Farming was hard. Farming in a fantasy world with magic made things easier.

Bato had to choose what kind of crops he would be growing. Since the temperature outside felt warm, it was safe to assume that it was spring. (But he could be in a place that had consistent weather, so would that even matter?) He also made a couple of scarecrows made of wood to keep the crops safe. The crops he decided on were cabbages, onions, and carrots. Then, using the bone meal he found, he mixed it in with the soil as a slow-release fertilizer. Once the seeds were planted, he used a spell to water the crops. "Beats a watering can, anyway." With that, he began his farming life. Day after day, it was a steady routine of checking on the crops, watering, and then doing whatever needed to be done around the farm.

There was a list of things that needed to be done. Using the wood, he made wooden fences, a bench, some chairs, and a table. He made a small stone oven, a small bed, as well as making wood for the fire. "At least the hut will be warm."

That evening, he walked off his plot to contemplate how he could get some more yield for his crop. Thinking of ways to set himself apart from the other farms, he thought that bone meal would be greatly beneficial. The bone meal he found was all gone, and the question remained: how would he get more? He didn't notice that the sun had already set. From the ground popped up the stalchildren. "Well, this is convenient." So, every evening, he slayed ten stalchildren and one giant one. Taking the bones, he ground them in a mortar/pestle. Bone meal created!

Now it was just the waiting game. "I suppose I'll just have to find other things to do. Those crops won't be coming up for a very, long time."

There was only one issue with that statement. In three days, he saw the seeds starting to sprout. In another two days, the crops were fully grown. Bato stared at the crops and sighed heavily. "Of course, it would be like this." The cabbage, onions, and carrots were fully grown. On closer inspection, they were bigger than usual produce. "I was expecting weeks but five days. Five days?! Add this to the list of busted up powers I have in this world." His hunts in the forest were turning out to be the nice side hustle. In the five days, he killed ten wolfos and to deter any intruders coming from the woods, he cut off the heads and stuck them on wooden pikes. Placing them near the outskirts, he hoped that any creature would take the hint not to intrude.

Washing the vegetables in the stream, he loaded them up in his cart. With the wolfos pelts, on the morning of the sixth day, he began his trip to Castle Town.

Coming up to the town square, Bato looked for his stall. Looking at the permit, he found it already set up, ready for its occupant. He started to off-load his produce onto the stall. While he was doing that, both merchants and customers noticed the size of his vegetables. Even some other farmers pointed and whispered at him.

"Din's balls, those things are huge!"

"How did he get those vegetables so big?"

"Isn't this the new farmer who moved into that cursed plot?"

"Really? You think after three families dying, they would ban that place already!"

"That place is cursed! Just the other day, I heard loud wolf noises coming from the woods. He's dead if he stays there."

"And yet, there he stands."

When finished, he took a stool and sat down. Plenty of people passing through the farmers' market glanced briefly at the size of Bato's vegetables. Five minutes had passed when a brave onlooker decided to visit the stall. "Excuse me sir. How much are your carrots?"

Bato had the pricing set up in his head. His fellow competitors were setting their vegetable prices at an average of thirty to forty rupees. So, he would do the same.

"Forty rupees for a bunch." The onlooker whipped out his wallet and took out the rupees. Carrots in hand, Bato made the exchange. As his first customer walked off, others approached him asking what was the price. When told, a bunch more people strode up towards the stall.

"These big things are forty rupees?"

"But these things are huge! Why would he be selling them so cheap?!"

"Those things can't be real, can they?"

All over the people's faces were varied mixtures of emotion. Confusion, jealousy, wonderment, excitement over the prospect that maybe something like this could happen to them. The crowd became thicker, and people started to shove to get a look at the freak crops. Soon, the forty rupee price tag was out the window, as people started to barter more rupees for them. Because the crowd had gotten thicker, some of the crops he had were stolen when no one was looking.

In an hour and a half, his stock was entirely gone.

Frazzled, Bato shook his head while watching the huge crowd disperse into the square. There were a couple of problems he had on his first day. The retired farmer who sold him the seeds the other day walked up.

"Pretty good first day?"

Bato looked at him, unamused. "I got slaughtered out there."

"Yeah, it's mostly for farmers trying to sell here. People will always go to the newbie; to take advantage of their lack of experience."

Bato looked at his stall again. "Yeah. I have a feeling I didn't make as much as I should have."

"At those prices?! Are you stupid?" The man got up to his face, incredulously. "Whoever heard ofselling those crops at those prices?! You should have priced it at double!"

"Well, everyone else was doing it."

"Everyone else has normal-looking crops while you," the man gestured towards the stall, "had the biggest crop yield anyone has ever seen since the opening of the square!"

"Well." Bato looked at him, expectedly. "Maybe someone could give me a few pointers on what I should do next time?"

The man grinned at him. "Only if you give me some of your crops next time 'round." And so, the two farmers got together and brainstormed. One, he had to pay closer attention to his crops. People were stealing them right under his nose. Two, a hard set on the price. There was no way he was going to barter with six people simultaneously. Three, have a line created. While normally, you wouldn't have crowds of people clamouring for produce if this was going to be a reoccurring thing, he should have the experience of waiting for more pleasant.

By noon, the two wrapped up their conversation. "Just keep your head up about you, kid. It just takes experience."

"I know. I'm willing to learn." Bato gave a gentle smile. "Thanks for the advice. I'll have your goods the next time I'm selling."

"Whenever that is, I'll be waiting," the man said, and he headed back to his stall.

Bato also sold the wolfos pelts for a sizeable sum. However, he noticed a group of people eying him. They looked rough andhad some mix-matched armour pieces with swords and spears. He tried to ignore him, but something inside he told him that he was going to have problems soon.

He was right.

Leaving the city, Bato made his way home on the same path he came from. It was almost evening and there were hardly any people where he was. There weren't many guards around, either. A feeling of nervousness crept over him and he, once again, felt he was being watched. When he was about to enter a stone bridge, two people appeared in front of his cart and two appeared at the back. It was the same group as before.

"Well, if it isn't our farmer friend," said one man nastily. "You made quite a scene at the market this morning."

"He doesn't know how things work around here." Another man approached, holding his sword menacingly.

"How do things work?" Bato asked, innocently.

"The farmers are under our protection. In exchange for our protection, we give them an allowance."

"An allowance?"

"Yeah! As we allow you to keep your life and leave your farm intact." The group started to move closer. "And you make monthly protection payments to keep it that way."

"So, what you're doing…is extorting me."

"Extorting?" Ask one of the men at the back. "What by the Goddess' tits are you talking about."

"It's a protection scam. I give you money, and you don't beat the living shit out of me." Bato shook his head. "You don't even know what crime you're committing, is this your first time doing this or what?"

"Now this man's calling us stupid. Not so smart when it's four against one. Maybe beating the shit out of you will learn your place." Wide grins were on their faces as they approached Bato slowly. They were intent on harming. Suddenly, a heavy force hit all four of them. They dropped into the group. "What the hell? What's happening…"

"I can't move!" The men attempted to move their bodies. They were able to move their arms and legs a little. Bato was completely still. The men continued to struggle as he walked towards one of them.

He picked up one of the dropped swords. "It would be easy," Bato whispered. "It would be ever so easy…"

A voice entered his head. "Kill. Kill him. Kill the others. No one will miss them. Take their spoils for yourself! Take their armour, their money, everything! Like you've always done."

Bato raised the blade to the man's neck. He started to whimper cowardly. He put the blade up to his neck, making a small nick. Some drops of blood stained the blade. "No." Bato took the blade and dropped it on the ground. "This isn't some game. This is real." He made an open palm on his right hand. "Paralyze."

Four flashes of green light lasted a minute each.

"Is Commander Cobn available?" Bato asked one of the sentries on duty. After loading the bandits up on his empty cart, he made his way back to Castle Town. Two more sentries came out from the guard house.

The guard cleared his throat. "No." He peered over the cart. "What happened to them?"

"Oh them. They thought me an easy mark and attempted to rob me on my way home."

"Aren't those the bandits that stole from the armoury a few days ago?" One of the guards went over to take a closer look. The bandit's faces were frozen with fear, but they were still breathing. "What did you do to them?"

"I used a paralyze spell. It should wear off in a couple of hours. I think."

"Paralyze spell? I've never heard magic like that."

"It's magic from the far north," Bato said quickly. "Far away from Hyrule. They have an entire school of magic there."

The guards looked at each other. The first guard gestured towards the others. "Very well. You two, take care of these bandits." The sentry looked at Bato, "and you. Come with me. I'll have to make a report."

"Should have seen that coming." Sighing, Bato went into the guard house with the sentry, while the other two guards struggled with the immobile bandits.

Bobsa was not a happy man. As overseeing the extortion ring, he had to make sure that everyone was doing his part. Many hands were in play. From sleazy merchants to high-ranking nobles. His organization has kept the farmers from gaining a monopoly on their produce. At his base, near the Central Square, he was fuming about how four of his men were taken out by a single farmer.

"It's true." One of the guards from the posts earlier, now wearing common wear, told Bobsa about what happened. How Bato came with a cart with paralyzed men.

"Are you stupid!" Bobsa threw a metal cup near the man's head. "There's no way that farmer could have taken out those guys! He must have found them piss drunk as usual and thought to cash in on the bounties." He got up and grabbed the guard by his neck. "I thought I told you to remove those bounties!"

"Gah! I tried, sir! But Commander Cobn-"

Bobsa wrung his neck. "Cobn. Cobn! Cobn! That's all I heard from you! He's to blame, right?!"

"He won't remove active bounties without proof of death, and he's very particular to this command."

Bobsa released the man, gasping heavily. "Cobn, I can deal with. But if a nobody farmer beats four of my men, this will probably inspire the others to band together and take us out! No. I must nick this in the bud. Norl! Norl, get your ass in here!"

"Yes, boss!" A bandit ran inside the room.

"I want you to assign four guys and tail this 'Bato'. Find out where he lives. What he does. What's his route? Where does he go? Who does he talk to? Everything!"

"Yes sir!" As Norl and the other man left hurriedly, Bobsa flashed a sadistic grin.

"Bato. The newcomer. You never should have messed with me."