Freddy thought the walk through the wheat fields would take less time than it did. Terra flew ahead of him and sometimes came back to check on him. He was trying to take in everything around him while feeling worn out.
"I felt tired, but it's all worth it seeing all of these come to life in my eyes..."
"No game graphics could ever do justice to how beautiful Florencia's world was." He said, while feeling every blade of grass, that every breeze brought the smell of earth and the sun to his shoulders.
"By the way, how does this whole SSS ranking thing work?" Freddy asked as they walked along. "I get that it's supposed to be rare or powerful or something, but what does that mean in real life?"
"Wait... does this stuff even count as real life or fantasy life...?"
"It's second life, dummy." Terra sat on his shoulder, using his collar as a chair. "About the SSS Ranking thingy, let's just picture it this way. Most farmers in Florencia are rated F to C."
"If they work hard, they can grow normal crops, raise normal animals, and make a decent living. Farmers who get a B or A rank are thought to be very good. They might be able to get better yields from tough soil or grow crops that usually can't live in their area."
She stopped for a moment to fix her little straw hat. "Then there are S-rank farmers, who are very difficult to find. They can do things that seem like magic."
"The kind of thing they have are better growth rates, better produce, and all sorts of stuff I can't name more 'cause it'll be a waste of time."
"There's the SS rank who almost felt like a myth, from my calculation there might be one or two in the whole world."
"How about SSS, which is me?" Freddy asked with a smug voice.
Terra said simply, "There has never been one before you where your rank lets you completely break the rules of farming."
"You're not limited by the quality of the soil, the weather, or even the laws of nature that say what can and can't grow. You can make it happen if you can picture it and work hard enough."
Freddy felt a rush of excitement at what she said, but he also felt a lot of pressure. "That sounds like a lot of stress."
"Yes, it is, especially for a no-life like you." Terra said. "But it's also a wonderful gift. Don't let it get to your head, though. Power without wisdom is a sure way to fail."
They reached the top of a small hill, and Terra pointed ahead. "There's that baby. Your new house."
Freddy's excitement faded when he saw the farm for the first time. The cottage that he was going to live in was small and old, with a roof that sagged in the middle and windows that were so dirty they looked almost opaque.
Several parts of the wooden fence around the property were broken, and the fields that should have been ready for planting were instead full of weeds that came up to his knees. There was an old barn that leaned dangerously to one side, and the doors were hanging off their hinges.
There was also a well in the yard, but there was no bucket or rope to be found. The overgrowth made it difficult to see the dirt path that led to the cottage.
"This is it?" Freddy said, his voice full of disappointment. "This is my farm?"
Terra flew off his shoulder and hovered in front of him, blocking his view of the broken-down property. "I know it doesn't look like much right now."
"The last owner died about six months ago, and the place has been empty ever since. That's why you're here, Freddy.
"This is your chance to make something out of nothing. To fix what's broken and make it whole again."
Freddy walked closer, and the overgrown path made a crunching sound under his boots. The cottage looked even worse up close. The front door was crooked, and he could see holes in the walls where the wood had rotted away.
"I don't even know where to begin," he said. "I've played farming games, but I've never really farmed anything in real life. I can barely keep a plant alive in my house."
"That's where I come in," Terra said, flying up next to his head. "And that's where your SSS rank really matters."
"Let me open up your system."
Freddy's vision was suddenly filled with glowing text again when she raised one tiny hand. But this time, he didn't just see words, but he saw what looked like a detailed map of the whole farm. He could see notes and suggestions on every page, and sections were highlighted in different colors.
[Farm Analysis Done]
[Current State: Abandoned]
[Recommended Action: Restoration and Cultivation]
[SSS Ability Available: Quick Growth]
[SSS Ability Available: Restoring Soil]
[SSS Ability Available: Fixing Structures]
Terra said, "These are your natural skills."
"They'll get stronger as you learn more, but even now you can do things that would take a normal farmer months or even years to master."
"Try to pay attention to the dirt in that field over there."
Freddy looked at the field she pointed to, which was full of weeds. He wasn't sure what to do, but he focused on it anyway, trying to picture what healthy soil should look like. He was surprised to feel something deep in his chest, like a warm stream of energy flowing through him.
A soft golden light started to shine on the ground. The weeds dried up and disappeared, and the nutrients went back into the ground.
The soil itself looked like it was moving and churning, dark and rich, and ready to be planted. In just a few minutes, what had been a disaster of a field was now clean farmland, perfectly tilled and ready for seeds.
Freddy gasped, "Holy shit," as he looked at his hands in shock. "I really did that."
"That's just the beginning," Terra said, clearly pleased with how far he had come. "Now give the cottage a shot. Think about what it should be, not what it is."
Freddy looked at the little building that looked like something that came out of a horror film. He imagined how it might have looked when it was new. Strong walls, a roof that is straight, and windows that are clean and let in a lot of light. The energy flowed through him again, this time stronger, and the cottage started to change.
The wood straightened out and got stronger, and then the roof tiles fit together perfectly. The door fixed itself and hung straight on new hinges. Windows were cleaned until they shone in the sun, and then the stone chimney even looked a little taller, and it didn't lean to one side anymore.
Freddy felt his energy leave him as the change finished. He was a little dizzy, but all of that was erased by his own excitement 'cause all of these felt like he was really in the game with cheats on.
"This is amazing," he said, watching as the barn was restored in a way that he didn't even realize he was doing, but at least his SSS skills knew what to do.
"You have a gift," Terra said, and she really sounded impressed. "Most new farmers would need days of practice just to fix one fence post. You just fixed up a whole house in less than an hour."
Freddy was about to say something when he heard someone gasp behind him. He turned around and saw a young woman standing at the edge of his property with her mouth open in shock.
She has long blonde hair that is pulled back with a simple ribbon, and she wears a plain dress that makes it clear she is from the nearby village. She had a basket in her hands that she had apparently dropped, which made apples roll across the ground.
"The Thornwood farm," she whispered, her blue eyes wide as she looked around at the changed property. "But this can't be true..."
"This place has been a wreck for months. How did you..."
She stopped talking and finally looked at Freddy. He suddenly realized that he probably looked as out of place as he felt, standing in front of a magically restored farm with a pixie floating next to his head.
Terra gently cleared her throat. "Hey, Freddy, it looks like you have your first guest. You should make a good impression for her."
"I have a feeling that life on this farm is going to get a lot more exciting."
The girl kept staring, and her shock slowly turned into something that looked like disbelief and curiosity. Freddy waved awkwardly and raised his hand, wishing he knew what to say.
"Holy shit... a beautiful blonde girl, but I can't talk to girls! I've been a no-life for years!" Freddy said to Terra.
"Now it's the time for you to get off that comfort zone and give it a try. Besides, you probably already know what a bachelorrette really is, right?"
Freddy's eyes widened when he heard that from Terra. "You... you're right, I've been maxing all of my bachelorette hearts in the game."
"I can do this!"
He had just done something that probably looked like a miracle, and he knew that word would get around quickly. His peaceful life as a farmer was already getting complicated, and he hadn't even planted his first crop yet.