Farmer Mage

Chapter 57: Second [Class] Options

“Nibbles! Come back!”

Cal watched Seris chase after Nibbles across his field. She had no hope of catching the little creature, but it would keep her occupied until Tavia returned.

I hope Nibbles tires her out. She deserves that for looking so unimpressed with [Liquid Core].

He knew that his spell wasn’t as flashy or impressive as Tavia’s wall of fire, but the dull look on Seris’s face was a bit too much, in his opinion. She gave him a flat ‘wow,’ before scurrying back down the rubble hill.

Cal watched the two run around for a few more seconds before pulling his attention away. He took out the booklet the Overseer handed him and read through it.

He had intended to delay reading the booklet for the end of the day when there would be no disturbance. With Tavia gone for a few hours, he might as well use the time to understand what types of [Class] existed other than the ones common in the Celestial Order’s territory.

Cal immediately noted that this was not mass-produced. Unlike the printed spell booklets, the one the Overseer gave him was handwritten and addressed to him.

‘I will assume you do not wish to know about any common classes like Gardner, Sculptor, etcetera. Those are excluded, but if I assumed wrongly, contact me.’

He stared at the first page. The offer the Overseer gave was unnecessary, but he did need to figure out how to contact him. At the moment, his only choice was to wait for the Overseer to do his monthly checkup. It could be possible to go through Tavia and reach him.

Cal shook his head and flipped the page. These were the types of [Class] that complemented [Farmer]. Still, it didn’t justify giving up the opportunity to have an unlimited pocket dimension.

It couldn’t be forgotten that he had access to skills only due to the [Special] designation of [Farmer]. However, picking a second [Class] would make it possible to acquire different [Traits] relating to [Mage].

That, along with the natural benefits that would come with having the second [Class] might be worth giving up [Pocket Dimension].

On the supplemental [Class] types, the only thing he could see having some sort of benefit was [Beastmaster]. It also had some interesting wording.

‘Beastmaster is generally used to tame wild beasts for battle, but in your case, I see it useful in making domesticating animals a smoother experience. The Celestial Order does not have the capability to assign this Class to members, but if you feel this is the best option, it can be accomplished.’

‘The activation for Beastmaster will be covered by a partner guild.’

This was the first time Cal had seen anyone in the Celestial Order addressing the mediocrity of the guild… or addressing the existence of another guild. The former had either been passed over without a word or layered with false praise to avoid any marring of the guild’s image.

The Overseer clearly didn’t care for any of that. It directly contradicted how the man acted when he was in control of the Trainees.

Cal flipped to the pages with non-supplemental [Class]. He was surprised to see the first being [Mage].

‘You already know of Mage, but do not underestimate its versatility. This Class gives you the highest boost in mana capacity, and there is a Class Advancement possibility to Archmage. There has only been one in the Celestial Order’s history.’

‘He is the reason the guild still exists. I can’t speak on the increased capabilities of an Archmage since I'm unsure. Still, the single one that calls the Celestial Order home has deterred the neighboring guilds from invading.’

He was tempted. Extremely so.

The biggest issue was the time it took him to progress as a [Mage]. What he has accomplished as a [Farmer] in two weeks far outstripped the years he had spent as a [Mage] in his last life. It didn’t need to be said that he was average at best as a [Mage].

… How would having a second [Class] work? Will my actions contribute to both at the same time? My desire to pick another [Class] will be near zero if it doesn't. Drawing away growth from [Farmer] would be the stupidest thing I could do.

Cal no longer paid attention to the booklet. He pulled up the reward option on the interface.

Secondary Title - You have the privilege to choose another [Class] in addition to [Farmer]. There will be no special variants to the [Class]. It will be standard.

There wasn’t much to read, but even then, Cal checked to ensure he didn’t misunderstand what was said. The problem was there was too little information for him to glean anything from it.

All it said was that the [Class] would not have a [Special] designation.

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

This is one of the times I wish I could ask the interface questions—

Your request has been sent. Please wait for a reply.

…

…

…

Cal tried to revert what the interface was doing as his heart beat frantically. It was just an idle thought without a true intent behind it.

The last thing he wanted to do was regain the attention of the Laws of the World. He had been ecstatic that the boost ending meant he would no longer be watched, and reversing that for asking a question was not in his interests—even if the question was important.

…

…

Request has been granted. You may send 1 query. The query must be about a reward that has been offered to you.

Cal's eyes flickered across the interface as the stray thought of asking something about the pocket dimension popped into his mind. But it was brief.

He considered the best way to ask a question to cover all the bases before coming to a simple line—one that takes in both the positive and the negative.

“If I choose ‘Secondary Title’ as my reward, how will it affect my current ‘Farmer’ class?”

Query sent. Please wait for a reply.

…

…

…

There will be no retroactive effects on [Farmer] (Special) for accepting a second [Class]. However, all future growth contributions will be balanced as close to 50% as possible. Some actions can only contribute to [Farmer] (Special). In the case of actions eligible to contribute to both, the [Class] with the least cumulative gain will be chosen.

…

…

Cal thought that was it. This was enough to sour his excitement over the option. But it wasn’t the end.

…

The contributions will be considered on a perpetual basis without any possibility of smaller time blocks. It will start the moment you choose your [Class].

The Laws of the World have ended their reply.

Cal blinked as the interface disappeared. He was no longer sure what was going on.

He had initially been attracted to [Pocket Dimension] but made the choice to learn more about the types of [Class] available before making a choice. Now, it looked like the Laws of the World were doing everything it could to warn him off.

Maybe the only choice intended for me was [Pocket Dimension]. There were dissenters that are not happy with me. What if the dissenters insisted on pushing the second [Class] as an option?

Cal shuddered as a chill ran through his body. The chance that was right was low, but it wasn’t zero. He remembered the exact words the interface had shown.

‘The majority have overruled the dissenters. You will be rewarded for your actions instead of being punished.’

‘Overruled’ did not mean compromised. That made it unlikely there was a purposely terrible reward for Cal to choose, but again, it wasn’t zero. He was applying human logic to beings that were called the Laws of the World.

There was nothing that suggested he should understand how they thought and reasoned.

Cal sighed before resolving to make his choice based on what he knew and not on his hunches on what far greater powers might be thinking.

Still, what he knew so far strongly pointed away from picking a second [Class]. There could be something in the booklet that pulled him away from that thought. He flipped through the pages and read what the Overseer compiled.

They were surprisingly short, with only three of the many examples listed that were worth a look.

‘A Warlock has all the same benefits as a Mage, but without the prestige. Where a Mage can call upon the forces of the world, a Warlock looks outside it. Warlocks are rare due to this. They are nearly powerless until you reach the equivalent of a Master rank. Most guilds do not bother to have the activation requirements of this Class on hand.’

‘If this is your pick, we must travel to the Shadow Lands for activation. The trip will not be perilous. The name might be ominous, but it is just a territory of a guild that is similar to the Celestial Order.’

Cal did not want to pick an obscure [Class] that looked more useless than [Mage]. If he was average as a [Mage], he would assume he had the same talent—or worse—with [Warlock].

That meant he would have a useless second [Class] for decades before he would become slightly useful, and that was without considering how that would have affected [Farmer].

He read the following excerpt about [Mystic].

‘Mystic is one of the stranger Class assignments. It seems like it’s the closest thing to divination, but the actual process is hidden from the public. And this includes me. Most guilds possess at least 1 Mystic among their members, but the Celestial Order is not one.’

‘As you guessed, this is unavailable in the guild for activation. If you wish, I will find a guild that will allow you to enter an apprenticeship for Mystic. However, the move to the new guild will be permanent.’

The narrowed eyes while reading the passage only grew into a severe frown when he was done. This went beyond just a change of attitude from the Overseer.

The offer to leave the guild was so out of character that it threw away almost all of his assumptions. This came from the man that implied the Celestial Order wouldn't allow Tavia to leave their territory alive.

The only logical thing Cal could assume was that this was false generosity. An offer that little risk and could only get the Overseer goodwill.

The description for [Mystic] was so vague that the Overseer must have assumed that it would never be chosen. And he was right.

There was one other [Class] mentioned. [Rune Scribe].

‘If it isn’t obvious with the large list below, Rune Scribe is what I feel would help you the most. And I’m not saying this just because the guild desperately needs Runemasters. You will have an innate, basic understanding of runes. Unlike someone without this Class assignment who can still learn the basics, you will be able to upgrade your Class to Runemaster.’

‘It is not an exaggeration to say that it is possible to alter reality itself at the highest levels of a Runemaster.’

‘As for activation, this is the easiest of the ones I mentioned.’

The sentence stopped abruptly there, and he skimmed the list the Overseer had written. It mostly expounded on the benefits of being a Rune Scribe and how it would help his farming.

He didn’t put much importance on being able to ‘alter reality.’ [Mage] could also do that. It was just a way for the Overseer to make [Rune Scribe] look better than it was.

Cal closed the booklet and stored it in his inner pocket. He stared blankly at an exhausted Seris finally catching Nibbles and wondered if this was all that a second [Class] had to offer.

I would have taken more time to question the information I received, but what’s the point? I see few reasons I would ever choose to slow down my [Farmer] growth rate just to have a second [Class] that—wait… I think I severely misunderstood the wording.