The sky over the academy slowly darkened as evening settled over the forest.
Felix sat beside the river, watching the last traces of sunlight disappear behind the distant mountains. The gentle sound of flowing water filled the quiet surroundings, occasionally mixed with the chirping of insects.
It had been a long day.
New academy and new classmates. A completely different environment from the main city.
Felix leaned back against a tree trunk and glanced toward his small shelter. It was nothing impressive, just a simple structure made from branches and leaves tied together with vines. But for someone who had spent most of his life inside dormitories, building it with his own hands felt strangely satisfying.
At least it would keep him dry if it rained.
The farmer class is not an ordinary class for those who dreamed of becoming warriors in the future.
It was often associated with non-combatant jobs, more commonly known as worker roles. However, after Felix carefully examined his status and the details of his Farmer Job, he was greatly astonished.
———
System Window Opened
Host: Felix Lin
Title: Beginner Farmer
Level: Apprentice Lv.1
Experience: 0/100
Attributes
Strength: 5
Agility: 4
Vitality: 6
Spirit: 7
Skills
Soil Appraisal Lv.1
[-] Allows you to check the quality and fertility of soil.
Beginner Tilling Technique
[-] Improves efficiency when preparing land for farming.
Passive Bonus
Nature Affinity Lv.1
[-] Recovers stamina faster when near rivers, forest, and fertile land.
Plot Owned: 0
Spirit Farm: Lv.1
Inventory: 0/10 (Empty)
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Bonus Attribute Points: 0
Quest
>First Field<
•Build a shelter(Completed)
•Establish your farm
Reward
Experience +20
Spirit Seed x3
Beginner Fertilizer x1
———
In order to get his first spirit seeds, he needed to complete the quest first. Building a shelter was already completed. Now he only needs to complete the second task, which is to establish his first farm.
After checking his status screen, he did not sit idly. He sprung on his feet and started working.
Using his soil appraisal skill, he looked around, searching for fertile soil. But soon, Felix got tired. He realized it was not easy to find fertile soil suitable for farming.
His first impression about farming was that as long as there's an empty plot of soil everything was a done deal. Unfortunately, it wasn't as easy as that.
Especially because the crops he needed to cultivate were not ordinary crops—they were spirit crops.
He decided to rest for a bit. He still had plenty of time, and he could continue searching later. He was also starting to feel hungry, so he needed to cook first. Fortunately, he had already bought groceries before coming here.
Felix quickly prepared his cooking equipment. It was his first time experiencing something like this, camping on his own.
After his dinner, he sat on a make-shift wooden bench.
Then a small squeaking sound caught his attention.
"Squeak!"
Felix looked toward it.
King had been chewing soil near the riverbank for almost half an hour. Its cheeks puffed out every few seconds as it happily munched the dirt like it was the most delicious food in the world.
Felix rested his chin on his palm.
"You really like dirt, huh?"
"Squeak!"
King lifted its tiny head proudly before continuing to chew.
Felix chuckled softly.
If someone from Aurora Beast Academy saw this scene, they would probably laugh themselves to death.
A beast tamer whose spirit beast eats dirt.
What kind of joke was that?
Still, watching the small creature doing his thing so seriously made Felix feel oddly comforted.
Eventually, exhaustion caught up with him.
The sound of the river became soothing.
The cool night air brushed against his face.
Before long, Felix drifted into sleep beside his shelter.
———
The moon rose high above the forest.
Silver light bathed the riverbank.
The academy grounds were quiet, most students already resting after a day of training.
But near Felix's shelter, something interesting was happening.
King stopped chewing.
He sniffed the air. His tiny nose twitched. Then he began digging. His movement was fast. Much faster than before.
Soil scattered in all directions as King burrowed into the ground like a miniature drill.
Within seconds, a small tunnel formed beneath the soil.
King moved through the earth quickly, occasionally stopping to chew chunks of dirt and swallow them.
Strangely, wherever it passed, the soil behind it began to change.
The dull brown earth slowly darkened.
Soft golden particles faintly appeared within the soil.
The ground became richer, looser, and filled with natural energy.
If someone skilled in farming were present, they would immediately recognize it.
Spirit enriched soil.
Something farmers spent years trying to cultivate.
Yet King was occasionally producing it while digging tunnels.
He eventually resurfaced near Felix's shelter.
He sniffed around before finding a small patch of ground beside the river.
Then it started chewing again.
Munch.
Munch.
Munch.
Each bite of soil was processed inside his small body before being spit out as darker, richer earth.
King happily repeated the process for hours.
By the time the moon reached its highest point in the sky, the ground around Felix's shelter had completely changed.
What was once ordinary soil had become a patch of fertile land filled with natural spiritual energy.
King finally squeaked in satisfaction.
"Squeak!"
It waddled back toward Felix, climbed onto his chest, and curled into a small fluffy ball.
Within seconds, it was asleep.
———
Morning came with the warm glow of sunlight filtering through the trees.
Felix slowly opened his eyes.
He stretched his arms and yawned.
"Morning already…"
For a moment, he forgot where he was. Then he saw the forest around him.
Right.
Dawn Academy.
King was still sleeping peacefully on his chest.
Felix carefully lifted King as he sat up and rubbed his eyes. Then he gently placed him on his shoulder.
"Goodmorning, King."
"Squeak…"
King barely responded.
Felix stood and stretched again before walking toward the river to wash his face.
Cold water splashed across his skin, instantly waking him up.
He sighed in relief.
"That's feel better."
When he turned around to head back to his shelter, something caught his attention.
Felix frowned.
"….Huh?"
The ground looked different.
He walked closer to the area where King had been chewing soil yesterday.
The dirt there was darker.
Much darker.
Felix crouched down and grabbed a handful.
The soil felt softer and richer between his fingers. Almost like it had been freshly prepared for planting.
"That's strange."
He remembered clearly that the ground here had been dry and ordinary yesterday.
Felix suddenly remembered his system ability.
"Soil Appraisal."
A faint blue panel appeared before him.
———
Soil Analysis
Quality: High
Fertility: Excellent
Spiritual Energy: Present
Remark: Suitable for Spirit Crops
———
Felix's eyes widened.
"What?"
He stared at the panel again, thinking he misread it.
High quality soil?
Here?
Yesterday this place was just ordinary dirt.
Felix slowly turned his head toward King sitting on his shoulder.
King was lazily grooming its tiny paws.
Felix squinted.
"…Did you do this?"
"Squeak!"
King puffed its chest proudly.
Felix blinked.
"Wait… seriously?"
He looked back at the fertile soil.
Then at King.
Then back to the soil again.
A strange thought slowly formed in his mind.
"Can this little guy turn ordinary dirt into fertile spirit soil?"
Felix's heartbeat quickened.