Benjamin Kerei

Unorthodox Farming: Chapter 29 (Patreon)

Published:

2026-04-01 02:44:40

Imported:

2026-04

Tags:

Unorthodox Farming 3

Content

I was at a writing conference with Matt Dinnaman, RinoZ, and Haylock Jobson when I read the comments for the last chapter and decided to change this chapter. It was ready to go before I took it down, so I had to choose between hanging out with some of the coolest and biggest writers in the world or rewriting this chapter so everyone could read it on time. Obviously, I chose hanging out with them. I don't regret it. And I'm not going to pretend it was a hard choice. All of you would have done the same. Anyway, this chapter is now 1500 words longer so I hope you're all happy. This is the start of the arch that I've been building to since the beginning of the series, so it's going to explain a few things and give you more questions.

Thursday's chapter will be on time.

Chapter 29

What is a Farmer?

My initial theories after seeing the massive pile of experience crystals appear were being reevaluated, rejected, brought back, rejected again, and refined. Its existence proved that much of what I'd learned about how the system operated was false assumptions and incorrect theories. The only way to find the truth was to reevaluate everything I thought I knew and come to my own conclusions. So, my mind was pulling together my discussions with Irana and everything I learned from Farentine's library, before merging them with what I knew from my old life.

Assumptions and conclusions that people in this world couldn't possibly make were constantly replacing what I'd been taught since arriving, rewriting my understanding of the system. It was like I'd been marching through life with a stone in my shoe, and I finally had a chance to remove it.

Torvac had seen enough of my conversations with Irana to recognise the vacant expression on my face. Without needing to be told, he quietly ushered Durg'un and Winslow away, leaving me to think in peace. I barely registered what he'd done until an hour later, when one of Winslow's butchers asked me to move aside so he could get to work butchering the king toad's leg. Half a dozen farmers stood behind him, throwing glances at the massive pile of experience.

While I'd been thinking, the city guard had arrived and surrounded the pile of experience crystals, preventing anyone from getting close. Within the cordon, Durg'un and Winslow sorted the massive pile into two unequal mounds. A much larger crowd of butchers and farmers had stopped to gawk, overcome by the sheer scale of the pile. Their presence told me I was about to be the epicentre of a massive worksite.

Without missing a beat, I scanned the horizon for an isolated stretch of farmland and started walking. My presence was no longer necessary, and I desperately needed to think.

My footsteps splashed through the water and mud gathered between my toes as I marched across the destroyed rice paddy, piecing together a theory that would explain the unimaginable amounts of experience I'd created. I didn't care where I was going. All I cared about was how all the pieces fit together.

My feet found a dry dirt road long before I recognised that thinking wasn't getting me anywhere. What I needed to know was whether my theories were correct or just false assumptions brought on by shock. The amount of farmer experience I'd generated was insane, and some of the conclusions for why that much experience could appear were just as insane.

I needed to uncover the truth.

However, I couldn't uncover the truth without evidence that my assumptions were valid. Evidence which didn't currently exist.

Thankfully, if the system was as monstrous as assumed, I knew exactly how to find those answers. "The human position in the system's hierarchy is that of slave sacrifices."

There was no beacon of light or notification showing that I'd expanded system hierarchy lore, so I kept walking and tried something else.

"The human position in the system's hierarchy is the lowest position you can hold within the system's hierarchy."

Nothing happened again.

"Within the system's hierarchy, dwarves sit above humans. They are the artisan class, specialised individuals who are born stronger and with a clearly defined role."

This time, I frowned when nothing happened.

If the system were as predatory as I assumed, my last statement should have triggered a deeper understanding of the system's hierarchy lore. The dwarves were clearly favoured by the system. Everything except food production came more easily to them than it did to humans. This fact was impossible to deny, but the system hadn't reacted.

The system's lack of response was the strongest denial that it could offer. Which essentially meant that the system didn't consider the dwarves higher up the food chain than us plan old humans. If it did, I would have upgraded that particular branch of lore to initiate. Initiate understanding was only a step beyond having the general gist of a particular branch of lore. Any specific detail would be enough to trigger an upgrade to my understanding.

This didn't mean I was wrong about the system. I'd already confirmed that there was a clear hierarchical nature to it with my discovery back at the temple. All it meant was that I didn't understand the nature of that hierarchy.

A few minutes later, I was ready to try a different approach.

"Within the system's hierarchy, your place is defined by your innate and current attributes. Your value to the gods of the system is tracked through these metrics."

Light exploded from me, sending up a beacon to inform the world of my discovery. A notification appeared.

Well done, you have successfully deduced more of the hierarchical nature of the system, showing a greater comprehension of system hierarchy lore than any being in this world's history. You can now boast that you can understand system hierarchy lore as well as any Initiate.

I frown grew deeper.

Did this mean the system didn't define its hierarchy based on species? Was I overthinking things? We're humans, not cattle raised to create magic.

Another thought appeared. "Within the system's-" I froze as sudden horror hit me like a wave. My eyes darted to my illuminated naked fingers. "Shit!"

I'd forgotten to put my farm manor ring back on. I'd accidentally made another discovery in Lunar. As I released a string of curses that would make a sailor blush, my hand shot to the gold chain hanging around my neck.

I yanked off the chain in my haste to undo my screwup, snapping the delicate clasp to reach my farm manor ring a second sooner. Blackwood had just missed out on another windfall of village points. I tossed the broken necklace aside and jammed the ring on my index finger with too much force, ignoring the bite of pain, as I hastily opened my interface and reestablished myself as the manager of my farm.

I didn't stop cursing until I received the notification that I was once again Darkwood's farm manager. I glare at my hand for another second before my thoughts pulled me back to the pile of experience I'd created. It represented a fortune, not just in experience, but in lore.

I'd wasted a discovery, like I'd wasted those experience crystals when we captured the giant, but like then, this didn't mean it was the end of the world. Other discoveries were waiting for me. I just need to articulate my understanding and come to conclusions that no one in this world could possibly make.

"Within the system's hierarchy, the weak serve as a sacrificed to empower the strong."

Nothing happened.

It was the second time I'd used the word 'sacrifice', and the second time, nothing had happened. Clearly, I was looking at this the wrong way. The system didn't differentiate by race. The creators didn't care what you looked like. Those were human thoughts. The system's lack of response told me that what mattered to the system's creators was that you serve them.

"Within the system's hierarchy, even the weak can be valuable. Not through their actions, but through their existence. Eventually, all return to the system to empower it."

The beacon I'd sent up grew brighter.

I was onto something, so I kept going.

"The system's hierarchy is divided into two categories: The gods and those who exist to serve them. Those who serve the gods may ascend through this hierarchy through their own actions or the favour of the gods, providing the gods with useful servants from the species they conquer."

The beacon became so bright that I had to close my eyes and cover my face.

I'd gone astray by putting human values on another race.

If I thought of myself as a god or wanted others to treat me like a god, how would I build a system to integrate my slaves so I could get the most out of them? I would create a meritocracy. However, that might not work for every species. I might want them to thrive on their own so I could take advantage of the best of them, but a species might not be biologically wired for this. So, I would have to give the system the ability to let them share their success.

This was a case of working with what you had rather than what you wanted.

"The system's hierarchy is designed to reward individual and group success. This is why thresholds exist and why experience is crystallised. If a species needs to grow together, they can, but if individuals are truly useless, they cannot progress, no matter how much assistance they receive. The system is fundamentally a meritocracy. However, it is a meritocracy that rewards exceptional individuals and allows them to reward those around them. Because of this, the hierarchy of the system is also defined by your own accomplishments and your connection to those who have made significant accomplishments."

The last part was pulled from how dwarven clans worked, but I felt that it was right. The dwarves had once been human, but the system had changed them so they could survive underground. If an intergalactic species was willing and able to change the genetics of an entire population so they could survive a hostile environment, it was most likely going to throw in a bunch of traits that aligned that species with how the system operated.

The beacon grew brighter, and I began to see the bones in my hands.

With each new discovery, my understanding of the system's hierarchy became clearer, clarifying other theories that were still bouncing around in my head. Months of studying and a lifetime of experience were allowing me to expand a new branch of lore at an unheard-of rate.

It was a minor branch of lore, but that didn't mean Emily and Isabelle wouldn't be dancing with joy as their interfaces notified them of each new discovery.

"The system was built by the gods for their slaves. The hierarchy within the system was created for the gods to see which of their slaves were valuable and which were not. It is a testing ground to see who is worthy of their attention."

The beacon grew impossibly bright.

The light travelled through my hands and eyelids until I could no longer think, but I had one more thought to get out, and it was already on the tip of my tongue.

"The system was designed to generate magic because the gods of the system require a magical environment to live. The experience we generate through our actions is the way the system keeps track of our contribution to their goals. This is why the system punishes anyone who tries to extort it by using feedback loops which generate currency or experience without furthering the system's purpose."

Well done, you have successfully deduced the purpose of the system, showing a greater comprehension of system purpose lore than any being in this world's history. You can now boast that you can understand system purpose lore as well as any Novice.

Well done, you have successfully deduced the reward system of the system, showing a greater comprehension of system reward lore than any being in this world's history. You can now boast that you can understand system reward lore as well as any Novice.

Well done, you have successfully deduced the punishing nature of the system, showing a greater comprehension of system punishment lore than any being in this world's history. You can now boast that you can understand system punishment lore as well as any Novice.

I hadn't stumbled onto a new branch of lore. I'd stumbled onto three, which opened up a huge number of possibilities. Possibilities which alluded me because the beacon was growing brighter by the second, making the bone in my hands impossibly clear. The beacon was brighter than any I'd ever created, which was more than a little impressive, considering some of my discoveries.

Within a few seconds of the notifications appearing, my legs collapsed as my mind went blank, overwhelmed by the light. As I fell on my ass, I didn't even register the final notification.

Congratulations, you have simultaneously unlocked three new fields of lore. Simultaneously unlocking three fields of lore has earned you six levels for your Sage title:

Sage

Level: 8

Effect: People find you 400% more interesting when speaking about lore.

***

When the beacon eventually faded, my mind was somehow still in the middle of making connections. It was like my thoughts had been frozen, rather than crushed, which was more than ideal. I was on a roll, finally getting somewhere, and losing my train of thought would have been problematic.

I climbed to my feet, dusted myself off, and continued walking while organising my thoughts for my next discovery.

Understanding the system's hierarchy was just the first step towards understanding why the system had given me so much experience for killing the king toad. Why it had given me so much experience for killing the giant. Why it rewarded farmers more for killing monsters than for farming.

My theory that farmers were living sacrifices had legs, but it wasn't just farmers. It was everybody. The system allowed us to live as long as we could, hoping that doing so would allow us to provide it with the maximum benefit from our death. The maximum amount of magic when we eventually pass away.

This didn't explain why I'd received so much experience, though. My altar theory might. However, was there something different about farmers which made us unique?

I walked down the road like a schizophrenic junkie, muttering to myself, throwing ideas at the system, hoping something would stick. Doing so got me nowhere. It was thirty minutes before I realised that I was asking the wrong question. The question wasn't what was unique about farmers. It was what was unique about farmers who hadn't taken a second class.

Torvac had the farmer class, but he didn't gain farmer experience from defending a farm. No one with a second class did. He'd had to gain his great boon by becoming a farmhand. As a farmhand, Torvac had gained his experience from other farmers gaining their great boon by killing farm-raised monsters. It was a manipulation of the system, not a personal accomplishment. And without the manipulation, he never would have been able to gain the experience necessary to receive the great boon.

Like Torvac, once I had a second class, I wouldn't be able to gain farmer experience from defending mine or anyone else's farm. I'd never really thought about why. No one had. It wasn't important to most people. Because normal farmers rarely had to defend their farm from monsters, especially farmers with a second class.

There was something fundamentally different about farmers who hadn't taken a second class. Something that made them more valuable to the system.

If the system wasn't benevolent, and the farmer class was created to be an intentionally difficult class to level, and farming really was the way that magic came into the human subsystem, then keeping farmers as farmers was intentional. Keeping us with this unique ability to gain large amounts of experience from killing monsters was intentional.

And if that was intentional, what else was intentional?

Likely everything.

I started thinking about the odd quirks of my class. The things that didn't make sense. The fact that I couldn't pick up a sword came to mind. Salem had explained that I couldn't use one because it was a weapon, but I could use spears, bows, crossbows, and machetes because they were also classified as tools. How did that fit into the picture I was painting?

Was there something fundamentally different about a sword? Not really. A sword killed just as well as a spear or a crossbow.

Dead was dead.

There was no obvious fundamental difference.

Then maybe the difference was the fact that another class needed a sword for some fundamental purpose? A fundamental purpose that didn't cross over to farmers. It was completely unreasonable to assume that the farmer class was the only way to bring magic into the system.

Maybe we didn't have access to swords because another class needed them for something else, and that need changed the nature of the weapons. The system didn't even let us hold them. Was it trying to keep us pure while extracting as much as it could from us? Preventing some sort of contamination?

Another thought came to mind.

Jeric had gained experience when he defended my farm from monsters. His noble class gave him access to three subclasses which worked the same as regular classes, except they didn't have thresholds. He'd received farmer experience the same as the rest of us, despite essentially having four classes.

Obviously, subclasses worked differently. There slightly watered-down nature changing them in some fundamental way. Skills were even more watered-down versions of classes, and they didn't affect farmers gaining farmer experience from defending their farm either.

I went back through my memories, trying to find whether or not nobles could still gain farmer experience from defending a farm after gaining a second class. I couldn't find an answer. It was likely one of those questions that were so obscure that no one had thought about it.