Arlen wasn't breathing heavy because he was scared.
He was breathing heavy because sprinting in wet boots through a magic field that stretches forever was actually exhausting.
"Okay—note to self… dimensional cardio is still cardio."
He stopped under a tree. Or at least, he thought it was a tree. It had bark, sure. But it also shimmered like fish scales, smelled like cinnamon, and occasionally sighed like it was disappointed in him.
"Are you alive?" he asked it.
The tree didn't answer.
That was fine. He was already talking to tools and glowing text boxes. A tree sighing at him felt like the least weird part of his day.
He sat on a patch of soft blue grass and stared out across the horizon. Everything here felt like a fever dream mixed with a farmer's sketchbook. Rows of fertile land stretched as far as the eye could see, but nothing grew unless he planted it.
This was his world now.
And that thought hit him like a sack of bricks.
His world.
Not his family's. Not a village to mock him. Not a kingdom with rules.
Just… dirt.
And him.
And a hoe.
"Wow," he muttered. "This is either a new low or the start of something very weird."
"...."
The system pinged again.
[Tutorial: Basic Menu Access Granted]
[SSS Rank Farmer System - Core Functions]
Inventory (Unlimited)
Quests
Multiversal Shop (Stock refreshes weekly)
Skills
Stats
Crafting
Dimensional Portal Access
Pocket Bank
He squinted at the floating screen.
"Unlimited inventory? Could've used that when Aunt Merri made me carry sixteen sacks of manure uphill."
He tapped the menu. A smooth grid unfolded before him.
Inventory: Empty
Currency: 0 Points
Skills: None (Yet)
Quests: 1 Active
[Quest: Grow Your First Crop (Complete!)] Reward: 10 Points + Basic Farming Skill (Rank F)
He hit Claim and felt a strange rush, like someone had whispered ancient gardening knowledge directly into his bones.
[Basic Farming Skill (Rank F) Acquired!] [You now understand soil, moisture levels, and the difference between real fertilizer and all nonsense.]
His eyes lit up.
"Wait a second. Are you telling me I can tell if dirt is lying to me now?"
The ground gave no answer. But Arlen stood and rubbed a bit of soil between his fingers. Somehow—he just knew. This patch? Slightly too dry. Needed maybe a dash of water and a little warmth. Not too much.
The system didn't just give stats.
It gave instinct.
It gave power.
Slow, steady power.
[New Tutorial Unlocked: Crafting!]
He tapped it open.
[Crafting allows you to create tools, structures, and items using resources from your Inventory.] [Blueprints can be discovered, purchased, or designed manually if user has the skill.]
That caught his attention.
Because Arlen wasn't just a guy with a hoe.
He was a craftsman.
Back in the Wicks estate, before they tossed him out, Arlen was the family's utility boy. Fixing carts, forging nails, building basic tools… he wasn't flashy. But he made things work.
He knelt again.
"Alright... let's test this."
He tapped Create > Design Manually.
A crafting grid appeared. Empty.
He picked up a rock.
Held it.
Tapped Add to grid.
Then another.
He reached down, pulled out some vines.
Added those too.
Then a stick.
He twisted them together in the design window like he would in real life.
A small ding confirmed it.
[Crude Hammer (Tier 0) Created!] [Durability: Low | Damage: 2 | Can be used for crafting & smashing.]
"Heh. Suck it, Cousin Ronnel."
He spun the hammer, nearly hit himself in the leg, and grinned.
His first crafted item in the new world.
It was ugly. It was useless in a fight. But it was his.
He kept building. Testing. Twisting. Hours passed. He tried making rope. Buckets. A shovel. None of it fancy. All of it worked. The system recognized it, dinged him points, even nudged his skill level.
[Crafting Skill (F) → (E)]
He stared at the message. Then his fingers twitched.
He wanted more.
That was new. That was dangerous.
Back home, he built because he had to. Because no one else cared enough to learn. But here—he wanted to make more because it mattered.
Every stick, every stone, had purpose now.
And then he got bold.
He tapped the shop.
The interface flicked open like a secret market catalog.
[Multiversal Shop – Stock refreshes weekly]
He had 10 points. Not much. But enough to browse.
Items scrolled past.
Seed of the Firebloom – 8 pts
Bag of Minor Growth Dust – 5 pts
Rusty Blueprint: Rain Barrel Mk I – 7 pts
Tiny Worm Familiar (Sleepy) – 12 pts
Mystery Seed Pack (??? Origin) – 6 pts
He bit his lip. The firebloom looked cool, but probably exploded or something. The worm was out of budget. He hovered over the blueprint, then tapped Buy.
[Item Purchased: Rain Barrel Mk I (Blueprint)] [7 Points deducted]
It downloaded into his memory like a recipe. The parts, the pieces, the function.
He could collect water now.
That was… huge.
He checked the portal. Still open.
He could move back and forth. That meant one big thing: resource hunting.
He grinned.
"Time to go loot nature."
Outside the cave, it was darker than he remembered. The wind howled a bit. He walked carefully, not a fighter. But he knew how to find things.
He picked up pebbles. Vines. Even pulled moss off a tree and shoved it in his inventory. The system sorted it.
Back inside, he crafted the rain barrel. It wasn't pretty. But it worked.
Raindrops hit it immediately.
His eyes widened.
He hadn't even realized it was raining.
He looked up. No ceiling. The dimensional world had its own weather.
And it listened to his tools.
The hoe glowed slightly.
He held it.
Felt… a pulse.
Not just a farming tool.
It was watching him.
Judging?
Maybe.
Or waiting.
He wasn't sure if that was comforting or terrifying.
Finally, exhausted, Arlen sat near a fresh campfire made with the Craft skill.
The fire didn't just warm him. It lit up a small circle of peace.
He checked his stats.
Name: Arlen Wicks
Title: Exiled | SSS Rank Farmer (Locked Potential)
Level: 1
Skills: Farming (F), Crafting (E)
Points: 3
Level 1.
It sounded pathetic.
But to him—it was freedom.
He smiled again.
"...."
He paused and sighted "I'm so lonely TvT"