Johan felt at ease for the first time in a while. The current comfort was more than what his second-hand mattress provided.

  The hospital must’ve spent a killing on the mattress, but skipped on the pillow.

  His pillow wasn’t anything to write home about, but it had never felt as hard as wood, the rough kind that scraped against his skin. At this point, resting his head on the floor would’ve been better.

  Groaning from the neck pain, he tried to yank the pillow from under his head, but his fingers brushed something soft. And it wasn’t the mattress.

  It was a bed of grass.

  His eyes snapped open, wondering what funky hospital he had landed in. However, he didn’t see an unfamiliar ceiling, but a canopy of leaves from old, rugged trees.

  “What the?” He sat up, fingers sinking in the dewy grass. “Where am I?”

  His heart raced. The air reeked of damp rot, as if the mist itself had been fermenting for centuries. A faint starlight shimmered somewhere above, just enough to reveal the ground where twisted roots spread outward like veins, pulsing with decay. Only the rustling leaves in that cold wind made a mutter as a scent of dread stuck in the back of his throat.

  Before him stood a massive tree stump, so wide it would take a hundred people linking arms to encircle it. Thick cracks ran along the 3-story high stump, with a putrid scent lingering at the base.

  Was this a dream? Johan couldn’t help but pinch himself.

  The sting felt as real as the translucent panel that hung two feet before his eyes.

  [Quest 1.0: Awakening]

  Task: Save the Tree

  Reward: A Unique Class

  Did I want to become a Hunter so badly that I started dreaming about the awakening ritual? He shut that thought down. This wasn’t like the dreams he had.

  There were two types of Awakening rituals: the first type happened in the real world, and the second type took place in Phantasia, a dreamscape.

  People who experienced the second type had a higher chance of receiving a unique class. Only one person could have the particular Unique Class.

  The quest window here guaranteed a Unique Class, so why hesitate? Even if it was a dream, he’d know when he woke up.

  “Save the tree.” That looked like a simple task on the surface, but that was how these trials were.

  Jenny Hien received her Paladin class by helping an old lady cross the road. Minashiro Suguru received the Titan class after helping his mother carry groceries from the supermarket.

  While Andy Koffman, a USAN war vet, had to go through a simulated war, fighting against three battalions with a platoon, only to get a common class, Commander. It really made no sense.

  What can I get from saving the tree? Druid or a Verdant sage? No, it shouldn’t be limited to the forest classes; maybe it will have something to do with nature as a whole?

  “Stop… don’t count the chickens before they hatch.” The fear of the chance slipping by gripped Johan; he didn’t know what he’d do if this turned out to be a dream. Emptying his head, he channeled his energy into searching for a method to save the tree.

  The wide trunk became the center of his attention, but he also kept his eyes peeled in case some beasts jumped him from the nearby shrubs.

  If possible, he wanted to complete the quest immediately and get out of this creepy, chilly forest.

  However, the conditions limited his methods. Even more so when he had nothing on hand. In this silent forest, he couldn’t hear a water source nearby and had nothing to carry it, even if he found water.

  The black, gooey rot had spread throughout the trunk. Without tools, cutting such big parts from a trunk this humungous wasn’t possible.

  Rough grafting it is. Walking alongside the trunk, Johan hoped for any branches.

  The first few branches he found had shriveled up, the next one had rotten to the core with dead, vomit green leaves. The more he walked, the more the anxiety grew. But the confidence didn’t die down.

  If an Awakening ritual appears, it is well within the person’s means to complete it.

  A famous saying between Hunters came to mind, and it wasn’t without merit.

  Twenty minutes later, he found a healthy branch.

  Thick as his arm, it had two bright green leaves at the end. The brown bark hadn’t a single black spot on it or around its connection with the trunk. The perfect branch seemed just as happy to see him. But taking it right away wasn’t ideal.

  I need to find a good patch of soil and water. But where? This place is ruined! Even without a timer, Johan felt the urge to move quicker when he noticed the rot spreading in real time.

  Even if the soil nearby looked alright, it had a sickly, pallid color, and he needed water to replant that branch. With no source, he had to find a substitute, and with luck or grace, it didn’t take much time. A gust of wind shook the nearby bushes; the familiar rustling caught his ears.

  A three-foot bush grew 20 feet away from the healthy branch, tucked away under a dying oak tree, or a tree that resembled oak at least.

  With fuzzy, serrated leaves, the vibrant, crimson berries weighed on the thorny canes. Ruby berries, the main ingredient used in low-level healing potions. Also used in hydrating solutions because of their high-water concentrate.

  Its juice does the same for plants and trees. Johan had tried it once in his boss’s lab.

  He found a passable patch of soil a few meters away from the giant tree and dug a hole with his hands. Clawing away at the cold and dark soil on the surface, he brought up the warm and healthier soil hidden beneath. After a quick prayer, he snapped the branch off the tree trunk and planted it in the small mound he prepared.

  Gardening classes to help his boss maintain her magik herb garden. Memorizing the Hunter Academy textbooks, magik beast encyclopaedias, magik herbs encyclopaedias, and Hunter manuals cover-to-cover to get tuition jobs for extra income. Burning the midnight oil flipping through the thesis from the Mage Tower.

  If it wasn’t for his relentless drive to become a Hunter, he wouldn’t have gathered this much knowledge and wouldn’t have passed the trial.

  The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.

  The culmination of 15 years of hard work and dedication had shown results.

  “With this, my hunter life is going to take off!” He squeezed the ruby berries with his white shirt, uncaring for the bright marks it left.

  As the blood-like liquid seeped into the soil, the branch trembled. A golden glow burst from its form. Shielding his eyes, Johan took a few steps back.

  The ground around the branch glowed a golden hue, numerous small roots burst forth from the stem and latched onto the existing root underground. He could see them move under his feet like snakes.

  In one fell swoop, the smaller roots started absorbing the complex nexus of roots and, in turn, spread their own web.

  “That tree stump…” The giant tree stump broke down into specks of golden energy and seeped into the planted branch, brushing past Johan’s platinum hair.

  A bell went off in his head, followed by a robotic, androgynous voice.

  [Quest 1.0: Awakening, completed.]

  [Analysing the completion method…]

  [Analysis completed, assigning the appropriate Unique Class for Johan Askr.]

  [Suitable Class Found, Compatibility 99%...]

  A smile appeared on Johan’s lips, his excitement at its peak.

  A Unique Class was a one-way ticket to A-Class Hunter status at least. 80% of the S-Class consisted of Hunters with unique classes.

  [Unique Class, Tower Farmer Granted.]

  However, the smile turned into a frown.

  “F-Farmer? W-Wait, what?!” Johan’s voice cracked, his heart dropped into his stomach.

  “No, No, No, No!” Feeling his body pulled out of Phantasia, Johan was on the verge of tears. “Wait, Wait, Wait, Wait!”

  “A reroll! Do a Rerolllllllllllll!” His cries weren’t answered. All he saw was the branch he had planted swaying in the wind, saying goodbye.

  ***

  Johan’s eyes opened wide a second time. This time, he saw an unfamiliar white ceiling with a hint of disinfectant lumped up in his throat. Flat on the hospital bed with a cast around his arm and leg, he kicked the uncomfortable blanket off with the unhurt leg and sat up.

  “I want a reroll, damn it!” He screamed loud enough for his throat to go sore.

  “What reroll?”

  Johan turned to the familiar voice to his left and found his boss, Morgan. Sitting near the window, the setting sun painted her white hair in an orange hue.

  “Don’t shout in a hospital.” She adjusted her round glasses.

  “Oh… my bad.” Johan would’ve said a lot. No, he wanted to say a lot.

  He had wished the trial he had seen was a dream, but reality blinked bright blue in front of his eyes.

  [Status]

  Name: Johan Askr

  Age: 25

  Class: Tower Farmer

  Skills: General Knowledge Lv. MAX, Translocation Lv. 1, Accelerate Growth Lv. 1, Seed Sense Lv. 1, Water Channeling Lv. 1, Basic Brewing Lv. 3.

  Magik: 20

  I am cooked… so cooked. Johan slumped on the creaking bed, pulling at his hair.

  All he wanted was a combat class. But a Farmer type class?

  He had never heard of it. Labour-type classes were rare, and people who could use them well, even rarer. He had that labourer class now. His hopes of learning any combat skills became zero because of the different skill trees.

  “Why? Just why?” Johan muttered like a man possessed. For years, he had worked towards his goal. Yet when he reached the starting line, he tripped and faceplanted.

  “Hmm, hunched over and mumbling like a maniac. Extreme mood swings and asking for a reroll. I got it!” Morgan’s amethyst eyes flashed with brilliance. She pointed at Johan with a smile and declared. “You just lost money at a gambling den and went into debt!”

  “I am disappointed in you, Johan.” She clicked her tongue, chiding him like an old aunt.

  “Shut up…” Johan didn’t even want to retort as it was partly true.

  He glanced at Morgan, the woman with fair skin and a model-like figure. She could be on the cover of fashion mags around the world. But this beautiful woman was a hopeless human being.

  “Why are you even here?” He asked.

  “You didn’t come to cook dinner, so I figured something was wrong. I checked my phone the next morning and saw a dozen missed calls from the police. So, I called back and got your situation quickly, impressive, no?” She raised her nose, pleased with herself.

  “What’s impressive is that it took you a whole day to realize something was wrong, even with the police trying to contact you.” Johan deadpanned.

  “Well, I am bad with tech.” She shrugged.

  “This goes beyond being bad with tech, though. And don’t act proud of it.”

  “Anyways, I see that you have awakened at last.” Morgan leaned in with a curious gaze.

  “…Yeah.” Johan looked down.

  “Hmm, that wasn’t what I expected.” Morgan tilted her head. “I expected you to jump around the place and cackle.”

  “What am I in your eyes? A Monkey?”

  “Close. Looks like you didn’t get the Class you wanted.” Morgan leaned back in the chair. “Tsk tsk, the younger generation is so ungrateful.”

  “We are three years apart, wannabe grandma.”

  “It’s not about age, but mental maturity.” Morgan smiled, ignoring Johan’s disdainful look. “But this isn’t like you.”

  “Let me sulk at least a little bit. My dreams just went through a hydraulic press.” Johan fell back into the hospital bed, a sigh escaping his lips.

  “The Awakening ritual only gives out a class most suited for a person. Even if you don’t want it, the class given to you is what you need.” Morgan had explained this to Johan before.

  But that didn’t make the fact any easier to digest. Years of anticipation, countless nights without sleep, days full of hard work, and a couple run-ins with cults and human traffickers.

  It all vanished, all futile.

  Even after he gave his everything, he failed to keep the promise that mattered most to him.

  “I know…” He muttered, fighting back the tears ready to fall.

  Yuna left him behind long ago, but Johan didn’t forget his promise. He had worked harder, pushed himself to the limits, all in hopes of getting a class that would let him become a hunter.

  It wasn’t about becoming a strong hunter. Johan just wanted to stand next to Yuna.

  But he had no hope of doing that anymore, not with a labourer class.

  “Man… being sad blows.” Johan’s nose stung, but he held it in. Tears wouldn’t change anything, and sulking wouldn’t either. What was he supposed to do now? What could he even do with his Class?

  He had to think. He had no other way but the path before him.

  “See? You are already thinking of the future. That’s the Johan I know.” Morgan read his mind.

  Johan turned his head to avoid the smug smile of his boss. He noticed the Lavender in the vase to his right. It looked out of place in the plain room.

  When he focused on the blossoms, soft purple and dusted with silver, the faint fragrance drifted through the room. And, a blue window popped up in his view.

  [Skill General Knowledge Activated.]

  Name: Beta Lavender

  Status: Fresh, picked with care, filled with goodwill.

  Change the Water to maintain freshness.

  Special note: 80% of the buds have higher than average magik value. It could be used to create scented candles that increase the base healing factor by 1%.

  Is this the General knowledge skill? Candles that increase base healing factor? Scammers have better hooks than this. Johan cursed, thinking the skill had malfunctioned. Increasing the healing factor wasn’t as simple as lighting a candle.

  “Who brought these?” His boss wasn’t exactly the type to bring flowers, if anything she couldn’t stand them.

  There was only one person he knew who had a habit of giving flowers.

  “They were there when I arrived,” Morgan said, lips pressed in a hard line.

  I just keep showing her an uncool side of myself for years. He banged his head against the pillow, exhausted.

  “Also, this is yours, right? They took it off while healing you.” Morgan showed him a thin black chain necklace with a green stone the size of a quarter.

  “Hmm?” Johan tilted his head. “Why is it dull? It used to be so shiny.”

  “That green stone is a magik stone. The disruptive magik frequency of the rift must’ve messed with it, or it could’ve run out of magik?” Morgan saw him wear that necklace all the time. “Is it important to you?”

  “Sort of, it’s like my lucky charm,” Johan said.

  “It’s not working very well now, is it?” She chuckled.

  “Piss off.”

  “That’s no way of talking to your boss.” Morgan reprimanded him, but only in name.

  “Patient privilege.” Johan shrugged, but realization hit him like lightning. “B-Boss, about the truck…”

  He sweated like never before, gulping hard. The truck he had oh so mightily crashed into the Racor belonged to the delivery company, not to mention the items in the back.

  “Ohoho… now you know who the boss is, huh?” Morgan smirked, crossing one leg over the other.

  “Ah… well…”

  Seeing him stammer over his words should be fun, but she must’ve decided to cut him some slack. Even though healed with Magik, he had broken several bones and lost an entire leg. If anything, his boss had sympathy in spades.

  “Since it was a Spontaneous Rift case, the government is paying for the damages. The truck and the items in the back, too.” Morgan continued. “And the kind and beautiful boss that I am, I won’t cut your check.”

  “Woohoo! Long live the government! Long live the President! I will never bash them in YouTube comments anymore!” Johan didn’t hear anything beyond the first ‘government is paying for the damages’. He howled like a beast, not caring for the time and place.

  Johan got scolded by the furious nurses in front of the snickering Morgan. He could only sigh in resignation, waiting for the day of his discharge.

  I have to figure out what this class can do.

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