Year 5007 after the system, day 10 of the flowering season.

 

A vast field of fresh grass laid before my emerald eyes, devoid of animals and people, but filled with insects who lived in it. 

I easily noticed a couple of small flowers here and there: snow-in-summer was their name, something my mother taught me. Its appearance was that of white petals with a little sun in the center.

Further on, a vast amount of tall trees lived to the far northern edge. Whereas a forest extended all the way to the east side of Astia village and also to all the eastern way till it reached the mountains. A river passed in-between the green and the grey, hiding its spring.

“Your field is turning into a cute square shape.”

Once I heard a sudden voice, I turned around with a dubious expression while facing its source, my mom.

“You really think so?”

My eyes stole a glimpse of her plain white dress, which fitted her perfectly. She smiled gleefully at me while complimenting my actions.

“Of course! Making a line between the diverse seeds was an ingenious idea, like that they should have enough space to grow large, especially for the big ones.”

Laughter escaped my lips and then I couldn’t help myself but confess the origin of it.

“Father was the one who thought about it.”

Her arms crossed while she spoke in a lower tone, as if thinking at the same time the words came out.

“Your dad reads a lot... the two of you are similar in that aspect.”

“Yes! Now I just need to put them in!”

I smiled faintly, placing a seed in each hole as the field was finally ready. As my hands managed the task, a voice resounded in my mind, which I choose to ignore, having done so multiple times during the days that passed.

System: You have received the achievement, Beginner Seeder.

“I really wish the system would stop sending messages to my mind!” Angrily, I shouted, surprising my mother, who seemed stupefied about my behaviour. That was a new side of me to her, one I didn’t share so easily.

“You can ask the messages to be turned off. You’ll still receive the things from it.”

Thanks to her advice, any hint of anger disappeared instantly.

“What? Really?”

My mother nodded at me while keeping a mature, charming expression, and then I focused on turning the messages off in my mind, causing a sound like a click to occur.

“I think I did it. I’m not completely sure.”

She aimed a finger at the watering can.

“Once you water the fields, you’ll know.”

I sighed before letting go of my next words. 

“With these many achievements, it makes me wonder how humans don’t get powerful enough to beat their enemies.”

“That would be due to… many reasons... especially since they take long to complete, are repetitive, barely give much... the enemies can also do it... and so on...”

Her mouth mumbled a bit more inwardly. I noticed the discontent in my mother’s words as I related to her, despite having barely started.

“That sounds tough...”

“Yes, and our enemies can use a class since they are born, get more statuses than us per year of life, and are constantly at war.”

With a curious expression, I questioned.

“And... we’re not?”

“Well...”

She gazed southwest, turning her body towards that direction as I remained facing north, sowing the field.

“Thanks to the Saintess’s existence, low-level monsters stay away, and every year she makes a ceremony that spreads her divine powers in the frontiers, cleansing and protecting the land.”

My head turned around to face her with a big gleamy face.

“She sounds amazing!”

The cheerfulness of my voice made Rosaline match my direction as she pointed above with her right-handed index finger.

“That woman truly is! Thanks to her, and the goddess, we’re able to be at peace! At least till war breaks through, then there’s nothing the Saintess can do about it.”

I knew the person was amazing. In fact, it was one of the conversation topics I had with my dad, but he also mentioned they didn’t particularly aim towards their religion. However, when I questioned the reason why, he didn’t seem willing to answer, possibly because of the friends he had. Without having much knowledge of the kingdom itself, and in order to get some, I attempted a question. 

“Is she the queen of this kingdom?”

“No, but she’s a unique, important being...”

Rosaline went silent for a while, as if gauging the diverse powers between the two.

“I’d say equally, if not more important than the royal family, simply because she’s irreplaceable.”

I nodded and then stared south, aiming my finger toward the place where the enemies of humanity lived in.

“The reason I don’t see many monsters, despite us living so close to the southwest border, is it because of the ceremony?”

Without knowing what I could ask and what not, my mind attempted to at the very least repeat some information, hoping to get more about it.

“Yes! It started in the first season, the flowering one!”

She smiled, showing one finger with her hand, and then changed to four.

“It lasts almost for the entire year, however, its effect reduces as time goes by.”

Rosaline deducted two while adding the latter part.

“In the last two, the decaying and moon seasons, things get pretty harsh for the soldiers, but especially for the adventurers of the guild. The second is the ones doing the most hunting to protect us. Some even die...”

I felt her tone filled with sadness, to which she whispered: “One reason I didn’t go far with it...”

Without knowing what to say, I started closing the holes, having finished placing the seeds inside of them.

“Make sure you tap on top of it. It’ll make the soil harder for birds who may attempt to steal them.”

With a revolting expression, I turned to my mother, surprised in a bad way, “really!? I don’t want my seeds to be stolen! Is there something we could do to avoid that?”

I gazed at her with an adorable yet worried expression.

“Uh...”

My mother tilted her head slightly to the side while pondering, finding a simple solution that I might like, “...perhaps we could make a scarecrow?”

“A scarecrow? What’s that?” I questioned, half curious half confused by her suggestion, remembering to have read something about it.

“Basically a doll made of straw and some clothing that you can place in the middle of the field. Since it looks like a human, the birds will think twice before approaching it.”

With a cheerful expression, I responded with an energetic tone.

“That sounds like fun. We should make one!”

She smiled and then nodded slightly.

“Once you finish watering everything, I’ll try to get the necessary materials.”

“Yay, alright!”

My body closed all the holes one by one cheerfully, looking forward to the aftermath. Some time went by and I looked at my mother with an innocent expression, “Hey, mom...” 

I noticed her eyes widen, and sparkle every so slightly in anticipation, filled with interest.

“What is it?”

“Is there a way to organize the achievements by type or something similar?”

“What do you mean? Can you give me an example?” She extended her palm in front of me, aiming at the sky as if I needed to put something on it.

“Sure! Something like all the fishing titles pairing together, and the same as the farming ones, like the way I organized my field by seed types.”

Rosaline closed her hand, understanding my request.

“Oh... yes, of course. The system of this world does its best to adapt to the user. You just have to think of the way you want them to be, and request it mentally.”

With some effort, I heard some clicking sounds. Then focused on the achievements word, making the screen appear to check if things were orderly the way I wanted them to be.

Achievements:
Completed.(+)
Beginner Reader(5/100): Read a set of books. Reward 1 wisdom once complete.
Beginner Merchant(4/100): Make a set of trades. Reward 1 intelligence once complete.
Animal Slayer(28/100): Kill a set of creatures. Reward 100 disgrace once complete.
Beginner Fisherman(13/100): Fish a lot of creatures. Reward 100 disgrace once complete.
Species Fished(5/100): Fish different types. Reward 1 dexterity and 100 disgrace once complete.
Beginner Preserver(13/100): Preserve many pieces of food. Reward 1 intelligence once complete.
Beginner Digger(10/100): Dig holes with a tool. Reward 1 endurance once complete.
Beginner Plower(10/100): Plow a farming field with a hoe. Reward 1 endurance once complete.
Beginner Seeder(10/100): Place seeds in the respective holes. Reward 1 fame once complete.
Beginner Waterer(10/100): Use watering can on hidden seeds. Reward 1 intelligence once complete.
Swordsman(1/100): Practise hourly with a sword. Reward a class once complete.
Mage(1/100): Practise hourly with mana. Reward a class once complete.

My eyes scanned through everything while looking at all the differences, checking my progress in the various areas. In these past few days, I was told that aside from specific classes, a lot of them could be obtained by completing specific achievements. 

‘This looks so much better!’

I smiled happily, very satisfied with the changes.

“Hey, mom. What happens when I complete swordsman and mage?” 

Rosaline raised her right eyebrow before speaking.

“As I told you before, you will get them as a class.”

“Ah...”

With an awkward expression, I rephrased it to coincide with my intention.

“I meant I don’t want to choose from one. After all, you and dad are both teaching me.”

While Rosaline pondered on my words, I continued speaking.

“If I could help it. I’d like a class where I could use both things, but more towards magic since dad said I have a bit of a talent for it.”

I heard my mother mumbling indecisive and unsure.

“To be honest, I’m not really sure. But as long as you work hard, you might even get a class that no one has gotten before, a unique one.”

My head tilted to the side, as I didn’t know this piece of information which didn’t feel real.

“Is that possible?”

I noticed the quick change of emotions in my mother’s expression, as in this one, she was completely certain.

“Of course! Only the goddess knows the secrets of every possibility of the system, not to forget that there was once a human who became a hero!”

Rosaline shouted excitedly, remembering the tale that her parents told as a bedtime story. Once the enthusiasm died, she stared at me, since I didn’t seem happy about it.

“What’s wrong, dear?”

Rosaline approached me, placing a hand on the back of my head, patting the long hair all the way to the shoulders repeatedly, yet carefully.

“I... don’t know what a hero is...” there hadn’t been such a reference in my past world. The most famous titles were of the grand magus who made rain fall through an entire kingdom for a single minute. And of a certain man who sealed a monster into a box. There had even been a brilliant commander whose horse could fly, allowing her to command an army from the air.

I figured those books to be completely fake, simple fables that people like me loved reading.

“You’re right,” my mother burst into laughter at her own incompetence, placing her left hand in front of her eyes while closing them briefly. As soon as she stopped, she removed it, shifting her gaze toward me, who remained puzzled. She then cleaned the tear that was eager to fall from the corner of her left eye.

“My bad dear. To summarize, a person entitled to that class... is someone who reached a portion of divinity. Someone capable of defeating powerful enemies, saving people, exceptional feats basically...” 

“I want to become a hero if... it allows me to face an army on my own.”

Rosaline changed to a more serious expression before questioning the daughter.

“To protect us...?”

“Yes! Who knows when a great number of enemies could charge at our home...”

I gripped my hands tightly on the tool.

“Well, that’s not unreasonable, but even a hero is nowhere strong enough to fight against an army, perhaps out of a thousand foes. He’d defeat one... maybe two hundred soldiers?”

Her brown eyes looked above as my mother estimated a somewhat right value, based on the little knowledge she possessed on the subject.

“How big is an army mother?”

I questioned her, knowing the size of many of them in what came to fantasy stories. There was information about thousands of humans fighting one another as they carried different colored flags. But since the knowledge was from a different world, I needed to grasp the version in this one, and possibly reality.

“At the very least a hundred thousand, and that would be a small one.”

“That’s...”

My mouth became tongue-tied, as the number was just way too big for my head to process, making my mom giggle charmingly.

“It’s okay Iris. After all, such affairs are for those who call themselves generals, war addicts, but also the ones who keep us safe with their tactics.” 

I lowered my head, understanding that alone wasn’t the way to go, pondering on her words.

‘There is no class that can do the impossible, otherwise, everyone would get it...’

This was my realization, a simple one, that cornered me in the depths of despair, and the reality of powerlessness. I shrugged my shoulders, admitting defeat. Instead, I focused on what I could do, and that there was only one thing: getting more information and learn more about this world and the people that lived in it. If possible, even stretch a hand to help those in need.

“Who’re they?”

“Very high-ranking nobles, part of the most famous, prestigious families. A few of them pass down defensive tactics from generation to generation.”

I replied without thinking, as natural as possible because it felt like they were the ones along the saintess to protect us.

“So they help us stay safe...”

“Yes. If it wasn’t for their knowledge and the saintess... who knows what would be of us.”

We glanced at each other, trading smiles, then I began a questionnaire.

“Can a peasant become a general?”

“Because of the law, only nobles can.”

“Then can a peasant rank up to one?”

“Also, no... because of the law.”

I made a displeased expression, feeling that path cut simply for not being born one, ending up going into deep thought while I finished watering the field.

‘It would have been nice if I could put my knowledge into the few war books I read. However, they might not match and even be outdated...’

I sighed as the annoyance grew within me. 

‘If I somehow became a general, I would need to go far away, and I don’t want to abandon my parents...’

I looked back at my mother, who remained on a wooden bench observing the field.

‘Yes. I definitely don’t want to part with them.’

My legs took me closer to the river to refill the watering can.

‘I need to find a way to be of help, to become useful...’

Once the container became full, I returned to the field. Upon arrival, my eyes glanced at her.

“If I joined the guild, what benefits would it bring to us?”

With a bit of confusion, Rosaline thought about what I meant with the word ‘us’. On second thought, she took as it as if it meant family, smiling proudly with a content face towards me.

“Well... I and your father were once part of it, like a decade ago for a little while, to be fair, your dad more than me.”

I stopped watering and took a seat on the ground where some grass awaited, serving as a tiny cushion, hearing her out while my legs rested.

It didn’t take long for her to leave out a faint smile, realizing I got myself comfortable to listen, and then she proceeded.

“Depending on the age you join, you either work as a helper or as an adventurer. This allows kids to do a bunch of chores to earn money while they grow up to learn that profession.”

My eyes glittered as I became fond of those words and remained silent. Money sounded like the way to go.

“At fifteen is when you’re old enough to begin as a helper. Later on, after taking an exam, you may attempt to become a full-fledged adventurer. Independent of the results, everyone starts from rank F quests. The letter or in this case the grade will change as you accumulate points and so will the difficulty of the quests you may access.”

She noticed my interest in it, understanding that it was something I may want to do in the future. Towards this, the following words came with that expectation.

“Once you finish the training with the two of us, you may join the guild as a helper and earn your own commission there. You might even get tips if you do a good job.”

“What are commissions and tips?”

I tilted my head softly, causing a small part of my hair to be blown sideways by the wind, prompting my hand to readjust it above my ear.

“The first is the value that you always get from doing a quest, as they are called. The latter is like a bonus that the receptionists may or may not gift you. Sometimes clients themselves might give you a bonus too.”

“I think I understand,” I let out a yawn before resuming my voice. “Is there a reason you didn’t go beyond the swordsman class?”

At those words, my mother looked down all the way to my feet, and eventually lower to the grass.

“Let’s just say that I wasn’t talented enough, nor wished to live a life of countless killing to reach higher heights, as adventuring is mainly that.”

I gulped, waking up a bit more as the tiredness caused my body to relax. Without knowing how to comfort her orally, as I wasn’t sure of what talent she referred to. I got up and walked towards her, embracing her head in my arms while allowing my cheek to rest on top of it.