The next morning, the hunger was a physical beast inside me, clawing at my insides. My wrist throbbed with every beat of my heart. I had to do something. I needed food. And I needed to figure out what I was going to do with this useless body.

  I knew I was losing. I could not go on like this, I was probably the luckiest person ever to not get harried by wild beasts last night. I was unable to survive like this. I needed civilization.

  I literally put a stop to my silly thoughts, that I would just become an Isekai super character by just being the MC. I needed to humble myself. At that moment, I was probably the most educated person in this world, but I was also in the body of a starving little kid.

  I looked around.. this area should still have been part of the town's territory. There had to be fields and farmers everywhere. Humans left paths, there ought to be some if I traced back a bit. And so I did.

  After a hasty walk through the wilderness, I found a small path that was suspiciously empty of small plants and the dirt was quite packed, it was quite easy to find, if you actively looked for it. It led me, eventually, to the edge of a plowed field.

  The sun was high in the sky. In the distance, I could see a small group of people working in the field. Serfs. Free labor. Not very promising if I actually wanted to get permission to stay.

  What was my best course of action.. I'd better directly address a person in charge, good chance the serfs would just drive me off. The chances the person in charge would beat me up were pretty high, too, but at least there was a chance of a positive outcome.

  I just sat down and made myself small. I waited.

  And then I saw it. A small bundle of tools, left by the side of the field. A hoe. A rake. A shovel. And a small, wooden cart.

  It was an opportunity. For an Idiot who could not count to two. If something disappears right before I appear on the farm, I could just ask them to off me. But I really really just wanted to grab it. It was literally trash, but if you owned nothing, trash became kind of shiny.

  I said goodbye to my villainous thoughts. Let's just try to make it right. I knew I was kind of a sage in this world, I just needed a chance to use my knowledge. I could do this.

  While I contemplated, there was a young girl, no older than ten leaving the farm area. This.. was my chance. Let's do this.

  She was carrying a basket, filled with bread and a small clay jug. She walked with purpose, her small legs moving quickly. A child. And she was my first chance that seems more promising than demonstrating my dogeza skill.

  I waited until she was only a few feet away, then I stepped out of the shrubbery. She saw me and froze, her eyes wide with fear.

  "Please," I said, my voice hoarse. "I don't want any trouble."

  She just stared at me, her knuckles white on the handle of the basket.

  "My name is Rot," I said, trying to sound as non-threatening as possible. "I'm... lost. I was attacked by bandits. They took everything. I just need a little help."

  It was a lie, but it was a good lie. It was a lie that would get me sympathy. It was a lie that would get me food.

  She looked at me, her eyes darting from my face to my clothes, to the Needle tucked into my belt. She saw the dirt, the scratches, the makeshift bandage on my wrist. She saw the irrational calmness in my eyes.

  "My father is the overseer," she said, her voice small. "He's in the field. He... he doesn't like strangers!"

  "That makes him a very wise man", I took a step back. "I'll wait here. I'll wait until he's done. I won't cause any trouble, but please give me a chance"

  She hesitated for a moment, then nodded. She turned and ran back to the field, the basket bouncing against her back.

  I watched her go, my heart pounding. It was a gamble. A big one. But it's not like I have many cards left.

  I leaned against the tree, my body aching, my mind racing. I tried to prepare myself for the next encounter. I tried to think of what to say, how to act. How to convince him that I am not a mad murderer. How to not be a liability, but a benefit. I needed more than just help, I needed a place, a future.

  After a few minutes, she returned with a man in tow. He was tall and broad, his weathered face locked into a permanent scowl. A thick wooden staff rested in his grip. He looked at me with anger, suspicion, and open disgust.

  I felt like shit receiving such a look, I didn’t deserve that look. Or did I?

  "So," he said, his voice deep and rough. "You're the little stray my sunshine found."

  "Yes, Sir" I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "I was an outcast, robbed and beaten and now I was faced with two decisions. Just.." I looked at his daughter "stop and go into the woods to have a nice long sleep or get a place to work and earn my food"

  He looked me up and down, his eyes lingering on the Needle.

  "No", he turned around and walked away.

  "Please, Sir, one chance. You will not regret it, I am well versed in calculation, I can also read and write, and I have a lot of common knowledge" I rattled down every positive I could grasp, I really had to actively stop myself from starting to run after him. I was pretty sure, this would cross the 'you get beat up' territory.

  He kept walking. I tried to find some words but I was not really there anymore, frozen in face of my probable demise.

  This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

  I just fell on my knees, it was not a very heroic or adult thing to do, but I was literally at the end, in front of me was no way that did not lead to a timely demise.

  I just started to cry. "WHY! THE FUCK!" I even hammered my healthy fist against the ground. Not because he left me, but because this world is unjust. The unfairness was too immense.

  But I was drowning. I felt the presence of the girl again. I didn't care about them.

  I didn't look up. I didn't want to see her pity. I didn't want to see her disgust. I didn't want to see anything.

  I was a failure. A total and complete failure. I was a man from the Origin World, a man with a college degree, a man with a future. And now I was a starving, crying, little girl on my knees in a dirt field, begging for a chance to live.

  And I hated this world. I hated it with every fiber of my being.

  "Get up", his voice was as hard as stone. I looked up, my eyes blurry with tears. He was standing over me, his daughter hiding behind his legs. He looked at me, his face unreadable, mostly, because I could not see through my teary eyes.

  "What?" I croaked, my voice barely a whisper.

  "Get up", he repeated.

  I did as he said. I think there were only three or four times in my life when I had felt a similar level of shame. This was horrible. I even felt grateful, I fucking hated myself.

  "Sir?" I croaked out

  "I don't know who you are, lass. But I can smell trouble, and you stink of trouble. You look like a little girl. But you don't talk, argue or act like one. I don't care from which rich mansion you run off, but here on my hamlet, you are a serf. No adventures, no heroic tales. The moment I see trouble coming you are on your own."

  I just nodded. Fair enough. But how was I supposed to survive by acting like a little girl? I wasn’t.

  "Sir, you will not regret this. I will show you"

  "Sure, what is your Name?"

  "She is Rot", said his daughter. Still hiding behind his legs.

  He snorted. “If you say so. All right, sunshine, finders keepers, you will oversee her.”

  He held out his open palm, expectant. It took me a second, but then I handed him Needle.

  "Good, that settles it. You will listen to Lina, like I am talking to you. Do you understand me?"

  "Yes, Sir", he turned and walked away.

  "I am Lina and you will work for me" she said trying to sound serious.

  "Yes, Ma'am."

  "What is m?-em?"

  "Oh, it is the female version of Sir. Madame if you so will"

  "No, I am Lina"

  "Okay, If you so wish, I will address you then as Lina?"

  "Yes Rot, come on, lets go, the farm is expanding its fields and it is a lot of hard but simple work, there are always hands missing"

  "Please lead the way, Lina, I can do this!" I actually didn't feel like I could do anything anymore.

  She turned and lead me on, so I followed.

  "Rot, start with collecting the stones the other serfs piled up. We will use them later, pile them over here" She pointed toward a patch of bare ground where the larger stones lay exposed. I stopped when I saw them. Each one looked heavy enough to pin me to the dirt.

  Adapt and overcome, I thought. It was funny - in a warm living room.

  We arrived at a field, it was about a third done, judging by the removed grass

  "We had worked on this field since last summer and it still is not done, the nature fights against us, but after we tame it, it will feed us."

  I moved to one of the smallest stones on the field, it was about the size of a six pack of beer.

  Here goes nothing, I thought and tried to lift the stone with my healthy hand.

  It did not budge.

  I tried as hard as I could, I felt the blood pumping through my head, bum, bum, bum.

  It did not budge.

  I stood up, then everything got blurry and I just collapsed.

  I groaned and opened my eyes and saw Lina above me, and felt her shaking my body "HEY ROT!! WAKE UP!!"

  She stopped when she saw my eyes opening, then stood back up. "You just fell down and did not listen to me, are you okay?"

  "Yes, Lina, I am fine. As fine as I could be, but I do not think I am strong enough to lift this stone"

  "But Rot, that is the smallest stone on the field"

  "Yes, and I am the smallest girl on the field", I deadpanned

  "But not all is lost, yet. Lina, people moved bigger stones than these. Much bigger stones, stones as big as houses" I spread my hands as wide as I could

  She looked at me, as if I said something very stupid. "You can not even carry a small stone"

  "It is not about strength, it is about leveraging strength. Please, let me prove it."

  Lina looked suspiciously, then looked at the other serfs working in the field. She had a very thoughtful expression.

  "Okay Rot", she said finally, a hint of excitement in her voice. "I give you a chance. Show me your leveraging"

  I looked around and saw that clearing the field also had meant to chop down some trees. I rationalized that a small stone, will surprise no one. So I must work with a big one. As I looked out for a stone that fit my criteria, I saw one, that was about four times the size of the one I just failed to move. It was not only gigantic from my perspective, it also had the right form, to push it over log rollers.

  So I moved over to the chopped wood and mentally selected some short branches as log rollers and a sturdier branch as a lever. I would also need some wood to brace the pivot.

  "Hey, Lina! Do you have a saw or an axe for me to clear the branches of those logs?"

  "Yeah, there is still the wood cutters axe." She pointed to an axe that was embedded in a log

  The axe Lina pointed out was built to be wielded by some real grunt.

  "Something smaller maybe?"

  Lina giggled, and then ran over to the farm buildings, a short moment after she returned with a small hatchet.

  I took the hatchet with my left hand. It was heavy, but manageable. I went to work, using the hatchet to clear a small tree branch of all its twigs. The work was awkward and took much longer than I expected.

  After what felt like forever I finished. I had four log rollers, a lever and a wooden block to act as a fulcrum.

  I set up my cave man apparatus.

  I put my full weight on the lever. It moved—but not enough.

  “Lina, I’m not heavy enough,” I said. “Will you help me?”

  She stepped up beside me and copied my stance.

  Together, we leaned down, and the stone jerked upward, then rolled onto the logs.

  Lina looked incredulous "No way, this just happened"

  This time it was me that let out happy noises, it felt like my first win.

  I pushed with my whole weight against the stone and it started to roll over the logs. I could push it, but I was still too weak. Centimeter by centimeter I pushed against the stone and then gave up.

  “Lina. I’m too weak.”

  “But we moved it, Rot!” Lina said, her eyes wide with awe. “You even pushed it. I saw it!”

  “I can’t push it any farther,” I said. “If I try, I’ll faint again.”

  Lina frowned, thinking hard. Then she took a deep breath and shouted, “HEY, CLOD! CLOOOOD! COME HERE!”

  Heavy footsteps answered. An ox of a man came jogging over.

  My stomach tightened. I stepped aside so Lina stood between us.

  “Lina,” he said, his voice low, eyes flicking to the contraption, “is she giving you any trouble?”

  “No, nothing like that,” Lina said quickly. “She showed me a trick. Look at the stone, we moved it!”

  She pointed eagerly. “But we can’t push it all the way. I saw her push it, though. Can you try? For me?”

  He studied the setup again, eyes narrowing. After a moment, whatever danger he’d imagined seemed to fade.

  “Sure,” he said. “If you want, Lina.”

  He braced himself and shoved hard. Too hard.

  The stone rolled fast over the logs, slipped past them, and sank back into the dirt with a dull thud. I hadn’t been able to get the rollers back in place in time.

  “With a bit of care,” I said, breathing hard. “That’s the trick. You move the logs back under it as it rolls.”

  Clod nodded and began to push again, this time slower, measured.

  It gave me just enough time to slide the logs back under the stone as it rolled. Slowly, painfully, it worked.

  My chest burned. I couldn’t draw a full breath anymore.

  When the stone finally came to rest with the others, my legs gave out. I sank back into the grass, gasping, every part of me aching.

  Someone said something. I didn’t catch it.

  I closed my eyes.

  I wondered why the ground was moving. I was sure I wasn’t.

  Then there was nothing.