Scholar of Seeds: Reborn with a Farming Scroll

Ikenna didn't sleep that night.

Not out of fear—though fear was part of it—but out of necessity. Three days. That's what the system had said. Three days before something called a Beast Wave hit his land. That didn't sound like a coincidence. That sounded like a challenge.

He stood at the edge of the rice terrace, eyes lifted to the silver-threaded moon, its glow cool over the curved paddies below. The crops shimmered with faint light—the natural luminescence of spirit plants drinking in night dew. And somewhere out in the darkness, he could feel it: a pressure building in the earth. A pull.

System Alert:

Beast Wave Countdown: 2 days, 21 hours, 14 minutes.

Threat Level: Moderate

Recommended: Strengthen farm perimeter. Activate warding roots. Prepare decoys.

"What the hell are warding roots?" he muttered.

The kitsune pup, curled around his neck like a scarf, gave a sleepy yip.

Amara approached, her bow slung over her back, sleeves rolled to the elbow, revealing inked vines along her skin. She carried a thick ledger book, one of the old records they'd salvaged from the village chief's ruined home.

"You've got that 'I'm going to stay up all night solving a math problem' look again," she said.

"Beast wave in three days," Ikenna replied.

She paused, flipped through the ledger, and landed on a brittle page. "Thought so. These used to happen once every generation. Spirit beasts migrating too close to the cultivation veins. Hungry, mad, confused."

"And now they're heading straight for me."

"No," she said. "They're heading for your crops. Spirit plants are like beacons to them. Especially that golden rice of yours."

Ikenna looked over at the terrace. "It's not ready to harvest."

"It might not matter. They'll trample it just getting to the scent."

He let out a breath. "Then we start now."

By morning, the farm was a construction site. Ikenna used his Cultivator Mark to channel qi into the earth, awakening Warding Root Seeds the scroll had secretly stored in his inventory. Long, spindly roots broke through the dirt and wrapped around the edges of the farm, glowing faintly with protective symbols.

You've Activated: Earth Ward Array (Level 1)

Effect: Reduces beast aggression within boundary by 20%.

Durability: Medium

Upgrade Available: With Spirit Clay & Carved Stones

He noted that for later.

Meanwhile, Amara and two of the stronger village men worked on constructing beast traps using bamboo, resin, and hollow gourds filled with fermented sour pulp. The kitsune pup enthusiastically buried decoy seeds laced with spicy powder that would repel smaller critters.

"Where's Professor?" Amara asked, sweating through her tunic.

"Digging a trench out back," Ikenna said.

She blinked. "You're serious?"

He pointed.

Professor, with a harness strapped around his thick middle, was dragging a wooden plow that had been reinforced with metal bits salvaged from the broken carts. A trail of carved sigils followed in the dirt.

"I gave him some of the growth grain. It boosted his strength for twenty-four hours."

Amara whistled. "You really are building a fortress."

"No," Ikenna said. "I'm building a farm—one that protects itself."

At dusk, a figure returned from the woods.

It was the young boy from the Crescent Wood Sect. He stood near the outer fence, hesitant, not in his fancy robe this time but in a traveler's tunic, his boots scuffed and arms scratched.

"I brought these," he said, holding out a bundle wrapped in canvas.

Inside were spirit nets, thin and silver, with threads enchanted to entangle mid-level beasts. And four beast ward talismans, which Ikenna recognized from an old textbook on spiritual defense.

Amara narrowed her eyes. "You're spying."

"I'm offering help," he replied. "Our elders won't come. They think you'll burn yourself out. But I… I want to see if a farm can really stand against what's coming."

Ikenna took the bundle and nodded. "Then stay and help. If we survive this, I'll answer your questions."

The boy's eyes lit with curiosity. "Even about the scroll?"

"Especially about the scroll," Ikenna said.

That night, they all camped near the farm's center. The farmhouse was too small and still unfinished, so makeshift tents and hay-stuffed mats did the job. The air was rich with scent: dried herbs, warm soil, the tang of magic.

Ikenna looked at his team—Amara, fierce and grounded; the village men, determined if anxious; the sect boy, eyes wide with potential; and Professor, chewing on a carrot like it was a cigar.

He closed his eyes briefly.

Once upon a time, he was just a teacher.

Now, he was a protector.

A farmer of the impossible.

System Notification:

Beast Wave Countdown: 2 days remaining

Defensive Readiness: 42%

New Skill Unlocked: Tactical Agriculture (Tier 1)

Use crops and terrain creatively to influence battles.

Next Unlock: Tier 2 at 70% readiness.

Ikenna smiled.

"Tactical agriculture, huh?" he murmured. "Let's turn this battlefield into a garden."