Chapter 59: Back II

Ryan then began explaining how he had cleared the first floor.

Of course, he didn’t tell his father everything.

He gave him a watered-down version of the events, leaving out certain details that he preferred to keep to himself. He explained how he had explored the first floor, defeated several powerful monsters, gathered resources, and eventually challenged the Guardian.

He also mentioned some of the rewards he had received and how he had managed to reach the second floor ahead of most other adventurers.

His father listened attentively, occasionally asking questions whenever something caught his interest.

By the time Ryan finished, his father had a thoughtful expression.

"So, you managed to defeat the Guardian on your own?"

Ryan nodded.

"That’s right."

His father shook his head slightly.

"Your progress really is faster than I expected. I suppose your class turned out to be much more useful than we initially thought."

Ryan smiled but didn’t comment.

After a brief pause, he changed the subject.

"Anyway, Dad, tell me about your class progress."

His father raised an eyebrow.

"My class?"

"Yeah. I’m somewhat interested in the Scarecrow Creation skill you obtained after evolving your class."

His father’s expression changed slightly.

"Oh, that?"

He adjusted his position on the bed before answering.

"Hmm, its really a good skill."

Ryan nodded.

He was actually the one who had helped his parents evolve their classes. However, he hadn’t yet had the opportunity to see all the abilities in actions they had obtained.

In particular, he was curious about Scarecrow Creation.

Unlike ordinary farming skills, it sounded like something that could produce actual beings. In a way, it reminded him of the abilities used to create undead.

He wanted to see what kind of scarecrow his father had managed to create.

"Well, have you created any scarecrows yet?"

His father gave him an amused look.

"Young man, do you think I awakened this skill just to leave it unused?"

Ryan smiled.

"So, you’ve already made one?"

"Of course. In fact, I created it just for this."

His father shifted slightly and raised one hand.

"Since you’re already here, I might as well show you."

He extended his fingers, and a faint magical glow appeared around his hand.

The next moment, a figure emerged beside the bed.

It was a scarecrow, but not the ordinary kind Ryan was familiar with.

Its body was made of tightly packed straw, with a humanoid frame and long, slender limbs. It wore a crow-shaped mask that resembled a witch doctor’s headdress, giving it a rather unusual appearance.

In each hand, it held a sickle attached to a chain.

The scarecrow stood silently beside the bed.

Then, as if following a command, it turned toward Ryan and bowed respectfully.

Ryan looked at it with curiosity.

His father chuckled.

"Relax. He’s my son. There’s no need to be so formal."

The scarecrow slowly straightened.

Ryan examined it from head to toe.

"Whoa. He looks badass!"

His father smiled proudly.

"Not bad, right? I spent quite some time deciding on his appearance and equipment."

Ryan nodded.

"His weapons look pretty good too."

"That’s right. Those sickle chains are part of his equipment. They’re quite useful for dealing with troublesome targets."

His father glanced at the scarecrow before continuing.

"His combat abilities aren’t particularly impressive yet, but he’s quite capable of protecting the farm. I’ve also given him a few additional functions."

Ryan looked at the scarecrow again.

He was particularly interested in how the skill worked.

Unlike ordinary summons, this scarecrow had been created through his father’s class skill. Ryan wondered whether its strength could grow alongside its creator or if it required additional materials and upgrades.

"Does he have a name?"

His father paused.

"Not yet. I haven’t really thought about one."

Ryan chuckled.

"Then you should give him one. It would be strange to keep calling him scarecrow."

His father nodded thoughtfully.

"That’s not a bad idea."

"By the way, why is he so weak?" Ryan asked.

He had expected something more impressive from a skill that allowed its user to create special scarecrows.

His father gave him a helpless smile.

"Well, do you remember that my Scarecrow Creation skill depends on the plants and materials I use?"

Ryan nodded.

"Of course."

"Unfortunately, I didn’t have access to any particularly special plants or carnivorous crops when I created him. I had to make do with some ordinary straw and a few basic materials."

His father glanced at the scarecrow.

"Even his sickles are made of wood. His skills are also limited to basic sickle-based and blade-type attacks."

Ryan looked at the scarecrow’s weapons again.

Now that he paid closer attention, he could see that the sickles weren’t particularly impressive.

"I see."

"Don’t worry. I’ll try to get you some better plants and materials. You should be able to create something much stronger with them."

Ryan had quite a few suitable materials in his possession, so he didn’t need to look very far.

"You can have these."

He took out several items and handed them to his father.

The first was a seed from an Ancient Tree. The second was a fragment of the Ancient Tree of Life, followed by the core of the Corrupted World Tree.

His father accepted the items, but the moment he touched them, his expression changed.

His farming-related abilities immediately responded to the materials, allowing him to sense just how extraordinary they were.

"These are..."

He examined the items carefully, clearly surprised by their quality.

Ryan smiled.

"Why don’t you try creating a new scarecrow right now?"

His father looked at him.

"Right now?"

"Yeah. You already have everything you need, don’t you?"

Ryan then brought up the description of his father’s class skill, which he had previously examined.

[Scarecrow Creation — Class Skill]

Description:

Allows the user to create powerful scarecrows using plants, crops, and other farming-related materials.

The abilities and characteristics of each scarecrow depend on the materials used during its creation. Different plants can grant completely different abilities.

For example, fire-based plants can produce scarecrows with fire-related abilities, while poisonous plants can grant poison-based abilities.

The user can also combine multiple plants to create scarecrows with several different abilities.

Scarecrow Creation Requirements:

Plant or crop materials.

Minimum of 100 Mana.

A suitable core or energy source.

Maximum Scarecrows: 10

Scarecrow Duration: Permanent unless destroyed.

Creation Time: Depends on the quality of the materials used.

Mana Cost: Depends on the materials used.

Cooldown: 10 minutes between creations.

Additional Effects:

Created scarecrows are completely loyal to their creator and can be assigned to protect farms, guard locations, or fight enemies.

Ryan’s eyes lit up as he read through the description again.

With these materials, his father might be able to create something far more powerful than the scarecrow standing beside them.