Farrington Farms: Slice of Life LitRPG Novel, page 22
What if you run level two again?
The thought saw him sitting upright in a flash. Each zombie had dropped $2, along with the sword and glasses. It was easily double the first level, and, if he knew what to expect. . .
“No, that’s insane,” he growled and smacked his palms on the table. “Besides, I’d probably wind up with two dogs to feed.”
The longer he stared at the money in his inventory, the more he realized that he’d have to do something before it became too late. With a groan, he grabbed the device, equipped the boomerangs and the wrist guard, and headed outside. As soon as he was beyond the sightline of the house, he broke into a jog, only slowing when he needed to feel around for the unseen barrier. The familiar glow announced his arrival, and he sprinted to the podium as soon as his eyes were adjusted. Just as he anticipated, there were three buttons to push, but his hand hovered over them for a hard minute as he tried to figure out what to do. Finally, when his nerves overcame him, he slammed his palm down on one of the buttons, grabbed his boomerangs from his belt, and raced toward the parting.
24
“You’re a farting coward,” he growled at himself as his boomerang bounced off of one of the little monsters, slammed into its friend, then spun back to him. “A lousy, farting coward.”
It took nothing to finish off the cluster, which accurately described the loot he’d gained since he started. By his count, he’d killed ten of the little monsters, leaving him with a whopping $10, and a rusty shield. He thought about using it, but it was heavy, which didn’t go well with the way he’d acclimated to fighting. His only hope was that it would sell for more than $5, but, at this point, he wasn’t going to hold his breath.
The larger version of the monster was waiting for him in the clearing, but Jeric was too annoyed with himself to hold back. Both of the boomerangs were tossed, which saw the creature knocked down by the time they returned to his hands. With a growl, he threw them again, which saw the beast exploding into a cloud of pixels. The glowing speck only offered him $5, another pack of pear seeds, and a copper ring. The latter was so small that he could barely fit it over his pinky, so he tapped it against the device so he could read its description. It claimed to unlock the prestige attribute, as well as raise its level by one. It seemed important, so he withdrew it from the device, slipped it on, then walked to the exit that had opened when the monster exploded.
The device said he’d barely gained any experience from the run. 5 XP, and his attack and boomerang stats only went up one. It was probably due to the lack of difficulty the monsters provided, but he still couldn’t help but feel cheated. When he was back at the podium, his hand froze over the buttons, but slammed down on level two before he unleashed another long line of self-loathing insults.
“Come on,” he grumbled as he stepped closer to the infested farm. “I know you’re gonna try to scare me. Just pop up and get it over with already. I’m just gonna. . .ah!”
He knew it was coming, but he still yelled when the zombie groaned, causing him to throw the first boomerang before the monster could even rise from the ground. It soared right over his head, but clipped its skull on the way back, requiring just another throw to finish it off.
“What? I didn’t scream like a girl,” he muttered to himself as he picked up the speck. It turned into money, like he expected, and he started to shove it into his pocket until he realized something was off. When he pulled his hand back, he found not two, but three dollars in his hand. “Must have been an exception.”
The next two zombies popped up, which he dispatched quickly with his teeth gritted, and his imagination trying to convince him that they thought he would taste like chicken. The thought made him shiver, but he scooped up the specks and counted them out. Just like before, each of them dropped three bills instead of two, and suddenly he knew what prestige was for.
“Finally.”
The device told him that he was only getting 1 XP per kill, likely because he was level four, and the zombies were only level two. It was fine though, because he needed the money more than he needed the points.
The next four kills went smoothly enough, but his hands started to shake when he realized what was coming. The main event was about to happen, the same one he’d barely survived the last time.
“This is why you bought another boomerang, remember?” he reminded himself as he pocketed his cash. “You know they’re coming, so just be ready.”
Right on cue, the moaning started, but he wasn’t about to stand around and spectate like he did the first time. Instead, he raced back toward the start so he could be ready for the zombies that appeared at the fence line. As soon as they popped up, he tossed the boomerangs, catching and hurling until all four of them were dropped. This left him in a better position to deal with those coming from the house, but he swore there were fewer of them the previous time. Throw after throw was made, but he wasn’t taking the zombies down as quickly as he’d like. There were still five of them when he realized he couldn’t risk another throw, not when the scythe was still leaning in the corner of his room.
“Really should have thought this through better,” he groaned, gripped the weapons, and used them like daggers to slash at the hands reaching out for him. His movements were swifter than the last time, and slowly he came to accept that he was far faster than the monsters trying to nibble on him. As his mind caught up, he took a chance and lowered the weapons in favor of ducking and dodging the hands. Every so often, he’d feel a vibration, which meant that his dodge skill was going up. It felt like cheating, but, if they were going to allow it, then why not take advantage?
His back was getting sore from all the twisting and turning though, so he lifted his hands and went back to work mowing down the zombies. Each of them required four hits, compared to the two it took if he threw the weapons. He was too fast though, so he ignored the thought and kept hacking away. After a few minutes, he was surrounded by glowing specks, and he let out a deep breath while he shoved the boomerangs into his belt.
“Just like I planned it.”
There were fifteen glowing specks when he started, each leaving him $3 richer. He also picked up two more bags of zombie weed, which made him snigger before stowing them in the device. There was another rusty sword, and the same pair of glasses as the last time, but also another item that piqued his curiosity.
“Save 50% on a farmer’s catalog,” he said as he read the coupon out loud. “See, I knew it existed.”
Part of him wanted to head back to the barn, but the newly earned cash in his pocket wanted to have a party, and needed to invite more of its friends to ensure a good time. It was a risk he calculated while he walked to the exit, knowing that whatever was in level three would be tougher than the zombies.
“But more profitable, too,” he sighed as he eyed the podium. Despite being richer, there was the safety of the farm to consider. The dog had found its way to the farm, after all, as had the creature that attacked Cassidy. Right now, he could kill a zombie easily enough, but he couldn’t say that for sure when it came to the unknown monsters of level three. It reminded him that he needed to block the entrance somehow, but also managed to make his hand fall to his side, rather than press the new button. “Be patient, Jeric.”
It felt like a long walk back to the barn, but a detour to the brush pile lightened his spirits. The food bowl was empty, and there was only a handful of water in the bottom of the other. A content smile spread across his face as he took the bowl over to fill it, then brought it back while he scanned the tree line. He didn’t know where the dog was staying tonight, but knowing that it had some food in its belly made him feel a bit better.
His next act was to place the rusty sword, shield, and glasses into the box, which saw $90 returned. Prestige came to mind, and he lifted the ring to his lips to kiss it, only to realize that it probably had some zombie guts on it, and other things that he didn’t want to think about it. In fact, he was probably giving off more ‘musk’, which meant a trip to the shower was required. He couldn’t remember how long it’d been since he’d washed his overalls, so he took a few minutes to clean them as well before hightailing back with a towel wrapped around his waist.
A load of problems entered his mind on the walk back. First, he needed a water heater, because showering in freezing cold water might be refreshing, but it wasn’t all that relaxing. Secondly, he needed to add a curtain to the stall, or find a way to move it into the barn. He wasn’t a plumber though, so he made a mental note to keep an eye out for anything that resembled a shower curtain. The third problem was what really held his attention as he slipped on some underwear. He couldn’t risk walking around the farm without protection. If monsters could come out of the dungeon, then he needed to be ready for them, which meant keeping the boomerangs on him at all times. It would require some explaining if the Farringtons saw them, but he could write it off and claim to have seen a coyote, and was worried about the chickens. That would work, he supposed, but he’d have to sell it without worrying them too much.
“Oh, these?” he teased and pretended to look at the boomerangs that were sticking out of the band of his underwear. “Oh, you know, just in case a zombie comes along. Oh, you didn’t know? Yeah, we have zombies around here. Don’t worry, Whinny, they only want brains, so you’re good.”
He didn’t know why he was picking on her, but he imagined Joanie sniggering at the comment, as well as a few choice remarks from Mrs. Farrington. The fact that he was talking to himself was alarming though. He had too much time on his hands, and not enough company, so it seemed. If he continued walking this path, he could wind up insane before the girls went back to school.
“Leaving me with no one around but Mrs. Farrington,” he sighed, stuffed the money into the coffee can, then decided to take it all out and count it. There was $429 in there now, as well as the coupon that reminded him to check the computer. He didn’t see anything about the farmer’s catalog on the trading post though, so he shut it down for the night and headed to bed. “Maybe it’s on tier four?”
There were chores to be done when he woke up, but he was more worried about the empty food bowl than he was plucking beans at the moment. As quietly as he could manage, he snuck into the house with the bowl, scooped out the rice and meat from the fridge, then crept back outside, minding how hard he closed the door. It was still early, and he didn’t hear anyone up and about when he was in the house.
“Still sleeping, hopefully,” he sighed and placed the bowl down, only to find that the water was nearly empty again. It was hot out, so it made sense that the poor dog was taking in whatever water it could find. After it was filled, he went back to the barn to fetch the buckets, then headed to the garden to get underway. It was the same amount as every morning, which reminded him that he needed to plant more seeds, even if it cut into his funds at the start. “Spend more to make more.”
A yawn escaped him when he finished dumping the crops into the storage box, but the weariness vanished the moment he finished counting the return. Yesterday saw him making $400 to split with Mrs. Farrington. Today, despite placing the same number of crops into the box, he had $600, which saw him smiling as he looked down at the little ring on his finger. “I’ve got nine more fingers if you want to invite your family to come join you.”
He hadn’t expected the ring to affect the crop sales, but he wasn’t about to look a gift horse in the mouth, even though it was an expression he never understood. $729 was in the can, so he woke up the computer and sat down to buy some clothes. The screen was on his attribute page though, so he mulled over the numbers for a moment. His attack had gone up to level five, but now he needed to get fifty points per level, instead of ten. It made sense, he supposed, even though he didn’t care for it.
Attack wasn’t the only thing to increase. His persona had gone up a hair, dodge and speed had leveled, thanks to the dungeon, and, finally, recovery had reached the first full ranking. He was about to click on the trading post when he happened to look down at the bottom to find something he hadn’t expected. Not only had the ring unlocked prestige and given it a level, but he also had a single point toward the next. It didn’t make much sense though, so he made a note to keep an eye on it in the future before he went to the trading post.
While he hated the idea of passing up on extra XP, he decided it was wiser to achieve the minimum to complete the quest, rather than blow all of his money on clothes for the girls. He could always buy more later, and he could run a dungeon to make up for the lost experience.
The first act was to take care of Joanie, who seemed happy with jeans and t-shirts. Each set was only $25, so he spent $125 to complete her side of the quest. Dresses for Whinny were on the second tier, which made him laugh when he did the math. Since he only had to buy one item per outfit, it only cost $150 to complete the quest. It was something he didn’t think about until now, but the vibration he felt said he needed to move on to the next issue instead of second-guessing his lack of math skills.
While he knew that there were clothes in the box for him to retrieve, Jeric decided to stay on the computer instead of fishing them out. The quest showed complete, giving him 10 XP, 5 relationship points with both girls, 5 attribute points, and the office catalog.
“Please be cheap, please be cheap,” he repeated as he clicked back to the trading post. The first tier only held pens, pencils, papers, and folders, but, sadly, nothing resembling a laptop. Tier two had a backpack, binder, and a tablet for $150. He knew it was going to be bad, and his teeth were clenched when he reached tier three. His eyes glanced over an improved tablet for $300, then a phone for the same amount. Finally, he saw a basic laptop, and his entire face scrunched in anger when he saw the cost. “$700, and I have to buy two of them?”
It was nearly enough to send him running into the yard, screaming his head off. Doing so would only worry the Farringtons though, and maybe chase off the dog he was hoping to coax into the barn. In his head, he was doing the math, factoring in prestige as he counted out the days. If he made $300 per morning, and $150 at night for the wine, then it’d take four days to save enough for the laptops, which he could trim down to three by running a dungeon.
“Okay, that isn’t so bad,” he sighed and clicked to another tab so he could take his mind off of things. On a good note, buying two laptops would unlock tier four, which he hoped was where the farmer’s catalog would be. Lugging those buckets around was taking its toll, and he’d have to double up on the grapes if he wanted Cassidy to be happy. “After I earn another upgrade point though.”
The thought had him shaking his head until he realized something at the top of his attribute page. He had fifteen points to spend, and the morning’s income said that there was a way of shortcutting the process. If level one of prestige saw his income increasing by 50%, what would level two bring? With a smile, he spent nine points to improve its rank, then turned off the computer while nodding at his choice. It needed to work, because there were too many things he needed to buy, and too many people counting on him right now.
He’d missed breakfast, somehow, so he scooped the clothes out of the box and headed into the house to see if there was anything left. Mrs. Farrington must have been watching him through the window, because she was holding the door open when he arrived, likely because of the stacks in his arms.
“It would seem you came through again,” she laughed as she claimed the items from him. “I have to say, I was getting a bit worried.”
“You were doubting me?” he laughed as he searched the counters for food while fishing out her half of the morning sales. “Is there uh. . .”
“There’s a plate at the table for you,” she finished for him, set the clothes on the counter, and took the money he was holding out. Her eyes widened when she finished counting, then her mouth dropped when she looked up at him, completely lost for words.
“Better quality crops, I suppose?” he chuckled before excusing himself to go eat. He didn’t know how else to explain it, so he kept his mouth shut and prayed that she wouldn’t ask any more questions. He doubted she would though, because the mother had never asked why the grapes grew so quickly, or how there were apples on trees that should have needed a few more years to mature. He was questioning it though, along with dozens of other events that were adding up to one interesting life.
25
After choking down some cold eggs and toast, Jeric headed outside to check on the dog bowls. The food was gone, thankfully, but he didn’t want to overfeed the pooch and make it sick. Once the water bowl was filled, he did a lap around the crops, only to wind up plucking grapes to help out Cassidy. The news that she was stomping them by hand, or by foot, rather, left him feeling a bit guilty about leaving the fruits for her to deal with. It got him thinking about the processing machines she’d mentioned, and how he could get his hands on one, or three.
He did have the presence of mind to get the seed packets for pears off of his desk, then headed out to the apple trees to plant them. He didn’t know how much room they’d need, so he treated them like apples with plenty of room to spare. It reminded him that he should be planting more seeds, so he went back to the computer to see what he could do. The wheat seemed pointless without a mill, so he went back to the previous tier and spent $100 on tomato and onion seeds. By lunchtime, he had them planted and watered, but hadn’t managed to convince himself that it was a wise investment.
