[Ding! You have completed your first Quest: Grab a Hoe.]
[Ding! You have been rewarded with one Stat Point. It is now available in your Harvester Log and can be distributed to any Stat.]
"Piece of cake. That Quest was pretty straight forward. Fetching items or collecting them were pretty common back in Farming Is Life. Still feels more of a task to me than an actual Quest though.", Lloyd murmured. But he understood the concept right away. An easy Quest like this helped him get acquainted with his new Harvester Log.
What's more, Lloyd received one Stat Point from it, to which he can allocate it to any stat freely. He wasn't sure what sort of build he wanted to go for yet, since it was still his first day here in this unknown world. To him, at least.
Right now, Lloyd is a farmer. Farmers need stamina and endurance to fight back the hot weather that tends to stick around throughout most of the day. Hard, manual labor. That's how it went in Lloyd's past life. Technological advances helped ease that as the passage of time went on. Here in this world Lloyd was brought to, on the other hand, Lloyd wasn't sure what state he was in.
But Lloyd knew one thing. He saw other farmers currently tilling the land around him. So if one can't work, then his Boss would be quick to replace him. Lloyd didn't want that!
With that train of thought, Lloyd decided on his next course of action. A smile appeared on his lips. He proceeded to utter a command that only he could hear. It was time to review his new Harvester Log!
"Open Log.", Lloyd whispered. Following that, he saw a new prompt appear, which drew his eyes to it.
[Ding! You have opened your Harvester Log. You may proceed to review your Status.]
All of a sudden, a bunch of information appeared before Lloyd. He wasn't sure where to start looking, so he just started from the top, and began reviewing it.
[Harvester Log]
Name: Lloyd Vantira
Age: 16 Year: 1
Season: Spring
Month: March Day: 1
Plot Number: 91 Acre(s): 1
Occupation: Farmer
Level: 1
Next LV EXP: 10
Affinity: Earth
ATK: 1 END: 1 DEX: 1 SPR: 1 LUC: 1
Available Points: 1
SKILLS:
Gaia's Blessing, Points*2, Appraisal, Spirit Link, Luck
"That's...quite a lot to process.", Lloyd uttered. Right off the bat, Lloyd noticed his first Quest didn't grant him any experience points. It didn't have any progress meter of sorts either. It simply showed him how much he needed to Level Up. He wasn't sure what would happen after Leveling Up, but one thing was certain. "I really do have one of those Systems that helps its user levels up and grows stronger..."
As Lloyd thought that, he became happy he received such a System. Everything around him now had game-like elements. But he knew this new life of his was real. He could feel the sun. He could feel the sweat starting to form on his forehead. He saw other farmers working hard. If this was still a dream, then it was a very realistic one. But Gaia's words from earlier was enough of a confirmation, Lloyd had no reason but to accept his new reality. There was one thing that caught Lloyd's eyes too, making him raise his eyebrows.
"I have no Health Point stat? That's usually the heart of any System. Your game-like body converts into what are called Health Points. And when you lose all of them, you either pass out or worse, succumb to death. Is that not the case here?", Lloyd asked, wondering whether that was indeed the case or not.
"Maybe that was what that Goddess was referring to. She called herself Gaia, if I recall? She did say my life is mine to live. If I was bound by such a parameter, one would expect that death. If I really don't have that, it'd paint this as a much more realistic picture. Or I simply haven't unlocked it. Perhaps it's a progression thing?", Lloyd continued to think, letting his thoughts roam freely.
At the end of the day, Lloyd saw his one Available Stat Point. He can use it however he wants to. In his opinion, having a free Stat Point like this right at the very beginning was much more desirable. It was unrestricted. Level Ups typically assigned new stats, one that couldn't be adjusted. They were static. Available Stat Points had much more value.
Wondering what to do with his one Stat Point, Lloyd didn't decide right away. He moved onto the rest of his Status. It looks like he was brought into this world right at the start of a new season, and it was Spring. He also saw that he had five total parameters. Attack. Endurance. Dexterity. Spirit. And Luck.
Seeing the Skills that Gaia had likely granted him with for having crossed over to this new world, Lloyd guessed one or more of these parameters were unlocked through those Skills. The first three were pretty self-explanatory.
Attack related to how much damage Lloyd dealt to his opponents. Endurance was linked to several different factors. How much damage Lloyd takes in return. And seeing he had no direct points for Stamina, that likely fell under the Endurance parameter too. The higher the Endurance, the more Lloyd could spend his time out on the farm!
Then came Dexterity. This parameter impacted several different aspects. His chance to hit his opponents. His attack speed. Attacking weak points and making sure he can hold his weapon steadily. Stuff like that.
As for Spirit and Luck, these were the two parameters Lloyd assumed had come from his new Skills. He still had his Log open. After becoming satisfied with it, he continued his review, and started reviewing his Skills next. He was left thoroughly shocked!
[Gaia's Blessing]
The Earth Goddess Gaia has bestowed you her personal blessing. You have received various boons, including the Harvester Log.
Skill Rank: SSS
Bonus Effect 1: You have been granted the Harvester Log, and now have ties to the Earth Element, granting you Earth Affinity.
Bonus Effect 2: You have been granted the following four Skills: Points*2 (Rank SS) Appraisal (Rank S), Luck (Rank S), and Spirit Link (Rank A).
Bonus Effect 3: You have been blessed with longevity. Your previous life expectancy of a normal Human, one hundred, has been wiped away. You can now live up to three hundred years old without starting the path of a Cultivator.
"Longevity...?", Lloyd asked, sucking in a hot breath of air. His eyes turned sharp. That wasn't anything to scoff at. He knew well that a normal human in his past life lived anywhere from seventy to one hundred years old thanks to how far Planet Earth's technological advances have gotten throughout the ages. But now, this system cleaved that right off, making him able to live up to three hundred years old. "If this really is true, I'll need to prepare myself for the long run..."
Regardless of whether Lloyd could live longer now, a triple SSS-ranked skill truly lived up to its name. Lloyd smiled, and sure enough, another prompt soon followed.
[Ding! You are now in possession of the following two Skills: Spirit Link, and Luck. Two hidden parameters have been unlocked. You can now accumulate Spirit and Luck Stats on your main Log. Your Harvester Log has been updated and is ready to view.]
"I knew it.", Lloyd uttered. "It really was just Attack, Endurance and Dexterity in the beginning. Spirit and Luck were added to the Log since I possess those two Skills. If I had to take a guess, my Affinity probably behaved the same way too. Still, the Earth Element, huh? I know lots of stories I've read tend to lean toward Fire or Water. I would have guessed Water initially since that element helps farmers, but Earth also pairs up quite nicely. I may not even need to do much manual labor once I start learning how to use it, so I call that a win.", Lloyd continued, and smiled.
Feeling happy seeing the result of his Harvester Log so far, Lloyd continued his review session. He went through the rest of his Skills one by one.
[Points*2]
Skill Rank: SS
The Earth Goddess Gaia has given you her blessing and directly empowered your soul, allowing you to earn double the stat points to any action you perform. It is not just limited to when you level up.
*Due to opening your Harvester Log after completing your first Quest, Points*2 did not trigger. Henceforth, Skill*2 will trigger on every action you do.
[Appraisal]
Skill Rank: S
You can now analyze your surroundings, regardless of it being living or nonliving. There is no limit, and you can use Appraisal multiple times in succession. It will provide you a detailed description, and if you fight a monster or an opponent, it will reveal their Stats.
[Luck]
Skill Rank: S
The Earth Goddess Gaia has blessed your soul, allowing you to experience lucky encounters on a higher frequency than normal. This is a hidden stat, and it has been added to your Parameters. It is not restricted in any way or form. Increasing Luck will allow you to obtain higher-grade Drop Items, increased Drops, and will coincide with your Dexterity stat, allowing you to land critical hits more easily.
An additional effect has been granted to you for possessing the Luck Skill.
Bonus Effect 1: Normal Critical Hit Damage is boosted to 200%. If you strike a weak point, the damage is boosted to 300%.
[Spirit Link]
Skill Rank: A
You are now more sensitive to the elements, enough to detect subtle changes in the atmosphere around you. You realize there is more to the picture than what lies in front of you. With your newfound affinity, you can only detect Earth Spirits for the time being. Further improvement will rely on creating new connections with other godly beings. This Skill has introduced a new parameter into your Harvester Log, Spirit.
Current Affinity: Earth
"Holy...", Lloyd uttered. He became increasingly shocked after going through one Skill after another. Every single one of them looked strong in their own right. He even had two parameters added into his primary Status. "Spirit, and Luck. One will let me connect with those Elemental Spirits, the Earth ones at least, while the other has a direct impact on actions I will take from now on. Luck isn't restricted either..."
Not restricting Luck will play a big factor. Especially when it came to the games Lloyd played in his past life. To many, Luck simply isn't a stat one could adjust. But here, that didn't apply. He could adjust Luck as he pleases. If he wanted to use all his free stat points on it, he could!
Taking that into consideration, Lloyd began to think of how that would affect a farmer's position. Imagine planting some crops after he finishes working his farm. Those crops grow, then become ready for harvest. If Lloyd increases his Luck, those crops could potentially yield double, or even triple. If his Luck is high enough, it could even increase several fold.
Lloyd recalled his stats spent back in Farming is Life. The Luck stat did exist in the game he played, but it was static. It could only be improved by Quests or external means, like from gear. He had no other way to access it. So seeing this before him, a huge grin appeared on Lloyd's face.
"I don't need to raise my Attack right away. As long as I'm in a favorable position and do what I'm supposed to do on this farm so I don't have that guy breathing down my neck, I could work on myself and steadily increase Luck. I don't want to attract unwanted attention, so doing it all at once is a no-go. I might split my gains between Luck, Endurance, and perhaps Dexterity. Maybe a little into Spirit, once the farm begins to shape to my liking. Now the question is, how should I use this point I received?"
Lloyd half-expected an answer to arrive, but he was greeted with silence. Gaia was true to her word. The system didn't have a voice, unless it was responding to one of his actions. And even then, it was purely mechanical. He knew there were stories where he could actually converse with his System to help pass the time, but that wasn't the case here. Lloyd could only rely on himself. Thinking that, Lloyd chuckled. He gave his Harvester Log a few spins before something finally happened. A new prompt showed up.
[Ding! Would you like to invest a Stat Point into Luck?]
"Yes.", Lloyd whispered. In response, another one followed. He didn't feel any change at all, considering he didn't choose to improve his strength. But the Harvester Log relayed the message, so the change happened.
[Ding! Your Luck has increased by 1.]
'Music to my ears.', Lloyd thought, only to shift his eyes back upward to the blazing sun that was now set at high noon. He smiled again. "And so the grind begins."