Into the healing farming game

BGM
Day 0 of Spring

There’s a game called Starwind Valley. Widely known as a healing game, it allows you to enjoy a leisurely and slow-paced farm life.

A healing game.

In reality, though, if you were to give Koreans a healing game with no time limit, they would likely push the boundaries of time and efficiency. It’s even earned the nickname ‘Kimchi-style farm game,’ but regardless of the playstyle, It remains what it is—a healing game. And in the end, I enjoyed it.

Healing can be experienced in your own way, regardless of the method. But the concept of “healing” itself…

Well.

Since it’s a game, you can fully immerse yourself in the fun.

The 24-hour slave life of a superhuman protagonist.

A to-do list broken down into minutes for maximum efficiency.

Crop yields are calculated to the limit.

On a lucky day, you might stumble upon rare materials in the mines.

Those were the days when I frantically ran around the neighborhood, carrying beer and mayonnaise to make new recipes.

I even begged an NPC to open a sales channel.

Gathering materials for adventure and exploration.

To achieve an accomplishment, I repeated the same actions, 216 days a year.

That was the type of game I played. If you were to ask me whether it was truly a healing game, I would say it was quite entertaining.

I enjoyed the game in the aspect of the protagonist’s superhuman qualities. Sometimes, I’d think to myself that if I had worked as diligently as the character, I would have definitely been successful. However, I realized that working diligently is actually quite exhausting in real life, especially with a full-time job and only 4-5 hours of sleep a day.

Do people really live like that?

Well.

Would it be a good thing if it lasted for a month?

The protagonist carries out a grueling schedule every day, where survival feels like a daily thing.

It was a healing farming life that could be enjoyed because it wasn’t real in any way.

Because it is a game.

Even if you collapsed from exhaustion while exploring and died.

Even if you ran out of stamina while farming and fainted on the ground.

Even if you got lost in the mine.

It was just a game, so you were given a second chance if you were to fail. I didn’t doubt it and enjoyed every moment of the game.

…

A strong grassy smell that I’ve never encountered at home.

Strong sunlight shining through the window.

The faint scent of wood fills the house.

If only a loading screen had appeared now, it would be a scene that I’d feel familiar with, even though I had never actually seen it with my own eyes. Is this what it would feel like to turn a 2D world into a 3D reality? It feels like the music pounding in my head passed by like a dream.

Goosebumps creep in.

I shook my head vigorously, wondering if it was a dream, but the vague and inaccurate sensations typical of dreams were nowhere to be found. Instead, there was something sharp—a strong feeling that told me this wasn’t a dream.

“What.”

My mouth is dry.

I can feel the sensation of swallowing saliva all the way down my throat.

The fact that my body has become more sensitive is clearly conveyed through my heartbeat.

Tension fills my body.

The pain when I pinch myself or slap my cheek is painfully realistic.

I know it’s not a dream, but my heart hopes it is, only to face reality in vain.

“What is this?”

Did someone actually kidnap me?

It’s probably not a hidden camera.

I tried keeping my wits and did my best to understand the situation.

I woke up in a rustling bed.

The mattress is soft. Although the bed sheets and blankets were unfamiliar, the cozy feeling was still there.

The size of a small house. When I turn my head, I can see the entire scene at a glance.

Sunlight shines through the window, highlighting the dust floating in the air.

A fireplace without a fire.

A table with a letter placed on it.

A small bathroom.

Is this what a medieval house without any decorations would have looked like?

It was the starting scene of Starwind Valley, and what would have been heartwarming in a game turned into a cold thriller when it became reality.

Apparently, until yesterday, I had completed the “Achievement: Shall I lick the yogurt off the lid?” and was planning to go on an expedition to a place called the Tomb of Usurpation.

Obviously, that was a story in a game.

Something in a game, not reality.

I was playing a game, and there was no talk of a virtual reality game being released anywhere in the world.

There is no other virtual reality game that shares such a perfect feeling.

I stood up and looked around.

The rough wood felt cold.

Did my mind make it that way?

Or maybe it’s because I feel a strange chill in the air.

Without hiding the goosebumps I felt, I shake my head a little faster.

There are no traces of people.

I felt frustrated and stepped outside.

Sunlight slowly heats the earth.

The cold air that settles during the night becomes the wind and tickles my head.

Under normal circumstances, I’d think, “The temperature is nice. It would be a good day for a walk.”

This is how I would usually think.

As the environment changed, I became dumbfounded.

This is the starting scene of Starwind Valley.

It’s such a strange feeling to experience in reality what it would be like if it were converted to 3D.

Trees and grass spread widely in the yard. Stones grouped up around the yards.

Various tools are scattered nearby.

The shiny silver ones look completely unused.

An ax.

A hoe.

A pickaxe.

A watering can.

A sickle.

They were all intertwined, showing me fragmentarily what I had to do in the future.

A future where physical labor will inevitably follow.

I can’t help but sigh as I feel confused.

Just.

My heart feels tight.

Why?

Why am I here?

Why on earth did I fall into this world when I wasn’t even part of the game and had only seen the ending once?

What on earth do you want from me?

Is it a dream?

If I sleep now, will I be able to go home?

I can’t quite organize my thoughts.

I sat on the low steps leading down to the yard and threw a gray stone.

The sight of it rolling around on the floor was terrible.

It’s as if it’s ridiculing me

My body was also unnecessarily healthy.

Both arms. The fine muscles on both legs were noticeable.

Seeing that makes me feel quite better.

This is because I lived a life far from exercise, so I had no idea that these muscles would take root in my body.

Seeing myself struggling like this must have devastated my emotions quite a bit.

Usually.

I wasn’t the type of person who would cry and laugh and have severe emotional changes like this.

Thinking like that makes me depressed again.

Suddenly, my head started to ring.

I felt dizzy and went inside the house.

The refreshing smell of wood fills the air.

Only then do I notice the letter lying on the table.

Paper folded neatly in yellow.

I walked over to the table and nudged the crop bundle out of the way.

Underneath, I found a letter with curly writing and decided to open it.

Strangely enough, I was able to decipher the curly writing.

Even though it’s a language I’ve never seen before, it was readable.

That fact makes this phenomenon a little more unrealistic.

An unscientific occurrence that cannot be scientifically understood.

It unfolds right before my eyes.

Only then did my half-wavering mind realize that this world was Starwind Valley

I was able to clearly recognize and accept that it was not my home.

—

[Welcome to Starwind Valley!

From now on, you have the privilege of enjoying Starwind Valley to its fullest.

Didn’t you regret seeing it only as a game?

Don’t you envy the protagonist who worked hard?

Enjoy a healing farming life with your whole body, not just your fingers and eyes!

The environment is open to you!

Adventure and exploration!

Cooking and gourmet food!

Battle and grow!

Gathering and farming!

Mining and logging!

The sense of accomplishment that comes with achieving an achievement!

Are you ready for it all?

I have no doubt that you will be happy.

Starwind Valley is such a place.

A happy, relaxed, and enjoyable place.

If one day you get tired of all this healing life and want to go back, please remember!

Of course, I know you would never do that.

Still, I’ll let you know just in case.

Sometimes you can miss your hometown.

‘True ending!’

When you see the true ending, you will have the opportunity to end your healing farming life!

However, I don’t think you’ll give up this fun healing life and go back to a gloomy place!

Because this is Starwind Valley!

Wishing you a happy and enjoyable farming life.

Thank you.]

—

“What kind of bullshit is this?”

I couldn’t believe my eyes and read over the letter several times.

One is that I can fully read a letter written in an unknown language.

Another is that everything is kindly explained in the letter.

And finally, it is clearly stated that this is Starwind Valley.

What they said was simple and intuitive.

For some unknown reason, I ended up in Starwind Valley.