The First Year - Orchard Ground - Book 1: A Cozy Farm-Life LitRPG of Homesteading, Skills and Progression

Ethan and Claire Bennett didn't buy a farm.

They bought 160 neglected acres, a tiny one-room cabin, a questionable well, broken fencing, overgrown tracks, a dying orchard—and almost enough money left to make the whole thing work.

Almost.

After years of planning, they've finally walked away from city life to build something of their own. But arriving is the easy part.

Before their first winter, they need reliable water. Sanitation. Food. Firewood. Storage. Power. A garden that actually produces. A road they can still use when the weather turns bad.

And neither of them is a farmer.

Fortunately, the System can measure what they accomplish.

It won't repair a pump.

It won't grow a crop.

It won't put money in their account or give them skills they haven't earned.

Every improvement has to come from their own work, their own decisions, and the help they're willing to learn from.

One repaired system at a time, a neglected property begins to change.

So do they.

But winter is coming, and the real test isn't whether Ethan and Claire can build a homestead.

It's whether they can build one strong enough to stay.

The First Year is Book 1 of Orchard Ground, a grounded, non-magical farm-life LitRPG about homesteading, practical progression, earned skills, resource management, community, and a married couple building a new life together.