The dirt felt surprisingly comfortable. Ren wiggled a bit, finding the perfect spot. The sun was warm but not too hot, and the breeze was kind of nice. Honestly, this wasn't half bad.
[Strength +1]
[Defense +1]
[Stamina +1]
He let out a contented sigh.
"If this is what being an overpowered hero feels like, I could get used to it."
Another notification popped up.
[New Title Acquired: Dirt Nap Enthusiast]
Increases HP regeneration by 5% while lying on the ground.
Ren snorted. "Even the system's calling me lazy now. Whatever, free buffs are free buffs."
For a while, he just laid there, watching the clouds drift by. More stats rolled in, numbers ticking up like an idle game on autoplay. He didn't even have to lift a finger.
[Strength +1]
[Defense +1]
[Stamina +1]
Then his stomach growled. Loudly.
"Ah… right. Food. Do I actually need to eat here?"
As if on cue, a new screen flickered into existence.
[Survival Mode Activated]
Hunger: 30% (Peckish)
Thirst: 20% (Mildly parched)
Energy: 90% (Well-rested)
His eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute. This is a game world, isn't it? System, pull up my status or something."
The screen flickered again, obeying his half-hearted request.
---
[Status Window]
Name: Ren
Race: Human (Reincarnated)
Level: 1
HP: 120/120
MP: 60/60
Strength: 15
Defense: 14
Stamina: 16
Agility: 5
Intelligence: 8
Charisma: 3
Luck: 7
Unique Skill: Rewarded for Inaction
Titles: [Dirt Nap Enthusiast]
---
Ren stared at the stats, then blinked.
"Wait… my agility is pathetic, my charisma's a joke, and why is my intelligence so low?!"
The system chimed in with a new notification.
[Reminder: Intelligence measures magical affinity and strategy, not common sense. Yours is low for obvious reasons.]
"...Was that sass?" he muttered.
The system didn't answer.
Groaning, he sat up. His stomach growled again, louder this time.
"Alright, fine. Let's find food." He glanced around for anything edible — berries, fruit, maybe even a friendly woodland critter dumb enough to get close.
Instead, his eyes landed on a massive, oversized boar staring at him from the bushes.
It wasn't just any boar. This thing looked like it had been hitting the gym twice a day for a decade. Muscles rippled under its shaggy hide, and its tusks gleamed like polished ivory. Its eyes locked onto him with the kind of hunger that screamed You are the snack.
A new screen appeared.
[Wild Monster Encountered: Bloodfang Boar]
Level: 5
HP: 300/300
Threat Level: Moderate
Ren froze. "Moderate? That thing looks like it could bench press a horse!"
The boar snorted, pawing the ground.
Another notification appeared.
[Skill Activated: Rewarded for Inaction]
Strength +1
Defense +1
Stamina +1
He felt a surge of power — but that didn't help the fact that a freight train disguised as a pig was about to gore him.
"Nope, nope, nope!" He flopped back onto the ground.
[Strength +1]
[Defense +1]
[Stamina +1]
The boar charged.
Ren clenched his eyes shut, fully prepared to die again. At least the goddess might give him another broken skill, right?
A loud BOOM echoed.
When he peeked through one eye, the boar was gone — replaced by a massive, smoking crater. The earth was scorched black.
A new screen popped up.
---
[Congratulations! You've unlocked a Sub-Skill: Passive Counter]
Reflects 30% of incoming physical damage back to the attacker when idle.
Bonus: Each successful counter grants +2 Strength and Defense.
---
He stared at the crater, then at the notification.
"...Did I just nuke a monster by laying down?"
[Strength +2]
[Defense +2]
Ren's grin stretched ear to ear. "Yup. Definitely the best power ever."
---
The ground rumbled again. From the treeline, more figures emerged — this time, humanoid. Ragged armor, cruel smirks, and weapons in hand. Bandits.
One of them, a tall guy with a scar across his face, sneered. "Oi, looks like we found ourselves a lost little villager. Hey kid, hand over whatever you got, and maybe we won't kill ya."
Ren blinked at them, still sitting on the ground.
Another notification appeared.
[Skill Activated: Rewarded for Inaction]
[Strength +1]
[Defense +1]
[Stamina +1]
The bandits didn't notice the screen.
The scarred guy stepped forward, raising his sword. "What, cat got your tongue? Fine, we'll take it off you!"
Ren sighed. "Guess I'm gonna have to break a sweat, huh?"
The system chimed in.
---
[New Skill Unlocked: Lazy Dodge]
50% chance to automatically evade attacks while sitting or lying down.
Bonus: +5 Agility after every successful dodge.
---
The bandit swung. His sword slashed down — only for Ren to roll sideways at the last second, completely by accident.
[Agility +5]
He blinked. "Wait, I didn't even mean to do that."
The bandit snarled. "Hold still, you little—"
The sword came down again. Ren tilted his head back to avoid the swing, purely because he was leaning to get comfortable.
[Agility +5]
"...I think I'm starting to like this power."
The remaining bandits charged. He didn't even bother getting up.
[Strength +1]
[Defense +1]
[Stamina +1]
"Let's see how long I can keep this going."
---