Day 5

The morning, for once, didn't come with backbreaking work so much as straightening rows. Most of the sprouts were untouched, thanks to a massive leap in wolf track population. That was fine until I came across the track the size of a dinner plate. In the claws of the track, streaks of green liquid painted the dry dirt. The morning sun hadn't been enough to dry it before I saw the sign for what it was. A wolf was about to increase their rank.

Chills ran up my spine upon the realization my monster repellent wouldn't be effective for much longer. Neither straw nor sticks would keep the wolf out, and I wasn't much of a bricklayer. Fencing was my only reliable option. I needed a strong fence that a rank 2 wolf couldn't chew its way through.

Gwen wasn't even considered for that fight. I turned away from my field to hear a thump. I felt my heart leap out of my chest, and I fell on my butt. The fall barely registered before the creature, filling my vision. Its eyes were too intelligent for a rank 1 monster, and its actions of intimidation felt almost human. Blood covered its pitch-black snout, and it snarled flashing, gleaming white canines. The smell of blood filled my field. Before I could make a move, it turned and left, hopping into the woods and vanishing.

The wolf, the size of a van, had just dropped the carcass of a deer just outside the edge of my woods. As quickly as it came, it left me uncaring about what I could do about it. I didn't bother inspecting the carcass; it had already been eaten from the back end up with barely a skeleton covered in scraps of flesh remaining. If I was a necromancer, perhaps it could be useful instead; it was squirrel food.

For a moment, I was stunned. I slowly stood up and inspected my field. There were already signs of growth thanks to my skills and the mana-dense water. Given that nothing eats them, I could see ears of corn in two weeks. All I had to do was survive until then.

I tested the ground for saturation, and it was still damp, so I shouldn't need to water again until midday. With my encounter in mind I made sure to carefully distribute monster repellent.

"That smells gross, like feet," Gwen said.

"How many feet have you been smelling?" I asked.

"Just yours," Gwen said.

I half-heartedly swiped at her, but she jumped out of the way and took her spot on my bedding.

"Should I leave? That wolf is after me." Gwen said.

I turned to the fawn and stared into its massive, dopey eyes; she was really kind of ugly. The monster was a massive burden on my budget, and I was already in the hole. Even if we made it out of this, I would never be able to use her in a monster battle. For all those reasons, I still named her, and I wanted her.

"Don't worry, I have this."

"Have you killed anything before in your life?" Gwen asked.

"Of course," I said.

"What have you killed?"

"I stomped a spider once," I said.

"Spiders are some of the most vicious types of monsters."

Dad gave me a spiderling from one of his Widow Makers. I cared for it for a month, and one night, I rolled over in my sleep and crushed it. For weeks, I cried my eyes out. None of the Widow Makers tolerated my presence after that. It was a miserable time for 8-year-old me.

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Taking any life, whether it was human or monster, was a massive responsibility. I firmly believe killing should be a last resort if possible. That's why I liked monster battles so much; while the monsters fought, no one died, and everyone learned something in the end. My life out here wasn't that it was brutal like the searing sun and desolate like that deer carcass. What little life I managed to bring back to the land only attracted more opportunities for violence.

"Perhaps I shouldn't sleep too close to you. But you didn't move much last night." Gwen said.

"Your speech pattern changed."

"Yep," Gwen said.

"You can also apparently violate my innermost thoughts and traumatic memories."

"I can't turn it off. Your memories of suffering make me feel less lonely."

Most likely Psychic, as I expected. I would put Gwen's market value at 500,000W outside an auction house. It wasn't like it meant anything to me. As a farmer, I couldn't own a monster. My farm could own a monster under the care of a monster tamer so long as a contract was signed and payments were made in advance.

Keeping quiet about her and hoping she stayed with me was all I could do. No force at my disposal could really keep her here. Deer-type monsters were agility beasts, a white fawn especially. Give her a few weeks of good food, and she would prance around, even rank 2 wolves with ease. Another benefit of Psychic was unparalleled detection, allowing her to breeze through ambushes. Psychic was one of the skills that kept giving despite only being classified as common.

"Maybe it's best to enjoy what we have rather than worry about what may or may not be," Gwen said.

My attributes were too low to compete with monsters that hunt and grow stronger with every kill. A hoe wasn't going to kill a near-rank 2 wolf with rot or poison claws.

Berserk lvl9

+1 Skill Point

First Fence 25/25

10 points in, and I received a welcome surprise.

+1 Constitution

Constitution 3

20 points in, and I received it again.

+1 Constitution

Constitution 4

25 points in, and I received an even better message.

First Fence Skill Tree Complete.

+2 Constitution

Constitution 6

New Skill

Fencing lvl1

My skin felt like worms were dancing inside of it while knowledge of hammering posts, nailing in planks of wood, and more entered my head. There was more. I had methods of working with electricity and metal to make something far more monster-resistant. When I clenched my hands, my skin felt a little more like rubber than my own skin. I heard that the early points felt like massive leaps.

Skill Trees

Easy Pickings 0/10

Farming Student 0/50

Animal Husbandry 0/100

I stepped over Gwen and punched my 100lbs bag. My skin didn't feel much different than an old leather glove. That was another reason farmers were unpopular. High constitution made skin feel less and less human. Most classes had their skill trees mapped, so certain attributes were left behind. I didn't have the luxury of being choosy.

Of the 100,000W I borrowed, I spent 30,000W on the land and another 1,500W on miscellaneous gear. 68,500W wasn't very useful when most of the shop was locked behind a privilege wall and my transporter size. Fortunately, there were two things the shop had available in abundance: wood and barbed wire.

My transporter lit up and flashed as a massive spool appeared ready for use. Since I was already doing this, I might as well keep everything out, not just the wolves. Posts appeared next, along with a hammer and boxes of 6-inch nails.

Gwen sniffed at the barbed wire and turned her nose away from it. That was a good sign; soon, all the corn, money, and revenge will be mine.

I bought some measuring chalk lines and began carrying my fencing out. The second I left my tent, I felt a presence. Turning toward the woods where the wolf had vanished, I saw a pair of yellow eyes watching. I waved at the big monster and used my new hole driver to dig.

The monster watched me work setting up the frame of the fence. Each post was a single piece of wood with a longer piece facing out, forming a right triangle on the ground. 10 feet of wood slanted to 9 feet was still a little too much for a big bad wolf to leap over. If it missed its jump, it would surely be covered in a nest of barbed wire. That would be a sight I would like to see.

Ping!

Fencing lvl8

+7 Skill Points

7 skill levels, and I hadn't even applied the barbed wire. I could nearly snatch up Easy Pickings for whatever it gave me. I placed a layer of barbed wire on the inclined post and stapled it every 3 inches. There was plenty of barbed wire, and I was tired of being attacked in my own home. Sure, this was all inside my property, but I would deal with them when I grew strong enough. When I stapled the last strand, I went to my special latched door and crossed over. Then I slapped a lock on it just in case the wolf was smart enough to copy me.

More eyes stared at me from the darkness, but I didn't feel scared, thanks to my fence. While birds would be a problem, the wolves wouldn't get in so easily. I couldn't imagine the big guy doing much when better options for prey were available. It might even use my fence to ambush deer, which could be costly for repairs. I checked on my skill and found it had entered the double digits without my notice, and I had just enough to finish off another skill tree.

Fencing lvl11

Skill Tree Easy Pickings 10/10 Complete

Reward Choice

Seed of Life Or Seed of Knowledge

Reward choices were rare, especially early on. They normally had a hidden meaning, but both were excellent. I had no context for either choice because I hadn't studied farming at all. For all I knew, it would offer fruit that gave free attributes. If that was the case, then life would be the most valuable.

A burst of light flashed, and a seed appeared in my palm. It glowed with a hungry red light, so I did the most natural thing in the world. I found a place and planted it before dumping some mana-dense water on it. After I patted the dirt, Gwen pranced over.

"I think you were supposed to eat it," Gwen said.

"I'm a farmer; why would I waste a seed? It would hardly fill me up." I said.