, upgrading the gate to a swinging door.

All that was left was to move the chicks into the newly made coop.

Thinking of how the chicks had rushed over when they sensed me, I entered the house — but there was no reaction, and I tilted my head.

‘Why can’t I see a single one?’

Passing through the living room, I went into the bedroom, where a huge, colorful pile of feathers sat alone in the middle of the room.

Twenty chicks slept huddled together, necks tucked in.

Their closeness was adorable, so I petted them.

A golden chick looked up at me with half-open eyes.

Looking closely, its wing feathers were narrower and shorter than those beside it.

‘Heh… It’s a male. Let me check the others… Female, female, female, female, all female.’

‘Female… female…? What, only one male?’