The blueprint settled into the ground as if it had always belonged there.
Translucent grid lines traced a rectangular plot near the stream, soil highlighted in soft blue as the System evaluated nutrient density, sunlight exposure, and water access. A checklist unfolded beside it.
— Cleared Land— Water Access— Labor Input (Optional)
Rook knelt and began clearing stones and roots by hand. It wasn't difficult work, just repetitive. The System tracked every motion, progress ticking upward in steady increments.
[Farm Plot Construction: 12%]
When the land was cleared, the blueprint shifted, locking into place.
[Construction Complete: Tier 1 Farm Plot]
[EXP Gained.]
Rook wiped sweat from his brow and opened the new interface tab that appeared immediately.
[Farm Management]
A simple panel. Clean. Functional.
He selected Planting.
System-issued seeds appeared in his inventory—unremarkable grains, described plainly as high-yield staples. He planted them row by row, fingers pressing into soil that felt richer than it had moments before.
The System chimed.
[Crops Planted.]
[Estimated Growth Time: 72 Hours]
A timer appeared above the plot.
72:00:00…72:00:00…71:59:59
Rook watched it tick down.
That was the moment it truly sank in.
He wasn't waiting on luck.He wasn't fighting probability.He was managing a schedule.
He checked the modifiers listed beneath the timer.
— Water Proximity: +10% Growth— Engineer Talent (Resource Yield): +10% Output— Territory Stability: Optimal
Adjusted time recalculated.
[Updated Growth Time: 58 Hours]
Rook leaned back slightly, letting out a slow breath.
Other people were risking their lives for EXP that meant nothing the moment their luck ran out.
This—
This was compounding.
He set irrigation channels using shallow trenches, the stream feeding naturally into the plot. Another notification chimed.
[Farm Efficiency Increased.]
[EXP Gained.]
He smiled faintly despite himself.
By the time the sun dipped lower in the sky, the farm was finished. The crops sat quietly in the soil, green shoots already visible where there had been bare earth hours ago.
Rook stood at the edge of the plot, arms crossed, watching the timer tick.
Hunger still lingered.
But now it had an answer.
He turned back toward the cabin, already planning the next structure—not for today, but for after the harvest.
Time was working for him now.
And it wasn't stopping.