[Farmer] Mage

Cal’s boots crunched the dirt underneath with every step. He had just passed the fork that had the marker for the Northern Wastes.

The trip back from Lumina took longer than it should have, but he didn’t consider it wasted time. Not when he had been reading the booklet for [Rainfall].

Cal had already read the entire thing multiple times. As was typical with spells at this level, it was primarily based on understanding natural processes. The better he could understand how and why it rained naturally, the easier it was to direct his mana to cast the spell.

Compared to [Lightning Bolt]—the spell he worked so hard on in his first life—[Rainfall] was as simple as it could get. This was despite the fact they were technically considered to be spells at the same level.

Perhaps it is just me, but learning about electrical charges building up and discharging—then replicating it with my mana is far more complex than doing the same with water vapor condensing into droplets before falling.

… At least, I think that will be the case. I won’t know for sure until I try the spell.

He flipped through the booklet again, rechecking to make sure that he had the fundamentals down before closing it.

He would need to test it on an unused part of the field first and make sure the spell didn’t drown his field. Of course, that would also depend on the draw the spell would have on his mana.

Cal reached the tree line when he noticed two grooves in the dirt path. There were plenty of others, but this one looked fresh.

He brightened up. The only cart he expected today was his delivery of the Sunfire Grain seeds. He walked into his field with an added excitement that quickly died and was replaced with confusion when he saw a carriage parked in front of his house.

What’s Tavia doing here? I thought it would take more time for the interior decorations to arrive.

Cal sped up his walk, curious to see how the interior looked, but saw Tavia leaning on barrels previously hidden by the carriage. He saw her face light up when she saw him and waved excitedly, but he didn’t respond.

Couldn’t respond.

There were five barrels near Tavia. A shudder ran through Cal’s body as his walk slowed dramatically.

I didn’t think Drex meant he would deliver all the barrels of Sunfire Grains at once. This is enough for my whole field, not just the dirt patch I dug up.

Tavia’s smile dimmed when she saw his reaction, thinking he was unhappy to see her. “Is this a bad time?”

Cal glanced at her before looking at the barrels like they were his greatest enemy.

I will be short of money after I pay for this… I might need to depend on Fintan’s generosity to get my meals.

“Cal?”

“Nothing like that,” he finally responded. “Were these barrels here when you arrived?”

“Er, yeah. They were just sitting here.”

… Drex just left a delivery worth two and a half guildmarks without protection.

Cal pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration before letting out a deep breath. “Sorry, Tavia. It’s the barrels that are giving me an issue. Give me a minute to store them, then we can talk.”

He moved as Tavia gave him a confused nod. He didn’t think much of it when he easily lifted a barrel and casually started to walk to the storage room, but Tavia’s gasp made him realize how ridiculous he looked.

As a Trainee, they were taught the most basic hand-to-hand combat that allowed them to be just a level above hopeless if it needed to be used. Still, Cal couldn’t think of anyone who would be called ‘strong.’

… I would be just as surprised as Tavia if I saw someone go from avoiding all physical tasks to lifting a barrel many times their weight with ease in only a few days. Though, she should have had a hint after seeing me work the other day.

“… Is this another farmer thing?” Tavia asked while staring intensely.

“Definitely a farmer thing,” Cal nodded with a solemn expression. It threw her off as he expected. He had no reason to do it other than to mess with Tavia.

He chuckled as he continued on to the storage room. She would figure it out soon enough.

Cal entered the storage room and placed the barrel in the corner. He did a cursory check on the powdered crystals on the off chance he could notice a significant amount missing.

He couldn’t. The little beast was safe from his wrath for now.

He quickly brought in the rest of the barrels and placed them in the same corner as the first—all under Tavia’s wide eyes. He looked around the storage room again before exiting to join his surprise visitor.

“So, what brings you here today? Is Miren already sending the furnishings?”

“It should be here soon,” Tavia confirmed as she glanced at the sky. “Maybe in a few hours at most.”

“… A large part of me still expected you to back out when you realized how much this cost you.”

Tavia raised her brow as she stared at him. With a hesitant tone, she asked, “What do you think of the starlit marble the guild gave you?”

Cal wasn’t sure why she changed the subject but assumed the gold she had to pay for the interior was something she would prefer not to think about. “It’s fine. I might see some use of it eventually.”

Tavia looked more displeased by his answer than Cal thought she had a right to be. It was like he personally offended her.

“Eventually? Even if you don’t want to change your Class, you can still use it now! Don’t you have some farming spells or whatever it is your Class uses? You can practice it in the workshop!”

Cal hid a smile at the thought of using [Rainfall] inside. “For some reason, the starlit marble does not affect me.” Again, this would be obvious when he didn’t bother using it, so there was no reason to hide.

Tavia stared at him doubtfully, unsure if he was playing with her again. “Really?”

“Really,” Cal confirmed, pausing when her face fell. “… Why do you ask?”

“No reason,” Tavia said it in a way that implied there very much was a reason.

He considered pushing to know more, but it wasn’t like he was required to know it. Not when she didn’t offer it freely. Besides, his time was better spent practicing [Rainfall] before Seris arrived with the tools he had commissioned.

Plus, I need something positive to keep my spirits up. If Drex left the barrels here without waiting for payment, he probably told Seris to collect it from me. Having learned [Rainfall] before I begger myself will make it less of an emotional hit… maybe.

“Well, I have a spell to practice,” Cal said as he backed away. “If you need me, give me a yell.”

Tavia still looked like her mind was more occupied with the starlit marble issue than his words. She gave him a distracted nod.

Cal let her be and moved to the part of the field that was completely opposite the dirt patch.

Water vapor. Condensation. The droplets fall.

He repeated the words in his mind and thought of the process as he gathered all the mana in his mana core, leaving enough where he wouldn’t fall into exhaustion. He wanted a baseline of what to expect when he used everything he had.

Cal roughly estimated he had twice the amount of mana as he did as a [Mage] in his last time. That sounded impressive until the fact that he was an entire [Tier] rank higher was considered.

I’m not going to complain. My [Class] gives me so many advantages that reduced mana compared to a [Mage] is something I will gladly accept.

He raised his arm, hand open, and pointed to the sky above him. He pictured rain clouds the size of the dirt patch he intended to cultivate—around five hundred square feet and not too far above the ground.

Water vapor. Condensation. The droplets fall.

Call released his mana with a forceful command. His eyes widened when his mana rushed to the area he visualized and spread out to cover it evenly.

In a fraction of a second, thick white clouds filled the area. That was quickly followed by a darkening until it was a stormy grey. After another fraction of a second, rain started to pour.

He had no chance to modify the spell—not that he would have, even if possible. It happened so quickly that it took less time than to blink.

Rain drowned Cal’s form to the point where he considered cutting off the mana supply, but he soldiered on purely because he needed the information.

Besides, it will only last a few seconds at most.

His self-assurance was wrong.

Cal counted well past the thirty-second mark when the downpour finally stopped. The rain clouds disappeared just as fast as they appeared, leaving a small pond on the field that looked very out of place when everything else was bone dry.

And in the middle, he stood utterly soaked and resembled a drowned rat.

… Well, at least I know not to use that much mana.

The interface appeared unexpectedly.

Your [Tier] has increased by 1 level.

A smile grew on Cal’s face. He didn’t think learning spells would apply to his [Tier] growth as well. He had assumed that only working in his field would help it increase.

“What was that!? No, How did you do that!?” Tavia yelled from her spot near the carriage.

Cal looked away from the interface and saw Tavia staring his way with an open mouth.

She’s surprised a lot. I wonder when she’ll start to think all the strange things are normal.

“I tried a spell!” Cal yelled back. “I overdid it!”

Tavia looked like she would have a conniption at his severe oversimplification, but the distant sound of carts traveling toward them on the dirt path. She pursed her lips before shaking her head and looked to the tree line, determinedly waiting for her delivery.

Cal bit back his smile and ran his fingers through his hair to remove the wet strands from his face. He then pulled up his interface to get a complete summary of his current capabilities.

Name: Cal Maddox

Class: Farmer (Special)

Tier: Apprentice 2

Elemental Affinity:

Lightning (None)

Water (High)

Skills:

[Perfect Match: Apprentice 3] - The tools you use are one with you. As you grow, so do they. The more your mastery increases, the faster your tools will grow in relation to your [Tier].

[Master Negotiator: Novice 1] - You might be a [Farmer], but you feel at home while trading. You will have an easier chance of getting discounts, but that chance increases and decreases depending on the skill of the person you are negotiating with. As your mastery increases, the skill of others matters little.

Traits:

[Second Chance] - The laws of the world have recognized that you have lived this life before. It does not know how you accomplished this, but you will be rewarded for surprising it. For the next week, you will experience a boost towards tier upgrades.

[Lightning Aura] - You are surrounded by an aura of lightning that matches the strength of your [Tier] level. It is possible to manipulate the aura within five feet of your body. Limit 1 use per day. Duration of the trait is 30 minutes.

Rewards:

[Tier Boost] - All actions that contribute to increasing your tier level will automatically be counted as double the normal increase. (2 days remaining)

[Blessing of the Time-Warped Seed] - You may apply this reward to one type of crop seed (Limit 1 barrel). They will grow and mature at a 10x accelerated rate, allowing you to harvest crops in a fraction of the usual time. After 3 uses, this reward will expire.

Equipment:

[Advanced Pickaxe: Average Quality] Upgrade: 1262/4500 Tasks

- Self-Repair - After 24 continuous hours without use, the pickaxe will start to recover to its peak quality state. No matter what its state was at the start, it will take 7 days to regain its status as ‘Excellent Quality. '

[Advanced Sledgehammer: Good Quality] Upgrade: 2/4500 Tasks

- Weight Adjustable - This sledgehammer has an adjustable weight mechanism, enabling you to customize the weight for different tasks, from light tapping to heavy-duty smashing. You are limited by the mana you can supply to the sledgehammer.

[Advanced Shovel: Good Quality] Upgrade: 2038/4500 Tasks

- Self-Repair - After 24 continuous hours without use, the shovel will start to recover to its peak quality state. No matter what its state was at the start, it will take 7 days to regain its status as ‘Excellent Quality. '

[Uncommon Wheelbarrow: Excellent Quality] Upgrade: 521/900 Tasks

[Uncommon Plow: Good Quality] Upgrade: 6/900 Tasks

He dismissed the interface with renewed determination from the detailed overview of his progress in such a short amount of time.

Cal knew his mana would recover fully in thirty minutes at most. He planned to use [Rainfall] with half of his mana, then a quarter. That should give him more than enough information on how to use [Rainfall] for precise amounts of rain.