Improvement

Yining Village was a peaceful, tranquil little village. Duke had lived there for sixteen years.

He arrived back in the village just as the sun's last rays faded from the sky. A few wisps of smoke rose beneath the dusky yellow heavens.

Duke returned to his earthen hut and used the last of his millet and wheat bran, along with some wild vegetables he'd picked along the way, to cook a pot of porridge. It was barely enough to get by.

It wasn't nearly enough food for him, but there was nothing else left in the house, so he had no choice but to go hungry.

After night fell, darkness blanketed the village, and not a single light could be seen.

There was still half a tallow candle at Duke's home. He'd had it for ages and couldn't bring himself to use it.

Holding his scythe, he stood in the courtyard and began swinging it with all his might, determined to grind out the last few dozen points of proficiency.

His stomach was empty, his body was exhausted, and his muscles had started to ache, but Duke gritted his teeth and pressed on.

His reasoning was simple: since he'd been given a Gold Finger like this, he had to make the most of the opportunity.

Only hard work and sweat could take him farther.

Five minutes later.

[Scythe Skill level increased, Strength +1]

On the Skill Tree in Duke's mind, the green leaf representing Scythe Skill had turned into a pale white flower, blooming silently.

"This time, I didn't get Free Attribute Points. My Strength went up directly instead."

Duke realized that the rewards for leveling up a skill weren't fixed. He might get Free Attribute Points, a direct boost to one of his attributes, or something else entirely.

This increase had brought his Strength to 5.4, already surpassing that of an ordinary adult man.

The boost was immediately noticeable. The muscles all over Duke's body had grown a little stronger, making him look more burly. He wasn't as skinny as before, either.

Along with the physical changes, a wealth of combat experience with the scythe had flooded into his mind.

As Duke absorbed that experience, he couldn't help feeling that fighting with a scythe was a little strange. It was nowhere near as direct and effective as using a sword.

[Scythe: LV3 (0/1800)]

He checked the Scythe Skill's proficiency. It still needed another eighteen hundred points, far too many to earn in a short time. So he washed up with some water from the barrel and went to sleep.

He kept the scythe beside his pillow, making sure he could grab it as soon as he reached out.

The world was in a sorry state, rife with vagrants, bandits, and robbers.

The weather had been poor for the past two years, and droughts had struck many places. Jade Province, where Duke lived, was frequently plagued by bandits raiding villages and towns.

Duke lay in bed, hoping to stay alert as he slept and not let himself drift off too deeply.

But after a full day of hard work, he was far too tired. The moment his head touched the pillow, a wave of exhaustion swept over him. When he woke, it was already dawn.

It was barely light, yet the village was already bustling as everyone prepared to head out for work.

The villagers had no land of their own. Nearly all of them worked the fields or tended horses for nearby nobles.

Duke set out with Uncle John's family. As they walked down the country lane, the dew-covered weeds soaked their clothes.

He was lucky that day: he found a patch of raspberries, picked them all, and ate them for breakfast.

Uncle John looked at Duke and patted him on the shoulder. Nodding, he said, "Young Duke's all grown up now. You're pretty sturdy, too. You could think about trying out for the militia in town."

"The militia?" Duke mused as he ate his raspberries.

Enderland Town was the closest settlement to Yining Village, and the largest in the area.

The town had its own militia, responsible for keeping the surrounding area safe. It was a pretty good job for an ordinary villager.

Enderland Town was part of Count Hardy's territory, so joining the militia meant entering his service directly.

Besides gaining a higher status, a militiaman also earned a full ten silver coins every month.

After five days of helping cut wheat, Duke and the others would receive just twenty copper coins in wages.

Today was the last day of the harvest. They only needed to work for half a day to finish the remaining wheat.

The group began their day's labor in the cool morning air, before the sun had fully risen.

Cutting wheat had become easy for Duke. After a night's rest, he felt refreshed.

With a scythe in his hands, he felt as if it were an extension of his arm.

And with his increased Strength, he only needed to apply a little force to cut through each swath of wheat.

By the time Uncle John had cut only half a row, Duke had already finished an entire one.

They spent just over an hour in the afternoon finishing all the wheat in the field.

[Scythe: LV3 (1358/1800)]

Duke took a look. His Scythe Skill still had a way to go before leveling up, so he'd have to grind out more proficiency after he got back.

Once they'd finished cutting the wheat, they helped load it onto a line of carts. A well-dressed, middle-aged man stood on the ridge, directing the workers.

He was Count Hardy's steward, Matthew.

When Matthew saw that most of the wheat had been loaded, he cleared his throat and spoke in fluent Vira Kingdom Common Tongue. "Come line up to collect your wages. Also, anyone who worked today can pick up a bundle of wheat straw in Enderland Town. Give thanks for the count's generosity!"

The villagers bowed their heads and placed their right hands over their hearts to express their gratitude to Count Hardy.

"With this wheat straw, I'll be able to sleep a little more comfortably tonight," Duke thought.

He was still sleeping on a hard wooden board. A layer of straw would make it a little softer.

After collecting his twenty copper coins, Duke didn't plan to return to the village. He wanted to stop by town first and buy some millet. His family had run out of food.

"You're going to town? Then you could go see Captain Wood and ask about the militia. I remember they've been recruiting lately," Uncle John said.

Wood was the captain of the town militia. A just man, he'd helped many commoners resolve their problems and had earned a great deal of respect in the area.

Duke nodded. After thinking it over, he'd decided to give it a try.

Militia Training would begin after he joined. He'd get to handle more weapons and unlock more skills.

At the moment, he only had one skill, Scythe Skill, and it had already reached the flowering stage. The next stage should be its max level, so he probably wouldn't be able to improve it any further.

Uncle Lien, who'd been working alongside them, heard Duke was going to town and invited him to ride along in his donkey cart.

The town was quite a distance away, and riding in a cart would make the trip easier.

Uncle Lien was a villager from a nearby village. He mainly grew pumpkins and was taking the pumpkins in his cart to sell in town.

Duke tucked his scythe into his belt and squeezed into a narrow gap among the pumpkins. He sat on a cramped wooden plank, bracing himself against either side to keep his balance.

Uncle Lien wore a straw hat and held a battered old pipe between his lips. He flicked his whip and drove the donkey cart toward town.