Chapter 3: The Growth of a Seedling
“Hey Sora, I heard you’re playing Golden Age!” (Mitsuo)
“What’s with the secrets buddy, I thought you didn't like playing games” (Yuta)
With his eyes glazed, humming a sweet tune, Sora spends his time daydreaming during lunch break.
“Earth to Sora! You there buddy?” (Shota)
“Heh, can’t you tell Shota?” (Yuta)
“Tell what?” (Shota)
“Our little man here is in love!” (Yuta)
“WAH?!” (Mitsuo)
“No way, who?” (Shota)
Sora finally snaps out of his trance...
“H-hey, it’s nothing like that!” (Sora)
“Wait! Don’t tell me it’s Aki?” (Yuta)
“No way, that’s impossible” (Shota)
“Oh my GAWD! The ice queen is coming!” (Mitsuo)
The cafeteria suddenly fell silent. As if the air was sucked out of everyone’s lungs.... Everyone turns their head towards the door. Mitsuo retreated in fear while shivering behind Shota. A brisk and seductive walk, the ‘ice queen’ made her way towards Sora and friends...
“Hey Sora-kun, thanks for the potatoes! George wanted to thank you in person, so he asked if you can visit him” (Akiko)
“Hey Akiko-chan, how you doing?” (Shota)
“Shut it dweep” (Akiko)
“Hey bab-” (Yuta)
“Shut. It.” (Akiko)
“Eek” (Mitsuo)
“Hey stop hiding behind me!” (Shota)
Sora was suddenly on cloud nine. His grin was from ear to ear, if you didn't know how innocent and pure Sora was, you would definitely be calling it the smile of a pervert.
“Anyways, I’ll see you tonight!” (Akiko)
Her sultry hips swayed back and forth as she made her way to the exit. Eyes glued, all the boys in the cafeteria were smitten. Turning around, she blows a kiss to Sora while giving him a deadly seductive wink.
[CRASH]
“Holy shit!” (Shota)
“Man down, we got a man down!” (Yuta)
“Eeek, is she gone yet?” (Mitsuo)
***
Ah, the fresh breeze running across your bare skin while tanning under the hot sun. This is bliss.
It’s been 4 weeks in-game since Marcus became a farmer. Hoe in hand, he worked the field one stroke at a time.
[ping]
+1 strength, + 1 stamina
“Phew, this sure is hard...” (Marcus)
Indeed, farming was hard work. It's a job well avoided by many players. A job with absolutely no attack skills and endless physical labour. Being a farmer would drive most people insane within a week. However, Marcus was different, Marcus was insanely in love.
When Marcus first arrived to his farm, it was a barren wasteland. Boulders and tree stumps were scattered across the field, with a small lonely shack. It was a far cry from the farms Marcus had passed by on his way over. However, being in love meant being blinded by love. Marcus couldn't see the dry creek, numerous weed, or the 3 acre of dry land, what Marcus saw was a chance to get closer to Misty.
*swing-swing*
“Hey Marcus, how’s your farm coming along?” (???)
“Oh, morning Jeremy. I’m getting the hang of it now! Thanks for the guidance!” (Marcus)
Jeremy stood silent as he appraised Marcus newborn farm.
“Well I’ll be darn, you sure got a knack for farming son” (Jeremy)
“Thanks Jeremy, I should get ba-” (Marcus)
“Kids now-a-days know nothing of hard work!” (Jeremy)
“Hey Jeremy, I-” (Marcus)
“You know, back in my day, we got up before dawn, working our bones to dust!” (Jeremy)
“...” (Marcus)
Old man Jeremy never had much interaction with people from the city. Well, it couldn't be helped. Jeremy was passionate about farming, so passionate, you might assume the developers made a mistake coding Jeremy’s artificial intelligence.
Jeremy was old, stubborn, but a hard worker. He worked the fields in solitude. He gave up on finding someone to succeed his farm. There simply wasn't anyone interested; he assumed it was just how things were, the new generation would rather go out adventuring than being stuck on a farm all day.
Of course, this all changed when he met Marcus. At first he was skeptical if someone so young would stick it out through the harsh labour of farming, but overtime he began opening up to the young lad. To him, Marcus was now like his very own grandchild.
“Okay sonny, once you finish ploughing the field, come visit my barn, I’ll give you something nice” (Jeremy)
“...” (Marcus)
The old man limped away leaving Marcus standing in a daze.
“...zzz... u-wa.. WAH!” (Marcus)
Oh god, I fell asleep again! Gotta deliver the vegetables to Misty!
Marcus began harvesting carrots, potatoes, squash and cabbage, stuffing them into flour sacks he received from Jeremy. After tying 4 sacs onto a pole, he placed it over his shoulders and started trekking towards Misty, towards “The Red Fox”.
***
It’s noon in Rohan, the crowd was swamping the marketplace, like sardines packed in a can. Pushing against the flow, is a lone farmer, dragging himself in complete exhaustion and pain.
Urgg, just… a bit… further…
The farmer was none other than Marcus, the noob that has recently gain the pity of many players throughout the city.
“Look, it’s the farmer boy again!” (???1)
“Oh man, it hurts just looking at him” (???2)
“Don’t look honey, close your eyes!” (???3)
On his knees, panting for air, he collapse in front of a pub with a picture of a red fox out-front….
[ping]
+1 strength, +1 stamina, +1 agility
“Hey, Marcus is here! Someone help bring in the produce!” (???)
If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.
“Oh my God! Marcus are you okay?” (Misty33)
Looking up, Marcus sees his ‘morning sun’. Filled with renewed vigour, he jumps up, flexing his biceps.
“I’m perfectly fine! Nothing wrong here!” (Marcus)
“I’m so glad, come inside, George has something to give you!” (Misty33)
Taking a seat at the bar, a plump and jolly man waddles his way towards Marcus...
“Greetings Marcus! Thanks so much for your hard work, first, here’s your keep” (Chef George)
A small bag of gold drops in Marcus palm, he looks inside…
You received 49g!
“W-wait, isn’t this too much?” (Marcus)
“Hohoho, the produce you brought in are top notch! All grade A stuff!” (Chef George)
“Of course! I wouldn’t give my benefactor anything but the best!” (Marcus)
During his time farming, Marcus figured how to selectively breed crops. Thanks to his love for biology, he managed to learn a new skill, Plant Enhancement, which allowed him to increase the quality of his plants using either mana or selective breeding.
“Hah! That’s why I like you boy! Here take this!” (Chef George)
“What's this?” (Marcus)
“You’re a farmer, try seeing for yourself!” (Chef George)
Opening the bag of seeds, Marcus used his Botany skill to identify what it was.
Identified:
* Rosemary Seeds x 100
* Thyme Seeds x 100
* Falu Seeds x 100
* Siniy Seeds x 100
* Helix Seeds x 100
[ping]
Botany beginner lvl. 9!
+Improved description of plants!
Discovered 5 new plants, + 5 nature
“Herbs?” (Marcus)
“That's right! Herbs are rare and fetch a high price in the market! Why don’t you cultivate them? I heard you’re in need of some gold” (Chef George)
“Really? Thanks George!” (Marcus)
Marcus needed gold, a lot of gold. He never told anyone why, not even Misty, but he wanted to build something big and needed all the gold he can get.
After getting a free meal and saying his farewell, Marcus went straight to the plaza to meet a new friend...
***
“Hey Alex! I’m back” (Marcus)
“Hey buddy, what can I do for you today?” (Woodcutter Alex)
“I got 49g, how much lumber can I buy?” (Marcus)
Alex, known as Woodcutter Alex to some, was a fairly husky middle-aged man. When he’s not chopping down trees, he’s out selling them in the plaza. He recently met an honest lad, who never once tried haggling him for his wood. Matter of fact, Alex was overcharging this innocent child at first, but as days went by, he felt more mortified cheating such a pure, honest boy...
“Hey Marcus, why do you need so much lumber for?” (Woodcutter Alex)
“Well... I want to build a house, for someone special...” (Marcus)
“Oh? Is it a girl?” (Woodcutter Alex)
“E-eh, ah yeah, it is...” (Marcus)
Alex started to reminisce as he could see himself in Marcus's shoes. When he was much younger, he fell in love with the Baker’s daughter, Annalise. As he watched her married off to another man, he always regretted not doing something for her nor telling how much he loved her. Alex placed his rugged hands on Marcus shoulders…
“Marcus! If it’s a house you want, come with me! I’ll teach you how it’s done!” (Woodcutter Alex)
“Really Alex? You’re the best!” (Marcus)
“Hah! We’ll be out for a couple of days, pack your things, lets meet back here tomorrow at noon!” (Woodcutter Alex)
Excited, Marcus ran off towards his farm to prepare for tomorrow. As the day grew colder, he decided it was time to log out, of course, not before checking his status window.
Status WindowMarcusFarmerLevel8 (32.3%)TitleN/AHealth950/950Mana155/155Stamina237/237Charm-100Strength81Intelligence10Agility40Dexterity59Wisdom10Vitality31Nature75
Status: Curse of the Goddess Freya (-100 Charm, decrease affinity towards the opposite sex)
Fire resistance: 7.5%Water resistance: 7.5%Air resistance: 7.5%Earth resistance: 7.5%
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