Into the healing farming game

43rd Day of Spring

[Fishing Advanced Level 1 achieved! Choose an advanced achievement effect!]

[1. Maximum level of treasure chests obtained through fishing +30]

[2. Probability of rare or higher species of fish appearing +15]

Pleasant concerns always excited me, but when it came time to make a choice, I tended to hesitate. That was the case now.

I vaguely knew that fishing would provide good options as it reached an advanced level, but when faced with those options, I hesitated because I didn’t know which one to choose. Since there was no option like this in the existing game, I worried more.

It was also true that once a choice was made, it could not be undone. Abandoned choices did not come back.

Was it right to get a treasure chest that could obtain level 70 equipment? Or, for fun and achievements, was it right to increase the probability of rare and legendary fish appearing just for interest?

Although I evaluated what was right or wrong, I struggled to make a choice in a direction that was beneficial to me. After a short thought, I pressed my finger. The slightly shaking finger ultimately chose number 2.

“Sigh.”

It was true that good equipment appeared in treasure chests, but these were replaceable items. I could make equipment at the crafting table as long as I had good minerals and materials. However, for rare and legendary fish, I had to rely on pure luck. To reduce the variation, I chose number 2. Although I had been fishing hard, I was a bit annoyed by the guys who didn’t show up.

In the end, it was a choice about whether it could be replaced or not. No regrets.

Putting aside the worries, it was now time to enjoy shopping for 200,000 gold. When combined with the gold I had worked so hard to accumulate, it seemed like a very abundant amount. My mind became more relaxed. Was this the mind of a chaebol (rich kid) who entered a department store?

The first thing to look at was the items of the mode. Now I could easily choose items worth tens of thousands of gold.

I examined the items one by one. First, there was a warp device for 20,000 gold. Next, I considered adding 4 equipment slots for 10,000 gold. The encyclopedia cost 40,000 gold.

I bought them all without hesitation. I had been keeping an eye on them for a while and had been waiting for a time like this to come. The warp device made it easier to travel long distances. The additional equipment slots helped in battle. The encyclopedia allowed detailed information to be checked through the UI.

Seventy thousand gold had already been consumed, but I didn’t really care.

Afterwards, the shortened production time consumed up to 25,000 gold, for a total of 95,000 gold. I had used up almost half of the gold I earned that day. It was a bold flex, but I was very satisfied.

Because gold was there to be used. If I just collected it, it wouldn’t have much meaning. It was always important to spend as well as earn.

Seeds and cooking utensils—while examining various items, I fell into deep darkness. Real rest, not a dream. It was the moment I fell into a deep sleep.

The morning of the 43rd day of spring.

“Off…”

A wet pain pressed down on my entire body. A stinging sensation occurred, as if a fishhook were stuck all over me.

Okay. The advanced level 1 pain that I had wanted to avoid for a while flooded back to me.

I quickly took out the painkillers and food and poured them into my mouth. I wasn’t sure about the effect of the painkiller, but I could quite feel the effectiveness of the defense buff.

The throbbing, numb body gradually became dull. The efficacy was immediate. Endurable pain popped up intermittently. That much was bearable.

“Ugh…”

Being able to endure it and adapting to it were two completely different things. Pain was not easy to get used to. New knowledge and experience. Improving physical performance was a pleasure, but the accompanying pain was always unwelcome. Fortunately, this time was the best.

The defense buff helped more than I thought. Was the power of pain relief so great?

I no longer had the past where I fell unconscious on the bed, drooling. I had enough time to get rid of my pounding headache and have a glass of water.

Drinking cool water calmed the mind awakened by pain. I was in bad shape, like I had a cold, but I managed to get through it.

A clear sky welcomed me. The weather was slowly getting warmer, indicating that summer was coming.

The 56th was the last day of spring. It was now the 43rd day of spring. Spring ended in 13 days. In the game, I had to be most careful on the first day of each season. This was because seeds grew seasonally due to the nature of a farming game, and there were cases where plants that only grew in spring would die in the summer.

Okay. The dizzying feeling that came when the preciously planted seed became a yellow death was a pain that could not be expressed in words.

I had struggled as a newbie. At the time when I was determined to become a rich farmer, I had the experience of having all the spring seeds die as spring transitioned into summer. It was an experience I never wanted to have again.

To prevent that from happening, I needed to stop buying seeds and save up money. The time had come. Spring was shrinking to prepare for summer.

It was still okay. Moreover, I bought a mod called Reduced Production Time, which made crops grow 10% faster.

This meant that the main crop, musk melon, would be fully grown in 10 days. Day 46, following that tempo. I left one day to spare and designated that day as the last day to plant seeds.

As I worked on my morning seed planting routine, a crow flew from the sky. The bird, making a cackling sound, eventually settled on my shoulder and dropped the letter it was holding in its beak to me.

“Uh?”

Caw—

Then it left without hesitation.

The shape of the letter, sealed with red sealing wax, was quite stylish. I was curious about what it contained, so I quickly opened it.

[Nice to meet you. I’ll keep my greetings short. How are you going to get along? It’s Gilbert. When you’re ready, come to the tower. Are you ready to learn magic?]

Although it was short, it was a letter full of excitement. At last. Finally, I could learn magic too.

I was in a bad condition, like I had a cold, but I felt better. The act of planting seeds gradually became faster, whether I knew it or not. It was a result that reflected my excitement to finish work as quickly as possible and run to the tower.

My original schedule was to finish planting the seeds today, harvest the crops, and then collect the materials needed for construction. What was so important about that? I could gather the ingredients slowly. Extending my house? Cowshed? There was no need to rush anything.

Romance was waiting for me, so what was important? Magic called me.

I planted seeds and watered them. After eating breakfast and lunch, I headed straight to the tower where Gilbert was staying. It was a tower full of mechanical devices that I couldn’t get used to, but no matter how many times I saw it, it looked quite cozy. This may also have been the fun of changing my mindset.

“Please come inside.”

Gilbert’s tone was as ambiguous as always. When I arrived at the study filled with the smell of paper, he greeted me as always.

“How have you been?”

“Is there any difference in daily life?”

Gilbert got up from his seat and approached me.

“Did you receive the letter?”

“Yes.”

“Yes. It hasn’t been long since you sent the crow, but seeing that you came right away shows that you were very motivated.”

“It’s exciting.”

“Hm. I guess I should say I’m glad you don’t have any fear of magic.”

“Fear?”

“It’s a vague fear. It’s a common misconception people have about wizards.”

I looked at Gilbert blankly. A misunderstanding about magic? What could that be? Gilbert chuckled at that stupid look and continued his explanation.

“For example, turning people into frogs or boiling human body parts in a pot.”

“Do you actually do that?”

“Well, if you’re a warlock. At least not me. I’ve never been one.”

“Okay then. I don’t plan on learning that either.”

“Having no preconceptions is a great virtue for a wizard. Yes.”

Gilbert smiled and handed me a book.

“Let’s start by learning the letters needed for magic.”

“Do I need to learn a language?”

“I don’t think you know. If you read the whole book…”

“Basics and Understanding of Beopjin?”

“Hmm?”

Gilbert’s eyes widened. Was this a privilege given to me? Understanding of language. Interpretation, translation. The ability to read and understand everything. I didn’t know what it was, but I thought it was thanks to this that conversations with fairies became easier. Thanks to this, the expectation that magic could be learned easily was growing.

“Wait a minute. Can you read this book? Did you learn ancient Sanskrit?”

“Uh… I can read it. Yes.”

“Read this too.”

Gilbert handed me another book. The title written there was Basics and Understanding of Runes.

“Basics and Understanding of Runes.”

“You know Elamite too. Next.”

“All About Witchcraft.”

“Do you even know Ionian? Next.”

“History of Pensions.”

“Huh. Is it magical understanding? If it’s an extinct language, is it a talent? No, there is no such thing. What kind of magic does it work? Is something interpreting it for you?”

His self-talk continued. Gilbert’s bustling behavior persisted until about ten books were piled up in front of his table.

“Would you like to stay still for a moment? Hmm. There’s nothing written. It’s not like there’s any spirit in it. It’s strange. Genius belongs to the category of understanding. It feels like I’m just following what I know.”

Gilbert muttered as if doing something for a moment. I could vaguely feel it sweeping over my body, but it was so faint that I couldn’t really discern it. This too was caught just in the nick of time with a fine sense. It was a kind of subtle current that one probably wouldn’t catch if their fishing wasn’t advanced enough.

“That’s fascinating.”

“Is something wrong?”

“No. It’s actually a good thing. I can study you while you learn magic. I won’t be bored.”

“Uh… Research?”

“I don’t plan on dismembering you or giving you any strange drugs, so don’t look at me with impure eyes.”

“I didn’t think of that.”

“That said, your eyes are similar to the way the villagers look at me.”

Gilbert grinned. What was contained in that smile?

“It will make things easier. Take a book and read it. Read regularly and ask questions.”

“Is that okay?”

“Not everything. If you keep coming, I will help you feel the magic power. One day, when you can feel the magic power and move it, the knowledge you read will blossom.”

“I’ll try my best.”

“Okay. Let’s start by feeling the magic power.”

Gilbert’s class began. What about magic power? What was mana?

The lengthy explanation continued. The talk, which started with the foundation of the world, lasted for about ten minutes and concluded with how humans were finally able to control magical power.

It was a common setting and the culmination of fantasy’s convenience-oriented narrative that lightly destroyed the physical laws of the Earth. Okay. If you thought about it, the essence of convenience was magic.

What kind of rule? Connection of science. A sophisticated combination of science built up through painstaking information one by one. Only then did application to daily life emerge. The more you discovered, the more beautifully designed the laws of the world became—a product called science.

On the other hand, what about magic?

Air conditioning.

Refrigerator.

Turn iron into gold.

Create a fireball in the air.

From a scientist’s perspective, it was magic that could be understood even if one collapsed and vomited blood. Even magic had its own elaborate settings. Although there might have been information accumulated over a long period, it was an undeniable fact that the settings were mostly haphazard.

What? From an actor’s perspective, it was actually nice to see that. The less complicated it was, the easier it was for beginners.

“…That’s how magic happens. Do you understand?”

“Approximately.”

“Okay. I didn’t think you would understand it all at once. Now I’ll show you the flow of magic power.”

Gilbert’s hand reached out. Something like wind flowing from both hands passed through my body. A strange, swelling sensation touched my skin. The tickling feeling made me touch my skin for no reason.

“Flaw.”

Gilbert chuckled.

“It tickles.”

“Thank the fairy a lot.”

“Yes?”

“Didn’t you feel magical power? That’s magical power. What tickled you. What you thought was like the wind.”

“How does this thing move?”

“You have to learn it little by little. Start by reading the book. It’s constant homework. I didn’t know that feeling magic would end so quickly. That’s surprising.”

“Thank you.”

“Magic power is everywhere in the world. Next time you visit, tell me where you felt it. The more familiar you are, the better.”

“Is this homework?”

“That’s it. Let’s go out. I think this will be enough for today.”

“Thank you. I’ll come again.”

“Okay.”

The excitement of learning magic continued even beyond the tower. The dreamy feeling felt from the brisk steps continued in a circle.

Was that why the world looked so beautiful?

For no reason, it felt as if the wind blowing was loaded with magical power. The warm spring breeze felt good.