Yuri put down the large sack that carried his purchased items, sitting on the creaking wooden bed and contemplating today's events.
'Nobility and peasantry, quite an element any world would never lack.'
Looking at the pile of sticks nearby, an idea formed inside his head.
Training.
Though crude as it may be, if his idea were correct, then that plan would be feasible—a plan to become a knight acknowledged by this region's court.
"No, focus as a farmer first, then that…"
A knightly job could fetch a lot more income, but the risk was high as well. Since he was just starting to settle in, Yuri felt that becoming steady in his farming life should be his main priority.
Despite that, he still picked up a thicker stick from the pile and tested its weight. Then, he started swinging around as if he were battling some great monster.
As he continued, he could feel his body aching in response until-
Thwack!
The stick cut through the air smoother than it should have. The strange phenomenon made Yuri narrow his eyes.
'Just like what happened with the hoe, indeed. The more I exert effort on something, the more I get practiced, no matter how crude the movement is.'
Since his theory was finally confirmed, he returned the stick to the pile and stretched. He yawned and lay on the bed, waiting for his consciousness to drift somewhere else.
From the outside, the wind carried traces of laughter and music, maybe from the nobles before.
Yuri closed his eyes, ignoring the commotion.
Tomorrow, the real work will begin.
And so, the night passed silently, broken by the crow of a rooster as dawn arrived.
Yuri rose early, cooking himself a simple breakfast of eggs and rice, and readying himself for the day.
Soon, he stood at the edge of his field once more. The tilling was complete, the earth looking neater than it had to be. The soil seemed to have responded to his rhythm yesterday, reshaping itself with each swing of his hoe.
Yuri approached and knelt down, opening the small pouch of seeds left by the previous house owner.
The seeds were a bit old, but something felt right about the way they sat on his hands.
He began planting with natural spacing as if he had known it instinctively. The more seeds he planted, the more practiced his movements became.
If he could hear the seeds right now, he would be dumbfounded about their complaints of not germinating quickly enough.
Yuri arrived at the last and small part of the field, taking his time to place the seeds and scoop the soil gently over the final row. Somehow, his hands knew how much to press, enough to protect, not suffocate.
"Finally done."
He straightened his back and let out a soft sigh. For some reason, he could tell which one would bud the quickest and which ones would take a little while to do so.
'This golden finger is something. Not daring to tell me anything, but daring enough to show me the results. Hm… what a tricky mechanic.'
Yuri hoped that someone would come over and explain to him everything, yet reality hit him differently. Be that as it may, he was more or less satisfied with the outcome of his sudden transmigration.
With the seeds buried in the soil, the next step was to water them.
Yuri grabbed a small wooden bucket from the side of his house before making his way to the river stream. He scooped from it and filled the bucket to the brim, walking back and forth between the river and his field.
His arms trembled from the weight, and his balance wavered, which caused the water to slosh side to side.
However, not for long, something shifted within him. His grip on the bucket steadied. His feet no longer wobbled as before.
Soon, he found himself adjusting the amount of water by instinct. Some seeds demanded a generous pour, others only a small tilt.
He paused between trips to catch his unhurried breath, each break becoming shorter, and his body bouncing back faster.
'Still not enough… but I am getting there.'
The sun had long peaked when he finally set the bucket down for the last time. The field exuded a refreshing scent of earth and water, the soil glistening under the bright sky.
Even his neighbors couldn't help but look over, wondering how a single teenager could work this quickly despite having a large field.
Yuri smiled in satisfaction and turned to his house. He soon noticed Dren leading a horse hitched to a small cart.
"Hmm? Dren, what are you bringing?" Yuri asked, blinking at the unexpected sight.
The boy looked far too cheerful for someone he'd only known for a day. Their friendship was still fresh, yet Dren carried himself like they'd been comrades for years.
Was this the innocence of rural life? Or just a child's naivety? Or both?
The thought stirred something in Yuri. The adult world was too complex, too calculative. Everything was either benefits or alliances, neither genuine nor a long-term friendship.
"To bring you to uncle's place, of course!" Dren grinned, "Told you it'd be a hike. So I borrowed Uncle's horse and cart. Pretty smart, huh?"
"I see," Yuri smiled, "Let me change first."
"You better hurry up! Uncle's waiting… well, more like glaring, but still."
Half an hour later, the two youths crossed a small hill. On the other side, a large manor sat proudly at the edge of a vast expanse of farmland. Several groups of people could be seen carrying farming equipment.
Yuri noticed that most of them were for tilling.
Meanwhile, shouts could be heard now and then that came from a few stern wardens lashing their impatience at the earth and urging these workers to exert more effort.
Yuri's eyes widened, the land stretching farther than he had expected.
'I… have to till all of that?'
The thought made him gulp.
God knows when I'll even finish it.
As they made their way down the slightly paved dirt road, the large manor grew steadily in size, rising like a fortress over the farmland. Yuri couldn't help but marvel at the scale and craftsmanship of such a structure, especially in this kind of era.
"Haha! Big, right?!" Dren snickered, reveling in Yuri's inevitable awe, "My uncle isn't just wealthy! He's an overlord!"
The cart rolled toward the gate entrance where a brawny, middle-aged man stood, arms crossed, casting a cold gaze their way.
"And I wondered why the day started so noisily," the man called out. "Turns out my little nephew dragged in a helper."
The tone carried a hint of disdain. For that middle-aged man, Yuri's physique was anything but capable.
'The workers I hired are far bigger and stronger than this kid…'
"Yuri, this is my uncle, Uncle Hans!" Dren cheekily introduced, ignoring Hans' provocative look. "Uncle, this is the friend I talked to you about, Yuri."
Hans gave Yuri a hard look. "Dren, the job I'm offering isn't easy. You sure your friend's not going to collapse halfway through?"
If he had a choice, Hans wouldn't let teenagers work for such a tiresome job. The labor was exhausting, and such an arrangement would make him look like some desperate scoundrel.
"Uncle, you don't have to worry about it," Dren said quickly. "Yuri's the best. Even the old chief praised him yesterday!"
At that moment, Han's eyebrows raised in interest. 'That old chief, huh?'
He eyed Yuri again, this time with less dismissal and more curiosity.
"Fine. Pay's a bit higher than what I said before. I'm not one to underpay workers who deliver." Hans waved his hands toward the far fields. "See that land over there?"
Yuri nodded but couldn't help adding, "This is bigger than expected, uncle."
"You're right. If you want to back out, I'll still give you the chance," Hans narrowed his eyes, checking out his response.
"This job's for you. You finish it, it's your coin. You complain? The road's clear for you to walk away."
Yuri clenched his fist and replied, "I'll take it."
"Good," Hans nodded before pushing a wooden cart filled with farming tools that Yuri might use.
"Pick a bunch to your liking. They're all yours now, for free."
Yuri scrutinized each tool, picking them up and testing their weight and his grip on the handles.
'They're a bit heavy, and that strange sensation Dren talked about yesterday.'
He couldn't put his mind into it, but something about these tools seemed off.
"Are you done?" Hans sounded impatient.
With no choice, Yuri accepted Hans' terms. Dren accompanied him to ward off the lonesome feeling of tilling a field that seemed to stretch forever.
'This uncle is hiding something. I will find out eventually.'
Yuri engraved this peculiarity into his mind.
What kind of overlord would lack the money to hire additional labor? And he didn't even hesitate to put Yuri into the job as well.
Still, coins were coins, and being used wasn't much to his concern for now. Not when the job came with something more valuable than monetary rewards: growth.
As the hoe struck the earth again and again, Yuri felt it. The pain from earlier faded. His muscles ached less. His breathing steadied. His muscles are improving at a fast rate, his lungs slowly expanding to accommodate his strenuous work.
As for that strange feeling from earlier? What was that? The issue went over the back of his head.
Dren watched Yuri's progress, impressed by how quickly this guy could move from the starting point to 30 meters away. Not even his father could move that fast.
'It hasn't been 10 minutes, right?'
Based on the finely split soil, not only did Yuri work fast, but the quality was up to par, too.
Their quick progress instantly caught the attention of other workers. They glanced at both of them with shock plastered on their faces.
"What kind of person is that kid? How can he tell so fast?"
"Do you know that young man's name?"
A lot of them immediately started whispering to one another, but were cut off by the nearby wardens, berated harshly for gossiping during work.
Meanwhile, Hans stood at a distance with arms crossed and an unreadable face.
He was trying his best to mask the shock within him.
What kind of teenager was this, moving faster and tilling better than those grown men could ever do?
Maybe it was time to re-evaluate the worth of his so-called workforce. Being beaten by a kid was nothing short of shameful in that regard.
And most of them were all grown men? And what was Yuri? He wasn't even a hired hand, just a kid dragged by his nephew, Dren, after a friendship formed out of nowhere.
Hans suddenly frowned.
It seems that the pay grade was going to be a bit higher than he expected.
'No, this is good. This is better. Much, much better.'
As he stood there congratulating himself while blankly staring at the fields ahead, an old butler arrived behind him and bowed.
"Sir, the nobles will be arriving soon. I fear that they would want to continue with the transaction."
Hans' eyes narrowed, emitting a cold aura that could pierce through one's soul.
"Delay it for a few days." He ordered, clenching his raised fists tightly.
"As you wish, sir. How about that young man's pay?"
"Raise it to 2 silvers per hectare."
He declared without hesitation and then turned around, entering his manor.