Farmer Mage

Chapter 37: Alternate

Cal watched in amusement as the little beast woke with a loud squeak and jumped well over ten feet in the air. It landed on all fours and stared at him with eyes the size of dinner plates.

Clearly, it did not mean to sleep in the storage room.

I wonder if this is where it hides.

“So?” Cal raised an eyebrow when it stayed frozen for a few seconds.

The little beast went into action. It hopped off the stacked powdered crystals and pointed at the aforementioned stack. It straightened its back and walked stiffly around the storage room, face turning here and there with its eyes narrowed.

“You were guarding the the place?”

The little beast nodded rapidly with an expectant look.

Cal glanced at the sealed boxes and saw no sign of anything being opened. He didn’t expect them to be, but his old habit of being distrustful was still stuck in him.

“Thank you, little beast—” he cut himself off. This creature understood him clearly and was more helpful than most humans he knew—and more intelligent. He couldn’t keep calling it ‘little beast.’ “Do you have a name?”

It stared at him blankly. He tried to ask it in a different way. He pointed at himself and said, “My name is Cal.” He pointed at the creature, “What’s your name?”

It shrugged its shoulders.

“You don’t have one?” Cal was already thinking of possible names to give it when he got a shake of its head. The problem was he could only come up with ones for humans.

Naming the creature something like Jorik or Arlo seemed terribly awkward. He shuddered as he imagined calling it that.

The little beast is adorable, but all the names I’m thinking of make me think of a gruff, blacksmith-type person… which is ironic since the only blacksmith I know is Orrin, and he is the opposite of that.

… Wait, is this thing a male or female?

“Are you a boy?” Cal asked bluntly. He got a blank stare in response. “A girl?” Another blank stare.

He scratched his chin in confusion. With the creature's intelligence, he certainly wasn’t going to check. He would afford it the same respect he would expect for himself.

Cal and the creature had a stare-off that lasted far too long. “… I’ll think of something fitting later.”

The creature shrugged again as if it couldn’t care less. Even still, he needed a name to stop referring to it as ‘little beast’ or ‘the creature.’

I should find out what people name beasts before coming up with a name. It’ll give me some sort of guideline reference.

“Continue to guard the storage room. I’ll order more of the crushed crystals when I see Drex,” Cal immediately regretted the words that left his mouth. He had momentarily forgotten that he was near broke. Still, he didn’t take it back.

Not when the creature started celebrating by performing some sort of jig, though it was just its body vibrating excitedly. If he was too poor to order more, he would just let it eat some of his current supply.

Cal chuckled and walked to where the equipment was placed on the walls. He left his upgraded tools alone and pulled one of the two spare sledgehammers that Orrin made.

His Advanced Sledgehammer was basically a pseudo-weapon, so he wanted one fitting for farm work. He would have to be calculated in how he used the sledgehammer to receive the trait options he desired, but that should be doable.

Using the sledgehammer to break apart stones won’t get me my wish. Not when the stones do little to no damage to the tool.

Cal left the storage room with the creature following closely behind. It stayed behind to guard the entrance as he continued to his destination.

He was about to pass his loam-covered dirt patch when he paused. He looked further down at the part he had purposely avoided working on and moved closer. I forgot to check if there were any signs of regrowth.

Cal couldn’t see anything that stood out when he compared the area he dug up with the dirt pact he was cultivating. It was the same, with not even a millimeter of the surface layer grown back.

It’s only been a day, but surely there should be some signs of it.

He scratched his chin before shrugging. Drex did say that he wasn’t sure what the exact timings were.

I’ll check again tomorrow.

Cal passed the ever-growing piles of rocks and had to walk for more than he had assumed. He previously cleared up a significant part of the ground of stone on this side of the field, something he had severely underestimated.

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I should have picked another side… but I don’t want to create another area with massive piles.

He reached the first stone and turned to see how far he was from his house. It wasn’t a blurry dot, but it was certainly getting to the edge of where he could make out the features in detail.

It would be more distant when he was done using the new sledgehammer.

Cal turned his attention back to the stone about to be demolished. He still used both hands to swing the sledgehammer properly—even though it felt like he was holding nothing.

He let the natural weight of the sledgehammer land on the stone, with none of his physical strength behind it. It was still more than enough to shatter the stone.

CRACK!

You have gained [Uncommon Sledgehammer] as equipment. It will be designated as your alternate.

Since you already possess a sledgehammer, the alternate is ineligible for increasing your skill, [Perfect Match]. However, [Perfect Match] will still apply its effects on the alternate.

If equipment designated as your alternate is ranked higher—or further in the upgrade process within the same rank—than your primary, the alternate will then be designated as your primary equipment.

Cal stared at the interface with irritation.

I was counting on upgrading the spare tools also helping [Perfect Match]. At least it still counts toward my [Tier]. Still, it severely decreases my desire to use the spares. If it wasn’t for desperately needing money, I wouldn’t bother… as long as I was happy with my primary equipment's trait.

He pulled the information on the sledgehammer.

Alternate Equipment:

[Uncommon Sledgehammer: Excellent Quality] Upgrade: 1/900 Tasks

I want to try to get the Self-Repair trait for this one. If my previous experience is anything to go by, just breaking stones won’t do it. I’ll need to involve the ground to cause degradation.

Cal glanced at the stones he would break apart. They were fairly close together. He estimated he could break apart a stone every two or three seconds, including the time it took him to walk to the next one.

This sledgehammer will be upgraded in less than an hour.

He lifted the sledgehammer over his head before bringing it down.

CRACK!

Cal’s estimate of the time it would take was scarily accurate, and this included the occasional strikes he made to the ground.

He left behind a trail of destruction—only with stones, of course—as he steadily worked toward getting this sledgehammer to the Advanced rank.

Unlike the past times Cal had worked on the field, he couldn’t get himself into the trance he loved so much.

If it was just the stones he had to break, he was confident that his mind and body would go on autopilot, but the ridiculous action of slamming the sledgehammer into the ground to purposely degrade it was too jarring.

Cal pulled up the interface after he shattered another stone.

Alternate Equipment:

[Uncommon Sledgehammer: Excellent Quality] Upgrade: 873/900 Tasks

He frowned as he looked at the quality. He had to get that down to ‘Good’ before the upgrade.

Cal could see the significant cosmetic damage on the sledgehammer’s head. With the few tasks left before the upgrade, he would need to put some muscle into the blows to the ground.

He decided to take it down a quality level before breaking another stone.

Cal slammed the sledgehammer into the ground, a sharp crack coming from the point of contact. The ground split apart slightly, but it wasn’t close to the level his primary sledgehammer was capable of with its trait.

The cosmetic damage is more prominent.

He repeated the action. Then again. And again. Continuing until he got his wish.

Alternate [Uncommon Sledgehammer] has degraded to Good Quality.

Cal dismissed the interface and stared at the damage done to the ground. He could see hints of the dirt underneath. It had taken too many strikes with significant muscle behind them to finally degrade the sledgehammer.

This is the damage the sledgehammer can take when in the Uncommon rank. Two strikes with the ‘Weight Adjustable’ trait was enough to degrade an Advanced-rank sledgehammer. I underestimated how divesting that trait was.

He shook his head and continued, wanting to upgrade the sledgehammer in his hands as soon as possible.

CRACK!

Cal didn’t have many tasks left to complete. Just a little under thirty before it was done.

It didn’t take longer than a minute or two, even at his casual pace.

Your alternate equipment [Uncommon Sledgehammer] has been upgraded to [Advanced Sledgehammer].

Equipment upgrade has activated an ability of [Farmer (Special)].

You will have two options for the alternate [Advanced Sledgehammer]’s trait.

Equipment trait choices available. Choose one.

Groundbreaker - The sledgehammer has the potential to penetrate and break through materials that would normally be impervious, such as reinforced stone, metal, and magical barriers.

Seismic Impact - The sledgehammer is imbued with the power to create a localized earthquake with every strike.

He pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation at the choices he was given. The choice that he would pick was all too obvious, and if he wasn’t irritated by the fact that ‘Self-Repair’ wasn’t an option, it was quite a good trait to get.

I can’t force the trait toward the one I want. Senselessly attacking the ground only forced the options to be focused on that.

Cal reached out and tapped ‘Groundbreaker.’ He hoisted the sledgehammer on his shoulder as the interface disappeared and started to walk back to the house.

’Seismic Impact’ might have less degradation effect than ‘Weight Adjustable,’ but it’s basically the same thing in my eyes. ‘Groundbreaker’ is interesting and something that might become very useful to me.

… And it might make the sledgehammer worth more if I need to sell it.

He reentered his field and saw the little creature still standing guard by the storage room entrance. He gave it a slight nod, which it took as a signal to leave its post.

Cal blinked when it puffed its chest up before it dived into the ground and disappeared.

I wanted to convey it did a good job, not dismiss it.

He chuckled at the miscommunication and entered the storage room to hang the sledgehammer on the rack before walking into the main part of the house.

Cal had intended to go straight to his bedroom and get some sleep to wake up bright and early, but he was forced to stop.

The wonderful, well-colored outdoors had made him forget how jarring the living room was. He stared at the clashing colors and hideous decoration. He couldn't stop.

Cal could feel his mood worsening. He reiterated to himself that he didn't care about aesthetics.

Not at all.

Except for now.

That’s it. All of this has to go.

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