Farmer Mage

Chapter 17: Field Work

Cal picked up the shovel and set down the plow in its place. He left the shed and pushed the wheelbarrow to the nearest pile of rocks.

He used the shovel to scoop up a large portion of the rocks easily and dumped them into the wheelbarrow. He noted that the shovel's reduced quality didn’t reduce its scooping capabilities—at least, not that he could tell.

Also, the interface didn’t show itself.

I might need to complete a task like I did with the other tools for the wheelbarrow to be added as equipment.

Cal quickly finished dumping the pile of rocks into the wheelbarrow in seconds. The interface still didn’t show itself.

Perhaps I need to fill the wheelbarrow to the brim before it’s considered a complete task. It might also need me to empty the wheelbarrow. If it doesn’t appear as equipment after that, I have to accept that the interface won’t consider it equipment.

He moved the wheelbarrow to the next pile and quickly cleaned it up. Depending on the size of the pile of rocks, it would fit around two more in the bucket.

Cal filled the bucket to the limit before looking around for a spot to dump it. The interface still hadn’t appeared, so this was the last chance in his mind.

I can feel the weight of the wheelbarrow when it’s full. Moving it a large distance several times won't be an issue, but I’ll need to make more than thirty rounds before the field is clear.

His eyes drifted before they locked onto a spot.

I can dump the rocks next to the dirt path. The opening is large enough that it will barely matter if I pile them on the side.

Cal moved the wheelbarrow to the spot and tipped it over.

You have gained [Common Wheelbarrow] as equipment.

When the interface showed up, he sighed with relief. He looked at the work to be done and decided to start with the piles of rock close to the dirt path.

Cal knew without a doubt that he would be dead tired at some point in this rock-moving process. He hoped that a [Tier] increase would give him an extra stamina boost when it was time to haul the piles of rocks furthest away from the spot he chose as a dump.

I feel like I’m about to master a difficult spell. Instead, I’m shifting a pile of rocks about. Ha! Let’s get started.

The rock pile near the dirt path grew larger every few minutes at the start. It didn’t take Cal long to clean up the field closer to the path. The short trips did little to sap his stamina, but it started to get tedious once everything close was done.

The few minutes turned into five. It didn’t take long after that for the five minutes to turn into ten.

Cal could feel the burn in his muscles as he pushed the empty wheelbarrow to the area of the field near his shed. He cleared everything at the medium and short distance from the dirt path. However, the interface still hadn’t rewarded him by giving the needed [Tier] upgrade.

He had greatly underestimated the number of trips he needed to make.

I need to buy spells that enhance my body when I reach the next [Tier] rank. My current [Tier] might be [Initiate 7], but I can feel how much weaker my mana is when compared to the same level when I was a [Mage].

It’s fitting since I’m a [Farmer]. Still, the substantial weakness means I will need to be at a higher level for my mana and body to support spells I would have easily used as a [Mage].

He let go of the wheelbarrow and pulled the shovel from his back, ready to return to work.

Despite the weakness, my current [Class] is a gift beyond my wildest dreams. In less than a week, I can match two years of hard work as a [Mage]. Even when the boosted growth ends, I can’t see a downside.

Cal plunged the shovel into the rocks and quickly scooped everything into the wheelbarrow.

Your equipment [Common Shovel] has been upgraded to [Uncommon Shovel].

Your skill [Perfect Match] has increased by 2 levels.

Your [Tier] has increased by 1 level.

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Name: Cal Maddox

Class: Farmer (Special)

Tier: Initiate 8

Skills:

[Perfect Match: Novice 8]

[Master Negotiator: Novice 1]

He chuckled happily as he skimmed the interface, his body refreshed and ready for more punishment.

I think of how quickly I progress, and the interface immediately reinforces it. Why did my skill increase by two, though? I want to replicate that again.

Cal glanced at the wheelbarrow before coming to an unsure guess.

Maybe the act of using two tools together gave me the double upgrade… I really wish the interface quantified this.

He looked around and estimated that he might need to make around ten trips before finishing up. It should be easier than before.

Cal got to work, and less than thirty minutes later, he was tipping the last load out of the wheelbarrow.

The pile of rocks by the dirt path had become substantial, measuring tens of feet wide and several feet tall. It had become more of an eyesore than he had imagined, but it was too late to do anything about it.

I doubt the interface will apply moving the rubble elsewhere as [Tier] growth. It has nothing to do with my field.

The last bit of rubble fell out of the wheelbarrow when the interface lit up.

Your equipment [Common Wheelbarrow] has been upgraded to [Uncommon Wheelbarrow].

Your skill [Perfect Match] has increased by 2 levels.

Your skill [Perfect Match] has increased by 1 rank to [Apprentice 1].

[Skill] increase has activated an ability of [Farmer (Special)].

Skill specialization available. Choose one.

Quantify skill [Perfect Match] - You will be given the exact requirements needed to reach the next level of the skill.

Quantify equipment upgrades - You will be given the exact requirements needed to reach the next rank of your equipment.

The way the options are given almost sounds… curt. Did my complaining really influence the interface in giving these specializations or is this just a hard-to-believe coincidence?

Cal knew he would have to attempt a repeat and see if it happened the next time a skill went up a rank. There were plenty of things he could complain about.

The choice between the two specializations is obvious. I would appreciate knowing when [Perfect Match] would level up. Still, it’s unnecessary since it depends on the tools I use.

Knowing when my equipment will upgrade will provide motivation while also stopping my constant frustration at not knowing how far my tools are from the next rank.

He tapped the choice he wanted and eagerly checked his equipment to see their upgrade requirements.

Equipment:

[Common Pickaxe: Excellent Quality] Upgrade: 0/100 Tasks

[Uncommon Sledgehammer: Excellent Quality] Upgrade: 32/1000 Tasks

[Uncommon Shovel: Good Quality] Upgrade: 85/1000 Tasks

[Uncommon Wheelbarrow: Excellent Quality] Upgrade: 0/1000 Tasks

Cal glanced at the numbers before focusing on the requirements for the shovel. That was the tool that had been upgraded most recently and then saw immediate use.

I did not do eighty-five tasks with the shovel. At least, it’s not something that I would consider a task.

I made ten trips with the wheelbarrow to clean up the remaining rubble. Each trip I was able to take around three piles of rock, and each pile needed three scoops from the shovel.

… The interface counts every use of the shovel as a task.

“That can’t be right,” Cal muttered out loud. “This is broken beyond the extreme.” He stiffened before blurting out, “Not that I’m complaining. Not at all.”

I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

He had a broad smile as he put the shovel on his back. He pushed the wheelbarrow to the shed to get it out of the way for what would come next. There was no way it would fit inside, so it would have to stay outside until the shed was expanded.

Cal pulled the pickaxe off his back and looked around for where he should start chipping away at the ground. If he would tear up the field, it would be best to start from the side.

It would avoid creating disruption from the dirt path to his shed.

He chose to start from the left, which was closer to the forest than the cleared field's right side. If the interface didn’t give him the appropriate skill to solve his issues, he planned to use the soil from the forest.

Cal paused as he walked by the hole the little beast made.

I saw soft dirt in the hole when I first looked in, but I didn’t pay attention to where it started.

He approached the hole and frowned as he looked down. The hard surface looked to be mixed in with the soft dirt.

Cal tapped the tip of the pickaxe lightly on the inside edge of the hole. It created a sharp ringing sound from the impact. He repeated the taps, going lower ever-so-slightly until the pickaxe didn’t bounce off the edge.

He eyed the depth before looking at all the exposed sides of the hole. He frowned as he pulled back.

I’ll need to chip away around three inches of the surface before I hit soft dirt… this will take days of constant work.

Cal could already feel the phantom soreness he would have as a constant companion.

There is a bright side. I will be able to grind my [Tier] level and my pickaxe’s rank… wait.

He summoned the interface and pulled up the pickaxe information.

[Common Pickaxe: Excellent Quality] Upgrade: 0/100 Tasks

I was hoping the light taps I made with the pickaxe would count as a task. I knew that was too much to expect. I’ll check again after a proper swing.

Cal glanced at the sky and saw it had to be around noon. It would give him around five hours to work before the visitors he expected would arrive.

He reached the chosen spot and raised the pickaxe high before swinging it down with all his might.

CRACK!

A shower of broken-up ground scatted on impact. He checked the pickaxe for damage. After seeing none, he studied the damage done with one swing.

It’s deep enough that I can see the dirt... This is good, but I worry about the quality of the pickaxe. I fully expect it will be nearly ruined by the day's end.

[Common Pickaxe: Excellent Quality] Upgrade: 1/100 Tasks

Excellent. I’ll happily swing away as long as I need to. It will be amazing if I can get the pickaxe to the Advanced-rank.

Cal glanced at the debris that was spread around before raising the pickaxe.

The wheelbarrow and shovel will be used greatly in the cleanup. I’m looking forward to owning multiple Advanced-ranked tools.

CRACK!

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